Rhonda and Clarissa took one of Michael’s arms each and led him into the mansion. It was constructed of glass and silver, the same as the rest of the city. The doors opened into a hall that swept two storeys up to the clear glass roof that showed the darkening sky above them. The walls on either side were decorated with huge portraits of noble-looking men and women in embroidered robes similar to what Rhonda and Clarissa were wearing; rulers of the past. Stairs in front of them led to a landing that sat around three sides of the hall.
‘It’s a shame that the European Shen aren’t here any more,’ Clarissa said. ‘They look kind.’
‘How long have you two been here?’ Michael said.
‘We’ll tell you over dinner,’ Rhonda said, dragging him to a set of double doors. The doors led through to a long dining hall with a large rectangular table set Western-style with silver candelabras and fine china along its length. ‘The demons have been looking after us, but we’ve still been prisoners. I hope you can sort something out with the Demon King to take us home.’
He followed them to the end of the table, still dazed and delighted to be back with them. He knew damn well they weren’t real, but they were there and that was enough for him. They sat on either side at the end of the table and gestured for him to take a seat between them. It was like one of the dreams he’d had for many years, where all the horrible things hadn’t really happened and he was back with them; but this was reality. They were warm and real – and demon copies. The pain in his chest was like a knife through his heart and he needed to run and hide and weep for hours.
Instead he took a sip of the water from the crystal goblet in front of him, his hand shaking. The glass shimmered in the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows and he studied it, trying to pull himself together. Pine sprigs and pine cones were etched into its surface in such meticulous detail that it was a work of art. Every item on the table was intricately adorned, from the pine motif on the porcelain to the silver pine needles and pine cones decorating the candelabras. The candle-holders had no candles in them; instead long, six-sided natural crystals provided a warm and welcoming glow, enough light for everything to be clearly visible. More crystals sat in stands on the sides of the room.
He raised his hands, one to each woman. ‘Take my hands.’
They took his hands. He lowered his head and concentrated.
Nothing happened.
‘Did you just try to teleport us out?’ Clarissa said.
Michael released their hands and nodded.
‘It was worth a try, Mikey,’ Rhonda said with compassion. ‘Can you go by yourself?’
‘I won’t leave you,’ he said.
Demon servants came out from a side door and placed plates in front of them. They held traditional Western-style appetisers: smoked fish with a white sauce he didn’t recognise. He stuck his fork into it and held it in front of his eyes, suspicious.
Rhonda and Clarissa weren’t as hesitant; they cut into the fish and tasted it with obvious enjoyment. He took a small bite from his fork and nearly choked on the smoky, intense flavour. It was excellent. He had a couple more bites then turned to Rhonda and studied her. She appeared about five years older, which matched the time since she’d agreed to be the guest of the King; the Demon King’s other copies hadn’t aged, so there was a slight, maddening, chance that she was real. Clarissa seemed the same as she always had. The two women he loved most in the world, alive and real and sitting beside him. Rhonda’s fair complexion and blonde hair contrasted against Clarissa’s Chinese black hair and perfect skin, and seeing the two of them together was more joy than his heart could hold.
If the Demon King’s task wasn’t too difficult, he could complete it, take them home, and sort it all out later. Back in the Asian Heavens, he could find out for sure whether they were copies or not. He just needed to try not to get too attached to them in the meantime. Clarissa smiled and his heart ached with love for her.
‘So tell me how you came to be here, and how long you’ve been here,’ he said, trying to push the feeling aside.
They opened their mouths together, then both smiled and shared a look. Clarissa gestured towards Rhonda, and Rhonda nodded and spoke.
‘The Demon King was a perfect gentleman for the week I stayed with him. He never did more than try to talk me out of remarrying your father. The days seemed to blur past, and I wasn’t really aware of time, but I was sure the week had finished and he kept saying the last day would be “tomorrow”. I gave him two days and then demanded to be taken home, and that’s when he moved me from the guest house to another villa that was effectively a prison. He hasn’t hurt me – in fact he’s treated me well, and promised, over and over for years now, that one day you would come to take me home.’ She reached out to squeeze his hand. ‘And here you are, finally.’ She brushed tears out of her eyes. ‘It’s been breaking my heart to think about leaving you all alone.’
‘Yes, have you been all right?’ Clarissa said, her voice soft with sympathy. ‘Both of us left you.’ She smiled. ‘But we’re back together now and after you do this little job for the King we can go home.’
Michael opened his mouth to tell them that they were probably demon copies – and couldn’t do it. ‘Well, I was really angry when you turned up alive after the Dark Lord told me you were dead,’ he said to Clarissa. ‘I left the job in his household and took the position as my father’s Number One Son.’
‘You’re the Tiger’s Number One now?’ Rhonda said sharply.
Michael nodded.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘About time you two finally sorted out your differences. I’ll have a proper family to return to, a husband and a son.’
‘With more than a hundred other wives as competition,’ Michael said.
Rhonda waved it away. ‘Nobody will question my fitness to hold the position of Empress of the West, and there are a few things around the Western Palace that could do with a definite update. I cannot wait to go home and start working with you and the Tiger to bring the entire complex into the twenty-first century. You can help if you like, Clarissa, after you’ve married Michael.’
‘I’d love to,’ Clarissa said. ‘I’m sure the finances could do with a serious overhaul.’
‘You have no idea,’ Michael said.
‘There’s a wedding we need to plan as well,’ Rhonda said, bright with pleasure. ‘And this time nothing will go wrong.’
‘We still have to get home first,’ Michael said. He turned to Clarissa. ‘What happened to you? What’s the last thing you remember?’
The demons cleared their plates and brought the main course. It appeared to be roast beef with a side of traditional Western vegetables – potatoes and carrots.
‘Oh, not the beef again,’ Clarissa said with dismay.
‘Apologies, ma’am,’ the demon said. ‘It’s all we have in stock at the moment. We are expecting a new delivery soon.’
‘The demons are angels looking after us,’ Rhonda said as the servants left. ‘But apparently their resources are very limited. There’s no electricity, no refrigeration, no modern conveniences. Everything has to be brought up from – what do you call it? – the Earthly Plane.’
‘It’s a pain,’ Clarissa said. ‘Even if the King let me have a laptop, I would have nothing to plug it into.’
‘So what is the last thing you remember?’ Michael said.