Year of the Golden Dragon (13 page)

“Look,” Ryan said, stifling another yawn, “I’ve got a wicked headache. I get migraines when I get too tired.”

“Your jade –” Hong Mei started to say.

Ryan interrupted her. “I don’t want to talk about my jade, okay? It was my father’s.” His eyes closed for a moment. “Why don’t we talk about you, Lily? Your name, for instance,” he said, fighting to keep his eyes open. “Is it common for Chinese girls to have English names?”

“Well,” she said, “many people have Chinese and English names. My Chinese name is Hong Mei; Chen Hong Mei.”

“Your last name is Chen, not Wong?” Ryan asked.

Hong Mei watched Ryan’s eyes close. “That is correct,” she said. “I’m not a Wong, but our two families are still related – they have been for hundreds of years.”

“I see,” Ryan said, opening his eyes again and looking at her face. “So, Hong Mei, do many Chinese girls have freckles?”

“What?” Hong Mei asked. Oh, no! Did he recognize her?

“You’re the second Chinese girl with freckles I’ve seen today. I didn’t think it was that common.” Ryan closed his eyes again and smiled. “Lucy Liu better not find out. That’s her trademark. And she’s gorgeous.”

Hong Mei said nothing, hoping if she kept quiet Ryan would fall asleep. She felt herself blushing. Did he think Chinese girls with freckles were pretty?

Watching Ryan give in to sleep, Hong Mei thought about Madam Ching. She had been right about the boys not being able to fight off “jet lag.”

Hong Mei saw Ryan’s chest begin to slowly rise and fall. This part was going as planned.

After a few minutes Hong Mei said, “Ryan, are you still awake?”

No answer.

She relaxed and let her head lean against the wall. She would wait a little while longer. Just to make sure.

•~•

Hong Mei’s eyes snapped open. She must not let herself sleep. She had work to do.

She studied the two brothers lying on their beds. Alex looked even younger when he was asleep. Ryan looked older – at least seventeen. Hong Mei stood up and glanced down at the flashing red symbols on her watch.

45:17:28

Forty-five hours, seventeen minutes and twenty-eight seconds before the start of the New Year. That’s how much time they had to get to Beijing and lure Black Dragon there. She didn’t want to be around when he came sniffing for his jade. And she wouldn’t be. Her part in this whole thing would be over and she’d be with both Baba and Mama. That’s what the numbers on her watch
really
meant to her – how long it was going to be before her family was reunited.

Madam Ching wouldn’t expect the three of them to give Black Dragon their jade, would she? No. She just needed it to lure him to her. But it was strange that she planned to prove that Chinese dragons really did exist right when Black Dragon was due to – what had she said? – 
expire?
She was going to have a dead dragon to show the world, not a live one. What good would that be?

And if Madam Ching didn’t care whether he was dead or alive, why did the three of
them
have to do her dirty work? Just because an old scroll said so? Well, Madam Ching was in for a surprise. Her Black Dragon was more
man
than dragon.

At least, he looked that way. Hong Mei felt the rawness of her arm. A normal man couldn’t have done that. She thought about his horrible eyes. Whatever he was, she didn’t want to see him again. As soon as she, Ryan and Alex led Black Dragon to Madam Ching, Hong Mei would take them back home with her and Baba.

From inside her jacket pocket she pulled out a square wooden box. It was about the same size as one of the disc cases she used in computer class, only several times thicker. A parade of people had been carefully carved on its four sides. Some of the figures were shown skipping, juggling balls, performing cartwheels or balancing objects on top of thin poles. Others were playing musical instruments while Chinese lions and dragons danced in a line. Centred on the lid were two words: Black Dragon. Hong Mei opened the lid and breathed in the scent of sandalwood.

When Madam Ching had given her the box, the woman had said, “We found this container at an archaeological site. Although it’s just a wooden box, it might be useful in proving the heirs’ jade once belonged to Black Dragon.”

Hong Mei had thought that a bit of a stretch. As
if
it would really prove anything. So she’d asked if she could take the scroll, too. The two things together might be better proof. Madam Ching had said no, she wanted to keep it in case there was any trouble.

The last thing the woman had told Hong Mei was that when that they did put their jade in the box as one piece, they might feel strange – lightheaded or even a bit nauseous. If this happened, they were to remove the jade immediately, divide it and wear the pieces separately again.

Hong Mei had wanted to know more about that, but the woman had waved her off, saying that if Hong Mei simply followed instructions, everything would be fine.

Hong Mei sighed as she stared at the dark cherry-coloured wooden container. It was all she had. Was it enough to convince Ryan and Alex to come with her?

Madam Ching’s words came back. “It is your destiny, dear. It always has been.”

Hong Mei supposed she could always use a spell again if she had trouble.

Reaching into her back pocket, Hong Mei removed a leather billfold. Instead of money, she took out a creased and worn piece of paper. Hong Mei opened it up and silently read the simplified characters Baba had written out for her. But she knew the poem by heart.

Hong Mei folded up the paper again, but instead of putting it back into her wallet, she tucked it into the box and closed the lid. Ryan had mentioned a scroll and a poem about Black Dragon. This would remind her to ask the boys about it when they woke up.

Hong Mei set the box on top of the television and reached into her trouser pocket. Strange. Her jade felt warm.

She took it out and looked at it. The stone seemed to be pulsating, like someone had put a miniature light inside. Hong Mei looked over at Ryan. She could see a greenish glow from beneath his shirt. She moved quietly over to him and opened his collar gently with shaking hands. His pendant was also shining.

Hong Mei touched it lightly with her fingertip. It was warm like hers, not cool as jade normally was. Once she felt the stone, she had an overwhelming desire to take it. She’d had this feeling before – the night she’d first held Baba’s jade.

She no longer cared if Ryan woke up. The only thing she could think about was taking the jade. She had to have it. Slowly and very, very carefully, Hong Mei removed Ryan’s pendant from its cord. He didn’t stir from his sleep.

Hong Mei held both pieces of the lovely stone in her hands. They were unbelievably beautiful, and so very warm.

What about Alex’s?

She moved to him and saw the red cord lying against the skin of his neck. Her fingers were no longer trembling as she calmly lifted the thin rope. There was only a small portion of the green jade, but it, too, was shimmering. Hong Mei lifted the cord, undid the gold clasp and slipped Alex’s pendant off. Even when she re-did the clasp and tucked the cord under his shirt again, he barely stirred.

She gazed at the three pieces of jade. They were an iridescent green, beating stronger and stronger in her fingers. She could only imagine how lovely it must have been when it was whole. If she put them together, the carving would look like the dragon and phoenix on her watch. The stones stirred in her hands. She had to see what it once looked like.

On the flattened palm of her left hand, Hong Mei fit each section to make an entire disc. It nearly covered the whole of her palm. The dragon and phoenix stared into each other’s eyes as they must have so many centuries ago.

She had never seen anything so beautiful, yet so simple. It wasn’t sparkly and dazzling. There were no stunning gems or intricately carved gold. The delicate etching of the dragon and phoenix was in perfect harmony with the subtle loveliness of the jade itself.

Hong Mei understood why Black Dragon wanted to have it again. How and when had it been broken? She wished she could see back in time and find out what had happened.

Hong Mei was so enthralled with her musings and the beauty of the jade that she did not feel the temperature around her drop. In a few seconds, the air was well below freezing. By the time she realized it, it was so cold she could see her breath. Her hands went numb and suddenly turned blue. She saw frost creeping over her body and clothes. Her trousers and jacket turned white and stiff.

The jade in her frozen palm was the colour of a lime Popsicle. She felt herself becoming lighter. Her feet and toes lifted off the floor as she floated up.

Down below her, Ryan and Alex were sleeping, oblivious to what was happening above them. An icy mist surrounded her, but they looked untouched. Though cold, the veil around her was gentle and soft, like a fluffy cloud.

Hong Mei struggled to make her body heavy and drop down. She worked harder, conjuring up her
gong fu
breathing skills, but it didn’t help. Hong Mei felt the ceiling at the back of her head and along her spine and calves. Her teeth chattered as her body was enveloped in ice.

Hong Mei imagined that when she was completely frozen, she would fall down and finally wake the boys. She guessed it would be too late for them to help.

She was thinking about this when she heard a faraway sound. What was it? Her senses were dull. Wind? It was starting to sound like a loud sucking. Trying to concentrate on what she was hearing, Hong Mei felt her body pulled and stretched. She tried to think one last pleasant thought: Ryan and Alex sleeping peacefully.

The next moment, she was wrenched from the room, hard and fast. Hong Mei veered and careened through freezing darkness, where images and voices and rainbows of colour swooshed past. She gasped for air in the beautiful but horrifying void.

There was none, and she quickly lost consciousness.

Chapter 12

Escape from Black Dragon

Even before Alex opened his eyes,
he knew he wasn’t in his own bed. This one was hard and narrow, and the covers felt too thin. Aunt Grace had gotten him a deluxe captain’s bed with warm flannel sheets and the thickest duvet they could find. Alex loved that bed. He wished he was in it now.

Squinting over at Ryan, he saw that his brother was sleeping. His glasses were resting on his stomach where he must have put them before he’d fallen asleep.

Wow! They’d really zonked out.

Alex’s first impulse was to go back to sleep. If Ryan wasn’t awake yet, it mustn’t be time to get up. He closed his eyes again.

A minute later he heard Ryan yawn and stretch. Alex opened his eyes and watched his brother search for his glasses, then frown when he found them. He put them on, sat up and looked around.

“Where’s Lily?” Ryan asked, glancing over at Alex.

“With her parents? I don’t know.”

He watched Ryan put his shoes on and make his way to the bathroom.

“It’s already past ten o’clock,” Ryan said, checking his wristwatch. “C’mon, let’s get going.”

“I just woke up!” Alex whined.

“So did I, but I want to call Nana and Yeye.”

“Go ahead.”

“There’s no phone. I need you to go down to the front desk and find out which room Lily is in.”

“You go!” Alex snapped. “I’m not your slave.”

Ryan pulled the cover off him. “The sooner we find Lily, the sooner we get breakfast. If we’re lucky, Nana will have some of our favourite dumplings.”

“That’d be
your
favourite,” Alex grumbled, dragging the blanket on top of him again.

“Fine. I’ll go,” Ryan said. “Just make sure you’re ready when I get back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said as he stuck a pillow over his head and tried to go back to sleep.

Not long afterwards, Alex heard a banging at the door. He stumbled across the tiny room and opened the door. As soon as he did, Ryan pushed past him. He looked frantic.

“What?” Alex asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Have you seen a note or anything from Lily?”

“No, I was in bed. Why? What’s going on?”