Black Jade Read online

  ‘As you wish,’ Bei said. ‘Mei Mei!’

  ‘Coming,’ Bo said. She came to the kitchen doorway, saw the Demon King and scowled.

  ‘Take the children out,’ the King said again. He saw Bo’s face. ‘Do as you’re told!’

  She sneered. ‘Majesty.’

  She and Bei took the children out the front doors with a Duke accompanying them. The children yelled with delight as they took off running. I winced. They didn’t spend enough time outside.

  ‘Right,’ the King said, all business. ‘I need your advice here.’

  He flipped through the tablet until he came to a photograph of a blonde fourteen-year-old girl. She had strong cheekbones and a light dusting of freckles under her mischievous blue eyes.

  I took the tablet from him, trying to remember where I knew her from, and then it clicked. ‘Kimberley.’

  ‘Yes. Your dead friend’s daughter. What was her name?’ He checked the tablet. ‘Louise. One of the Tiger’s wives. This is Princess Kimberley, daughter of the Bai Hu, a mortal human. She’s also the daughter of your dead friend, so you’ll want to look after her.’ He looked up at me. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘What do I think about what?’

  He sighed with exasperation. ‘For Frankie!’

  ‘For Frankie what?’

  ‘Are you completely stupid? I told you about this before. He needs a wife from each of the Bastions to seal his reign. If he marries a daughter from each Bastion, and has Edu as his Empress, nobody will ever stand against him. So what do you think — Kimberley from the West?’ He cocked his head to study her photo. ‘A bit white for me, but pretty enough.’

  ‘You can’t be finding wives for him — he’s two years old.’

  ‘I know, it should have been done before he was born. Okay, no objections to Kimberley; what about Eva?’ He showed me a photo of the Phoenix’s half-human daughter Evangeline, whose African-American father had given her a glowing dark complexion, rich brown eyes and afro hair. ‘Nice counterpoint to the white one. Eva can work energy and fire, and there’s talk she may be able to manipulate yang. She’s a sweet girl as well, and I think she’s already friends with Simone.’

  ‘Frankie doesn’t need wives, George.’

  ‘But he does. This is politics. We need to seal the empire, and if he fathers grandchildren for the Four Winds they’ll never rebel against him. You’ve obviously no problem with Eva either. How about this one?’ He showed me a photo of Jackie. ‘Granddaughter of the Dragon King, daughter of the Blue Dragon, so royal dragon both ways. Lovely pure-Asian girl. No attachments; both of her parents are Immortals held in the cells in Hell, and both her nest mates are dead.’

  ‘I know who Jackie is — her mother is the Jade Girl. She’s part of the family,’ I said.

  ‘Even better.’ He flipped through more photos on the tablet. ‘Now I need your help to find the last wife.’

  ‘He’ll marry all of them?’ I said, incredulous.

  ‘One from the North,’ he said. ‘I’m doing you a favour here, allowing you to care for your friends’ children when he takes them as wives. So do something for me.’

  ‘I don’t know anyone suitable in the North that Frankie isn’t related to on his father’s side,’ I said.

  ‘Yeah, the only one is the black kid, Buffy, but she’s fully human and adopted. Might as well be a servant. So the first choice is Simone.’

  All the breath left me in a long gasp. ‘She’s his sister!’

  ‘I know. I checked the genetics and it turns out they’re too closely related. You and Simone’s mother had a great deal of genetic heritage in common.’ He sighed with feeling. ‘Such a shame, she’d be perfect. If they were pure demon it wouldn’t be an issue, but humans are trouble. So I need you to contact Simone and bring her in for me.’

  ‘She can’t marry him, so you don’t need her.’

  ‘That’s exactly why I do need her. Her half-demon daughter would be good enough.’ He smiled. ‘They’d be perfect. One of my spawn for the fifth wife and we have the complete set. Like a winning hand of cards.’

  I jumped to my feet. ‘I will not bring Simone here for you to rape her.’

  ‘I’m not into rape, you know that. She’ll be perfectly willing once Frankie takes the throne and is giving the orders.’

  BJ, tell Simone. Tell her to run from the East right now.

  ‘Good. You’re talking to her. Now tell me where she is,’ he said.

  I’m sorry, Aunty Emma, she doesn’t answer, BJ said. Nobody in the stone network has seen her.

  ‘She doesn’t answer me. I have no idea where she is.’

  He studied me.

  ‘I’m telling the truth,’ I said.

  ‘Fine.’ He stood. ‘As soon as Frankie’s enthroned and has control, he’ll order her to come in and we can start the procedures anyway.’

  For god’s sake, BJ, tell Simone to run!

  I am, BJ said with misery. But she’s still not answering.

  The King handed the tablet to the guard Duke. ‘Those children were thrilled to be allowed outside,’ he said to me. ‘You need to take them out more.’

  ‘I can’t. I’m not allowed out of the house.’

  ‘Yes, you are,’ he said. ‘Take them out every day.’

  ‘You ordered me to stay inside.’

  ‘Well, now I’m ordering you to take the children outside!’ he said loudly. ‘There! Does nobody listen when I give orders?’ He went to the door. ‘Try to run away and I will make these children suffer.’

  ‘You don’t need to worry, I’ll never leave my . . . Frankie,’ I said.

  ‘Good,’ he said, and went out.

  I moved to follow him through the front doors, but the Duke blocked my way.

  ‘You heard him,’ I said. ‘Let me out!’

  The Duke hesitated, then opened the doors for me.

  ‘Assign me a guard,’ I said to the King. ‘A Celestial may take exception to the fact that I’m working for you.’

  ‘Good point,’ the King said, and gestured for one of the other Dukes to escort me. ‘And it’s Celestial Regent.’

  The guard escorted me through the front doors and along an alley with three-metre-high red walls on either side. It was a defensive feature to protect the Jade Emperor in case the Celestial Palace was assaulted — which hadn’t worked. The Northern Imperial apartments were on the other side of that wall, and I remembered the courtyard where John and I had sat on the grass all that time ago, enjoying the sunshine together. I wondered if the demons had taken down the Xuan Tian Shang Di sign that hung on the wall over John’s desk; a gift from the Jade Emperor in his own hand. Probably destroyed.

  I made a mental note to have a calligraphy teacher assigned to Frankie the minute his characters were fluent. At present they were the clumsy attempts of a young child, but he was learning quickly.

  The wall opened to a moon gate to our left: the entrance to the staff quarters. A large grassy court was on the other side of the wall, with a couple of wide shady mulberry trees; natural ones, not Shen. This was the relaxation garden for the human and Shen staff when their employers visited the Palace. The quarters were deserted, and the children were running and shouting on the grass, sharing a game with Bo and Bei.

  I sat on a stone bench to watch them, and the Duke stationed himself next to the moon gate. The children saw me and waved, but didn’t stop running. It was probably the first time they’d had a chance since they’d been taken to Hell.

  I breathed deeply of the Celestial fresh air and enjoyed the peace. The coronation was in two days, and then everything would change.

  27

  On the day of the coronation, the Demon King came in Kitty Kwok form wearing a many-layered robe of Imperial gold embroidered with six-toed dragons. The sleeves were long and sheer, and her hair was done in a complex style and decorated with golden phoenixes. She brought our robes in cardboard boxes, and laid them on the couch.

  ‘These are your Emperor’s cl
othes, Frankie. Come and get dressed.’ She opened a second box and pulled out the brown nun’s robe and tossed it to me. ‘Shave your head and put this on, and be quick about it.’

  It was still too early for Bo and Bei to arrive, so I shaved my head myself in my little room. It took a while and made a mess on the floor, particularly since my razor was blunt from overuse. I pulled the brown robe on and tied the sash, then found a dustpan and broom, swept up the hair and threw it away.

  When I emerged, Frankie giggled. ‘You look like a man! I can’t tell whether you’re a man or a lady!’

  I made my voice low and gruff. ‘That’s because I’m awesome.’

  He dissolved into cackles of laughter, and the King tutted at him as she tied the belt of his robe. ‘Emma isn’t a man or a lady. She can’t have babies, so she’s a nothing.’

  ‘That’s sad, Emma,’ Frankie said.

  ‘Keep your mouth shut,’ the King told me before I could say anything.

  ‘We match, Mummy,’ Frankie said, holding his sleeve against her robe. ‘We’re the same.’

  She kissed the top of his head. ‘We will always be the same.’

  ‘Why don’t my friends have fun costumes?’ he said.

  ‘They’re all somewhere else. Today is just you,’ she said, and rose. ‘Turn around, let me see.’ He spun for her and she patted his head. ‘You are the cutest little Emperor ever.’

  ‘No, you are the cutest, Mummy,’ he said.

  The Western King came in from the bedroom wearing a European white dress uniform with full regalia: peaked cap, gold-fringed epaulettes, crimson sash across his chest, multiple star-shaped medals, and a sword hanging from his side.

  ‘You look awesome too, Father,’ Frankie said. ‘You’re so handsome. I think your clothes are better than ours.’

  ‘You think the clothes your mother made aren’t good enough?’ the Western King said.

  ‘No, no, of course not,’ Frankie said, his voice going up with panic. ‘You look so handsome, but those clothes would only . . .’ He hesitated, then gathered himself. ‘I don’t think I’m good enough to wear something like that.’

  The Western King put his hands on his belt and his sword. ‘That’s right. You aren’t.’ He nodded to the Eastern King. ‘You look spectacular, my love. But are you sure you don’t want to wear a uniform too? You know how much I like it when you wear one.’

  ‘Once we’re established,’ the Eastern King said.

  The Western King shrugged. ‘Won’t be long before we have full control, if it works like you say it will.’

  ‘It will.’ She grinned at him. ‘I’ll wear a uniform later if you like.’

  ‘You read my mind.’

  ‘Time to go,’ she said to Frankie. ‘There’s a special carriage out there; you’ll be pulled by dragons.’

  ‘Ooh, cool,’ he said with delight.

  ‘Follow, Emma,’ the King said, and we went out the front door.

  We walked the hundred metres down the alley to the end, where it opened into a paved court with a dragon fountain in the centre. A cheering crowd had gathered there, held back by demon guards. The people were all wearing new brightly coloured T-shirts and waving small coloured flags — obviously props given to them by the King. The Palace buildings were draped in silk swags of Imperial gold that matched the roof tiles, and gold and red banners flew from flagpoles around the buildings.

  An open carriage, Western-style, stood in the middle of the court, with a dozen Dukes on demon horses stationed around it. Six smaller demons stood holding gold silk umbrellas. Jade and another green dragon I didn’t recognise were in the carriage’s traces. Both of them looked tired, and their scales were dull with infirmity.

  Are you all right, Jade? I said as I followed the directions of the guards to the rear of the carriage, so I could walk beside it.

  The two Kings climbed in, and sat with Frankie between them.

  Emma! Jade said. Where’s Jackie? She wasn’t here when I was brought up to pull the carriage. She was taken two days ago. Do you know where she is? Did they hurt her? She wasn’t eaten, was she? So many people have disappeared —

  Don’t be concerned, I said. Jackie hasn’t been harmed; she’s being cared for.

  But why?

  I hesitated, then decided to tell her the truth. She’ll be groomed to marry the young Emperor.

  But the demons . . . She hesitated. Will the Little Emperor hurt her?

  No, he’s a caring and compassionate child, and he may send her back to you when he discovers the marriage plans. Even if he doesn’t reject her, the marriage won’t happen for a long time. In the meantime, she won’t be harmed; I’ll make sure of it.

  Oh, thank the Heavens.

  ‘Go,’ the Eastern King said, and the dragons pushed into the traces.

  Jade made a soft sound of pain as the carriage started to move. Please care for her.

  I will. After the coronation she’ll be moved into the consort’s residence.

  I could hear Jade grunting with effort in my head. The traces fitted her poorly and she wasn’t built to pull a load.

  Will there be other consorts? she said.

  The King plans to have four concubines, one from each of the Winds’ houses — Jackie will be the East — and a demon Empress.

  Thank you! she said, relieved. So that’s what happened to the girls. They all disappeared on the same day. I will tell their parents; they will be so happy to hear that they’re alive and not eaten. Thank you, Emma, thank you so much.

  We turned onto the main thoroughfare through the Celestial Palace, travelling along its wide boulevard with border plantings of peach trees. The crowd on either side of the road, all underweight and desperate-looking, cheered and waved their little flags in a sea of bright colours. Stony-faced demon sentries flanked the route, and obvious plain-clothes guards stalked among the crowds, alert for trouble.

  Don’t thank me, I said to Jade. This is a catastrophe for them. Their lives will be ruined.

  They will have lives, and they are not in the Pits.

  That should not be something to celebrate.

  We arrived in the square. The entire area, three hundred metres across, was completely empty except for demon guards in human form stationed at regular intervals around its edge. The Hall of Supreme Harmony stood on the square’s northern side.

  The Eastern King took Frankie’s hand and guided him out of the carriage and led him to a sedan chair carried by four horse-head Dukes. I followed in the entourage, giving Jade a friendly pat on her scales as I went past.

  I will care for her, I said. I’ll talk to Frankie about letting her see you.

  Thank you, Emma.

  I followed the sedan chair as the Dukes carried it over the centre bridge that spanned the fung shui waterway, and then onto the carpet through the empty square up to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the riders and parasol carriers flanking us.

  At the hall, the Dukes carried the chair over the marble ramp and up to the huge double doors five metres above the stone pavers of the square. The doors opened and they carried the chair inside, then stopped. The riders and attendants remained on the platform outside.

  The hall was full of silent demons: Mothers and Dukes, with a few smiling human copies from the Earthly. They stood on either side of the carpeted aisle, their faces glowing with triumph.

  The Dukes carefully lowered the sedan chair, and Frankie and the Demon Kings stepped out. The Eastern King’s expression was bright with pleasure as she walked Frankie up the aisle to the dais, the demons silent around them. I followed, and nobody stopped me.

  They climbed the stairs onto the dais and I followed them there too. I was flooded with memories from this place. John had knelt on that carpet many times in his majestic Celestial Form. I’d stood on the dais as First Heavenly General, guarding the Jade Emperor. Simone had made a wildly stupid oath here that would limit her choices for love in the future. All was gone, and the throne was empty.

  Stand
at the back of the dais and keep your damn head down and your hands together like a nun, the King said, and I obeyed.

  The King put her hand on Frankie’s shoulder and stood at his right, facing the crowd. ‘Demonkind,’ she said, and the hall went even more silent. ‘We won. The Heavens are ours. One of our own will take the Jade Throne and a bright new dynasty will arise for all of us. We will recover from the shame of being driven from the Earth by the Xuan Wu, and be stronger than we ever were. We are the rightful rulers of the Three Platforms and the Nine Heavens.’ She looked around at them. ‘I have fulfilled my promise, my children. Welcome to life in the sunshine.’

  The demons went wild, cheering so loudly that the clerestory windows above us rattled.

  The Demon King raised her hand. ‘Let’s see if this works, shall we?’ She looked down to speak to Frankie. ‘Time to take your throne, Little Emperor.’

  She took his hand and guided him to the Jade Throne that was carved with six-toed dragons. He stepped up onto a footstool, turned with his face full of concentration and sat on the gold silk cushions. As one, the hall went silent. Everyone except the Western King fell to one knee.

  ‘Wen sui, wen sui, wen wen sui,’ we all said in unison.

  The sun broke through the windows above us, shining rays of light that shifted across the dais. Frankie’s expression went blank, then filled with a new level of heightened awareness. His robes changed to fit him better and he sat with more confidence. Two Palace fairies in silvery robes materialised on either side of the throne.

  ‘It worked,’ the Eastern King said, breathless. ‘Tell us to rise, darling.’

  ‘Rise,’ Frankie said, and everybody stood up. ‘Wow,’ he added under his breath.

  ‘Now to test if you really do have full control,’ the King said. ‘A girl has been hiding from you since you came up here; she doesn’t want to come and play. I think you should tell her to. Order Princess Simone of the Northern Heavens to present, Frankie.’

  The silence in the hall deepened as the demons held their breath expectantly.

  ‘Um . . .’ Frankie raised his voice. ‘Princess Simone of the Northern Heavens is to present!’