– CHAPTER 30 –
The Final Battle
Po Kong knew she shouldn't have left their hideout at such a critical moment, but she couldn't help herself. She was the mountain demon; she hated enclosed spaces as much as Hsi Wu did. Humans' houses, even the bigger ones, were not large enough for Po Kong, which forced her to stay in her human form or shrink. Either way, it was very uncomfortable.
Besides, she couldn't stand being around her siblings anymore. Not that she didn't enjoy their company once in a while, but they had been confined to that house for days, maybe weeks. Now that she thought about that, Po Kong realised she had lost the notion of time. How long had it been since they left the Netherworld? She had no idea. Suddenly, she felt empty, depressed, as if something were missing in her life.
Therefore, she had decided to relax a bit and go out for a walk in the city. However, after finding herself in front of the first restaurant, she quickly changed her mind and concluded that a nice dinner was just what she needed. After the first five courses, she felt much better, hardly noticing that being in her human form and in an enclosed space wasn't bothering her at all at the moment.
She hadn't brought money. After the supermarket incident, every time Po Kong mentioned she needed more than three hundred dollars—whatever that meant—, Bai Tsa's human looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown. Knowing how possessive her younger sister was, the mountain demon thought the best was to leave him alone before he went really mad. Money had no importance to her, anyway. Bai Tsa was the one who worried too much about such trivial things. As long as Po Kong didn't do anything foolish that would attract the humans' attention, as Hsi Wu had done, there was no danger, especially because the Chan family should be busy trying to locate Mei Liang.
"Aiya! Uncle forgot to buy garlic!" came the old Chan's voice, making Po Kong start and choke on the juice she had been drinking.
"Do you need garlic for the locator spell, Uncle?" the young Chan asked while Po Kong coughed uncontrollably.
"No," the old man answered calmly. "It's just that garlic is gooooood for digestion."
"Of course it is, Uncle," Jackie sighed.
At that moment, the group was going past the restaurant and Tohru, having his attention attracted by Po Kong, took a curious look at the mountain demon. When she finally recovered, she tried to look busy and hide part of her face so that he would not recognise her, but it was too late.
"I could buy the garlic now, sensei," the Japanese man offered. Uncle pondered for some seconds.
"All right, but you must hurry."
Po Kong cursed rather aloud, making the gentleman at the next table look at her oddly. From the corner of her eye, she saw the group go away while Tohru, as she had expected, entered the restaurant and headed towards her table.
"Er... Hello, Keiko-san," he greeted her, smiling shyly. Po Kong had to suppress a laugh and only raised her head when she was sure her expression was serious enough.
"Oh, it's you," she said. Tohru moved uncomfortably.
"Uh... What a coincidence to meet you here... Um... er... Do you mind if I... ah... join you?"
This time, Po Kong couldn't help herself and chuckled. She had forgotten how amusing humans could be. Tohru stared at her, confused and unsure.
"No, I do not," she answered, trying to go back to her cold composure.
The Japanese man smiled happily and clumsily sat down, knocking over the glass with juice. Luckily, it was almost empty and the juice wasn't spilled.
"Oops... Hehe, I am sorry..." Tohru murmured, placing the glass back. "So, do you—" He stopped, gaping slightly, when the waiter brought more three plates full of food and the mountain demon began to eat it rabidly.
"You want some?" she offered, her mouth full. Tohru blinked and opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Po Kong swallowed all at once and shouted to the waiter, "Hey, waiter! More food to my friend here!"
"I, ah— " Tohru stuttered, but the demon interrupted him once more, beginning to eat again.
"The food here is excellent," she commented.
"Uh, yes, indeed," he replied. "I come here often. My sensei also likes this restaurant very much."
"Oh, really?" Interesting. Po Kong would have to remember that later, perhaps to plan another ambush or something of the sort. In fact, now that she thought of it, it could be an excellent idea to make this human talk more about the Chan clan. She might even find out their weaknesses. "You had already mentioned this master of yours before. What does he teach you, anyway?"
"He... ah..." Tohru hesitated. Only then did she remember that most humans nowadays did not believe in magic. The human in front of her probably wouldn't tell just anyone that he studied magic.
"Spells?" she suggested, amused to see the colour draining off Tohru's face.
"W-what...? H-how did you...?" he stuttered.
"I heard him shouting that he needed garlic. A young man with him asked if it was for a spell," she explained. Tohru blushed and tried to say something. "I find it fascinating."
Tohru's eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief. "R-really?"
Po Kong nodded and, this time, swallowed her food before speaking. "When I lived in China, I had a boyfriend who was a wizard," she told him. It wasn't even a lie; she had had many lovers who were wizards, all of them with the same tragic end: devoured by her. Remembering that made her smirk. Ah, the good, old times...
"I did not know that. You don't... well..." He stopped when Po Kong looked at him coldly. "do not look like the type..."
She leaned forward. "Well, looks can be deceiving," she said, narrowing her eyes and smiling slyly.
"I think you are right," he admitted, feeling more at ease when the waiter brought him his food. "Since you like magic so much, you could visit us at Uncle's shop someday. I am sure he would be pleased to meet you."
Not quite, Po Kong thought, just imagining the old man casting a spell that would send her back to the Netherworld. Those unpleasant thoughts were quickly put aside when she began to watch him eating. He was either really nervous or very hungry, for he ate almost as fast as she did. And with pleasure as well.
"You like to eat, do you?" she asked softly. Tohru smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"Very much."
"Do you like to cook too?"
"Oh, yes, I love cooking. I am the one who makes the meals at the shop."
"Really? You must be good at that."
"Yes. I mean, that is what everyone there says. Although sometimes sensei complains when I forget the garlic—" He stopped abruptly and slapped his forehead. "The garlic! I forgot! I am sorry, but I must hurry now. Perhaps some other day we could... um, you know... go out for... dinner... or something?" he asked, blushing.
"Are you asking me out? As in a... date?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, of course not... Well, yes... I mean..."
Po Kong stared at him. It was so pathetic! Then again, if she spent more time with him, perhaps she would get more useful information about the Chan family.
"Well, why not?" she replied, shrugging.
"So you accept it?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, yes, whatever."
Tohru grinned and took something out of his pocket. Po Kong noted that it was an object similar to the one where Valmont had kept his money, only this one was older and clearly inferior in quality.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
"I will pay for our dinner. Ah... how much is it again?" The human called the waiter and asked for the check. When he saw the price he should pay, he frowned and gulped, but did not change his mind. Po Kong watched him curiously. This human was so naïve and generous! It would be ridiculously easy to get him to trust her.
"Thank you for paying. Can you believe I forgot to bring money?"
"Really?" He smiled. "I am glad I could help."
He emptied his wallet and gave all the money to the waiter, then asked him to put the rest in his bill. Seemingly, they knew each other. Of course, Po Kong thought. After all, he had just told her the Chans frequented this restaurant.
Tohru stood up and bowed slightly. "Well, then... until... um..."
"Until next week, here, at seven," Po Kong completed. Tohru laughed nervously and waved her goodbye before leaving the restaurant.
Humans... They never change! she thought, chuckling again.
The next instant, someone hit her table with a clenched fist, making her flinch. She raised her eyes and saw Shendu's human form glaring at her. The mountain demon's expression immediately changed to one of extreme aversion.
"What do you want, Shendu?"
"What in the Netherworld were you doing with that human?" the fire demon hissed.
"That is none of your business!" she retorted, standing up and leaving the restaurant.
Shendu followed her. "It is, when you are fraternising with the enemy!
"Don't be ridiculous, Shendu! I was not doing that!"
"Oh, really?" He sneered. "What were you doing, then?"
Po Kong glanced around quickly and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "Starting an espionage mission." She laughed evilly and Shendu wrinkled his nose.
"You have been watching too many movies with Xiao Fung and Hsi Wu, haven't you?"
Po Kong stopped laughing and looked at him in confusion. "What is a... 'movie'?"
He rolled his eyes. "Never mind."
She shrugged. "As I was saying, I had a wonderful idea! I will get close to that pathetic human and make him trust me. Thus, I will be able to find out the weaknesses of the Chan clan and we will have more chances to defeat them!"
Shendu frowned. "If Mei Liang doesn't kill us first, you mean. By the way, do you realise how stupid was the idea of leaving the hideout just when Tso Lan finally located Mei Liang?"
"That is none of your business, either," she said coldly. Shendu narrowed his eyes and eyed her in distrust. After a while walking in silence, Po Kong asked, "So he finally located her?"
"Yes, that is what I just told you," the dragon answered through clenched teeth.
Ignoring her little brother's irritation, the mountain demon wondered if the Chans had already found Mei Liang as well.
oOo
"Hatcha!" Uncle shouted, attracting the attention of everyone in the shop. Tohru, who was just arriving, rushed to him. "Uncle has located the demon of dreams!"
"And where is she, Uncle?" Jackie asked, uneasy.
"In Hong Kong, right here," the old man said, indicating the exact location on the map. Jackie and Tohru frowned, recognising the place.
"It's near Shendu's portal," Jackie observed.
"The demons have probably located her as well and will go there to stop Mei Liang," Uncle said.
"And they will take Yade with them," concluded Paco.
"Then we can banish all the demons at once and save Jade. Piece of cake," said Viper.
"It will not be so simple," Uncle remarked. "There is still that girl with the Hun Yu jewel, which is extremely dangerous in wrong hands. And it is in wrong hands now! Besides, Mei Liang may release her brothers, and that would just make things more difficult."
"Well, one more reason for us to hurry," said El Toro.
"Indeed. And we should go right now. The trip is long and we have no time to waste."
"I'll call Captain Black and ask for a jet to take us there," Viper offered.
"Dad, can I go too?" Jack asked, surprising everyone.
"But, Jack, you never liked the idea of getting involved with demons!" his father said in disbelief.
"But I want to help you save Jade. She's my cousin!"
"Jack, it's a good thing that you want to help, but it would be the best if you just stayed here. It is at least nine demons and a very powerful jewel to deal with; it is too dangerous."
"We don't want anything to happen to you, Jack," Viper added.
Then, everyone dispersed: Viper went to call Captain Black; Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru went to pack; Paco and El Toro hurried to Section 13 to help with all the necessary arrangements and explain to Captain what was happening. In half an hour, they were all outside the shop, saying goodbye to Jack—Uncle also told him to watch the shop while they were gone.
They got in the taxi and left. Jack waited until they were at a safe distance before entering the shop and turning the sign to the side where it was written "CLOSED". Since no one was willing to take him, it was time to put into practice everything he had learned from his cousin. He would go to Hong Kong with the others, whether they wanted him to or not.
oOo
After concentrating and speaking some magic words, Tso Lan made an image of a place strangely familiar to Jade appear. The girl watched in awe as the image became three-dimensional. Suddenly, everything looked so real that she had the feeling they had been transported to that place, wherever it was. However, when she tried to touch a tree, her hand passed through it, proving that everything was just an illusion.
"Wow! This is so cool!" she said.
"Silence, mortal!" Hsi Wu hissed, slapping the back of her head. Jade yelped and glared at him. Though they had agreed to treat each other like there was only hatred between them so that the other demons wouldn't be suspicious, did he really have to be so convincing?
"Do you recognise this place?" Tso Lan inquired suddenly.
"It is Hong Kong," Dai Gui answered.
"Near Shendu's portal," Tchang Zu added. The moon demon nodded.
"It is where Mei Liang's oldest brother and I fought. She has decided to release the strongest one of her family first, but that gives us an advantage."
"Advantage! You just said he's the strongest! How can that be an advantage to us?" Jade questioned, yelping once more when Hsi Wu grabbed her arm with unnecessary strength.
"I told you to be quiet!"
Jade scowled, but did not say anything.
"It is an advantage because the spell to release him requires more chi and more time. Long enough for at least one of us to get there." He turned to Valmont, who flinched and approached Bai Tsa as if expecting she would protect him lest the moon demon meant him any harm. "If I am not mistaken, we are in Tchang Zu's old territory, correct? Which means the fastest and easiest way to Hong Kong is to the west?"
Valmont hesitated and just nodded in response.
"Very well, then," Tso Lan said softly. "We do not have much time. I will go in my own way. Anyone here who cannot cross the sea will go with the humans in that so-called jet."
"Besides you, only Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa can cross the ocean," Xiao Fung observed.
"And Dai Gui also," said Tchang Zu, but the earth demon shook his head.
"It would take too long."
"Indeed. He would have to dig until he was under the sea level. Even he would not manage," Tso Lan explained.
"It is settled, then. Tso Lan and Hsi Wu will be flying and Bai Tsa will be swimming. Thus, you will be able to get there in time to stop her. The rest of us will join you in the fight later," Tchang Zu summed it up. Everyone agreed.
Jade felt Hsi Wu grab her wrist.
"Are you coming with me?" he asked quietly so that only she could hear him.
"What, are you kidding me? Do you really think I'll be left out?" She grinned.
Hsi Wu smiled briefly, then his face was sober again and he glanced carefully at his siblings. "Let us go, then." He took her outside the house, following Tso Lan.
While the moon demon used his gravitational powers to float higher, Hsi Wu took Jade in his arms and flew up. Surprised, Jade gasped and embraced the winged demon tightly, but then relaxed. She simply loved to fly, especially with Hsi Wu. The stars and the moon seemed much closer, and the sight of the nocturnal city of San Francisco was fantastic.
A strong, cold wind blew and Jade shivered. Hsi Wu noticed that and held her closer.
"Are you sure you want to come, Jade? I will have to fly very fast. We will cross an entire ocean and you will be even colder. Perhaps you should stay here..." he whispered.
"No! I'm coming with you no matter what!" she insisted, determined.
Hsi Wu shrugged briefly and all of a sudden shot out towards the sea, right after his brother. Jade was surprised by the sudden movement ands speed and held the wind demon tighter.
oOo
As soon as Tso Lan and Hsi Wu left, Bai Tsa grabbed Valmont's wrist and dragged him to the second floor.
"Ow! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" he asked, his face contorted in pain. Every time Bai Tsa caught his wrist like that, it was as if she wanted to break it.
"I want to make sure you will not do anything stupid," the water demon answered.
"What?"
Bai Tsa stopped and narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. "You will stay here while I am gone. And I don't want you to run away, so—"
"What do you mean, I will stay here!" Valmont protested. "No! I'm going after my daughter! You can't stop me!"
"Oh, yes, I can," she said, opening the door of his room and violently shoving him inside. Before he could even get up, she shut the door.
"Bai Tsa!"
On the other side, the mermaid spoke a word he could not understand and the door glowed blue. "I have sealed the door magically. It is no use trying to open or force it. It will open only when the spell is removed," Bai Tsa warned.
"Bai Tsa, let me out of here this instant! You can't do this to me!" he yelled, banging his fists on the door frenetically. She laughed and went away. "Open this door right now! Bai Tsa! You can't leave me here!"
Silence. Bai Tsa was gone and left him locked up in his own room, with no water or food. Valmont cursed aloud and several times, kicking the door one last time before giving up and leaning on the wall, sighing heavily.
The door still had a dim, bluish glow, and Valmont knew it would be useless to try opening it. However, there was still the window. How could Bai Tsa forget that detail?
With a hint of hope, he rushed to the window and tried to open it, but as soon as he touched it, a strange energy repelled him. More carefully, he reached out for it. Little blue rays rose from the glass and he backed away, not wanting to be repelled again. It felt like he had got a shock, reminded him of the times when he had touched the Pan Ku box while Shendu possessed his body.
Then, it wasn't only the door that was magically sealed, but the window as well. Desperate, Valmont looked around, trying to think of a way to escape. Unfortunately, there was no secret passage in this room.
He sat down on his bed and tried to relax to think clearer. There had to be a way out! After some minutes, he got tired and lay down.
At that moment, he noted the air vent in the ceiling. Abruptly getting up, he examined it and wondered if it was also sealed. Valmont took a quick glance around and went to get a hanger in the closet.
Standing on his bed, he poked the vent with the hanger. Nothing happened. Valmont could barely believe. Bai Tsa hadn't even realised there was an exit other than the door and the window!
He jumped up to remove the vent. Once he heaved himself into it, he sealed it back and began crawling through the vent pipes, ignoring the dirt, the dust, and the cobwebs. In any other circumstance, he would have refused to do it, but this was an emergency. It wasn't just because of Julia, but now it was also a matter of dignity. He would not let any demon control him or lock him up in his own room as if he were her pet.
He finally reached the next room. After removing the vent, he jumped out of it and landed nimbly on the bed. He could already hear the Dark Hand's jet approaching. Now he had to hurry, or else he wouldn't be able to get there in time. He rushed out of the room as fast as he could, went downstairs, almost tripped once, and got to the sitting room. Nobody was there; all the demons had also heard the jet and had already left.
Valmont heard the jet landing near the house and ran to the door that leaded to the backyard. When he finally reached the jet, everyone was already inside and it was ready to take off.
"Wait!" he shouted, waving frantically to the pilot. The latter saw him and waited, then opened the door to let him in.
"Why are we not flying yet?" Tchang Zu asked at the moment Valmont came in. All the demons, even Po Kong and Shendu, in their human forms, stared at him. The man was covered in dust, slightly sweaty, and panting, his hair a mess.
"What happened to you?" Xiao Fung asked him, raising a brow.
"I'm... going... to Hong Kong... too..." Valmont said, trying to catch his breath, then glared at the demons as if daring them to stop him.
"Hm. Whatever," Xiao Fung replied, shrugging. All the demons went back to their places and completely ignored the man.
A bit surprised, Valmont collapsed on a seat in the last row and took a deep breath. After the jet took off, he went to the lavatory to wash his hand and his face and tied his hair back. When he was about to go back to his seat, he heard Po Kong complain about being hungry.
"You have eaten all the food here already!" Tchang Zu snapped.
"You may eat this blond human who is coming with us," Dai Gui suggested. Valmont gulped, his hand still upon the doorknob. Perhaps crossing the Pacific Ocean in a jet with six demons—one of them constantly hungry—wasn't such a good idea, after all...
"You cannot eat him. You know how Bai Tsa gets when we kill her humans," Xiao Fung reminded them.
"Ah, I forgot," Po Kong muttered. Valmont sighed in relief and finally dared to go back to his place. "In the ancient times we couldn't even look at them for too long that she was insufferable for days. It seems old habits do die hard."
As he sat down and saw the demons' frustrated expression, Valmont couldn't help but smirk. Who would have guessed that being Bai Tsa's prisoner had its advantages?
"I don't know why. They never last for too long, anyway," Shendu remarked, smiling caustically at the human.
Valmont frowned to the fire demon and looked away, turning to the window. Well, it seemed there were more disadvantages. And he really didn't appreciate the idea of spending the rest of his life as the spiteful mermaid's prisoner.
Then again...
Valmont couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in his room right before Tso Lan called them. It was amazing how all his hatred for the water demon had suddenly turned into desire, an impulsive passion. Why had he felt like that?
Perhaps she had enchanted him, as if she had threatened in case he didn't cooperate. Yes, that should be it. Clenching his fists, Valmont silently cursed her. She wouldn't get away with that! He would teach that demon a lesson. In his own way, in his own time...
oOo
As they approached their destination, Jackie grew more and more nervous. Since they left the shop, Uncle hadn't stopped telling them how dangerous this new demon was, especially now when she had the corrupted power of the Hun Yu jewel. Even with all the talismans, it would be difficult to defeat her. Jackie could only hope the other demon sorcerers wouldn't join forces with her.
His only solace was to know that his son was safe in the shop.
Behind him, Tohru began to look for more crisps. Not finding any around, he decided to get more in a bag kept above him. The Japanese man stood up, barely opened the boot, and stepped back when something fell at his feet, followed by a yelp.
For a moment, Jackie was hopeful. "Jade!" he whispered, immediately turning around. Impossible, he thought.
"Jack!" the others exclaimed in unison.
The boy slowly got up and smiled nervously at his mother.
"What are you doing here?" Viper demanded to know, placing her hands on her hips.
"Actually, I'm more curious to know how he got here," Tohru said quietly. At this, Jack smiled mischievously.
"It's just something Jade taught me," he answered.
"She sure did," Jackie murmured to himself.
"Aiya! I knew Jade would be a bad example for him if they spent too much time together!" Uncle complained to a taken aback Jackie.
"But it was always you who made her take care of him while we worked, Uncle!" he protested helplessly, being punished with a two-fingered whack in the head.
"Are you blaming Uncle for your incompetence as a fatheeeeer? Do not forget that kind of thing never happened when I was bringing you up!" the old man retorted, pointing accusingly at his nephew.
"Aw, c'mon, Uncle, it's not his fault—" Jack tried to say, but the two adults glared at him.
"Do not question Uncle!" the old wizard said, whacking him in the head as well.
"Yes, this is grown-up talking. And when we get back to the shop, you'll be grounded for three months," Jackie added, crossing his arms.
In an almost perfect imitation of Jade, Jack growled, crossed his arms and sulked, then sat alone. Paco, who was to his left in the row on the other side, stared at him for a while. Finally, Jack snapped and glared at him.
"What is it? You want to scold me, too? Tell me I shouldn't have come?"
"No," Paco said softly. "Actually, I'm glad you did what you did. Yade will be proud of you." Paco gave him a small smile and went back to his place, staring distractedly at the seat in front of him, deep in thought.
Feeling better, Jack watched him curiously. The young man looked so melancholic... Ever since Jade had been captured, he couldn't relax at all. He should really like her. However, Jack was afraid his dear cousin would not return these feelings.
Remembering that scene, Jack felt cold shivers going down his spine. When he was still prisoner of the demons and they were trying to set an ambush for the J-Team, there was a strange explosion and almost everyone was injured. While the other demons retreated, Hsi Wu had allowed Jade to stay and take care of her family. And then...
"But do not forget that you are still mine, Jade!" the sky demon had said, and then they kissed. Right in front of Jack and Julia. At first, the boy couldn't believe his eyes; he thought he was just seeing things, affected by the chi explosion. But Julia was surprised as well, she had also witnessed the kiss. And even he could see Jade was not being forced to do that, she didn't resist at all. On top of that, afterwards, Hsi Wu had even helped her rescue the J-Team before flying away.
He never had the opportunity or the courage to talk about that with his cousin, until the whole incident was forgotten. However, now when he saw how much Paco liked her, he began to recollect all those moments after the dreadful explosion.
Suddenly, he realised something. If she really liked the sky demon, was that why she hadn't run away and come back yet? After all, she was Jade Chan. It was simply impossible that she hadn't had any chance to escape at some point.
Jack gulped and couldn't look at Paco anymore. Now everything made sense. The Mexican boy had told them that he had found Jade in a park and they talked for a good while before the sky demon came and took her away. Thinking about the situation more carefully, it was ridiculously absurd that she hadn't got to escape after being left alone in the park, wandering around as if it were an average summer day.
No matter how much Jack wanted to deny it; in reality, Jade was in love with the sky demon. How or why, Jack had no idea. Until then, it was something unimaginable. If someone had told him that would happen a while ago, Jack would have laughed in their faces. Now, he just wanted to cry.
On the seat in front of him, Uncle began to yell again, complaining about something to Tohru. Jack held his hands, uneasy. What would happen when his family found out? What would they do?
oOo
After helping someone, one would think they would at least get a few words of thanks, not be tied up. Frustrated, Finn tried once more to get rid of the ropes that tied him to his two companions, but to no avail. Cursing himself for having left his penknife at home, the Irishman tried to see if Julia had changed her mind and considered his proposal to help them.
Apparently not, for she just stood there, staring at nothing with unfocused eyes. She had been like that for a good while now, unblinking, as if she were hypnotised. And she probably was, since they were around Mei Liang...
Mei Liang was kneeling down some metres away from Julia, reading a book, whispering something to herself, and stirring a strange, foul-smelling, green potion at the same time. Well, since Julia was not going to help them, he would have to appeal to Mei Liang, although he was almost sure she would also just ignore them.
"Uh, excuse me, Big M, but... there's one thing I don't understand. We helped you, we brought you that book you're reading after risking our own lives, we served you loyally..." He was careful to exaggerate all the facts, then paused to see her reaction. Mei Liang didn't even seem to have heard him. Even so, he went on, "So, I don't really understand why you tied us up. If you don't need us anymore, couldn't you at least let us go now?"
From the corner of his eye, he saw Mei Liang smirk. "I am sorry, but I cannot let you go. There is one more thing for which you three can be useful."
"Ah, really?"
"And what is it?" Chow asked.
Mei chuckled and stood up. "The place where my brothers are confined is as desolate as the Netherworld, where the Eight Demon Sorcerers were imprisoned. They will be starving when they get out of there."
Finn's eyes widened as he was finally beginning to guess what the demon had planned for them. Paling, he felt the other two enforcers tensing.
"Y-you mean—"
But Mei Liang wasn't listening anymore. "At last, the potion is done. It took too long, but it will be worth it," she said to no one in particular.
Her expression was suddenly very serious and she began to whisper magic words again while spilling the green potion on the ground, forming a symbol within a small circle.
"Julia! Julia, you gotta help us!" Chow and Ratso shouted, but Finn just shook his head when seeing her slightly glassy eyes.
The liquid on the ground began to glow, reminding Finn of the time when the Dark Hand helped Shendu release his siblings, opening the portals with the Pan Ku box. The Irishman gulped, wondering what this new portal would look like and what kind of demon would come out of it, ready to devour them.
Suddenly, a strange, dark blast of energy hit the female demon, throwing her a few metres away from them and interrupting the spell she was casting. Behind him, Finn heard Chow and Ratso gasp in surprise.
"What? What's it? What's going on? Is it Chan?" he asked frantically.
"No! It's—" Chow said, breathless.
"The other demons!" Ratso finished for him.
"What?" Finn tried to see them. "All of them?"
Before any of them could answer, a shadow was cast upon them and Finn looked up at the sky demon landing next to the symbol Mei Liang had drawn. Oddly enough, he was holding the Chan girl in his arms. After hurriedly putting her down, he threw sand on the symbol and stepped on it and if he were trying to put a fire out.
Mei Liang stood up and hissed, narrowing her eyes at Hsi Wu. A new shadow appeared above the three enforcers and Finn was aghast as he watched the moon demon approaching.
"It seems we have got here right on time," he remarked to his youngest brother, who nodded and told Jade to stand back, never taking his eyes off the dragoness. The girl hesitated.
"Look, there's another!" Chow exclaimed at the same time Mei Liang also looked into that direction, watching every movement of the newcomer.
Finn listened as the new demon approached with a hiss, though he couldn't hear any footsteps. Soon, the water demon joined her brothers.
"I came as fast as possible," she told them.
"We have to distract her until the others arrive," Hsi Wu whispered.
Finn closed his eyes for a moment, exasperated. Great, more demons! Then again, they seemed to be against Mei Liang and on the humans' side for the time being, so he supposed it wouldn't be so bad to have them as some reinforcement.
Mei Liang's eyes glowed in anger, but then she relaxed and smirked again, stretching her arm with her palm turned towards them.
"You fools! Do you really think you can defeat me when I have the power of all the talismans that Shendu thoughtfully shared with me?" she questioned caustically.
Using the power of the dragon talisman, she fired a blast towards the three demons and Jade. Hsi Wu and Tso Lan flew up to dodge it, Bai Tsa turned into water, and Jade threw herself onto the ground. The blast went scarily close past Finn and then near Julia, who didn't even flinch.
Jade turned to see the explosion caused by it and finally noted Julia standing there. She jumped on her feet and ran towards the blonde. "Julia! Are you okay?"
Julia didn't move. Jade frowned and held her shoulders to shake her.
"Hel-lo! Julia! What's wrong with you? C'mon, wake up!"
She finally reacted, but certainly not in the way Jade had expected. The British girl frowned slightly and looked coldly at Jade, then shoved her so that the Chinese girl would let go of her. Jade yelped and fell to the ground.
Surprised, she leaned on her elbows and stared at Julia with widened eyes. "Julia, what...? Don't you recognise me? It's me! Jade Chan! I'm not your enemy!"
Julia stretched her hands, her palms turned to Jade, and created a chi sphere to attack her. Hsi Wu started and was about to stop her, when Mei Liang herself did so with just a word of command. To everyone's surprise, Julia promptly obeyed.
"Come, my puppet. It is not worth dirtying your hands with pitiful humans. Why don't you show Shendu's siblings what you are capable of, instead?" the dragoness said in amusement.
"Puppet!" Jade exclaimed, glaring at her. Julia floated a few centimetres over the ground and landed next to Mei Liang, who smirked maliciously.
"That is correct. It was very easy to manipulate this little girl and make her corrupt the jewel at once. Now I can control her at my will."
"Curse you!" Bai Tsa hissed.
"There is no other way. Now we will have to kill the girl also," Tso Lan stated.
"If they don't kill us first," Hsi Wu muttered bitterly.
"Do not be so pessimistic, my brother," the moon demon said softly. Hsi Wu snorted in response and smirked ironically.
Finn watched the scene carefully and got more and more nervous. The demons were about to fight with all their might, and he certainly didn't want to stay tied up in the middle of the battlefield.
"Hey, can you untie us now?" he asked Jade. Only now did the girl seem to notice their presence. She hesitated. "C'mon, are you really going to leave us here to die?" he snapped.
"No, it's just that—Oh, never mind." Jade got up and staggered, then knelt down next to them. "Hmm, I can't undo the knot..." she muttered.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Chow exclaimed, his voice holding a hint of panic.
"Let's just get out of here! They're distracted, nobody will stop us!" Ratso proposed. The three men pressed their backs against each other's and used their feet for a boost. Thus, they managed to stand up and, very clumsily, almost losing their balance several times, half-stumbled, half-dragged each other to safety behind a rock until they could figure out how to get rid of the ropes.
oOo
Observing Tso Lan and Julia's unusual coldness, Mei Liang's victorious smile, and Hsi Wu and Bai Tsa's concern and anger, Jade felt cold shivers going down her spine. She still couldn't believe that—even with the power of the Hun Yu jewel—Julia was capable of defeating a demon sorcerer, let alone three of them combined, but she knew that Mei Liang, possessing the power of all the talismans, had a great advantage over them.
She focused on Mei Liang. However, the dragoness backed away and crossed her arms. "Just finish those worms at once," she whispered, looking at Tso Lan in contempt.
Julia's eyes glowed just like Mei Liang's while she turned her palm to the moon demon and shot a fiery blast like the dragoness had just done. The three demons dodged easily, and Jade had to duck again in order not to get hit.
"Wait! Wasn't that the power of the dragon talisman?" she asked in disbelief.
"When our minds unite, our powers are shared also," their two foes answered in unison, with twin evil smirks on their faces.
"Damn it... Now Julia is dangerous, too," Jade muttered to herself, clenching her fists.
Suddenly, Julia disappeared. Jade gasped and looked around frantically, trying to guess where she would reappear. She must be using the snake talisman...
Some seconds later, Hsi Wu was lifted in the air by an invisible force and thrown towards Tso Lan, who didn't have time to get out of the way. While they struggled to get up, Bai Tsa used her water blasts on the spot where Hsi Wu had been standing. Water dripped in the air, revealing Julia's position. The girl became visible again and sullenly turned to the mermaid, who smiled in victory.
"You cannot hide from me with those little tricks. I figured out how to find Shendu when he used the snake talisman against me a long time ago."
"Ah, but can you be fast enough to use your little tricks against us?" Mei and Julia asked, their eyes glowing with the same intensity.
At the following instant, using the rabbit talisman to move quickly, Julia was right behind Bai Tsa. The water demon realised that too late and couldn't avoid being hit by another explosion of the dragon talisman. Fortunately, she quickly recovered.
"You may have the ability to recover from an attack in few seconds, but if you keep doing that too many times in a row, you will get tired and more and more vulnerable and weak. It is just a matter of time," Mei Liang stated. Bai Tsa hissed, her eyes glowing intensely, and got up to continue fighting, waiting for her brothers to join her.
Hsi Wu had told Jade that, at first, they wouldn't fight with all their might, but would try to save time until the others arrived. It seemed a good plan back then, but now she wasn't so sure anymore. As Mei Liang had said, it was just a matter of time until even Bai Tsa succumbed. She could just hope the others would come soon. Though, considering the distance between San Francisco and Hong Kong, they most likely wouldn't.
Jackie, Uncle, please, hurry up...
To be continued...
Many thanks to all my dear reviewers: VampireNaomi, SilverZeo, Senda san, Dragolover1, Hellblaze, Spleefie, cookiekitten, and Erica. I really appreciated your comments!