Heart and Soul (30 page)

She should have, she thought, and she frowned. She should have asked him for money. Oh, not as a gift, but as a loan. But having already asked him to trust her with the ruby, and knowing that this expedition was more for her benefit than his own, how could she have demanded money from the man who was protecting her and being so kind as to follow her?

Shaking her head, she told herself that she was the sister of the True Emperor, a lady of the most important court in the world. She would find the Fox Clan, who swore allegiance to her clan. And then she would force them to feed her, as well as to do business with her—to give her the herbs needed to make Nigel look indistinguishable from those Chinese around them. They would want to help her, she told herself, since any help they gave her enhanced the position of Third Lady.

And besides, she told herself, the crown would give them a draft on cash, which would be paid promptly as soon as Wen recovered the throne.

Fortified with these notions, she looked for those signs that the were-clans knew other were-clans kept. At the edge of an alley, she saw one. It was a silk shop, but the sign over it was a tiger, its mouth closed upon a roll of silk. And the tiger, as Jade knew, was not the generic representation of an animal, but the particular facial shape and look of the leader of the Tiger Clan.

She ducked into the shade-filled shop, where rolls of fabric seemed to occupy every possible surface, as well as propped up against the walls. The place was full of customers and many men were running around attending to the needs of various English misses and various prosperous-looking natives as well. “Miss,” a voice called, and she turned to look.

Suddenly the young man was bowing very deeply. “Milady,” he said, almost in a whisper, and then, “If you’ll follow me.”

Jade followed him amid a forest of cloth, a labyrinth of rolls, until they got to the back, where a narrow door opened onto a dark corridor. He took her through it and into a small room. Judging from the cabinet stuffed with scrolls and the low desk covered in paper, this room was used as an office of sorts by the gentleman facing her. “Milady Jade,” he said, as soon as they got within.

With a gesture, he lit a magelamp hanging from the ceiling. It was one of those that made use of a paper shade, and this shade was painted with the image of a romping tiger. When lit, it cast tiger-shaped shadows on the wall. But the young man must be used to it—of course—because he didn’t spare it even a glance. Instead, he went on his knees and kowtowed repeatedly to her. “Milady Jade,” he said. And then, looking up, “I am Fu, of the Tiger Clan. A year ago I was lucky enough to be sent by my people as emissary to your revered late father’s court.”

Jade nodded to him. “I remember you,” she said, and indeed she did. He’d been shyer then, a tiger amid dragons. She hadn’t known that he was a prince, much less that he was a draper prince. But then, considering she was a pirate princess, raised on a barge, perhaps she should not consider him too badly. “I am here,” she said, “looking for the Fox Clan.”

This brought him to sitting on his feet, his knees still on the floor, his face a mask of startled shock. “The Fox Clan, milady? But why?”

“Because I need one of their magical potions,” she said. “The one that allows one to take any shape at all. Also…” She paused and frowned. “Because I am terribly hungry, and I left the Dragon Boats without bringing even one string of copper cash.”

This brought a grin to the lips of the tiger-youth. Like all in his clan, he had very sharp, very even teeth, two of them prominently sharp, like the teeth of tigers. “We will feed you, Princess,” he said. “Indeed, it will be an honor.”

A few minutes later, she was sitting before a full plate, with a cup of tea in front of her, sipping it, and eating some delicious noodles with shrimp. “You flinched when I spoke of the Fox Clan,” she said. “Is there no Fox Clan in Hong Kong?”

The tiger gave her a half-worried smile. “There are foxes everywhere,” he said.

“You act as if they’re not loyal to the Dragon Throne,” Jade said.

At this, the tiger-man shrugged. “It is not that,” he said. “It is more a question as to which Dragon Throne they’re loyal to.”

“They’re not loyal to the present occupiers?” Jade asked, disbelieving. She knew for a fact at least Third Lady’s father was. Else, why would he have married her to Wen? And yet, at the back of her mind something like a needle of discomfort told Jade that, in fact, the Fox Clan were known for hedging their bets and that, having taken one side in a fight, they saw absolutely no reason not to take the other as well, so that whichever side won, they would be protected.

Fu the tiger sighed, as though reading her thoughts. “I know they’re not loyal to the present occupiers,” he said softly. “That would be too much, I think, for a were-clan, with its link to the land, to be loyal to foreigners who have no link to it and who are, furthermore, not even weres themselves. But you must remember that, during the Opium Wars, the Fox Clan sided with the usurper clan, and even with the English as well.”

“And with us, too,” Jade said, softly, with a small and rueful smile.

“Doubtless. So it is always dangerous to approach the foxes. Perhaps…” He shrugged. “Is it perhaps something that we can do for you?”

She shook her head. “No, you see…” She sighed deeply and wondered how much the tigers knew. Knowing what the were-clans were like, she very much suspected that the rumors of Zhang’s desertion were spread like wildfire all around the nation and maybe even as far as Hong Kong. But she wondered if anyone knew what it meant.

“Ah. You don’t wish me to know secrets I might not already know,” Fu said. And then, with a smile, “I know that the Prince of the High Mountain has disappeared. It is said that he has been betraying us to the English, which, milady, is a behavior more becoming of a fox than a dragon. Of course, we all know his mother was of the Fox Clan.”

Jade, who didn’t know any such thing, merely inclined her head. “He has disappeared,” she said. “And he was working with the English, though I wish to say that his son, Grasshopper, was not a member of the conspiracy.”

“And that you allowed him to keep his full honors and ascend to the post of his father, something that has everyone speaking of your mercy. The thing about mercy, milady, is that it is a double-edged sword.”

“How so?” Jade asked.

“Well, on the one hand it earns for you many allies,” he said.

“And on the other?” she asked.

“And on the other, your allies might turn on you any minute, because they know they can count on your kindness.”

“You’re truly trying to warn me,” she said, and at the same time, having grown up at court and knowing how the intrigues played in such an environment, she wondered if he was warning her for her own good, or perhaps warning her for
his
benefit. Wen’s second lady was of the Tiger Clan. The first one was of the Dragon Clan. Neither of them had much to win if Wen’s preference for his third lady held.

“I am trying to warn you, lady. I have heard rumors from members of the Fox Clan themselves that your brother, the new emperor, is addicted to opium. It is almost assured that he will not be able to hold the throne. And you…” He hesitated. “It is known that your mother was a foreign devil, so I don’t think you will be accepted as the holder of the Dragon Throne. At least, not on your own. With the proper husband—”

“I know,” Red Jade said impatiently. “Oh, I know. It is said that I should have married Zhang. Half the Dragon Boats seemed to expect it.”

“Everyone expected it,” Fu said, curtly, “which doesn’t mean that all of us hoped for it. No, you have to remember, milady, while the Fox Clan is…what it is, my clan has long been the ruler of several lands.”

In astonishment, Jade looked up at this polished youth. He was sitting across from her, dapper in his heavy silk tunic and pants, his hair cut in European fashion. “Are you making me an offer of marriage, Fu?” she asked. Through her mind went some rhyme that her father used to sing to her when she was very young, and of which she remembered hardly anything at all, save that the tigers were ambitious and the foxes treacherous.

Fu bowed slightly. “I think you could do worse, lady.”

“My brother’s addiction is exaggerated,” she said. “He has smoked opium now and then, but he’s neither a desperate addict nor likely to make a mistake or die as quickly as all that. He will be emperor for very long, and his children will reign after him.” She no longer dared tell this man, who clearly had a vested interest in the politics of succession, that she was trying to recover the throne for her brother—the true throne and the palace of their ancestors. Instead, she looked at him and tried to imitate her father’s expression when he was trying to depress the pretensions of a courtier. “He will reign for ten thousand years, and his sons after him. What good could come of marrying me?”

But Fu the tiger only smiled at her, his very even, very sharp teeth glimmering in the magelight. “You forget, milady, that I visited the dragon barges. You did a very good job of hiding your brother’s problems from your father. Indeed, your sisterly devotion does you credit. But you must be aware that it’s an open secret in the dragon barges. They say he smokes so much that the only reason he’s still alive is that his dragon nature allows him to withstand the ravages of the drug upon his system.”

He reached for her hand, and almost touched the ring of imperial power, before she managed to pull away. “You wear the Ring of Power. Without you, your brother would never have been able to make the barges fly. Or, indeed, anything. Without your care not to let your father know how far your brother’s addiction has gone, you’d now be married to the Prince of the High Mountain or another suitable party, and you would not be alone, out here, in Hong Kong, trying to find a magic cure for your brother’s addiction.”

Jade noted that the tigers, at least, were misinformed about the nature of her mission, and she decided not to disabuse him. “You are a partisan of the Prince of the High Mountain, then,” she said. “You expect me to marry him?”

But the tiger shook his head and flashed his teeth. “You misunderstand me, lady. I know that everyone thought that the Prince of the High Mountain was a good choice, being a dragon, and the highest born dragon after your family. But I also know he’s been working with the English and, rumor has it, though it’s not proven, he’s the one who introduced your brother to the pleasures of opium. I don’t think a malicious and disloyal servant should be trusted with the supreme power.

“I also think,” he said, and his smile enlarged, “that while the dragons have held the throne for so long, they have yet to restore the real throne to their line. As such, they should perhaps ally with another line who is more resourceful.”

“Like the tigers,” Jade said, scornfully.

“Like the tigers,” the man said, and grinned widely. “Does this mean you accept my offer?”

“Not while I have a say in the matter,” she said.

He shrugged. “Well, I did warn you,” he said, “that my line is not only ambitious, we are far more resourceful than the dragons.”

She looked at him, not understanding.

“There was a drug in the food we gave you,” he said, and as she half rose from where she sat upon the cushions, “Oh, nothing dangerous. Not even anything that will prevent your making up your mind on your own. We want this marriage to be legal before the gods and in all the provinces of China. But I talked to my father and he suggested I put a certain drug in your food that will prevent your changing shape. And remember, you are surrounded by members of the Tiger Clan, who can indeed change shape.”

He showed her a key that was on a rope at his neck. “I am going to go out and lock the door. You will be given food and blankets, and whatever else you need. But here you will stay until you agree to become my wife.”

Jade was so shocked at the idea that anyone who knew what the true Dragon Throne of China was now—no more than a vague and mystical power and connection to the land—should undergo such treachery for its sake, that by the time she’d managed to close her mouth, Fu had left the room and locked the door.

She frowned at the door, and pointed her ring at it. But there were certain things that the Imperial Ring of Power couldn’t do and, as it happened, one of them was unlocking doors.

Sitting on her cushion, Jade cradled her head in her hands. What could she do now? She’d told Nigel that she would come for him. What would he think when she didn’t appear?