They followed Rajiv to the palace, passing by the tiger statues to ascend the stairs.
Rajiv paused by the double doors. "My grandfather likes to be called Your Eminence," he said in Chinese. "And you must let him talk first."
"I understand," Dougal responded.
Rajiv grinned. "You really do speak Chinese."
"His Eminence is actually a fun guy once you get to know him," J.L. said, also switching to Chinese.
Rajiv laughed. "I have the Blissky ready. Come on." He led them inside past two guards holding long curved swords. The room was deep with columns set in two rows leading toward a dais. On the dais, a gray-haired man sat on a throne made of carved wood, inlaid with golden tigers.
Rajiv and J.L. both bowed from the waist, so Dougal copied them. He followed them to where three cushions rested on the floor. When Rajiv and J.L. dropped to their knees on the cushions, he did the same. Then they all bowed forward, their elbows and noses on the floor.
"Welcome, esteemed guests," the Grand Tiger said. "You may be at ease."
"You are most gracious, Your Eminence." J.L. sat cross-legged on the pillow.
Dougal crossed his legs, too, venturing a quick glance at the throne, where the Grand Tiger was glaring down at them imperiously. This was the guy J.L. said was fun?
His Eminence was dressed in red silk robes embroidered with golden tigers. His long gray hair was pulled tightly into a knot on top of his head, where it was held in place by a ring of gold and a long golden pin with a jeweled tiger on one end. He sported a long gray beard that was gathered together into a small ring of gold.
He scowled at J.L. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Jin Long."
"The pleasure is mine, Your Eminence." J.L. inclined his head.
The Grand Tiger narrowed his eyes. "You are Dou Gal, the Scotsman who speaks Chinese?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
A disappointed look crossed the Grand Tiger's face. "I thought you would be wearing a skirt. I wanted to see your skirt."
Dougal bowed his head. "My apologies, Your Eminence. I will wear it the next time I come, if you will allow my intrusion."
The Grand Tiger grunted. "You are well spoken. How do you know Chinese?"
Dougal hesitated. He'd never intended to tell his story to anyone other than Leah, but it would be rude to ignore the Grand Tiger's request. He glanced over at Rajiv and J.L., who were watching him curiously. No doubt they would repeat his story, and then everyone would know his shameful secret.
The Grand Tiger cleared his throat, indicating that he was growing impatient.
"I lived in Shanghai for a few years," Dougal finally answered.
"When?" His Eminence demanded. "How did you come to be there?"
"It is a long story."
The Grand Tiger snorted. "Do you have somewhere else to go?"
Dougal took a deep breath. "It began in 1735, when I was fourteen years old. I was kidnapped from the town of Glasgow in Scotland and taken aboard a British merchant ship."
"Kidnapped?" The Grand Tiger's eyes lit up. "Tell me more."
"I tried to escape. Twice." He didn't want to mention the lashings he'd received. Or the hopeless humiliation that he'd felt when he'd finally accepted his new life.
"Good!" The Grand Tiger sat on the edge of his throne. "But you were recaptured? Did they punish you? Is that when you lost your hand?" He motioned toward Dougal's prosthesis.
"No. I lost my hand four years ago in battle."
"But you still fight?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
"Excellent. Now tell me more of your story. Were you abused on the ship?"
"At first, but then I learned how to play the pipes, and that kept the crew happy with me."
"Very good." The Grand Tiger nodded. "I want to hear you play."
Dougal bowed his head. "I will bring them with me next time."
"Excellent! Now tell me what happened next."
"Our ship was departing from India when we were attacked by pirates."
"Pirates?" The Grand Tiger jumped to his feet, grabbing a cushion off his throne. He stepped off the dais, tossed the cushion on the floor, then sat across from Dougal. "What happened then?"
Dougal winced inwardly. His shameful secret would become public knowledge. Everyone would know he'd been whipped into submission, his spirit crushed with despair. "I was sold into slavery."
J.L. flinched. Rajiv hissed.
The Grand Tiger looked appalled. "Rajiv! Bring drinks for us."
"Yes, Your Eminence." Rajiv jumped up and helped a servant carry in a round table with short legs. They set it on the floor between Dougal and the Grand Tiger.
Another servant rushed forward with a tray. She set two bottles and four small cups on the table, then bowed and retreated from the room.
"Come." The Grand Tiger motioned for the four of them to gather around the table. "We must console Dou Gal for his sufferings."
"Yes, Your Eminence." Rajiv poured a clear liquid with a strong alcoholic smell into a cup for his grandfather and then for himself. "This is Blissky for our guests." He poured some into J.L.'s and Dougal's cups.
"To Dou Gal." The Grand Tiger lifted his cup, and the others followed suit. "Gun bei!" He tapped his cup on theirs and knocked back his drink.
"Gun bei," Rajiv and J.L. responded, then tossed back their drinks.
Dougal took a sip, reluctant to drink too much before a mission. To his surprise, the Blissky had been watered down. He gave Rajiv a grateful look, then finished his cup.
Rajiv grinned, then refilled all the cups.
"I regret that I didn't know of your plight," the Grand Tiger said. "I would have come to Shanghai to rescue you."
"You are most kind, Your Eminence," Dougal said, uncomfortable with the sympathetic looks he was receiving. He'd rather be seen as a secretive grouch than be pitied.
"What are friends for? You are my good friend now, right?" The Grand Tiger lifted his cup. "A toast to friendship! Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They all drank, and Rajiv refilled their cups.
"Does that mean that Your Eminence was alive in the 1700s?" J.L. asked.
"Yes. I am four hundred and sixty-two years old." The Grand Tiger waved his cup proudly. "To having nine lives! Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They drank, and Rajiv filled their cups.
The Grand Tiger scooted around the table to be closer to Dougal. "So how did you escape?"
"Did you run your master through with a sword?" Rajiv asked.
Dougal shook his head. How many times in his life had music saved him? And now, because of his prosthesis, he could only play a sad tune. "I had a tin whistle with me, and I would play it at night to comfort myself."
The Grand Tiger patted his shoulder. "I want to hear you play."
"Yes, Your Eminence. The music drew the attention of my master's daughter. She would come every night to listen, and then we started talking."
"And you fell in love?" The Grand Tiger's eyes lit up.
"Yes." Dougal nodded. "She helped me escape."
The Grand Tiger grabbed his cup. "A toast to true love! Gun bei!"
"Gun bei!" J.L. and Rajiv shouted and downed their cups.
Dougal took a sip. He didn't want to talk anymore about Li Lei. It was shameful enough to admit he'd been enslaved, but he didn't want to confess how he had failed the girl who had saved him. "I would be honored to hear your story, Your Eminence."
"Of course." The Grand Tiger looped an arm around Dougal's shoulders. "I'm on my ninth life, you know. The next time I die, it's curtains for me, old friend."
Dougal lifted his cup. "May you live another four hundred and sixty-two years."
"I'll drink to that." The Grand Tiger tapped his cup against Dougal's. "Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They all drank.
"I had six beautiful daughters and twelve magnificent sons." The Grand Tiger waved a hand in the air. "Two of my sons were killed by hunters, may their souls be damned forever. Three more sons were killed by Master Han and his vampire lords."
"May they rot in hell!" Rajiv growled as he poured more liquor into all the cups.
The Grand Tiger nodded at him, then turned to Dougal. "Son number six went down the Mekong River and founded a tiger colony in Thailand. He was doing very well, and I was most proud of him. But then that nasty vampire, Lord Qing, slaughtered him, cutting him into pieces so he could not advance to another life. His oldest son, Raghu, became the leader of their village. Rajiv is the second son."
Rajiv placed a hand over his heart. "I will not rest until our family has been avenged, Your Eminence."
Dougal shifted on his cushion. He hadn't realized that Rajiv had a personal reason for helping the Vamps.
The Grand Tiger gazed fondly at Rajiv. "He is my youngest grandson. And the only one to learn English and find us a worthy ally to help us defeat Master Han. He's a smart boy."
Rajiv bowed his head. "Your kindness is beyond measure, Your Eminence."
"We are honored to be your ally," J.L. said.
"To friendship!" The Grand Tiger lifted his cup. "Gun bei!"
"Gun bei." They drank, and Rajiv filled the cups with the last of the liquor.
The Grand Tiger slumped to the side, leaning on Dougal. "I'm so very proud of my grandson."
Rajiv's eyes glimmered with tears. "Thank you, Grandfather."
"We will help him and keep him safe," Dougal added.
The Grand Tiger patted his arm. "You are a good friend, Dou Gal. You must play for me. And I will sing for you. And dance the Tiger Dance."
"I would like to see that, Your Eminence."
"Then I will dance now!" The Grand Tiger attempted to get up but fell over.
"Your Eminence?" Dougal jumped up. "Are you all right?"
The Grand Tiger let out a loud snore.
Rajiv ran to his grandfather's side, then glanced up at the Vamps, smiling. "He's asleep. But he'll be talking about tonight for months to come. Thank you."
J.L. rose to his feet. "We need to be going now. The sun will have set on most of Master Han's bases."
Rajiv straightened. "Do you want me to come with you?"
J.L. shook his head. "We have to teleport some captives back. We won't be able to teleport you at the same time. But we'll come back for you later."
Rajiv nodded with a resigned look. "All right. But call me if you need any help."
For the next few hours, Dougal teleported with J.L. to one enemy camp after another so he could embed all thirty of Master Han's bases in his psychic memory. The camps were quiet, with only a few lights burning along their palisade walls. According to J.L., the soldiers tended to do their military exercises during the day and rest at night, with a small contingent of guards on duty. In the last few years, they had become lax in security, since no local person dared approach a place that might harbor a hungry vampire inside. Only those who wanted to join the army ventured close.
They were in northern Myanmar when Dougal climbed onto a flat rock on top of a hill that overlooked the last camp. "See anyone ye know?"