Part 21 (1/2)

”Perfect,” I said, slowly, staring at her.

She smiled. ”You forget family does not always include ties of blood and flesh. Tell me why you came here.”

”You know. Your mother hired me.”

Her face darkened. ”Yes. But you are no fool. You know the real reason. And still you came.”

”You are in danger here,” I said. ”Wen Yi is looking for you. I need the proof you brought to your meeting with him.”

She crossed her arms over her chest--one of them still moved awkwardly, and I guessed she had not completely healed from those gunshots. ”Why?”

”Because I need to expose him.”

”I could have exposed him at any time,” He Zhen said. ”I chose to come here instead. I am safe. I do not need you, Mr Brooks, or anyone else. This is a fortress safer than anything my mother could devise.” She had moved toward the window; I followed her and saw, in the courtyard, Xuyans being dragged to their knees by burly Mexica. As I watched, the Mexica raised automatics and methodically shot the Xuyans in the head. ”The White Lotus has no reach here, and never will have,” He Zhen said.

”No,” I said at last, feeling my stomach roil at the casual violence. He Zhen's face was still emotionless. ”Tell me, was it worth the price, He Zhen? Was your safety worth that price? Tell me whether you're happy.”

She smiled again, but there was bitterness in her expression. ”Am I happy, moving from one arranged marriage to another? I do not know, Mr Brooks. Here I wield what power I can in the house. Here I am not sold like a piece of flesh to save the family fortune. What would you have done in my place?”

”I don't know,” I said. ”But if I had been your father, I wouldn't have let you be so bitter so young.”

”But you are not my father. How fortunate.” He Zhen moved between the gla.s.s cases, laying her hands over the beautiful codices. ”You learn, you know. Living in my mother's house, you learn very fast.”

”It mustn't have been so bad,” I protested, moving to defend He Chan-Li through some obscure instinct.

She smiled again. ”You know nothing. You are a lucky man, Mr Brooks.”

”I know that your fiance tried to kill you. Do you find running away such an easy solution?”

Her face darkened again. ”I am no coward.”

”Then prove it.”

”By coming back like a bird to the slaughter? I am no fool.”

I sighed. ”No, you are no fool. And yet what did you think you'd achieve, that night?”

She shrugged. ”Foolish things. You are right. I thought I could break a marriage contract by myself. Life taught me otherwise.”

”I can still get the man who shot you.” I thought back to the picture of He Zhen her mother had given me, of the radiant, innocent smile, and knew that nothing I did would bring that back.

He Zhen looked at me with dead, emotionless eyes. ”Why should I help you?” she said. ”You came here to save your skin.”

”I came for you,” I said, knowing it to be a lie.

”I have no need of you.”

”You've already said it.”

”That does not make it any less true,” she said. ”Go away.”

”No,” I said. ”I will not leave without proof.”

”Go away. Find yourself a hiding place, Mr Brooks. Somewhere the White Lotus hasn't touched. They still exist.” Her smile was ironic.

Once, ten years before, I had run away. I had crossed the border in the middle of the night with Mei-Lin by my side, going forth into the darkness with no idea of what I would find.

The world had shrunk since then. Mei-Lin had died, and I had traced my own path, to stand here, in the heart of the Mexica Empire, facing a girl who was no longer young. ”I will not run away,” I said, gritting my teeth. ”I will see justice brought.”

”Then you are brave,” He Zhen said. ”Foolish, as well, for all your words.”

Perhaps she was right. But I could not walk away. I had not come all this way for nothing.

I had one last thing left--one last toss of the coin to convince her. ”You may not care about what Wen Yi did to you, but others do.”

”My mother?” He Zhen laughed--a sick, disabused laughter.

”You have a grandmother,” I said, and saw her flinch.

But still she faced me, unmovable. ”I had,” she said. ”Here it doesn't matter anymore.”

I reached inside my pockets for the one thing I'd taken all the way from Fenliu to Tenocht.i.tlan: the jade pendant He Lai had given me, the one she'd said was He Zhen's favourite. Gently, I laid it on one of the gla.s.s cases and saw He Zhen's gaze sharply turn toward it.

”Your grandmother thought I should return this to you,” I said. ”She hoped I would not have to bring it back to her.”

He Zhen said nothing. Her gaze had turned inward, as remote as that of a statue.

”What should I tell her?” I asked, softly.

”It doesn't matter,” He Zhen repeated, with much less conviction. For the first time, emotion had come into her voice. She stared at the pendant for a whilst, biting her lip.

Then, slowly, agonisingly slowly, she reached out, snapped her hands shut around it. Her face still had no expression.

I did not speak, simply watched her wrestle with herself.

She said, at last, ”Very well. You are a hard man to refuse, Mr Brooks. My servants will give you what you need. Do what you want with it. And then leave.”

”Thank you,” I said.

I walked back to the door in silence, leaving her standing before the open window, silhouetted in light. Beneath her, in the courtyard, lay the corpses of the White Lotus' agents.

When I lifted the curtain to exit the room, I heard her call me. ”Mr Brooks?”