by Bryan Davis
After getting past Clefspeare and Billy, Goliath landed about a hundred feet away. The Nephilim leaped to the ground and ran. Goliath took to the air again, picked up one of the wounded giants in his claws, and soared ahead.
“After them!” Elam yelled. He raised his sword and broke into a sprint. Although his head ached, he had to make sure the Nephilim didn’t stop to bother Acacia or the others.
The giants, one stripping off his flaming shirt, rushed into the forest, while Goliath disappeared over the treetops. Elam hurried to the forest’s edge where Acacia sat with Listener and Ruth, a dim aura surrounding all three.
As she lowered her hands, the shield faded away. Blood oozed from a gash near her wrist, her cloak lay shredded near a flat rock, and long grass stems tangled her hair.
“Are you okay?” Elam asked.
“Nothing serious.” She nodded at the fallen Naphil next to the tree. “He paid the price for shedding my blood.”
The village’s army filtered into the area, Walter first, then Valiant and Sir Barlow, followed by a dozen or so wounded and weary townsfolk. Trailing the others, Dikaios loped toward them, Patrick riding tall on his bare back.
Elam smiled. It would be a minute or so before Patrick arrived. He could hardly wait.
Sir Barlow sat on the rock and used a scrap of Acacia’s cloak to dab his head wound. “That was a battle for the ages. If we had wanted to engage in closer combat, we would have had to get behind them.”
Elam reached for Acacia’s hand. “Can you get up?”
“I think so.” She rose with his pull. “How are Thigocia and the others?”
Walter shook his head. “Not good. At least five villagers are dead, several others are hurt, Thigocia lost a lot of blood trying to fight, and Angel’s unconscious.” He pointed with his thumb. “Abraham is back there with her. He says she’s the best doctor they have, so that’s also not good. Clefspeare and Billy are checking on the wounded.”
“Does Ashley feel up to trying a healing?” Acacia asked. “I’m not sure how strong I am, but I’ll do what I can.”
Walter gave her a thumbs-up signal. “She’ll want to try whether she feels like it or not.”
Acacia rose to her tiptoes and kissed Elam on the cheek. “I saw you take command over there. You really are a warrior chief.” With a smile, she turned and hobbled toward the battle site.
Warmth flooded Elam’s skin. It was a good warmth, like sunshine breaking through the clouds after a cold rain. He took in a deep breath and straightened to his full height. “Do we have any doctors or nurses at all?”
Ruth stepped forward. “I have medical training in—”
“Ruth!” Sir Patrick jumped off Dikaios and ran the rest of the way. When he came within a few steps of her, he stopped and stared. Lifting a trembling hand, he caressed her cheek, still smooth and youthful, the skin of a thirty-year-old. He then touched his own cheek, wrinkled and weathered.
With her cloak now tied at the waist, she extended her hand and combed her fingers through his gray hair, then pulled her hand back and pushed through her own brown tresses. “My memory has been restored. I know who you were to me.”
“Were?” His voice shaking, Patrick took her hand in his. “I have kept my vow. I neither took another wife, nor sought one.”
She smiled. “Then what you were is what you still are.”
“I have grown old since you went away, likely too old.”
“Not so old.” Her eyes sparkled with tears. “In fact, I am older than you are. Our outer shells have changed—mine between little girl and grown woman and yours between dragon and noble knight. I am still an underborn who has been reborn, and you are still a dragon who has shed his scales.”
“Do you mean, even though I’m so withered and—”
She laid a finger over his lips. “Yes, my husband. I also said ‘till death do us part’ to complete our covenant veil.” She lowered her hand, tipped her head up, and kissed him tenderly on the lips. As she drew back, she smiled again. “Let that be the seal that proves my recommitment. I am your wife, for better or for worse, till death takes one of us away.”
As they embraced, Elam wiped a tear from his eye. “Okay. We have medical help. Anyone else?”
One man raised his sword but then let it droop at his side. “I have some experience, as does my Eve.” His companion floated near his ear and flashed a dim pale light. It seemed as tired as its ward.
“What’s your name?” Elam asked.
“Steadfast.” He trudged close and propped himself with his sword. “I will do what I can.”
“Do you know how to set up triage, Steadfast?”
He nodded. “My hut is close by. Listener knows where it is. She could send word to Pearl, my Eve, while I examine the wounded.”
“Good.” Elam looked down at Listener. She was once again peering through her spyglass. “Go to Steadfast’s home and tell his Eve we’re bringing the wounded.”
She lowered the spyglass. “I will, but I need to tell Father Abraham what I just saw.”
He stooped next to her. “What did you see?”
She pointed the glass at the sky. “Goliath was flying toward the marshlands. It looked like he was going toward Flint’s village.”
Elam stared in that direction for a moment. The sky, now fully brightened by morning sunlight, revealed nothing but a blue canopy. “I’ll be sure to tell him.” He clasped her shoulder. “Please go to Steadfast’s home now. People are hurting.”
“Yes, Warrior Chief.” Listener’s pigtails tossed about as she ran toward the village.
When she disappeared among the trees, Elam blew out a long sigh. “Time to bandage our soldiers.”
“True enough.” Sir Patrick patted him on the shoulder. “But we had better find more soldiers as well, draconic ones, if you get my meaning.”
“More dragons? How?”
Patrick rubbed his thumb across his ring finger, though no ring was there. “It is clear to me that the garden has become a regenerating field. After the first song, this fellow named Dragon became Goliath and Abigail became Roxil. Note that both were dead on Earth and, before the first song, were never in this realm outside of the garden, as if the song gave them new life.
“After the second song, Jared became Clefspeare once again, and Billy regained his dragon traits. And now Paili’s adult memory and body have been restored. Those three never died on Earth, so it seems that the second song brought about a way for those already alive to regain a form they now need for their purposes here. I assume that the same might happen to me.”
Elam looked at his own finger where the rubellite ring Karen had given him still resided. He had promised to take it to its rightful place, but he wasn’t sure yet where that might be. “Do you mean that you’ll go into the garden and—”
“I will try soon. For now, we need to find a way to call the other former dragons here. If Flint is able to complete his army, we’ll need all the firepower we can get.”
Chapter 18
To Keep a Vow
Elam leaned against the table that once held the Enoch’s Ghost ovulum and yawned as he looked over the interior of Abraham’s humble home. With the front door wide open, light flooded the room, illuminating Abraham, who sat in a wooden chair just a step or two away from the table.
To their left, Walter wrung out a sponge over a basin and mopped Ashley’s cheek as she lay on Abraham’s cot next to the wall. With Barlow, Angel, and several others receiving medical care in Steadfast’s home, Ashley had insisted on going elsewhere. After all, she wasn’t really injured, just overheated and exhausted by her latest healing episode. Acacia had again covered her with flames in a successful attempt to seal Thigocia’s wound, so she had to cool down, and trying to recuperate in a crowded hut would have made things worse.
Sir Patrick, of course, had stayed with Ruth to help with the patients, while Valiant flew away on Grackle to survey the marshlands from high above. He hoped to bring back a report o
n any troop movements. Although most of the villagers, as well as the visitors from Earth, had gone without sleep through the night and the morning hours, the escalating danger kept them on their toes.
“While we’re waiting for Valiant,” Elam said, “let’s talk strategy. Abraham, do you have any idea what Listener’s discovery means?”
“I do.” Slumping his shoulders as he applied a cloth bandage to his leg, Abraham spoke in a low tone. “Goliath and his giants are likely to join Flint. You see, soon after Flint rebelled, Greevelow and the others arrived in our lands. Mantika was the only female, and when she procreated with Greevelow according to the ways of your world, Flint witnessed the birth of their son, Windor. Flint was horrified at the painful procedure and banned further procreation. Of course, such a ban would eventually bring an end to his followers, so apparently he now seeks to build his army another way. Combining the Nephilim with the marsh folk and the shadow people will create a considerable force.”
Elam lifted a hand and began counting on his fingers. “We have two healthy dragons, a third who is healing, thanks to Ashley and Acacia, a fire-breathing boy with lots of experience, and an assortment of other fighters, including an Oracle of Fire, a super genius healer, and a bona fide knight, Sir Winston Barlow.”
“I fear they won’t be enough,” Abraham said. “Goliath and the giants will likely conduct hundreds of shadow people out of the valley, and if they attack at night, they will swarm over us like a dark disease. We would need a dozen fire-breathers to have any hope at all.”
Ashley blinked her eyes open. “Maybe we could get them.”
“Are you still in a daze?” Walter asked. “The dragons here spew ice, not fire.”
Pushing herself up, Ashley swung her bare feet around and set them on the floor. Wearing only pantaloons and a white T-shirt, she laid a hand on her forehead and grimaced. “Oh, what a headache!”
“You got up too fast,” Walter tried to push her back down. “We need your head in good working order.”
“I’ll be all right,” Ashley said, swatting his hand away. “I had a thought, more like a picture, but it just kind of flew away.”
“That’s not like you.” Walter touched the side of her head. “You must have really gotten zapped this time.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s like I got the thought from somewhere else.”
“Are you reading minds again?”
“Maybe.” Ashley turned her head slowly toward Elam. “I see it again. It’s coming from you.”
“The garden?” Elam asked.
“Yes, why are you holding it back?”
Elam slid up to the table and sat on it fully. “I didn’t want to raise hopes for no reason.”
“Go ahead and spill it,” Walter said. “At this point, I’d rather have false hopes than no hope at all.”
“Okay. Actually, Sir Patrick suggested it first, and it makes a lot of sense. You saw how the birthing garden gave Roxil, Clefspeare, and Billy their dragon traits. He was wondering if it could perform the same miracle for the other dragons.”
“You mean Hartanna, Legossi, and the others who are still alive?” Ashley asked.
“Right. Maybe the combination of the bones and the prophetic song made the garden into a dragon regenerating factory.”
“And a humanity regenerator,” Abraham added. “Your story about Paili’s life as an adult was fascinating.”
“But how would we get the former dragons here?” Walter asked. “Thigocia used a firestorm to create a portal, but she’s in no shape to do it again.”
“That’s the part that made me hold back the idea,” Elam said, “but now I’m wondering if Roxil could do it. If Thigocia made one, why not Roxil?”
Walter looked at Ashley. “What do you think? Could any dragon do what your mother did?”
“Who knows?” Ashley rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Let’s ask them.”
Walter grabbed a sweatshirt from the foot of the cot and handed it to her. “Okay, that’s one potential portal maker.”
“Acacia could open one that’s already there,” Elam said, “but the only existing portal I know about is the tunnel where we came in, and that’s in enemy territory.”
“And the chasm,” Walter added. “I think we must have fallen several miles, so getting back that way might be impossible.”
Elam looked at Abraham. He had rolled his pant leg back down and was now rubbing thick gray salve into his hand wound. “Do you know of any other portals?” Elam asked.
“Only one.” Abraham pulled another strip of cloth around his hand and used his teeth to tie it in place. When he finished, he studied the knot. “There is a portal inside Mount Elijah, an unpredictable volcano. It hasn’t erupted in a long time, but it still spews smoke and ash. Enoch told me the cone’s magma pipe is a portal. I plugged it with rocks, because the peak is quite accessible, so I didn’t want anyone falling in, but I also hoped I could somehow mask the presence of a portal.”
“Did Enoch say where the portal leads?” Elam asked.
Abraham slid the basin closer with his foot, reached for Walter’s sponge, and wrung it out. “It leads to an underground cave in the depths of Hades itself, and there is no way out. Anyone who used that portal would just have to come right back or be trapped forever, unless, of course, he knew how to open other portals.”
“And that’s the key.” Elam stood and began pacing on the creaky wooden floor. “Maybe it’s part of the underground mine tunnels in Hades where I used to live. We had portals there, so it could be the same place.”
“Maybe,” Walter said. “But testing it would be dangerous. If the portal didn’t open up, the test pilot is toast.”
“True, but Acacia would know if it’s open or not before anyone jumped in. In the meantime, we’ll see if Roxil can either fly up the chasm or else create a portal with fire.” Elam stopped pacing and set his hands on Abraham’s shoulders. “You have been very solemn, good Father. Is something else troubling you?”
“Very much so.” Abraham patted Elam’s hand. “You are thinking wisely. Your plan to add firepower to our numbers could be the only option.”
“Okay … So what’s on your mind?”
“The words on my mind are from a song I used to teach my dragon children soon after Adam and Eve were banished from the first Eden. When Flint rebelled, I translated it into English. One of the verses says, ‘When those he calls will not obey, the Maker finds another way.’”
“I like that,” Elam said. “But there’s something more. Something’s troubling you.”
“True enough, but the song is relevant.” Abraham gazed again at his bandaged hand. “I am grieving over Angel. Her lie brought this crisis upon us, and I have to deal with her appropriately. Yet, my heart aches at the thought of punishing her.”
“You punish liars?” Walter asked. “In our world we elect them to public office.”
Abraham gave him a thin smile. “Thank you for trying to uplift me with your humor, Walter. I know it must seem strange to you, since you live in a world of overwhelming corruption, but this is the first time any of my people has lied. In fact, only one other has ever rebelled in any way.” He ran trembling fingers through his thick dark hair. “I see every one of my people as my own child, and losing two is a tragedy beyond measure. I took Flint into my home, and ever since Angel’s husband died, I gave her emotional support and tried to be a father to her children. I was closer to her than I was to most of my people. In fact I had even entertained the notion that …”
He stopped suddenly and looked straight at Elam. “I apologize. My tongue moved faster than I should have allowed it.”
“You are among friends.” Elam waved for Ashley and Walter to join him. When all three stood around Abraham, each one laying a hand on him, Elam continued. “I don’t need Ashley’s mental powers to know your thoughts. You have lived here for untold centuries without an Eve, and you thought Angel might be the one God had finally granted to sleep at y
our side. But in your grief, I hope you will remember your own words. ‘When those he calls will not obey, the Maker finds another way.’”
Elam paused. Ashley pushed her fingers into Abraham’s shoulder, massaging it deeply. A tear trickled from her eye. Walter laid his hand on top of Ashley’s and allowed his fingers to move with hers.
Taking a deep breath, Elam continued. “You don’t have to hold back emotions when you are among people who love you. Tears will only give us more reason to pray for you. They will anoint your countenance with the holiest of water. They will cleanse your soul.”
Abraham buried his face in his hands, his fingers still trembling. Soon, his head began to bob up and down. Abraham, the father of Second Eden, wept.
Ashley moved her hand to the top of his head. “I see this in your mind, Father Abraham. You have put Angel on an island all alone. You plan to exile her to keep her influence away from the rest of your people.” Her brow arched down. “But there’s more. A great fear. Angel looks like she’s—”
“Don’t say it!” Abraham lifted his head and grabbed Ashley’s wrist. “Beware,” he said as he pulled her hand down. “Your gift becomes an intrusion when you use it to probe private thoughts.”
Ashley slid her hand away and looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry. You’re right. This is all so new to me.”
Elam stooped next to Abraham and spoke softly. “Will you send her out on her own or have someone conduct her to a place of refuge?”
“When I banished Flint, I knew he would survive, because he is a skilled hunter. Angel has many talents, but battling muskrats or prairie lions would—”
“Father Abraham!” Listener ran through the doorway, waving her spyglass. “I saw a red dragon and a rider flying toward the birthing garden!”
“Through your spyglass?” Abraham asked.
She nodded. “I can’t see the dragon without it, but I’m sure it’s coming. Clefspeare, Roxil, and Thigocia are already there lying in the sun, so it couldn’t be one of them.”
