Black Jade by Kylie Chan Page B

confused. ‘I meditate in horse stance sometimes.’
    â€˜Whoa,’ Colin said quietly.
    â€˜Before you were Immortal too?’
    â€˜Uh . . . yes. I mean, it was a complete bit— pain to learn. In more ways than one. It’s unbelievably hard to gain that sort of strength. The training John put me through was non-stop suffering sometimes. But it was worth it in the end.’
    â€˜I knew it,’ my father said triumphantly, and stabbed his vegetarian pasta. ‘John said that horse stance is one of the most basic martial arts stances, and if we could learn to hold it indefinitely, then he could teach us the techniques to learn Immortality. But we have to learn horse stance first.’
    â€˜That makes sense,’ I said.
    â€˜We tried it. Too hard,’ my mother said. ‘So painful!’
    â€˜It hurt too much, not worth it,’ my father said.
    My mother nodded and turned back to her own food.
    â€˜Oh,’ I said, and sent a silent flow of information and gratitude to John.
    Don’t mention it, but it’s completely true, he said. You were willing to put up with the agony to learn the Arts. If someone wants to gain Immortality, they have to learn that it’s not just a matter of sitting comfortably on a tatami mat looking stoned.
    I sent him a mental image of himself on a tatami mat looking stoned; it was how he looked when he meditated. He returned the image with me added next to him, my mouth hanging open. We exchanged a short burst of transferred images, each adding more and more vacancy to the other’s expression, until I realised that my parents were staring at me.
    â€˜Sorry, I know, very rude, I’ll stop.’ I returned to my pasta. ‘I’m glad you’re all happy and safe.’
    * * *
    The next morning my entire family arrived outside the front door of the Imperial Residence.
    â€˜Our parents want to see what you do with us,’ Colin said.
    â€˜I don’t want to learn, but I’d like to watch,’ Mark said.
    â€˜I want to learn!’ Matthew said, his tiny face fierce.
    â€˜Okay,’ I said. ‘Let’s go inside and you can watch for a while to make sure that everybody’s happy.’
    I guided them into the training room, with its gymnastic mats on the floor. Its third wall was the stone spine of the Mountain. My family sat to one side to watch, and I placed the three boys — Colin, his brother Andrew, and their younger cousin David — standing in front of me.
    â€˜David, can you do energy like Colin and Andrew?’ I said.
    â€˜Wait, what?’ Jennifer said loudly.
    â€˜They can do energy?’ my mother said.
    Thanks a LOT, Emma, Greg said into my head.
    â€˜I want to see them do energy!’ Matthew shouted.
    â€˜Uh, I’ve been teaching them,’ Greg said, rubbing the back of his neck. Jen was looking daggers at him.
    â€˜We asked him, Mum,’ Colin said. ‘It was my idea, and we all enjoyed doing it together, and he says we’re some of the most talented students he’s —’
    â€˜He’s ever had — yes, I know,’ Jennifer said.
    She sighed with feeling, and opened her mouth to say something, but Colin interrupted her by loading his sword with chi and raising the glowing weapon. She stared silently at him, her mouth half-open.
    â€˜I will learn from the Dark Lord to be the strongest defender I can,’ he said, his voice echoing with the energy, ‘so that what happened to Andrew and Mark never happens to any member of our family ever again.’
    Matthew cheered and clapped his hands.
    Jennifer watched her glowing son, eyes wide, and when she spoke her voice was soft with awe. ‘Okay.’
    Colin nodded and released the energy, then turned back to me with his sword still raised in a ready position.
    My phone rang in the pocket of my black Mountain uniform.
    I took it out; another call with no caller ID. I answered it.