Dragon by the Bay Page 6

  "Why would Xue do that?" Manny said. "He lives here, too."

  "Why, indeed? It would be prudent to consult an oracle."

  Wei rose and hobbled over to a crowded shelf, where he rummaged for several moments before selecting a small tortoise shell. This he thrust inside the stove. There was the sharp crack of heated bone, and he withdrew the shell with a pair of tongs. Meanwhile, the sounds of destruction coming from the shop began to abate.

  "Let's see, now." He placed the shell on the table with the underside showing. Yin Mei joined him in examining the web-work of tiny cracks. "Ha. 'Heaven Shakes the Earth.' There it is, clear as day … and these lines, here, show an outside influence. 'Rival Prince from a Warring State.' Hmmm. Political? Someone powerful wishes harm on San Francisco."

  "The war just ended," Carson said.

  "I don't mean your country's squabbling between northern and southern forces. This is smaller, more personal. Someone must have hired Xue's services in the matter. He's an avaricious man, for all his learning."

  "What else does the oracle say?" Manny asked.

  Wei squinted again at the lines. "'Proper Behavior Brings the Most Fortuitous Outcome.' Bah. It always says that."

  Carson snorted. "It's just a shell."

  "Laugh if you wish, gweilo. The same forces that shape the Universe put those cracks there, for any moron to read."

  "Great-uncle," Manny said, his eyes on the blonde, "if Yin Mei's been kidnapped I must return her to the palace, before her father wakes. There might still be time."

  "Hmmm. It would mean using the last of the powdered dragon bone … and likely, the journey would be dangerous."

  Manny nodded at Carson. "My friend here will help."

  "I will?"

  "Of course. You must be feeling obligated, after I risked my life to rescue Constance."

  "I risked my life, saving you at Kwangtung Temple."

  Wei uttered a rheumy cough. "Gentlemen, arguments won't make any difference when the earth devours this city. Which it will, if something isn't done soon."

  "So leave," Carson said. "Your people are living in a slum here, anyway."

  Manny shook his head. "Chinatown might be a slum, but it's our slum."

  "Aw, hell …" Carson felt like he was back at the Phoenix and Dragon restaurant, defending his manhood to Pearl. Only this time Yin Mei Shen was staring at him. Meeting her dark eyes felt like peering over a cliff. "I reckon being around all this Eastern virtue must be rubbing off on me."

  "You're saying you'll help?" Manny said.

  "If this whole place is about to come crashing down, I don't have much choice, do I?" He added: "Not that I believe all this claptrap about dragons and underwater palaces."

  "After surviving Twin Fury's chambers," Wei said, "you must've seen something to convince you of what we speak."

  "I saw the man himself. I think. He was sleeping in a cauldron of boiling mercury."

  Wei nodded. "Xue is a corrupted xian—an immortal, though he gained that status through dubious means. Nothing composed of the Five Elements can harm him permanently. He came to this country to escape persecution by others of his kind."

  "Great-uncle," Manny said, "if we run into Twin Fury, my kuo shu skills won't mean much against his Taoist sorcery."

  "True enough. You must avoid Xue if you can, though I have a few things that might be useful in a confrontation." Wei rose and opened a strongbox on one of the shelves. "I had an Eight Trigram Bullet somewhere, and a Tian Sword … don't know where they could've gotten to. But what's this? Even better."

  He plucked a milky-white pebble from the box and placed it in Carson's palm. "For you. The foolhardy always need the most protection."

  "Thanks."

  "That's the Spirit-Emulsion Pearl. It isn't made of anything from this earth. As such, it should be beyond Xue's powers."

  The pebble felt unusually cool to the touch. "What's it made of, then?"

  Wei's face lost no solemnity. "Semen from Heaven."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Constance woke around two in the afternoon. By that time the shop had gone dead quiet and Wei had already stuck his head out to survey the damage. He set about brewing a foul-smelling tea.

  "You figure it's safe for us to go back to the office now?" Constance said, after rubbing her eyes. "I don't trust Pearl. And we still haven't found Anna."

  Carson shook his head. "I've sort of committed myself to something, here."

  "I'll just bet you have." She gave Yin Mei a hard look.

  "It's not like that."

  "Don't hand me any crap. You've been smitten ever since we found her. Goddamn half-breed. She was one of my girls, I'd keep her locked in the attic."

  "Constance, I need you to get us a coach."

  "A what?"

  "A coach. The private kind. Manny and me need to get down to the bay, but there's no way we can do it with all these Green Turbans prowling around. None of them got a good look at you, what with your veil and all. You can sneak out of here by the back way and send a coach to fetch us."

  She colored. "You know how much that'll cost? I'm already fifteen dollars into your sorry hide, and a poor investment it's been, too."

  "I'm sure there's a coachman somewhere in this city that owes you a favor."

  "More'n one, as it happens, but I'm not running a charity here."

  "I'll find some way to repay you."

  "You sure as goddamn will."

  "And I need to borrow your shotgun."

  "Why don't you ask for an arm, too, while you're at it?"

  "How many shells you got left?"

  She cursed him in an apoplectic fit. Manny and Wei exchanged knowing smiles, but said nothing.

  * * *

  The coach's interior bumped and jostled as the ungainly vehicle navigated Chinatown's crowded streets. Manny sat next to Yin Mei—there'd been some tension, between him and Carson who would receive that honor—doing his best not to lose himself in the dazzling femininity poised inches away. For her part, Yin Mei looked impassive. The prospect of being reunited with her father seemed to inspire neither relief nor anxiety. Carson put it down to blue-blooded stoicism.

  He risked a peek through the drawn curtains. A sea of Chinese faces slid past, regarding the coach with curiosity. How many of those faces worked for Xue?

  But the question didn't linger. A couple minutes and the coach had already rattled its way onto Market Street, to join a stream of horse-drawn traffic. The bay's blue expanse stretched close.

  "If this palace is under the water," he said, "how in hell are we supposed to get there? You know someone with a diving bell?"

  Manny held up the small pot he'd been cradling on his lap. "Dragon Bone Tea."

  "Ah."

  "It's magic."

  "I'll take your word on that. Do you think we'll really run into Xue?"

  "Him or Nine Serpents. If it's Hsien, I advise you to shoot immediately. His Golden Bell technique makes him invulnerable to most weapons, but not bullets. It might be the only chance we have."

  Carson nodded, having already reached the same conclusion. He patted the shotgun's stock for comfort.

  The coach eventually stopped jolting. A rap sounded from the top of the cab; Carson cracked the door and got a whiff of saltwater. They'd reached a secluded spot along the wharves.

  "We're here," he said, and opened the door for Yin Mei.

  The driver gave them a bewildered look before snapping the reins and rattling off. Though there weren't many people about, Carson lost no time hustling his companions beneath a pier. A Chinese and a white together was strange enough, but someone like Yin Mei could draw a crowd in seconds.

  Gentle waves lapped at the wooden pilings. A dead seagull lay atop the sand, with flies in attendance. Carson took a quick look around. "Whatever you're going to do," he told Manny, "let's get started. Under a dock isn't a safe place to be."

  Manny produced two cups and filled them with pale yellow tea. "Don't spill a drop," he said,
handing one to Carson. "This is precious."

  "It smells like bile."

  "It does at that." Manny swallowed his in one go, without grimacing.

  "What about Yin Mei? Doesn't she get some?"

  "She doesn't need it. Drink up."

  Carson pinched his nose and poured the stuff down. Gritty. What he could taste of it reminded him of powdered talc.

  "Sit," Manny said, smoothing a place for him on the sand. "This kind of thing usually takes effect quickly."

  Carson sat, feeling vaguely ridiculous. Yin Mei had turned her full attention to staring out over the bay. Minutes passed.

  Then: the sunlight flashed green. A horrible pressure clawed at Carson's lungs, doubling him over. When he gasped breath the air seemed to pass through his body with no sustenance. Manny was hunched too, his skin turning a gray pallor, but he gave Carson a reassuring wave, and gestured towards the water.

  The water …

  There was none. A heavy fog filled the bay, like whipped cream poured into a large bowl. Ships and boats floated on the vaporous stuff. Yin Mei had already started wading into it. Fog-wisps reached her waist, her shoulders. Carson hurried after her. His gasping fits had passed, and he could breathe easy enough. The fog's dampness felt like warm bathwater. He ploughed into it. Manny was beside him, his protective gaze never leaving Yin Mei.

  Fog folded over their heads. With it came a cut in visibility, but after a few moments Carson's eyes seemed to adjust, and the veil in front him became a light mist. He could see about thirty feet. The bay's floor sloped only gradually; it was nowhere as deep as he'd imagined, when he'd first come steaming over on the ferry.

  Ahead, Yin Mei slowed her pace. The long curls of her hair floated in a golden halo. Carson reasoned this was because they were underwater, though the fog didn't slow their movement the way water should.

  "Keep an eye out," rang Manny's voice. It sounded tinny, but clear enough.

  "For sharks?"

  "For Hsien. I imagine Xue has plenty of Dragon Bone Tea of his own."

  Carson couldn't see any likely spots for an ambush. He wondered if the shotgun could still fire down here, and the question made his brain hurt. Manny had eschewed bringing any weapons save for three silk sashes he'd tied around his waist. Carson might've laughed, if he hadn't already seen the Iron Cloth technique in action.

  "Where are we headed?" he asked.

  "Just keep following Yin Mei. She knows the quickest route to the palace."

  The long shadows of ship's keels passed overhead. Shoals of fish flew like silver birds. Despite the situation, a sort of lazy easiness descended over Carson. Here they were, walking along the bottom of San Francisco bay, while the rest of the world went on with its business.

  "If Yin Mei's father is an Earth Dragon," he mused, "what's it doing under the sea? You'd think it'd be on top of a mountain or something."

  "You don't know much about Chinese dragons, do you?"

  He had to admit the point.

  * * *

  After tromping over wet sand and skirting beds of kelp for half an hour, an emerald glow appeared in the hazed distance. Yin Mei made straight for it.

  The bay floor sloped into a shallow ravine. At the bottom lay a multi-storied building that could only be the palace, surrounded by a low wall of white stone. Pagoda roofs tapered upwards to disappear into fog. Every brick and tile gave off a pale greenish glow, alternating with squares of amber light spilling from the windows. For all its apparent solidity, the palace seemed on the verge of disappearing if Carson blinked or cocked his head to view it from another direction.

  Yin Mei continued on without pause.

  They followed her through a circular gate into a garden of neatly cropped seaweed. Fat carp and goldfish, somehow inured to saltwater, nuzzled among the plants. Carson's nape pricked; this was the best place they'd seen so far for a bushwhack. Manny noticed it, too. He thrust a hand through his topmost sash.

  But no one came leaping out from behind the kelp. Yin Mei had already crossed a footbridge and was making for the palace's colonnaded entrance. Carson sprinted until he caught up. They passed through the threshold into an antechamber with a polished teak floor.

  She turned to face him. "My father sleeps in the room beyond," she said, speaking in flawless English. "Prepare yourself."

  "Wait a minute … I can understand you now."

  "In this place, all things are possible."

  Manny had just finished joining them. "Did you hear her say that?" Carson said.

  "Of course. She's speaking Cantonese."

  Another voice rang from close by. "Sister, is that you?"

  "I have returned," Yin Mei announced.

  Soft footfalls, and a woman who could've been her twin appeared, save for the color of her hair. It was polished silver. She wore a vermillion robe with sleeves so long they hid her hands.

  "Where is the man with the painted skin?" came a voice from the opposite direction.

  A third sister, younger, with hair of burnished copper thrust her lovely face around the corner. She wore a robe of royal yellow.

  Carson's knees threatened to buckle. Each woman was a slap to the senses, their beauty more uncanny than the palace sprawling around them. He opened his mouth to speak, but Manny had recovered first.

  "Nine Serpents Hsien abducted your sister," he said, motioning to Yin Mei. "We have returned her. With sincere apologies."

  The silver-haired woman's hand emerged from her sleeve. A knife glittered there. "Is this true?" she asked Yin Mei.

  "All of it. These are men of virtue."

  Hand and knife retreated. "Had we a chance to arm ourselves, before that painted one came skulking around …"

  "How is father?" Yin Mei said.

  "He grows restless, as if he might wake at any moment."

  "Then our timing is good." To Manny and Carson she said: "You will come with me. If father wakes, you must give an accounting for yourselves. Mortals are not allowed to visit the palace otherwise."

  "Of course," Manny said, before Carson could object.

  Yin Mei led them down a hall decorated with painted scrolls. A lacquered chest had been carelessly shoved against one wall and left open, displaying a half-dozen black pearls the size of a baby's fist. Carson's heart pounded. But the silver and copper-haired sisters flanked him, their eyes sharp. He contented himself to look.

  They emerged into a massive chamber without a visible ceiling. A pillar of red jade reached upwards to disappear into mist. Around the base coiled a sinuous form Carson took to be a carving. A leonine head, easily as big as a Clydesdale's, rested atop the trunk of a snake. Alternating scales of green and gold covered its body. Black antlers sprouted backwards from the skull, and beneath each nostril trailed a mustachio of sleek white hair.

  Carson had seen hundreds of such dragon ornaments as a child. The magistrate of Kwangchow had had an even larger one atop his roof. So it took him by surprise when Manny dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead against the floor, supplicating to the statue. Yin Mei and her sisters did likewise.

  Then he saw the serpentine body twitch. Eyelids fluttered.

  He shot to the floor.

  For long moments he kneeled there, listening to his own breathing. The dragon stirred again and uttered a restive snort. But it did not, to Carson's infinite relief, awaken.

  Yin Mei rose. "He still sleeps. Perhaps it would be better if you left now."

  Her silver-haired sister added: "He's always upset when he wakes."

  Carson was on his feet and heading for the exit. But Manny lingered. "Why is he so upset?"

  "There are hierarchies, even among dragons," Yin Mei said. "Despite my father's service to Heaven, his loyalty and steadfastness, he has yet to be promoted."

  Copper-Hair nodded. "He is of the humble earth. Not the clouds and sky, like other dragons."

  "It grates his pride," said Silver-Hair.

  Carson had almost reached the hallway. "A real shame. Please
give him our sympathies when he wakes."

  "Wait." Yin Mei put a hand on Manny's shoulder. "Back when we were escaping from those awful caverns, you stood up in the boat to draw fire. Without hesitation. As a mortal your skill is exemplary, but your courage is even more impressive. I thank you."

  She stooped—she was half a head taller than Manny—and kissed him on the brow. A chaste kiss, but Manny straightened as if electrical current had passed through him. He bowed. "Great Lady, the danger isn't completely passed. Nine Serpents Hsien might return to the palace and attempt to abduct you again."

  "Let him try," said Yin Mei, "or that wretched xian he serves, Twin Fury Xue. We will be ready next time."

  Silver-Hair had produced her gleaming knife once more. Fierce smiles touched the sisters' lips.

  CHAPTER NINE

  As soon as they'd stepped from the bay the fog transmuted back to water with a loud clap of surf. Inexplicably, Carson's clothes felt dry. The sun had just slipped beneath the waves, which meant time must have passed at some Rip Van Winkle pace while they'd been visiting the palace. Carson's brain accepted this as easily as it had accepted breathing underwater, or slumbering Chinese dragons.

  Manny climbed up from beneath the docks. Carson followed, tucking the shotgun into the back of his pants. The stock bulged beneath his coat, but it would have to do.

  "Let's head over to Constance's office," he said, as they emerged onto Market Street. "It's as good a place as any to hole up."

  Manny shook his head.

  "Where, then?"

  "Grand-uncle Wei's shop. I need to tell him we were successful."

  "Whoa, there. We've still got a bevy of Green Turbans looking for us, remember?"

  Manny began walking faster. Despite traipsing over half the bay, he didn't seem tired at all. "Let them come."

  "What's gotten into you?"

  "I've been kissed by Heaven. My body is filled with unvanquishable spirit."

  "That must've been some kiss."

  "Qi courses through me like a waterfall." He stretched out both hands in front of him. Faint violet sparks leapt between his fingertips.