Year of the Golden Dragon (21 page)

The Imperial Tomb

The air smelled dry and dusty
in the dark, walled-in area. Ryan wasn’t able to see over the barrier, but he could easily make out the rafters and industrial lights hanging high above them. The cavernous ceiling reminded him of the inside of an airplane hangar. Stretching his hand out to touch the wall in front of him, he was reminded of the climbing wall in the gym at his school. Ryan felt the roughness of the rock-like structure with his palm, then made a fist and knocked on it. This was different than the one at school. The wall here was thicker and made no sound when he hit it.

“What is this place?” Ryan heard Alex ask. The quiver in his brother’s voice scared him.

“I don’t know,” Hong Mei said. “Was it the same on the subway? There was no ice? No freezing wind?”

Ryan and Alex shook their heads. The three of them looked at the box that Alex still held. He thrust it at Hong Mei, who took it after hesitating for a moment.

As Ryan stood wondering about the box and how it worked, he noticed that Hong Mei had shifted her attention to where they stood. He watched her squinting, first left, then right, into the strange, half-lit corridor.

“Which way do you think we should go?” she finally asked.

“It’s like being in one of those corn mazes,” Alex said. “You can’t tell which path is right unless you try it.”

“I hope this isn’t like that,” Ryan said. “The last time we were in one of those, it took us forever to find our way out.”

Hong Mei pointed to their right and began walking. “Let’s go this way.”

The boys shrugged, then followed her, with Ryan trailing Alex.

After fifty metres or so, they finally came to an opening in the wall. They turned left into another section of hallway. Their footsteps were muffled, but the ceiling still loomed large overhead. Was it an indoor maze for people to explore?

After another few steps they came to a sharp turn. At the end of it was an open metal staircase leading up. Hong Mei and Alex ran up the few steps while Ryan followed slowly behind. He watched as the two of them reached the last step and moved away from the stairs. Was it another level?

When Ryan was almost to the top step, he could see that Alex and Hong Mei were standing on a platform. Both of them were leaning on a heavy metal railing, gawking at something they hadn’t been able to see when they were below.

“What?” Ryan asked, gripping the railings on either side of him. He didn’t know if he wanted to keep going up. “What is it?”

“It is just like in the school books,” he heard Hong Mei say.

“What is?” Ryan asked, taking one more step.

“Ryan!” Alex turned to him, his face in a huge grin. He waved madly for his brother to come up the rest of the way. “It’s amazing! There must be hundreds of them.”

“Hundreds of what?”

“Stone soldiers,” Hong Mei said, still staring.

Stone soldiers? What were they talking about?

“Come up!” Alex was bouncing as he spoke. “It’s exactly like that program on the Discovery Channel!”

Ryan walked up and moved slowly over to the metal railing where Hong Mei and Alex stood. They were in a hangar, but this one wasn’t for airplanes. This one had been specially built to protect an army: one that had guarded an Emperor for more than two thousand years. Down below stood row upon row of life-size clay warriors, chariots and horses. Ryan felt his fear switch to awe. “The Terra Cotta army,” he gasped.

He, Alex and Hong Mei stood silently at the railing, taking in the spectacle of perfect lines of infantry, archers and officers. Some men were crouching while others were in standing poses, but everything, including animals and men, looked remarkably lifelike.

Finally Hong Mei said, “I see some stairs over there.” She pointed to another set of metal steps leading down into the pit below. “Should we go and look more closely?”

“Okay,” Ryan said at the same time as Alex.

“Follow me,” she said, leading the way.

Taking the stairs down, they stopped in front of the first statue they came to.

Ryan looked almost eye-to-eye with the lifelike statue. The warrior’s noble and steady gaze stared back at him. Ryan thought that the way the man’s thin moustache curved above his unsmiling mouth made him look like he was hiding a secret. He wore no helmet, but his torso and arms had been intricately chiseled to display fine armour. He was poised to fight.

Ryan, Alex and Hong Mei moved forward, studying each sculpture that they passed. Just like real people, some were tall and slim while others were short and heavy. They wore different uniforms and hairstyles, and on some, Ryan could see remnants of the coloured lacquer that once would have covered them.

After passing by many statues, Alex said, “Each one looks like it’s got a different face. Do you remember that program, Ryan? It said that a different man had to sit and model for each one for the sculptor.”

“Yes,” Hong Mei added. “And, these –” She stopped and asked, “What do you call this stone?”

Ryan said, “Terra cotta or clay.”

“Yes,” she continued, “these clay men were buried with real weapons, but they were stolen a long time ago.”

“Is it true that some people were buried alive after they worked on this?” Ryan asked.

“Oh, yes. Many,” Hong Mei said.

“Buried alive?” Alex whined. “You mean there’re dead people here? We’re in a cemetrey?”

Ryan couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. Why had he said that?
He
felt weird. How must his little brother feel? Alex wasn’t stupid. He knew this place wasn’t a replica of a tomb. This was a
real
mausoleum. And they weren’t in Beijing, Hong Kong or Kowloon. The three of them were in Xian, practically in the middle of China.

He saw Hong Mei look at Alex, who had started to shake. “Are you all right?” she asked him, moving closer.

“I’m scared,” Alex said hugging his arms around himself, shivering. “I want to get out of here. I want to go home!” he said, turning his face away.

Ryan moved to his brother and put his arm around him. Could things get any worse? First they get – what could he call it – 
sent
to Beijing. Then, they get
sent
here to Xian, where the famous Terra Cotta Warriors were discovered. Why? If that old box was transporting them to different places, why had it brought them to
these
places?

He watched Hong Mei walk over to a large canvas tarp that had been thrown into a corner. Probably left by some archeologists wanting to get out of here and start their New Year holidays.

Hong Mei beckoned to Alex and said, “Here, let me cover you with this.”

Alex went over to her and she said, “Please, sit.”

Ryan watched as Hong Mei kneeled down and patted the ground beside her. Alex sat down and she pulled the heavy, stiff cloth around his shoulders. Looking up at Ryan she said, “Please, sit down.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll stand.”

“Please,” Hong Mei said again. “It is time to tell you everything. I wanted to do this in Kowloon, but I could not.”

“Maybe that’s because you ditched us there,” said Ryan.

“Please. Let me explain,” Hong Mei said.

Alex huddled under the tarp and looked up at Ryan.

What choice did he have?

Ryan plopped down next to Alex, who immediately offered him a share of the tarp.

“I hope this doesn’t take too long,” Ryan said. “I want to find a way back to Hong Kong and our family.”

Hong Mei took a deep breath and began to talk. She told them about the interview, meeting Madam Ching and seeing an ancient scroll. She told them about her relative Master Chen and about having visions.

She looked down at the box in her hand and said, “Madam Ching told me that this box was to store the jade in, but she couldn’t have known it had such power.” Reaching into her pocket, Hong Mei took out her jade.

Ryan could see that it was the same shape as his and Alex’s. He automatically reached up to make sure his own pendant was where it should be.

“Why did you steal our jade?” Alex asked.

Hong Mei held her jade out for Ryan to see.

He took it. It did look a lot like theirs. Same shape. Same colour. Same edging. Even the etching on it looked similar.

“I didn’t mean to take it,” Hong Mei said. “Its power was very strong and I couldn’t resist.”

A kleptomaniac, Ryan snorted. How about that? They were stuck in a tomb in the middle of China with a klepto. Who was ever going to believe this one? He tried to laugh, but couldn’t.

Ryan reached for his own jade to compare his and Hong Mei’s. The more he studied it, the more he could see that Hong Mei’s jade really could be the missing piece their uncle had told them about. When he put them side by side, they looked like they would fit. Together they looked brighter and more green.

“So you took our jade and left us the box. Did you know that it would do this?” Alex looked around and shivered.

“I did not know the box was magical until Lao Ming told me. But he didn’t have time to tell me exactly how it works. I do not know why the box takes us where it does. Do you?”

“No,” Alex said slowly.

Ryan caught the hesitation in his brother’s voice. “Alex? Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“Well, no,” Alex stammered. “It’s just that there was a ‘truth’ box in one of Uncle Peter’s stories.”

“What stories?” Ryan demanded.

“You know. From the scroll that Papa used to have. The one that got destroyed in the fire – stories about Black Dragon and the legend of the jade, stuff like that. He wanted to tell you, too, but he thought you’d only get upset. You know. Mama and Papa, and all.”

“What? What about Mama and Papa?”

Ryan felt his heart speeding up as he stared at Alex.

“No, Ryan. Not about
them,”
Alex said softly. He sighed and looked down. “Don’t get mad. I’m just telling you. That’s why Uncle Peter didn’t want to say too much. He knows how superstitious you are and how – angry – you were at me. He didn’t want to make it worse.”

Ryan’s head was beginning to hurt. He reached into his pocket and took out the tin of peppermints he’d put into his trousers. After taking a mint he passed the box to Hong Mei and Alex. Both of them took one.

“So what do you know that I don’t?” Ryan asked.

“That the jade has to be returned to Black Dragon by midnight of the Year of the Golden Dragon.” Alex removed his jade pendant and handed it to Ryan. “Just look at those three pieces. Do they fit together?” Alex asked.

Staring down at the jade, Ryan saw that they
would
fit. And each was glowing softly in his hand.

“Please be careful not to put the jade completely together,” Hong Mei said.

Ryan looked at her. Her face had coloured and despite being in the cold building, there were traces of sweat above her lips.

“Why not?” he snapped.

“Ryan!” Alex said. “You don’t have to bite her head off.”

“Just because you think you know something I don’t –”

“I don’t
know
anything,” Alex said, sitting up. “But I
think
Hong Mei might be right. Maybe the tale is true. Papa said our jade belonged to an Emperor, so maybe there are other parts of the story that are real.”

“We must not forget the most important part. The jade belonged to Black Dragon. And to Black Dragon it must be returned,” Hong Mei said, her eyes still focused on the jade in his hands.

Ryan didn’t like the way Hong Mei was staring, and the peppermint hadn’t helped his pounding head. He held her jade out for her to take. She snatched it. Alex glumly took his back.

The three of them sat quietly for several moments until Hong Mei said, “We must try to understand why the box has led us here to Xian. There is nothing in the scroll about that. What did your uncle call it, Alex? A ‘truth’ box?”

“Yeah. He used to tell me a story about Black Dragon and an old man. I guess he was Master Chen, your relative. Well, Uncle Peter described him as kind of a wizard-type guy. He, like, made this special kind of box to keep Black Dragon’s jade in.”

Ryan heard the words “wizard-type guy.” Could his brother really have said that? The kid who always told Ryan that
he
was too superstitious?

“Master Chen was the man I told you I had a vision about,” Hong Mei said. “He was my great-great – many times – great-grandfather,” Hong Mei said.

“Oh, okay. I’m actually starting to get this,” Alex said. “Anyhow, Uncle Peter said that only one of the heirs, usually the younger one, like Uncle Peter or me, would learn about the ‘truth’ box. I guess it was to protect us, in a way. I guess that’s why Madam Ching didn’t know about what it could do.”

“And you did?” Ryan snorted. “Since when?”

“Ryan, please stop! I didn’t really believe any of it either. It just seemed like kind of a cool secret that Uncle Peter and I shared. It wasn’t until we ended up in Beijing and I figured out who Madam Ching was that I started to really think about things.”