Dark Serpent (36 page)

I searched the riverside clearing in the fading light, looking for shelter and enough dry wood to make a fire. I found neither, even though the clearing was edged by large trees and smaller bushes. Everything was damp from the cool autumnal air. I curled up under a tree, wrapped around myself as much as I could, and shivered as night fell.

I tried to distract myself from the cold by planning for our child. Cloth or disposable nappies? I could use cloth because I was lucky enough to have Er Hao to help me. There weren’t many births on the Celestial Plane, and the demons would be thrilled to bits, to the point that we may even have to warn them off being around the baby too much.

I sighed and shivered. The
baby
. I remembered holding Louise’s baby and thinking that I may never get there myself; and here I was. It was worth the cold and the misery to be free, and to know that by the time the sun rose I may be in John’s arms and we could go home.

I must have dozed despite the cold, and it was bliss to feel the morning sun touch me with its warmth. I uncurled myself, stiff from cold and exertion and nearly unable to move. I vowed never to take warmth for granted again as I wriggled my hands and feet, trying to return some circulation to them. It took me a couple of
minutes in the weak sunlight before I was warm enough to stand, and even then I hobbled towards the stream with stiff joints.

Hunger drove me to the edge of the water; I summoned the Murasame and plunged the blade into the pond. Its special curse as the Destroyer meant that anything alive would be pulled into its blade. After a couple of minutes, it was obvious that nothing was alive in the water. For a moment I saw movement and readied to grab whatever it was, then relaxed as it became apparent that some weed had dislodged from the bottom of the pond by the force of the dark blade’s pull.

I put the blade aside, took a long drink of the icy-cold water, trying not to get my clothes wet, then stood up. I moved to the centre of the clearing to catch as much of the sun as I could, and performed a fast-moving Tai Chi set to warm myself up. It was like moving through mud: my muscles were painful from the cold and lack of movement. If it rained, I could quite easily die of exposure in the cold night air; my clothes were definitely not made for this.

I put the rising sun to my back and headed west, hoping that the Glass Citadel’s immense height would soon make it visible. Occasionally I felt what seemed to be kicks from the baby, but dismissed the idea. No way would I be feeling anything this early; it was possible that the foetus was only two weeks old and the size of a full stop. I ignored the fact that I hadn’t had a period in twelve weeks and the baby could be more than five times that. I concentrated on walking, still not moving with my usual ease. It would take some time before I loosened up. I smiled grimly; by the time I was warm, the sun would be gone again.

A path led through the forest in the right direction, and it was possible that the picnic or camping ground could have been a daytrip ride out from the Glass Citadel. I hoped they hadn’t been in the habit of hunting large carnivores because the lack of prey meant that the large carnivores would hunt me.

I’d just had that merry thought when three demons appeared on the path in front of me and one dropped to land behind me. I was surrounded.

I summoned the Murasame, but I was too slow. The one behind me grabbed me and held my arms to my sides, while the others prepared some cuffs.

I dropped the sword, then bent forward and down onto one knee. The demon behind me was forced to drop with me, and I grabbed him around the ankles and flipped him over onto his back. When he was down, I lifted him by the ankles and swung him into the other three, using him as a bludgeon to take them down.

I picked up the Murasame again, feeling the stiffness and difficulty of my movements, and sliced two of the demons in half. They didn’t disintegrate, just oozed black goo. The other two scrambled to their feet and backed off before I had a chance to fell them, and their faces filled with cunning.

I moved into a long defensive stance, sword raised.

Each demon reached up and grabbed a weapon out of the air. They came at me together and I couldn’t parry both of them; I wasn’t fast enough.

Sorry
, I said to the child, filled the Murasame with my chi and blasted them. Again the backlash slammed me backwards, but I was ready for it and wasn’t knocked off my feet. A rush of nausea filled me and I bent, retching. Wonderful. Morning sickness on top of everything else.

That wasn’t a kick I felt as I dismissed the gleeful sword and checked the demons for any sort of communication device, without success. I headed west again, listening carefully for anything following me.

After another couple of hours of walking, it became obvious that I was in trouble. What started as mild digestive cramps turned into full-on suffering, waves of agony coming at regular intervals. Each time, I had to stop and hold on to a tree, too weak to block the pain.

‘I will not lose you,’ I said to the baby, continuing to struggle towards the west.

I stopped after an hour of misery, aware that I was losing blood. I checked the path behind me and nearly collapsed: I was losing a lot of blood. I couldn’t afford this after all the Demon Kings had taken. I fell onto the dirt and sat with my head between my knees, the rich scent of my own blood filling the air around me, then fell sideways as another wave of agony racked me.

Two demons slid noiselessly out of the trees on the path behind me. I tried to put my hands up and failed.

‘She’s hurt,’ one of them said. ‘Did the other group injure her?’

I attempted to get to my feet and they pulled weapons. I stopped on one knee and panted for a moment, trying to get my breath. They eased to stand in front of me and I kept my hands where they could see them.

‘I surrender,’ I said. ‘Get me to the Demon King. Either of them. Hurry, I’m losing the baby!’

One of them concentrated, communicating, and the other carefully slipped its arm under mine and helped me to my feet. A wave of spasms went through me and I cried out, nearly making it drop me. I hung from its grasp, shaking as the pain tore through me, then collapsed when it stopped.

The helicopter hovered overhead; I hadn’t even heard it coming. A rescue stretcher was lowered and the demons strapped me into it. The stretcher was lifted, and I had a horrible, helpless eternity of nausea, sure that the stretcher would swing too far and I’d fall out, or the rope would break. Then strong hands grabbed me and roughly pulled me into the helicopter, smashing me into the side in their haste.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back in a white room and the Demon King was yelling at demons who were running around me. I couldn’t make out his words, but he sounded angry.

‘Save the baby,’ I said to him, and he looked down at me, blurring in and out of focus.

‘Don’t worry, love,’ he said. ‘This baby is worth more than all my armies put together. We’ll make sure it lives.’

‘Save it, then let us go,’ I said.

‘Not fucking likely.’

The light was bright in my eyes and I whimpered and tried to turn away. There was a drip in my arm and I thrashed weakly at it, then collapsed, exhausted.

I prised open my eyes and saw a hospital room — again in the hospital, this was becoming too much of a habit — and a demon exiting it. She closed the door behind her. I breathed deep and remembered where I was. I quickly put my hand on my stomach,
and wondered if they’d managed to save the baby. Everywhere inside ached. From the amount of cotton wadding wrapped around me I was obviously still losing blood, which was a very bad sign.

The female demon returned with George, who sat next to my bed.

‘Did you save it?’ I said.

He took my hand and shook his head, his face grim with remorse. ‘It didn’t die in the gutter.’

I snatched my hand away and turned towards the wall to hide my anguish.

‘Let it out, you need to have a cry,’ he said.

‘Fuck off.’

‘Feisty. I like a woman with spark,’ he said, his voice rich with sarcasm.

‘So what will you do with me now?’ I said to the wall. ‘Impregnate me again as soon as I’m useful?’

‘Nobody will be impregnating you ever again. Too much damage.’

That pushed me over the edge. Our baby had died and I’d killed it. This was completely my fault, I should never have used energy. I’d made a horrible mistake and our child had paid the price. I would never be able to hold my baby in my arms and share the joy with my family. I was completely empty inside and it
hurt
.

I tried to hold the grief in, and gasped a huge sob as it overcame me. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath, and when I couldn’t hold it any more another wheezing sob escaped me. I tried to control it and shook with the effort, tears cascading down my face. I used the sheets to wipe my face, and a box of tissues landed next to me. I ripped a few out and blew my nose, but didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my face. I gulped air a few times, my throat raw, still shaking with the effort of holding it back.

‘You have a choice now, Emma,’ he said, his voice becoming casual. ‘You can agree to turn and help us train our armies, and we’ll look after you exceptionally well; you’ll be a queen among us. If you choose not to help us, we’ll take you outside and drop you halfway to nowhere, because like this you’re completely fucking useless and a waste of resources.’

‘Leave me out there. He’ll find me.’

‘He already did, sweetheart, when you were in Hell. And you won’t last the night out there. If he does find you, he’ll find you dead. You’ve lost a hell of a lot of blood and you’re still bleeding. Francis doesn’t want to drain you because of the contamination, so if you won’t turn we’ll throw you out of the car onto the side of the road. You have an hour to make your choice.’

‘I don’t need an hour,’ I said.

‘Oh, that’s very good news. I have a gorgeous suite ready for you, with five servants and a really big hot spa full of the natural mineral springs that come out of the ground here. The water’s like magic; should heal you in no time. There’s a vegetarian banquet waiting for you, although if you turn you may as well go all the way and eat some meat. A rare steak would do you a hell of a lot of good. Designer outfits — choose what you like, we have a personal shopper. All yours, Queen of the Damned.’

‘Side of the road, please.’

‘Suit yourself,’ he said, rose and went out.

They put me in the back seat of a four-wheel drive. I couldn’t stay upright, but they didn’t go far; only ten minutes and they stopped. A big demon threw me over his shoulder and followed the King into a stand of trees that thickened and grew blacker as we went deeper in. The chill of the air made me gasp. Something was seriously wrong with this place; something had died here. Many things had died here.

The demon dropped me in a clearing in the trees and I cried out as I hit the ground. It was cold and black and something inside me writhed at the contact, but I couldn’t tell whether it was pleasure or pain. Everything hurt.

‘Last chance, Emma,’ the King said, standing over me. ‘Warm spa, mineral water, bubbles, servants, great food, a big soft bed. Your choice.’

‘Bye, Kitty,’ I said.

‘Humph.’

He led the demon away and I lay alone in the gathering darkness, well aware that in this state it was unlikely I’d survive the night. I was beyond caring. I didn’t feel cold any more. I was strangely at peace.

I rolled onto my back and looked up through the trees. Darkness was falling and the sky was a soft, delicate violet. Stars were
beginning to emerge. The silhouettes of the trees were different: dark and menacing. They leaned over me as if they wanted to shove their branches into me.

He would find me. He would. And I’d be alive, because he had to Raise me. He would find me.

I began to shiver, and tried to curl up around my aching insides. He would find me, and I would have to tell him that I’d killed our child.

People rushed out of the way as John and Er Lang, both in Celestial Form, strode together to the War Room in the Celestial Palace. The double doors opened and they went in; the Council were standing next to their chairs in a traditional show of respect. John and Er Lang halted inside the door, accepted salutes from everyone in the room, then John walked around the table to take his place at the head, with Er Lang on his right. The entire wall behind them was a specially commissioned ink painting of warriors on horseback and on foot, in both human and True Form, during the Shang/Zhou.

As John sat, the other members of the Council sat too, carefully following order of precedence.

‘Time frame?’ the Phoenix said. They’d all been briefed.

‘Less than six months,’ John said.

‘Celestial says prepare now,’ Er Lang said. ‘We will be attacked by early softening skirmishes almost immediately. Main force late spring, just under six months from now.’

‘The Mountain is so understaffed,’ Ma said with frustration. ‘Is it too late to recruit?’

‘Yes,’ John said.

‘The Western Heavens are closed. We need to find out how the demons did that and duplicate it,’ the Dragon said.

‘And pull everybody in before we do. Full evacuation of everybody on the Earthly,’ the Tiger said.

‘Hell?’ Michael said.

‘All civilians are to be evacuated from the Celestial side of Hell and we will bolster its defences,’ Er Lang said.

‘Where will they start?’ the Dragon’s Number One said. ‘Do we know their first target?’

Nobody replied.

‘Do we have
any
intelligence at all?’

‘As soon as the Elites are in we’ll know a hell of a lot more,’ said the Phoenix’s Number One, a small fragile-looking female Red Warrior.

She was a new Number One for the Phoenix; John tried to remember her name and couldn’t. The Red Warriors kept mostly to themselves, in the Southern Palace under the volcano, and the heat of the location made socialisation for most of the residents impossible.

‘We should try to lure them out so they open a gateway,’ the Phoenix said.

‘Good idea,’ John said. ‘Team to brainstorm that?’

The Phoenix’s Number One, Michael and the Dragon’s Number One, Golden Dragon, raised their hands slightly.

‘Done.’

‘Join us, Prince Ming,’ the Phoenix’s Number One said.

‘I’ll be busy organising accommodation for the Twelve Villages, Flute,’ Martin said. ‘I’ll give you Yue Gui. She’s smarter than me anyway.’

‘Three of you are sufficient. Yue Gui has another role here,’ John said.

He contacted her at the Northern Palace.
Yue Gui, I am about to nominate you to coordinate preparation for the full evacuation and housing of refugees from the Earthly and Hell. If we are going to bring everybody up here where it is safe over the next six months, we need to prepare now.

My Lord.

‘Yue Gui will coordinate the evacuation; we’ll use her as a central administrator,’ John said.

There were general nods of agreement around the table; Yue Gui’s efficiency and competence were legendary.

Move to the Celestial Palace, the job is yours,
John said
.

My Lord.

Zara. Zara?

No reply.

Yue Gui, I was about to give you my stone secretary but it has gone with the Grandmother. Take the Jade Girl to assist. She has admirable skills in dealing with people and they are wasted just doing public relations for the Mountain.

Thank you, Father, most appreciated.
Her voice changed slightly in his head.
I hope we find Emma soon.

We will.

‘What else?’ John said.

‘If you coordinate the defensive lines, I’ll set the forges to work,’ Er Lang said.

‘I suggest we return to our realms, arrange our defences, then meet back here this time tomorrow to map out the full Heavenly strategy,’ the Phoenix said. ‘The Number Ones can work together and see what they come up with from here.’

‘Agreed. Any other business?’

‘Defending the Earthly?’ Ma said.

‘They won’t attack the Earthly,’ the Tiger said. ‘They don’t want the humans to know any more than we do. They’ll come straight here.’

‘The riots in 2011 in London were them,’ John said. ‘They will start something similar in this Centre.’

‘There has been unrest all over Europe,’ the Phoenix said. ‘This is them?’

John nodded.

‘Tiananmen all over again,’ the Tiger said. ‘And innocents will be pulled in just as they were before.’ His voice dropped with restrained rage. ‘Demons massacring humans for fun, and the government looking on with delight.’

‘Directly after this meeting I am gathering the Thirty-Six to discuss the defence of the Earthly,’ John said. ‘The four of you concentrate on the Celestial.’

‘We need the stones back,’ the Dragon said. ‘Does anybody have a special bond with the Grandmother?’

‘I’ll talk to Gold,’ John said. ‘Anything else?’

‘A safe journey to you and Emma, my Lord,’ the Phoenix said more gently.

‘I will find her. I have promised,’ John said.

‘Just don’t spend too much time there once you do. In and out like a White Tiger; let the Elite gather the information,’ the Tiger said.

‘I will be here when I’m needed,’ John said. ‘Enough?’ From their expressions, they were eager to start work. ‘Dismissed.’

After the meeting with the Thirty-Five Generals, John headed back to the Mountain and spoke to the Lius about the preparations there. He went to his office in the early evening and flipped through his emails. Exhaustion was making him see double; he would have to stop soon.

Simone came in and sat across from him while he tried to read the reports on the demons.

‘Any word on Emma?’

‘She’s free. She’s safe. All I need is one gateway open and I’ll be up there to pull her out.’

‘The demons have really taken over the entire West?’

‘They have.’

‘The Celestials say there’s going to be a war.’

‘We are preparing,’ he said. ‘Stay in the Mountain where you’re safe.’

‘I want to fight too.’

He glanced away from the computer to her determined face. ‘You’re too young.’

‘I’ll be eighteen in a few months; I’m nearly an adult. Have them make me a weapon. I want to help.’

He opened his mouth and closed it again.

‘That’s right,’ she said, smiling slightly. ‘This is the reason I’ve trained all my life, so I can help you defend the Celestial. This is
our
Mountain and
our
home and
our
realm and I’ll be damned if I let any demons come over these walls again.’

He leaned on the desk to face her and pulled out a scroll.

‘Don’t try to stop me, I’m helping,’ she said fiercely.

‘What sort of weapon?’

Her eyes widened. ‘What, that’s it?’

‘I think something with a bit of reach on it — maybe a halberd or polearm? You’re not a great expert with a sword, but two smaller knives to match your speed? A pair of wakizashi-sized daggers; you’ve always reverse-handed well and you move so damn fast they’ll never see them coming. Or a staff. I can have something very special made and you can load it with energy, or even yin.’

‘You’ll give me my yin back?’ she said, eyes even wider.

‘What you said about the damn wall. And frankly …’ he leaned back and pulled his hair out of its tie, ‘the idea of having you fight next to me to protect our Mountain is the coolest thing anybody’s said to me all day. One condition, though.’

She quirked one eyebrow at him and he wondered when she’d learnt to do that.

‘Study Internal Alchemy and pursue Immortality or all bets are off.’

‘Deal.’

She rose and held her hand out. He stood as well, grasped hers and released the binding he’d placed on her control over yin. The yin had always been there, but she hadn’t been able to touch it. Now she could, and she shivered. Her eyes went black for a moment as the yin flooded through her, then returned to normal and she gasped. She released his hand and flopped into her chair, which was instantly covered with satisfying ice.

‘An hour a day on controlling that,’ he said. ‘Don’t work with it alone until I say so. Your Arts are weak as well. We’ll have to spend some serious time together to bring you to full potential.’

‘Okay,’ she said, obviously still slightly dazed.

‘How about a staff of Seven Stars? I can have chakra vessels put into it and it will hold your energy the same way the sword does.’ He sat back down at his desk. ‘It will take some time to make, though, and I have a very fine pair of daggers that would be perfect for your build and reach until it’s finished.’

‘Um …’ She stopped, thoughtful. ‘Can I have a smaller version of Seven Stars? Give me intense training on sword work and bring me up to speed.’

‘You want the same thing as me?’

‘That sword is completely bad-ass.’

‘No,’ he said, and she frowned. ‘I won’t give you the same as me. You are your own person, and let’s face it: your style is different. A pair of short broad blades with the stars in both of them? You’ve seen me pull Seven Stars apart; this would be the same thing, just all the time.’

‘Curved blades, sickle-shaped,’ she said. ‘Something with a curved tip that I can use to slip into throats and bellies to rip stuff out, and slip behind heads to take them off. If they’re curved, they’ll be less likely to get stuck in demon shells; I can lever them out.’ She frowned. ‘I don’t remember what they’re called, but they were used a long time ago. I think they’d suit me.’

He scribbled on the scroll. ‘The blade is called a khopesh, and you’re right, they’re very ancient. First one I saw was in India about three thousand years ago. Perfect for you: they’ll give you the impact of an axe and the finesse of a sword, and the tips for ripping. They’re also an excellent weapon to wield on horseback.’

She smiled. ‘Freddo will be thrilled to bits. Lisel might agree to teach us again.’

‘They don’t need to be completely sickle-shaped,’ John said, drawing on the scroll. ‘A flatter curve is more powerful than a circular one. I’ll have them sharpened on both sides so you can backhand if you want. Sounds ideal.’

‘Can they be black? And I need armour; I’m not skilled enough to summon my own yet.’

‘Your livery’s dark blue, I’ve seen it. Armour and weapons both in that colour.’

‘Oh,’ she said, eyes wide. ‘Damn, Dad, that really does sound very cool. Dark blue armour, and blades with chakra vessels?’ She smiled slightly, and suddenly the little girl was gone and she was all woman. ‘Best eighteenth birthday present a girl could ever ask for.’

He finished the order on the scroll and rolled it up. ‘Give this to Moaner in the forge. Tell him to give them priority, but not to rush. It will take them some time to create the right alloy to make
the blades blue, and fixing the chakra vessels is a precision task. You’ll need to be there when he creates them, so arrange a time with him.’

‘I’m not taking resources away from the war effort, am I?’

A small part of him died when she said that. A war effort meant death and deprivation and suffering.

He shook his head. ‘No. You’ll be as important as me when the demons come.’

‘Are you sure they’re coming?’

‘It’s just a matter of time. They’ve been building up to this for years.’

‘I suppose we all knew it was coming. It’s just …’ She sighed. ‘You try not to think about it; and now people are heading up here to be safe, you can’t not think about it.’ She bent closer and touched his temple. ‘Come home and rest, Dad, you’re wrecked. Your hair is even going grey.’

‘As soon as I’ve checked these reports. Have the staff keep some food warm for me.’

‘I’m waiting up for you, so don’t be too late,’ she said.

She patted his hand and went out, leaving him feeling very old.

He returned to the emails, flipping quickly through the reports and scanning the information. The details on the new demons, the insect/snake hybrids, were seriously disturbing. He read the first two paragraphs of an email from the Tiger’s Number Two about Freddo’s mother and moved to the next one, then went back and undeleted it. He’d seen the word ‘unusual’.

The horse is unusual in that it has not come from any of the regular racing stables that supply the Jockey Club. It appears to have been bred on a stud attached to the Anglesey Manor; records show it was born there. This is the only horse ever to go through the Jockey Club from that stud, and further research shows that it’s the only horse ever to have come out of that stud ever. The stud bred one horse and Freddo’s mother is that horse.

He picked up his phone and called the Tiger’s Number Two, Rohan.

‘My Lord,’ Rohan said.

‘Freddo’s mother is the only horse ever to come from the Anglesey Manor?’ John said. ‘Really?’

‘If any others were bred there, they weren’t entered into any stud books,’ Rohan said.

‘The stables there have been deserted for a very long time. I estimate at least seventy years since they’ve seen a horse.’

‘I wonder where the horse came from then?’

A small ferocious ray of hope lit up inside John. ‘I’m heading over to have a look. Thank you for your assistance.’

‘No need, my Lord. The Number Ones are about to head over there to try to lure a demon out through one of the gateways. They’re just doing the handover to us Number Twos before they go. I’ll tell them to take a detour on the way and check out the manor.’

John hesitated, then realised he was right. ‘Very well. Tell Michael to call me the minute he finds something.’

‘My Lord.’

John pushed his chair back, grabbed the phone and went out to the Imperial Residence. He missed Zara’s comforting presence outside his office. Dinner with Simone and hopefully Leo would help to take the pain away, and he really was exhausted.

Something moved next to my head: a silver scaled leg with a cloven hoof, glowing in the darkness. I flopped onto my back to see it better, and wished I had the energy to appreciate it more. It morphed between an Eastern qilin and a Western unicorn: one minute it had two antlers and a scaly goat’s body, and the next it was a horse with a single horn and cloven hooves.