by Bryan Davis
Matt rose and touched Listener’s arm. “I’m sorry. She was already dead when we—”
“You’re a healer!” Her eyes watery, Listener took his hand and kissed it. “I heard you say she has a skull fracture and you need dragon fire.”
“That’s true, but where can I—”
“I’ll show you!” She grasped his shirt and pulled him close, rubbing their cheeks together as she spoke directly into his ear. “I just came from the birthing garden. Many are dead and injured. Karrick is also injured, but he still has fire-breathing power. He can help you energize.”
Matt’s cheeks warmed. “What did you do with the children you were going to lead from the valley?”
She jerked back, her eyes aflame. “You take care of Lily. I’ll worry about the children.”
“All right. I’ll do what I can.” Matt rolled Mantika’s companion into Listener’s free hand. “I promise.”
As Listener gazed at the companion, her own companion floated close to her eyes and flashed red. After a few seconds, she nodded. “I know, I know. He’s doing the best he can.” She looked at him, tears streaming. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I—”
“Forget it. I understand.” Matt stepped back from Listener and drew his mother closer. “Let’s find the fire-breathing dragon.” He helped her climb onto Albatross’s back, careful not to jostle Lily. When he settled behind her, he patted Albatross’s scales. “Let’s go!”
While Matt held his mother’s hips, Albatross beat his wings and skittered across the field, huffing and snorting ice crystals. After lifting over heaps of fallen huts, he flew into another field that appeared to be divided into two halves—one littered with bodies and stones and the other covered with rich soil and a few green plants. A lone man with curly dark hair stood in the soil’s midst, his shirt torn, revealing a muscular chest. He wobbled in place, as if exhausted. Yet, a splotch of blood on the back of his shirt told another story. He wasn’t merely spent; he was badly hurt.
Moans and gentle cries emanated from dozens of men and women lying in the field. A few hobbled barefoot from place to place, checking on the injured or trying to free them from fallen trees. Blinking companions darted this way and that, and they all appeared to be attached to a human—no loose eggs to signify buried victims.
The moment Albatross landed, Matt spotted a red dragon, its legs and tail pinned under several logs. He leaped off, helped his mother slide safely down with Lily, and ran toward the dragon. The man in the garden jogged in the same direction, but he teetered, as if ready to collapse.
When Matt reached the dragon, he slid his hands under one of the logs and braced with his legs. “What’s your name?” Matt asked.
“Karrick, son of Goliath and Roxil.” As he grunted painfully, smoke curled up from his nostrils. “But do not help me if there are others you can help. I will not be the reason for any prolonged suffering.”
The man from the garden arrived. His companion floated next to his ear, unblinking. “Karrick has refused my help until I finish in the garden. At first I ignored his wishes, but I was unable to move the burdens by myself.”
“Maybe we can do it together.” Matt turned back to the dragon. “Listen, Karrick, I am a healer, and I need your fire-breathing to help me heal a baby. Will you cooperate?”
“Very well, but I have no strength. My back legs are broken.”
“Then be ready to crawl out with your front legs.” Matt slid his arms under the closest log. “I’ll try to get some of the weight off of you.”
The man squatted at Matt’s side and added his arms to the effort. “Lift!”
Matt thrust with his legs. The man grunted. His biceps bulged, accentuating his bronzed skin. As the log lifted inch by inch, the dragon clawed at the ground but made no progress.
“You can do it, Karrick!” the man called. “The Father of Lights grants us power in times of trouble.”
Finally, Matt and the man threw the log, sending it rolling away. Blood now dampened the man’s shirt in a line down his back, and his companion sat on his shoulder as if resting from the labor.
“We have two more logs to move.” He crouched and set his arms under the next log. “What is your name?”
“Matt. Yours?”
“Valiant.”
“I should’ve guessed. I’ve heard you spoken of very highly.” Matt squatted and slid his arms under the smaller log. “Say the word.”
“Lift!” This time they heaved the log away with no trouble.
Karrick crawled out from under the third log, dragging his back legs and tail. As he emerged, his entire body came into view. Matt scanned him from snout to tail. He looked more like the Earth dragons than did Grackle and Albatross, though he was smaller than Makaidos, Thigocia, and the others.
Valiant wrapped his arms around Matt and kissed his forehead. “Excellent work. Your strength is greater than most I have seen from your world.”
With his arms pinned to his sides, Matt nodded. “Um … thanks.”
When Valiant drew back, Mom flew closer with Lily in her arms, beating her wings to stay above the debris, but Albatross was now nowhere in sight.
“Karrick,” Matt said as he crouched in front of the dragon’s snout, “are you all right? I mean, how bad are your injuries?”
“As I thought, my rear legs are broken, but I am confident that I have no internal injuries. I will heal in time.”
Matt patted Karrick’s neck. “Are you ready to help now?”
Karrick turned his head and shot out a quick burst of fire at the ground. “The power behind my flames is weak, but I will do what I can.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
Valiant offered Matt his hand. “I must get back to the birthing garden. There are more babies to save.”
Matt rose and shook his hand. “Babies?”
“Yes, of course.” Valiant turned and hurried away. The splotch on the back of his shirt had doubled in size.
Mom laid Lily in Matt’s arms and carefully slid the cloak from underneath. Lily’s companion balanced on her chest as if dazed. “Ashley did most of the healing with Excalibur’s energy or an oracle’s fire. Since you have no scales, dragon fire is much more dangerous.”
“So what do we do?”
Mom spread the cloak over Matt’s head and back. “Sit on the ground. Karrick will breathe fire on the flameproof cloak, and you will focus on Lily. If your gift works like Ashley’s, healing light will come through your eyes. Make sure the light goes into Lily’s eyes. Ashley says it hurts a lot, and it will drain all your energy, and I’m not even sure if it will work. Are you up for it?”
“To save this baby’s life?” He nodded and lowered himself to the ground. “I’ll do my best.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s all we can ask for.”
As Matt shifted his back toward Karrick, Valiant came into view in the garden about twenty paces away, picking up stones that had toppled some of the plants. Why would he put such effort into coddling vegetation when so many people were suffering? With his wounds and loss of blood, he might even be risking his own life.
A whoosh sounded. Matt’s back grew warm. He focused on Lily, but Valiant’s movements stayed in his field of vision. Valiant picked up a broken plant. Two wilted leaves spilled out a white sac the size of a football. As he peeled away the spider-web-like mesh from around the sac, he began weeping. When the last layer dropped away, a little baby lay in his palms, its petite arms and legs limp. A tiny glass egg fell from the baby’s fingers and lay motionless on the soil.
Matt’s throat tightened. This garden produced babies? How could that be?
As heat from Karrick’s flames spread around Matt’s body, he couldn’t hold back his tears. Why did the little ones have to suffer? The evil in the world wasn’t their fault.
Valiant dropped to his knees. He laid the baby gently on the soil. Then, his eyes rolling upward, he clutched his
chest and toppled to the side. His companion fell to the ground and rolled several inches away.
Matt lurched, but a hand reached under the cloak and grabbed his wrist, keeping him in place. “No!” Mom said. “Stay where you are! I’ll help Valiant!”
She staggered to Valiant and knelt over him, straddling his torso. She laid her ear against his chest. “His heart’s not beating!”
Her hand shaking, she withdrew the energy gun from a pocket.
“Mom!” Matt called. “Don’t. Get someone to help you drag him to me, and I’ll try to—”
“No time!” She pressed the barrel against Valiant’s chest and pulled the trigger. Light flashed within the gun and flowed into his body, creating an aura at the entry point. As she held it in place, her mouth dropped open. Her body quaked. Gasping for breath, she looked at Matt, her face pale. “Focus … focus on Lily!”
“Okay, okay!” Trembling, Matt stared at the little girl in his arms. Of course Mom was right. She had to save Valiant, and he had to concentrate on Lily. But at what cost?
After several seconds, Lily squirmed and whimpered. Her companion tipped over and lay dark on her chest. Matt again let out a quiet shushing sound. “It’s okay, Lily.” His voice shook and rattled. “I know it’s getting hot … but you’ll be all right.”
The words echoed in his mind. Would she be all right? The baby in the garden didn’t survive. Many of the people in Founder’s Village also lost their lives. And her own companion wasn’t responding. What right did he have to tell Lily that she would escape tragedy?
The flow of heat eased. Karrick’s energy was nearly spent. Time was running out. Matt again focused on the little girl. Mom said light would come from his eyes, but it hadn’t happened yet. This was all so new, so strange.
Still sitting with Lily in his lap, he mentally combined his natural body heat with the surge spreading across the cloak. Concentrating on both sources, he drew the energy toward his eyes. A pair of white beams struck the little girl’s face. Moving his head, he shifted the beams to her eyes and opened her lids with his fingers. Light poured in. She jerked, but Matt hugged her closer and kept his eyebeams in place.
Sweat dripped from his nose and chin. His arms weakened, feeling like melting rubber bands. He ran a finger along Lily’s scalp. The crack in her skull seemed thinner, as if the broken piece was mending itself in place. Her companion brightened, lifted off her chest, and floated to her cheek, flashing blue.
As burning heat scalded his skin and drilled into his bones, he grimaced but kept pouring in the light. He had to see the healing to completion. No sense in coming this far without making sure.
“You can do it, Matt,” a woman called, but she seemed far away, whoever she was.
“Keep it up, Son.” The man’s voice was strong and steady, much like Walter’s, though older somehow.
Finally, his finger detected no crack. “St … stop! I think … she’s healed.”
The heat on his back evaporated. His arms went numb. He rolled to his side, laying Lily gently on the ground as he keeled over. Blackness pulsed in his vision. A wheezing sound and a deep cough echoed again and again, as if he were in a canyon.
A cool hand touched his forehead. “He is feverish,” the man said. “Very hot.”
“Someone fetch water! I will call the dragons!”
Is that Listener? Matt’s thoughts trickled like a slowly leaking faucet. Yes … Listener.
Retreating footfalls thumped the ground, then sharp whistles pierced the air. When they died away, whispers filtered in, close, yet far away at the same time.
“Lily is asleep,” Listener said. “She seems fine.”
“Praise the Father of Lights. We have two miracles of healing.”
Matt tried to blink, but his lids wouldn’t move. That sounded like Valiant. He must have recovered.
“How is Bonnie?” Listener asked.
“Exhausted. The precious gift she gave me drained her energy. She needs to sleep but refuses to rest. She will be here in a moment.”
“She is a holy vessel, a gift from God.”
“Indeed,” Valiant said. “Few gems compare.”
“Help me get the cloak off him.”
A frigid hand touched Matt’s. He winced. It was cold … so cold. His body rolled from side to side, but his limp arms and legs couldn’t respond. He was at the mercy of these cold but helpful hands.
“Now his shirt,” Listener said.
His body rocked again. Coolness spread across his skin, not so icy this time, more like an autumn breeze. Flapping sounds preceded gusts of wind that brought more relief.
“Albatross. Cold breath, but no ice. We have to cool him quickly but without shocking his system.”
A bitter wind blasted across his chest, face, and hair. It felt like being naked in a snowstorm. Still, no shivers came. Heat pulsed from within, driving the chill away.
A hand pressed against his forehead again. “He is still dangerously feverish.”
“It seems that cold air is not enough,” Listener said. “Albatross, start with a little ice and add more until I say to stop.”
The wind transformed into a wintry blast. Matt winced. He had to move. He had to get out of the blizzard, but his arms and legs stayed numb, as stiff as logs.
“That’s perfect, Albatross. Keep it there.”
Something smooth massaged his chest, fingers driving the coolness into his skin. A new voice joined the conversation, weak and shaky. “He will recover. It’s all part of the healing gift.”
Matt tried to say “Mom,” but although his lips formed the word, no sound came out.
“Listener, I think we have enough,” Mom said. “Please take Albatross away. I’ll carry Lily to shelter and see who else I can help.”
Valiant’s voice returned. “You must save the energy in the gun for yourself. You barely have enough strength to walk. Trust the Father of Lights to bring healing.”
“Maybe God is bringing the healing through me.”
“I think that is unlikely,” Valiant said. “He would not want you to contribute to corrupting your world.”
“The people in my world always have a choice. The corruption won’t affect them unless they choose to allow it.”
“This is true, but I fear that the innocent ones in your world will suffer at the hands of those who welcome evil into their hearts. We cannot employ a healing device that will bring harm to the innocent. Again I say to trust the Father of Lights.”
“Valiant, I do trust the Father of Lights, but he also expects us to use the gifts he has given us. Wisdom demands that we—”
“Wisdom demands?” Valiant’s tone had sharpened, but after a deep breath, he settled. “Bonnie, I understand your passion, but you must allow me to exercise my wisdom. You are a faithful sojourner who is traveling in a foreign land, a land that is not yours. As long as our king and queen are absent, I must take their place as leader of this realm. You healed me, and I am thankful for your kindness, but I cannot allow you to sacrifice yourself.”
“So are you telling me to refrain from saving your people?”
“I am. We will not contribute to the corruption of your world. Use the rest of the energy in your gun on yourself.”
After a moment of silence, Mom’s voice returned, again weak. “You have the authority to compel me regarding your people but not what I choose to do for myself.”
“Agreed. Yet, in your weakened state, it is best not to trust your own counsel. Perhaps you should consider your son’s advice. I see in him wisdom far beyond his years.”
After another moment of silence, Mom sighed. “I will consider it.”
“Then rest while I care for Matt. He needs the remainder of his body cooled.”
“I understand.”
“I expect the hospital to return before nightfall. Your mother and father are inside as well as the other sick anthrozils, some caregivers, and many of our children. Perhap
s you can offer assistance there.”
“Thank you. I would love to help as soon as I find a place for Lily.”
Wings fluttered and quickly faded. The cooling massage spread to Matt’s thighs and legs. “You are surely a son of your mother,” Valiant said. “She constantly bleeds for those who cannot repay her, and your willingness to sacrifice yourself for a baby is far greater evidence of your sonship than are facial similarities. You look very little like your father or mother, but your heart is identical. I hope you will honor me with your friendship.”
Matt tried to answer, but his lungs had no strength. The surrounding sounds died away. His vision flickered, then brightened. For some reason, he was now driving a convertible with Darcy in the passenger seat. Her auburn hair flowed back in the breeze, revealing a worried expression. Smeared makeup blended with shimmering tear tracks on her cheeks. She wore his cloak, covering her body to her knees, leaving the lower part of her legs bare. She turned to him and said, “You won’t regret this, Matt. Your trust, in spite of all I have done to you, means everything to me.”
Matt blinked. She sounded just like Semiramis. And hadn’t Semiramis used similar words when spewing her deceptive praise?
Smiling weakly, Darcy slid her hand into his. The touch felt electric, yet soothing and good. “Will you take me home?”
“I’ll do my best.” Matt grimaced inside, but his face wouldn’t respond to the thought. How could he say that to Darcy? Taking her home would be like inviting an axe-wielding hitchhiker to dinner with the family.
Darcy pulled Matt’s hand to her lips and kissed his fingers. She opened her mouth to speak, but a different voice came out.
“Matt, it’s time to wake up.” Cool moisture returned, this time across his brow and cheeks. “Your temperature is almost normal, so I think you’ve recovered.”
He blinked open his eyes. Listener knelt over him, swabbing his forehead with a sponge. Its light flashing blue, her companion floated close to her ear. Torches burned in various places, including one within reach, their ends embedded in the ground as they illuminated the twilight scene. As people walked here and there, long shadows followed them, a sure sign that night was about to fall.
