Page 25 of Night's Reckoning
Ben smiled and saw the sign for the luggage claim.
Their guide looked over his shoulder. “If you’ll give me your claim tickets for the baggage—”
“I need to see your real credentials,” Ben said quietly. “Before we give you anything.”
The man stopped and turned. “Of course.” He handed Ben his wallet and a sealed letter from his inside jacket pocket.
Ben recognized the seal of Zhang Guo because he’d seen it over the years on letters sent to New York for Tenzin.
Interesting.
The letters weren’t from the court as a whole. Nor was their escort. That would be a different seal. This seal was Zhang Guo’s personal one, and the letter was written in a familiar flowing hand.
Mr. Vecchio,
I trust you are asking for Andrew’s credentials before you leave the airport. Mr. Leu has been a friend for seven years and will be escorting you to Penglai and informing you on all matters of protocol pertinent to your comfort.
Formal introduction to the court will occur when you reach the island. If you have any questions, Andrew will be happy to answer them. You can depend on his discretion as he reports only to me. No one else.
Welcome back to China, Mr. Vecchio. I look forward to meeting you.
His Excellency and most supreme elder,
Zhang Guolao
Ben took the letter, folded it, and slid it into his messenger bag. “Thank you, Andrew.”
“Of course, Mr. Vecchio.” He turned to Fabia. “May I take any of your luggage, Miss Salvadori?”
Fabia looked at Ben, who nodded in reassurance.
“Thank you.” She handed over her carry-on bag, keeping her purse tucked under her arm. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of Beijing.”
“We’ll be proceeding directly to a private airport for your next flight,” Andrew said.
“Oh.” Fabia looked deflated. “Wait, a private airport?” She frowned. “I thought the island was only accessible by boat.”
“It is.” Andrew followed Ben over to the luggage belt, which had started moving. “But it is a short flight from Beijing to the coastal city where we will catch the boat.”
Ben said, “Don’t forget how huge this country is.” He saw Fabia’s bag, grabbed it, and handed it to Andrew. “How big is the plane?”
“I assure you, it is very comfortable.”
“Cool.” Ben spotted his bag, and that was that. They hadn’t packed heavily. Giovanni and Beatrice had already arranged for formal clothes to be taken to Penglai for both Ben and Fabia since only traditional clothing was allowed on the island. Any other equipment they needed would be procured after formalities were over. “It’s all good, Fabi.”
“If you say so,” she said, clearly not thrilled about getting on another airplane.
As Ben had suspected, going through the private airport was little more than driving into a hangar, hopping on a small jet, and sitting down.
“Oh.” Fabia settled into the plush seat. “This isn’t bad.”
Ben smiled. “Yeah, it’s easy to get used to this kind of air travel.”
“How long is the flight?”
Andrew sat across from them. “An hour and a half.”
“And then the boat?”
