Chapter 19
Nineteen
Debrief
We follow Yue Gui deeper into the residence.
The way she moves is mesmerising; her hips sway as if half dancing, half floating and I make an effort not to stare.
She takes us through a small courtyard with a gnarled plum tree whose golden canopy reaches the third floor windows.
Beneath it is a silkwood altar with a bronze joss urn – probably where they send their missives to Tian.
Re-entering the private quarters of the house, the lacquered walls with their gilded paintings are replaced with simple, and more homey, waxed wood.
Here too, the yellow fulu are never out of sight.
‘What exactly do the fulu ward against?’ I ask.
‘I am sorry to put you to work,’ she says, embarrassed, ‘but we’re short-handed this morning and needed to make sure we were properly warded against the vampires. I will explain when we’re all sitting down.’
We head up a narrow set of creaky stairs, through yet another long hallway, and finally into a large airy room.
Eight huali horseshoe-back chairs surround a low table with the signature clean lines Big Wang favours in Ming furniture.
The windows are proportionate to the high ceilings; tall, rectangular, and like the ones in the entry hall, each is warded with a square yellow fulu.
Ah Lang places Lord Aengus on one of the chairs while Yue Gui shutters the windows before moving around the room to light the lanterns.
Seeing us hovering just inside the doorway, Yue Gui gestures to the chairs. ‘Please, sit.’
Belatedly, the significance of Tian’s diplomatic outpost having fulu to ward against vampires hits me. ‘You also know of House Durand?’ I ask Yue Gui. Then, ‘Does Big Wang know there are vampires here?’
Yue Gui searches my face before nodding. ‘Yes, Big Wang knows. As for Aliénor de Durand, she is well known among the French elite. A formidable woman.’
I slump into a chair. Seems I’m the only one in the dark about vampires.
‘Formidable, yes. But I hadn’t expected her to be quite so brutal. La Grande Morte’ – Lord Aengus’s head shudders – ‘the name makes one think it ought to be fun and naughty.’ He screws his eyes shut in distaste. ‘No amount of soap will ever wash those images from my eyes.’
Thinking of how Mémère spoke to the chevalier with such tenderness and affection, calling her brutal doesn’t sit right. ‘The chevalier looked peaceful in the end. He didn’t seem scared at all.’
‘Being decapitated and then having your still-beating heart yanked out of a gaping hole in your chest isn’t exactly peaceful, Jing.’
Remembering Mémère’s tarry teeth, I can’t deny Gigi has a point, so I change the subject. ‘What do the fulu do?’
‘It stops vampires from entering and eavesdropping,’ Ahn says as she enters the room.
‘I’m vampire but the fulu don’t affect me,’ I say.
‘That’s because they were created specifically with you in mind,’ Yue Gui says.
‘Me?’
Yue Gui nods. ‘When a French vampire turned up in Shanghai demanding an audience with the Jade Emperor, Yan Luo Wang thought he had come to kidnap you. Of course, he had no idea whether the vampire actually had any connection to you – the mere fact that he was French was enough to frighten Yan Luo Wang into action. He commissioned Zhong Kui, the Minister of Rites, to create a talisman that would protect you against vampires. He had them placed discreetly in your home and other places you frequented. And when he discovered the vampire lived in Paris, he established this outpost so we could learn more about them and determine if they posed a risk to you, Lady Jing.’
Big Wang knew all this time. I’m angry he kept me in the dark, and yet, the way he stumbled over his words, wanting to share and clearly afraid to do so, pinches at my heart.
‘The loyalty House Durand commands is impressive,’ Yue Gui continues.
‘No one speaks out of turn, so our intel is limited. We know there is a core family – Aliénor, Romain, Maximilien and Marianne. The family is incredibly well connected – with allies in the highest echelons of power. The rest of their number are vassals whose identities are kept hidden via a vast and complicated network of offshore companies and trusts. Finally, they are served by a large community of pursuivants – who we surmise are blood donors. We have yet to be successful in getting any of them to speak candidly about the family. Please tell us what happened while you were with House Durand.’
Gigi begins recounting the events since the hijack. Tony, Ah Lang and Lord Aengus interject from time to time, adding a detail or an observation.
Lord Aengus and Yue Gui keep saying they know very little about the vampires, but what they know is worlds more than me and it’s my own rotted family. Big Wang may be a demon of few words but he should have told me there were vampires in Paris.
Snippets of our strange conversation float back to me: Have you never wanted to know more about your vampire heritage?
If I’d made more of an effort to understand why he was behaving so strangely, I might have put two and two together.
It was unlike Big Wang to say things like You might be surprised by how much you like Paris and Don’t have so much fun you forget to come home, to be so unsure of himself.
But, as usual, I was too self-absorbed to think beyond myself.
Why am I like this?
‘Lady Jing?’
I start, realising the others are waiting for me to speak.
Yue Gui repeats herself, ‘Could you tell us what happened after you were separated from your friends?’
“Of course.” I recount my part of the story, how our captors noticed my fangs and we discovered that we were long-lost family, about the room full of naked vampires.
‘Tell me you looked away immediately,’ Tony says, voice hoarse.
Glad I omitted the fornicating and marine worms, I shrug. ‘It’s just skin. We all have it.’
‘Did you see many . . .’ Gigi waggles her finger with a cheeky smile.
‘Petal!’
Under her breath, Gigi murmurs to me, ‘You can tell me later.’
I can’t help laughing at Ah Lang’s horrified expression. Only one of us is neither titillated nor scandalised by my account. ‘You don’t seem surprised, Lord Aengus,’ I say.
His expression – pursed lips, raised eyebrows – is the facial equivalent of a shrug.
‘The Tuatha Dé have a similar approach to nudity. Clothes are merely a convenience; we often go about naked when the weather is good. We believe it gives us a closer connection with nature. I’m not sure if the same beliefs hold true with vampires, but from what we have observed, they are very comfortable in their skin and in expressing and acting upon their desires. ’
‘Interesting,’ Yue Gui says. ‘We’d heard about the parties, but put it down to excessive indulgence, not cultural preference.
Thank you for enlightening us, Lord Aengus,’ Yue Gui clears her throat.
‘As for House Durand being your family’ – Yue Gui and Ahn both shake their heads – ‘we never knew the truth of their connection with you. They have kept this information very close to their chests.’
It saddens me that all this time pride and fear kept Big Wang and Mémère from making a connection. What might have happened if Marianne had found the Celestials first?
‘What’s your assessment of the vampires?’ Yue Gui looks around the table, making clear the question is for all of us. ‘Are they a danger to Lady Jing? To us?’
‘As a bystander who has some insight to both House Durand and Tian,’ Lord Aengus says, ‘I do not believe Mémère poses a threat to Lady Jing or Tian. It is obvious how much Mémère adores Jing. However, I am less certain about Marianne. And as for Maximilien – I think we should take precautions to protect Lady Jing. It’s quite clear he detests her. ’
Tony’s mouth is pressed in a grim line. ‘I do not trust Maximilien one bit. Marianne seems to tolerate Jing for the sake of finding her father. Whereas as soon as Mémère understood Lady Jing was her granddaughter, her whole demeanour shifted.’ His expression softens as he glances my way.
‘Your grandmother couldn’t stop saying how beautiful and precious you are, Jing.
When Maximilien refused to kowtow in apology, Mémère told him House Durand owes a great debt to the Jade Emperor and Yan Luo Wang for keeping Lady Jing safe and raising her into a fearless, loyal vampire with heart.
She told him he wasn’t fit to head House Durand and that she would cast him out if he didn’t drop to his knees and do what was right. ’
‘She said that?’ I think back to Maximilien’s shocked expression as he staggered to Mémère’s side. ‘What does she mean, “not fit to head House Durand”?’
Yue Gui leans forward. ‘This is a major development. Maximilien was chosen specifically as heir of House Durand. It seems he is being replaced.’ All eyes are on me.
I frown, unease prickling at my back. ‘No, no. I just want to get to know them. I have no interest in being heir.’
Yue Gui nods. ‘We will never allow them to force you into something you don’t want. It is worth preparing a way out should they propose this to you.’
‘Surely exile can’t be worse than La Grande Morte?’ Gigi says.
Ahn shakes her head. ‘To a vampire, La Grande Morte is like a well-earned rest. They call it “eternal sleep”. But to lose your house . . .’ Ahn shakes her head. ‘For the vampires, their House is everything. To lose your House is to lose not just your identity but your very soul.’
‘I wondered why he looked so stricken,’ Ah Lang says, not without a note of satisfaction. ‘I bet that was the first time that pompous brat has ever been corrected, and with such public censure. Aliénor de Durand is not someone I would wish to cross.’
‘What is it with your grandmothers?’ Gigi shakes her head. ‘Why are they always such battleaxes?’
‘Petal, we mustn’t disparage Lady Jing’s kin,’ Ah Lang says, patting Gigi’s hand.
Gigi ignores him. ‘You trust the Durands,’ she says. It’s not a question.
I take a moment to consider whether I do, in fact, trust them.
Lord Aengus has the measure of Maximilien, and Tony’s take on Marianne rings true.
As for Mémère, she reminds me of Niang Niang in many ways yet her brand of violence has a different focus.
Niang Niang retaliates, whereas Mémère appears to protect.
‘I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I am inclined to believe Mémère at least is worthy of my trust.’
Gigi makes a face. ‘Jing, how can you say that? They hijacked our train and held us hostage. Attacked Ah Lang and hurt him. That’s not what I call trustworthy behaviour.’
Nothing she said was wrong, nor was she talking about me, yet I feel maligned. I try to rein in my irritation and explain what I mean.
‘Everything she’s done, she did to find her son.
If your loved one was hurt, missing, possibly at death’s door, wouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to bring him home?
’ I don’t need to look at Ah Lang for Gigi to understand who I mean.
I know I would do anything to keep Tony from harm.
Break any rule, whether he, or anyone else, liked it or not.
Gigi doesn’t answer.
Yue Gui interrupts the growing tension. ‘I think we have enough information to write our report for the Ministry of Rites, which we will also send to Yan Luo Wang and the Jade Emperor. While we wait for their response, call your families. We will bring you clothes and toiletries so you can bathe and freshen up. Lord Aengus, thank you for your patience, I will bring you back to your healer.’