Year of the Golden Dragon (27 page)

She checked her watch: 42:39 – there were less than forty-five minutes left until midnight. Hong Mei peered into the dark water and along the riverbank. Would Black Dragon appear on land as he had before, or as the water-dwelling creature of the old tales?

They were close now, very close. Hong Mei could see that Madam Ching’s usual poise had disappeared. She stood with her neck craned forward and her face furrowed with anxiety. Her hands were in constant motion as she wrung them over and over.

Ching Long paced back and forth between Madam Ching and the river, his eyes focused on the slow-moving water.

Alex came up beside her. “There she is,” he said, staring at Madam Ching.

“Yes, I know,” Hong Mei said. “It will be okay, Alex. I have a plan.”

“You do? I hope it’s a good one.”

“Me, too,” she said frowning.

“And which plan might that be?” growled a deep voice from behind them.

The three of them wheeled around to stare at Black Dragon. Alex grabbed Hong Mei’s hand and squeezed so hard that she thought her bones would break.

Black Dragon still wore his sunglasses and his tight, old-fashioned tunic. But his skin had changed. He actually looked much more reptilian this time and only partly human.

“Mighty Black Dragon,” Hong Mei said quickly. “May I introduce Ryan and Alexander Wong? They are the Emperor’s heirs.”

“Delighted,” nodded Black Dragon. “Let us move away from the crowd, shall we?”

Alex pulled back and Ryan shook his head. She glared at them and whispered. “There is nothing to be afraid of. This is what we are here for.”

“Now, now,” Black Dragon said in his low, gravelly voice. “Whispering is rude. Come along, now.”

Hong Mei pulled the reluctant boys along the path to a small break in the trees where Black Dragon led them.

After only a few steps, he stopped and turned to look at them.

“So, the heirs have come to honour their ancient ancestors by keeping Master Chen’s promise.”

Hong Mei cleared her throat, but hesitated. She felt Black Dragon move closer to her. “Miss Chen? Do you have something you wish to say?”

“Yes, Almighty Black Dragon.” Ryan and Alex leaned against either side of her.

“What is it?”

“The Ching woman is here, Honourable Black Dragon. She is here at the river with your precious jade.” Hong Mei saw Black Dragon pulling himself up taller. His tunic looked as if it was going to split open. “She stole Virtuous Black Dragon’s jade from us and left us to die in the Emperor’s tomb.” Hong Mei rushed on, “We heirs escaped once more and have come here to fulfill our duty.”

“And how will the heirs accomplish this, Young Chen?” he said. “You have only minutes left and you do not have Black Dragon’s treasure.”

Hong Mei felt the heat from his sentences and smelled the stench of his rancid breath.

“We will fight fire with fire,” she said.

Black Dragon did not reply. He only looked from one heir to the other.

“The heirs have come far since Black Dragon first met them three days ago. I believe you will complete this task. Go well,” he said. “Finish it.”

Black Dragon moved away from them and slunk further into the trees.

Hong Mei and the boys all shuddered at the same time.

“Please tell me your plan is an excellent one,” Ryan said to Hong Mei.

“It is. We go to Madam Ching,” she said.

“Are you crazy?” Alex cried.

“No.” she said. “But you’ve got to trust me.” She looked from Ryan to Alex. “Do you trust me?”

Ryan looked back at her and stared unblinking into her eyes. Hong Mei had never felt someone look at her this intensely, but somehow it felt good. She returned his steady gaze.

“I trust you,” Ryan said.

“I guess I do, too.” Alex said. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Let us go,” she said, feeling her heart swell.

The three of them walked toward Madam Ching. As they approached her, she seemed to sense them coming and turned to them. The worried look that Hong Mei had seen on the woman’s face instantly changed to one of fury.

Practically pouncing on them, she came within steps of Hong Mei, Ryan and Alex. “What are you doing here?”

“I am afraid that you underestimated us,” Hong Mei said.

“Perhaps, but it doesn’t matter now anyway. We still have the jade and as soon as Black Dragon makes his appearance –”

“Black Dragon has not yet come to you?” Hong Mei cried. “Why, we have already seen him.”

“You have seen him? How can that be? We are at the very spot he once met the Emperor and he has not surfaced.”

“Perhaps it is because you are not the ones who are supposed to be here. We were the ones to give back the jade.”

Madam Ching’s eyes flashed. “How dare you speak to me like that!”

“You are right,” Hong Mei said. “It was not polite of me. We will be leaving now.” She looked at her watch. “The fireworks begin at exactly twelve o’clock, right? That’s less than five minutes from now.” She smiled and turned to walk away, “Come, Ryan and Alex. Let’s find a good place to watch the show.”

“Wait!” Madam Ching said. “You cannot go!”

“Why not?” Ryan asked. “It’s finished now.”

“But what about the jade?” Madam Ching cried.

“It’s too late. We didn’t have it when we saw Black Dragon. He seemed sad, but he said it wouldn’t have any power now anyway.”

“You’re lying!” Madam Ching screamed.

Alex shrugged. “Let’s go, you two. We don’t want to be with her when the fireworks start.”

Madam Ching turned to Ching Long and yelled, “Do something, you idiot!”

Ching Long stood helplessly holding Master Chen’s box. Madam Ching grabbed it and opened it up.

“Oh, look,” Hong Mei said, peeking at the box from where she stood. “It’s not even shining anymore. It must be dead already.”

“No, it cannot be!” Madam Ching said.

The crowd had started counting down.

“You could keep it in your library,” Hong Mei said, mimicking Ching Long’s words.

Madam Ching threw the box down, sending the three pieces of jade flying out.

“Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight –” the crowd roared.

“Shame,” Hong Mei said, trying to keep as calm as she could. She could hear the beating of her heart over the sound of the counting.

“Fine,” Madam Ching hissed. “Take it and call him back. There is still time to bargain.”

As casually as she could, Hong Mei bent down and collected the three sections of jade, then gave Ryan and Alex theirs.

“Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen!” The noise from the people was tremendous. Everyone was watching the sky, waiting for the first blasts and bangs.

The three heirs held the jade up and Hong Mei called out, “Come, Black Dragon! We have your jade.”

“Ten, nine, eight,” Hong Mei, Ryan and Alex counted with everyone else.

Ching Long was standing away from his mother, his gaze shifting between the river and his mother’s face.

“Seven, six – there he is!” shouted Alex, as a scaly, black head surfaced. The massive round eyes caught sight of Hong Mei and the two boys.

Madam Ching leapt forward and tried to snatch the jade from Alex. In a split second, she lay splayed on the ground. Hong Mei had always wanted to use that particular gong-fu kick – but there was no time to savour its effectiveness.

“Three, two, ONE. Throw it in!” she yelled, and Hong Mei and the Emperor’s two heirs sent their jade flying up and into the water.

There was a crack and burst of brilliant red light. As thousands of onlookers watched the dazzling array of colours filling the blackness above, Hong Mei and the boys watched something even more fantastic. The three pieces snapped together and formed, not a flat disc, but a perfect ball of brilliant green jade.

Just as Black Dragon was about to snap it up in his jaws, Madam Ching flung herself at the jade in an effort to catch it before it hit the water. She missed and fell with a splash into the freezing river.

Black Dragon snapped up his precious treasure and sank beneath the surface. Madam Ching flailed in the river for one or two seconds. Then, Black Dragon’s head reappeared and pulled Madam Ching down with him.

Hong Mei looked around. Ching Long had disappeared: only the old people from her interview in Beijing were still there, and they seemed to be the only ones in the whole, vast crowd to have seen something other than the fireworks. They stood staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the roiling river water.

“We’re free!” cried Alex. “Let’s go find Aunt Grace and Uncle Peter.”

Ryan and Hong Mei clasped hands and grinned.

They started moving through the crowd and along the path towards where they’d seen their families.

“Hey!” Ryan said. “Check this out.”

On the ground near where they’d spoken to Black Dragon lay a pile of clothes: a long, old-fashioned tunic, sunglasses – and a long black braid.

Chapter 24

The Year of the Golden Dragon

“I see them!” shouted Alex,
running ahead of Ryan and Hong Mei. She watched to see Alex leap up to hug both his uncle and aunt at the same time. Hong Mei could see that the woman was crying.

She spotted her own mother and father, and when she felt Ryan pull her, she broke into a run. In seconds, her mother’s arms were around her. The slight medicinal scent that clung to her smelled gorgeous to Hong Mei. She opened her eyes to see Ryan being hugged by his aunt and uncle, the four Wongs standing in a tight embrace.

Mama let go of her and said, “We’re so proud of you, Hong Mei. I’m so sorry I didn’t trust your father enough to even try to believe him.” She smiled at her daughter, then at her husband. “He says he has forgiven me, but what do you think?”

Hong Mei looked up at her father who beamed down at her. “As I told your mother, everything happens for a reason. This was the way it was meant to be.”

Hong Mei fell into her father’s waiting arms.

“I’m so sorry, Baba.” Her voice was wobbly. “I’m sorry for keeping your jade. I’m sorry for not helping you. I’m sorry for not believing in you. I’m sorry for everything,” she cried.

Her father held Hong Mei close to him and whispered into her spiky hair, “Dear daughter. Please do not say those words again. All is well now. Today, I am the proudest father in all of China.”

“Are you no longer sad that I am a girl?” she asked.

He laughed. “I was never sad to have a daughter. I was only trying to make you strong. And, in light of what you’ve had to face, I think you were up to the task.”

Hong Mei’s heart felt as if it was going to explode. No moment in her life would ever be as great as this one.

“Now,” Hong Mei’s father said. “Let us go with the Wong family and welcome the Year of the Golden Dragon. It has started off rather well.”

Epilogue

Fudan University, De
partment of Archeology22/02/00

During one of the routine checks of the royal chamber, a foreign object was discovered. There were no Chinese characters on the tin box, only English.

Upon inspection, the container was found to be empty except for traces of a white powder. The substance is currently being tested, but it is believed to be the remains of peppermint candies.