I shook my head.
Simone said it for me. ‘Removing the demon essence from Emma involved burning it out of her. The Demon King made us pay a terrible price, and then he engulfed her in flames and burned her alive. He took off the entire top layer of her body, and most of her insides as well. Not just the skin, everything. Burned her eyes and tongue out of her head, destroyed her lungs and throat — there wasn’t anything left. That’s why her skin’s so smooth and strange-looking. If one of Heaven’s greatest healers hadn’t intervened, she would have died.’
Tom’s face crumpled. ‘It would be worth it.’
LK Pak, the Wudang Demon Master, arrived and sat to join us. He nodded around the table, then focused on Tom. ‘I see what you mean.’
I raised one hand to stop LK before he spoke any further.
‘Master Pak is an expert on demons, and hopefully he can help you,’ I said. ‘Before we begin: understand that you have free will, Tom. You must never, under any circumstances, offer to give that up to anybody. If you ask for someone’s protection and offer yourself, you’ll lose your free will and become something much less. It’s like being an object, a possession, and it’s worse than death. Do you understand? Don’t ever ask anybody to protect you, or offer to serve them.’
Tom nodded, his eyes wide.
I turned to LK. ‘Take a look. From what he said, he’s a male Snake Mother, East-West hybrid.’
‘Not possible, no such thing,’ LK said, and took Tom’s hand. His eyes unfocused, then widened. ‘Well, shit. He’s right. Never seen anything like him. What the hell did his Mother look like?’
‘Last seen cutting up a dog and drinking its blood,’ I said. ‘Strong enough to spend a significant amount of time in the West.’
‘What colour dog?’ LK said quickly.
Ben thought about it for a moment, then said, ‘Black.’
‘Well, damn,’ LK said with concern. ‘She really drank the blood of a black dog? Damn.’
‘Is the colour significant?’ Ben said.
‘The blood of a black dog is a demon ward,’ I said. ‘She’s not supposed to be able to even touch it.’
‘I never wanted to get messed up in all of this,’ Ben said weakly. ‘I just want somewhere safe and normal to bring my boy up.’
‘Safe would be enough for me,’ Tom said. ‘I hate seeing Dad in danger. Especially when it’s from me.’
‘We will provide you with safety,’ LK said. ‘Just make sure never to submit to anyone’s will, like Lady Emma said, and you’ll both be safe.’
‘Can you help me too, sir?’ Vincent said.
LK rose, went around the table and held his hand out. Vincent took it; LK nodded and returned to his seat. ‘Third or fourth generation.’
‘But he changes!’ I said.
‘Can still happen, particularly if one of the biggest of us is involved.’
‘So he’s like … my great-great-nephew or something?’ Simone said.
‘Fourth or fifth cousin,’ LK said. He turned back to Vincent. ‘You are descended from a mighty heavenly Shen, and your powers have emerged after several generations, even though they were dormant in those before you.’
Vincent’s expression was a mix of delight and disbelief.
‘The English term for that is throwback,’ I said. ‘But three or four generations? Really? John’s his grandfather, or great-grandfather?’
‘Could be more than that; with the Xuan Wu the powers have laid dormant for up to six generations,’ LK said. ‘Look at Simone: the first-generation human cross and nearly as powerful as the Dark Lord himself.’
‘But he’d never had a human wife before Michelle,’ I said.
‘So it was either his son or daughter that was Vincent’s ancestor,’ LK said. ‘They’re probably still around as well; we should check Vincent’s ancestral tablets.’
Vincent winced. ‘My family won’t let me near them.’
‘Then accept what you are with grace. You have a Heavenly family, and Lady Emma will care for you as if you were her own.’
‘Lady Emma.’ Ben studied me. ‘When we were down in the basement, you said you were a General and a Regent. Forgive my bluntness, but you don’t look like anything much.’
Simone, LK and Leo all flinched.
‘Don’t do that!’ I said, sweeping my hand in front of me. ‘I’m not going to explode and bite people’s heads off just for stating the obvious! I’m middle-aged, short, plain and scruffy. He’s right: I don’t look like anything much.’
‘One of the first lessons you learn at Wudangshan is that nothing is as it appears,’ Simone said to Ben. ‘It’s the plainest, scruffiest and most ordinary-looking people who are the most powerful and deadly. The big, heroic, handsome types usually grow up selfish and conceited and generally never find the Way.’
‘I’m the heroic handsome type,’ Leo said.
Simone nodded to him, serious. ‘I concede your utter gorgeousness and total irresistibility, Lion. You are the most handsome inhabitant of Wudang.’
Leo saw our guests’ faces. ‘We’re just having fun, don’t worry.’
‘I’m not powerful and deadly,’ I said.
Leo blew his breath out loudly and turned away.
ignored him and continued. ‘I’m very small compared to many of the residents of Wudang. Due to a weird set of coincidences, and a god who makes really bad decisions, I’ve been put in charge of a lot of stuff. I can’t wait for him to come back so I can offload all of it back onto him.’
This time Simone made a disgusted noise. ‘Like he’ll let you.’
I ignored her as well. ‘But you’re right: I’m nothing terribly special. I’ve just been given a high-ranking job and I’m doing my best with it.’
‘What level demon can you take down, Lady Emma?’ LK said.
‘Weapon or energy?’ I said.
‘Thank you for making my point for me.’ LK nodded to Tom and Ben. ‘She’s Regent of the Northern Heavens and Acting First Heavenly General. She’s smart, fights like a demon when her family is threatened, and completely loyal to Wudang.’ He leaned back. ‘We are all proud to serve her.’
‘Oh, look, you made her blush,’ Simone said with delight. ‘That’s way more fun than anything I could have done.’ She grinned at LK. ‘Way to go. I won’t forget that. If you really want to freak her out, just compliment her.’
‘I think one of the most popular pastimes on the Mountain is Emma-baiting,’ I said. ‘LK, can Tom go to the Celestial Plane?’
LK nodded. ‘With an escort, he can.’
‘Well then, our morning tea’s here; let’s enjoy it, then head up.’
‘Where to?’ Vincent said.
‘Wudang Mountain in Heaven, home of all Martial Arts,’ Simone said, watching his reaction.
He didn’t disappoint. He grinned broadly and said, ‘I can’t wait.’
We landed on the main training square at the bottom of the stairs that led up to Yuzhengong — True Way — the largest building on the Mountain. It was a hundred metres long and fifty metres wide, a traditional bracket construction made completely without nails, with