Free Black Jade by Kylie Chan Page A

aren’t as fast as you, but we can give you some tips.’
    â€˜Does the Tree have room for the Southern refugees?’ I said. ‘The phoenixes can help defend.’
    â€˜Oh, good idea,’ the Phoenix said.
    â€˜I’ll make room,’ the Tree said. ‘How about we swap some of our Western Palace refugees for the Southern ones you are housing?’
    â€˜Perfect. Talk to Jade,’ I said.
    The Dragon’s eyes widened and his face went rigid, then his whole body heaved and he spewed a gush of blood and water onto the table. Everybody jumped to their feet and backed away as he shook with spasms and vomited again. The Tree held him and he leaned on her as the blood and water rushed out of him, then he collapsed quivering onto the floor.
    The Tree knelt beside him and put her hand on his head, then looked around at us, desperate.
    â€˜There are —’ she began, but John interrupted her.
    â€˜Depth charges on the Palace Under the Sea. Everybody who can, go now.’
    Everybody except the cats and the phoenixes disappeared.
    â€˜Can you breathe underwater?’ the Tiger asked me.
    â€˜Don’t know, never tried.’
    I went to the Dragon and helped the Tiger and the Tree to lift him and carry him out of the meeting room. He came around, shook us off, and disappeared.
    The order came through from the Jade Emperor: the Palace Under the Sea was losing its Celestial protection against the deep-sea pressure and all aid was needed to assist the evacuation.
    â€˜There are air-breathing wives and children down there!’ I said, changed to snake and flew out the window.
    I was much slower than any of the other Celestials and it took me fifteen minutes just to reach the Gates. When I flew down onto the Earthly and made it to the Sea of Japan, the Celestials were bringing the last of the residents out of the water. I checked around: dragons and water-breathing Shen were carrying humans limp in their arms, but they didn’t number anything close to the total human population of the Palace Under the Sea.
    I flew to the Dragon and the Tree. He was floating in True Form, holding a woman and five children on his back, and the Tree was carrying another child piggy-back on hers.
    â€˜Can I help? Can I do anything?’ I said.
    â€˜Move back!’ the Dragon roared. He grabbed me with his front claw and dragged me fifty metres backwards. Everybody back! At least a hundred metres from the centre!
    The sea rose in a dome that grew to a hundred metres wide, the water rushing from its silver surface. As the dome rose, it became apparent that it was a sphere of energy containing a bubble of air. John floated in the middle of it in Celestial Form, his arms out and his hair writhing with a life of its own. A hundred humans and twenty demon servants were sitting in the bottom of the bubble, clutching each other and obviously terrified.
    â€˜That’s not all of them,’ the Dragon said. ‘There’s still about twenty kids and a hundred demons down there.’
    The sphere rose higher in the air and the Celestials gathered around it.
    How far to land? John said.
    A hundred and fifty ks, the Dragon said.
    Too far. Find something. Quickly! John said.
    â€˜What do we do? What do we do!’ the Dragon said. ‘Not enough wood left to work with. Metal and fire aren’t here. Ice is busy. Shit! Help me out, Emma — where can I put them?’
    Can you build an ice floe for them to sit on? I asked John. Solid water?
    No. This is all I can manage.
    True Form? Sit them on your back?
    Good idea. I can carry about half of them.
    â€˜He’ll drop them in the water and take True Form to carry half of them,’ I said. ‘The rest will have to tread water and we’ll take turns ferrying them to land.’
    â€˜They can’t swim!’ the Dragon said.
    â€˜Dear Lord, how many can’t?’
    â€˜Nearly all of them!’ the Dragon wailed, his voice