Shaman, Healer, Heretic (23 page)

At the end was a large set of red double doors. Next to them was a gong.

Their escort took a small cushioned mallet from the tray above the gong and tapped it. A deep and low shimmering sound came from it, not at all what Livvy had been expecting–a very pleasant sound.

The red double doors opened and the man at the gong motioned them in.

Livvy felt as though she was being ushered into the presence of an empress, but Wan-li wasn’t sitting on a throne. In fact there was no throne, not even a dais. Instead, at the opposite end of the room was a large round window that echoed the portal outside. The sun was setting, and the paper lanterns in the main plaza in Chinatown were on.

To the right of the window, a Chinese woman sat in one of the overstuffed chairs. Men in dark suits were stationed at every corner of the room and at the doors, which had been closed behind them.

As they approached, the woman turned her head.

“Ah, SK, how good it is to see you. Please sit down.”

“This must be Olivia,” she continued, as Livvy came into view. “Yes,” she said, drawing out the word. Her high-pitched voice was a little nasally but melodic and she took special care to enunciate the ‘th’ sound.

Livvy didn’t know if she should shake hands or bow.

“Please, do sit down,” the woman said, eyeing her hair briefly.

“Thank you,” Livvy replied and took a seat on the couch next to SK.

“I trust your meal was satisfactory, yes?” said Wan-li.

It was impossible to tell how old she was. Her face was somewhat flat and wide. Her hair was streaked with white, although much of it was still black, pulled back into a tight bun on top of her head. A polished ornament of tiger’s-eye hung from a hairpiece that went through the bun. She was dressed in a long, traditional Chinese cheongsam dress done in dark green silk with gold trim.

“Excellent, as always,” said SK, “although the Kung Pao wasn’t as spicy as usual.”

Wan-li frowned and barked something in Chinese to the man at the far end of the room, who immediately left. Even without knowing what she was saying, Livvy found her voice commanding. This was a woman who was used to being in charge. Although she appeared to be relaxing, there was something formidable in how she reposed, as though she might be able to spring out of the chair if she needed to.

“Yes, I understand you have been busy today,” she said, turning back to SK.

He gave a small snort as Livvy tried to conceal her astonishment.

“Do not look too surprised,” Wan-li said to Livvy. “My web is cast wide.”

The man who had left came back into the room and was followed by a cook from the restaurant below. The cook stopped and bowed. Wan-li said something to him in Chinese, indicating SK. The man made a nervous reply and then said something to SK, bowing. Then Wan-li dismissed him.

“He apologized for the Kung Pao,” said Wan-li, as the two men left. “It will not happen again.”

SK only nodded.

“I take it by your presence here that you had no success today, yes?”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly,” said SK, a wary tone in his voice. “But we are here to ask for your help.”

SK looked at Livvy and nodded. Livvy cleared her throat.

“I’ve found a way to hook two sets of goggles together,” she said, talking too fast. “It would enable two shamans to work together in the Multiverse.”

“Ah yes,” said Wan-li, thinking. “You want to work together.”

Wan-li looked at SK. “And you support this,” she said, more than asked, but SK nodded anyway. “Because it has become dangerous, maybe impossible, for a shaman to work in the Multiverse.”

“Yes,” said Livvy, hopefully.

“Yes, I see,” said Wan-li, crossing her arms over her chest. She thought for several moments. “Well let me tell you, first, what Sunny said.”

Wan-li’s face showed disdain as she said Sunny’s name.

“Sunny did not know there was a problem, yes?”

SK tilted his head, still not giving away much but acknowledging that it was probably obvious.

“Now Carmen,” said Wan-li, thinking out loud. “Carmen would actually like to help, but that does not mean that she would, or that she could.”

Livvy’s face grew hot, as though she’d been caught in the act.

“Alvina,” Wan-li whispered. “Now Alvina is an interesting one, yes?”

She studied SK for some time. Then she turned her gaze to Livvy, who looked at the floor.

“Yes, Alvina could be interesting.” Wan-li paused. “But Ursula? Surely you did not expect anything there,” she chided SK.

SK kept his mouth shut but Livvy could see that his jaw muscles were starting to work. She didn’t know if he’d been aware of how closely his movements were being followed.

“It is business, SK,” said Wan-li. “Just business, yes?”

Wan-li’s way of making questions out of statements was starting to annoy Livvy. The woman could obviously care less about what she or SK thought.

“How do you think ‘business’ will do with the Multiverse out of control?” blurted Livvy.

“Oh,” said Wan-li, raising a finger. “Oh, but I am doing business, working in the Multiverse. In fact, I was just there.”

Livvy stared at her. The woman was so composed and full of energy. Had she just been in the Multiverse? Livvy thought of the man who had left the restaurant before they had been invited up. Had he been a client?

“Yes,” said Wan-li, nodding. “I have seen the ancient one there.”

Again, Livvy could not help but stare at her.

“I have seen the great creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion.”

Livvy absently rubbed her chest, where she still felt a slight sunburn.

“Ah,” said Wan-li, watching her hand. “You have seen her too, yes?”

Livvy dropped her hand. “Then you know!” Livvy said. “You know what I’m saying!”

“Yes,” Wan-li said, sitting forward. “I know.”

“Then, you’ll help!” said Livvy, excited at the prospect of finally meeting someone who knew what she had experienced.

“Now, that would make…very little business sense,” said Wan-li, sitting back.

“Business sense?” asked Livvy.

It was SK’s turn to cross his arms over his chest. “She’s got a corner on the market,” he said.

“A what?” asked Livvy.

“Wan-li can still work there,” he said, looking at Wan-li. “And she has very little competition,” he said looking at Livvy. “And Wan-li likes to have little competition.”

Wan-li grinned.

“You can’t be serious,” said Livvy, her voice rising.

“Deadly,” said Wan-li, the grin hardening.

“But this isn’t about business,” Livvy insisted. “It’s about healing people.”

“Livvy,” SK said, warning her.

“No, I have had it with this,” Livvy said, her voice growing louder.

The men who were stationed closest to the group looked over for the first time.

“So this is just one big business opportunity for you huh? A chance to watch the competition wither away?” The frustration of the day poured out. “Everybody’s got their angle. Everybody’s out for their own turf and protecting themselves. Well, what happened to helping people?”

One of the men took a step toward them, but Wan-li held up a hand. The man returned to his spot.

“Liv,” said SK, “I think it’s time to go.”

Wan-li seemed amused by the outburst, which only made Livvy angrier. SK stood up, as did Livvy.

“If you think that you can just keep working,” said Livvy, “then you’re wrong. Not even you will be able to avoid the eye forever. It gets harder every time. It gets emptier every time.”

Livvy saw that Wan-li had seen the same thing.

“It gets weirder every time, and it gets more dangerous,” Livvy said.

SK put a hand on her arm.

“None of us is safe,” said Livvy. “Not there and not even here,” she gestured to the surroundings.

The double doors opened behind them, and SK gripped her am.

“We’re running out of time,” Livvy yelled.

Wan-li said something in Chinese to one of the men. Livvy whipped her head around only to see that he was bringing a large paper bag that had been stapled at the top. It was the leftovers.

“Enjoy the food,” they heard her say as they were ushered out.

Then the doors closed.
 

AS THEY ROUNDED the corner into Livvy’s hallway, she tensed, never knowing what to expect. SK must have sensed that she was nervous and, although she found it slightly ridiculous that a little person was escorting her home, there was still safety in numbers even if the number was one and a half.

“Min?” said Livvy.

Min started. She was sitting against the wall next to Livvy’s door with Nacho in her lap. He looked up and gave a big meow.

“Livvy, I thought you’d never get here,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for hours.”

Nacho came over to Livvy. Without thinking, she reached down to him. Relieved that he was back from wherever he’d been, she forgot to discharge.

The snap caught them both by surprise as Nacho gave a short howl and jumped sideways, laying his ears down flat.

“Santa Anas,” said Livvy automatically.

“I actually saw a spark!” said Min.

Nacho curled a U-turn around SK’s legs, apparently not injured. Livvy turned back to Min, who was still staring at Nacho.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Livvy asked.

“What happened to your head?” asked SK.

It looked like Min had bumped her forehead on something sharp.

“That’s why I’m here,” she said.

Livvy frowned and moved closer, gently shifting Min’s hair aside to get a better look.

“Well, not to have you look at my head,” said Min. “It’s just that…”

“You’re afraid to go home,” SK finished. He reached down and petted Nacho.

“How did you know?” asked Min.

“You’re not the only one,” Livvy said, still looking at the cut on Min’s forehead. “I’m going to clean and bandage this. How did it happen?”

“Really, it’s fine–” started Min.

“Shaman’s orders,” countermanded Livvy as she helped Min up. “Come on, Minnie Mouse.”

Min stood, stiff from the waiting, but gave Livvy a brief hug. “Thanks,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Livvy said as she unlocked the door.

“Come on in,” she said. “You can tell us what happened inside. We’ve even got dinner.”

“Really? I’m starving!”

As SK unpacked the food, Livvy fetched her first aid kit from the bathroom. While she disinfected the cut on Min’s forehead, Min told them what had happened. She’d been on a job that hadn’t gone well. Livvy and SK exchanged looks.
 

“You were in the Multiverse?” asked Livvy, putting gloved hands on hips. “Do you remember that whole Tiamat discussion we had?”

“I’ve never run into Tiamat,” said Min quickly. “I’ve never even seen a trace.”

“Most shamans haven’t,” agreed SK.

 
“Anyway, the family was upset–real upset,” Min said. “The teenage boy got angry. I was in such a hurry to get out of there that I tripped, hit my head on something; I don’t know what. I guess I dropped my cell phone somewhere too. I can’t find it.”

Livvy finished dressing the wound, put away the supplies, and tossed the gloves in the trash.

“Anyway, I was afraid to go to my place. They know where I live,” said Min. “I mean, I know they’re good people and all, but they were so mad…”

Livvy put her hand lightly on Min’s shoulder and gave a little squeeze. SK brought over a plate full of food.

“Even if you’ve never encountered Tiamat, it might be best if you didn’t go out on jobs by yourself for awhile,” he said as he moved the wires aside and set the plate on the card table in front of her.

“Really?” asked Min.

SK nodded as Min frowned and lowered her gaze to the table. Then, as though she were seeing the goggles there for the first time, she cocked her head.

“What are you doing with the goggles?”

“A whole lotta nothing,” Livvy said wryly and saw Min’s puzzled expression. “I’m trying to hook two sets of goggles together. I think that two shamans could work in tandem and combine their strengths in the Multiverse.”

“Really? What’s it like?”

SK picked up Nacho’s bag of food and poured some into his bowl. He had been sitting patiently next to it, as though he knew something serious was going on, but now turned away from them and started crunching.

“Well, I don’t know,” said Livvy. “That’s the point. I can’t get anybody to try it with me. I don’t even know if it will work.”

“I’ll try it,” said Min.

Their eyebrows going up in unison, Livvy and SK looked at each other and then at her. Min picked up one pair of goggles, examining the wires dangling from it.

“I mean, why not?” Min said, looking at them. “It’s not dangerous is it?”