The Bird and the Wyrm
Chapter 67

Chapter 67: 67

Bran spent the rest of the meeting mostly tuned out and off in his own world. He’d learnt from years of living under his aunt’s roof that the answers to any question worth asking had to be earned. She, nor the others, would be telling them what was going on.

And, as he, Misha and Yidi left the hall, he got the distinct sense that Misha had learnt that lesson too.

"What do you think?" asked Bran after they’d walked some distance and were out of earshot of the hall.

"I don’t know..." replied Misha. "They’re a bit of a closed lip bunch, aren’t they?"

"That they are."

"I think there has to be something going on," said Yidi.

The other pair stared at him, both having forgotten he was there, but this didn’t bother Yidi. He was used to this kind of thing.

"Ah, should I, give you two some space?" he said, taking a step back.

Bran heard Misha in his mind start wondering how to take him up on his offer, but Bran instead shook his head. "I actually want to discuss something with you," he said. "Both of you."

--

"The White Mist Annals of Sea and Mountain?"

"Yes, that’s the name the librarian, Morgan, told us," said Bran.

"Oh, you mean..." Yidi went to pull out his tablet again then stopped. "Ah, forgot I still need to charge it. No matter, no matter." He slid it back into his bag. "Right, I recall the name being mentioned in the casefile, although... I don’t see how I can help. I’m not an expert on the Shan Hai Jing or anything like that. I’m more into more modern implementations of magic."

"You don’t need to be an expert. I just want... a second opinion, I suppose." Bran looked to Misha. "You too," he said. "The idea I’ve come up with is a bit out there."

"Shoot," said Misha. He was used to weird and wacky by now.

Bran took a breath. "Okay, so, what if it was Morgan and Zhan, or at least Morgan, who broke into the British National Library and the... uh, biblio...."

"The National Library," offered Misha.

"The National Library," Bran agreed. "We know they can get into heavily guarded places, like Cloud Flame Manor, so it shouldn’t be a problem to break into some libraries, even if they have good security."

"Sure... but why link them with the robbery in the first place? They, maybe, can do it, but why would they?"

"The White Mist Annals. That’s the book Morgan’s looking for, the reason why he infected Coral with that malignant crystal stuff," said Bran.

"Right..."

"The Baize!" exclaimed Yidi.

"Right," said Bran.

Misha held up a hand. "I’m lost."

"The Baize is a legendary divine beast that looks like a giant white tiger with horns and is on a similar status to the qilin or fenghuang," explained Bran. "It’s said that it taught the Yellow Emperor all the ways to deal with and control the beasts and monsters and so on and that this knowledge was collected together into the Baize Tu."

"Right, the book that’s similar to the Shan Hai Jing," said Misha.

"Correct, except unlike the Shan Hai Jing the Baize Tu doesn’t exist anymore, or at least, not as a complete copy," said Bran. "I’m not sure if more of its turned up, but as far as I know, there are only two pages that still exist, those two that are, or were, in the libraries."

"But why were they there in the first place? I’d have thought they’d be considered national treasures here...?"

Bran sighed and exchanged a look with Yidi who shared much the same expression. "They are," Bran said. "But to answer your question, these two pages, along with boxes and boxes of other treasures were stolen by foreigners and taken out of the country around 1900 or so. I don’t remember the exact date."

"Ah..." Misha had taken school trips to the National Museum and seen the priceless treasures from all over the world that were being ’kept safe’ there. It had made his blood boil, as it did now, but what he could do about it? That’s right, nothing. Which was why he found himself rather sympathetic to the idea of such treasures being stolen back.

But why had the libraries assumed it was Whale Toes? Did they have a history of that kind of thing? From the little Misha knew about it, he’d just thought they were some group with similar interests that maybe met from time to time and did business, or something like that. Then again, now that he thought about it, they certainly had the expertise to take the pages - Aunt Yeung’s performance that morning pulling Malcolm and Yidi out of the air was still fresh in his mind.

"Hmm..." He folded his arms and looked out over the pond. Bran had taken him and Yidi to a secluded part of the manor for this chat, and with the pond right next to them, the area was open enough to make it easy to spot anyone eavesdropping. "You said the Baize is a white tiger, or looks like one, right?"

"Not only that," said Bran, "but the first part of its name, the bai, means the colour white."

"Oh!" Misha clapped his hands together. "Then the name White Mist Annals might just be a mysterious and vague reference to the Baize, making the White Mist Annals of Sea and Mountain Baize’s Shan Hai Jing, or in essence, the Baize Tu."

"That’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking."

"I like that idea."

"Thank you, but I’m not so sure it holds up to scrutiny. What do you think, Yidi?"

The sometimes excited, sometimes forgotten man thought for a moment longer before replying. "The idea has merit but... I seem to recall the report said the special characters used to write ’White Mist’ was from the Ancient Shu. They predate the actual writing of the Baize Tu by quite a lot."

"I was thinking that as well," said Bran.

"But it can still work," said Misha. "The report is based on what Bran and I said, right? And what we said was based on what the librarian told us, and that librarian turns out to be Morgan, so, in retrospect, it seems a bit odd to just take everything he said at face value."

"You make a good point," said Yidi.

"I think, right now, there isn’t enough evidence to say either way," said Bran, "but regardless, I think linking the two books together at least can give us a clue as to what Morgan, and maybe even the rest of his friends are up to."

"Which is?" asked Yidi.

It was Misha that answered. "To gain control over some creature, probably a powerful one," he said, looking at Bran. "I’m right, aren’t I?"

Misha’s eyes told Bran that he’d already guessed the extent of this. Not only did Morgan and Zhan and Artemis want to capture Misha, they wanted to control him too.

--

Night had fallen but the glass furniture from the office desk to the small coffee table caught what little light there still was from the setting sun and threw it liberally round the office, lighting the space and its master in a cool glow.

The man sat, statue-like, in his high-back chair overlooking the city and its twinkling lights. His blue eyes and bald scalp reflected back those lights, making them colder. In front of him on the table lay a thin stack of papers and a handful of business cards.

It had gone well, all things considered if the number of business cards with hastily written personal numbers on them were anything to go by.

Still, it was too early to celebrate. The business world was a fickle place full of smiling foxes that wouldn’t bat an eye at stabbing you in the back. His presentation to the prospective investors had been received well, but it would be some time before it became clear if these men truly understood The Unity’s product.

It was the future, the man knew, but not everyone was a believer, at least, not yet.

Soon though... Soon-

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said the man and in came a woman.

"You wanted me?" she asked. Of everyone in the building, it was only her who dared take this kind of attitude with the big boss.

"Yes, I heard you’d returned and I wondered if you had news." And it was only her who the big boss let act this way.

Ling smiled.

"Such sharp ears you have, Arthur," she said. "I wonder, sometimes, if your grandmother was a wolf."

Arthur ignored the glib comment and remained silent. He may let the woman act as she wished, but it was only because he did not know what else to do.

"I take it you have finally captured Misha Long," said Arthur.

Ling drew up another glass chair and sat opposite the bald man, crossing one of her long, shapely legs over the other. She was a beautiful woman, even after all these years, or perhaps it was because of those years that led to her substantive presence.

"No," was her curt reply.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. "No?"

"No," the woman repeated. "I’ve found a better solution."