Year of the Golden Dragon Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Book & Copyright Information

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Book & Copyright Information

  © Bonita Sauder, 2010

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll-free to 1-800-893-5777.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Edited by Laura Peetoom

  Cover and book design by Tania Craan

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Sauder, B. L. (Bonita L.), 1961- Year of the golden dragon / B.L. Sauder.

  ISBN 978-1-55050-428-6

  I. Title.

  PS8637.A7955Y43 2010 jC813’.6 C2010-901761-7

  Available in Canada from:

  Coteau Books

  2517 Victoria Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4P 0T2

  www.coteaubooks.com

  Coteau Books gratefully acknowledges the financial support of its publishing program by: the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, the Government of Saskatchewan through the Creative Economy Entrepreneurial Fund, the Association for the Export of Canadian Books and the City of Regina Arts Commission.

  For my family, both East and West.

  •~•

  Hold fast your dreams!

  Within your heart

  Keep one still, secret spot

  Where dreams may go,

  And, sheltered so,

  May thrive and grow

  Where doubt and fear are not.

  O keep a place apart,

  Within your heart,

  For little dreams to go!

  —Louise Driscoll (1875-1957)

  PROLOGUE

  The Curse

  (China 210 BC – Days of Qin)

  Master Chen was teaching a lesson when he stopped in mid-sentence. His sleeping dog leapt up from its place at the hearth. It stood snarling at the door, ears erect, fur bristling along its spine. The dog slunk down and crept toward the thick, wooden door. Old Chen raised his hand and the animal halted, eyes fixed on the entrance.

  Outside, the sound of distant drums rumbled. Chen and his two young apprentices froze as they listened to the low, echoing booms. The boys looked up at their teacher with eyes wide, waiting for him to speak.

  Chen’s lined forehead furrowed, and his jaw clenched. He narrowed his eyes but avoided looking at Xiao Long and Huang Li’s faces as he pushed the children closer together. The teacher commanded the dog to stand in front of the two students.

  Taking three long steps across the dirt floor, Chen grabbed his staff that was leaning against the clay wall. He gripped the pole with one hand and used the other to turn a black metal ring on the door, heaving it inward. The old man’s eyes darted from side-to-side as he peered into the fog, which hovered close to the ground, covering everything with a veil of moisture. The damp earth and moss smelled rich – a perfect day to gather worms and centipedes for medicines. But there would be none of that now.

  Chen stared in the direction of the Imperial Palace and sniffed. He turned to the dog. Its snout was raised into the air, acknowledging the smoke.

  The drums had stopped.

  Master Chen spun around, making his robe and its long, wide sleeves flutter. He snapped his fingers and pointed toward the door. The dog leapt to the entry and stood with its shoulders hunched forward, tail straight out.

  Chen kneeled before the two boys, grabbing each one by an arm. He looked from one pale face to the other and said, “The drums in the capital city have been silenced. I fear the worst for your family.”

  The smallest child began to sob, but Chen did nothing to comfort him. He simply said, “We do not have much time.”

  Releasing the boys’ arms, Chen reached for a small, square wooden box. The teacher said a few words and the lid sprung open. He took out a circular piece of jade hanging from a thin black cord. The flat jade disc was the color of a warm, green sea. Untying the cord, Chen removed the translucent stone and cupped it gently in his gnarled hands. The jade glowed, as if dozens of fireflies were captured inside.

  “Come close,” said Master Chen.

  The children stared at the magnificent round pendant pulsating in their teacher’s hands. A dragon and a phoenix, symbols of the emperor and empress, were engraved onto the pale green stone. The animals stared into one another’s eyes, bodies curving downward, tails touching. Several tiny sections had been carved around the edges of the jade, like a delicate paper cutout.

  Chen spoke in a deep voice. “Observe this royal emblem. It is beautiful, yes?”

  The boys nodded, wide-eyed.

  “The Emperor commissioned the best artist in the kingdom to create this pendant for your mother,” Master Chen said, nodding toward the older boy. “The pendant was presented to her when you were one month old. It was created from a ball of jade that Black Dragon had given to the Emperor – a perfect sphere that the Emperor had promised never to carve.”

  The boys darted a look at one another.

  “Please, Master. May I ask a question?” whispered Xiao Long.

  “Yes,” the old man said, glancing at the doorway.

  “Mother was not the empress. Why did my father give her a pendant with a dragon and phoenix?”

  “Your mother was the first wife to give the Emperor an heir,” said Master Chen. “Not only did this gift enrage Black Dragon,” Master Chen looked pointedly at Huang Li, “but also your mother, the Empress Ching.”

  Huang Li’s eyes met Chen’s for a moment before looking away.

  “For many years now, the Empress has become obsessed with the idea that jade is known as dragon’s stone because it enables dragons to live for hundreds, even thousands of years. Knowing that your father longs to be immortal, she believes that if she finds the correct jade, she will be able to offer him life everlasting. And in so doing, he will forget his other wives and love her best.”

  “Is that why the Empress broke the jade ball in the first place? She believed it had power inside of it?” asked Xiao Long.

  “Yes,” Master Chen said. “She thought the Emperor loved everything – you, your mother, even the jade from Black Dragon – more than her. So, during the days that the Emperor waited for his fourth wife to give birth to you, Xiao Long, the Empress grew more and more jealous and angry that the Emperor was spending so much time away from her. Infuriated, she took her ire out on the jade, cracking it open to see if it indeed held something inside. But there was nothing there.

  “Your father was fu
rious when he discovered what the Empress had done, and to pay her back for taking away the joy of your birth, he took the broken jade and had it made into a pendant so as not to waste its beauty.”

  Master Chen pursed his lips and looked into Xiao Long’s face. “When your mother, Fourth Wife, died, the Emperor blamed it on the jade pendant. He brought it to me to lock away. Although the jade has been kept in a special box, it still has power to wreak havoc over your family. The time has come to try and suppress Black Dragon’s anger which seeps from this jade.”

  Master Chen raised the pendant up in both hands, high above their heads. “Bow down and close your eyes,” he commanded.

  The children dropped to their knees and touched their foreheads to the ground. Their black braids trailed down their small backs as they huddled together, eyes squeezed tight. Master Chen’s voice thundered above them:

  Dragon’s treasure burning bright,

  In the darkness of this night.

  Once again it gives us light

  And speaks to us of its might.

  Dragon’s treasure burning bright

  On this black and fateful night.

  Kings will never use its light

  Nor boast again of its might.

  Dragon’s treasure burning bright

  Sear this image in their sight

  Royal sons must reach the height

  To rule with love, not with might.

  There was a tremendous crack! The boys grabbed for one another.

  “Stand up and open your eyes,” Chen said to his pupils.

  The half-brothers shook and gasped as Master Chen opened his hands. In his palms lay the pendant, no longer glowing, and broken into three pieces.

  “Hurry,” he said. “Each of you must take one.”

  With trembling fingers, Xiao Long automatically picked the section with the dragon. Huang Li took the piece showing the head of the phoenix. Master Chen put the last one into his pocket.

  Chen bit the thin cord of leather that had been attached to the jade in half and hastily threaded a piece through pinprick holes in each piece of jade. He tied the pendants around each of the children’s necks and tucked them under their heavy tunics.

  “Let us go,” he shouted, pointing towards the door, “Now!”

  The boys ran out, the dog in the lead.

  Master Chen reached into the fire and grabbed a burning log. He touched the fiery wood to his straw bed, low table and reed floor mats. They caught easily, smoking and curling as they burned.

  The teacher moved quickly to a wall. Crouching down, he brushed a thin layer of dirt from the top of a stone slab. Pushing the stone aside he reached into a nook beneath and removed a paper scroll. The teacher was reaching for another scroll when he stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. A shape was forming in the black smoke swirling up from the fire. Chen shoved the scroll back underground and pulled the stone over the hiding place.

  Master Chen stood just as black eyes formed in the smoke to glare at him from a horned beast’s head. The creature spewed hot steam from its nostrils and yawned, revealing long, yellowed teeth inside a wet mouth. Its thick neck twisted and turned, extending into a snakelike body covered with shimmering scales. The dragon grew until it nearly filled the hut.

  “Greetings, Master Chen.” The sound was a low gurgle, as if from deep under water.

  The animal circled the old man. Chen avoided looking into its flat, round eyes.

  “Hail, Black Dragon, King of Dragons. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

  The creature rolled its ebony eyes toward the palace. “The human leader, who calls himself Emperor, has wounded Black Dragon.”

  “Most dignified and esteemed guest,” said Master Chen. “If I might ask my friend…”

  “Friend?” Black Dragon roared, pressing his fanged jaws into the man’s face. A smell like rotting fish eggs gushed from the beast’s mouth as dollops of spit flew everywhere. The man remained still, trying to ignore what hit him in the face. “Master Chen has also hurt Black Dragon.”

  Chen cringed.

  “Dragons and humans have long lived in divine balance. Black Dragon respected this ancient harmony. When this emperor gathered the humans under one ruler, Black Dragon was pleased since it is the correct way to keep men in their place. When this emperor asked Black Dragon to assist Chen in advising the throne, Black Dragon was pleased once more – as was Nu Wa, the creator goddess.”

  A low, deep groan erupted from the animal’s long throat. As it shut its enormous eyes, a transparent film of skin and veins folded over them. The dragon bent its neck one way, then another. Back and forth, its monstrous head swung about the hut.

  “Mighty Black Dragon only ever had one request,” moaned the dragon. “My jade from Nu Wa was never to be altered or broken in any way. Still, when the Empress Ching broke my jade, Black Dragon found it in his heart to forgive the Emperor for his wife’s evil deed.

  “When you, my blood brother, kept the secret of the Emperor making a necklace out of my precious jade, Black Dragon forgave Chen.”

  Master Chen glanced sideways at the growing flames.

  The dragon sighed as it opened its reptilian eyes to thin slits. “The entire kingdom has knowledge of your ‘second sight’. Could Chen not see the slaying of my dragon clan?”

  “Venerable Dragon. Please, I am afraid I do not…”

  “Silence!” Black Dragon roared. “Your emperor has ended the era of dragons and men living together in harmony. Tell this to your almighty ruler: ‘An error of the present strikes the living; an error for the future strikes sons and grandsons.’

  “I have destroyed the palace and its occupants. If anyone has survived, the rebels will finish them off.” The animal snapped his jaws shut and snorted more steam through his wide nostrils. “To prove Black Dragon is not completely heartless, I will give humans a chance to rectify their forefathers’ mistakes.”

  “Forefathers?” Master Chen asked softly.

  Ignoring him, Black Dragon continued, “When the Year of the Golden Dragon meets the next millennium, Black Dragon will await the heirs of the Emperor and Master Chen. All of them, be it two or twenty, must come together to the river in the capital city to return the gift I once gave to the Emperor. It will be restored to its former shape as only Black Dragon has the power to do.”

  “Wise, Kind, Thoughtful, Generous Mighty Black Dragon,” whispered Master Chen. “The Year of the Golden Dragon coincides with a millennium only once every three thousand years.”

  “Exactly,” hissed Black Dragon. “Two thousand years from now.”

  “Surely Black Dragon –” Chen started to say.

  The beast screeched, snorting hot, putrid vapors that filled the air. “If these humans fail to unite and return my jade, this day of hell will be repeated. Just as on this day, every man, woman and child will pay with their lives. Does Chen understand the magnitude of my loss now?”

  Chen gagged and doubled over from the stench and impact of Black Dragon’s words. Grasping his staff for support, Chen shook his head to regain his senses. He looked up at the flames licking the thatched roof.

  Black Dragon was gone.

  Master Chen stumbled to the door and saw the children astride their horses. The dog stood braced in front of them. The old master heaved himself up onto his horse, leaned forward and whispered into the animal’s ear. The stallion reared up and lunged toward a break in the woods, leading the emperor’s sons and Chen’s faithful dog away from the roaring fire.

  Chapter 1

  The Lure

  Hong Mei sat down at the computer and logged on to the Internet. She glanced across the café and saw the owner, Mrs. Wu, lighting a stick of incense. Hong Mei knew the grey-haired woman’s routine. Every time Hong Mei entered the neighbourhood Internet café, Mrs. Wu started burning incense. It seemed that she, like everyone else, believed the gossip about Hong Mei, which was – Hong Mei stank!

  Hong Mei’s fingers pe
cked hard at the keyboard as she typed in a web address. Maybe I do smell, she thought, but who wouldn’t? If they had to lean over bubbling pots of herbs everyday, they’d stink too.

  The people in this town outside Beijing were as bad as every other place they’d lived in China. It didn’t matter where she and Mama moved. Whether it was a bustling industrial centre or a serene fishing village, the locals always eyed the new arrivals with suspicion. From landlords to shopkeepers and neighbors, everyone was curious about the mother-daughter team and all were equally blunt.

  “Where is your husband?” they’d ask her mother. “You are married, aren’t you?” Or they might be a little subtler and say something like, “Hmm. You look awfully young to be a widow,” hoping that Mama would give them some titillating gossip they could spread as soon as she and Hong Mei were out of sight.

  But her mother never bothered answering their questions. She’d simply pull herself taller and stare down her perfectly straight nose at them. Her gaze would take in their inquisitive faces and travel slowly over their bodies. When she was done, Mama would nod with a slight smile on her lips. She would then speak very softly, in a bewitching sort of way.

  She might say something like, “You shouldn’t have to live with that painful knee,” or “Have you been putting up with that sore back for long?” or whatever else her gold-flecked eyes and uncanny intuition told her. Of course, Hong Mei’s mother was never wrong in her initial assessments and the unwelcome focus on her personal life would instantly shift to her inquisitors.

  “Are you a doctor?” they’d ask.

  “Yes,” Mama would say. “I am a healer and I can cure anything.” Of course, she wouldn’t mention that her insight was supernatural or her vision better than x-ray. Even if people were curious as to how she read them so well, they were overcome with gratitude that someone was treating them for a bothersome ailment they’d often lived with for too long.

  From toothaches or foot pain to insomnia or allergies, her mother had a remedy for everything. The longer she and Hong Mei stayed in a place – which usually wasn’t very long – the better her mother’s reputation as a healer would get. In a short while, people quit asking about Hong Mei’s missing father.