Omega Dragon

by Bryan Davis

  “Right. Got it.” He restarted, though at a slower pace. He seemed exhausted, spent, without the usual vigor he had displayed for thousands of years.

  When they came within view of the field, boiling clouds drew Sapphira’s gaze upward. Farther east, streaks of fire rained on the city skyline. Flaming hailstones assaulted the buildings. Fire blazed on the roofs of some structures, and huge sections had been carved out of others, as if they had been struck by meteors. From the north, a funnel cloud swept toward the city, the central target of the weather’s wrath. As Elam had said, it definitely looked apocalyptic.

  “Storms around here usually move eastward,” Elam said as he slowed even further. “And we’re west of the city. We should be all right.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything usual about this storm, but we can hope.”

  At the football field, Jennifer stood at the portal plane. From this distance, she looked like a great decoy. Her white hair flowed in the breeze, and her uniform was torn and bloodied in all the right places. Billy and Walter stood nearby, their backs to her, each holding one of the military rifles.

  Elizabeth sat on the front-row bleacher seat near the gate leading to the field, a mobile phone resting on her palm. When Elam reached that point, he set Sapphira next to her.

  “Greetings. I am Elizabeth Hamilton.” She extended a hand. “I am honored to meet the great Sapphira Adi. My daughter has looked up to you and your heroic exploits for years.”

  Sapphira shook her hand. “The honor is mine. Your daughter’s courage will be a model for other girls to emulate for all time.”

  “Thank you for saying so.” Elizabeth handed Sapphira a dark cloak. “You had best cover yourself to conceal your identity. Larry has detected chatter that indicates a five-minute window until aircraft will arrive, but we do not yet know how many will be in the fleet.”

  Elam sat on Sapphira’s other side. “Elizabeth salvaged Larry’s core,” he said. “His container is shot, but his brain and communications are functioning.”

  Elizabeth lifted her phone. “And he is communicating with me through texts. He is quite an impressive computer. Unfortunately, I was unable to recover Lois’s functions. Her brain is still alive, but I had no time to create an interface to access it.”

  “You’ve done a fantastic job.” Sapphira covered herself with the cloak from head to toe, leaving a hole for her face. “Arramos will still be able to see us from the field, won’t he?”

  Elizabeth pointed at a waist-high concrete barrier in front of them. “When the time comes, we’ll crouch behind that. I think he will be preoccupied with the scene on the field.”

  “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”

  “Jennifer said that you hoped to provide me with responses to Arramos.” Elizabeth spoke with a confident voice, her tone authoritative. “We assume that he will arrive with helicopters. They are versatile and deadly. Whether or not he will have more transport planes and children is harder to determine, but we need to be ready for that possibility. I agree with the analysis of others that his forces will be minimized by the ulcerating disease and the chaos that is spreading across the land, but we need to assume they will be formidable and be ready for anything.”

  “How can we be ready?”

  “Adam has an empty airplane for collection and transport. We have no strategy to get the children there, because, as I indicated, we don’t know how much manpower Arramos will bring. If they are overpowering, at that point … well …” As Elizabeth looked directly at Sapphira, her voice pitched higher. “We’ll just have to hope for someone to be a hero.”

  Sapphira set a hand on Elizabeth’s. “Like your father. I heard that he wrestled a dragon to save many lives.”

  “He did.” Elizabeth sniffed and brushed a tear away. “We might need many heroes today.”

  Sapphira peered at Jennifer. She stood too far away from the portal. “If Jennifer wants to create a fake portal at the right place, she needs to shift about ten feet to her right.”

  “Good information. She’ll need to move the wire frame for the fire as well.” Elizabeth typed into her phone. “I have a shorthand method of communicating with her. The message will transmit to an earpiece she’s wearing. When we provide your responses to Arramos, they will enter her ear before they exit through her speaker. That will give her the opportunity to lip-synch the words.”

  “Perfect.” As Jennifer carried the wire frame to the correct position, Sapphira drew a mental picture of a fire at the portal site. Even in the right place, could she align the flames properly? It would be best to show Jennifer exactly where to stand and create a brief fire herself, then she could peek through the portal to see what, if anything, might be going on in Second Eden.

  That thought triggered a vague memory. For some reason she had to look through that portal. What was the source of the memory? A dream?

  More memories flooded in—Lauren’s visit during the dream, how the portal was supposed to be moved if the situation became too dangerous, and the signs that would prove that the instructions were real and not merely part of a dream—a pulsing white column and a jade on a chain around Lauren’s neck.

  “Elam,” Sapphira whispered. “I need you to take me to the portal.”

  “Why?”

  “I have to look through it. No time to explain. It’ll take just a minute.”

  “Okay. Let’s go.” Elam helped Sapphira rise to a one-footed standing position.

  Elizabeth looked up at them. “What are you doing?”

  “Sapphira needs to go to the portal.”

  Elizabeth showed Elam her phone’s digital clock. “We have less than a minute.”

  “Choppers!” Billy shouted from the field. “I see two.”

  Walter pointed with his rifle. “Four! No! Five!”

  “The red blotch in the middle must be Arramos!” Billy waved toward the bleachers. “Get low! Stay out of sight!”

  Elizabeth slid down to the gap between the bench and the front barrier. “You two had better get low.”

  “Just a minute.” Elam held Sapphira up by the elbow. “If it’s important, I’ll still take you.”

  “I’ll monitor the situation. Just be ready to take me at a moment’s notice.”

  Elam helped Sapphira sit next to Elizabeth. “The last thing I want to do,” Elam said as he sat with them, “is take you to the portal while Arramos is here. Tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can come up with an alternative.”

  “There might not be an alternative.” Sapphira spread the cloak over Elam and herself and whispered into his ear. “How are our dragons?”

  “Still groggy.” His warm breath caressed her cheeks. “They’re resting in the parking lot. We decided if we tried to move them, they might be spotted by surveillance aircraft. It’s best if everyone thinks they’re dead, though Thigocia said she would try to do some healing in a stealthy way. Adam’s staying close to them and keeping an eye on the field. If things get really rough, he’ll tell them and they’ll do what they can. We also have our three knights hiding under a canopy. They’ll rush out with their guns if need be.”

  “Where are Ruth, Shiloh, and Shiloh’s son?”

  “We sent them to Gabriel. It’s best to keep them out of the battle.”

  Sapphira looked at the approaching helicopters. Aligned in a row, they stayed well apart as their tails wagged in the gusty, changeable wind. “If the dragons can’t fight, then this plan can’t possibly work. Arramos has too much firepower.”

  “We already talked this out.” He raised fingers in succession. “One, we have to try to save Catherine. Two, we can’t just take off and leave the dragons behind. And three, we’re willing to die to protect Second Eden. That’s why you’re here and not out there. They can’t open the portal without you.”

  “I remember all that, and I know we’re willing to die, but what if Arramos brings more children, like you mentioned before? I’m not willing to let them d
ie.”

  “No one wants that to happen.” Elam lowered the cloak enough for them both to see the sky. The five helicopters now hovered high over the field as if waiting for an order to land. “Look, I admit the plan is shaky, but it can work.”

  “Can work might not be good enough.” Sapphira focused on the helicopters, nearly stationary in spite of the wind. If Excalibur were still available, they would be easy targets for the beam, which meant that they had no fear of it … or they weren’t told about it. “Do you think the new arrivals are protected?”

  “Impossible to tell without a test.” Elam’s eyes followed the choppers’ slow drift. “They’re staying pretty far away. Arramos knows an Oracle of Fire could scorch unprotected pilots if they get too close.”

  “So if they stay far from Jennifer, it’s a good bet they’re vulnerable. We’ll just have to watch and see.”

  “Are you planning to cook some chopper pilots?”

  Sapphira nodded. “When they land, we’ll see if I’m close enough. If not, maybe you can move me into position.”

  Arramos descended in a glide, Catherine in one of his foreclaws. He landed at the midpoint of the thirty-yard line, about twenty yards from Jennifer, and set Catherine upright, though he kept his claws wrapped around an arm. She stood with a wobbly stance. Blood smeared the side of her pale face.

  The five helicopters buzzed over the end zone area, maybe a hundred feet high. Four looked like the others that attacked earlier—missiles loaded underneath. The fifth was much larger with a big door on the side.

  “They’re keeping well out of the way,” Elam said. “Can you ignite a pilot from here?”

  “Not unless I get a really clear shot.” Sapphira squinted at the largest helicopter. Might that one be transporting children? If so, she couldn’t risk harming the pilot while it was in the air.

  “Here is your friend,” Arramos shouted, barely audible over the din from the choppers. “Open the portal, and I will release her.”

  Sapphira whispered to Elizabeth. “Release Catherine first.”

  Elizabeth typed the message. Within two seconds, Sapphira’s voice boomed from Jennifer. “Release Catherine first.”

  “Do you think you are dealing with a simpleton?” Arramos snorted. “Why should I give up my hostage?”

  Billy raised a hand. “Take me as a replacement.”

  “A replacement?” Arramos extended his neck and looked at Billy long and hard. “An intriguing proposal. You are a more valuable asset.”

  “Then let her go.” Billy set his rifle down and marched straight toward Arramos.

  Arramos unfurled a wing and touched the ground in front of him. “Lie on your stomach here.”

  Billy complied. As soon as he settled, Arramos stomped on his back with a rear claw. “Take her.” He shoved Catherine. She stumbled forward and sprawled across the turf. Walter rushed to her, helped her rise, and supported her as she walked toward the sideline.

  “That was my one gesture of goodwill,” Arramos said to Jennifer. “Now open the portal, or I will crush Bannister’s spine.”

  Sapphira whispered to Elizabeth, “First allow Catherine to get to safety.”

  Elizabeth again typed the message in shorthand. One second later, Sapphira’s voice emanated from Jennifer. The conversation between Arramos and Jennifer continued in the same relayed fashion.

  “You test my patience,” Arramos said, “but I have all the leverage I need. She may go.”

  Walter opened the bleachers’ gate and guided Catherine through. Her pale face and glassy eyes made her look like she might faint at any moment. When they passed by, Walter whispered, “I’ll put her in the airplane and be right back.”

  “Now your friend is safely out of my reach.” Arramos extended his neck toward Jennifer, then curled it back as if ready to shoot a blast of fire. “Open the portal immediately.”

  “Allow my guard to return,” Jennifer said with Sapphira’s voice.

  “Why?” Arramos took a step closer and extended his neck. One eye blinked rapidly. “Has the great Sapphira Adi lost her celebrated courage?”

  “Does the great Arramos need helicopters to battle a girl?”

  Arramos chuckled. “I see that Morgan’s evaluation of your incivility was accurate. It’s no wonder she forced you to become a cook for the other underborns. She wanted you out of the way.”

  Sapphira whispered to Elizabeth, “That’s a test. Say, ‘Your memory is failing, Arramos. Paili was our cook.’”

  Elizabeth typed it in. The response came from Jennifer an instant later.

  “A minor error.” Arramos huffed a stream of fire. “I detect that you are stalling.” He turned his head in every direction, scanning the field and sky. “I noticed that Makaidos and the other dragons appear to be carrion in the parking lot. Are they feigning death? If they dare attack me, we will kill the children we are holding in one of the helicopters.”

  Sapphira grasped Elizabeth’s wrist. “Prove that you have them.”

  Elizabeth typed the message. Jennifer shouted in Sapphira’s voice, “Prove that you have them.”

  “I expected that challenge.” Arramos waved a wing. “You will get your proof.”

  The transport helicopter drifted toward the center of the field, its tail swinging as it battled the gusts.

  Sapphira locked her stare on the pilot. His uniform appeared to be a lighter color, perhaps not one of the protected suits.

  Walter ran from the parking lot and stopped at the gate. “What’s going on?”

  Elam pointed at the chopper. “Arramos said he’s going to prove that he’s holding children hostage.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” Walter threw the gate open, sprinted onto the field, and shouted, “Call in Standish!”

  Elizabeth set her phone to her ear. “Standish, launch an assault at your first opportunity.”

  About fifty feet above Jennifer, the rear compartment of the transport helicopter opened. A man in a beige uniform held a small boy’s arms. Bound hand and foot, the boy squirmed and thrashed to no avail.

  Sapphira whispered, “Oh, dear God. Help him.”

  The man pushed the boy out. Walter dove and slid on his back under the chopper. The boy landed on Walter’s abdomen and bounced hard.

  “Elizabeth!” Sapphira hissed. “Type in a shout of Ignite and tell Jennifer to point at the helicopter as she mouths it.”

  While Elizabeth typed in the command, Sapphira pointed at the man in the chopper and whispered, “Ignite!”

  The call echoed from Jennifer as she raised a hand. The man’s uniform burst into flames. While Arramos watched the burning man, Jennifer lit the fuel in the wire frame and set it ablaze.

  As the man fell, Walter rolled out of the way, the boy in his grasp. The moment the man crashed to the ground in a burning heap, Jennifer shouted at Arramos in Sapphira’s voice. “The portal is open! Now let us all leave in safety!” With flames seemingly emanating from her body, Jennifer stood with her arms spread, her face stern and rock solid.

  Elizabeth whispered to Sapphira, “We prerecorded that one.”

  Arramos blinked at Jennifer. “You and your guard and the child he rescued are free to go. I will keep the other children and Bannister until my forces have passed safely through the portal.”

  Sapphira whispered, “That won’t work!”

  “Wait!” Walter climbed to his feet, the boy limp in his arms. “Release the children and let me take their place as a hostage.”

  “You are stalling again!” Arramos tromped toward the portal and smacked Walter’s shoulder with his tail. Walter skidded across the turf on his back, the boy still locked in his arms.

  Now free from the pinning claw, Billy struggled to his feet and staggered toward the portal. Arramos slapped Jennifer with a wing. She stumbled backwards through her arc of flames.

  When she righted herself on the other side and began batting flames from her clothes,
Arramos roared. “Deceiver! Now the children will die!”

  Sapphira clutched Elam’s wrist. “Take me to the portal! Now!”

  Elizabeth rose to her feet. “I’ll summon our dragons.”

  While Elam carried Sapphira through the gate toward the field, Arramos looked up at the hovering chopper and opened his mouth as if ready to shout a command. Billy ran up his tail, stomped across his back, and looped arms and legs around his neck. He jerked Arramos’s head downward, keeping him from speaking.

  Standish, Edmund, and Newman rushed from the side of the bleachers. They halted and aimed their rifles at Arramos, but with Billy riding him, they couldn’t risk shooting. Edmund handed off his rifle and sprinted toward the struggle.

  Arramos thrashed his neck and clawed at Billy, but he hung on with all four limbs and dug his thumbs into Arramos’s eyes. The wing claws ripped his shirt and dug bloody lines across his back. At the moment it seemed that Billy might let go, Edmund ran up Arramos’s tail and joined in the battle.

  Walter hobbled past them, carrying the boy while Jennifer supported him at his side.

  The attack helicopters swung into position to shoot at the fleeing group. The two knights turned their rifles toward the choppers and opened fire. Bullets clanked against the metallic skin. A window cracked. One chopper spun away out of control.

  Elam and Sapphira met Walter and company at the sideline and stopped. Walter gasped for breath. “Where are you going?”

  “The portal,” Elam said. “Sapphira has an idea.”

  “We can’t let her open it,” Walter said, wheezing as he struggled for breath. “That’s the point of the plan.”

  “I won’t let them into Second Eden,” Sapphira said. “Trust me.”

  “Okay, okay, but I’m coming with you.” Walter passed the dark-haired little boy to Jennifer. “He’s alive but unconscious. Get him out of here.”

  Jennifer hugged him close and ran off the field.

  “Let’s go!” Walter led the way toward the portal in a limping trot.

  As Sapphira bounced in Elam’s arms, she scanned the field. The helicopters regrouped in a line and fired at the knights with their machine guns. Both men fell in place, one motionless while the other writhed.