by Kylie Chan
Marshal Meng was on the other side of the table, looking more like a fifty-year-old bureaucrat than anything else in his black robe and old-fashioned plain cloth cap. He smiled serenely, still appearing like a kindly grandfather.
Closest to me was Marshal Zhu, who, although seeming a pretty, fresh-faced young woman of about sixteen, was much tougher and wiser than her appearance suggested.
As the one with highest precedence, I spoke first. ‘Four main things,’ I said. ‘Leo’s kidnapping. Northern Heavens.’ There was a chorus of groans around the table. ‘Me getting called out by Er Lang —’
‘Er Lang called you out?’ Ma said, shocked.
I nodded. ‘Simone and elementals. Anything major from you guys?’
‘Nothing as bad as that,’ Ma said. ‘Leo first, this is important. We heard about the stone left in his cell in Hell — this is disturbing.’
I leaned on the table. ‘Why are Simon Wong’s little friends who could manipulate stones becoming more active now? You’d think they’d have tried us right after Lord Xuan left. But they’ve waited eight years, and all they’ve done is take Leo.’
‘Of course it’s a trap,’ Marshal Liang said. ‘The Demon King will probably tell you where they are so you can walk right into it.’
‘Do you think he’s helping them?’ I asked. ‘He vowed that he wasn’t, but I don’t know if I can trust him any more. With Lord Xuan gone, he’s making more and more attempts at us. And he’s used Leo’s disappearance as a way of getting Rhonda into Hell for a week. It almost seems too convenient.’
‘I strongly doubt he’s in league with them,’ Ma said. ‘Given half a chance these stone-controlling demons would probably put a knife in the King’s back. He’s hoping you can destroy them without him having to do anything, same as when Simone destroyed One Two Two for him.’
‘God, he’s always manipulating me into doing his dirty work for him,’ I said, frustrated. ‘Recommendations?’
‘Do we have any ideas on his location?’ Marshal Zhu asked, her firm voice counterpointing her sweet façade.
‘We have demons in Hell, and stones all over the place with their ears to the ground looking for something unusual or a new nest,’ I said.
‘So far nothing has come up,’ the stone in my ring said.
‘Well, then, there’s nothing we can do until we obtain some intelligence,’ Ma said, sounding like a corporate CEO in a board meeting. ‘As soon as you have news, call us in for an emergency session and we’ll work out what to do then. In the meantime, they can’t hurt your Retainer, they’ll just hold him as a bargaining piece and bait for their trap. We need to find out where he is.’
‘I hope the stones get something soon,’ I said.
‘We should be able to spare some agents as well,’ Meng said. ‘Many of our foot soldiers are demons.’
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘What’s next?’
‘Er Lang,’ Liang said, his voice loud and deep. ‘Do this one quickly, my Lady, he could injure you. You’ll need to get all your current challenges out of the way in the next week so that you can be ready when the Demon King gives you the information about Leo.’
‘Are any of you close enough to Er Lang to ask him why he’s doing this?’ I said.
The Generals looked at each other around the table, then they all shook their heads.
‘Let me ask Ah Yu,’ Ma said. ‘Give me a second.’
‘Er Lang’s a bit of a loner,’ Yang said, as General Ma unfocused, talking to Guan Yu. ‘Wasn’t so antisocial before the Monkey King defeated him. After that, he spent a lot of time off doing stuff by himself.’
‘That really happened, just like in the legend?’ I said. ‘The Monkey King beat him?’
‘Thoroughly spanked his ass,’ Zhu said, amusement lighting up her face. ‘We weren’t called in, the Dark Lord wasn’t called in, but the Monkey King caused chaos in the Celestial Palace for some time. The legend is quite accurate; it was only the Lady in the end who could subdue him.’
‘Big blow to Er Lang’s massive ego,’ Liang said with similar amusement. ‘Spanked by a monkey.’
The other Generals laughed.
‘And spent a lot of time by himself since,’ Meng finished. ‘Dunno whether he has issues about women in positions of power, but this might be the problem he has with you, and the reason he’s called you out.’
‘He called me out too,’ General Zhu said, the silver pins in her hair glittering as she moved her head. ‘When I received my investiture, he was onto me almost immediately to test my Celestial Worthiness. He does seem to have issues with women in power.’
‘Oh, wonderful,’ I said, and rested my chin in my hand. ‘He’s gonna take out his humiliation on me and give me a lesson at the same time. Is he honourable enough to hold to the ground rules?’
‘Yes, it’ll be fine,’ Meng said. ‘You have Celestial backing on that. He’s a Shen of honour, he’ll respect the limits that are in place.’
‘True,’ Zhu said, and the other Generals nodded agreement. ‘He was completely controlled when I faced him, and in the end he admitted that both me and my sister Bo Niang are more than qualified to hold our rank.’
‘I’ll arrange to face him right after I’ve talked to Simone’s teacher,’ I said. ‘I don’t know which one I dread more.’
Ma snapped back. ‘Ah Yu says that he hasn’t spoken to Er Lang in about seventy-five years, except on formal Celestial business to do with the administration of the City of Hell.’ He smiled wryly. ‘I think he has issues with our …’ His voice trailed off and the other Generals glared at him. ‘Well, he has no issues with Guan Yu, but he doesn’t like the company that Ah Yu is keeping, so to speak.’
‘He has that much of a problem with me?’ I said. ‘The fact that I’m a lowly human and he has to report to me?’
The Generals all quickly shook their heads. ‘No, no, not you, ma’am,’ Marshal Ma said. ‘Er Lang has issues with the nature of some of the Dark Lord’s officers.’
General Zhu snorted delicately with derision. ‘It’s been a thousand years already, he should get over it!’
‘Get over what?’ I said. ‘More information!’
The Generals shared a look over the table, then General Ma deliberately changed the subject.
‘Simone and elementals,’ he said. ‘She must learn to control them, Lady Emma, this is becoming very difficult. They appear out of nowhere, sometimes damaging property, other times threatening any Shen who they feel have slighted Simone. It’s only a matter of time before they either hurt a Shen or appear before a non-Celestial.’
‘Simone’s agreed to have lessons with one of the Wudang Masters to learn how to control them,’ I said, to a concert of relieved sighs. ‘Problem solved.’
‘How about bringing down a couple of teachers from Celestial High to talk to her while we have the door open?’ Meng said, and the other Generals nodded. ‘She could learn so much more at CH; her current school really doesn’t cater for her special abilities. She could make friends with other Shen —’
‘She refuses point-blank to discuss this possibility,’ I said. ‘Look at it her way. She’s one of the most powerful creatures on the Celestial Plane. People are either scared of her or try to cultivate her because of who she is. At the International School she’s just another kid.’
‘But she’s not learning to use her full capabilities,’ Zhu said. ‘There is probably so much more that she could do. She is such a valuable asset in the battle against the forces of Hell. Allow us to call her into battle more often. The more of us women kicking demon ass, the better.’
‘She’s growing up as an ordinary teenager — as far as I can make it anyway,’ I said. ‘She uses her abilities when she has to, but she’s in a reasonably normal Earthly household, and I think this is what the Dark Lord wanted for her. She’s not a child soldier fighting demons; she’s as much as possible just a fourteen-year-old girl.’
There was silence around the table for a moment, the
n Zhu said softly, ‘You are very wise sometimes, my Lady.’
‘True serpent,’ Meng said. ‘Impressive, ma’am.’
‘Northern Heavens,’ I said. ‘Tell me how bad it is.’
They shifted the papers to bring up the Celestial budget.
‘And you will tell me what the issue is with Er Lang.’
They ignored me.
The next morning Marcus dropped me outside the Pedder Building so that I could go to the Celestial Combat Arena to face my first challenge. The street was close to the middle of Central District and always packed with pedestrians and cars. The Pedder Building was one of Hong Kong’s few remaining old colonial buildings: a multistoreyed mall with a delightful old-fashioned lift and a vintage-themed tea house on the first floor among the clothing factory outlets.
I went around the corner and crossed Queen’s Road at the busiest pedestrian crossing in the Territory. It was at least fifteen metres wide and always packed with people jostling to get across the road. The government had made a pedestrian overpass part of the conditions for the developers who’d built on either side of the road, but they’d never bothered to put it up and had never been penalised for it. People were regularly struck by cars as they dashed across the road against the lights.
I walked up D’Aguilar Street, also packed with pedestrians, past the Wellington Street intersection, and turned right onto Wo On Lane. This was a narrow, near-deserted street, only wide enough for one car, and a tiny oasis from the crush of people. I walked to the end of the lane, passing some closed-up restaurants, a laundry and the back of the buildings facing Wellington Street. The lane was a dead end, with a small altar to a local god at the end, and a gate opening onto a park with a circular arena-shaped paved area — the Earthly analogue for the Celestial Combat Arena. Stairs ran up the side of the park to the streets of Central high above, showing exactly how steep the mountainside could be in some parts of Hong Kong.
I nodded to the local god and turned right at the end. An alley, only about a metre wide, ran from the lane to Wellington Street. At its end, on the corner with Wo On Lane, there was a simple metal door with a single blank deadlock.
I touched the door and its voice chimed in my head, sounding like high-pitched bells. Name and authorisation?
Lady Emma Donahoe, First Heavenly General, the stone said.
Right on time, the door said. Good luck, ma’am.
The door disappeared and a dark corridor was visible in its place. I took a deep breath and walked through.
The corridor was completely silent as I trudged along it. The floor was plain grey and the walls around me red brick. Closed doors appeared on my left and right, about three metres apart. A young man in full traditional armour appeared in the corridor in front of me and saluted. ‘Madam General. This way.’
I saluted back and followed him. He led me further down the corridor and stopped to open a door on the left. ‘Ma’am.’
I nodded to him and went into the preparation room. It had a large wooden screen on one side, gorgeously decorated with a scene of cranes and pines made from semi-precious stones. A couple of traditional rosewood chairs sat against the wall with a rosewood side table between them holding a pot of tea and four upside-down cups. A small rosewood altar stood against the wall, a burning stick of incense in front of its statue of Xuan Wu.
My armour was ready for me, fitted onto a mannequin made of rosewood that looked very similar to a dressmaker’s dummy. A demon servant, appearing as a young woman, stood silent and attentive next to the armour. The weapons rack was empty; nobody but myself could call the Murasame.
I dropped my handbag onto one of the chairs and shook my shoulders out. Then I nodded to the demon and she peeled the armour off the dummy and helped me to place it over my plain jeans and shirt. She carefully checked the buckles and straps, ensuring that the armour was secure.
‘Good luck, ma’am,’ she said, bobbed her head and disappeared.
I turned to the altar and studied it for a while. Then I said, ‘Wish me luck as well, John,’ and exited the room.
The same young man in armour waited for me on the other side of the door. He bowed slightly and held his right arm out to indicate the way.
‘No weapon, ma’am?’ he said as he led me down the corridor. ‘Your opponent is armed.’
‘Only if needed,’ I said.
‘A shame,’ he said, smiling over his shoulder at me. ‘I have never seen the Destroyer.’
‘The blade must be fed if it is released,’ I said.
He stopped for a second, hesitating, then continued walking along the corridor. ‘I apologise, ma’am, I was unaware. Usually only demonic blades require feeding.’
‘It is yin,’ I said.
He nodded understanding. ‘Ah, the Dark Lord’s blade, of course. It is a wonder you are able to wield it at all, ma’am, such a blade must be a very difficult to control.’
‘We have reached an understanding,’ I said.
‘It is sentient?’
‘Not as such. It is not intelligent but it does have a will.’
‘Fascinating.’ He stopped and gestured; the corridor ended and a moon gate led to a wider corridor to the left. ‘Ma’am.’
I nodded to him and went down the corridor, leaving him behind. The corridor brightened at the end and opened out into the Arena.
It appeared as an open area in a glade of bauhinia trees, the dirt floor covered with their pink and white blossoms. Sunshine sparkled through the leaves of the trees, rippling over the ground in bands of light and shade. A sweet breeze heavy with the scents of plant life and damp earth brushed my face.
My opponent stood on the other side of the clearing next to the officiator for the match. He had the nut-brown skin of a Chinese who had spent a great deal of time in the sun, and the square, heavy-set features shared by those from the North. He was at least half a metre taller than me, large and strong. He wore traditional lacquer armour similar to mine — square plates held together with wires — but his armour was as brown as his features. He held a spear that was at least two metres long with a slender, sharp tip surrounded by a red horsehair fringe and decorated with a piece of green silk.
A small young woman in traditional Tang robes in a similar shade of brown, intricately embroidered with green leaves and pink flowers, stood behind him as second, her expression concerned.
I moved to about two metres from them and saluted, bowing slightly. ‘Sirs and madam. I am Emma Donahoe, answering a challenge.’
My opponent released his spear and it remained vertical beside him without being held. He saluted me and spoke, his voice deep and rich. ‘I am Sang Shen. This is my sister, Sang Ye, who will act as second.’
I bowed slightly to him and his second. ‘I am honoured.’
Sang Shen took hold of his spear again and both of us turned to the officiator.
He unrolled a scroll and read from it. ‘Tai Ren Sang Shen challenges Regent General Da na huo to a test of martial skills. This test will not be to the death, and will be considered satisfactorily concluded when either combatant yields. Are these terms agreeable?’
I saluted the officiator and spoke first, as I held higher rank. ‘I hold these terms agreeable with a request for the further consideration of light contact, and restraint from injuries that cannot be healed by a mortal such as I.’
Sang Ye, the second, hissed under her breath.
‘This creature is not a mortal, she is a serpent,’ Sang Shen said. ‘There should be no consideration for such as her.’
‘This matter has been questioned and adjudicated already,’ the officiator said. ‘It has been resolved by edict from the Celestial that General Da na huo is indeed both mortal and unable to recover from major injury such as disseverment of limbs and removal of vital organs. Her request is upheld by the Celestial.’
Sang Ye made a short, angry gesture with one hand but remained silent behind her brother.
‘Who is your second, madam?’ the officiat
or asked me.
‘The Jade Building Block of the World,’ I said.
‘I will act,’ the stone said.
Sang Ye turned away quickly, then turned back. She opened her mouth but, without turning to see her, her brother raised his hand to stop her speaking. ‘The terms are acceptable.’
I nodded to Sang Shen. ‘You will use the spear only?’
Sang Shen grimaced and raised the weapon. ‘I will use the spear that was my father.’
Oh dear, the stone said. The search is starting to bring back results and they are all bad.
Tell me quickly, we’re beginning, I said, and moved into the middle of the clearing. I stood and saluted Sang Shen, who grunted and nodded back.
‘Oh dear’ is right if he’s showing this much disrespect for someone of my rank, I said to the stone.
That spear is his father, the stone said. This is very bad. His father was a tree spirit —
Resident in the Northern Heavens, right?
Sang Shen moved about two metres across from me and raised the spear in a guard. I responded with an open-handed guard; usually I loaded my hands with chi, but in this case they were empty of energy. I would have to rely on purely physical, and as a last resort call the Destroyer. I didn’t have enough chi left to wield it predictably in battle any more.
Precisely, the stone said. His father died three months ago due to the energy drain resulting from the absence of the Dark Lord. And so, of course —
He blames me. Lovely.
And, completely pissed that you have a stone as second, Emma. You know how plant spirits feel about us stones.
Oh wonderful, icing on the cake. I didn’t know why plants and stones had so many issues with each other — neither side would discuss it — but the enmity had been around for a very long time. I knew what I had to do.
No, you can’t take that risk. You don’t have good enough control.
Help me out here.
Sang Shen spun the spear over his head in an impressive arc, then leapt forward with the point of it aimed straight at my left eye. The red horsehair fringe around the tip of the spear was designed to fool the enemy into thinking that the point was further away than it actually was, but I had extensive practice with the Wudang spear and knew what to expect.
