Day of Rebellion (13 page)

As Jack picked up the device there was a sharp intake of breath from the assembled grandees. They watched in awe as Jack manipulated the mysterious device. He glanced up – the fat eunuch next to him had piggy eyes and was sweating. Jack realised that if he did not deliver, then the eunuch was probably in trouble too. He felt his pulse quicken. What was he to do? What secret should he show them first? As Jack moved his finger over the touch screen, he noticed something. The tiny power bar in the top right corner had only one blob left. Then, quite, suddenly, it had no blobs left at all and a helpful message popped onto the screen:

    “
Goodbye
.”

The battery was dead. “Great,” Jack muttered.

In the palm of his hand Jack held the secrets of history, technology and civilisation. Revealing those secrets was probably the only way he and Angus could buy a little more time in this alien world. But the device had decided to run out of battery. How could something so powerful be rendered useless so easily? Instinctively, he looked round for a power socket and charger. But then he realised how stupid that was. Of course there were
none. He held the device up to see if it might gain some charge from the light through its solar cells. But it was too dim. Jack could have screamed in fury and frustration. But there was nothing he could do. He turned to Angus with desperation in his eyes and gave a little shrug. He looked up at the emperor and shook his head. What was he supposed to say?

“It's not working. We need to charge it. With electricity. It should be possible – but we need to find a power source, or a bright light for a while. Sorry. Your… er… Majesty.”

There was a sudden, furious chattering amongst the emperor's advisors as Jack's words were interpreted and translated. Jack looked on and for a moment he was sure he saw the mighty emperor stifle a yawn. Bizarrely, he, for one, didn't seem to care a jot.

After a while a large man in flowing red robes stepped forward and pronounced, “You will make it work now!”

“It's not that simple…” Angus suddenly blurted.

“Enough!” one of the others screamed. “Now you will now learn what happens to those who defy the emperor!”

With no further ceremony, Jack and Angus were dragged to their feet and bundled from the great hall, back out into the courtyard. Jack's heart was racing. He didn't know what was coming next, but the image of the man hanging from the ceiling in the dungeon flashed through his mind. He started to struggle, but his hands were quickly tied and once again the hood was slipped over his head. As they were jostled and pushed along he could hear Angus beside him complaining bitterly. He soon became disorientated as they made their way this way and
that back through the maze of the Forbidden City.

Then, quite suddenly, they came to an abrupt halt. Jack had no idea where they were. There were voices and then a long discussion in Mandarin. They stood for a little while and Jack strained to hear, trying to get some clue as to what was going on. The inside of the hood that Jack wore was clammy and wet from his own breath. After a few minutes, they moved on. But this time, Jack felt an arm around his shoulder, guiding him. The hand felt different, it was firm, and not aggressive. They rounded a corner and stopped for a second time. He felt a change in the surroundings – there was more bustle and noise and his hood was catching a little in the breeze. Suddenly, his hands were lifted up and a sharp blade sliced through the cord that bound them. Next, the hood was eased off his head. It was clear they were no longer inside the Forbidden City. Jack blinked in the daylight and saw Angus blinking too. Directly ahead stood the towering figure of Colonel Lai and next to him was Shu-fei. They were both smiling.

W
ithin an hour, they were well beyond the city walls.

“We will be safe now,” Lai said.

“What happened, Shu-fei? How did you manage to rescue us?” Jack asked.

“Sushun distrusts my father because his first daughter… my half-sister… is Yi Concubine – the mother of the emperor’s only child. My sister has the emperor’s ear and is very powerful because she is mother to his heir. When Sushun heard we were bringing the ‘Seeing Engine’ to Beijing he saw an opportunity. He managed to get us arrested and you put in prison. He wanted to gain the credit for himself and take possession of the Engine. But my half-sister Yi found out and got us released. We also got the Engine back.”

“Always fighting amongst ourselves… this is why we are weak,” Lai said sadly. “But one day I will kill that dog Sushun, I swear.”

“So where are we going now?” Angus said.

Shu-fei smiled. “You’ll see…”

They rode down to a lake, which was crossed by a raised causeway leading to a large gate. Two uniformed guards greeted them at the gate and there was a short discussion with Lai. They were then escorted through the gate and into the gardens beyond. It was as if they had arrived in some mystical fairyland.

“The Summer Palace,” Shu-fei announced. “Not a Palace really – it’s more of a gigantic garden. It goes on for miles.”

Jack was speechless. Stretching before them was an astonishing, breathtaking world of gardens, lakes, fountains, pavilions and temples. Jack had seen the Taiping capital, Nanjing, a Buddhist monastery built into a mountain, and even the Forbidden City itself… but none of it, nothing he had
ever
seen, compared with this. Man and nature had come together in perfect harmony in a blended palette of colours and shapes.

Lai grinned at the astonishment on Jack and Angus’s faces. “It has taken centuries to build.”

“There are three gardens: the Garden of Perfect Brightness, the Garden of Eternal Spring and the Elegant Spring Garden,” Shu-fei explained. “They are five times as large as the Forbidden City… and it is all for the use of the emperor and his court. We are special guests.”

As they walked on, Jack realised that there must have been hundreds of structures – halls, pavilions, galleries… all of them extraordinarily beautiful and ornate.

“Famous landscapes from the south of China are reproduced here… the buildings contain works of art, statues, literature…” Lai pointed to the most astonishing building they had yet seen, “that is the Yuan Ming Yuan Haiyan…”

“Bit of a mouthful,” Angus said.

Jack stopped and gaped at the palace before them. In front was a fountain surrounded by sculptures. There were steps leading from both sides up to a front gate adorned with carvings. The whole structure was extraordinarily ornate. You would need
to stand in front of it for days to properly take in all its intricate features. And there was something else about the building – Jack had seen it before. He nudged Angus.

“
POD – Day of Rebellion
.”

“What?”

“It’s the same palace they use in
Day of Rebellion,
” Jack said. “And here we are… seeing it for real.”

“You’re right,” said Angus. “Better watch out for unpleasant horsemen.”

After a while, they entered what was supposed to be one of the more modest pavilions. It wasn’t exactly small, however, and the roof was decorated with gold leaf. Inside, there was marble, jade and ivory and each room was stuffed with porcelain, jewellery and paintings. There were clothes too – magnificent furs and embroidered silk dresses.

“Every object has its special place,” Shu-fei said. “Everything is labelled with its description, origin and the position it must occupy in the room.”

They were welcomed by a servant and led to a room in the heart of the pavilion. A young woman stood in the middle of the room. She wore a long, sweeping robe and her hair was coiled on top of her head. She was very beautiful. As soon as she saw them, she rushed forward to Lai and threw her arms around him.

Lai spoke to her in Mandarin. Then as he presented Jack and Angus, he broke into English. “My daughter, Yi. The emperor’s favourite and mother to the emperor’s only son and heir.”

Jack turned to Shu-fei; “Your half-sister?”

Shu-fei smiled, and gave Yi a hug.

They stood back as Lai and his daughters engaged in an intense conversation. After a while they stopped and Shu-fei turned to explain.

“More negotiations are underway with the British and French outside Beijing. They are furious that some of their men have been taken hostage. These are the men you saw imprisoned in the Forbidden City – Parkes, Loch and the others. There will be retribution from the British. The latest news is that the emperor is planning to leave for the north, to escape Beijing before it is attacked. He wants Yi to go with him.”

Jack looked at Lai and Shu-fei, “So why have you brought us here…?”

“We are safest here for now; together we are stronger,” Shu-fei said.

Lai glanced at Yi. “My daughter is a powerful woman – but she is frightened about what will happen to her and to her little son if the emperor dies and Sushun or one of the others takes over.” He smiled, “But she is clever…”

“We are in a strong position.” Shu-fei added, “As my sister is the emperor’s favourite. And now we have the ‘Seeing Engine’ and the people who can interpret it.”

“Sushun and his dogs won’t touch us now. They wouldn’t dare.”

Suddenly, there was a scream from outside the pavilion. Lai flashed a look at his daughters. They heard the sound of heavy boots and turned round. In the doorway stood a man dressed in heavily embroidered robes. He was flanked by two Imperial guards. It was Prince Sushun.

“How delightful to see you again, my prince,” Yi said, sarcastically, greeting him in English for the benefit of Jack and Angus.

In perfect English, Sushun replied gruffly, “The emperor is travelling to Jehol. He has instructed you, Yi Concubine, to join him.” Then he addressed Lai, “And as for you, pig dirt, orders have been issued for your arrest – for treason – we want the ‘Seeing Engine’ back.” He then pointed at Jack and Angus. “And these two are my prisoners. They will return to the Board of Punishments.”

Lai’s response was instant. He removed the VIGIL device from his coat, threw it to Shu-fei and spoke to his daughters.

“Run – little ones – take them to safety… I will deal with these dogs once and for all.”

He took his sword from his belt and advanced on Sushun and the two guards.

“Father!” Shu-fei cried.

“Go!” he shouted.

Shu-fei, Yi, Jack and Angus fled from the pavilion just as Jack heard the first clash of sword on sword behind them. In a moment they were outside and running through the ornate maze of paths, hedges, bridges and lakes. Shu-fei pushed them on at a heartburning pace. Suddenly, the earth seemed to tremble beneath them. They glanced round – a posse of Imperial cavalry had spotted them and were tearing after them through the gardens. One was galloping through a lake that fringed the lawn leading down from the pavilion, water spraying up from the horse’s hooves. Yi took the lead, directing them off the main
path and into a narrow, hedged passageway. Beyond there was a wide grass bank, which rose gently to the palace they had seen earlier – the Yuan Ming Yuan Haiyan. They climbed up some marble steps and into the lavish entrance way. But the horsemen were right on their tail. Lining one side of the hall were huge green vases – twice Jack’s height and so delicately thin that the light shone straight through them.

Yi paused in the middle of the building, panting. For the first time she did not seem to know what to do or where to go. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. They wheeled round. A huge cavalryman sat astride a muscular black horse at the end of the great hall. He was soon joined by the others. They had ridden straight up and into the pavilion. The lancer’s steel helmet glimmered and its long, feathered plume quivered. The horse bucked, and the horseman balanced his lance, a gossamer-thin pole, in his right hand. He dug his heels hard into the flanks of his horse. It reared… and then, it charged. The horseman skilfully manoeuvred the lance so that it pointed at a slight angle down towards Shu-fei, Yi, Jack and Angus. Jack and Angus dived for cover, bundling Yi with them. But Shu-fei was too slow. Jack twisted round and, as Shu-fei fell, he saw the lance pierce her chest. Jack cried out in horror as she slumped to the ground. In one hand she still clutched the VIGIL device, but now her fingers gently unfurled and the precious object slipped from her grasp and slid towards Jack. The horseman withdrew the lance from her body. He steered the horse back and it snorted as the lancer turned round for a second attack. This time he headed straight for Jack, his lance aimed directly at Jack’s heart.
Jack was frozen to the spot. The lance was centimetres away when he heard a loud mechanical whirring sound. Bullets from a machine gun ripped into the lancer’s chest and he was thrown clear from the horse. As the horseman tumbled backwards onto the marble floor, Jack came to his senses and dived sideways to avoid the horse. The lancer landed awkwardly and didn’t move. Jack, Angus and Yi rushed over to Shu-fei. Yi cradled her
hal-sister’s
head in her hands. But it lolled back uselessly, her eyes staring up into the gilded rafters of the pavilion.

A second burst of machine-gun fire put paid to the other lancers.

“Stop!”

A British infantry officer advanced from his position at the rear of the pavilion, his gun still smoking. He was flanked by four other men, all with automatic rifles slung to the side of their hips. Sobbing bitterly, Yi was still kneeling next to her
half-sister
on the floor. A dark pool of blood had formed around Shu-fei’s lifeless body. Jack felt a lump in his throat as he pulled himself to his feet.

In seconds, the British officer was at their side and he and his comrades swept their weapons about the pavilion double checking that the lancers had gone.

“My God!” the officer exclaimed.

Jack looked up. The man had a huge handlebar moustache and wore a large white pith helmet. It was Captain James Fleming of the Dragoon Guards, the man who had been captured with them outside Shanghai.

“Captain?”

“How on earth…? We thought you were dead,” Captain Fleming said.

“Well, luckily, we were rescued… but, what about you? How did you get here?” Jack asked.

“I managed to escape and make my way back to Shanghai. Got out on the last evacuation boat, before the Taiping overran the place. I was immediately sent north to join Grant’s forces outside Beijing, and so, here I am. But what happened to you?”

“We were taken north, and, well, we ended up here, prisoners in Beijing,” Jack could feel an overwhelming sense of relief welling up inside him. He and Angus had been travelling through China for days now and had barely escaped with their lives. It was reassuring to see the captain again.

“We’re glad to see you,” his voice cracked. “You saved our lives.”

“But what brought you here, to this palace?” Angus said.

Fleming blushed and he looked at his boots. “Advance party – the main British force is a few miles away… we’ve come here for, er, reconnaissance…”

But as Jack came back to his senses he noticed something strange about the men. Several were carrying extra bags and one had a huge sack thrown over his shoulder. Their pockets were full and, from a side portico, another two troopers who had missed the earlier action entered the main hall. One was wearing two fur coats and the other was pushing a cart – like a giant pram. It was stuffed full of silks, porcelain, jade, gold and silver.

“Conqueror’s privilege,” Fleming shrugged, a little embarrassed. “But no matter – we must return you to our headquarters. It is not safe here.”

“No,” Jack said, “there are Imperial guards everywhere. In Beijing we saw the British prisoners – Parkes and Loch and there were others…”

This news interested Fleming greatly. “You saw the hostages? This is important. All the top brass are angry about the hostages. It’s against all protocol. We must take you to headquarters now to meet Lord Elgin so you can tell him what you have seen.”

Fleming barked some orders. There were complaints from the other British troops, who would have to stop looting in order to look after Jack and Angus. As the first into the Summer Palace they had the pick of the place… but from what Jack could see, there was no way they could possibly carry any more. Jack wondered what would happen to the place once the rest of the army discovered the almost limitless extent of its treasures.

“What about Shu-fei?” Jack looked down at her lifeless body.

“A friend?” the officer said. “I am sorry, we have to leave her, it is too dangerous to stay longer.”

Jack bent down over Shu-fei. She had rescued them from the Taiping, guided them north and then saved them from the Board of Punishments.

“Yi, I’m sorry…” Jack said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We must go.”

Yi looked up at him. “My place is here… and my father will be here soon. We will survive… we always have. You must go back to your people.” She reached out to Jack and opened her hand. In it there was a little black jade dragon, dangling on a gold chain. “Take it Jack. It was Shu-fei’s. She would have wanted you to have it. She liked you. I could tell.”

Jack took the necklace and looked up into Yi’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“Come on!” Angus pressed. “We’ve got to go.”

Jack turned away and he and Angus followed Fleming and the other soldiers back down the hallway of the Yuan Ming Yuan Haiyan. Jack was distraught, but as they walked Angus nudged him and opened his jacket. He had recovered the VIGIL device.

“And there’s something else,” Angus whispered. He opened his hand to show Jack the time phone. The yellow light was burning brightly. They had a time signal. At last.

“Finally… we have a chance to get out of here…”

Jack’s eyes lit up, “First, we need to travel back to Shanghai and get to Dad before Fenton does…”