him, it’s nothing to do with him,’ Michael said. ‘Keep him out of it.’
‘What about your mother, dear?’ Meredith said.
Michael’s face went expressionless.
‘You could be going there to get yourself killed,’ she went on. ‘I think your mother has the right to know.’
The intercom on my desk beeped and I pressed the button.
‘Celestial Messenger for you and Master Michael both, ma’am,’ Yi Hao said. ‘Do I tell him to wait?’
‘Don’t make him wait,’ I said. ‘Send him in.’
The door opened and a tiger stood in the doorway. He wasn’t white, like Bai Hu, but the standard deep orange with black stripes. He changed into a man in his mid-thirties wearing the white and gold livery of the Horsemen.
‘Great, a message from Dad,’ Michael said.
The messenger looked from me to Michael to Meredith. ‘I have a message for Lady Emma, and also a message for son number Three One Five.’
‘My name,’ Michael said pointedly, ‘is Michael MacLaren, Ronald, and you know it.’
The Horseman smiled slightly, and handed Michael a white scroll tied with a gold ribbon. Michael unrolled it without moving from his chair. The Horseman waited, watching.
Michael glanced up at the Horseman, his face rigid. ‘Do you know what this says?’
‘Yes, lad,’ the Horseman said. ‘Even more, though, do you know what it means ?’
Michael tossed the scroll onto the desk. He rose gracefully and leaned on the desk with one hand. ‘Tell my father.’ He hesitated, then spoke with force. ‘Notice that I am not going to use a single word of bad language here. Tell my father that I am going to Hell. And that as far as I am concerned, so can he.’ He gestured dismissively towards the scroll. ‘This is either a tremendous honour or a huge insult. Either way, I don’t accept.’
The Horseman visibly relaxed. ‘So you do know what it means.’
‘Damn straight I do.’
‘What is it?’ I said.
‘He’s promoted me to Number Three,’ Michael said.
‘An honour,’ I said.
Both Michael and the Horseman grimaced.
‘Only if I can defend the title,’ Michael said. ‘Anyone who wants to can challenge me for the right to be Number Three.’
‘Normally a son of that level of precedence would be Immortal,’ the Horseman explained. ‘The current Number Three is an Immortal. Dad could be deliberately trying to stir up trouble for Michael, or he could be sincere and really want to promote him, because he thinks he’s that good. Actually I think he’s genuine, because he wants to patch things up with you, Michael.’
‘Why, Ron?’ Michael said.
The Horseman fell to one knee and saluted me. ‘Lady Emma, Regent of the Dark Northern Heavens. I have a message for you as well, and I think this will explain it.’
‘If it’s about him wanting to come back here, that’s up to Simone,’ I said. ‘She was right about the swearing. He keeps forgetting that she’s only fourteen and it’s really not appropriate to talk like that in front of her.’
‘No, ma’am, I have an invitation.’ He rose and passed me a large white card embossed with gold lettering. There was a red ‘double happiness’ marriage character at the top and gilt around the edges.
I glanced at the card. Rhonda was remarrying the Tiger, and would be Raised at the wedding ceremony and crowned Empress of the Western Heavens. I was invited to the ceremony, to be held in February of next year, just before the Chinese New Year holiday.
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Tell the Tiger I’ll send him an RSVP as soon as I’m back from Hell.’
‘Good luck in Hell, ma’am,’ the Horseman said. He nodded to Michael and disappeared.
‘What?’ Michael said.
I passed him the card. He looked at it and his face went grim. He threw it onto the desk. ‘Terrific. To hell with my mother—I’m going with you.’
‘You should talk to her first, Michael.’
He ran one hand over his blond buzz cut. ‘No, I shouldn’t. She’s made her decision,
‘What about your mother, dear?’ Meredith said.
Michael’s face went expressionless.
‘You could be going there to get yourself killed,’ she went on. ‘I think your mother has the right to know.’
The intercom on my desk beeped and I pressed the button.
‘Celestial Messenger for you and Master Michael both, ma’am,’ Yi Hao said. ‘Do I tell him to wait?’
‘Don’t make him wait,’ I said. ‘Send him in.’
The door opened and a tiger stood in the doorway. He wasn’t white, like Bai Hu, but the standard deep orange with black stripes. He changed into a man in his mid-thirties wearing the white and gold livery of the Horsemen.
‘Great, a message from Dad,’ Michael said.
The messenger looked from me to Michael to Meredith. ‘I have a message for Lady Emma, and also a message for son number Three One Five.’
‘My name,’ Michael said pointedly, ‘is Michael MacLaren, Ronald, and you know it.’
The Horseman smiled slightly, and handed Michael a white scroll tied with a gold ribbon. Michael unrolled it without moving from his chair. The Horseman waited, watching.
Michael glanced up at the Horseman, his face rigid. ‘Do you know what this says?’
‘Yes, lad,’ the Horseman said. ‘Even more, though, do you know what it means ?’
Michael tossed the scroll onto the desk. He rose gracefully and leaned on the desk with one hand. ‘Tell my father.’ He hesitated, then spoke with force. ‘Notice that I am not going to use a single word of bad language here. Tell my father that I am going to Hell. And that as far as I am concerned, so can he.’ He gestured dismissively towards the scroll. ‘This is either a tremendous honour or a huge insult. Either way, I don’t accept.’
The Horseman visibly relaxed. ‘So you do know what it means.’
‘Damn straight I do.’
‘What is it?’ I said.
‘He’s promoted me to Number Three,’ Michael said.
‘An honour,’ I said.
Both Michael and the Horseman grimaced.
‘Only if I can defend the title,’ Michael said. ‘Anyone who wants to can challenge me for the right to be Number Three.’
‘Normally a son of that level of precedence would be Immortal,’ the Horseman explained. ‘The current Number Three is an Immortal. Dad could be deliberately trying to stir up trouble for Michael, or he could be sincere and really want to promote him, because he thinks he’s that good. Actually I think he’s genuine, because he wants to patch things up with you, Michael.’
‘Why, Ron?’ Michael said.
The Horseman fell to one knee and saluted me. ‘Lady Emma, Regent of the Dark Northern Heavens. I have a message for you as well, and I think this will explain it.’
‘If it’s about him wanting to come back here, that’s up to Simone,’ I said. ‘She was right about the swearing. He keeps forgetting that she’s only fourteen and it’s really not appropriate to talk like that in front of her.’
‘No, ma’am, I have an invitation.’ He rose and passed me a large white card embossed with gold lettering. There was a red ‘double happiness’ marriage character at the top and gilt around the edges.
I glanced at the card. Rhonda was remarrying the Tiger, and would be Raised at the wedding ceremony and crowned Empress of the Western Heavens. I was invited to the ceremony, to be held in February of next year, just before the Chinese New Year holiday.
‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Tell the Tiger I’ll send him an RSVP as soon as I’m back from Hell.’
‘Good luck in Hell, ma’am,’ the Horseman said. He nodded to Michael and disappeared.
‘What?’ Michael said.
I passed him the card. He looked at it and his face went grim. He threw it onto the desk. ‘Terrific. To hell with my mother—I’m going with you.’
‘You should talk to her first, Michael.’
He ran one hand over his blond buzz cut. ‘No, I shouldn’t. She’s made her decision,
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