Kylie Chan - Earth to Hell

Table of Contents

Title Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Glossary

About the Author

Books the Kylie Chan

Copyright

About the Publisher

The Serpent slides through the black icy water of the Antarctic, wreathed in permanent darkness.

The Turtle hides from the weak Arctic sun beneath the ice.

They cry, but there is no answer.

The Serpent slides through the

black icy water of the Antarctic ,

wreathed in permanent darkness.

The Turtle hides from the weak

Arctic sun beneath the ice.

They cry, but there is no answer.

‘Now,’ I said gently, ‘concentrate. You’ve done it before. This time, bring the chi out as slowly as you can. Feel the rubber band pulling it back.’

Apple bit her lip and the glowing yellow ball of chi floated out of her outstretched palm.

Emma, emergency , the stone in my ring said. Some third years have run into trouble. They raided a prostitution den in Mong Kok that was holding sex slaves, and instead of humans running the show they met up with demons. They need help.

‘Let the chi go, Apple,’ I said, still very gentle.

The chi floated back down into Apple’s hand and she sagged.

‘Take a break now, and don’t try it again without supervision,’ I said. ‘I’ve been called away, so we’ll end it there. Head back to the Folly and have a rest.’

Apple nodded. ‘Yes, ma’am. Thank you.’

I patted her shoulder, then quickly rose and spoke urgently to the stone as I charged out to the stairwell. ‘Get Marcus to bring the car around the front. I’ll meet him at the ground floor. Which Masters are free?’

‘Sit, Park, Lee and Edwards are there already. The demons are holding the students hostage. It’s a standoff,’ the stone said.

I jumped over the balustrade to the empty space in the centre of the stairwell, twenty storeys to the ground. I fell at maximum speed until the floor loomed below me, then slowed my fall, levered one foot on the railing and jumped down to the landing in front of the ground floor door.

‘Demons holding third years? They must be big,’ I said.

Do you need us? General Ma said into my head. The demons holding your students are quite large.

‘Aren’t you dealing with a demon attack on the Horse Village?’ I asked via the stone.

The Majia are handling it well , General Ma said. If we bring in the Princess we will be finished very quickly and be back in Hong Kong within the hour to help your students. Western Horsemen are on their way to assist us.

‘Can the Horses and Horsemen handle it?’ I said. ‘I don’t want to take Simone out of school unless it’s absolutely necessary, you know that. She’s skipping a lot of school with these attacks as it is.’

They can handle.

‘Head back when you’re relieved, and we’ll see if we need your help. How long do you think it will be?’

About an hour and a half.

‘See you then.’

My Lady.

It took nearly forty-five minutes to reach the area of Mong Kok where the students were being held hostage. Marcus wound his way through the narrow, busy streets of the area and dropped me outside the brothel, then went off in search of a car park. The brothel had a large sign outside advertising the prices: White Russian 500; Fair Skin Thai 400; North and South Chinese 300 .

Two of the Masters, Sit and Park, stood outside the brothel with a group of five or six seniors, looking up at the second-storey windows. The brothel was a blackened concrete apartment building, 1950s era, with small barred windows on each floor. The ground floor was occupied by a microscopic mobile phone shop, all pristine white tiles and blazing lights. The brothel’s single front door had a steel gate, which now hung open. Plain narrow concrete stairs led up inside.

‘Where’s Edwards?’ I said.

‘Around the back in the alley with another couple of seniors,’ said Lee.

‘What do we have here?’

‘Six level fifty to sixty demons. A couple of them appear to be Mothers. They’re holding a team of third years who came in to practise on them and were taken by surprise.’

‘Mothers? Damn. Anybody hurt?’

‘One of the prostitutes tried to escape and a demon smacked her down; she’s probably concussed,’ Sit said. ‘A couple of the students sustained some severe injuries when they were taken — these demons hit them hard with some sort of energy blast.’

‘The police aren’t aware of what’s going on? We won’t see uniforms and guns roll up?’

‘No,’ Park said.

‘What do the demons want?’

‘Free passage.’

‘That’s all?’

‘Yes. We’re just waiting for you to give the go-ahead on either a raid or to let them go. We’re prepared either way.’

‘Recommendation?’

‘Let them go.’

‘Can we take them down without hurting any more girls or students?’

Park hesitated, then, ‘No.’

‘Let them go.’

‘Ma’am.’

Park concentrated, and the teams moved into action. Sit and Lee went upstairs to deliver the deal to the demons. A bus appeared around the corner and stopped outside the brothel.

‘Demons took off,’ Park said. ‘Lee has taken a recording.’

‘Good.’

Three more of the seniors with us charged into the building and up the stairs. Two of the four third-year students who had been held hostage came limping down the stairs, obviously nursing injuries. They made for the bus.

‘By your leave, ma’am,’ Park said, ‘we’ll take the other two injured students directly to the infirmary.’

‘Go,’ I said.

Park and Lee went into the building.

The seniors who had run up the stairs shortly before came down escorting ten or so prostitutes. The girls were tiny and slim; some of them only looked about fourteen or fifteen. There were no Europeans, only Thais, Indonesians and Chinese. They were obviously terrified as the seniors guided them onto the bus.

A few bystanders watched, curious. One of the seniors jumped off the bus, walked over and loudly told them in Cantonese that this was a police plainclothes operation and to move along. The bystanders grinned but continued to watch, unfazed.

‘Update on the Horse Village,’ I said to the stone.

Under control. A squad of about fifty demons attacked the village, but the Horses held them off. Three Horses were killed and four were injured before the Generals arrived to help.

‘Tell General Ma we have a lid on things here and he’s not needed,’ I said.

We have been called to another attack anyway, ma’am , Ma said. A phoenix has called for help — a Mother is outside her nest and threatening her clutch.