The Demi-Monde: Summer (38 page)

The final guard gave a quick, nervous look towards Selim, who drew the scimitar he had sheathed at his side and advanced towards Ella. All that shit Selim had been mouthing about not wanting to harm Ella had obviously been skittle talk; now he looked as though he was gonna get down and dangerous and with three feet of sharpened steel in his hand he was armed for bear.

But blade or no, Billy knew that Ella was gonna dump Selim on his ass: there could be no other outcome when she was in Wonder Woman mode. He wondered for a moment whether he should bail and get out while the getting was good but he wasn’t given a chance to do that.

Selim nodded the fourth guard forward and while Ella was distracted by the need to whack the guy around the ear with her candlestick, he took a roundhouse swing at her head. If it had been anyone other than Ella he’d been aiming at, Billy reckoned they’d have been going through life about nine inches shorter but all Ella did was lean back out of range and then smack Selim on the head. The guy went out like a light.

Now Ella turned her attention to Billy and the way she was looking at him told him he was dead meat.

‘Time to die, Billy.’

‘Ah, c’mon Sis, I didn’t mean nothing. I was only joshing. It was all Selim’s doing.’

‘You betrayed me, Billy, but then I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You are a Dark Charismatic when all’s said and done. I have been too kind … I should have killed you when you first appeared but I was distracted by my Fragile emotions. That is an omission I can easily remedy.’ She stooped down and picked up the sword dropped by Selim.

‘Whatcha doing, Sis? This is me, Billy, yo’ bro. I didn’t mean to come at ya. Nah, all I wanted was to be a good house nigga but that cat Selim started talking smack and I got all puzzled. I didn’t know he was set to blip yo’.’

‘It’s too late now, Billy. I had planned to spill your blood on Lammas Eve but now I see that you are much too dangerous to live.’ She came to tower over Billy. ‘Behold a goddess, Billy, behold the One destined to rule the Nine Worlds and all that walks, or swims, or flies, or crawls in them.’ Her voice sank to an ominous whisper: ‘Behold Lilith … behold Mother Nature … behold the Mistress of All Creation. Behold me and be fearful, for I am Perfection.’

She drew back her arm to make the thrust.

Vanka staggered as he returned to the reality of the Demi-Monde, bemused and weakened by his meeting with—

He couldn’t remember who; all that had happened in the last few moments was tantalisingly out of reach. All he knew was that he had to save Ella from Lilith and that meant helping Josephine. But that was easier said than done. He looked up and saw Josephine stretched unconscious across the
pe
, drained of strength and resolve.

Defeated.

He felt Jezebel standing close to his side. ‘It was no good, Vanka, Lilith was too strong … none can stand against her.’

Vanka waved his hand in the direction of the
ouanga
doll. ‘The
juju
—’

‘It’s not powerful enough, Vanka … it’s not
personal
enough. Lilith is too strong for it to affect her.’

Vanka delved into his pocket and withdrew his handkerchief. ‘What is the most powerful of all the humours of a Daemon?’

‘Blood.’

‘On this handkerchief is the blood of Lilith. When she was Ella, she used it to clean a wound on her leg and I swore to her then that I would treasure it.’ He pushed the square of linen into Jezebel’s hand. ‘Maybe using this, your
ouanga
doll can be made potent enough?’

Jezebel didn’t hesitate; she skipped over to the altar, took up
the doll and wrapped the handkerchief around it like a shroud. This done, she held the doll high over her head and began to chant.

ABBA, hear my prayers, hear my pleas

Help me, ABBA, help me please

Come to the aid of my WhoDoo

Breathe your power into this juju

The chanting of the incantation complete, Jezebel placed the doll on a steel dish, doused it in oil and then struck a match.

Lilith braced herself to make the thrust with the sword. Deep inside her mind she heard the voice of Ella pleading with her to stop, that murdering her brother was madness, but Lilith refused to be deterred. Billy was now a danger to her plans to lead HumanKind to perfection and for that he must die.

Then …

It was as though she was enveloped by fire. Her very soul seemed to be burning. She screamed as all of her power drained from her. She staggered and let the sword drop from her hand then slumped back against a chair, barely having enough strength to stay on her feet. Desperately Lilith struggled to maintain control but now the spirit of Ella was stronger inside her. Rather than being consumed by the flames it seemed that Ella had been energised by them.

‘Nooooo!’ Lilith screamed and then sagged unconscious to the floor.

Seeing his sister prostrate and helpless, Billy didn’t hesitate. He kicked her hard in the stomach then gathered up the sword and steadied himself ready to thrust it into her guts.

‘I would be grateful if you wouldn’t kill the girl.’

Billy looked around to see a bruised Selim staggering across the room towards him.

‘Fuck you, man, this bitch was gonna trash me fo’ sure. An’ no one leans on Billy Thomas without Billy Thomas leaning back.’

‘Nevertheless, the girl is much too valuable for her to be killed in revenge. I have been ordered to keep her safe until Lammas Eve.
Then
you can sacrifice her.’

‘Fuck that,’ and Billy raised the sword over his head.

‘If you kill her, Your Grace, I will ensure that you never leave the Demi-Monde and that your time here is spent communing with the most intense and unrelenting pain.’

‘Fuck yo’. Yo’ can’t do that; I’m the motherfucking Messiah.’

‘I can and I will. But if you spare your sister, I promise that on Lammas Eve you will have the honour of sacrificing her.’

Billy looked across to Selim to see if the guy was serious. ‘Yo’ rapping on the real?’

‘I am, Your Grace. His HimPerial Majesty Shaka Zulu commands that the girl lives and I am ever the obedient servant of His Majesty.’

For a moment Billy stood undecided, then the red mist faded and common sense prevailed. He wanted to get home. He had a million bucks waiting for him there and all he had to do to collect it was get through to Lammas, cap his sister and then he was home free. Just eight more weeks. The smart move, he decided, would be to play along with Selim. ‘Yo’ certain I’m gonna be the one to total the bitch at the end of Summer?’

‘I’m certain.’

Billy lowered the sword. ‘Okay, but yo’ better keep this badass bitch somewhere safe until then. Come Lammas, her ass is mine.’

‘You may rely on it, Your Grace.’

*

Half-conscious though she was, Ella heard what was being said, but she was not afraid of death. Thanks to Vanka – thanks to ABBA – Lilith had been defeated, sent scurrting back deep into the darkest recesses of her soul. Now she felt cleansed … reborn. Once again she was Ella and it would be as Ella that she faced death. It would be Ella who pitted herself against the evil of Lucifer.

The atmosphere in the Forbidding City was becoming febrile. Whilst the official word was that the war with the ForthRight was going well and the barbarian nonFemmes were being severely punished by the Covenite army, the constant rumble of artillery fire that was slowly advancing towards Beijing told another story. The horizon was now shaded a deep scarlet by the fires raging in Rangoon.

It was an atmosphere made all the more torrid by the sudden and violent purging of the NoNs serving in the Forbidding City, the whispered word being that AdmiralNoN Heii had turned traitor and Wu in panic had ordered the summary execution of all NoNs, only relenting when it had been pointed out to her
that without NoNs the Forbidding City would cease to function. Despite this, at least a hundred of the poor devils had vanished into the depths of Hereji-Jo Castle and those who had survived had become
very
jumpy indeed. None more so than Mao Zedong, who in his anxiety to prove his fealty to the Empress was ever more strict in ensuring adherence to Li.

And it was Mao’s redoubled enthusiasm for disciplining anyone who transgressed Li that had caused the delay in Dong E carrying out Xi Kang’s imperative that she help the Daemon, Norma Williams, escape. The Fresh Blooms were being watched and disciplined as never before.

But like the good Confusionist she was, Dong E knew the value of patience, and as the days passed, so the tension eased, the Forbidding City once more relaxed and an opportunity to visit the Pavilion of Silent Repose where the Daemon was being held presented itself.

It was a maidFemme – in exchange for a small bag of gold
tiels
and a kiss – who finally agreed to hide Dong E at the bottom of the laundry basket when it was wheeled to the Daemon’s apartment. As Dong E suspected they would be, the two sentryFemmes were so monumentally bored by the task they had been set guarding the Daemon that their examination of the basket was perfunctory and she was trundled into the girl’s presence undiscovered. When she popped out of the basket, it was as well, she decided, that the guards had – on the orders of Empress Wu, who was concerned they might be seduced by the Daemon’s devilish tongue – been deafened, such was the shriek of surprise the Daemon emitted.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ yelped the Daemon as she brandished a ceramic figurine representing the Empress Wu at Dong E in a very threatening manner.

‘Daemon known as Norma Williams, I am Fresh Bloom Dong E and I have come to rescue you.’

‘Hey, I know you. You were the girl doing the interpreting when I met with that lunatic Wu.’

Dong E bowed. ‘You are correct, Daemon known as Norma Williams; I had the sublime honour of serving Her Divine Majesty Empress Wu in the capacity of interpreter.’

‘Then what’s an interpreter doing hiding in a laundry basket?’

‘I have come here at the behest of ABBA Herself – as related by the iChing – to aid you in escaping from the Forbidding City.’

The Daemon laughed, which Dong E found a little off-putting. ‘Are you for real?’

Dong E frowned, somewhat perplexed by the question. ‘Daemon known as Norma Williams …’

‘Norma. I’d prefer to be addressed as Norma.’

‘Very well, Norma. The Proposition of unBelievability propounded by PhilosopherNoN Xi Kang theorises that the Demi-Monde is not a “Real” world but is an illusionary Virtual World devised by an unknown agency and sustained by HumanKind’s Fallibility of Perception, itself a consequence of a contaminated Solidified Astral Ether. So the answer to your question “am I for real?” depends very much upon whether you have a WunZian or a TooZian outlook on Life … whether you are a proponent of Perceptionalism or unBelievability.’

‘Stop!’ said the Daemon as she held up her hands. ‘I am not in the mood for all this Confusionist crap. It wasn’t a philosophical question. What I meant was, are you in earnest when you say you’re here to rescue me?’

Dong E frowned; it was a very peculiar question. ‘Of course.’

The Daemon held out a hand. ‘Then I’m very pleased to meet you. I haven’t heard a word spoken in over six weeks, so you’re most welcome to come visit.’

Dong E had heard of this peculiar and quite distasteful
gaijin
custom of shaking hands in greeting, but given the imperative
of the divination offered by the iChing, she dismissed her scruples and took the Daemon’s hand in hers.

‘We must move quickly, Norma. My absence from the Pavilion of Delicious Delights will be noted and guardFemmes sent to search for me. We must hurry.’ She pointed to the laundry basket. ‘If you would snuggle down inside the basket. It is fortunate that you are such a small Daemon.’

‘Whoa there, honey. I’m not going anywhere. I need to find some answers to a few questions before I make a run for it, notably about the work being done by a Dr Merit Ptah on the YiYi Project.’

Dong E shook her head. ‘I have never heard of the Doctor nor of this YiYi Project.’

Norma began a nervous pacing of the room. Obviously, Dong E decided, Daemons were not trained in the arts necessary to achieve inner quietude and harmony. If this Norma was a typical example, they seemed very agitated creatures with no concept of the importance of maintaining
wu wei
.

‘Well, certain people I’ve spoken to believe that the only place I’ll find out about the YiYi Project is here in the Forbidding City.’ Suddenly Norma stopped in mid-stride as though struck by a thought. ‘Does the Empress have a private office?’

‘Of course. She meets with her most senior NoNs in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Mao ZeDong keeps a suite of offices there.’

‘Then presumably that’s where she keeps her most confidential papers.’

‘Why yes.’ Despite all her training in the maintenance of inscrutability Dong E felt herself frown as she began to understand what Norma was asking of her. ‘What you are suggesting is impossible, Norma. It is suicide to even consider entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation unless expressly invited by the Empress herself. To be discovered there without such an invitation means death.’

‘Well, death or no, that’s probably the only place where I’ll find information about what Dr Ptah is cooking up.’ Norma sat herself down on a couch. ‘Tell me something, Dong E, as the only way in or out of the Forbidding City is over the Bridge of the Heavenly Divide, I guess that burglary doesn’t register very high on the list of the City’s crime statistics.’