Chapter 8

We waited three days before returning to the Nest in Tibet. They were not three days spent enjoying time off. Dragon Security is a busy business, and Keith and I both spent our time there taking care of problems. My Sister Doreen is a wizard at keeping electronic equipment working. She was at home taking care of her new Son and her two Daughters. One of the near-Dragons who works for us is almost as good with electronics, and he was taking her place for now, but he wasn’t quite as good as Doreen and needed to call her for advice occasionally.

My other Sister, Dallas, is in customer relations. Actually, she is customer relations, and she was also at home with her new Son and her two Daughters. Since there wasn’t anyone else in customer relations, some of us had to fill in for her. Therefore, it was almost a relief to be returning to the Nest in Tibet after three days. Keith would not be returning with me. He was staying at Dragon Security as a supervisor. Instead, Stewart would be going with me. He has a strong Talent and is close to being a Dragon on his own. He just has a bit more Magic to learn. He had been with us on the trip to Washington to see the President and had been in charge of the other men on the security team.

On the afternoon of the third day, we were ready to return. I had purchased more supplies to take with us, and we transferred first to the Nest in Stone Mountain. The Queens of Old had remained there most of the time, and they passed us through the Nesting Ward there, as Jorani had not come with us, being busy with our three Daughters.

The trip through the portal to the Nest in Tibet was actually a pleasure now that the Spirit of Ley Line Magic had worked on it, and we emerged in the cave there feeling fine. Stewart was as surprised as Keith had been on seeing the cave and all that it contained.

“This is really something!” he said in surprise, after looking around for a few minutes. However, the nesting area two levels above that was a bit of a shock to him. After we had settled down in the Queen’s Nest, I went over everything about the Nest and Tibet with him.

Following that and having some dinner, we prepared to see if there was any news about the number of offspring to be supported over the winter. Just before nine PM our time, but nine AM Tibetan time, the Queens of Old sent out a call for Virupaksha. Shortly after that, they passed us through the Nesting Ward that covered the Nest’s entrance, and Stewart got his first look at the mountains of Tibet. It felt a bit chilly to us after being used to Atlanta in July.

“Very rugged,” was all that he said before I cast the transfer spell to take us to this location in the Dragon Reality. Stewart was a bit more surprised by what he saw there. It was also a bit warmer there.

“You said that they have built all of this since the trouble started in China?” he asked in surprise on seeing the village there.

“Yes, all of this is very new, but it appears that they have finished most of the exterior work, but may still be working on the interiors of the buildings,” I told him just before we saw a large Purple Dragon approaching. Shortly, he landed on the mountain still in his forty-foot-tall size.

“This is Virupaksha,” I told Stewart. We hadn’t changed into our Dragon forms, and shortly Virupaksha transformed into his Human form as Tsering.

“Welcome Virupaksha,” the Queens said after he had transformed. “What have you learned about the number of offspring?” they continued.

“His name is Tsering in his Human form,” I was telling Stewart at the same time.

“I have been to the many Clan camps in the surrounding countries as well as those here in Tibet. The current total of offspring, their parents, and dependents plus the strong Magic users we have gathered amount to just under eight thousand,” he informed us. I was definitely surprised by this number. Tsering must have seen the surprise on my face for he had additional information to add.

“Many of the older offspring have mates and offspring of their own, as do those with strong Talents. Many of these offspring share their parents’ abilities,” he told us. This was understandable after thinking about it for a short time.

“I will take this information to the Queens. They have already started negotiations to obtain the money for the winter supplies. Do you know if any of the other Clans or your Clan have contacts in India, Thailand, or any of the other Asian countries?” I asked him.

“Several Clans have contacts in India and a couple in Thailand. Much rice grows in Thailand, and they told me that it is easy to obtain there, but they prefer American dollars or Thai Baht. Dollars also spend well in India and other countries,” he told us. I was well aware of this from my visits to several Asian countries. (See Dragon Son for the story)

“The Queens will do their best to obtain the funds in Dollars. They can make that a part of the terms when they sell the merchandise they have chosen,” I told him and purposely used the term ‘merchandise’ as Mother’s contact had. However, I had another question for him.

“Will those with contacts in India agree to take you or someone chosen by the Queens to deliver the merchandise they are selling to a person in the Indian city of Mumbai?” I asked.

“All of the Clans are anxious to obtain the things for their offspring and will cooperate in accomplishing this. There are those they know in India and Thailand who will help guide them,” he assured me.

“It will require several days to arrange for the sale of the merchandise. We will return to give it to you or those who will take it to India. We will have the name and address of the one to receive the merchandise. It may require several weeks for them to sell everything. Will those going be able to return later? The seller will inform the Queens when the money is ready to be picked up,” I told him.

“Yes, we can do that, and a number of us from the various Clans will go with them to ensure that there are no problems,” he assured me. We thanked him for his information before he returned to his Dragon form at the forty-foot-tall level and took off. We returned to the Human Reality and the Nest there. The Queens of Old appeared to be very happy with what had been accomplished.

It was only about 10:30 in the morning here when we returned to the Nest, but it was 10:30 at night back in Atlanta.

“It’s too late to return now as everyone that we need to talk to will already be in bed. We can return tonight when it will be morning there,” I told Stewart. “In the meantime, let’s visit Lhasa. You can see where the Humans did work for the Dragons, and then we can check on what is going on and get the latest news from China,” I told him.

Returning to the Cave, we took the portal to Red Mountain in Lhasa. Soon after emerging, we were surprised to find Dukhor, the Eternal Monk there in the corridors. He, in turn, was startled to see us.

“You have returned!” he said on recovering.

“Yes, we are back for a short time. We had a meeting with the Old Dragons this morning and dropped by here to see what is going on both here and in mainland China,” I told him.

“Things in China are in the process of recovering now that the fires and destruction have stopped. I take it that the Dragons have finished for a time,” he said with a small smile.

“Yes, I believe they have accomplished what they intended to do there. They have gathered most, if not all, of their offspring not only from China but from many other Asian countries as well,” I told him.

“There wasn’t any word of trouble in other countries,” he said, a bit surprised.

“That is because there were no problems in other countries, at least, no major problems. Two near-Dragons were murdered in different Chinese cities. One was a Female. This greatly upset the Old Dragons. You have seen or, at least, heard about their revenge,” I told him, but continued, “how are things here in Tibet or, at least, in Lhasa?”

“Things here are not good. Those in charge had started asking questions even before those from the Guoanbu arrived here a few days ago. They were especially interested in those who knew about the Dragons and those with the Black-market. On arriving, their interest quickly spread to all of the Monks in the various Temples. They quickly came to realize that I have been here for a very long time. Fortunately, a little bird whispered in my ear of their intent to arrest and question me. I was able to escape down here. I have been here for a day or so, but don’t know how much longer I can remain here with no food or water,” he told us. I immediately had a couple of questions for him.

“Would you be willing to go with us, and set up a prayer room for the offspring of the Dragons from Tibet and China?” I asked.

“Where have they moved them that the Army or the Guoanbu won’t find them?” he asked. Stewart and I both smiled.

“They have taken them to Tibet in the Dragon Reality. They have villages setup there, and the Dragons are teaching them Magic, but they require more than that. I’m sure that many of them are Buddhists,” I told him.

“I could go there?” he asked in surprise. “I’m not a Dragon or one of their offspring,” he continued.

“I’m sure they would welcome you, and be glad to have someone to conduct prayer services,” I told him.

“Have they a Buddha statue or any of the other necessary things?” he asked in a worried voice.

“I have no idea, but we could surely gather them with advice on what was needed,” I assured him before going on to the second question.

“Do you know where these Guoanbu agents are staying?” I asked.

“They have taken over one of the most prestigious hotels in Lhasa and have already interrogated the manager and his family. They have also started terrorizing many of the ordinary people, or so I have been told,” he informed us. When pressed, he gave us the name of the hotel. We still had the maps of Lhasa that Tsepak had given us back at the Nest, and I was sure that we could locate the hotel.

“Gather your things, Dukhor, and we will return to the Nest and take you to the settlement in the Dragon-lands later. I’m sure you will be welcomed there. You can also eat at the Nest,” I told him.

“I brought very little with me. There wasn’t time for more,” he told us and moved to one of the rooms to pick up his few possessions. There were no prayer wheels, paintings, or Buddha statues among them. I had a suggestion, but a very uninformed one.

“Would it be possible to take some of the items of the previous Dalai Lamas to equip the prayer room?” I asked. He seemed very startled by my suggestion.

“Those are Holy Relics and not to be disturbed, at least, most of them are,” he told me. “However, there are many things kept in storage in the Red Palace. Perhaps we could ’borrow’ some of them,” he suggested. However, I could see that he was exhausted from lack of food and water, and not ready to ’borrow’ anything presently.

“It would be best if we take you to the Nest now so you can eat and get some rest. We can return when you are feeling better to gather those things. While you are resting, we will return here and check out the hotel where the Guoanbu are staying,” I told him.

Dukhor was quite surprised by the portal and seeing the Nest, but was too weak for much exploration. At the Queen’s nest, I collected the rice and other things that we had left here before firing up the stove in my Dragon form, so Dukhor could prepare food for himself. He would eat and rest while we returned to Lhasa to check out the hotel that the Guoanbu had taken over.

Back in Lhasa, Stewart and I used glamours to change our appearance to that of a couple of old Chinese men and transferred out to the area near the hotel. Its location had been on both maps that we had and was easily located. We carefully checked it from a couple of directions, even using invisibility to do some of the reconnaissance.

On returning to the Nest, Stewart had a smile on his face.

“It would appear that we have a full plate,” he said.

“Yes, this will require a bit of planning to get everything accomplished in a timely manner,” I agreed before listing what needed to be done and when.

“We need to return home and inform the Queens of how many offspring will require assistance. We could do that tonight at about 9:00 PM our time, which would be 9:00 in the morning in Atlanta.

“Second, we need to take Dukhor to the offspring’s encampment to introduce him. Later, we can return to the corridors of Red Mountain to collect the things that he needs to set up a prayer room for the offspring.

“Finally, we need to quarantine the Guoanbu’s agents in the hotel. I believe that is best done late at night, say four in the morning, after we return from Atlanta. Most of them should be in their rooms at the hotel at that time,” I told him.

“That sounds reasonable, but it will require a lot of long hours for us. We’ll need to get some rest in there at some point,” he reminded me.

On returning to the Queen’s nest, we found Dukhor not asleep but sitting there and meditating. He broke off when we eased up to the nest.