Jamie Reign

by P J Tierney

  Feng took his stance at the dummy again.

  ‘May I?’ she asked before he could start. He looked a little taken aback, but stood aside.

  Jade centred herself to the wooden dummy. She brought her hands together and bowed, then took a breath and pulled her arm back to strike. She paused momentarily, then thrust her palm forwards. There was a loud cracking sound as her hand smashed straight through the timber. Splinters of wood burst into the air and showered the ancient stones of the square.

  Feng’s mouth dropped open.

  Jade dusted off her hands, straightened her top and brushed a strand of hair from her face. ‘I think that timber might be rotten,’ she said to Feng Chow as she walked off.

  Jamie looked from the shattered wood to Feng’s shocked expression. He knew there had been nothing wrong with that wood. He ran to catch up with Jade.

  Chapter 18

  Jade led Jamie south, over the potholes and deep grooves of the abandoned road. The track eventually came out at the bus stop to town. Jamie figured that was where they were going. He had no idea what a talisman was, but he knew you couldn’t buy one in the little marketplace above Sai Chun. He was pleased he’d worn his good shirt, even though it was too cold for short sleeves. He had folded Mrs Leung’s birthday money into his pocket; he hoped it would be enough for the talisman. He started up the hill towards the sealed section of road, then discovered Jade was no longer beside him. He turned back to see her waiting at the side of the path, her arms folded, her toe tapping and a scowl on her face.

  ‘Bus stop’s this way,’ Jamie said, pointing up the hill.

  ‘Who said we’re catching the bus?’

  ‘Oh. I didn’t think we’d be able to buy a talisman here.’

  ‘You don’t buy a talisman,’ Jade said. ‘Do you even know what a talisman is?’ Her expression made it clear she thought him an idiot.

  Jamie bit his bottom lip. He’d been hoping to bluff his way through until it became apparent what a talisman was. ‘Some sort of necklace?’ he offered.

  ‘For normal people perhaps,’ she said.

  ‘So I’m not normal? Is that what you’re saying?’

  Jade sighed. ‘No, you’re not normal. None of us is.’ She unfolded her arms. ‘A talisman is usually an amulet, something you wear around the neck, but you need a lot more than that. Sifu Fan says you need something to alert you to danger, not just to ward it off.’

  Jamie was trying to put all this together. A talisman wards off danger, but how can a necklace alert me to danger?

  ‘So what is it that I need then?’ he asked.

  Jade didn’t answer. Instead, she left the path and walked into the bamboo forest.

  ‘So what do I need?’ Jamie asked more loudly, squeezing through the thick bamboo stalks after her.

  ‘You need something alive.’

  Jamie looked around the jungle and squirmed. He knew what kinds of things lived in here and he didn’t want any of them anywhere near his neck.

  Jade walked on and seemed to be following some sort of invisible path. Every few metres she would stop, close her eyes, then alter course. The wind picked up and they struggled through the bamboo thicket, winding deeper into the dark jungle. Branches flicked back at Jamie and he dodged and blocked. He was beginning to regret that he’d worn his one decent shirt.

  At last Jade seemed to find the direction she wanted; she quickened her pace. She came to a stop in the centre of a small bamboo grove and looked around in a satisfied sort of way. ‘I think this is the place.’

  She sat down and gestured for Jamie to do the same. Jamie looked around. So where’s the talisman? he wondered.

  ‘The bamboo grove,’ Jade said, ‘was the home of the Seven Sages.’

  ‘What, this grove, right here?’ Jamie knew it sounded stupid as soon as it came out of his mouth.

  ‘Not here, idiot. I’m speaking metaphorically.’

  Jamie bit his lip and vowed to keep his mouth shut.

  ‘The Seven Sages lived in the bamboo grove,’ Jade started again, then paused to glare at Jamie. ‘So it is a good omen to stumble on a place like this. If we are to find you a talisman, this will be our best shot.’

  Jamie didn’t dare ask any of the questions that were bursting to get out. Instead, he waited quietly. And then waited some more. Jade sat very still and concentrated on her breathing. Jamie was determined to wait her out. She closed her eyes. After a while, Jamie thought she’d fallen asleep. He was tempted to throw something at her — he could always claim it had fallen from a tree — but he thought better of it. He began drumming his fingers on his knee.

  Jade opened one eye. ‘You’ll scare it off.’

  ‘Scare what off?’

  ‘Your talisman. What do you think we’re doing here?’

  Jade closed her eye again and Jamie sighed loudly.

  ‘Oh, all right,’ she said, opening her eyes and repositioning herself. ‘Let’s get this over and done with.’

  ‘Fine,’ Jamie said, matching her impatient tone.

  ‘Okay, what you usually do is draw an animal to you with your energy. But we’ll be here all day waiting for you to connect to something. So what animal do you want?’

  ‘I don’t know. What animal makes a good talisman?’ Jamie could see he was testing her patience, but he didn’t mean to.

  ‘Jamie, you don’t have a spirit guide, so you need something else to act as your sixth sense. Without it, you’re a risk to yourself and everyone around you. Ask anyone who’s ever been in an accident and they’ll say, “You know, I had a bad feeling about this.”’

  ‘So that’s what your spirit guide is?’ Jamie said sarcastically. ‘The bad feeling?’

  Jade gave him a cold look. ‘Yeah, Jamie, your spirit guide’s a bad feeling.’

  Jamie regretted his comment immediately. ‘Sorry,’ he said, then added, ‘I don’t have any sixth sense, do I?’

  Jade shook her head slowly. But when she spoke, it was with a lighter, kinder tone. ‘You’ve done all right to get this far without one.’

  Jamie forced a smile. ‘So this talisman animal is going to sense things for me?’

  Jade nodded. ‘Animals are more highly attuned to the spirit realm than we are, so it’s a pretty good substitute. So what animal do you want?’ she asked again.

  Jamie shrugged. ‘What can I choose from?’

  Jade looked around the clearing and into the forest. ‘Let’s see what’s out there.’

  She brought her fist and palm together and bowed her head. Her breaths were slow and deep; she could almost have passed for a statue. After some minutes, she smiled and reached into the dried bamboo husks that littered the ground. Jamie watched intently. There was a faint undulating movement from deep within the husks, then Jade brought her hand up.

  Jamie scuttled back. He pointed and said, ‘Don’t move. Don’t move a muscle.’

  Jade laughed. ‘It’s a tiny little bamboo snake. The way you’re carrying on, you’d think it was a king cobra.’

  Although the snake was small, it was fully grown and bamboo snakes were extremely venomous. It twirled itself around Jade’s arm and tasted the air with its tongue.

  ‘They’re really dangerous, Jade,’ Jamie said, trying to keep his voice calm.

  Jade ignored him and patted the snake’s head. ‘So not a snake then?’ she said, staring into the reptile’s eyes, clearly enamoured.

  ‘Wh-what are you doing?’ Jamie stammered. ‘Its venom can kill.’

  ‘Only if you’re a small child.’

  ‘I don’t think it knows how old you are!’ Jamie shrieked.

  Jade looked at him. ‘You don’t think it knows how old I am?’ She laughed.

  Jamie blushed.

  Jade put her hand to the ground and let the snake slide off. Jamie stomped his feet till the snake had disappeared into the bamboo. Jade was still laughing at him and Jamie could raise a smile now that the snake had gone.

  ‘They can make you really sick if they
bite you,’ he said. ‘You could even lose a limb.’

  ‘Okay, okay,’ Jade said. ‘I get it — not a snake.’

  Jamie stomped on the dried husks again before he sat down. ‘What else is there?’ he asked cautiously.

  ‘Think of the zodiac,’ she said.

  Jamie ran through the animals of the Chinese zodiac. His eyes grew wide as an idea came to him.

  ‘Within the realm of possibility,’ Jade interrupted.

  ‘Oh,’ he said, a little deflated. ‘No dragon then.’

  ‘No dragon. No tiger either,’ she added, ‘they’re protected.’

  Jamie looked at her quizzically. ‘Yeah, the fact they’re protected is why I wouldn’t want one on a boat.’

  Jade shrugged and returned to meditating.

  Jamie caught a glimpse of movement at the corner of his eye. A small grey rodent scurried across the ground and dashed between the two of them.

  ‘A rat?’ he said. ‘That’s the best you can do?’

  ‘Just teasing,’ Jade said, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips as she watched the rat scurry away.

  ‘Not a rooster either,’ Jamie said. ‘My dad would love that every morning.’

  Jade centred herself again and returned to her meditative pose. ‘Let’s see if they will decide for us.’

  Jamie tilted his head in question at the word ‘they’.

  ‘You may not have a spirit guide, Jamie Reign,’ Jade said, ‘but I have.’

  She bowed her head and after a short while her expression changed. She seemed to be having a silent conversation with someone. Eventually she sighed and opened her eyes; she looked dejected.

  Jamie was crestfallen. ‘What, no talisman?’

  ‘Oh, there’s a talisman all right. That’s the problem.’

  There was a rustle in the bamboo.

  ‘Is that it?’ he asked. ‘Is that my talisman?’

  Jade gave a resigned sort of shrug.

  ‘What is it?’ Jamie asked.

  He got to his feet and went towards the noise. He peered through the fat stalks and smiled. Somehow, he knew it would end like this.

  ‘Come on out,’ he said to the pair of dark glossy eyes that were staring back at him. ‘I want you to meet someone.’

  The little black monkey that had humbled Wesley stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing.

  ‘A monkey,’ Jade said, her top lip curling. ‘An annoying, filthy, greedy monkey.’

  But Jamie was pleased. Although it was lousy consolation for not having a real spirit guide, he had a talisman and he had a friend. The monkey had already proved himself to be both.

  Jade handed her satchel over and Jamie coaxed the monkey inside. He folded the flap back so the monkey could poke his head out.

  ‘I suppose you’ll have to name it,’ Jade said, cringing as the monkey picked at remnants of food at the bottom of her bag.

  Jamie smiled. ‘I’ve already thought of that. I’m going to call him Jet, because he’s black.’

  ‘Because he’s black?’ she questioned, her eyebrows arched high. ‘Not after a certain movie star?’

  ‘Just a coincidence.’

  ‘There’s no such thing as coincidence,’ Jade said, but she was smiling as she said it.

  They headed out of the bamboo grove and into the dense jungle. They were moving towards the escarpment path.

  ‘Will he just stay with me now?’ Jamie asked.

  ‘Only if you’re good to him.’

  ‘How will he know what to do to be a talisman?’

  Jade smiled. ‘Unlike you, Jamie, Jet has good instincts. He’ll know.’

  Jamie saw the escarpment path ahead. He stepped out of the jungle and straight into Morris and Wesley and all their colour-coordinated friends. Jet hit Jamie on the back and let out a long, piercing screech.

  ‘Thanks,’ Jamie said. ‘You might want to do that a little earlier next time.’

  Morris saw the monkey’s head poking out of the satchel. ‘Hey, Wesley, your friend’s here.’

  Wesley stepped forwards and grabbed for Jet. Jamie slapped his hand away. Then Wesley saw Jade behind Jamie and must have thought better about confronting both of them. He took a step back.

  One of the other boys hadn’t noticed what was happening up front. ‘Hey, Wesley,’ he said, scooping up Wesley’s dirty singlet from where he’d thrown it days earlier, ‘look, here’s your top.’

  The boy clearly thought he was doing Wesley a favour as he tossed it to him.

  ‘I don’t want that,’ Wesley said, swatting at the singlet. As he swung at it, a small, green and highly venomous bamboo snake slithered free of the fabric and landed on his arm. Wesley froze; the head of the snake was only centimetres from his face. The boys behind Wesley stepped away from him and the snake’s flicking forked tongue.

  ‘Aahhh,’ Wesley stammered, too scared to actually scream. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his arm trembled. The snake hissed and jerked its head about. It was clearly agitated.

  ‘Keep still,’ Jamie said calmly. ‘Jade, you want to do something?’

  ‘I would, but you’re in the way.’ She couldn’t get past him without risking upsetting the snake. ‘You’ll have to handle it.’

  Jamie felt sick. He looked beyond Wesley to the other boys. Even if they wanted to help, they couldn’t, not without disturbing the snake. It was up to him.

  Wesley’s breath came in short, sharp bursts; he appeared to be a moment away from panic. He looked Jamie in the eye and whispered, ‘Help me.’

  Jamie took a deep breath.

  ‘Project calm,’ Jade whispered. ‘Hold your hand up … imagine a white light coming out of it.’

  Jamie forced his churning insides to settle. He felt his hand get warm and saw the snake lower its head in response.

  ‘You’re doing it,’ Jade said. ‘It’s working.’

  Jamie stepped closer to Wesley and reached towards the snake. It hissed and flicked its tongue out and snapped back to its strike position. Wesley whimpered.

  ‘Slowly,’ Jade said.

  Jamie reached out again. His hand hovered behind the snake’s head. Slowly and very, very carefully, he closed his grip around the snake. Its skin was surprisingly dry and scaly. He gritted his teeth and pushed his thumb firmly down onto the snake’s head to stop it flicking around. He eased the snake from Wesley’s arm, went to the side of the path and released it back into the jungle. As the snake made its escape into the undergrowth, Jamie shook his hand to rid himself of the feeling of it.

  Wesley slumped in relief. ‘Thanks,’ he said very softly.

  Now the danger had gone, the other boys tried to make light of it. They laughed and pushed each other. ‘Cool snake,’ one of them said.

  Morris thumped Wesley on the back. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here,’ and he tugged on his shirt. Wesley seemed rooted to the spot, his face once again contorted with fear. There was a look of panic in his eyes as they flicked to his feet. Jamie understood immediately. Wesley was standing in a puddle and his shoes were soaked through. There was a smell of urine in the air.

  Morris yanked Wesley’s shirt again and Wesley stumbled back. The puddle was exposed. Jamie stepped forwards and shuffled his own feet to hide the telltale patch.

  Wesley looked relieved. He held his gaze on Jamie and raised his hand in the briefest of salutes. Then he turned and followed the boys back up the path.

  Jamie found himself eye to eye with Lucy.

  ‘Oh,’ he said, surprised to see her standing there.

  ‘Pretty cool snake-handling,’ she said.

  Jamie blushed and introduced her to Jade. ‘Lucy, this is my, um, friend,’ he said, stumbling over that last word.

  Lucy smiled awkwardly and Jade gave a curt nod to acknowledge her.

  ‘And you’ve met Jet before,’ Jamie said. The little monkey climbed out of the satchel and reached for Lucy.

  ‘Eww, I don’t think so,’ she said, pulling her arm away. ‘I know where that hand
has been.’

  Jade went to look at the ground where Wesley had stood. She brushed the leaves aside with her foot and exposed the wet patch. ‘You surprise me, Jamie Reign,’ she said softly. ‘Very few people do that.’

  Chapter 19

  The bad weather that had been brewing over the past few days finally declared itself. The weather bureau issued a typhoon warning: a signal eight, the worst possible level. The fishermen grumbled about lost work, but the warning made Jamie happy. Not because a typhoon meant there would be more wrecks to salvage, as the fishermen accused, but because it delayed Mr Fan and Jade’s departure.

  The three of them hurried up to the marketplace to stock up on food supplies. When the typhoon hit, no-one would be able to do any shopping for a while.

  The marketplace was frantic. The rain came down in great sheets and the tarpaulins above the stalls pooled with water. When it got too heavy, the stallholder would shout a warning and push the tarpaulin up with a broom. Anyone still in the way got drenched. Not that it made much difference: everyone was soaked through already.

  Jet clung to Jamie’s shoulder, and when it got too crowded, he took refuge in the satchel. He watched from the open flap, screeching when people got too close and swiping fruit when Jamie ventured near the stalls. The monkey jumped up and down and caused a terrible ruckus when they passed the fat man who had sold Jamie the choy sum.

  ‘He called that one correctly,’ Jamie said.

  Jamie moved to the other tables and grabbed what he could from the produce left over. Everything was so expensive. He bought as much as he could afford and lugged his bags through the crowd. With his head down and collar up, he barrelled straight into a boy dragging a trolley.

  ‘Sorry,’ Jamie mumbled before recognising Wing underneath the jacket. He seemed to be heading towards the jetty. ‘You’re not going out in the sampan in this weather?’

  ‘It’s just a little rain,’ Wing said with a grin. Then he spotted Mr Fan and his expression changed. He brought his fist and palm together and seemed about to bow, but Mr Fan made a swatting movement and Wing stopped abruptly.

  Jamie looked at Mr Fan, then at Wing, but neither met his eyes. Mr Fan became very interested in the hand-tools for sale at the next stall.