by Bryan Davis
Merlin began pacing, pressing his staff against the ground with every step of his right foot. “That I am not certain about. Only Jade would know whether or not you are able to manipulate the portals.”
Lauren exhaled heavily. “So I have to dream again to ask her.”
Still pacing, Merlin raised a finger. “And if you are successful in locating Jade, you will also have to visit Sapphira in her dreams to let her know what to do.”
“But when will Sapphira sleep? She seems tireless.”
Sir Barlow cleared his throat. “Pardon my intrusion, but my perception is that Sapphira stayed awake throughout her surgery. Considering what she has suffered, I suspect that she will have to sleep soon. She is extraordinary, to be sure, but she is still human.”
Lauren peeked at the ovulum. Two men knelt next to Sapphira, their bodies blocking a view of their work. Only her white hair was visible, scattered on the green turf. “So we watch and wait.”
Merlin halted. “I suggest that you go ahead and sleep. See if you can find Jade and then Sapphira. If it appears that Sapphira is going to stay awake for some time to come, then we will awaken you in half an hour.”
“All right, but I already slept awhile. Maybe if you sing again, I can go to sleep. It sounded like your story wasn’t finished.”
“True, my dear.” Merlin laid his cloak on the ice and rolled up part of it as a pillow. “Lie here, and Sir Barlow and I will caress your ears with more of the tale.”
Lauren curled up on the cloak and closed her eyes. Merlin’s gentle humming tenor drifted in, undergirded by Sir Barlow’s baritone, though a rasp hampered his voice, likely the result of his long stay in the cold air.
The war has come to end all wars
To pull the shades, to close the doors;
The Alpha to Omega scroll
From first to last will never roll.
As light and darkness storm and clash,
As swords collide and soldiers thrash,
The nightmare pounds within my brain
Of tyrants’ tortures, children’s chains.
And then draws near the steed of white;
The rider stares, his eyes alight.
With crimson hand he holds a blade,
In letters gold, my name inlaid.
Lauren let the lyrics draw a mental picture—lightning flashes, battles on a darkened field, children being led in chains to a lions’ den. On an old stone table, a parchment covered with ancient runes rolled up and crumbled to dust. Then a valiant warrior riding a magnificent white horse appeared out of nowhere and galloped close. When the horse stopped within reach, it shook its head, and its mane scattered across its muscular neck. The warrior drew a sword from a silver scabbard and showed her its blade.
She focused on the shining metal. What would her name look like in gold? Yet, when the etching clarified, it spelled out a different name—Sapphira Adi. This song wasn’t about herself at all; it was the tale of a different oracle, the greatest Oracle of Fire the world had ever known.
To heed this rider’s wordless plea,
To grasp the sword he forged for me,
Means bloody loss and painful death,
This day to take my final breath.
I clutch the hilt, my fears asunder;
My battle cry resounds like thunder,
To break the chains, to shatter bonds
Till freedom’s trumpet call responds.
Like a shadow torn from its moorings, Sapphira stepped out of Lauren’s body and grasped the sword. The blade erupted with fire. She held it high and waved it in a circle.
“Lauren?”
Lauren turned toward the voice. A few paces away, Jade stood next to the stone table. Everything else faded into oblivion. “Jade!” Lauren closed the gap with three gliding steps. “I was hoping to find you here.”
“It seems that I have found you.” Jade crossed her four arms over her chest, her voice less girlish than usual. “I know what you seek, and the cost of securing it is likely higher than you can bear. The sacrifice is too great.”
“How do you know? I’m willing to sacrifice a lot.”
“Is that so?” Jade curled a finger and walked away from the table. “Come with me.”
Lauren followed. They passed through a dark corridor and entered an icy realm. Merlin and Sir Barlow stood near her sleeping form, both watching the stalagmites for more emerging spiders.
Jade stopped at the portal leading to her sanctum. “Fear not. We are able to pass in the dream world.” She walked through and approached the sanctum’s central column. Lauren hopped across the plane and joined her.
Jade spread two of her hands over the column. Its light cast a pulsing shadow of her on the wall. “When I first planned the security of the life reservoir, I knew that someday I would have to create a portal leading to where the reservoir’s energy would be needed. Now that Clefspeare has been planted in the birthing garden, we are ready to provide energy, and the garden will be able to restore life beyond its previous limits.” She walked to the portal they had just come through and set a hand on the surface. “In order to send the life energy to the garden, it will be up to you to move this portal there.”
Lauren joined her at the portal. “How do I do that?”
“My understanding is that you have seen Sapphira perform this feat.” Jade used another hand to comb through Lauren’s hair.
Lauren expected a recoil impulse from the intimate touch of a stranger, but instead instinct drew her closer to this exotic woman. “I saw her move a portal, if that’s what you mean.”
“Then you do the same.”
“I’m sure it’s a lot easier said than done.”
“Indeed.” Jade drew her hand back. “Everything worth doing is, and every student of great achievements needs guidance, which I will provide, and you will instruct Sapphira regarding something that she has never accomplished. A new portal must be created along with a conjunction. Since I no longer exist in the physical realm, those tasks will be up to you.”
“But I have no idea how to do either one.”
“Of course not. I must instruct you.” She nodded toward Lauren’s pants. “Do you still have the gem?”
Lauren touched her pocket. “Yes. At least, the last I checked. It should still be in my real body’s pocket.”
“Then you will be able to perform the task.” Jade returned to the central column. “Hold the gem’s light close to the heart of the sanctum and look into each hole until you see Sapphira. When you find her, ignite the hole with your fire. That will destroy her portal’s exit point to Second Eden. Then you must create a new portal with an exit point here in the sanctum. The heart will begin the process by sending a beam to the reflective wall.”
Jade walked to the wall and set her hands on the surface at the four corners of an imaginary square. “At that location, you will open a viewing screen so that Sapphira will see this sanctum from her portal, and she will be able to carry her portal flames here. You will have to use two hands at a time, but it will work as long as the gemstone is shining on the wall. For your convenience, I put a hole through the top of the gem so that you can easily add it to the chain you already have. This will allow you to keep your hands free while you work.”
Lauren touched the chain around her neck. “That doesn’t sound too hard.”
“Ah! But it is merely the beginning. Creating the conjunction comes next.” Jade stood in front of the portal leading to the reservoir. “Here you will create a firestorm that will attach to the portal. You do so by making spinning flames, but you create them in a vertically standing ellipse in front of the portal.
“Once the fire has attached to you and the portal, you will each have to create a burst of flames to break the portal free from the wall. Then you will be able to walk and carry the portal with you as if burdened by a flaming knapsack. At the same time, you will see Sapphira approaching with hers. Once you are close eno
ugh to each other, lock arms and walk together to the birthing garden.”
Jade pointed toward the portal leading to the tree of life. “You will go in that direction and pass through the tree. It will provide you with a burst of energy. Then proceed into Second Eden until you are walking in the garden. Since you will be inside the sanctum, it will seem as if the entire room, including the sanctum’s heart, is moving with you, so carrying this place through its own door will appear confusing to your eyes. When you arrive in the garden, face each other and embrace. Then the portals will join so that a person passing through the portal from Earth will step directly into the garden, but only after the portal is opened.”
“Okay. I think I understand. How do we open it?”
“Portals that are created in this sanctum can be opened only with life energy. Darcy gave her life to open one that led from here to Abaddon’s Lair. She inserted her finger into the sanctum hole associated with that portal. I gave my life to open the portals that formed the puzzle pieces for the life reservoir, but since they are really three doors to various perspectives of the same place, and since the portal to the tree-of-life chamber already existed and was merely reestablished, the openings required only one life.
“In this new case, we will be creating one portal, redirecting another, and joining them as one. Although you might think that we will be using two existing portals, the conjunction will actually re-create both of them anew, so it will take two lives to complete the opening of the conjunction.”
Lauren exhaled. “Two more deaths!”
“Two more loving sacrifices.” Jade touched the sanctum’s heart. “One finger in the hole leading to the reservoir portal, and one finger in the hole leading to Sapphira’s portal. Those who sacrifice will donate their life energy to join the two portals.”
Lauren imagined two human figures inserting their fingers and shriveling up as their energy drained. She whispered, “So tragic.”
“Tragic?” Jade smiled. “Yes, but such sacrifice is also heroic. A martyr’s path is not to be followed for the sake of honor, but honor results nonetheless.”
“Well, I’m not trying to be a hero.” Lauren hid a tight swallow and forced her voice to stay calm. “But I’ll volunteer when the time comes.”
“I am not surprised.” Jade raised a pair of fingers. “But you need two. I wish you good fortune in finding your sacrificial companion.”
“Are you sure there’s no other way? Can’t an Oracle of Fire open any portal without someone dying?”
“Under normal circumstances, yes. When Darcy gave her life, an Oracle could have opened the portal her life energy pierced, but even an Oracle cannot open a conjunction unless it is first opened with life energy.”
“Okay. So back to what you said earlier.” Lauren pointed at the portal leading to the reservoir realm. “I still have to break free from that chamber. I can’t do this conjunction unless I get out. And I can’t get out, because I can’t create fire in there.”
“True. While in that realm, you lack an Oracle’s skills. You have only your dreaming gift.”
“But why? Is that part of the puzzle?”
“It is, indeed. In every realm you possessed exactly what you needed to complete the step. And now you have one more step to take.”
Lauren nodded. “Creating the conjunction. Then I will be able to use fire in that realm.”
“I will neither confirm nor deny your conclusion, but I will tell you that escaping from the third realm is a mere formality. Rest assured that your courageous brother will come and set you free. He has a heart like few others. Perhaps he will join you as the second sacrifice.”
“No!” Lauren cringed and looked at the floor. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout.”
“I understand. Your brother is close to your heart.” Jade touched Lauren’s shoulder. “Perhaps Sir Barlow is the best candidate. He indicated his willingness earlier, but Darcy took his place.”
“Yes, I heard about that.” Lauren refocused on Jade. “Then are we done? Is there anything else I need to know?”
“I have one concern. This kind of conjunction has never been attempted before.” Jade returned to the pulsing column and again set a hand on it. “Since the hub of the conjunction will be the sanctum itself, and since it is housed at the theoretical bottom of the abyss, I am unsure how that will manifest in the two worlds. The entire system’s stability might be shaken. The result could be dangerous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Lauren looked at the reservoir portal. “I suppose I should go back and try to find Sapphira in the dream realm. She might be asleep by now.”
“You may find her quite easily.” Jade inserted a finger into one of the holes. “Simply search for her in the way I described earlier. Locate the hole, ignite it, and go through the portal. Since this is not reality, no one needs to die to open it.”
“But will I be able to find Sapphira? Does she have to be a dream oracle for me to visit her dream?”
“Since she is an Oracle of Fire herself, I think you will have no trouble visiting her dream, though you would likely have much more trouble entering the dreams of those who are not gifted.”
Lauren gave Jade a thankful nod. “I appreciate all your help. I hope you’ll be here when I need you again.”
“That is not possible. This is my final opportunity to give you assistance.” Jade took Lauren’s hands in hers and set two other hands on Lauren’s cheeks. “I must go now. You will see me again, but not in this world or on Earth or Second Eden.” Jade kissed her on each cheek. “Farewell, brave daughter of God. I will be watching your progress from Heaven’s gates.”
Jade’s body faded until she disappeared, her bright smile the last to vanish.
Lauren’s cheeks tingled, as if anointed by sparks. “Good-bye. And thank you.” She withdrew the jade stone from her pocket, set it close to the sanctum, and let the aura spread over the holes. “Well, Sapphira, let’s see what you’re dreaming about.”
* * *
Standish pulled the final stitch and tied it off. Sapphira winced. When he cut the thread, the pain, more like stinging pressure than the stab of a knife, eased.
“There. That ought to do it.” Standish began putting away the medical supplies in a nearby box. “I can’t say that it’s the best mending job I have ever done, but I think the stitches will hold.”
She let out a breath and relaxed her muscles. “Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome. I’m just glad that you asked me to more thoroughly examine your ankle first. That injury is far worse. The splint will help, but you’ll eventually need a cast, and even with that, I doubt that you’ll be able to put weight on it for weeks.”
When she tried to sit up, he set a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. “Not yet, dear. You need to replenish your blood supply or you might faint. You donated quite a bit to the forty-yard line. Also, I noticed a sizeable lump on your head. You must have fallen somewhere along the way. You might be suffering a mild concussion.”
Sapphira felt for the lump. When she opened the portal to go to Second Eden, she had slipped on the ice and fallen hard. At that moment it didn’t seem to hurt much, but now it throbbed.
“Are you certain you don’t want stronger pain medication?” Standish asked. “The Ibuprofen will not do much to cut the pain you must be feeling.”
“No, thank you. I want to stay as lucid as possible.”
“Sapphira!”
She lifted her head. Elam ran onto the field at a full gallop. When he arrived, he dropped to his knees and caressed her cheek. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” She looked toward the parking lot, her view blocked by the bleachers. “What’s going on out there?”
“We rescued almost all the kids. Gabriel is far down the road taking care of them. They have food and water, so they should be fine.”
“Good news, but Arramos will be back soon. He’s holding Catherine Foley
hostage.” She glanced from side to side. Everyone else had left the field except Standish and Edmund who now looked to the east with their rifles in hand. “Where’s Walter?”
“At the parking lot. He and Billy and I are planning a way to save Catherine.” Elam slid his hands under her. “I’m going to carry you out of here.”
“But if I’m gone, Arramos will kill Catherine.”
“We’ve already taken care of that issue.” As he straightened, he lifted her into his arms.
The sudden shift tightened the stitches and sent peals of pain roaring through her body. She suppressed a grunt and looked at his tired eyes. “What are you planning to do?”
“I have never kept a secret from you, so I will tell you, though I know you will object.” He began walking toward the sideline. “We have a decoy, a brilliant young woman named Jennifer who has volunteered to take your place. She will stand at the portal and create fire by chemical means in a pretense to open the portal. She will then demand Catherine’s release or else she will close it.”
“Jennifer? Was she the girl who took a picture of me while I was lying on the field?”
Elam nodded. “She was with her mother, Elizabeth.”
“I caught a glimpse of them.” Sapphira imagined the plan. In her mental scenario, it progressed without a hitch until the time came to escape. “What happens when the exchange is made? How will Catherine and Jennifer get away from Arramos?”
“We are leaving three armed men who will escort them out.” Elam pushed the bleachers gate open with his foot and passed through. “Our dragons are slowly coming around, and if their rate of recovery continues, they’ll fly away with our remaining allies to the portal at the bottom of the chasm.”
“If their recovery continues?” She squirmed. “Let me down.”
“But your leg.”
“I’ll manage.” She slithered from his grasp until she stood on one foot and leaned against him. Now under a roof at the rear of the bleachers, they were hidden from any potential spies from above. “Elam, this plan is as fragile as foam. When Arramos finds that the portal isn’t open, he’ll realize he’s been had and give chase. He’ll kill everyone we leave behind.”