The Demon and the City

that he had expected as much.
    "After all, you're a creature of Hell. It's only reasonable that you should react badly on the Celestial plane. Badger doesn't like it either."
    "I wish to return to Earth," the badger muttered.
    "What's happening back in the tent?"
    "Not a lot. Joyful reunions between father and son. Robin's gone to sit outside, but I don't think there'll be any serious difficulty there. She seems to feel pretty badly about the whole thing, but she didn't know what she was doing and she did free him, after all. The goddess wants to speak with me later, I don't know what about."
    "So where do things go from here, Chen? Does Heaven take over and sort things out?"
    "I don't know. I suppose so. But Senditreya's fled, of course."
    "Where to?"
    "Either Earth or Hell. There aren't many places for a renegade goddess to go. But what's worse is that the meridian disruption is continuing. And it's affecting the city. I really would prefer to go back and make sure that Inari's all right, at least. Time passes oddly in the Night Harbor—she might be back from Hawaii by now."
    "Even Earth's better than this," the demon remarked, gloomily kicking at a tuft of pleasantly scented grass.
    "But possibly not for long." Chen looked up. The goddess was approaching through the trees.
    "Chen. I need to speak to you. To both of you." She glanced at the badger. "And you, creature of Earth."
    Zhu Irzh, the badger and Chen followed her into a grove of flowering plum. As they entered the grove, Zhu Irzh glanced up and saw that a kind of night had fallen: there were blazing stars visible through the white blossoms, visible in a burning azure sky. When he stepped back out of the grove, it was day once more. Kuan Yin was regarding him with an impatient tolerance.
    "When you've finished, young man . . ."
    "Sorry."
    "There is a problem," the goddess said. She sounded curiously hesitant, as if unused to sharing her difficulties with mortals. Let alone Hellkind, Zhu Irzh thought. "Now that the son of the Jade Emperor has returned, the Emperor has announced His intention to sever links with the other worlds."
    "What?" Chen was staring at her, aghast. "That would surely mean that not another human soul can enter Heaven."
    "I know."
    There goes Chen's pension, the demon thought. Well, it would be nice to have Chen down in Hell in due course, and be able to repay some hospitality, though Zhu Irzh admitted that his colleague might not feel the same way. Chen and Inari should both stay at the Irzh mansion: avoiding Chen's horrible in-laws. With a slight effort, Zhu Irzh directed his attention back to the matter at hand.
    "The Emperor feels that things have gone on long enough. We have tried to educate the human world, and we have tried to keep Hell at bay, but it is now the Emperor's view that humanity has been given its chance to learn, and has failed. With this latest plot, to suborn Heaven itself, it is His view that we should withdraw. He will be announcing His intention to other Celestial planes, of course: they may feel differently. If one were to become Christian or Hindu, matters might be entirely other."
    Chen was watching the goddess closely. "And how do you feel about this? You don't like it, do you?"
    "My feelings on the matter are irrelevant," the goddess said, and Zhu Irzh did not think he imagined the note of sadness in her voice. "I must do as the Emperor commands. But before Heaven can withdraw, there is something that remains to be done."
    "Finding Senditreya?"
    "Indeed. The goddess is too powerful to be allowed to remain on Earth, or in Hell. We saw that on the Sea of Night. The Emperor, moreover, feels that we have a certain responsibility in that respect. He has therefore asked me to send you back to Earth to track her down, and meanwhile He will arrange for the kuei to be sent, when she is found. He does not want to send the kuei right away; it will be too disruptive for the people. But I think her temple will be destroyed here."
    "Good," said Zhu Irzh, before Chen could answer. "When are we going?"
    "Now," the goddess said, and snapped her fingers.
    "Wait a minute!" Chen said, but it was too late. The trees around them thrashed as if a gale had suddenly blown in. Stars and plum blossoms alike began to fall, whirling downward, and engulfing Chen and the demon in a pale tempest. Zhu Irzh began to cough and his vision dimmed. For a split second, before his eyes filled with bloody tears, he saw the whole of Heaven laid