Earth to Hell. Kylie Chan
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Tiger grunted. ‘Let’s just get out of here,’ he said.
‘A collar and bell for the pussy!’ another dragon called as we proceeded up the stairs.
At the top was an enormous gate, at least five storeys high, with massive red doors embellished with huge black metal reinforcing studs. A red wall stretched away on either side of the gate, disappearing into the clouds and seeming to go on forever.
Kwan Yin stood at the gate waiting for us. She was in human form, but appeared ageless and wore flowing white robes that floated around her. She smiled at us, and Simone ran to her and took her hand in greeting.
I glanced behind us. The path we stood on also disappeared into the clouds. We appeared to be floating in Heaven.
‘Is there anything down there?’ I asked.
‘Actually, no,’ Bai Hu said. ‘The Palace sits on a floating island of rock. The only way here is to ride a cloud or use a Nine-Dragon Wall.’
‘Where would I go if I fell off?’
‘Nobody knows, because nobody ever has.’
A small door at the bottom of the gates opened. It was only about a metre and a half tall and a metre wide and fitted so neatly into the corner of the gate that it was invisible when closed. Kwan Yin moved beside us and the four of us faced it.
An elderly man with long grey hair stepped through; the door was so small he had to stoop to fit. He wore a traditional black robe with an official’s hat; a high, square style with long extensions either side.
‘Don’t step on the threshold, Emma,’ Bai Hu said. ‘The raised step at the bottom of the door. Careful.’
‘I know,’ I said. ‘What about the seals? There’s no way I can go through them without being destroyed.’
‘This official is to bring them down for you.’
The official approached, stopped about two metres away, and carefully saluted each of us in order of precedence. ‘Lady Kwan Yin. Lord Bai Hu, Lord of the West. Princess Simone. Lady Emma Donahoe, Promised of the Dark Lord of the Northern Heavens. Welcome.’
We all saluted back.
‘Please, come this way. We are ready for you.’
As we neared the gate, the official stopped and concentrated. The seals on the bigger gates shimmered into visibility: sheets of paper at least ten metres high with complicated calligraphy and symbolic charms. The paper shredded and dissipated.
The official sighed. ‘It took me nearly a year to create those seals when I put them on about a thousand years ago. We’ll have to make do with something temporary while I construct some new ones.’
‘Good Lord, I’m putting the Celestial Palace at risk?’ I said, horrified.
The official smiled over his shoulder at me. ‘No, ma’am. The seals don’t really do anything, they’re just there for show.’
‘What is your honoured name, sir?’ I asked.
‘Just call me Mr Wong, Lady Emma.’
The massive gates opened inward smoothly and silently, revealing the Celestial Palace within.
The Palace was constructed of stone adorned with brilliant cobalt blue tiles. Traditional gold tiles covered the roofs with their upward-curving edges. At each corner of each roof was a glazed ceramic image of a man riding a chicken, with other animals lined up along the edge of the roof behind him and a dragon bringing up the rear.
The Palace was built up the side of a gently rising hill with a magnificent hall at the top, at least a kilometre away. A network of identical pavilions and walkways worked up towards it in perfect geometric arrangement, mirrored on each side. The gold-tiled roofs sparkled in the sunshine beneath the brilliantly azure sky. Green treetops jutted between the walls.
A huge grey stone-paved courtyard, at least two hundred metres to a side, lay between the gate and the base of the hill. Bonsai trees, each about a metre high, were scattered about the courtyard, some of them bearing large peaches, apricots and cumquats; flower pots containing massive chrysanthemums in brilliant colours also broke the monotony of the paving. Larger potted trees, some of them up to five metres tall, flanked the courtyard, also bearing peaches. A wide stream flowed across the courtyard, its surface level with the paving. It was spanned by three arched bridges, and small blue dragons swam within the crystalline water. Brilliant phoenixes with plumage of many colours wandered around the courtyard, like ornamental peacocks. The view resonated with me, then I realised it was similar to the courtyard at the front of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
The official led us into the courtyard. ‘The first hall is the Hall of Welcome Contentment. There you will prepare to see the Celestial.’
He raised his head and spoke loudly and clearly, ‘Hall of Welcome Contentment,’ then took a step forward and disappeared.
‘Do the same, Emma: just say the name of the hall and take a step forward,’ Kwan Yin said.
‘Hall of Welcome Contentment,’ I said, stepped forward, and was instantly at the entrance to the hall. Mr Wong stood there waiting. Kwan Yin, Bai Hu and Simone appeared next to me.
‘Way cool,’ Simone whispered. ‘I wish we had this at school. Those stairs are a killer.’
Mr Wong raised one arm. ‘Please, enter.’
The hall had large red pillars and its ceiling was covered with elaborately decorated tiles. It was empty except for a pair of rosewood stands, as tall as a man, holding incense braziers.
Mr Wong gestured to the left. ‘This way, everybody. There is a preparation room where you can ready yourselves.’
We walked to the end of the hall, where a simple doorway led to a set of apartments with modern furniture. Priceless silk rugs covered the polished hardwood floor. A comfortable set of tan leather couches sat to one side, and an oval rosewood dining table inlaid with mother-of-pearl to the other.
There were doors at each end of the room and another door, paned with glass, that opened to the courtyard beyond. Ming-style rosewood shelves displayed a collection of antique vases.
Bai Hu had a quick, whispered discussion with Mr Wong. The discussion became heated, although still whispered. Bai Hu raised his voice and glanced at me, then lowered it again. Mr Wong shut the discussion off and stormed out.
Bai Hu thundered over to us, his face raw with fury. ‘I do not believe this!’
‘They can’t do this to her,’ Simone said. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘The Celestial does as he wills,’ Kwan Yin said. ‘It is traditional.’
‘But it isn’t her True Form,’ Bai Hu hissed. ‘They’re doing this deliberately to shame her.’
‘Oh my God,’ I said, and they all looked at me. ‘He’s going to make me go in as a snake, isn’t he?’
Ms Kwan’s voice was full of compassion. ‘Everybody takes True Form in front of the Jade Emperor. Nobody hides anything. But you were born human, Emma. I have already discussed this with the Celestial, and he agreed to see you as a human. He has just, in this last hour, changed his mind.’
I sighed with feeling. ‘This could cost me everything. I hope he protects me when everybody goes after my head.’
‘You have to take Celestial Form too, Simone,’ Bai Hu said.
Simone’s face closed up tight.
‘You have a Celestial Form?’ I said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you could do it?’
‘How the hell does he know about that?’ Simone said.
‘The Celestial knows all, Simone,’ Kwan Yin said. ‘It appears that Mr Li’s time was wasted.’
‘Why’d