Blue Dragon Part 24

I glanced at Leo. He watched us from one of the beach mats with a huge grin on his face. I gestured with my head for him to join us and he shook his head, still smiling. I decided to leave it.

I pulled on my own goggles and fins, waded to Simone and grabbed her hand. She squealed and said something unintelligible through the tube. I didn't bother answering; I floated horizontally, put my own face in the water and joined her.

There's an awful lot of fish, she said.

She was right. The water was full of tiny fish only three or four centimetres long. Some larger fish, up to thirty centimetres long, slid casually past, eyeing us warily.

This is so cool, Simone said. Simone said. I wish you could talk back. Do you know the names of any of the fish? I wish you could talk back. Do you know the names of any of the fish?

I squeezed her hand.

Okay. Can we go to the reef now?

I had an inspiration. I tapped the stone.

Yes, Emma?

I asked if it could talk to Simone.

Sorry, Emma, not underwater like this. And Gold is too far away to relay for me. Looks like you'll have to be a normal human for a change.

That was unusual. Stone was destroyed by Wood, not Water. Stone was strong against Water.

Ah, you have been learning. Frankly, it's basic physics. I can't be understood! I sound garbled, much as a human would.

I tried not to laugh through the snorkel and inhale water.

Simone chatted inside my head, pointing out the fish, as we swam to the reef. She was concerned about the sea cuc.u.mbers; she thought they were the droppings left by a giant sea creature.

When we reached the end of the rocks I shook her hand and we stopped. We put our heads above the water and took out the snorkels.

'Don't worry about those black things,' I said, 'they're just sea cuc.u.mbers. You see them dried in the market. They have them in hot pots, remember?'

'Oh, okay,' Simone said. 'Are we at the reef?'

'Should be close by,' I said. 'Don't touch the coral, it will be sharp. Let's have a look.'

I put my snorkel back in and we turned and swam further, Simone merrily chatting inside my head.

The reef wasn't large, but the colours were delightful. There was a splendid variety of coral, and we saw plenty of glittering fish. We floated over the reef, Simone giddy with excitement.

Look at the sea urchins, she said. They have bright blue eyes. You can see them. They have bright blue eyes. You can see them.

I nodded and squeezed her hand.

Her voice changed slightly inside my head. Emma, I forgot to put my snorkel back in. Emma, I forgot to put my snorkel back in.

I quickly checked her, still holding her hand. She smiled at me. She still had her goggles on, but her snorkel hung loose beside her face. I pulled her above the water and we trod water together. I spat my snorkel out.

'Simone, are you breathing the water breathing the water?'

She didn't bother talking out loud. Yep. Yep. She grinned broadly. She grinned broadly. Let go. I want to go down. Let go. I want to go down.

'Don't go too far,' I said, but she pulled her hand away and dived.

I watched her from the surface. She swam carefully, not approaching the coral too closely. She occasionally turned and waved to me.

It's hard, she said. she said. I have to keep swimming down, I keep floating to the top. I have to keep swimming down, I keep floating to the top.

Something huge and blue and silver materialised next to me and I went rigid with shock.

It's okay, it's Qing Long, Simone said. Simone said.

The Dragon's enormous blue and silver head was right next to me. He was in True Form; his head was as big as a small car. His turquoise eyes were clearly visible through the crystal clear water.

The Dark Lord has requested that I test this skill, my Lady, the Dragon said. the Dragon said. With your permission, I will take the Princess on a field trip and we shall see exactly how far she can take this interesting ability. With your permission, I will take the Princess on a field trip and we shall see exactly how far she can take this interesting ability.

I had a million questions, so I pushed my head above the water and dropped the snorkel. 'Can you hear me?' I said above the waves.

Nothing.

I dipped my head under the water. They were gone.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

Leo stood at the sh.o.r.eline, watching me with concern. I put the ring above the water and asked it to tell him what had happened.

Too far, the ring said. the ring said.

'd.a.m.n,' I said. Leo would be panicking. I put my snorkel back in and headed towards the sh.o.r.e.

Leo swam out and met me halfway. I stopped and took the snorkel out again. We floated in the water together.

'She's okay, don't worry,' I said. 'She can breathe the water. The Dragon's taken her to try out some stuff. I've had enough. I'm going back.'

Leo swam beside me back to the beach.

When I pulled myself out of the water, I threw off the goggles and fins and collapsed onto the mat, panting.

'You need to do more physical stuff,' Leo said. 'You've been doing far too much energy work lately.'

I gave him a push. 'Thank you very much very much.' I turned onto my back. 'She forgot to put her snorkel back in and was breathing the water. She dived down to look at the reef. The Dragon came and took her out for,' I laughed, 'a field trip field trip.'

'd.a.m.n, Emma, that's amazing,' Leo said, looking out over the water.

'Not surprising, though. Her father can do it too. If you're with him, holding his hand, you can breathe the water as well.'

Leo glanced at me, then obviously decided against asking. He grinned. 'Want a coconut?' He gestured next to him on the mat. Three young coconuts sat there with their tops chopped off and straws stuck into them.

'Thanks,' I said, and took one. The milk inside was clear and sweet, the flesh like jelly. It was ice-cold and refres.h.i.+ng. 'Nice young one. Where'd you get them?'

'There's a kiosk at the end of the beach,' Leo said.

I faced the water next to Leo. 'You ever seen the Dragon in True Form?'

'Nope.'

'He's at least twenty metres long. Huge.'

'Whoa.'

'Gave me the shock of my life when I turned around under the water. His head was right next to me.'

Leo laughed softly.

We sat silently together on the beach and waited for them to return.

Simone and the Dragon reappeared about an hour later. They climbed out of the water together. The Dragon wore a pair of plain grey swim shorts and had made his hair short and black. He was elegant, slim and muscular.

Simone had lost the goggles somewhere along the way, but she still had the fins. She stopped to pull them off, and fell over in the water. She lay in the water and removed them as the Dragon stood and watched her with amus.e.m.e.nt.

Simone came up the beach and fell into Leo's lap. She smiled up at him. 'We're going to the other island now. There's better reef there and I'm going to jump off the boat.'

'Lady, Lion,' the Dragon said, still smiling, 'if you will come with me, we will return to the boat and moor for a while off Manukan.'

Leo grabbed Simone and threw her over his shoulder, then hoisted himself up quickly, making her shriek with delight. He carried her towards the jetty, her arms slapping loosely on his back as he walked.

'Faster, Leo!' Simone squealed, and he ran, making her bounce on his shoulder.

The Dragon sighed, shook his head, and gestured for me to follow. A couple of smiling demon staff, in the form of young Malays, walked from the jetty to pack up for us.

'Is she very unusual, being able to breathe the water like that?' I said as we headed back to the boat.

'Not even young half human dragons can do it,' the Dragon said. 'She really is exceptional. Very talented.'

'She needs to be able to defend herself against big demons when her father goes,' I said.

'Yes,' the Dragon said reluctantly. 'That, I'm afraid, will be the most important skill of all.'

'What if she can't handle anything bigger than about level sixty when he goes?' I said. 'What do we do then?'

'She will still be too small to travel to the Plane,' the Dragon said. 'You should just hope that he doesn't go before she can handle just about anything. What about yourself?'

My shoulders sagged. 'Not higher than about level forty bare-handed,' I said.

The Dragon stopped. 'You can handle up to level forty without a weapon?'

I turned to him. 'I know. Similar with energy. With a weapon, nothing bigger than about level fifty.'

'What about the Serpent?' the Dragon said.

I started walking again, the Dragon at my side. 'It's a lot better. Apparently it's taken out a whole heap of level sixty-fives with energy.'

'Apparently?'

'I don't remember any of it,' I said.

'What are you, Lady Emma?' the Dragon said softly.

'I wish the h.e.l.l I knew,' I said. 'Want to have a look inside? Xuan Wu's looked. Bai Hu's looked. Neither of them found anything except for this enormous d.a.m.n snake thing, which isn't there most of the time. My guess is that I'm an engineered demon, 'cause I spent a lot of time with the brains behind One Two Two's operation before I went to work for Xuan Wu. She took samples off me and a lot of blood. She thought she could control me. They probably did something to me, and that's why I am what I am.'

'You don't look like a demon,' the Dragon said.

'Have a look inside,' I said. 'If you can tell me what I am, I'd be absolutely G.o.dd.a.m.n thrilled.'

'You are sure, my Lady?' the Dragon said. 'I would see everything, you know.'

'Everybody else has,' I said miserably. 'One more can't hurt.'

We were at the boat. Simone was sitting on Leo's lap and talking excitedly into his face about what she'd done with the Dragon.

'I think I would prefer to have the Dark Lord's permission first,' the Dragon said after contemplating for a while. He boarded the boat and took my hand to help me on. 'After he has finished with Kwan Yin, he can supervise.' He released my hand. 'I would love to see inside, I must admit. You are rather like an iceberg, Emma. Nothing much on the outside, but a great deal of hidden depth.'

'Can we have lunch before we jump off the boat, Uncle Qing?' Simone said loudly. 'I'm hungry hungry.'

'If that is your wish, my Lady, then it is my command,' the Dragon said. He gestured and we pulled away from the dock, the demon staff busy with the ropes. The engines roared and the fresh breeze ruffled my hair. I took a deep breath and decided to live for the now.

The sky was a brilliant crystalline blue, but paler than I was accustomed to. The hill before me rose smoothly, covered in short green gra.s.s that almost appeared to be a tailored lawn.

I felt a jolt of joy. Home! Green and crystal and beautiful. If I could have sighed with bliss I would have.

I slithered up the hill, enjoying the feeling of the scratchy gra.s.s beneath my belly.

Hundreds of other snakes headed up the hill around me. All about the same size as me, and all as black as I was. We glittered.

Another snake was close enough to talk to, and I spoke to it without stopping. 'What's at the top of the hill?'

'Blood,' the other serpent said without looking towards me. 'Blood and power.'

Suddenly the need for blood, the hunger, was so intense it was almost painful. I slithered faster.

But I woke before I reached the top of the hill.