Blue Dragon

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I gasped and shot upright. ‘Who’s flying the plane?’

‘The Dragon is,’ Leo said.

‘John!’ I said, casting around.

‘I’m fine,’ John said from my left. He was sitting on the bunk and smiling. Simone was sitting on his lap, also smiling.

I sagged back and ran my hand over my forehead. ‘Whoa. That feels weird.’ I tasted my mouth and gagged.

Leo handed me a cup of something strong, sweet and fizzy, and I downed it.

‘Thanks, but I need to brush my teeth,’ I said. ‘My mouth tastes of blood.’ I looked around. ‘What happened?’

‘How much do you remember?’ Leo said softly. He crouched next to me, studying me intensely.

I hunted through my memories. ‘Oh my God.’

He dropped to sit next to me on the grey carpet. ‘Yep.’

‘Emma,’ John said sharply from the bunk, ‘did they have control of you?’

‘No, of course not,’ I said. ‘I was just playing for time. I was hoping he’d try to…’ I stopped. I didn’t want to say it in front of Simone. ‘I was hoping he’d take me into the main cabin first. The phone’s there.’

John and Leo both sighed. Simone didn’t seem concerned.

‘It was the taste,’ I said.

‘That was what was different,’ the stone said. ‘In Central, she injured you.’

‘I was bleeding in Central,’ I whispered.

‘Thought so,’ John said.

‘What, Daddy?’ Simone said.

Nobody said anything.

‘You healed me,’ Leo said.

‘He broke your neck,’ I said. ‘If he had ripped your carotid you’d be dead. I don’t know whether he missed it on purpose or not.’

Leo put his arm around my shoulders and kissed me on the cheek. ‘Thanks, Emma.’

I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a squeeze. ‘I am so glad I could do that. What happened after I changed back?’

‘The Lady and the Dragon came,’ John said. ‘The Lady gave me enough energy to make it to the resort. She didn’t want to feed me too much on the plane, it’s not sealed. We’d attract flyers. I’ll make it.’

‘And the Dragon’s flying the plane?’ I said.

‘No, actually he’s on the outside carrying it,’ John said with amusement. ‘He hasn’t stopped complaining about the damage to his claws.’

‘Oh, poor baby,’ I said. ‘Broke a fingernail.’

Leo chuckled and his arm shook around me.

‘You were a big black snake again, Emma,’ Simone said.

‘Yes, I know, sweetheart,’ I said. ‘Don’t be afraid of it, it won’t hurt you.’

Simone levered herself over the edge of the bunk and dropped to the floor. She came to me and fell into my lap. I released Leo, wrapped my arms around her middle and kissed the top of her head. Leo’s arm didn’t shift from around my shoulders.

‘It’s awfully big and scary, Emma. Was it really you?’ Simone said.

‘It’s really me,’ I said.

Leo let go of me and pulled himself to his feet. ‘Coffee,’ he said, and went into the galley. He poked his head back out. ‘My Lord?’

‘Tea, tikuanyin,’ John said. And a big glass of blood for the Serpent Lady.

‘You are really revolting sometimes,’ I said.

‘What did he say?’ Simone said.

‘Don’t you like it?’ John said. My Serpent does.

‘No!’ I said fiercely. I hesitated. ‘Strange. I liked it when I was really mad. Now I can taste it and it’s nauseating. I need to wash it out.’

Your Serpent likes it.

‘Yeah. I know. But I don’t.’ I sagged. ‘I have a split personality. I need to see a shrink.’

‘Perfectly normal insanity,’ John said.

‘Yeah. I cannot believe I just tried to…’ I didn’t say the word, ‘…Simon Wong. I must be insane.’

‘I think the insanity is the most attractive thing about you,’ John said. ‘That and the black scales.’

‘You two are stupid,’ Simone said.

‘Oh, I don’t know, Simone,’ John said. ‘Those who are simple-minded or insane have the easiest path to the Tao.’

‘Then I’m already there,’ I said. ‘Doubly so.’

‘You want something, Emma?’ Leo said from the galley, ignoring us.

‘Yeah,’ I said, gently moving Simone off my lap and pulling myself unsteadily to my feet, leaning on the wall. ‘I want to brush my teeth. Then coffee sounds really good. Strong. With lots of sugar.’

Simone ran to her father and threw herself onto her stomach on the bunk next to him. She turned onto her back and smiled up at him. ‘Are we there yet?’

He didn’t say anything, just tickled her until she fell off the bunk onto the floor with a thump.

We sat together in the main cabin. John was drowsy but awake. Simone sat in his lap, her head on his chest. It had caught up with all of us.

‘What will we do about Brian?’ I said.

‘The Dragon will fix it for us,’ John said. ‘We’ll make it look like Brian had a heart attack on the way here, and the co-pilot flew the plane. The Dragon will provide a tame demon to take the place of the co-pilot.’

I tried to remember if Brian had been physically injured. I couldn’t.

‘Did he have family?’ I said softly.

‘Yes,’ John said.

We were all silent for a while.

‘They thought they had control of me,’ I said eventually.

‘The important thing is that they didn’t,’ John said. ‘Is that the first time they’ve tried?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘As far as I can remember anyway.’

‘Then they probably weren’t expecting it to work,’ John said. ‘But they made an attempt anyway.’

‘What did they do to me?’ I whispered fiercely. ‘Did they turn me into a snake?’

‘If they did, then they made a huge mistake, didn’t they,’ John said placidly.

‘They sure did,’ Leo said with satisfaction. ‘You healed me. The Snake healed me. The ulcers are gone.’

‘Uh, Leo…’ I began.

He understood. ‘You couldn’t heal all of it, could you?’

‘I’m so sorry,’ I said, my voice thick. ‘More than anything else in the world, I wanted to do that for you. But your neck was broken and you had lost a lot of blood. I did what I could.’

‘You couldn’t make him better from the bad disease?’ Simone said, her voice small. ‘He’s still going to die?’

I couldn’t face them. I got up and went into the galley. Leo followed me. I stood facing away from him.

‘Next time, don’t bother,’ he said softly.

I nodded without looking at him.

He turned and went out.

Two hours later we approached the coast of Borneo.

‘Look out the window,’ John said.

‘I can’t see anything. His front foot is in the way.’ The window was blocked by the Dragon’s huge claws.

‘Wait,’ John said. The claws disappeared. ‘He needs to be invisible to bring the plane in anyway.’

Simone and I rushed to the window to see out. A few tiny islands were dotted through the brilliant aquamarine sea. We approached the land; the shore and the city of Kota Kinabalu came into view. The city wasn’t too impressive: there were only a couple of buildings more than ten storeys high; most of the structures were low-rise and shop houses. But the water was a stunning sparkling aqua and the sky was brilliantly clear.

‘The resort is below us,’ John said. ‘On the waterfront.’

Simone saw it. ‘There it is, Emma. It’s huge!’

She was right. The complex was enormous and embraced the edge of the water. It had bright green grass and a marina with white mooring posts. Two swimming pools glittered below us. A golf course flanked the resort on the landward side.

‘The golf course is really big too,’ I said. John chuckled. ‘You play?’

He shook his head, still smiling. ‘Tried for a while, but I gave up. Can’t see the point.’

‘What, you’re no good at it? I find that hard to believe.’

He grinned. ‘Apparently my style or technique or whatever is hopeless, but that’s beside the point, because I just hit the ball into the hole.’

‘You’re joking,’ I said. ‘A hole in one? Every time?’

He shrugged.

‘You could make a fortune on the pro golf circuit,’ I said, turning back to the window.

‘They’d pay me to stay away, I think,’ he said.

The bottom fell out of my stomach and I grabbed the arm of the chair. Simone squeaked. We plummeted towards the ground; I could feel it.

Leo jerked awake from where he’d been sleeping in his chair. ‘What the hell?’

John went rigid and his eyes unfocused.

The plane stopped falling.

Sorry, the Dragon said into my ear. That’s the way I usually land. I’ll take it slowly for you.

‘Is he okay with air traffic control?’ I said.

‘Yes,’ John said. ‘They think he’s the pilot.’

‘Well then, he’d better land like one,’ I said.

All taken care of, my Lady, the Dragon said. No need to put your seatbelts on, you are perfectly safe with me. We will be on the ground in about ten minutes.

‘Thank the Heavens,’ John said softly.

So sorry about the damage to the outside of the plane, my Lord, the Dragon said. My claws are awfully sharp.

‘I don’t think he is,’ I said.

John just shrugged.

The airport wasn’t a big cosmopolitan complex, it was just a large two-storey square block. We went down the stairs out of the plane and towards the terminal.

The Dragon met us and we proceeded together into the terminal building. He had taken the appearance of a good-looking Chinese of about thirty. He was still very slim and graceful, and more than two metres tall, but his long turquoise hair was now standard short and black. He wore a pair of elegant grey slacks and a matching silky shirt.

The customs and immigration counters were deserted.

‘Too late,’ the Dragon said. ‘It’s already past six. And we were the only plane coming in.’

‘What will we do?’ I said.

‘Just go through. I’ll have my staff take your bags. Don’t worry about the paperwork, I’ll arrange for it to be fixed up for you.’

‘We could get into trouble for this,’ I said.

‘Wait,’ the Dragon said.

A bubbly tingling sensation moved through me.

‘Go straight through. Hurry,’ the Dragon said. ‘I can’t make the Dark Lord invisible for very long, he is extremely large. Quickly.’

I took Simone’s hand and we rushed past the customs and immigration counters together.

Stay quiet, the Dragon said. They can still hear you, even though they can’t see you.

A few drowsy security guards didn’t notice us, even though our feet probably made some noise.

‘This is so cool,’ Simone whispered.

I hushed her until we were on the other side. The bubbly sensation stopped.

‘Can I learn to do that too, Daddy?’ Simone said as we went out the terminal to the car waiting area.

‘Invisibility? Probably,’ John said. ‘We’ll have a session together when the Lady is finished with me. We may try a few things.’

‘Cool,’ Simone said.

A large van with tinted windows waited for us.

‘This is it,’ the Dragon said. ‘The driver is one of mine. He will take you directly to the resort. I will follow when the luggage is secured. I’ll meet you there.’

‘Thanks, Dragon,’ I said.

He smiled slightly. ‘You are most welcome. Let’s get you sealed and safe.’

I stopped before I entered the van and looked inside. The driver smiled at me. I held Simone back. ‘Dragon, please double-check for us.’

The Dragon opened the front passenger door and poked his head in. There was a blinding white flash and the driver disappeared.

‘They are certainly on to you, my Lord,’ the Dragon said. ‘Please wait, I will get another driver for you.’

‘Damn,’ John said under his breath.

‘On second thoughts, I will come with you,’ the Dragon said as another grinning driver materialised in the van. ‘They’re probably planning to ambush us on the way to the resort.’

‘How did you know?’ John said.

‘I have no idea,’ I said. ‘But I think it’s just application of Murphy’s Law.’

‘What’s Murphy’s Law?’ Simone said as I strapped her into her seat.

‘If something can go wrong, it will go wrong,’ I said.

‘Once you are at the resort you will be safe,’ the Dragon said, pulling himself into the front passenger seat. ‘The seals there are the most powerful in existence. I had them set when the building was erected. They are part of the structure. Nothing will get in.’

‘The seals on my house in Guangdong were breached,’ John said grimly.

‘These are blood seals, my Lord,’ the Dragon said.

John stiffened. ‘You will tell me more about this later,’ he said, his voice a low rumble.

‘Let’s go,’ the Dragon said.

No one tried to ambush us with the Dragon in the car.

The lobby of the hotel was at least five storeys high with a soaring pitched roof. Splashing fountains decorated the centre, and the walls were rich with Malaysian designs and local Borneo handicrafts. The check-in counters were to one side.

‘I suggest you go to the end of the lobby and take a look at the resort while I arrange keys for you,’ the Dragon said. ‘I will need to have the keys put through the computer. How many do you need?’

‘How many rooms are you giving us?’ I said.

‘The Presidential Suite,’ the Dragon said. ‘Fourbedroom apartment.’

‘One for me, one for John, one for Leo should be enough, I think.’

‘If they are blood seals then the Lady will not be able to materialise in there,’ John said. ‘One for her too.’

‘Very good,’ the Dragon said. He hesitated and his face went blank. ‘Good. Your bags are here. I will arrange the keys. Go,’ he said and gestured towards the end of the lobby. ‘Have a look.’

I took Simone’s hand and we walked across the lobby, John and Leo following us.

Simone looked around, goggle-eyed. ‘This place is huge.’

When we reached the end, we could see over the edge of the lobby to the swimming pool and the ocean beyond. We were about two storeys up; the back of the lobby was higher than the front.

‘Wah!’ Simone said.

Leo chuckled.

The vast pool below us was a deep shade of blue, surrounded by lush tropical plants and vibrantly green lawn. A barbecue had been set out on the lawn, and guests sat at tables spread on the grass enjoying a barbecue buffet. Beyond the lawn was the stone-edged shore of the ocean, which was a deep shade of indigo, rippling with small waves. Across the water, right on the horizon, were four tiny islands.

Above the islands, the sun was setting in a spectacular display of vivid tropical colours. A fresh breeze, full of the smell of the ocean and flowers and tinged with smoke from the barbecue, brushed our hair.

‘And I’ll be locked up for ten days,’ John said ruefully, leaning on the railing.

‘Can we go out to the islands?’ Simone said, excited.

‘Yes, of course. There isn’t much beach here on the mainland, the best beaches are out there,’ the Dragon said, appearing behind us. ‘After you have settled in, we will go out. I have a boat, I will take you, Princess.’

‘Thanks, Dragon,’ Simone said.

Qing Long bowed and smiled slightly. ‘My pleasure, my Lady.’ He gestured. ‘Your rooms are prepared. Please come this way.’ He handed John a small folder. ‘Keys.’

John nodded, and immediately passed the folder to me. His hand brushed mine and I knew.

‘Leo, for God’s sake, quickly,’ I said, breathless. ‘Catch him!’

Leo moved like lightning to grab John before he hit the floor. He wrapped his arm around John’s shoulders and supported him.

‘Why didn’t you say, Daddy?’ Simone scolded.

‘Let’s just get him into the room,’ I said. ‘When will the Lady be here?’

‘She is here already,’ the Dragon said. ‘She is outside your room, waiting.’ He smiled at John. ‘Let’s get you up there.’

‘I’ll make it,’ John said.

‘It is most disconcerting to see you so weakened, my Lord,’ the Dragon said as he guided us along the hotel corridor. It was an outdoor breezeway, meandering through the vibrant gardens. ‘I have never seen you like this in all the time I have known you.’

John didn’t say anything.

A lift lobby was at the end of the breezeway. The Dragon made the lift doors open before we reached them.

‘Third floor,’ the Dragon said. ‘Room 301, of course. Right at the end of the top floor, overlooking the marina and the ocean. Quite a good view. Best room in the house. It’s costing me a fortune to put you up here. Usually I have a Celestial in, and they pay for it in fine Celestial jade or equivalent.’

John didn’t say anything. His face was rigid as he clutched Leo.

‘Are you okay?’ I said softly. ‘Hold on.’

The lift doors flew open. ‘This way,’ the Dragon said. He led us along the third-floor corridor, which was flanked on both sides by the dark wooden doors to the rooms. We went all the way to the end, John struggling to walk, Leo almost carrying him.

Ms Kwan waited for us outside our suite. The Dragon pushed the door open.

‘Bring him in here with me,’ Ms Kwan said to Leo. ‘Hurry.’ She rushed straight into the suite, through the large living room, and pushed open a door to the right of the enormous balcony.

Leo hoisted John and carried him in his arms like a child. Simone and I followed. Ms Kwan had gone into the master bedroom. It had an enormous king-sized bed and a couple of comfortable wicker chairs next to the window.

‘Drop him into a chair,’ Ms Kwan said, quickly moving to close the blinds. ‘Leo, put a chair across from him for me.’

Leo obliged. John was unconscious.

‘Daddy,’ Simone said, taking John’s hand. She gently touched his face. ‘Daddy.’

‘Move away, Simone,’ Ms Kwan said, throwing herself into the empty chair and grabbing John’s hands. I pulled Simone away. Ms Kwan lowered her head, raised their joined hands palm to palm, and the silvery light of shen energy surrounded them.

‘Out,’ Ms Kwan said without moving. ‘You were just in time. Leave us.’

I took Simone’s hand and went out of the room. Leo followed us and gently closed the door.

‘He nearly didn’t make it,’ Simone said.

The Dragon waited for us in the living room of the suite. ‘Your bags are here,’ he said, gesturing towards a smiling porter. ‘Tell the demon where to put them. In about half an hour dinner will be delivered. There is a dining room next to the front door, or you may wish to eat on the balcony.’ He gestured towards a side table. ‘There is an extensive list of hotel activities on the table. We have a small cinema and bowling alley in the country club at the centre of the resort. Of course you have full use of it. The Princess,’ he said with a bow to Simone, ‘can call me if you require anything. I have informed the concierge and housekeeping that you are to be exceptionally well cared for. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call them. You have an open account at the resort shop.’ He spread his arms and his blue eyes flashed. ‘My resort is yours. Enjoy.’

I went to him and took his hands. ‘Thank you so much, Qing Long.’

The Dragon smiled and nodded. He shook my hands away gently. ‘Rest. Look around tomorrow. If you wish to go to the islands, my little boat is yours.’

He saluted Simone, then me, then swiftly turned and went out.

Simone jiggled. ‘I want to pick a room!’

‘Well then, let’s have a look,’ I said. ‘Ms Kwan will need a room, your dad already has a room, so that leaves two rooms. Looks like you and me are sharing, Simone.’

‘I’ll sleep on the sofa,’ Leo said. ‘You take a room of your own, my Lady.’

Both Simone and I laughed at that. I gave Leo a push, ribbing him. ‘Those are two-seaters, Leo—you folding yourself up to sleep? I don’t think so.’

The suite was enormous. It had a luxurious living room in the centre, with a dining room behind it, and a huge balcony with a spectacular view over the water to the islands. The room was expensively decorated in shades of maroon and cream, with generous use of exotic Borneo timber.

We looked at the remaining two bedrooms. One had two single beds, the other a queen-sized bed. Not really much choosing necessary.

‘This isn’t right, my Lady,’ Leo said as I directed the demon to put his bags in the room with the large bed. ‘You should have this room. It’s not fitting for you two to share.’

‘Simone and I are having a girls’ sleepover party,’ I said. ‘There’s a television with a video in here, and we’ll be staying up late and watching Sailor Moon and Cardcaptors. I saw videos for rent at the concierge desk.’

Simone jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

I dug Leo in the ribs with my elbow. ‘You can do it instead, if you like. I’m sure you’re a big fan of Sailor Moon.’

Simone’s little face was serious. ‘Do you like Sailor Moon, Leo? You can come and watch too, if you like. Sailor Mars is my favourite.’

‘Not Sailor Jupiter?’ I said. ‘She does martial arts.’

‘Nope,’ Simone said, her eyes sparkling. ‘Sailor Mars lives in a temple and does magic stuff. That is so cool. I wish I could do magic stuff like that.’

I glanced at her. She was serious.

‘I think I’ll skip it for just one night, ladies,’ Leo said, also perfectly serious. ‘Maybe another time.’

‘Okay, Leo, if we find a really good video I’ll lend it to you,’ Simone said.

Leo bowed. ‘My Lady. Now will you two go out and let me unpack? I do not want Lady Emma anywhere near my clothes.’

Simone dragged me out and we showed the demon where to put our bags.