Hell to Heaven (21 page)

Simone held her hand out and Dark Heavens appeared in it.

‘Ah, the Xuan Tian itself, the Dark Lord’s most simple and elegant weapon,’ the Phoenix said. ‘No elaboration, minimal enhancements, a perfectly forged demon killer, the essence of simplicity and deadliness.’ She nodded once. ‘I am honoured that you choose to wield it here.’

She went to the weapons racks and selected two Malaysian-style kris. The daggers’ blades were fifteen centimetres long, and the handles and scabbards were gold and encrusted with precious stones. The blades were curved and obviously very sharp. The Phoenix moved to stand in front of Simone, a dagger in each hand.

Simone and the Phoenix saluted each other with their weapons, then moved into readiness stances. The Phoenix attacked first, moving with impressive speed and agility, pushing Simone back as she blocked the daggers with the sword.

Simone concentrated as she parried the blows, then turned on the Phoenix and attacked. She moved through a series that I recognised from one of the high-level
Wudang sword katas and the Phoenix had no difficulty dealing with the blows. I shook my head. Moving through a kata wasn’t very clever, particularly when her opponent knew it already and easily blocked each move.

The Phoenix spun, blocked the sword down with one dagger and pressed the other to Simone’s throat. Simone quickly raised her hands and conceded defeat and they moved back again.

After the Phoenix had comprehensively bested Simone four times, she stopped and nodded. ‘What if I were to pull out a couple of level-seventy demons, Simone? Would you be able to handle them?’

Simone hesitated, then shrugged. ‘If I’m facing something really big, I don’t bother fighting them with the weapon, I just use a shen or chi blast of energy through the ground or the air, and if it gets really tough, I yin them.’

The Phoenix shook her head. ‘You really need more training, little one. I won’t even waste a high-level demon from my jar on that.’ She turned to me. ‘You wouldn’t consider replacing some of my stock, would you?’

I raised my hands. ‘I can’t, Phoenix, I don’t know for sure how big they are before they put me at risk. I can do up to about level twenty no problem, but bigger than that and it starts to bother me. I’ll learn more about it when the Dark Lord comes back; after all, he’s the only one, as far as I know, who can do it.’

The Phoenix gestured towards Leo. ‘Can you free yourself from that contraption long enough to spar with me?’

Leo held the arms of the wheelchair and raised himself on his hands, then collapsed back. ‘Not right now. I think I’m too full of hamburger.’

The Phoenix nodded. ‘Eating meat will reduce your Celestial abilities.’

‘If being comfy in my chair here is the price I have to pay for filling my belly with that excellent hamburger, then I think the price is fair,’ Leo said.

The Phoenix shook her head. ‘Americans.’ She smiled at Simone. ‘Would you like to try a different weapon?’

‘Can you do polearm?’ Simone said.

The Phoenix nodded. ‘That I can. But how about you use the polearm and I’ll use sword? That way you’ll have the advantage.’

They began sparring again, and again it wasn’t a fair match, with the Phoenix attacking Simone so effectively and pushing her back so hard that she was soon against the wall of the building.

‘Simone, lift that arm! You aren’t using both hands effectively to counterbalance each other—it should be effortless, with the pole resting balanced in your hands, rather than you clutching it like a drunken bus rider. This is dreadful!’ Xuan Wu the Turtle had appeared in the corner of the room. He looked around at us. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Daddy!’ Simone dropped the polearm and raced to him. She fell to her knees and clutched him around his neck.

Leo and I went to him as well, the Phoenix behind us.

John studied Simone with his wrinkled turtle eyes. ‘How old are you, Simone? You look nearly grown up. I’m missing far too much here.’

‘Sixteen,’ Simone said into his neck.

John saw me. ‘Emma. You don’t look a day older.’

‘And you’re a lying old turtle,’ I said.

‘What happened to you? Oh…I remember. One Two Two filled you with demon essence. Have you spoken to Nu Wa?’

‘I need a spacesuit to go visit her, John. You didn’t mention that she was in
space.
’

‘Not in space…’ He hesitated. ‘Well, effectively, yes, she is. A minor obstacle that I’m sure you will easily overcome.’ He turned to Leo. ‘A wheelchair? I vaguely remember a battle where your back was injured. It was permanent?’

Leo nodded, grinning hugely. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘Wait,’ John said. He took a couple of graceful turtle strides to Leo and studied him, his nose level with Leo’s knees. ‘Immortal.’ He ducked his head with triumph. ‘I
knew
it.’ He butted Leo’s knee. ‘Congratulations, Lion. I look forward to returning and giving you some training that you’ll never forget.’

Leo didn’t look away from John. ‘Simone, Emma, could I have a moment with the Dark Lord?’

‘I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my intelligence, so it had better be quick,’ John said.

‘Don’t bother then, just hug your ladies,’ Leo said. ‘It can wait.’

‘You can ask him silently, Leo,’ I said.

Leo concentrated, and John took a small step back. They focused on each other, obviously discussing, then Leo nodded once sharply, wheeled himself around and parked himself next to the wall. ‘Your turn, ladies.’

‘Simone, go get that polearm,’ John said. ‘Emma, find a sword, will you? That was
disgraceful
, Simone.’

I summoned the Murasame and it appeared in my hand.

‘I hope you didn’t spend any time with the Demon King,’ John said grimly. ‘He won that sword off me
about two hundred years ago, and I don’t like the idea of you having it.’

‘Particularly since I’m part demon,’ I said.

‘That will just make it more powerful,’ John said. ‘Okay, let’s see a level three. Slowly! You always did that one too fast.’

I nearly bent double with the pain of hearing him say that; I’d completely forgotten that my inability to do the level-three set slowly enough had been one of the most frustrating things that both of us had dealt with when he’d been teaching me. He had constantly reminded me to slow it down.

‘Are you all right, Emma?’ he said gently.

‘Just a rush of memories. Things I’d forgotten, some of the most enjoyable parts of being with you—having you constantly remind me I was doing the level three too fast.’

‘We will have many more of those times together,’ he said. He nodded his turtle head. ‘Let’s see it, and
slowly.
‘ He turned to Simone. ‘Level-three polearm.’

Simone looked from John to me. ‘Daddy, those are different sets, and both of them move all over the floor. We’ll crash into each other. We’ll be spending way too much time avoiding each other to concentrate on the sets.’

‘You never noticed,’ John said with amusement. ‘Simone, stand next to Emma, with her on your right. About a metre and a half apart. Good. Now, when I say the word, both of you start the level-three sets. Ready? Commence.’

We both stepped forward at the same time, sweeping our weapons in front of us. Then I turned right and Simone turned left and each of us moved three steps forward.

‘Slowly, Emma,’ John said, and I couldn’t control the huge grin.

We both turned right and were facing away from him. We each took two steps towards each other and we were as close as when we’d started. After ten more moves, it became obvious to both of us that the sets synchronised. We moved in a graceful pattern, sometimes crossing paths, sometimes at opposite ends of the floor, but always performing matching supplementary moves. As we realised, we synchronised our movements even more, sometimes falling into a dance rather than a martial arts set and being pulled up by John about it. We performed the final two moves of the sets, finished up exactly where we’d started, and saluted John.

His turtle mouth was open in a huge grin. ‘The two women I love most in the world in perfect deadly harmony. I cannot tell you what a happy turtle I am today.’ His voice became more severe. ‘Emma, you have been learning and practising, that is obvious. Simone, it is also obvious that you haven’t. I’ll bet anything you like that if you encounter something big you just shen it.’

Simone grimaced and shrugged.

‘Do you have yin?’

She nodded, still grimacing.

‘How good is your yin control?’

She dropped her voice, sounding unsure. ‘I don’t want to use yin; sometimes it gets out of control. They say I could destroy the world.’

‘I’m glad there’s still a planet here for me to come back to then,’ he said. ‘How much has the Dragon taught you?’

‘Nothing at all. He’s finally been ordered by the Jade Emperor to give me some training,’ Simone said.

‘Good. And while I am here, I will give you some too. I think that is more important than waving a weapon around.’

She was obviously delighted. ‘Thanks, Daddy.’

‘Emma, Leo,’ John said, ‘I would give anything to stay with you right now, but I don’t know how much time I have and the fate of the world depends on me teaching Simone as quickly as possible to control her yin. We will go somewhere where there is no chance of her harming anything, and I’m afraid neither of you can come.’ He dropped his voice. ‘I am so sorry, Emma, but this needs to be done.’

‘I understand, love,’ I said. ‘Go, teach her, and help her to control her greatest power.’

‘Come and touch my head, Simone,’ he said, and she went to him.

‘What if you lose control of your intelligence while you’re out there?’ I said. ‘How will Simone get back?’

‘I’ll show her. I love you,’ he said, and they disappeared.

I turned to Leo. ‘What did he say? Did he say yes?’

‘He said he doesn’t want to do it,’ Leo said. ‘When I pushed him, he said he’d think about it.’

‘We’ll get there,’ I said.

L
eo asked for a lift back to the villa, and said he’d meet us at the beach. I stayed on and sparred with the Phoenix for about an hour, and she gave me some valuable tips on using shorter daggers, her preferred weapon.

‘They should be returning soon,’ she said when we were done. ‘Let’s head back to your villa; Simone will meet you there.’

As we took the golf buggy back to the villa, I saw a carving of a fierce-faced, half-human bird on the side of the road. I realised the resort was full of them; I hadn’t noticed them until now, they were such a part of the scenery.

‘That’s Garuda, that’s
you
,’ I said. ‘All of southern Asia—Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India—all of them have you as a major god. In the other Centres, Garuda is only a minor deity, or not worshipped at all.’

‘I am the Bird Whose Cries Make the World Tremble in Fear,’ she said. ‘I have pinions of flame and claws of obsidian.’ She smiled. ‘I’m also a cute little red sparrow.’

‘That I can’t visualise,’ I said. ‘The big Garuda bird—easily.’

She bobbed her head. ‘I thank you, ma’am. Here we are. Simone is on her way back; she’ll be here in about ten minutes.’

I changed into a swimsuit and waited for them in the pool. My days of wearing tiny bikinis were long gone; now I opted for less revealing but still flattering structured two pieces with longer tops. I wasn’t overweight, but my body was beginning to succumb to gravity and all help from structured clothing was much appreciated. Louise was already having work done and had suggested I jump on the plastic-surgery merry-goround too, but I’d strongly resisted. That kind of thing was for glamour hounds.

They appeared in the pool, Simone sitting on top of John’s shell. She fell off into the water, and they dived to the bottom together and approached me. I quickly clambered out of the pool.

Simone surfaced. ‘I forgot for a moment there, I was so excited about all of this.’

John joined her. ‘What’s the problem?’

‘If Simone touches me, I take Mother form,’ I said.

His turtle face fell. ‘That explains it. I wondered why you didn’t hug me. I thought…well.’

‘You touched him in Guilin with no problems,’ Simone said.

I shook my head, silent. I wasn’t sure.

His mouth flopped open into his turtle grin. ‘I’m not full strength—okay, I’m not even half strength until I find my Serpent. But don’t be concerned, Emma, I have much better control than Simone.’ He gestured with his head. ‘Come and try.’

I reluctantly returned to the pool, stretched one hand out and swept it over his head. Nothing happened, so I rested my hand on his head. Still
nothing happened, so I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face against his smooth, cool scales. ‘Welcome home, love.’

He butted me with his head. ‘I can’t stay forever, not until I’m strong enough to take human form. Even then, I don’t know. I think this is the longest I’ve stayed in control of my faculties.’ He raised his head to speak to Simone. ‘Let’s go to the beach, I want to show you something.’

An afternoon breeze had picked up on the shoreline, making the canvas beach umbrellas flap. A few tourists lay on the deckchairs, half asleep, a couple of them receiving massages from roving Thai masseuses. A sarong vendor approached us, the colourful batik fabric strung over her arms; Simone looked through her wares then shook her head.

‘I take it they can’t see you,’ I said to John.

‘Nope,’ he said. He stopped and ground his feet so his shell rotated in the sand. ‘Hot sand feels
so good
!’

Simone shaded her eyes and looked up and down the beach.

‘Don’t do that, only monkeys do that,’ John scolded.

‘That’s a silly Chinese superstition,’ Simone said. ‘I can’t see Leo, where is he?’

John concentrated and gestured with his head. ‘Over to the right, at the end near the rocks. Oh! He’s been attacked.’

At the end of the beach a rocky promontory, covered with thick tropical jungle and swarming with insects, jutted out into the water. Leo was on the sand next to the rocks; he had taken black lion form and was facing a humanoid demon that was also black and carrying a large sword.