Blue Dragon Read Free

course not.’
    My parents silently watched the exchange, bewildered.
    ‘Good,’ he said gently. ‘Can you hold out your hands for me and put some shen into them?’
    ‘Is that okay to do?’
    ‘It should be all right while I’m holding you.’
    Simone held her hands out and concentrated. A ball of pure silvery-white shen energy appeared above her outstretched palms.
    My mother gasped quietly.
    ‘How much do you have, do you think?’ he said.
    ‘I don’t know. There’s still a lot inside me.’
    ‘Put it back, sweetheart.’
    The shen disappeared.
    ‘Is she already Immortal, John?’ I said. ‘You said only Immortals can work with shen.’
    John put his hand on Simone’s forehead and concentrated. ‘No.’
    ‘Well then, why can she do that?’
    He smiled gently. ‘Because she is who she is. Same as you.’ He rested his chin on the top of her head. ‘Don’t do that too much, sweetheart, it can be dangerous. Don’t do it unless I’m watching you.’
    ‘Okay, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘Where’s Ah Yat? I’m hungry .’
    ‘You’re always hungry when you’re working with energy,’ I said.
    Ah Yat appeared. ‘Yes, my Princess?’
    ‘Can I have some ramen, please, Ah Yat?’
    Ah Yat bowed slightly. ‘My Lady.’
    ‘I have work to do. I’ll leave you to it,’ John said. ‘When you want to go out, call me. I’ll take you. There may be strays.’ He nodded to my parents. ‘Brendan, Barbara.’ He rose and gently slid Simone onto the chair. ‘Don’t do shen work unless I’m with you.’
    ‘What about the sword?’
    ‘That too.’
    ‘Okay, Daddy.’ Simone hopped off the chair and went to the fridge to find some apple juice.
    Emma, I need to talk to you, John said silently. Come with me into my office.
    ‘I’ll be right back,’ I said to my parents. I glanced at my tea. ‘I’ll never finish this.’
    Bring it with you .
    ‘Good idea.’
    My parents stared at me as if I was completely crazy.
    ‘I am completely crazy,’ I said. ‘I’d have to be to put up with this.’
    Too true .
    ‘Enough!’ I picked up my teacup and went out with John. Simone watched us go, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
    Daddy just likes annoying you sometimes, she said silently.
    ‘I will make a rule about this if you two don’t stop it,’ I said fiercely.
    ‘What’s going on?’ my father said.
    ‘You explain to them, Simone,’ I said. ‘Since you’re so clever.’
    I stopped at the doorway and watched. Simone concentrated on my parents over the top of her apple juice. They both jumped as if stung.
    John sat behind his desk and I took one of the visitor’s chairs. The desk was in an even worse mess than usual, probably a result of the end-of-year budgeting and the recruitment of the new novices.
    ‘I wish I had time to go through this room properly,’ I said. ‘When my parents have left, I’ll spend a whole day in here sorting this lot out. Even the Sanskrit.’
    ‘Go right ahead.’ He leaned forward over the desk. ‘What Simone just did is exceptional.’
    ‘I thought so,’ I said. ‘She’s not even on the Celestial Plane.’
    ‘Only the very few of the very largest of us can do that.’ He leaned back and retied his hair. ‘And she’s not even Immortal yet.’
    ‘You mean she may end up more powerful than you? I find that difficult to believe.’
    ‘I don’t think so. But she will certainly outshine many on the Plane. Emma, listen carefully.’
    ‘I’m listening.’
    ‘Stone.’
    ‘My Lord,’ the stone in my ring said.
    ‘Record this.’
    ‘Very good, my Lord.’
    ‘Emma, I’m just having the stone record this so that you don’t need to remember all of it. You and the stone can pass the instructions on to the Masters. Here goes.’ He leaned his elbows on the desk. ‘After I’m gone, I want Simone to learn travel, advanced energy weapons, summoning, and yin.’
    ‘Yin?’ the stone said.
    ‘Record. Do not comment,’ John said. ‘I want her to learn level three