Dark Serpent (10 page)

‘Then I will crush your bones within my coils.’

He took True Form: a snake back end and a male human front end with no skin. Where the Mothers were black, he was the colour of blood. He towered over me, close on five metres, even bigger than the last time I’d seen his True Form. His voice changed to a deep hiss. ‘Try me.’ He slithered closer. ‘I won’t force myself on you, but with the right tools your human form could still be very useful. You may even come to like me.’

He changed back to his human form, still smiling. ‘Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity, but there’s something that needs to be done first.’ He spoke to the bull-head without looking away from me. ‘He made an oath to her that he would find her. They probably don’t know that I’m aware of it. Before I can do anything with her, I have to get this oath out of the way.’

He bent to see me more closely, and I spat poison at him. It landed on his face and hair and he jerked back. He pulled an ordinary packet of Hong Kong tissues out of his pocket and wiped his face.

‘Demons thrive on poison, Emma, don’t waste your spit,’ he said.

He threw the dirty tissue onto the floor and put the packet back in his pocket. He took his blood-red hair out of its short ponytail, swept his hands through it and retied it.

‘Put her somewhere where it’ll take a while for him to find her, but he will find her in the end,’ he said. ‘Let him find her and take her, and then we’ll take her back and she’ll be
ours
.’ He straightened. ‘You hear me, Emma? We will have you.’

‘I will kill you with the sword you gave me,’ I said.

‘Not today, sweetie.’

‘So, level six?’ the bull-head said.

‘Put her in a cell right up the back where it’ll take them a while to find her. Make sure she’s fed and watered and kept reasonably clean. If she changes to human, let me know immediately; I have some plans for her in that form.’ He turned back to me. ‘If he comes for her, make sure it’s him, that he finds her and that he gets her out. One of his oaths is a very powerful thing and we can’t do anything with her as long as it’s over our heads.’

The bull-head bowed slightly. ‘Majesty.’

The King nodded to him with approval. ‘Show some more respect like this, son, and you may find yourself promoted.’

The bull-head grinned, revealing even cow’s teeth. ‘How about I clear a spot for myself?’

‘After she’s been taken home, you can challenge anyone you like for their spot. Go for it.’

The bull-head’s grin widened. ‘You’re a prince, Dad.’

‘Do a good job and you may be one as well,’ the Demon King said. He glanced back at me. ‘Off you go.’

The bull-head raised the pole and took me with it. I tried to see behind me for a last look at John’s Serpent, but I couldn’t.

John, Leo and Martin landed their clouds outside the North Gate of the Celestial Palace. It was embossed in black and silver with a ten-metre-tall motif of the Xuan Wu in True Form. John walked towards it and it swung open for them. He stormed through the breezeway under the red-gold trees towards his apartments, unable to control his frustration. The Jade Emperor’s quarters and casual hearing rooms were less than two hundred metres away on his left, but he was unable to do anything until the next morning. He wound his way through the corridors, distantly aware of voices nagging at him.

‘John!’ someone said loudly, and he stopped and turned.

Leo’s jaw was set, ready to face the consequences of calling him by his first name.

Then John saw the problem. Yin was following him in a trail of destruction; the walls and floor of the corridor had been stripped down to the wooden framework. A Celestial Palace fairy floated five metres away between Leo and Martin, out of range of the cloud of yin, wearing an expression of mild exasperation.

John called the yin back and bowed to the fairy. ‘My apologies. Do not spend your own energy repairing this. Have it repaired by hand and pass the cost on to me.’

She quickly shook her head and floated past him towards his apartments, nodding to him as she passed.

‘Looks like you’re forgiven,’ Martin said with amusement.

‘I guess the Palace is becoming accustomed to me,’ John said, continuing towards his apartments, this time keeping his anger in check.

The fairies had prepared a meal for them and waited in the dining room to serve them.

‘Eat,’ he said to Leo and Martin, and went into the courtyard.

He sat cross-legged on the grass under the tree in the clear, cool evening. He wished he could return to the sea for the night, but he wouldn’t risk being late to see the Jade Emperor in the morning. He and Emma had sat under this very tree, making plans for their future together, and the pain of missing her pierced him.

He wound down completely, stowing his intelligence away and becoming nothing, unaware of his transformation into a small tortoise sitting on the grass.

Martin and Leo came into the courtyard.

‘We should make him eat something,’ Leo said. ‘They must have some lettuce or grapes or cat food around here.’

‘He doesn’t need to eat. He’s gone,’ Martin said. ‘He’s completely insensible.’

‘What if something happens?’

‘He’s relying on us to tell him. Come on, even if he won’t eat, we should. We have a long night ahead of us and we need to be strong. We can do this.’

‘As long as we have each other we can do anything,’ Leo said.

The bull-head demon led me through corridors of rough-hewn black stone that glittered with hidden jewels. Other demons, mostly humanoid guards, passed us. Some stopped to study me curiously, then saw the bull-head’s sneer and quickly moved on. We dropped down a ten-metre-wide hole, and I could taste and smell the decay from below as we fell. We landed on a platform that edged the hole, and he pulled me through an opening into a black tunnel.
Screams could be heard coming from the other end, and the bullhead grinned.

He turned right before the end, into a tunnel flanked by stone chambers, each with a barred front and door. Some held sleeping serpent-type demons; others were empty. He took me down the corridor to the very end and into a cell, the screams of the tormented drifting all the way into this part of the complex.

He led me into the cell, which although black stone was warm and dry. He poked the end of the pole out through the bars, went out and closed the door. Then he released the noose around my neck and pulled the pole quickly out.

‘Just sit tight and your boyfriend will be along shortly,’ he said. ‘Anything you need, give the guards a yell. It’d be sort of pointless to try to escape since we plan to let you go anyway.’ He shook his head, flicking his ears. ‘Try to see it as a research trip. I don’t think you’ve been this far into the demonic side of Hell before. If you’re lucky, you might see some of the poor wretches that we play with on this level. We love it when we get one with a snake phobia; we see how long we can play before they go mad.’

He nodded to me and walked away.

I slithered around the perimeter of the cell. Three of the cell walls were rough-hewn black rock and the fourth was the cell door set into the bars. I was trapped.

For a human, the cell would be unpleasant, but for a snake it was a cosy habitat. The black stone was warm and dry, and there was a pile of soft rubber foam chips in one corner under a rocky overhang, perfect for making a nest. Next to it stood a small cage containing a live rat. All I had to do was bang the push-button door with my nose and the rat would be released: dinner. A rodent-type drip water feeder was clipped to the bars of the cell.

You there?
I asked the stone.

I’m underground, I can’t contact anybody,
it said.

I’m well aware of that.

A series of screams drifted down the hallway, then abruptly stopped.

I hope he comes soon
, I said
.

I curled up in the nest of foam chips and moved my chi through
my serpent body, cycling down to meditate and trying to ignore fresh wails of terror.

Don’t attempt to change to human
, the stone said.
You heard what the Demon King said.

He wanted to do things to my human form, and I had a good idea what they involved. What my nephews had suffered would be nothing in comparison.
I know.

I’m here. You’re not alone.

I was silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to express exactly how much I appreciated it, and found myself lost for words.

Thanks
, was all I could manage
.

Emma, quick!
the stone roared telepathically, so loudly that I banged my head on the overhanging stone ledge.
Lock your door!

I can’t lock the door, I’m on the inside
.

They lock on the inside. They’re to keep things out not in. Now hurry!

I slithered up to the cell door. The stone was right. The door was closed and the latch was on the inside; a large wide ring that was easily manageable by my serpent nose. Screams and the sound of scuffling echoed down the hall as I pushed the latch across.

All the way into the cover,
the stone said.
That way they can’t open it from the outside.

What’s out there?
I said as I pushed the ring into the metal cover, then saw what was coming down the corridor towards my cell and quickly backed away. It was a level seventy-five Mother in True Form, holding a writhing snake demon in each hand.

Her skinless head brushed the ceiling of the hallway as she stopped and stared at me. ‘What the hell are you?’

‘I’m just a little snake,’ I said. ‘Nothing important.’

She moved closer to the bars and flicked her forked tongue. ‘You smell different, and different is important.’ She raised the serpent demon in her right hand and spoke to it. ‘Tell me what she is and I won’t eat you.’

‘That’s the Dark Lady, the Xuan Wu’s promised,’ the snake demon said. ‘Let me go!’

‘Really?’ The Mother grinned at me through the bars, and absent-mindedly bit off the snake demon’s head. ‘Fascinating.’

‘You promised you wouldn’t eat her,’ the other snake demon said.

The Snake Mother spun and smashed the living demon against the wall of the corridor, making it explode. ‘I know. I forgot. I’ll remember next time.’ She took another bite out of the dead demon’s corpse, licking at the demon essence. ‘What are you doing here, Emma?’

‘Oh, you know, the usual,’ I said. ‘Beautiful princess held in the gleaming tower waiting for her handsome prince to come and rescue her.’

The Mother guffawed. ‘I like that. I heard you’re an ugly bitch, but that he’s an uglier one.’ She took another bite of the snake demon, then popped the end of its tail into her mouth and wiped it with the back of her hand. Her voice went sly. ‘He’s not here right now, though, and you look like you’d taste different.’ She leaned towards the bars and flicked her tongue again. ‘I haven’t eaten Western in a long time.’

She took hold of one of the bars and pulled at it. When it didn’t give, she yanked harder on it, making the door rattle. The bar bent in her hand. She stopped.

‘You don’t seem that big. I wonder if you have to do what I tell you?’

‘The King’s holding me here at his pleasure. Do anything to me and he’ll be pissed,’ I said. ‘Really, really pissed.’

‘You sure about that?’

She raised her other hand, summoned a mobile phone and texted someone. She waited for a moment, then a jangling Chinese pop ringtone went off. She checked the message.

‘Damn, he says to leave you alone.’

The phone disappeared and she turned to look back up the hallway. ‘I’m still hungry. See ya.’

She slithered away, leaving a trail of toxic slime behind her. I went back to the bedding and hid underneath the foam chips as much as I could. I curled myself into the tiniest ball possible and watched the door of the cage.

How long was I asleep?
I asked the stone.

About four hours. It’s midnight. I think she sneaked in for a snack while the guards aren’t alert
.

How long have I been here? I’m losing track of time.

Six hours.

He should be here by now!

He has to gain permission, Emma, and he won’t be able to do that until court is in session at the Celestial Palace. You’ll be here at least another six to eight hours, and possibly longer if the Jade Emperor delays granting access to Hell.

What about the Demon King granting access?

The stone hesitated, then said,
I know. He’s supposed to ask the Demon King for permission, but the King knows that the Dark Lord has to find you for the oath to be fulfilled.
Its voice changed slightly.
Hold tight, dear one, look after yourself. This may take a while.

I buried myself deeper under the chips.

When I woke again there were quiet discussions and the sound of movement down the hall, but no screams. I crept out from under the rock ledge and studied the rat in its cage. Maybe later. I sipped at the water bottle and it worked surprisingly well for my serpent form.

What time is it?

The stone was silent.

I’m losing track. I feel like I’ve been here a couple of days already. Tell me it’s morning and he’s coming for me.

It’s only 2 am.
The stone’s voice grew more affectionate.
Go back to sleep, Emma, there’s nothing you can do. He will find you, remember that. Once that is done, he can Raise and marry you, and you can live on his Mountain and you will be together. That’s the whole oath, and it will happen.

I didn’t reply; I just crawled under the stone ledge and buried myself in the foam again.

If you’re bored and can’t sleep, I can play you a recording of something pleasant,
the stone said.
Pick a place and I can put you there.

Thanks for the offer, but I want to be fully aware when he comes.

I understand.

There was a disturbance outside my cell. I poked my head out from under the rocky overhang to find a group of demons standing at the door of the cage.

‘Look! She stuck her head out,’ one said. ‘The Mother was right.’

I moved further out to see better. There were two guard demons with a serpent-type demon. One of the guards held a small human male by the scruff of the neck. The man was wearing nothing but a stained loincloth and hung dully in the demon’s grasp, his mouth open and saliva dribbling from one corner.

The serpent demon raised its head and moved it from side to side. ‘What is it? I’ve never seen anything like it before.’

‘It’s the Dark Lady,’ one of the guards said in awe. ‘The real deal. That’s her.’

‘But what is she?’

‘Some sort of Western snake Shen hybrid thing,’ the other demon guard said. ‘Apparently if they breed two of these things together, you get a powerful snake like her, and the King did it.’

I waited silently, watching them.

‘Does she talk?’ the serpent demon said.

‘Should do, supposed to be a major brain.’ The guard grinned, revealing four tusks in the corners of his mouth. ‘For a female, anyway.’

The snake demon glared at him. ‘I’ll tell the Mothers you said that.’

His grin was quickly replaced by a look of concern. ‘Hey, no, I didn’t mean that. You girls can be brighter than us men sometimes. Really.’ He moved back so that the snake demon could see better. ‘See if you can get her to talk.’

The human prisoner wailed quietly, gradually rising in pitch and volume to a scream. He didn’t move or change his expression otherwise.

‘Ah, shit, better get this one back to the prison section,’ one of the guards said. ‘Oh, he was heard.’

‘Da Shih Yeh,’ the demons said in unison with reverence.

A tiny, white-skinned elderly man wearing a simple ragged tunic down to his knees and leaning on a twisted wooden staff hobbled
up to the group. His beard nearly touched the floor and his eyes glittered with intelligence under his bushy brows.

‘Is this the one making that racket?’ he said.

Don’t say a word, Emma,
the stone said urgently.

The demon guard pushed the human victim towards the old man. ‘Can you shut him up for us, Da Shih Yeh?’

Da Shih Yeh held out one bony hand and put it square over the prisoner’s face. The man’s eyes went wide and he stared into Da Shih Yeh’s eyes, then completely relaxed. His eyes half-closed and he almost smiled.

‘That will keep him quiet for a while,’ Da Shih Yeh said. He swivelled on his staff to look inside my cell. ‘And what is this? I’ve never seen anything like this before.’ He shuffled closer. ‘A human serpent thing?’ He chuckled with delight. ‘I love to see new things, don’t you?’ He spoke over his shoulder to the guards. ‘You’d better put that human back where it belongs before someone realises he’s not where he’s supposed to be.’