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‘So why didn’t anyone Raise David like they Raised you? Why just you?’ She leaned forward and her voice filled with venom. ‘What’s so special about you ?’
    I flinched, and Leo put his hand on my shoulder. ‘I can’t answer that question either,’ I said.
    â€˜There is a legend,’ Leo said from behind me, ‘that those who have spent their lives helping the less fortunate and working to make the world a better place, who have acted nobly and sacrificed much, are Raised to join the Immortals in Heaven.’ Bridget opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her. ‘Any who have lived a life of cruelty and selfishness, whether they are Immortal or not, are sentenced to be punished in Hell. It’s ten levels of torture. When you’re an Immortal, the torture can last for centuries.’
    â€˜That’s not really true, is it?’ she said.
    â€˜If the demons were to gain control of this system, they could hold all Immortals in the Pits and torture them for eternity,’ Leo said.
    â€˜I don’t see what . . .’ Her voice faded. ‘That could happen to you?’
    â€˜We’re not allowed to talk about it,’ Leo said. ‘We can share legends but confirm nothing.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ I said.
    He squeezed my shoulder and dropped his voice. ‘I’ve had some practice at this.’
    â€˜But David isn’t Immortal, he isn’t down there being tortured, is he?’ Bridget said. ‘Oh lord, tell me he isn’t Immortal!’
    â€˜David isn’t Immortal.’
    â€˜So what happened to him? You said I’d never see him again in this lifetime.’
    My phone rang with the default ringtone. I pulled it out and rejected the call; it had no caller ID.
    â€˜Sorry,’ I said to Bridget.
    â€˜You Celestials make me sick,’ the demon said. ‘Stop dancing around the words. David’s dead. Dead and gone. We threw his body into the ocean and the fish feasted on it. If he was very unlucky, a sea turtle went past and took a bite out of him as well. Hell knows, the Turtle caused him enough misery while the poor bastard was alive.’
    Bridget jumped to her feet, sobbing. She ran out of the room and up the stairs.
    â€˜Show’s over,’ the David copy said. ‘Go home and enjoy it while it lasts, Emma. If you’re nice to the King, he may let you stay in the Heavens with your kids while the Turtle’s in the Pits.’ He rose and gestured. ‘Out.’
    Next time, turn your phone off before you speak to the grieving widow, Leo said as he opened the car door for me, checking around us.
    I did turn it off before I went in.
    He pulled himself behind the wheel. ‘It rang when it was turned off?’
    I took it out of my pocket and checked it. ‘Yeah, and it’s still turned off. I don’t know what happened. That isn’t my usual ringtone. Everything’s gone strange on it.’
    â€˜You must have sat on the buttons.’
    â€˜It’s one of Gold’s specials. It doesn’t have any buttons.’
    He shrugged and headed back towards Wan Chai.
    * * *
    After I’d returned to my office, one of the Dragon’s younger sons came to see me. It was Justin. He’d had a two-week relationship with Simone, before they’d quickly called it quits and decided to stay friends.
    â€˜Hi, Justin, how’s things?’ I said. I studied him: his Asian black hair appeared to have gold glints through it. ‘You transformed? Congratulations!’
    He winced. ‘Nope, no transformation. The Archivist is adding me to the records. I’m the only full-blood dragon in history who doesn’t transform.’
    â€˜How’s university?’ Then I remembered — all the students had been called up to the safety of the Celestial Plane. ‘Sorry. So what are you doing here?’
    He saluted me. ‘I wish to apply for the position