God Stones: Books 1 - 3

by Otto Schafer

  Behind Goch, the young dragons returned. They were talking in some other language and laughing. Jack couldn’t understand them.

  “Come, human, it is time to go,” Goch said.

  “No.”

  “What?”

  “I said no.”

  The other dragons stopped laughing.

  “You ain’t flying me around in your claws. Put me on your back or I will find my own way to Mexico. I don’t need you to find Garrett. You need me! We’ll see what Apep thinks about that!”

  Goch’s jowls shook with rage as the giant dragon lowered its head in a lunge toward Jack’s face and roared.

  Jack stepped forward toward the beast. “Let’s go, Goch!” he shouted, squeezing his fist as tight as he could – white-knuckle tight. Tighter than he ever had. Then, as loud as he could, he roared back in the dragon’s face.

  Jack waited for the fire, but the fire never came.

  The dragon closed his mouth and then spoke. “When this is over, I’m going to kill you and the one you serve.”

  Jack stood there, his jaws tight and his fists still clenched. Part of him wanted to try and kill Goch just to see if he could. But finally, he calmed enough to exhale a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “We’ll see, I guess. Now you gonna let me on or what?”

  “No.”

  “What?”

  “No. On another world, they have enslaved many of my kind. Only slaves are ridden. I will never be a slave to any man or creature. No, little human, you will not sit upon me.” Goch looked to the smallest of the four remaining dragons. “Aiden, you will carry this human.”

  Aiden hissed.

  The other dragons laughed.

  “Enough,” Goch said. “Do as you are told.” Then, turning his attention back to Jack, he asked, “Where is the chosen one?”

  “Northwest or west. Either way, they’re on foot so they couldn’t have gone far,” Jack said as the dragon called Aiden lowered itself down to the ground.

  The beast hissed and cursed as Jack climbed up and onto its back.

  As Jack settled onto the scaly, dark grey monster, he appraised Petersburg for a last time, hoping that people were watching him from somewhere. Hoping they would see who was responsible. Hoping they would know he wasn’t going to be worthless like his father said… like they all thought.

  Aiden stood and flapped his wings.

  The west side of the square collapsed in upon itself. Somewhere beyond the flames of downtown, a woman let out a gut-wrenching scream. Soon the city would be ash and ruin. Jack smiled. This would be the Petersburg he would remember.

  Jack held on to two horns protruding from a long double row that stretched down the young dragon’s neck as he shouted to Goch, “I have to make one stop before we leave.”

  “No,” Goch said.

  “One stop, and I promise there will be food in it for you.”

  “You are testing my patience, human,” Goch said with annoyance but a moment later asked, “Where?”

  The wind picked up as the rain cut loose.

  Jack pointed to the burning bluffs. “My house.”

  6

  Her Grandmother’s Eyes

  Monday, April 18 – God Stones Day 12

  Rural Chiapas State, Mexico

  “No! Stop!” Breanne shouted, pulling back on the donkey’s harness with all she had. It was no use. Her feet churned in the soft soil, unable to find purchase, unable to stop.

  In front of the charging donkey, the grey-haired woman threw her arms up, turning her face away from the inevitable trampling to come.

  “¡Alto! ¡Alto!” Juan shouted from the other side of the grey-haired woman.

  The donkey planted its hooves, brayed again, and slid to a stop, just before striking the woman.

  Breanne blinked in disbelief. Her heart refused to beat for a long moment. Finally, she let go of the harness. Stupid girl! she scolded herself. Of course, the damn donkey only understands Spanish.

  Breanne looked around, finding the still-burning torch on the ground behind her. She ran back for the torch and then straight for the man on the ground. The centipede had its front legs buried deep in the man’s shoulder. She couldn’t see the rest of him with the long body and legs of the centipede covering him. Get off him! With that single thought burning in her mind, she began kicking the centipede. Her first couple booted kicks deflected off the top of its hard shell with little effect. But the third kick slipped underneath the centipede and felt more like kicking a firm cushion.

  The centipede released the man and flexed its segmented body toward Breanne, rising several feet up from the ground, preparing to strike her.

  As she reached for her pistol, Breanne shoved the burning torch forward toward the centipede’s head. One of its antennae sizzled and fell to the forest floor. The centipede halted its advance, drawing back instead as Breanne stepped backward to get a better shot. But before she could raise her pistol, a loud crack rang out, followed by two more successive blasts. The centipede lurched away from her, its legs clacking together as it disappeared back into the thick jungle foliage. When the last piece of it disappeared, Breanne let out a relieved breath. She lifted her eyes to the direction of the blasts to find Juan pointing a rifle, its barrel still smoking, toward the jungle’s edge.

  Breanne nodded at him and squatted down next to the man. “Something’s wrong!”

  The grey-haired woman made it to unsteady feet. “¡Raúl! ¡Ay, Raúl”

  Gabi ran forward, taking the wobbly grey-haired woman by the hand.

  Breanne bent close, placing her ear on Raúl’s chest, then near his mouth. “He’s stopped breathing!”

  “It must be the venom,” Juan said, placing his fingers on the side of Raúl’s neck.

  The woman sobbed.

  “Venom?” Breanne asked.

  “Sí, centipedes have venom – that is how they kill their prey. It is typically not fatal to humans but—”

  “But centipedes aren’t usually a dozen feet long,” Breanne said.

  Juan nodded and yelled something back to the others, who came forward and gathered around them, all speaking in a rapid-fire Spanish she couldn’t keep up with. Finally, a stocky man in a flower-patterned tunic and jeans knelt next to her and began chest compressions on Raúl. Breanne moved aside as the others went to work trying to save the older man, but a few moments later, everyone went still as the man in the colorful tunic draped a blanket over him.

  Breanne turned to the grey-haired woman. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Gracias,” the woman said, tears running down her wrinkled face as she took Breanne’s hand in hers. Then she whispered a string of words and hugged Breanne.

  “What did she say, Gabi?”

  “She said thank you, but you have nothing to be sorry for. You did all you could. You are a warrior. The bravest girl she has ever seen.”

  She looked into the familiar eyes of the woman, struck with a sudden and strong feeling she knew her – but that wasn’t possible. “What is her name, Gabi?”

  “Violeta.”

  The grey-haired woman forced a weak smile, turned back to her husband, and began to pray.

  Breanne blinked. Her own grandmother’s name was Violet. And those eyes, she thought. Those eyes looked just like her grandmother’s eyes. As she watched Raúl’s body being draped gently over a mule’s back, she wondered, was this her world now? Was death to be this common? And these strange coincidences, were they coincidences at all, or were these somehow the result of releasing the God Stones into the world? And if not that, then what? She missed her father and brothers. Even if all this were somehow fixed, Paul was gone, others were dying, and nothing was ever going to be the same. She hoped her father and brother had found Garrett. She hoped he and the others made it out. Garrett, where are you?

  Suddenly she felt a hand slip into hers. “Come on, Bre,” Gabi said.

  Breanne looked up, realizing the others were pulling away, and began trudging forward as well
, hand in hand with Gabi.

  They walked along the trail for what felt like another hour, but fortunately there were no other attacks from Apep’s monsters. Finally, the trail ended at a rock outcropping that rose steeply into the air and out of sight, disappearing into the night sky. They unloaded the carts and mules, each of them carrying armloads of supplies. Breanne and another man placed Sarah onto a large wooden plank to act as a makeshift backboard. Breanne gave the man a signal she would help carry Sarah up the path and into the cave, but another man motioned he would help carry the unconscious woman. Seriously? Breanne thought. No matter the culture, men always thought women were weak. Frowning, she conceded and let the man take her place at the opposite end of the board.

  “You are like Sarah,” Gabi said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are strong and stubborn.” Gabi smiled.

  Breanne smiled too. She needed that reassurance right now, and she was glad the young girl was here with her.

  Tucked into the rock outcropping, the cave opening would have been easy to walk right past. Just another nook in the rocks, seemingly going nowhere. Once inside, Breanne and Gabi moved single file down the narrow corridor. Just as it started to taper to the point she thought she might have to turn sideways, they reached the bottom as the floor flattened out. In the distance, water fell and a cool breeze caressed Breanne’s face. She stepped forward as the area in front of her opened to darkness held at bay by starlight. Her eyes traveled up sheer, moon-colored cliffs to where they formed a circular rim high above covered only by a blanket of stars. The air smelled moist and cool. Then she found the source of the splashing water as it poured in from one side of the rim high above, raining down into a large, dark cenote.

  Juan and a few others went to work building a fire as Breanne and Gabi were led to an area off to the side. Here the walls jutted out to form flat shelves at different heights along the wall. The girls picked out a large cubby for Sarah and then went to work building a pallet. With Sarah safely tucked in, Breanne found the grey-haired woman, Violeta, who reminded her of her grandmother and helped her set up her space right next to their own.

  For a time, she and Gabi sat quietly by the fire, watching two women fill a large iron skillet with various ingredients. Breanne couldn’t identify them in the low light, but she could smell the chilies, herbs, and meat permeating her senses as the mixture sizzled over the fire. Her stomach growled.

  Juan set his rifle down and squatted next to her. “¿Cómo está Sarah?”

  “She is resting,” Breanne said quietly. “The trip was hard on her. She needs to eat. When the food is ready, we will try to get her to eat some.”

  “Sí. ¿Cómo estás?” Juan asked. His concern came through loud and clear even through his heavy accent.

  Breanne didn’t know how to answer that. How was she? She couldn’t think about herself. Not now. Right now there was too much at stake. “I am alive.”

  Juan nodded, switching to English. “We are at least that, and we should be safe here for now. We have sent word to the other farmers and a small village closest to us. Others will be coming too. This place is big. There should be plenty of room.”

  “Do you think some may come with medicine? Antibiotics?” Breanne asked hopefully.

  “That’s not likely,” Juan said.

  Breanne’s face fell. She motioned to the sky. “Juan, the ceiling is open – won’t that make us vulnerable to anything that can fly?” She was thinking of dragons but didn’t want to say it out loud for fear of calling one to them. Ridiculous, she knew, but even so, she didn’t want to jinx them.

  “Sí, but besides that, there is only one way in without going deeper into the caves. And we can go into the caves if we must. This is not perfect, but we have high walls here, plenty of water, and with only the narrow entrance we came through, it will be easier to defend. If something comes in from above, we will have to manage,” Juan said, tipping his head back to survey the sky. “Several of us will take turns standing guard. We will go in two-hour shifts.”

  “I want to take a turn,” Breanne said.

  “I have plenty of men here to keep you safe.”

  Breanne frowned and looked at Gabi.

  Gabi nodded.

  “What is it?” Juan asked.

  “Juan, I have been through hell, my brother was killed, and I was kidnapped by the one who created these… these monsters.” She hated the tears that sprang to her eyes as she willed them not to spill. She would be damned if she let anyone see a single tear. “We have battled plenty to get here. Thank you for feeling like you need to protect me, but I will take a turn and god help anything that shows up on my watch.”

  The wiry man stared at her for a moment, smiled, and nodded. “Sí. I saw the way you fought the centipede.” His eyes shifted to Gabi. “And Gabi told me how you saved her from a venomous snake monster that was even bigger.” He paused a moment and turned back to Breanne. “But you are a guest here, and we will protect you.”

  “Thank you, Juan, but no one is a guest, not anymore.”

  Juan pressed his thin lips into a tight line. “Then I would be honored if you take watch, and I will sleep well knowing you are on guard,” he said, standing up.

  Breanne nodded at the compliment, unable to speak, which only made the tears filling her eyes even more of a threat to fall. Damn them!

  “And I will take watch with her,” Gabi said.

  Juan frowned and started to protest. “I don’t think your father would…”

  Gabi’s eyes went wide, and she rose up onto her knees. A blur of Spanish spilled from her mouth so fast Breanne had no chance of following. With the focus off of her, she quickly wiped her eyes.

  Juan held up his hands. “¡Gabi, lo siento!”

  Gabi settled back. “And let me tell you both something. I will kill the dragon Azazel. The one who killed my mamá y papá. Juro por Dios no one will stop me!”

  Breanne looked at the girl whose eyes glistened under the starlight, and she believed her. She believed somehow this girl would kill a dragon. She reached over and took Gabi’s hand and squeezed it. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to stand guard with me, Gabi.”

  Gabi squeezed her hand in return, and both girls looked at Juan with expressions that could not be denied.

  With his hands still held out in front of him, as if about to wave off the idea, Juan shook his head. Maybe in disbelief, or maybe because he knew he faced a will that could not be denied – would not be denied. Whatever it was, Breanne saw the familiar look of resignation; it was the same look her father had donned when her obstinance finally wore him down.

  Juan reached up, running a hand across his stubbled face. “Bien, which shift you want?”

  7

  Shrub Woman

  Monday, April 18 – God Stones Day 12

  Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area

  At the sound of the dragon roar, Garrett froze; only his eyes moved as they frantically searched the morning sky for the source of the roar. And he felt weird. His arms felt weird. There was a strange tingling, like they had fallen asleep and were waking up. He pulled up the cuff of his knit sweater and saw that the red and black lines on his skin – the ones David had called runes – were glowing.

  Across the field, the man in the camo ball cap and his gun-toting friends also bent their heads to the sky, searching.

  “Pete, what do you see?” Garrett asked urgently, ignoring his arms. After coming into contact with the God Stones, Pete had developed super-vision.

  Pete squinted toward Petersburg, allowing his eyes to focus as he concentrated.

  “Pete!”

  “Hold on! This isn’t like a switch, you know.”

  Garrett understood. Using their new powers wasn’t easy for any of them to turn on and off at will. Even over the eleven days Garrett spent in a coma, the others hadn’t learned the trick to summoning their powers on command. If there even was a trick to it. As far as Garrett
had gathered, it took extreme focus and didn’t always work. David’s powers were the most reliable, but then he couldn’t keep from passing out every time he used his – which, now that Garrett thought about it, would be terrifying for anyone, but for David, a kid afraid of his own shadow, must be horrible.

  “It’s Petersburg. Lots of smoke! Gosh, the whole town must be burning! Holy! Oh crap! There they are,” Pete said, pointing. “Several dragons flying northwest. They’re heading this way, but wait! It looks like they might go just north of us.”

  “Several dragons?!” David choked.

  Pete nodded. “Um, yeah, and it looks like there’s someone on top of one of the smaller dragons.”

  “Apep?” Paul asked.

  “I can’t tell, but no, I don’t think so.”

  Across the prairie, the man in the camo ball cap swiveled his head from the sky back toward Garrett and the others. He stepped forward, taking aim with the shotgun. “That’s right! Slowly get off those bikes. Don’t try anything. Don’t reach down. Don’t so much as blink. You fellas picked the wrong place to squat!”

  Other men raised their guns too. One was holding what Garrett was pretty sure was an AK-47 or something similar. He swallowed, sweat forming on his brow. Something about so many guns being pointed at him didn’t sit well.

  Ed looked at Paul. “How did he see the dragons? I don’t see any dragons.”

  Across the field, the men were spreading out as even more appeared from the tree line.

  Before Paul could answer, David said, “Super-vision. His superhero name is Eagle Eye.”

  Pete cocked an eyebrow.

  “When did he get a superhero name?” Lenny asked.

  “Why wasn’t I told about this?” Ed asked.

  “Well, I hadn’t told anyone about superhero names, but I can think one up for you too. Let’s see, you have more of a hover ability than a flying ability, so I need to give this some thou—”