I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures and I'm making no money with this story.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And special thanks to my beta reader, Alan Wilkinson.
HEING MEH
Chapter 37
Uncle and Tohru hadn't slept at all that night. Tso Lan's earlier outburst and the way the demon had treated them had assured Uncle that it was the best if they returned home.
"We are not calling off the team work," he had explained to Tohru, "but it's better to distance ourselves from them. They are too unstable."
And Tohru couldn't help agreeing. For a while now he had wanted to get away from the demons.
"But will they tell us the answer about Sha Fuju?" he wondered as he packed Uncle's books into boxes. The old man didn't want to leave a single one of them in Tso Lan's greedy hands.
"Of course they will!" Uncle snapped. Then he reconsidered. "And if they won't, we'll ask Chow."
The shelves in their short-lived library were starting to look empty. Jackie had already gone and taken the first load of books back to the store. Nobody had complained about spending their night moving out. The faster they got away from the demons, the better.
"You're taking all your books."
Uncle and Tohru were startled when they heard Tso Lan's voice. Neither of them had heard or expected the demon's arrival.
Uncle frowned. "They're Uncle's books," he stated. "I don't want them to end up in demons' hands."
Tso Lan said nothing, merely took one book from the boxes and leafed through it. Tohru glared at the demon. He suspected Tso Lan cared more about Uncle's books than the old man's actual help.
"This has been interesting time," the moon demon said. "We've learned much from each other."
"Have we?" Uncle asked stopping his work for a while and turning to look at the demon. "Uncle doesn't recall anything like that."
Tso Lan sighed. "Fine. We managed to live in peace for quite a while, but it looks like it's time to return to the past. There is nothing that ties my family to yours." The demon put the book back.
"I believe that's the way everyone wants it to be," Uncle said.
"I suspect so as well."
Tohru didn't believe that anyone was sorry to see the two families separated again. For a while he had already believed that everyone had forgotten who they were dealing with. Demons were demons, and though they had behaved themselves for the past weeks, that didn't wash away their former sins.
Yet he couldn't force himself to hate the demons as much as he would have liked. They had killed thousands, tortured, concurred and ruled the world with an iron first, but all that had happened a long time ago. He didn't know any of the victims personally and the history known in the western world didn't mention the demons at all. Even in east stories of the eight demons were vague and told by old, dying men.
Subconsciously he compared the demons to historical tyrants. Everyone knew of their cruel deeds, but few were touched by them personally, and therefore not everyone hated them.
I shouldn't think this way, he told himself. As if I felt sympathy for a mass murderer.
Suddenly he realised that now that they were no longer demanding good behaviour from the demons, they could do whatever they wanted again. The mere thought of Po Kong slaughtering someone made him feel disappointed. The mountain demon was a good chi sorceress and he had had many interesting conversations with her.
It was a pity that she too was a blood-thirsty monster.
Their chance of continuing their conversation with Tso Lan was destroyed when an exhausted Bai Tsa rushed in. The water demon was in her true form and was panting so hard that Tohru half believed she would choke.
"Tso... Lan... I..." she tried to say, but had to give up and steady her breathing. She was rocking like she had difficulties standing up.
"Rest for a while," Tso Lan said, but didn't make a move to help his sister.
Uncle and Tohru had stopped their work again the moment the female demon had entered. Perhaps she had news for them all?
"I know the answer!" Bai Tsa exclaimed finally. She didn't look happy about it.
"What is it?" Tso Lan asked and almost managed to keep his voice steady. Tohru didn't know what the moon demon was thinking, but he didn't like the expression on Bai Tsa's face. Something was wrong.
Bai Tsa shook her head. "Heing Meh can't be destroyed," she said. When she saw the others' shocked expressions she hurried to continue, "But Chow said that when his blood colours the square of Ze Zeng some of the damage can be fixed!" She grew silent and stared at her brother. Tohru thought she looked like a child who wanted someone older and stronger to set things right.
Even he had to glance at Uncle and the serious expression on the old man's face made his own worry increase.
"This is very surprising," Tso Lan remarked. Tohru couldn't understand how the demon could sound that calm.
Uncle pressed his fingers on his forehead and closed his eyes. If he hadn't known how strong the old man was, Tohru would have expected him to faint. In any case, he stood ready to catch him.
"It is a mortal legend and was born after you had been sealed away," Uncle said then. "They say that before leaving this world, the Immortals gathered some of their power and placed it in a stone statue of a warrior holding a sword. It stands in the middle of the square of Ze Zeng, but the story doesn't say how to release the power. In theory you can summon the square anywhere, but you need a very powerful creature to cast the spell."
"Heing Meh must be trying to take the power from the sword," Tohru said.
"Yes, and we can't do anything about it," Uncle said. Then, all of sudden, a new hope lit hit eyes. "Unless we kill Heing Meh and pour out his blood. And since we can't kill him... I think I'm starting to understand what Chow's answer means. Tricky."
Bai Tsa looked confused. "What?" she asked and looked from Uncle to Tso Lan and back. Tohru didn't have a clue either. The situation seemed hopeless to him. After all, how could they save anything when they had to kill Heing Meh to achieve it, a task that had just been proven impossible?
"The message is not to be read literally", Uncle explained. "Pouring the blood means killing someone. We can't kill Heing Meh, but we need his blood. Therefore, there is only one solution. Otherwise the message makes no sense and I doubt the powers in Sha Fuju have a sense of humour."
"So, we need to kill someone who shares Heing Meh's blood?" Tohru asked.
Tso Lan nodded. "Exactly," he said. "We can't kill Heing Meh, but in theory any demon's blood should do it. One of my family needs to die."
Necrosis eyed the book in his arms. Its yellow pages, peeling ink and worn out covers fascinated him and almost demanded him to read more. And yet he was feeling horrible and he knew he wasn't making a wise choice.
This is just what Amanda wants, he thought as he turned another page. It revealed a colourful picture of three men performing a post mortem. And perhaps this is also what I want?
Hoyle was sitting on the other side of the room looking unhappy. Necrosis couldn't help frowning when glancing at the man from the corner of his eye. He had become very arrogant.
"You don't need to wait for me. I can take care of myself," he stated as he fully lifted his gaze.
"I'm not leaving without you," Hoyle said darkly. Necrosis could feel the other man's displeasure as he looked at him. "And not with that book. You need to get rid of it."
"We've already spoken about this."
"But you haven't even once given me a reason to keep that book. It's no use for us now or in the future. Think about it!" Hoyle snapped.
"Shut up and let me read." Necrosis turned his eyes back to the book. He understood why Hoyle was so worried. A while ago he wouldn't have wanted to have anything to do with the book either. Now he knew there was no danger. What could this book do?
Suddenly he noticed that the picture wasn't about a post mortem after all. With a flinch he realised that the body on the table was still alive. Mouth open in a silent scream, eyes bulging out and an insane expression decorating the man's face. The three men didn't seem to mind. One of them was pushing something in their victim's stomach.
Necrosis frowned and turned the page swiftly. The beginning of a new chapter.
"Everyone else has left," Hoyle said suddenly breaking his concentration.
"What? Who are you talking about?" the doctor asked.
"The others. Valmont and his men are gone, and the Chans will be leaving at any moment. If we stay we will be alone with the demons," Hoyle said.
"That's not good," Necrosis added. He closed the book and stood up. After all, reading wasn't important enough to forget everything else. No matter what Hoyle accused him of doing. "We need to go as well."
Hoyle looked immensely relieved. He probably thought that things would be like they once were and that they'd tried to revive their criminal status.
Necrosis realised that they should have started doing that a long time ago.
The black book felt heavy in his arms, but he didn't even consider leaving it behind. It would be useful in the future. Somehow. Sometime.
But he would never return to Amanda.
Hoyle had sighed in relief when Necrosis had announced that they would leave. He was worried about the older man and would have liked to see the treasured book burn. Everything was its fault.
He wondered how far he could go. They had to get rid of the book.
The halls of the palace were dim and the sound of their hurrying steps was the only sound they could hear. Faint torches lit the way and their light cast their shadows on the walls. Hoyle hated the entire place and couldn't wait getting back to civilization.
They arrived to the gate without anyone bothering them and stepped through. Like many others before them, they ended up in Uncle's shop. However, they were not lucky enough to arrive when it was empty.
Since all the shelves were filled with junk, Jackie had had to pile all the boxes on the floor. They took most of the room and it took a while before Hoyle realised that they weren't in a junkyard.
"What are you doing here?" Jackie asked placing the last box on top of the others. The Chinese man looked at them warily, but didn't seem threatening.
"We're leaving, like everyone else," Necrosis replied. Hoyle was ready in case Jackie would try something, but to his surprise the archaeologist only nodded.
"Fine."
He must have so much in his mind that he simply doesn't have time to worry about us, Hoyle thought. He guessed it bothered Jackie a lot. He had to feel guilty for not being able to take care of everything.
"I should give you to Black," Jackie said then. "But you saved Jade. I'll let you go now, but if we meet again, I'll do what is right."
Necrosis only nodded. Hoyle followed the doctor, but took one last glance behind him at the door. Only once he was out was he able to relax. He realised that for the first time in a long while he didn't have to feel nervous. Nobody needed them and nobody would come after them.
They could forget all about this mess, if it just was possible.
It's time soon, Shin said. Shendu nodded and felt his inner fire burn brighter than ever. Soon it would be his time. Time of greatness when the world and the pathetic insects would see who their true leader was.
The Nameless will arrive in San Francisco today. It's our only chance of getting rid of him. If he has success, he will be invincible.
"I know that!" Shendu replied. "Don't worry, nothing can go wrong. I have planned everything."
Hopefully. If something happens, both of us will suffer.
"Don't you trust me? If I were you I'd show more respect for your new master," Shendu said.
We agreed I could go home after this, Shin said.
"Yes, yes of course," Shendu said and grinned to himself. He exchanged some more words with the other creature and then closed their temporary connection.
The demon had used Aaron Davidson's form and credit card and got himself a room from the highest floor in a luxury hotel near the park Shin had told him about. He had decided to settle there and keep an eye on the situation. From the window he'd see when something happened.
The fire demon turned to look at Origami who cowered on the floor. Now that his weak siblings weren't there, the fire demon could do anything he wanted. Treating slaves like he desired was one of those things.
The Japanese had spent the entire night on the floor trying to ease the pain in his hand. Shendu hadn't let him speak or move much. He was sorry that since he had so little time, he couldn't put his energy to properly breaking the man.
Suddenly, without a warning, he rushed forward and hit the thief so that his cheek bone let out a nasty crunch. The man yelped in pain and tried to back away from the cruel demon.
"I told you you don't possess the right to look me into the eyes, slave! Never do that again!" Shendu spat. "I'll do whatever is necessary to make you loyal. And believe me; you don't even want to know what I can do without killing you."
"Damn you to Hell," Origami hissed through clenched teeth. Shendu slit his eyes and straightened to his full height.
"You'll hope you never said that," he promised.
He turned his back to the thief and tried to calm down. He would achieve nothing if he was constantly enraged. He would have to get something else to think about.
Unfortunately his thoughts were drifting towards another subject that was even more annoying. What the mortal girl had told him had been in his thoughts the entire night. He had tried to shut Xu Lin's voice from his mind, but had found it an impossible task.
The girl had dreamt of someone dying. It didn't surprise Shendu. If his plan was successful, many would die before night fell. He was worried about something else the girl had said. She had been terrified of the way Shendu had treated her.
The dragon knew what the girl had been thinking and in all honesty, the thought repulsed him. Very few times in his life had had been desperate enough to satisfy himself with a mortal teenager. No, his partners had been other demons or blossomed women who had been trained to pleasure demons.
And when he had chosen a mortal girl, she had never survived for long. He couldn't understand why he would ever let Xu Lin live if he shared a moment with her. In fact, he didn't know why to let her live in any case.
Perhaps she was only seeing what she wanted to see? he thought. During their conversations the girl had tried to find a new, less cruel, side in him. With very little success, of course. Perhaps she hoped that somewhere inside Shendu there was a creature who would save her and take care of her?
The demon had to snort at the thought. That had to be it. The girl had mixed her own ridiculous fantasies with her dreams.
Jade watched how Tohru packed the last book in a box and lifted it in his arms. The adults had spent the entire night taking items back to the store. Now, when morning was dawning, everything was ready and they would return to San Francisco.
She felt a little disappointed. She hadn't had time to get to know Dai Gui's palace and had missed most of the adventure. Now she was afraid of everything going back to normal before she got to enjoy any excitement.
"You better go first. We'll come after you," Jackie said. He had just returned from the shop for another box.
"Whatever," Jade said and she and Xu Lin started heading for the gate.
All demons would remain in the palace and Uncle would close the portal. After that there would be half a world between them and their reluctant allies. Everyone would be happy for a change.
After stepping through the portal some of her disappointment disappeared. She had no clear memory of the time she had been gone, but it was nevertheless great to return to the shop. It had been her home for years and many of the great things in her life had taken place there.
"I'm surprised it's still standing," Jade said.
"I'm not, considering you were away," Jackie pointed out as he too appeared in the store. Jade snorted at her uncle.
Uncle and Tohru came next and the old man started to close the portal.
"Shouldn't we leave it open? What if we need the demons again?" Jackie suggested, a little carefully in Jade's opinion.
"You think that would be a good idea?" Uncle asked turning to the archaeologist. "Enough people have used Uncle's shop as their means of through traffic! Uncle needs to open a customs office soon! If demons want here, they have other ways to come!"
The old man returned to his work and already managed to mumble the first words of the spell when sharp claws made their way through the portal. Soon the rest of the body followed and Hsi Wu stepped into the shop.
"What are you doing here?" Uncle asked in suspicion.
"I want to remain on this side. I have things to take care of," the sky demon replied arrogantly and took a human form in front of them. He wasn't very pleasant and the sour expression on his face didn't improve things. Jade couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Hsi Wu glancing at her swiftly before storming out.
"So arrogant!" Uncle said angrily. Jade decided that she didn't want to stay downstairs, watch how the portal was closed and how everyone would start arguing over where each book belonged. So, she grabbed Xu Lin's arm and dragged her friend upstairs.
They knew all about what Chow had found out in Sha Fuju. Even though Jackie still regarded them as children, he didn't want to keep something that important from them. Especially after Viper had had a few words with him.
Yet Jade wasn't feeling pessimistic and wasn't afraid of the future. She was positive by nature and had survived so many bad things that it was hard to believe. If she was worried about something, it was the survival of her loved ones.
"I can finally sleep in my own bed," she sighed as she threw herself on it.
Xu Lin smiled at her friend's joy, but then her face grew serious. "When do you think I can return home?" she asked.
"Don't you like it here? Are you bored with us?" Jade asked.
"Of course not, but I miss home. I want to see how my brother is doing. I don't think father intended for me to stay this long. It's a small wonder he hasn't come to get me back," Xu Lin said. Jade had to chuckle.
"What do you think Hsi Wu is up to?" she asked then. Xu Lin shrugged.
"I don't know. All his siblings stayed behind, except Shendu."
"Valmont is here too. I bet that Hsi Wu will go to meet him," Jade said.
Hsi Wu leaned on the wall and kept an eye on the street and the people passing him. Nothing seemed to be wrong, but he didn't let himself relax even for a moment. Anything could happen at any time.
He guessed the others had already noticed he was gone. Tso Lan would be angry that the sky demon hadn't mentioned his plans to anyone, but he hardly cared. He had long ago passed the point when he needed to report his actions to anyone.
Hundreds and hundreds of years ago...
A mother, holding hands with her small son, passed him. Seeing the two didn't revive any feelings in Hsi Wu, but he wondered if he had ever walked like that with his mother. He wasn't curious, merely entertained himself with the thought.
He had practically no memories of his time as a human, and he didn't want them either. The mere thought of having once been a pathetic mortal disgusted him. At the same time it kept him in line and stopped him from becoming blind and proud like Shendu.
Sometimes he regretted having told Jade. What use had that been? Valmont had been an understandable choice to make the confession, a young mortal girl shouldn't have been on the list. The more people knew, the worse.
But he was sure Jade hadn't told anyone. If she had, her relatives would have already offered finding a counter spell and turning him back. The mere thought made him shudder.
He shook his head. He had more important things to think about. Firstly, he'd have to speak with Valmont. Tso Lan had abandoned the crime lord, but Hsi Wu wasn't sure if he wanted to follow the example. On top of that he'd have to keep an eye on the old man's shop.
What had happened with Shin earlier could not happen again.
Chow was already starting to feel a little better. His head ached and he had no intention of getting up in a while, but at least he was alive. Alive, and taken care of the magical task thrown at him.
"You need anything?" Ratso asked. He was always ready to do something for his friends and had the habit of being too soft every now and then -- even if he could be just as bad as the rest of the trio.
Chow shook his head. That was fine with Ratso and silence filled the room again. The Chinese man's eyes turned to the window where Finn stood, looking outside.
"Why was she here?" Chow asked then. He saw how Finn shrugged.
"She wanted to hear the answer and tell it to her brothers, I guess," the Irishman said. "I'm just glad she didn't grab me too."
"Perhaps she was too busy to remember. Maybe she'll come back," Ratso pointed out.
"I hope not," Chow stated. At the moment the last thing he wanted was meeting one of the demons again.
"Same here," Finn said and finally turned around. "But let's not talk about her. Are you feeling okay?"
"As well as possible, considering the circumstances. I'll be back sooner than you think," Chow replied. He closed his eyes for a moment. It was like a hammer was pounding inside his head and he half believed it would never end.
"So, the demon adventure is over for us," Ratso said, not sounding disappointed. "We're not needed anymore, unless Bai Tsa decides to come back for you." As he spoke he nodded at Finn, but the Irishman only snorted.
"I doubt it. And besides, I'm not going to be here waiting for her," he said.
"If we just leave, the demons might come and cause trouble for Isabelle," Chow remarked keeping his eyes closed. It was so much easier when the light didn't hurt him.
"I know, but we can't do anything about that," Finn said sounding tired. As he opened his eyes for a while Chow saw that his friend was standing with his hands in his pockets and a grim expression on his face. Finn had looked like that a lot lately.
"The Chans will probably get rid of the demons, like last time," he said hopefully.
"Hope so. Working in this city will be hard if the insane siblings can run at loose," Finn said.
A strong wind blew at the sea and Hoyle had to hold onto his hat. He was grabbing the railing tightly with his other hand and stared at the distance.
He and Necrosis had managed to get onboard a ship that would take them away from San Francisco. It had been relatively difficult, even though the doctor still had a little money left from his empire.
He had no idea what their final destination was and what they'd be doing the following years. He only had the bad hunch that things would not be the same again.
Necrosis stood next to him and held his beloved book under his arm. Hoyle was really starting to get fed up with the cursed item. It had completely taken over the mind of his superior and the doctor refused to place it down for one second.
I need to do something before he goes insane, he decided. The dark water roaring below them gave him an idea.
When another passenger walked past them next time, he took a light step back and reached out his leg. The movement looked innocent and seemed like an unfortunate accident that the man passing them lost his balance and sought support from Necrosis.
At the same time Hoyle made a small gesture, used his telekinetic powers and the book flew from the doctor's hands to the sea. The splash wasn't heard under the noise of the ship's engine and the surprised exclaim Necrosis let out, but Hoyle still felt like a boulder had been lifted off his shoulders.
"My book!" Necrosis yelled and stared at the water in desperation. His face was pale and eyes wide with shock. For a while Hoyle was afraid the old man would jump after the book, but fortunately that didn't happen.
"Watch where you're going! I dropped my book!" the doctor snapped turning at the other passenger in rage. The man looked bewildered and his cheeks flushed.
"I'm, I'm terribly sorry," he said. "I don't understand what happened. I, I guess I wasn't looking... I'll pay for your book. How much was it worth?"
Necrosis wasn't listening but stormed away angrily. Hoyle pushed his hands in his pockets and smirked.
"A game of cards?" he asked the man he had used in the little trick.
Valmont put the phone away and leaned back in his chair. At least one thing was taken care of. He had spent the entire day calling around the world to his business partners and trying to fix everything that had been ruined because of the demons. Everyone had noticed his short disappearance and he knew that his explanation of a secret vacation wasn't fooling anyone.
He rubbed his face tiredly and tried to collect strength for another call. There was much work to do before things were back to normal and he'd have to keep going. That was what he wanted and what he knew to be right.
Despite this he couldn't suppress the nervous feeling that bothered him. If the Nameless or Heing Meh or whatever he was came after him, he could do nothing. He couldn't fight, couldn't control his powers -- if he even had any -- and nobody would come to help him.
He wasn't afraid, but he felt healthy concern for his own survival. As long as he and his business were safe, he had no reason to take part in the battle. He didn't want to do that in any case. The Chans and the demons could kill themselves off as far as he cared.
In fact, that was exactly what worried him. If everyone else failed, nobody would stop Heing Meh. He didn't want to be the last one standing and endangering himself for the sake of others.
With an angry sigh he decided that he was not going to get any more work done that day. He'd have to concentrate on treating his nerves. It would also be useful to know in what condition his men were and how fast they'd be able to get back to work -- if the trio thought they would be paid for the time spent among the demons, they were badly mistaken.
Thankfully he didn't have to worry about Hak Foo. The warrior was a lone wolf and had left the demons in silence after it had become clear that Valmont was gone. The Brit thought that it might have been a good idea to inform the warrior of his plans a little earlier. However, he hadn't really thought about anyone else but himself at the time.
He found himself tapping impatiently at his desk. He was feeling frustrated. Something is going to happen, he thought. He couldn't say how he knew that.
It felt impossible to just sit there, and he stood up and started pacing around his office. Finally he couldn't take the surrounding walls anymore and stormed outside.
I need to see it, he thought. If for nothing else, at least for saving myself.
Jack Mulvehill was enjoying a peaceful day in the park. He walked around with no hurry and licked the ice cream he had just bought. A familiar old lady, sitting a few benches away, waved at him and he replied to the greeting.
It was a lovely day. Not too cold or hot and even the wind wasn't there to ruin anyone's day. It was also quiet. Even though he was at the edges of the park, he couldn't hear the noise of traffic.
Strange, Jack thought to himself. He ate his ice cream in confusion. Nobody else seemed to have noticed anything. The silence made him feel awkward, so he decided to spend the rest of the day somewhere else, perhaps in his favourite restaurant.
"Look, mom! Clouds," said a small boy near him and gestured at his mother to look up. Jack and several others did the same. And true, thick, dark clouds had appeared on the previously clear sky.
"They didn't mention this in the weather report," the boy's mother said.
"You can't trust anything these days," someone else added.
Jack felt that something strange was going on. They always laughed at him at work because he had the habit of jumping to conclusions and believing in conspiracy theories. "Don't believe everything someone has written," they always told him.
His suspicions grew stronger when the screaming started and people began running like mad. Jack couldn't move. He was too curious and escaping wouldn't have been any use anyway. He had always sucked at sports.
After a while he regretted his decision. Behind the thick trees appeared a huge... something. Jack only saw that it had red wings and it looked like some sort of lizard. He also saw the creature's teeth, but only after it was very close and there was no chance of survival.
The Nameless drew his head back and attacked the stupid man who had remained in his place when everyone else had run. He died with one bite. Pity in a way, but right now the demon had no time for fun.
"Shin!" he called. The servant appeared at once. "Let us begin."
To be continued...
The last chapter is huge, so it will take a while to get it translated and beta read. Also, there will be a short epilogue posted at the same time.