Nine Gates (34 page)

“I think we got the box without waking her,” Shen said after he had drunk. “We substituted a book about the same size, but the
lung
started growing restless after that—and I don’t blame it. Ms. Frye had so many wards and charms in place that moving through that room on either plane was like swimming through water strung with barbed wire.”

Pearl nodded. Since Tracy Frye wasn’t of Franklin’s household, her wards would inhibit a creature of the place as Franklin’s own would not. Doubtless they were her assurance against treachery on the part of any of her associates, but that didn’t make them any less of a problem for the Orphans.

“The
lung
won’t quit?” Pearl asked.

“Not with Albert taking over,” Shen assured her, “not with the other
lung
eager to show it up. Dragons can be very competitive.”

“So can we all,” Pearl said. “Feeling better?”

“I am.” He sounded ashamed. “Theory is one thing, Pearl, but it has been a long time since I did much other than teaching or in routine practice. I’m out of shape.”

“We’ll get you in shape in no time,” Pearl reassured him, but she was far from confident.

Shen’s pulses had not felt very strong. She was all too aware that people aged at different rates. She had met people her own age who were invalids, frail and unable to move without canes or walkers. Others were active and robust. She’d always thought that Shen would be as tough as she was, but what if he wasn’t?

What are we going to do if Shen isn’t up to his part?
she wondered.
Can Geoffrey take over for him?
She felt a traitor for entertaining the thought.

She settled Shen in the backseat of the car where he could
recover in greater comfort. He hadn’t protested, only insisted that the door be left open so that he could see what Albert was doing and come to his assistance if needed.

Two more private vehicles, a patrol car, then two more passenger cars—one weaving as if the driver had drunk more than was good for him—had shown headlights over the blacktop before Albert rocked back on his heels and pointed toward Franklin’s mansion.

“There,” he said softly. Pearl looked and saw two
lung
swimming rapidly through the air toward them. “That was about as much fun as waltzing in a minefield, but we did it—and we have all the pieces.”

Pearl had long ago resumed her patrolling of the service road, strengthening her Confused Gates, keeping herself alert for any problem that might arise. Now, as Albert thanked the
lung
and requested their silence as to the assistance they had given him—a request they were quite likely to heed, because like most supernatural creatures, they enjoyed being enigmatic—Pearl added her own thanks, then began to prepare her final spell.

It was a simple one, a summoning of the wind of the east-north-east, her own direction. Her instructions to the wind were equally simple—to dust away any physical signs that they had been here. She didn’t think Franklin and his associates would call in the police, but one never knew. Better to leave nothing for anyone to work with.

Pearl had spoken to the wind earlier, and found it waiting, interested and ready. Now, as she got into the passenger side of the front seat, its kiss brushed against her cheek.

She leaned back against the upholstery as Albert drove the car out. When they passed onto the blacktop, she let her Confused Gates crumple into absentmindedness.

I’m so tired
, she thought, but even through the tiredness, she found herself smiling.
We’ve done it! Won’t the others be delighted. We’ve done it!

The pine
door was waiting in the grove. As she waited for her turn to cross the threshold, Brenda couldn’t decide whether the entire experience was ordinary or completely extraordinary.

After all, to get here we had to walk into a tiger’s mouth. That somehow seems more right than just opening a door and walking from one world into another.

But she did, and decided that the experience was pretty wonderful after all—especially since when she looked back, all she saw was the other side of the warehouse, without a leaf or blade of grass from the White Tiger’s jungle.

The clock on Brenda’s cell phone—which, like the phone itself, had stopped functioning as soon as they passed into the guardian domains—now read 8:30 a.m.

That was early by some standards, but since they’d risen at dawn—prompted by some very noisy birds—eaten a light breakfast and then hiked for several miles, Brenda felt as if the day was already quite old.

Fascinating and enticing as Pai Hu’s realm had been, Brenda was very glad to feel the very ordinary firmness of the concrete slab under the soles of her shoes and see the normal, dull corrugated metal warehouse roof over her head.

She’d been the second one through—Des had come first—and now she stepped clear to let the others follow. They did so in neat order, although Brenda saw Honey Dream cast a long, wistful look back over her shoulder as she stepped over the threshold.

Since he’d changed into normal clothing on the other side, Des sealed the gate, thanking the Men Shen for their continued assistance. Honey Dream grabbed her pack and headed for the large closet to change out of the Chinese-style tunic
and baggy pants she’d worn in the guardian domains. Riprap pulled the keys to the van out of his pocket.

“We’ll start loading things,” he said, collecting Brenda and Nissa to him with a toss of his head. “It’s going to go faster without having to fit our junk in around the door.”

Des unshouldered his pack and pulled out his phone.

“I’ll call Pearl and tell her we’re back, and should be to the house in about a half hour.”

Flying Claw grinned. “I’m not trying to get out of the heavy work, but I think I’d better change out of my armor and pack it. No need to attract attention.”

By the time the van was loaded, both Honey Dream and Flying Claw had finished changing, and Des had pocketed his phone.

“Pearl suggests that since after a couple days camping, we’re all probably pretty ripe, why don’t we drop Honey Dream and Flying Claw off at Colm Lodge. They can shower there, brief Waking Lizard and Righteous Drum, and join us all at Pearl’s a little later.”

Unspoken but understood was that although they were allies, still their groups were separate and time to confer privately would be appreciated.

So would a shower
, Brenda thought, wondering if she could beat Nissa into the bathroom they shared.
Probably. Lani is going to need some mommy-time.

To everyone’s surprise but possibly Des’s, they found Lani waiting for them at Colm Lodge.

“I spend the night here,” she said importantly, accepting her car seat only after Nissa sternly informed her that they were not going to start the day by breaking the law. “An’ Pearl and Shen and Albert have to go to a party, and Mr. Drum and Mr. Lizard babysitted.”

The little girl was so excited by her own adventure that she hardly had energy to spare to ask about her mother’s “camping trip.”

Lani didn’t know any more about the “party” that had drawn Pearl and Shen away so unexpectedly, and if Des
knew, he wasn’t talking. Brenda, still feeling a bit vague, as if her dreams wouldn’t quite let go despite a very active morning, didn’t really mind.

At Pearl’s house, Nissa suggested Brenda take the shower first, since Lani was still babbling happily about how Waking Lizard had entertained her with shadow pictures and stories. This wasn’t very surprising, as Waking Lizard was naturally outgoing and amusing. More surprising was learning that Righteous Drum had put on a one-handed shadow play about a prince who befriended the son of the Dragon King and traveled with him beneath the sea.

But then
, Brenda thought, making her heavy way up the stairs and stripping off her less than clean clothing,
I keep forgetting that he’s a dad, and that Honey Dream isn’t his only child. Seeing how close those two are, I really shouldn’t be surprised to find out Righteous Drum is good at entertaining little girls.

Brenda called her mom while she was getting dressed, and caught up on all that had happened over the last couple of days. Dad was on the road again, something about a contract for window stickers for a college in North Carolina. Dylan had a summer job with a lawn service, and Thomas was playing in a soccer league.

After a very funny anecdote about the argument Tom’s coach had gotten into with one of the parents, Brenda realized that the sound of Nissa’s shower running had been over for a while.

“I’d better go, Mom,” she said. “I keep thinking there’s something that I want to ask you about, but every time I nearly remember…”

“I know how it is,” Mom laughed, “but, you’re too young to claim senioritis, Breni.”

“So are you, Mom,” Brenda replied, laughing in turn. “I’ll call later if I remember. Give the boys hugs.”

“If they’ll let me,” Mom promised. “Now, you to your work and me to mine.”

Brenda bounced down the stairs feeling more lighthearted
than she had since she woke up that morning. She found all of the household seated around the long table that stretched between kitchen and family room. Riprap was eating a second breakfast, but almost everyone else had settled for coffee or tea.

Deciding to compromise with a yogurt, Brenda got some, and listened to Des concluding his summary of their encounter with the White Tiger of the West, and of the strange visions the tiger had been experiencing.

Brenda felt a flicker of déjà vu as Des finished, almost remembering what it was she’d wanted to ask Mom about, but the memory faded before she could grasp a solid hold.

I’ll remember
, she thought, taking a seat next to Riprap so she could snitch a piece of his bacon.
I’ll remember when it’s important.

Shen and Pearl speculated for a few minutes about what might be troubling Pai Hu. Then Pearl halted herself in midspeculation.

“But this can wait until the others get here. No doubt the Landers will have a great deal to contribute. Let me tell you what Righteous Drum and Waking Lizard already know. We have recovered the Ox and Monkey mah-jong sets!”

When the spontaneous cheering subsided, Pearl and Shen traded off a spirited account of how they had been forced to move by Tracy Frye’s confrontation, and the actions that had followed.

“I have the two sets here in my safe,” Pearl said. “And Albert has driven back to meet Matt Bauminger, the antiques dealer, to get the two he purchased.”

“Pearl,” Riprap said, “you say the sets are in your safe, but didn’t Franklin Deng think the Ox set was secure in his own safe?”

“He did,” Pearl agreed, “but the circumstances are very different. He has no link to the sets as Shen did. Moreover, I have not overlooked making pacts with the dragons who are associated with this piece of land. Between them, my usual wards, and the protections the Rosicrucians have set
around this entire block of the Rose Garden, those sets are perfectly safe.”

“What about Albert?” Riprap persisted. “He’s out in the open.”

“He also has two agents from the security firm with him,” Pearl said, “and, perhaps more importantly, we let several people—including Broderick Pike of the Rosicrucians—know quite off the record that an attempt had been made to force us to take on allies in our ‘noble effort to forestall invasion of this world.’”

Her tone made clear that the last was a quote, and had probably been delivered with a great deal of pained indignation.

“Okay,” Riprap said. “I hope Albert will be all right.”

“How did Tracy Frye get back before this Matt?” Nissa wanted to know.

“She left before he did,” Shen said simply. “Remember, Ainsley and Rico O’Reilly insisted on a very detailed contract laying out the provisions of their agreement with Albert. Matt stayed to supervise the negotiations. Tracy seems to have left as soon as she realized she was beaten.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t go after the set anyhow,” Riprap said. “This Matt isn’t magical, is he?”

“No. And that’s why he would have been safer than one of us. The Rock Dove Society and its affiliates are quite aggressive about punishing any and all who take the risk of magic being noticed.”

“Right,” Riprap said. “With everything we’ve been through, I keep forgetting that.”

“Don’t,” Shen said severely. “They are even stricter with those of us who are here on sufferance.”

Riprap nodded and rose to clear his plate. He was pouring himself a massive mug of coffee when the front doorbell rang.

Lani went racing to answer it, yelling, “Bet it’s Mr. Drum and Mr. Lizard! They said they’d come over today. Bet it’s Foster, too!”

Nissa hurried after her, and after a careful check through the peephole called, “Lani’s right. Shall I let them in?”

In a few minutes, the group around the long table had grown by four. Lani was sitting on Flying Claw’s lap, tugging at his ponytail—Brenda noticed it was still damp from his shower—and asking if he knew how to make shadow pictures.

“I think,” Nissa said, “that Wong is here and needs help in the garden. Would you like to help him, or are you overtired and need an early nap?”

“Wong!” Lani exclaimed, abandoning Flying Claw with indecent haste and pelting for the door.

Nissa watched her go, waving thanks to the gardener.

“I hate doing that,” she said, “but we’ve a lot to discuss.”

“And to decide,” Righteous Drum agreed. “Flying Claw and Honey Dream have told us of Pai Hu’s difficulty. This is troubling, an unanticipated complication in our plans.”

Riprap held up one hand. “Wait. First things first. Should we go any further in establishing the Nine Gates? After all, we Orphans don’t know if we’re going to be able to get through into the Lands—and we won’t until you folks have a chance to work with the mah-jong sets, to see if you can—well, work out a substitution.”

Des looked reprovingly at his student. “I think we should. Even if we Orphans can’t pass into the Lands, the gates will give Righteous Drum and his associates a better chance of getting home.”

And
, Brenda thought,
let them see we’re doing our best by them—let these indigenous traditional types see that we’re making some sort of effort, too.