White Tiger

the back. The guests relaxed, talking and laughing.
    ‘Close your mouth, Emma,’ John said without looking at me.
    ‘How come they’re all so thrilled?’ I said. ‘They should be horrified. I’m just a nanny.’
    ‘Word gets around fast,’ John said. ‘Jade’s told everybody all about you. She told her grandchildren, just like she said she would.’
    ‘I didn’t know she was married and had children and grandchildren,’ I said. ‘But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.’
    ‘Dragons don’t usually marry,’ he said with amusement. ‘They are too fickle. We reptiles are a degenerate bunch. Often the Jade Emperor is at his wits’ end at our behaviour.’
    ‘He’s not the only one,’ I growled softly.
    He made a soft sound of amusement. ‘They’re all quite impressed, particularly that you stayed with Leo and Simone when the demons attacked the Peak apartment. They agree with Bai Hu. You really are exceptional.’
    ‘I don’t want them to kneel to me.’ I sighed with exasperation. ‘They’re gods, John, and I’m just an ordinary human, nothing special at all. It will kill them if they have to bow down to me.’
    Bai Hu rose and came to the base of the dais. He fell to one knee and saluted us. ‘I swear allegiance to you, Lady Emma, as Regent in the absence of Lord Xuan and the minority of Princess Simone. I vow to obey you for as long as you live.’
    He rose and raised his arms. ‘Look, my Lady, it didn’t kill me at all.’
    Tiger hearing. I should have known.
    He became more serious. ‘You’re the best one for the job, Lady Emma. Lord Xuan has chosen well. I look forward to the wedding. You will make a fine Empress of the North.’
    He changed to an enormous white tiger, at least three metres long. He bowed to me in True Form, then changed back to human form.
    John and I nodded back.
    Bai Hu grinned, winked and returned to his table.
    Qing Long rose. He wore his old-fashioned robe of turquoise silk embossed with silver scales. His long turquoise hair floated behind him as he moved.
    He fell to one knee at the base of the throne without saying a word.
    ‘Words are not necessary from one such as he,’ John said as we both nodded back.
    Qing Long took True Form and I jumped.
    ‘Steady, Emma,’ John said.
    I gathered myself and let him know I was okay with a very slight nod.
    Jade was about two metres long in dragon form. Qing Long nearly filled the hall. He was close to twenty metres long, all glittering silver and blue. His scales shifted from pure turquoise to shining silver as he moved. He raised his head and the scales rattled like steel knives. His head was the size of a pony; it nearly brushed the high ceiling. He lowered his head to see us and his eyes came to the same level as ours on the dais, still an astonishing shade of blue. His fearsome teeth were only about two metres from my head.
    He bowed gracefully as a dragon as we both nodded back.
    He changed back to human form and stood for a while without moving. Then he fell to one knee again, saluted us, and spoke loudly and clearly. ‘My Lady Emma. I am your servant.’
    John and I nodded to him again. He backed away, then returned to the table he shared with the other two Winds.
    ‘He does you great honour, my Lady, and I am very pleased,’ John said.
    ‘I’m just scared to death,’ I whispered. ‘But you were right. Truly exquisite.’
    Zhu Que rose from the table and came to the bottom of the dais. She fell to one knee and saluted. ‘I vow to serve you, my Lady.’
    She rose, and took True Form. She was a huge phoenix, at least three metres tall. Her feathers were mostly red, with a rainbow of iridescent colours shimmering through them. Her tail spread behind her, similar to a peacock’s, but red shot through with shining colours.
    She bowed, then reached around with her beak andpulled out one of her tail feathers. A few people in the hall gasped.
    She changed back to human form and walked gracefully up the stairs to the top of the dais, her red robe flowing around her. She held the feather out to me with both hands and I rose to take it. It was nearly a metre and a half long, but hardly weighed anything.
    ‘Thank you,’ I whispered. ‘You are incredibly beautiful.’
    ‘My Lady.’ She bowed, smiling, then turned and walked back down the stairs. She turned to us and bowed again, then returned to the table. She glowered at the Tiger before smiling at me.
    I admired the gorgeous feather in my