Blue Dragon Read Online Free PDF Page B

and the ball of chi split into three smaller balls again, still spinning. I didn’t have it perfect, each ball of chi was a slightly different size.
    Roland came in and stopped dead. ‘ Wah !’
    ‘Make them blue,’ John said.
    I concentrated. They went from gold to green, then greenish-blue. I lost it completely: the chi snapped back and hit me in the middle of the stomach, knocking me flat.
    Simone burst out laughing, but my parents rushed to me, concerned.
    ‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ my mother said as my father lifted me.
    ‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ I said. ‘Happens all the time when I’m working with energy. It’s on an invisible rubber band. If I lose control, it snaps back and knocks me flat.’ I gestured towards John and Simone who were clutching each other with delight. ‘They think it’s really hilarious.’
    ‘Well it is , silly Emma,’ Simone said, still giggling.
    ‘She’s right, you know, Emma,’ John said. He sobered. ‘Oh. You should know—only Immortals can do that. Humans can’t work with more than one chi ball at the same time. Or change the colour. Well done.’
    ‘Damn,’ I said softly.
    Roland saluted me, falling to one knee. ‘Lady.’
    ‘Oh, for God’s sake, cut it out , Roland,’ I said. ‘I’m not any sort of Immortal.’
    ‘You certainly look like one to me, Lady,’ Roland said with a huge grin. ‘If you were Chinese I would swear that you were the Lady Yim Wing Chun herself. Or more likely her teacher Ng Mui.’
    ‘Oh, thank you very much ,’ I said. ‘What next?’
    ‘Me,’ Leo said, coming through the door with two staves. He threw the smaller one to me.
    ‘Now this is more like it,’ I said. ‘I haven’t beaten Leo up in quite a while.’
    ‘I’ve been learning, Emma,’ Leo said, readying himself. ‘Bet you a day’s guard duty I can take you.’
    ‘You are on !’ I said with delight. ‘I haven’t had a proper day off since I finished my thesis.’
    ‘Whoa, whoa, wait a minute there,’ my father said loudly. ‘Leo’s much taller than Emma and must weigh three times what she does. This is hardly fair!’
    ‘You are quite right, Brendan,’ John said. ‘Not a fair match at all.’ He concentrated.
    Michael appeared in the doorway, holding a staff.
    ‘This is more like it,’ John said with satisfaction.
    ‘All bets are off if I’m facing both of them,’ I said. ‘Michael’s half Shen.’
    ‘Double or nothing,’ Leo said.
    ‘Come on, Emma, give it a try,’ John said. ‘We might even be able to bring the snake out.’
    I gestured towards Michael. ‘He’s half goddamn Shen!’
    Michael grinned and saluted me, holding the staff.
    ‘She’ll fight both of them?’ my mother said softly.
    ‘Yes!’ Roland said. ‘I have a video camera in my office. Wait! Please!’
    ‘There are a hundred and fifty demons out there waiting for you,’ I said.
    ‘Let them wait,’ he said. ‘I don’t think this will take long.’
    Roland came back with a video camera. ‘Move into the big room.’
    ‘But there are students in there!’ I protested.
    ‘Tell them you taught her,’ John said to Roland.
    ‘They wouldn’t believe me, Your Highness,’ Roland said. ‘I’d have to tell them that she taught me .’
    ‘That would work,’ John said. He pulled himself up off the floor and took Simone’s hand. ‘Let’s go.’
    ‘You know Emma’s only been learning off the Dark Lord for less than a year and a half?’ Leo said to Roland as we went out.
    ‘ Wah !’ Roland said. ‘Amazing! Such talent!’
    ‘Damn,’ I said softly.
    ‘She turns into a snake, you said. Why is that? Is she a Shen?’
    ‘Nobody’s quite sure what she is,’ John said amiably. ‘She’s not a demon, that’s for sure. We’ll just have to wait and see.’
    ‘Maybe she’s the White Snake,’ Roland said.
    John stopped and his face froze. ‘Not possible.’
    ‘I’m black in Serpent form,’ I said.
    ‘If the Pagoda has fallen then she may be the White