Chapter Twenty-four
After swearing he would never return, Dougal was back in China. He took a deep breath, waiting for the tension to ease from his body. His clenched prosthetic hand slowly relaxed. I can do this, he told himself. There was no one here waiting to sear his flesh with a red-hot branding iron or whip him into submission.
He frowned at the thought of Li Lei, buried along the Yangtze River, a few hundred miles northeast of his current position. Thank God Leah had come into his life and given him a second chance at love.
He pivoted as he looked around Tiger Town. Three hundred years ago he never would have believed that a village of were-tigers existed in the Yunnan province. But then, he wouldn't have believed in vampires, either.
The village consisted of about fifty huts. Most of them were on the edge of the Mekong River, elevated on stilts, with small boats tied off on ladders. Apparently, a great deal of the were-tigers liked to fish. Higher up the riverbank, long racks held fish that had been left to dry.
Not many people were about. Since it was dark, Dougal assumed they were inside their homes having their evening meal. Lights glowed inside the huts, and smoke curled from metal pipe chimneys.
Up on a bluff, there was an impressive building made of stone and wood in the Chinese style. The large columns and underside of the tile roof were painted in shades of green, gold, and red. The steps leading up to the building were flanked by two tiger statues. Smaller buildings of stone, wood, and stucco rested on each side of the main building.
In front of the main building, a stone-paved courtyard stretched to the edge of the bluff, where three stone staircases led down to the riverbank.
"There's Rajiv." J.L. pointed at him as he hurried down the center stairs to the riverbank.
"What is the big building?" Dougal asked as they walked toward him.
"Their palace," J.L. said. "Rajiv's grandfather is their leader, the top cat. They call him the Grand Tiger."
Dougal's mouth twitched. "He gets the biggest bowl of cream?"
J.L. chuckled. "They're very proud of their race. You will be expected to bow." He lowered his voice. "They're our best allies in the region. Whenever you need a safe place, you can teleport here. It'll be our home away from home."
Dougal nodded. That would explain why J.L. had insisted they bring two ice chests full of bottled blood and two backpacks filled with extra knives and ammo. Not knowing the way to Tiger Town, Dougal had grabbed onto J.L. for the journey, but now that the location was embedded in his psychic memory, he could come whenever he wished.
Rajiv reached them and bowed. Instead of his usual T-shirt and jeans, he was wearing an embroidered silk robe and cap. Around his waist, he wore an ornate belt of gold and jade with a golden sheath containing a small dagger.
"Welcome." He grinned at Dougal. "I told Grandfather about you. That you're a Scotsman who knows Chinese. He wants to meet you."
Dougal nodded. "It would be an honor."
"Let me take you to your rooms." Rajiv led them up the stairs. As they crossed the courtyard, he motioned with his hand. "We have our ceremonies here."
They followed him down a narrow alleyway of stone between two buildings.
"This is our guesthouse." Rajiv stopped in front of a building with steps leading up to a wooden porch. On each side of the porch was a small room. Paper-covered lanterns hung beside each room's entrance and cast a golden glow.
Rajiv pointed to the room on the left. "That is where Jin Long always stays," he said, referring to J.L., then motioned to the one on the right. "And that one is for you, Dougal. The windows are boarded shut, so it is safe for your death-sleep."
"Thanks, Rajiv." J.L. climbed the steps.
"You are welcome. I will return for you in a few minutes so you can see my grandfather."
Dougal smiled as he watched Rajiv scamper off. He hadn't realized the young man was the were-tiger equivalent of a prince.
He entered his room, leaving the door open to let in some light from the lantern. A small dresser was pushed up against one wall, and on top, a silk coverlet and thick mattress were folded. In the middle of the far wall, there was a square cushion on the floor next to a small table with short legs. Next to the table, a tall candlestick sat. He glanced around. No electricity. He'd be drinking his bottles cold.
He set the ice chest and his backpack against the wall, then swung the claymore off his back. It would be disrespectful to meet the mayor of Tiger Town fully armed. Before leaving the school, he'd changed into black cargo pants, black T-shirt, and black jacket. In addition to the sword on his back, he'd strapped a knife to each calf and holstered an automatic around his hips. The pockets of his cargo pants held extra ammunition and the tranquilizer darts Leah had given him.
It had been hard to say good-bye to her, even though he would be returning in a few hours if everything went according to plan. He'd left his sgian dubh on her worktable after she'd promised to use the dagger if she needed to defend herself.
She would be safe, he assured himself. Angus knew how dangerous this mission was. That was why he had insisted on coming himself, along with Howard, Phil, and Gregori. Kyo had his best security guys there, too - Yoshi, Yuki, and the fox shifter.
"Ready?" J.L. asked at the door.
"Aye." Dougal set his automatic and knives on the table.
J.L. nodded approvingly. "Let's go. Rajiv's outside."
They followed Rajiv to the palace, passing by the tiger statues to ascend the stairs.
Rajiv paused by the double doors. "My grandfather likes to be called Your Eminence," he said in Chinese. "And you must let him talk first."
"I understand," Dougal responded.
Rajiv grinned. "You really do speak Chinese."
"His Eminence is actually a fun guy once you get to know him," J.L. said, also switching to Chinese.
Rajiv laughed. "I have the Blissky ready. Come on." He led them inside past two guards holding long curved swords. The room was deep with columns set in two rows leading toward a dais. On the dais, a gray-haired man sat on a throne made of carved wood, inlaid with golden tigers.
Rajiv and J.L. both bowed from the waist, so Dougal copied them. He followed them to where three cushions rested on the floor. When Rajiv and J.L. dropped to their knees on the cushions, he did the same. Then they all bowed forward, their elbows and noses on the floor.
"Welcome, esteemed guests," the Grand Tiger said. "You may be at ease."
"You are most gracious, Your Eminence." J.L. sat cross-legged on the pillow.
Dougal crossed his legs, too, venturing a quick glance at the throne, where the Grand Tiger was glaring down at them imperiously. This was the guy J.L. said was fun?
His Eminence was dressed in red silk robes embroidered with golden tigers. His long gray hair was pulled tightly into a knot on top of his head, where it was held in place by a ring of gold and a long golden pin with a jeweled tiger on one end. He sported a long gray beard that was gathered together into a small ring of gold.
He scowled at J.L. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Jin Long."
"The pleasure is mine, Your Eminence." J.L. inclined his head.
The Grand Tiger narrowed his eyes. "You are Dou Gal, the Scotsman who speaks Chinese?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
A disappointed look crossed the Grand Tiger's face. "I thought you would be wearing a skirt. I wanted to see your skirt."
Dougal bowed his head. "My apologies, Your Eminence. I will wear it the next time I come, if you will allow my intrusion."
The Grand Tiger grunted. "You are well spoken. How do you know Chinese?"
Dougal hesitated. He'd never intended to tell his story to anyone other than Leah, but it would be rude to ignore the Grand Tiger's request. He glanced over at Rajiv and J.L., who were watching him curiously. No doubt they would repeat his story, and then everyone would know his shameful secret.
The Grand Tiger cleared his throat, indicating that he was growing impatient.
"I lived in Shanghai for a few years," Dougal finally answered.
"When?" His Eminence demanded. "How did you come to be there?"
"It is a long story."
The Grand Tiger snorted. "Do you have somewhere else to go?"
Dougal took a deep breath. "It began in 1735, when I was fourteen years old. I was kidnapped from the town of Glasgow in Scotland and taken aboard a British merchant ship."
"Kidnapped?" The Grand Tiger's eyes lit up. "Tell me more."
"I tried to escape. Twice." He didn't want to mention the lashings he'd received. Or the hopeless humiliation that he'd felt when he'd finally accepted his new life.
"Good!" The Grand Tiger sat on the edge of his throne. "But you were recaptured? Did they punish you? Is that when you lost your hand?" He motioned toward Dougal's prosthesis.
"No. I lost my hand four years ago in battle."
"But you still fight?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
"Excellent. Now tell me more of your story. Were you abused on the ship?"
"At first, but then I learned how to play the pipes, and that kept the crew happy with me."
"Very good." The Grand Tiger nodded. "I want to hear you play."
Dougal bowed his head. "I will bring them with me next time."
"Excellent! Now tell me what happened next."
"Our ship was departing from India when we were attacked by pirates."
"Pirates?" The Grand Tiger jumped to his feet, grabbing a cushion off his throne. He stepped off the dais, tossed the cushion on the floor, then sat across from Dougal. "What happened then?"
Dougal winced inwardly. His shameful secret would become public knowledge. Everyone would know he'd been whipped into submission, his spirit crushed with despair. "I was sold into slavery."
J.L. flinched. Rajiv hissed.
The Grand Tiger looked appalled. "Rajiv! Bring drinks for us."
"Yes, Your Eminence." Rajiv jumped up and helped a servant carry in a round table with short legs. They set it on the floor between Dougal and the Grand Tiger.
Another servant rushed forward with a tray. She set two bottles and four small cups on the table, then bowed and retreated from the room.
"Come." The Grand Tiger motioned for the four of them to gather around the table. "We must console Dou Gal for his sufferings."
"Yes, Your Eminence." Rajiv poured a clear liquid with a strong alcoholic smell into a cup for his grandfather and then for himself. "This is Blissky for our guests." He poured some into J.L.'s and Dougal's cups.
"To Dou Gal." The Grand Tiger lifted his cup, and the others followed suit. "Gun bei!" He tapped his cup on theirs and knocked back his drink.
"Gun bei," Rajiv and J.L. responded, then tossed back their drinks.
Dougal took a sip, reluctant to drink too much before a mission. To his surprise, the Blissky had been watered down. He gave Rajiv a grateful look, then finished his cup.
Rajiv grinned, then refilled all the cups.
"I regret that I didn't know of your plight," the Grand Tiger said. "I would have come to Shanghai to rescue you."
"You are most kind, Your Eminence," Dougal said, uncomfortable with the sympathetic looks he was receiving. He'd rather be seen as a secretive grouch than be pitied.
"What are friends for? You are my good friend now, right?" The Grand Tiger lifted his cup. "A toast to friendship! Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They all drank, and Rajiv refilled their cups.
"Does that mean that Your Eminence was alive in the 1700s?" J.L. asked.
"Yes. I am four hundred and sixty-two years old." The Grand Tiger waved his cup proudly. "To having nine lives! Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They drank, and Rajiv filled their cups.
The Grand Tiger scooted around the table to be closer to Dougal. "So how did you escape?"
"Did you run your master through with a sword?" Rajiv asked.
Dougal shook his head. How many times in his life had music saved him? And now, because of his prosthesis, he could only play a sad tune. "I had a tin whistle with me, and I would play it at night to comfort myself."
The Grand Tiger patted his shoulder. "I want to hear you play."
"Yes, Your Eminence. The music drew the attention of my master's daughter. She would come every night to listen, and then we started talking."
"And you fell in love?" The Grand Tiger's eyes lit up.
"Yes." Dougal nodded. "She helped me escape."
The Grand Tiger grabbed his cup. "A toast to true love! Gun bei!"
"Gun bei!" J.L. and Rajiv shouted and downed their cups.
Dougal took a sip. He didn't want to talk anymore about Li Lei. It was shameful enough to admit he'd been enslaved, but he didn't want to confess how he had failed the girl who had saved him. "I would be honored to hear your story, Your Eminence."
"Of course." The Grand Tiger looped an arm around Dougal's shoulders. "I'm on my ninth life, you know. The next time I die, it's curtains for me, old friend."
Dougal lifted his cup. "May you live another four hundred and sixty-two years."
"I'll drink to that." The Grand Tiger tapped his cup against Dougal's. "Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They all drank.
"I had six beautiful daughters and twelve magnificent sons." The Grand Tiger waved a hand in the air. "Two of my sons were killed by hunters, may their souls be damned forever. Three more sons were killed by Master Han and his vampire lords."
"May they rot in hell!" Rajiv growled as he poured more liquor into all the cups.
The Grand Tiger nodded at him, then turned to Dougal. "Son number six went down the Mekong River and founded a tiger colony in Thailand. He was doing very well, and I was most proud of him. But then that nasty vampire, Lord Qing, slaughtered him, cutting him into pieces so he could not advance to another life. His oldest son, Raghu, became the leader of their village. Rajiv is the second son."
Rajiv placed a hand over his heart. "I will not rest until our family has been avenged, Your Eminence."
Dougal shifted on his cushion. He hadn't realized that Rajiv had a personal reason for helping the Vamps.
The Grand Tiger gazed fondly at Rajiv. "He is my youngest grandson. And the only one to learn English and find us a worthy ally to help us defeat Master Han. He's a smart boy."
Rajiv bowed his head. "Your kindness is beyond measure, Your Eminence."
"We are honored to be your ally," J.L. said.
"To friendship!" The Grand Tiger lifted his cup. "Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They drank, and Rajiv filled the cups with the last of the liquor.
The Grand Tiger slumped to the side, leaning on Dougal. "I'm so very proud of my grandson."
Rajiv's eyes glimmered with tears. "Thank you, Grandfather."
"We will help him and keep him safe," Dougal added.
The Grand Tiger patted his arm. "You are a good friend, Dou Gal. You must play for me. And I will sing for you. And dance the Tiger Dance."
"I would like to see that, Your Eminence."
"Then I will dance now!" The Grand Tiger attempted to get up but fell over.
"Your Eminence?" Dougal jumped up. "Are you all right?"
The Grand Tiger let out a loud snore.
Rajiv ran to his grandfather's side, then glanced up at the Vamps, smiling. "He's asleep. But he'll be talking about tonight for months to come. Thank you."
J.L. rose to his feet. "We need to be going now. The sun will have set on most of Master Han's bases."
Rajiv straightened. "Do you want me to come with you?"
J.L. shook his head. "We have to teleport some captives back. We won't be able to teleport you at the same time. But we'll come back for you later."
Rajiv nodded with a resigned look. "All right. But call me if you need any help."
For the next few hours, Dougal teleported with J.L. to one enemy camp after another so he could embed all thirty of Master Han's bases in his psychic memory. The camps were quiet, with only a few lights burning along their palisade walls. According to J.L., the soldiers tended to do their military exercises during the day and rest at night, with a small contingent of guards on duty. In the last few years, they had become lax in security, since no local person dared approach a place that might harbor a hungry vampire inside. Only those who wanted to join the army ventured close.
They were in northern Myanmar when Dougal climbed onto a flat rock on top of a hill that overlooked the last camp. "See anyone ye know?"
"No." J.L. lowered his binoculars. "Sometimes I can spot Wu Shen. He's one of their top military officers, so it's a good bet that if we see him, then that's the camp where Master Han and the lords are hiding."
"There's a guard." Dougal pointed at a lone soldier venturing away from the camp, heading into the ravine below them.
"Probably needs to take a piss," J.L. muttered. "Want to nab him?"
"Sure." Dougal removed some tranquilizer darts from his pocket. They had decided earlier to take only two captives, and to make sure they were from two different bases. That way, when the soldiers never returned to camp, they would probably be labeled deserters. Master Han wouldn't be alarmed over the desertion of two soldiers when he had an army of a thousand.
They teleported down to the ravine and crept up behind the soldier. When the soldier was zipping up his pants, they zoomed forward. J.L. grabbed him, slapping a hand over his mouth, while Dougal jabbed a dart into his neck. The soldier struggled, and Dougal inserted a second dart.
When the soldier slumped over, unconscious, J.L. tossed him over his shoulder. "Let's go."
Dougal grabbed the soldier's fallen rifle and teleported back to the Japanese island. After J.L. materialized with the soldier, they rushed inside the school and placed the soldier on a stretcher in the room for prisoners.
While they fastened the restraints, Gregori peered inside. "Yoshi told us you were back. You got one?"
"Yep," J.L. responded. "We need to get him into stasis."
Abby, Leah, and Laszlo ran into the room, followed by the fox shifter. Dougal exhaled with relief to see Leah looking well.
"Are you all right?" She glanced over him quickly before inserting an IV in the captive's arm.
"Aye. Did anything happen while we were gone?"
"No, it's been quiet."
"Don't worry," the fox shifter said. "I will not let any harm come to the scientists." She smiled at Laszlo, who smiled shyly back.
Dougal's mouth twitched when he realized Laszlo was wearing the red shirt Wilson had torn to reveal his chest. "We need to go so we can bring you another soldier."
Leah nodded. "Be careful."
Thirty minutes later, Dougal and J.L. returned with a second captive. While the scientists were busy, Dougal went to the cafeteria to report to Angus. J.L. teleported to Tiger Town to bring back Rajiv.
"We're off to a good start," Angus said as J.L. and Rajiv entered the cafeteria.
Rajiv sat at the table with Angus and Dougal. "If there's anything the were-tigers can do to help, just let me know."
J.L. grabbed a bottle of Bleer from the fridge. "We shouldn't take any more captives right now, or it will look suspicious."
"Aye," Angus agreed. "Let's wait and see if our scientists are successful with the two we have. Once we know that it works, we can step up our game."
Dougal took a sip from his bottle of Bleer. "I'm no' sure if this strategy is enough. Even if we change a hundred soldiers back to normal, willna Darafer just make a hundred more? Or two hundred? We would be stuck here forever, waging an endless battle."
J.L. sat beside him. "I doubt it would be endless. Once Darafer and Master Han figure out what we're doing, they'll attack."
Angus rubbed his chin. "They have a total of three vampires: Master Han, Lord Qing, and Lord Liao. That means they could only teleport three soldiers here at a time."
"We canna be sure how powerful Darafer is," Dougal said. "He might be able to teleport a huge number of soldiers. And even if he came alone, I'm no' sure we can defeat him, no' without the God Warriors."
The table grew silent as they all considered.
Dougal drank more Bleer. "If we can change the soldiers back to normal, then we need to keep Darafer from making any more." He turned to J.L. "Do ye know how he's doing it?"
J.L. shrugged. "Some kind of hocus-pocus, I think, but he needs a specific plant to pull it off. The demon herb."
"Oh, I remember that!" Rajiv sat up. "They were growing it at the zombie village."
"Zombies?" Dougal asked.
"Not real zombies," J.L. assured him.
"They move around like zombies," Rajiv insisted. "Their brains aren't working."
J.L. nodded. "Darafer's using them as slaves."
Dougal's prosthetic hand clenched, and he slipped his hand under the table. Slaves. "Are they being whipped?"
"No," J.L. replied. "Darafer's got them under some kind of mind control. They're unconscious all day, then get up at night to work in the field. When we saw them, they were gathering the demon herb, and some of Master Han's soldiers came to pick it up."
Angus drank some Bleer. "I wonder if our scientists can break the mental hold Darafer has on them?"
Rajiv nodded. "Maybe they can turn the zombies back to normal!"
Dougal's hand relaxed. "That's exactly what we need to do. Change the zombies back, then burn the field of demon herb so Darafer canna make more mutated soldiers."
J.L. whistled. "He'll be really pissed. If he thinks the villagers have betrayed him, he might kill them."
"We'll evacuate them." Dougal turned to Rajiv. "Can the tigers help with that?"
Rajiv nodded. "Yes."
"And when Master Han's soldiers come to collect the demon herb, we'll attack and keep them from reporting it," Dougal added. "It should buy us some time so the villagers can escape."
Angus leaned forward. "How many villagers are we talking about?"
"About thirty," J.L. said. "They were all elderly or young women and children. All the young males are gone, probably serving in Master Han's army."
Angus shook his head. "I'm no' sure we can make this work. If we swoop in at night to teleport the villagers here so we can treat them, the soldiers will be there and try to stop us. If one of them reports to Darafer, then all our plans could fall apart."
"Then we have to do it during the day," J.L. concluded. "There won't be any soldiers. And the zombies will be unconscious. Our scientists could go there and work on them for hours, and no one would know."
Dougal sat back. When he'd started this train of thought, he hadn't realized it would end up with Leah being sent to China. "Laszlo canna do it during the day, and I doubt Gregori will let Abby go." Leah would be on her own. His hand clenched again. "We canna do it during the day."
"We have to," J.L. insisted. "It's the only way to keep Darafer from being alerted. The shifters could go along to keep them safe."
Angus glanced at his watch. "The sun will be up here soon. You have forty minutes to bring back one of the zombies. We'll see if our scientists can make him normal. If they can, we'll move forward with the new plan."
Dougal swallowed hard. He'd hoped Leah could remain safe if she stayed on this remote island. But now she would have to venture into enemy territory. And she'd be there during the day, when he would be powerless to protect her.