Year of the Golden Dragon (17 page)

“No – I mean – yes,” Ching Long stuttered. “I’m just surprised she’s not with you. And you
are
rather early. We thought since you’d missed your flight, you might take the train.” He frowned and looked questioningly at them. “My mother asked me to wait here for you, but I’m surprised to see you’ve arrived so
very
early. How did you manage to –”

“Look,” Ryan said. “It’s
really
important that we find Lily or Hong Mei or whatever her name is.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Ching Long said. “The three of you will most certainly be together. I am
quite
sure she will be there tonight.”

“Where
tonight?” Ryan asked, looking from Ching Long to Alex, then back to Ching Long again.

“Why, at the banquet,” Ching Long said. “We’re celebrating, of course!”

“Look,” Ryan said to the man. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re talking about. We just want to find Hong Mei and get back to our aunt and uncle.”

Ryan watched Ching Long’s face lose its smile. The man looked from Ryan to Alex.

“Did Hong Mei not tell you about tonight?” Ching Long asked.

Ryan swallowed. He could feel Alex pressing against him. They shook their heads.

Ching Long whistled. “I see. Well, just to make certain, you are Ryan and Alexander Wong, I presume?”

“Yes,” Alex said.

“Alex!” Ryan said. “Be quiet!”

“Please,” said Ching Long. “Let me explain.”

Ryan stared at him.

“Chen Hong Mei was to escort you to Beijing and to my mother’s house,” Ching Long continued.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Ryan said. “We’re not supposed to be anywhere except with our family in Hong Kong. I have no idea how we managed to end up in Beijing.” Ryan grabbed Alex and said, “Come on, Alex. It’s time we found the police.”

“The police?” Ching Long gave a short laugh and said, “You are in China – not Canada.”

Ryan and Alex started to walk away from the man but he followed them, saying, “What do you think
the police
are going to think? You are obviously Chinese – you are alone – you have no identification papers. They will think you are runaways or illegals.”

Ryan stopped. “We’ll tell them we’re Canadian,” he said. “I bet we have an embassy here.”

“I am sure you do,” said Ching Long. He nonchalantly brushed some lint from his lapel. “An embassy that’s
closed
for at least a week, if not longer, for the New Year holidays. Where do you think they’ll put you while you wait for your embassy to re-open?”

Ryan chewed on his lower lip.

“It will certainly not be a hotel,” Ching Long said. “Have you ever seen a Chinese prison?”

“Who are you?” Ryan asked, feeling like he might pass out.

Ching Long’s face changed and he smiled. “I don’t mean to scare you. Things work very differently in this country. I only want to be of assistance.”

Ryan looked at Alex, but neither of them said anything.

“Please. Come to my mother’s house. If a mistake
has
been made, she will know what to do,” Ching Long said.

“What do you think?” Ryan asked Alex quietly.

Ching Long didn’t wait for Alex to answer. “As I said before, I am absolutely positive Hong Mei will be there tonight. Perhaps she is already at my mother’s as we speak.”

Ryan felt Alex watching him. He was desperate to get his jade back.

“Okay,” Ryan said, “But I know our aunt and uncle are looking for us. As soon as I’m finished with Hong Mei, I’ll take my chances at the police station.”

“Fine,” Ching Long said as he motioned for them to follow him. “My car is parked just over there.”

Ryan and Alex walked together a few steps behind Ching Long. He called over his shoulder, “It’s good that you are wary of strangers. These days, you can never tell!”

When they got to a black sedan, Ching Long opened the back door and said, “Please, get in!”

Once Ryan and Alex were inside, he slammed their door shut. They did not see him eye the crowd and whisper under his breath, “Yes. These days, you can never tell.”

After sliding in behind the steering wheel, Ching Long closed his own door, started the engine and pulled away. The automatic lock button clicked shut.

Chapter 15

The Lethal Lady

After leaving the woods,
Hong Mei thought she’d better get back to Hong Kong as quickly as she could. She found a road and a bus eventually came along. When she asked the driver how to get to the nearest airport, the man regarded her with suspicion and threw her a dark glance. Who knew what he really thought, but Hong Mei guessed that he considered her a teenaged runaway.

The bus ride revealed that Hong Mei was in Xian, of all places. Why had the jade sent her here? After a few kilometres, the bus came to an airport shuttle bus stop. Giving her one more dirty look, the bus driver told her the airport bus came every fifteen minutes. Hong Mei ignored the passengers’ curious eyes and pretended she knew what she was doing as she got off the bus. Normally, she would have been embarrassed with so many people staring at her, but not now. She actually felt quite proud of herself. After all, she wasn’t doing anything wrong. In fact, she was about to do something really, really right.

When she finally got on the airport bus, Hong Mei didn’t pay any attention to the driver’s or anyone else’s stares. She was thinking only of what she needed to do when she got to the terminal. Although Master Chen had warned her about Madam Ching, Hong Mei wanted to call her and tell the woman the situation had changed. She would say that she and the heirs had missed the plane and wouldn’t be in Beijing that afternoon as planned. Instead, they would arrive the following day.

Hong Mei believed this would give her time to get back to Hong Kong, find Ryan and Alex and secretly get them on a flight to Beijing without Madam Ching finding out. As promised long ago, the descendants of the Emperor and Master Chen would go to the river in the capital city and return all three pieces of jade by midnight. Black Dragon would take the lovely but dangerous jade, ensuring that humans were no longer tempted by its power. He would be able to die in peace. The plan seemed like a good one.

However, when she got to the terminal and phoned Madam Ching, the woman immediately started shrieking. “You Chens are all alike,” she cried. “Did you think you could trick me? I suppose you wanted the jade for yourself, didn’t you? I should have known a Chen would try and rob me of what is rightfully mine.”

“I don’t want the jade for my –”

“Silence!” Madam Ching shouted. “If you do not come immediately, I will have my people find you. Do you understand? They will find you and bring you to me.”

Hong Mei swallowed.

“Are you there?” Madam Ching said.

“Yes.”

“Bring me the jade, Hong Mei. I’m waiting for you,” she said. “And so are the Emperor’s heirs.”

“What? Ryan and Alex? They’re in Beijing?” Hong Mei asked. “But how did they –”

“Never mind how,” she snapped. “They’re here and they were found at the train station.”

She cleared her throat and her tone sweetened. “It is just that we are so close, my dear. You must come quickly. We need your piece of jade to make everything work. We need it to draw Black Dragon back to his ancestral home, where he belongs.”

“Black Dragon’s home is with you?”

“Not with
me,
you stu –” She stopped and immediately returned to her cotton-candy voice. “Not with me, child. I meant Beijing. His home has always been the mighty river of the capital city.”

Hong Mei knew the woman might be trying to trick her, but what she said made sense. Black Dragon would want to return to his own home to die. And Master Chen had said they were to give Black Dragon his jade at the river.

“Miss Chen?” Hong Mei heard through the telephone. “Are you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Have I mentioned that I will be entertaining two other special guests here, besides the Emperor’s heirs?”

Hong Mei definitely didn’t like the tone of Madam Ching’s voice. Even though it was carried over a long distance, it filled Hong Mei with dread.

“What’s wrong?” Madam Ching asked. “Cat got your tongue?”

Hong Mei remembered Master Chen’s words:
Treachery and evil make her heart beat.
“Mama and Baba?” she bleated into the receiver.

“I’m sorry,” Madam Ching said. “The line isn’t very good. I’ve got to go now, anyway, and prepare for my guests. Goodbye, Miss Chen. I hope to see you soon, dear.”

There was a click on the other end.

“Hello? Madam Ching? Hello?” Hong Mei stared at the phone.

With trembling fingers she hung up and then quickly punched in her mother’s telephone number. She let it ring twelve times before hanging up. When she closed her eyes and tried to conjure up an image, nothing came.

Were Mama and Baba and the boys really in Beijing? Or was it just a trap to get the jade?

After the telephone call, Hong Mei raced to the ticket counter where dozens of people jostled one another to reach the front of the line.

“Ouch!” Hong Mei yelped and pulled her foot away. “That hurt!”

Everyone seemed to want one thing – to get on the last flight to Beijing.

“Watch out!” Hong Mei snapped at someone when they dug an elbow into her ribs. She looked at the only ticket agent working at the counter. He sat unfazed, staring at his computer screen. All Hong Mei needed was one ticket. She’d even sit on the floor if they let her. There was absolutely no way she could miss this plane.

Hong Mei watched the agent stand up, yawn lazily and stretch. He ignored everyone in front of him. The crowd stopped surging forward and stared at him. With both hands, he combed his dark hair with his fingers, trying to cover his bald spot. All eyes were on him as he reached up and flicked a switch on the board above him. Everyone groaned when they saw the sign light up:
Flight Sold Out.

Hong Mei stared at it in disbelief. She couldn’t get stuck here. Who knew what would happen if she didn’t get to Ryan and Alex in time? And what about her parents? She couldn’t stand the thought of causing them any more trouble than she already had.

What was she going to do?

The ticket agent glanced her way and shrugged. “Sorry,” he said pointing to the sign. “Too late.”

“Please,” she said, “it’s very important that I get to Beijing tonight.”

The agent ignored her, shut his computer down and left the booth.

“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” she said over and over to herself. In a daze, she moved away from the counter and looked toward the entrance for the gates. There were a few small shops selling souvenirs and snacks. She wandered towards them, the whole while whispering to herself, “What do I do?”

Surely they could squeeze one more person on board. Maybe if she went to the gate and pleaded with someone there. Perhaps one of the passengers wouldn’t show up and she could take their place. Yes, it’d be better to be at the gate.

Walking past a jewellery store, she looked inside. Hong Mei’s glance fell on a beautiful clock on a rosewood stand at the end of the jade counter. She went nearer and squinted. The hands pointed to 4:30. The plane was leaving at 5:00.

Hurry. I’ve got to hurry.

But the clock held her attention. It was lovely. Not the timepiece itself, but the delicately painted statue of the woman holding it. The figure stood half a metre tall and wore the traditional flowing robe of a Chinese goddess. She held the clock like a television game show hostess displaying a prize to the audience.

Hong Mei blinked. She’d thought this was the Goddess of Mercy, but it wasn’t. It was Nu Wa, the Creation Goddess. Hong Mei moved closer to the statue. There were pamphlets and flyers splayed out on the counter next to the statue. Something told her to look more closely. She rifled through the glossy advertisements until she saw a plain white envelope. Snatching it up, she tore it open. Inside was a boarding pass for the flight to Beijing.

Looking at the gentle face of the statue, it seemed to smile at Hong Mei. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you, Goddess Nu Wa.”