Kylie Chan - Earth to Hell

‘Can they make it in time?’ I said.

If we move now we may make it, but we will be cutting it close , Ma said.

‘Need help?’

Simone could be there immediately to protect these chicks , Ma said. It is the phoenix’s nursery ; she thought it would be safe in this remote area, but some Mothers have found it. She and her children are fighting but there is a large number of demons after her clutch. He hesitated a moment, then, This looks very bad. Please allow us to send in Princess Simone.

Help, General Danahuo , a woman’s voice said into my head. All of my babies are here, and a Mother and sixteen of her demon spawn are attempting to break into my nursery. Her voice became strained. Help!

‘Can you relay, stone?’ I said. ‘Let me see.’

‘Networking …’ The stone’s voice trailed off. ‘I have a link. The phoenix has a sentient stone Shen as a jewellery item. Oh! It’s Glauconite, I know this one. Bringing up an image.’

A phoenix appeared in front of me, transparent against the buildings and people around me. She bowed, spreading her scarlet wings; royal blue and purple peacock-like feathers rippled among the flaming red pinions.

‘General Danahuo,’ she said. She gestured with her head to her left. ‘There they are. They threaten my clutch.’

She was standing on a barren, rocky hillside somewhere in southern China. About twenty metres down the slope, some red-garbed warriors fought with a band of demons. A Snake Mother stood behind the demons; the top half of her body was human, but with the skin flayed off, while the bottom half was an enormous black snake with clear gelatinous toxin oozing from between her scales. She must have been close on four metres in length; a really big one. I gasped when I saw the demons she was controlling — fake stone elementals. They appeared to be made of rough-hewn blocks of granite held together with an invisible force. They were about two metres tall, had featureless faces and moved with disturbing smoothness as they battled the phoenix’s defenders.

‘More of these things!’ Edwards said as he approached me from the back of the building and saw the projection next to me. ‘Who’s making them? They keep popping up everywhere!’

‘I’m surprised they sent stone to fight the phoenix’s guards,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t water be more effective against fire?’

The guards, wearing traditional all-red Chinese armour, were fighting valiantly with both swords and phoenix fire, but the demons outnumbered them about three to two. None of the guards had fallen yet, but they were obviously losing the battle — the stone demons were completely unharmed by their weapons and fire.

‘Tell Simone,’ I said to the stone. ‘Tell her where to go.’

Thank you, ma’am , both the phoenix and General Ma said at the same time. The image of the battle snapped off.

On it , Simone said into my head. It was only PE anyway.

‘I’ll go on the bus with the girls,’ I said to the stone. ‘Tell Marcus to take the car back. How are the injured seniors?’

In the infirmary back at the Academy , the stone said. Serious injuries but not life-threatening. There’s some debate about whether to send them to hospital.

‘What does Regina say?’ I said as I got onto the bus and sat next to Edwards. Edwards, as usual, wore a pair of plain slacks and a business shirt without a tie. His bald head, glasses, and paunch made him look like a fifty-year-old schoolteacher — and deceptively harmless.

The driver pulled away from the kerb and into the traffic.

Regina says hospital.

‘Damn, we can’t afford this. If they don’t go to hospital what are the consequences?’

They will just receive better care in hospital , the stone said. Regina doesn’t have the facilities to deal with this type of fracture.

I hesitated. We would be asked too many awkward questions if the students were checked into a hospital. ‘Stone, get me Bai Hu, please.’

Ma’am , the White Tiger said into my head.

‘Ah Bai. We have two badly injured students and Regina wants to hospitalise them. Any room in your clinic?’

Stand by.

His voice returned a couple of minutes later. Either of them demons?

No , the stone said. Human.

Ah shit , the Tiger said. Well, okay, I’ll take them. A Horseman is on his way to get them.

‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘Why do you always want my injured demon students?’

The Tiger didn’t reply.

‘He has a group of his children researching demon nature,’ the stone said.

‘Dear Lord, he’s not doing any genetic experimentation on them, is he?’

Nah, just having a look inside , the Tiger said. They’re moving way ahead of us in breeding research, they always have. I thought it was about time that we caught up.

‘Breeding?’ I said, horrified.

‘The Tiger is breeding demons?’ Edwards said.

No, no, of course not, the Tiger said. We just collect them as we go along. Some of yours would be fun to have — a few of yours are the results of some very interesting breeding experiments. That’s why they have so much free will and have joined you in the first place.

‘You hurt one hair on any of my demon students’ heads and your tail is in serious trouble,’ I said.

‘Hear, hear,’ Edwards said quietly.

‘He’s not breeding them, he’s collecting them and doing research,’ I said for Edwards’ benefit. ‘He wants some of ours’cause they’re the result of some “interesting breeding experiments”.’

Edwards leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. ‘No way is that bastard laying his paws on any of my students. My kids are not guinea pigs.’

I promise I won’t hurt them , Jim , the Tiger said.

Edwards gave an excellent British harrumph. ‘The psychological damage of undergoing that level of medical examination would undo all the good work we’ve done in getting these kids over what they’ve endured in Hell. The Tiger can piss off, he’s not gettingany of mine.’

What if they volunteer? the Tiger said.

‘Oh, now that’s clutching at straws,’ Edwards said with amusement.

It’s like a holiday for them, Jimmy , the Tiger said. You know how nice it is out here. Let them come and check it out. His voice became eager. How many good demon students do you have anyway?

‘None of your damn business, and shut the fuck up,’ Edwards said. He winced. ‘Sorry, ma’am.’ His tone was amused as he spoke to the Tiger again. ‘Get lost. You’re not getting any of my demons.’

‘You’re not getting any of the Academy demons,’ I added. ‘Get your own. And if I send any over to you for medical attention and find that you’ve experimented on them, your tail is mine.’

Fine thanks I get for helping you out here , the Tiger grumbled in my head. Just one or two —

‘No!’ Edwards and I said at the same time.

Fine!

‘Oh, and Ah Bai?’ I said.

What!

‘Thanks for looking after these students for me, my friend. Most appreciated.’

Stop sounding like Ah Wu , he said, and went quiet.

‘Be interesting to see what he’s finding out about them,’ Edwards said. ‘I’ve always been fascinated by demons. Never knew they existed when I was back in the UK, but I must have run into a couple of them without realising.’

‘You think so?’ I said.

‘It follows. Demons are often in on the nasty stuff that goes on.’ He nodded towards the prostitutes, who cowered in their seats at the back of the bus as the students tried to explain to them that they were no longer slaves. ‘We were often called in to deal with this sort of thing.’