White Tiger

nothing happened. He raised me so that I stood facing him, both his cool hands holding mine.
    He looked into my eyes. His face was still expressionless, a mask of restraint, but his dark eyes were glittering and I could see it all. He was close to losing control. If he did, I was dead.
    He quickly dropped my hands and backed to the other side of the room.
    ‘It would be worth it,’ I said softly.
    ‘No, it wouldn’t. I love you too much to lose you.’
    I froze at his words. We stood silently and gazed at each other across the width of the room.
    He moved half a step towards me, then moved back again. ‘I can’t hold it, Emma. There are no more secrets now. But I must go, before I lose control and hurt you.’
    I nodded and turned away. He went out, closing the door softly behind him.
    I fell back into the chair. I sat for a while, then asked Ah Yat where the training room was. I went in, closed the door and performed sword katas until I dropped from exhaustion.
    Leo told me later that he knew something was up, because while I was locked in the training room doing sword katas for many hours straight, Mr Chen was in the garden doing precisely the same thing, heedless of anyone who tried to speak to him.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
    T he next day, by silent agreement, we returned to training as if nothing had happened. We went to the top of the hill behind the house. ‘First, generate chi,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Both of you together, we have plenty of room. Move about three metres apart first.’
    Simone and I separated and generated the chi. I had about a basketball’s worth; more than twice as much as I could generate back home.
    ‘The lack of pollution makes a huge difference,’ I said. ‘Exactly. Now, both of you, move it as high as you can without losing it.’
    I floated the chi above my head.
    ‘Slowly, ladies. Very gently. Particularly when it starts to pull back.’
    I lifted the chi three metres, and then four metres. I slowly drifted it until I had it five metres above my head.
    ‘Stop, Emma. Hold it there. Do you feel it? Simone, you too, right there.’
    I inhaled sharply. ‘It’s like I’m up there with it!’
    ‘It’s like flying!’ Simone squealed, and then screamed. Her chi rocketed back down to her and hit her on the top of the head. She crumpled.
    I managed to hold my chi but watched Simone, concerned. Mr Chen strode over and raised her in his arms and brushed her hair.
    I couldn’t move with the chi so far from me. I floated it back to myself as quickly as I could, reabsorbed it and raced to them. Simone was limp, her face ashen.
    I took her little hand as he carried her. It was ice-cold. ‘Tell me she’s going to be okay,’ I said.
    ‘She’ll be fine, she’s just drained,’ he said. I hurried to keep up with his long strides back to the house.
    Ah Yat was waiting for us at the front door. When she saw Simone her eyes widened.
    ‘She’s all right, she just needs to rest,’ Mr Chen said.
    He carried her to her room and placed her gently on her bed. We knelt side by side and watched her. He stroked her hair; her little face was pale and serene. He took her hand and concentrated, checking her.
    ‘How long will she be out?’ I whispered. ‘It won’t be three days like me, will it?’
    Simone stirred. ‘Emma?’
    ‘Not long at all,’ Mr Chen said with amusement. ‘She has a hundred times the talent that you do, Emma.’ ‘Exactly how good is she?’
    He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me. ‘When she is grown, she will match any demon and most Shen. I strongly suspect that she will mature to be one of the most powerful creatures in creation.’
    I tried to slip his arm off my shoulder.
    ‘No need.’ He raised his hand, which was holding Simone’s. ‘She’s your shield.’
    I turned to look at him properly. He smiled down at me, his dark eyes full of amusement, then he dropped his face to mine and quickly kissed me. I put my hand behind his neck and pulled him in for more. He closed his eyes and our lips met. We pulled back and gazed into each other’s eyes.
    ‘Daddy?’ Simone said.
    We snapped apart and turned to her. He quickly dropped his arm from my shoulders.
    She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. ‘Can we go back outside? I’m okay.’
    He raised her hand and concentrated. ‘Yes, you are.’ He shook his head. ‘That was the fastest backlash recovery I have ever seen. Let’s go outside and try it again.’
    After three days of work we took