Chinese Touch

Chapter 23-Fight And Flight

There was a large throbbing behind my eyes. My throat burned, and my head ached. The floor beneath me was hard and cold. I opened my eyes and saw that I was laying on a cell floor. I wore a long, gold dress. The Emperor walked in and I felt my cheeks burn as I realised someone must have changed my clothes while I slept.

"Don't burn yourself, one of the waiting-maids changed you. And you've still got your little pink dress on." I lifted the shoulder of the dress and saw he was right, which made me blush even more.

"You can't hold me here. You can't make me do anything against my will."

"Hmm. I was kind and hospitable the last time-"

"Kind? Hospitable? Your lackey hit me with a wooden pole!"

"That was not what I ordered. I wanted them to take you in calmly. And not only that, but I treated you respectfully, looked after you, gave you food, welcomed you into my home. How do you repay me? By running off on your little dragon with Bao! Your stupid three-element dragon..." His voice trailed off and he began to mutter.

"Mr Emperor? Ai is a four-element." His head snapped up and his eyes opened wide.

"That's impossible... It hasn't been... Has it? Can't... But... But Huang said... Uh... No." He ran off, leaving me by myself in the little cell. I heard a sudden scream. It was Hua.

"Emperor!" I screamed, rattling the cell bars. I heard a growl from the top of the jail stairs. I ran into the corner and curled into a ball. A purple dragon ran down the stairs, followed by a green one. "Chang! Ai!" I ran up to the bars and clutched them tightly. "Get me put of here, please." Ai started to blow fire on the poles, melting them. While he did I pulled off the gold dress. It was too hard to run in it.

"Come on!" Chang cried when Ai had melted the bars. "They're fighting up there, we need you to get up there and lead us to the Dragon's Lair."

I jumped on Ai's back and the two dragons charged up the stairs. Bao stood at the top, fending off guards. Ai roared and she jumped, but so did the guard she was fighting. Chang swept Bao up and kept running. The other Changers noticed us and turned their Summoned around to follow us. The dragons and any other flying animals took to the skies, many lifting grounded animals like the many horses that had been brought.

"Where do we go?" I screamed over the wind.

"Follow your heart!" Bao called back.

"They're coming! Keep going!" Haiko cried. He was right behind me and Bao.

"Why isn't he leading?"

"Because," Bao replied, "he doesn't know the way to the Dragon's Lair."

"Neither do I!"

"Just trust your instincts!"

"What's better about my instincts than yours?"

"You'll see!" Haiko roared from behind us. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the route. There was a strange warmth blossoming in my chest, and it was getting stronger to the right.

"To the right! To the right!" I cried without even realising I had done so. I turned Ai and the others followed. So did the Emperor's men. I closed my eyes again and let the warmth grow. Twist after turn, I lead them on. After what seemed like an eternity, I spotted the entrance. But the warmth wasn't growing.

"Half of you, stay here and split into two groups: one on the ground to keep them out; one up here to stop them following us. The rest of you, follow me!"

"I'll fend them off, you go ahead." Bao said. I nodded and flew off, leading the small group behind the mountain.

"Down there! There's a back entrance!" A tiny hole was cut in the rock. I flew Ai down and ushered the others in. I saw a group of five men flying after us. They were with the Emperor.

"Quickly everyone, get in." I ushered everyone inside and once they entered, Ai and I sealed the entrance off with rock so no one else could get in. Then our little group ran to the dragons. "Everybody, start summoning them." Then I called out to the groups outside. "Come in quickly!" Dragons, men, women and a few kids rushed in. I stood at the front of the dragons. There were only two up the front and I stood, one on either side of me. The Emperor's men rushed up to the entrance and stopped still when they saw our army standing surrounded by dragons. The Emperor pushed through to the front of the group and gasped as he saw me.
"Hey, Hua." I said, grinning wildly. "Like the Lair?"