by Bryan Davis
Billy used his tongue to feel for the tooth transmitter. It still buzzed. “Elam, I’m inside Flint’s house. We rescued Walter. He’s out of it, but I think he’ll be fine.”
Elam’s tiny voice tingled in his jaw. “That’s great, but how did you get into Flint’s house? What’s going on?”
“It looks like they have no army. The disease killed most of Flint’s people.”
“What about Flint himself, and the dragons?”
He turned away from Semiramis and whispered. “Flint’s here, and he’s out cold, but the dragons aren’t around. Semiramis is here, and she explained—”
“Not her again. Did you wonder why she showed up?”
“Yeah. Kind of convenient, wasn’t it?”
“Exactly. She was probably assigned to wait for you and tell you the story they want you to hear.”
“Yeah, I thought of that, but we have an ace in the hole.”
“What’s that?”
Billy turned back toward Semiramis. She was looking out the open back door. Was she listening? Probably. She had already admitted to being an expert eavesdropper. “We have Flint.”
“You mean you’ll take him prisoner?” Elam asked.
“As a prisoner of mercy. Can you send three dragons? We’ll need extra cloaks that can be made into litters a dragon can carry underneath. Be sure to send my father. If Goliath shows up, he might be the only one who can handle him.”
“How many sick people are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t searched their village.”
“Perhaps six or seven,” Semiramis said. “But I also have not searched everywhere.”
Billy glared at her. “So you were listening.”
“You did not say it was forbidden. I cannot hear Elam, but I can deduce what he is saying.”
“I’m not surprised.” After putting Excalibur away, Billy pulled Flint up and carried him over his shoulder. He marched quickly toward the front, hoping to keep Semiramis and her radar ears far enough behind. Although it was now dark, his memory of the empty room guided him toward the moonlight peeking through the open front door. “Elam, I’ll send the horses back with Walter, and we’ll wait for the dragons to arrive. And make sure Sorentine is in the group. This is a perfect job for her.”
As Billy hurried out the front door and closed in on the horses, Elam replied. “What will the horses do if trouble shows up?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Billy laid Flint next to Bonnie and, rising again, smiled at her. “I’ll send a winged transport with them, someone in whom I have complete confidence.”
“Okay,” Elam said. “I think we have enough dragons. We can spare three. I have to leave the radio station to call them, so you might see the dragons before you hear from me again.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Semiramis called from the doorway. “I will be leaving you now, Billy. It grieves me that you never learned to trust me, but perhaps in later years when you remember these days, you will find it in your heart of love to look upon me with greater mercy.” She raised her hood once more and walked slowly toward the marsh. With every step, her slender form faded into the darkness.
“She mentioned a staurolite blade,” Bonnie said. “I have one of those.” She touched a sheath at her hip. “According to Sapphira, it once belonged to Morgan, but my trainer in the Valley of Shadows thought I should keep it.”
Billy eyed the narrow wooden hilt. “Maybe it will come in handy, but if Semiramis uses one, I wouldn’t be too sure it’s a good idea.”
“You still don’t trust her?” Bonnie asked. “I don’t feel that pull anymore. She must have been telling the truth about that.”
Billy moved to her side and watched Semiramis’s shadow meld with the darkness. “I’m not sure what she’s planning to do with that rope, but I thought it would be better for her to have it than to keep it tied to you. And I just wanted to get her out of here. It’s better if she doesn’t know what we’re doing. If Arramos is so good at predicting our actions, we have to do the unexpected.”
“Is that why you’re taking Flint?”
“Right. Drugged or sick, their general is in our hands. If Semiramis is in a conspiracy with Goliath and Arramos, then she’s too evil to expect us to show mercy.”
She hooked her arm around his and laid her head against his shoulder. After sighing deeply, she whispered, “Love never fails.”
Billy took in a long breath. Her touch felt good, a touch of approval, a blessing, maybe even a hint of an opening door. When she had said that he needed to win her heart, he imagined a dramatic rescue by which he suffered horrible wounds and shed a gallon of blood to prove himself worthy of her most precious gift. Yes, he had delivered that sacrifice, and gladly, but now this moment felt even more important.
Standing in the glow of a brilliant moon, it seemed that Pegasus illuminated more than a devastated village and a muddy marsh. It revealed the truth about an enemy. Flint needed healing.
Billy looked down at Flint’s pallid face. Yes, if necessary, he would have gone to war against this pitiful man, but the opportunity to offer him medicine instead of the tip of a sword seemed like medicine to Billy’s own soul. More than four years of preparing for battle, toning his muscles and sharpening his skills, had made him a formidable soldier in the eyes of his enemies, ready to go to war to protect the innocent. Four years spent away from the opulence of life on Earth and, instead, worshiping with the villagers in their simplicity of life and faith, had honed his heart into one that longed for peace.
“Bonnie?” he whispered.
“Mmm?” She kept her gaze locked on the marsh.
“We’re alone now.”
“How can you say that? Dikaios and Ember are here.”
“I meant we’re the only awake humans.”
She laughed gently. “Okay. I guess that’s close enough.”
He slid his hand into hers and faced the two horses. “Before you take Walter back, will you be our witnesses?”
Both horses nodded. “What will we be witnessing?” Dikaios asked.
“A question from my heart to hers.” Still holding Bonnie’s hand, Billy lowered himself to one knee and looked into her eyes. Pegasus sparkled in her irises. A warm breeze tossed her blond-streaked hair, making it flow behind her like a banner of tawny linen embroidered with gold. Oh, if only he could borrow some of this beautiful woman’s eloquence, something that would pour out his heart in a sonnet of love, words that would bare his soul and allow her to see the man of God he had become. Silently he begged for those words, if only for these next few moments.
After clearing his throat, he spoke loudly and clearly, unafraid. “Bonnie Silver, together we have plunged into the heart of territories unknown, and, with love as our sword, we have captured the captain of those who threatened to harm the innocent. He was a rebel who shook his fist at the one who showed him love and mercy in spite of the rebel’s clenched fist. Two thousand years ago, the Lord of the universe entered a world of rebels and washed the feet of those who denied him in both word and deed. Because of your witness, the life you have lived in your words and in your deeds, I was able to clearly see this God who became a man. Because of the purity you displayed, I witnessed a reflection of the sinless life he lived. Because of the light you shone every moment you were in my presence, his light was able to break through my stubborn shell.”
He swallowed, trying to loosen his tightening throat as he kept his gaze on her lovely face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She squeezed his hand but said nothing as he continued.
“The day I opened your journal and read your prayer was the day I saw that light in all its glory, and I never wanted to depart from its blaze. I thought being with you would be the only way to walk in the sunshine. Yet, strangely enough, while I spent more than four years without you, I learned something very important. The light of Jesus shone wherever I went, and spending that time away from you strengthened me in ways I never imagi
ned. I learned how to find the light that God planted within me. I learned how to seek his power without looking to you for instructions.” Swallowing again, he raised his eyebrows. “Do you understand?”
Her chin quivering, she nodded.
“So, Bonnie Silver, now that I have spent those years without you, and I have learned what those days were designed to teach me, I never want to live another day without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He withdrew Excalibur and summoned a strong glow. “So here, in the heart of darkness, I shine my light without fear. Instead of looking to you as my source of illumination, I look to God alone, and I will lead you through the darkest of places, arm-in-arm and heart-to-heart, as together we storm the gates of the enemy and rescue those he has taken captive.”
Now trembling, he rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “What I’m trying to say, Bonnie, is this.” With his own tears flowing, he returned Excalibur to its scabbard, pulled out the ring, and lifted it between his thumb and finger. “Will you marry me?”
Her eyes sparkled. The moon bathed her milky cheeks in a soft glow, highlighting the trickling tears. She took in a deep breath, and spoke, her voice as smooth and lovely as her spirit. “Yes, Billy Bannister. I will marry you.”
Taking in a deep breath, he pushed the ring onto her finger. Since it was far too big, it slid easily over her knuckles. She rolled her fingers to keep it in place, smiling as she gazed at the red stone.
He rose to his feet, his legs shaking. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a clapping sound made him turn.
Walter leaned against Dikaios, clapping his hands. “Bravo! That was simply fabulous!”
Bonnie laughed. “How long have you been listening?”
“Let me think …” Walter shrugged. “Ever since you said you were all alone, I think. But it’s kind of fuzzy. The water here really packs a wallop. Good thing I only took a sip.”
Billy pulled Bonnie close, leaned his head against hers, and extended his hand to Walter. “Come here.”
Staggering slightly, Walter joined them in a tight huddle. Billy kissed Bonnie’s head, then Walter’s, and wept. “I’m with my best friends in all the world. I couldn’t be happier.”
After a minute or so, Billy pulled back and looked at his friends in turn. “We have a lot to do, so …” He sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “So let’s start with checking on Flint.”
Walter’s brow shot up. “Maybe we’d better draw our swords.”
Billy lowered his voice and slowly withdrew Excalibur. “Did you hear something?”
“Yep. After listening to those Nephilim, I’d recognize them anywhere, even the sloshing of their big, ugly feet.” As if working in tandem, Walter and Bonnie pulled their weapons. A shimmer of light ran along the metallic blades, and the two warriors set their feet.
A huge figure crashed through the wall of reeds and rushed toward them.
Billy lit up Excalibur’s beam. “Stop!”
The Naphil halted and raised his hand to block the brilliant light, revealing Ashley’s band on his arm. “Billy? Is that you?”
“Yereq!” He let the beam fade. “Where have you been?”
The giant crossed his massive arms. “For the last half hour I have been keeping the other Naphil guard away from you. You have been making a great deal of noise.”
“Where is he now?”
“I subdued him. He will not be a threat any longer.”
Walter slapped Yereq’s back. “Thanks. We owe you one.”
“Perhaps more than one. The two Nephilim who were asleep behind the house woke up, so I had to put them to sleep again. And when you rode here with the horses, I kept the other guard from finding you. Did you not hear me?”
“We heard,” Billy said, “but I didn’t know who you were.”
“I spoke as a witless monkey, loud and obvious. I hoped you would recognize that I was trying to send you information. We heard gunshots, and I convinced the other Naphil that it was likely just a series of thunderclaps. Fortunately, that giant did not possess more than a squirrel’s brain.”
“We were wondering about that. Thanks for covering for us.”
“Well, I see that you learned what has been afoot here. Goliath never intended to use Flint or his people as part of his army, but he speaks about another army that he hopes to gain by capturing Bonnie, something about anchoring her in Second Eden.”
“Let’s save that thought for a minute. Did you figure out who was in the plant?”
“I never saw him, but I heard his name. Sir Devin. Your mother told me many stories about him, so if he is here, we have another great concern.”
Billy breathed the name quietly. “Sir Devin …” Years ago that name would have given him a shiver. Now it seemed little more than a bad memory, and the miracle of his resurrection seemed commonplace, just another villain back from the dead. “How did he get into the plant?”
“A traitor in the village had a companion that was actually a seed of sorts. It contained Devin’s life energy, and the traitor planted it in the garden.”
“A fake companion?” A thousand thoughts raced through Billy’s mind—Hunter falling in the garden, his lost companion, Semiramis protecting the plant, finding Shiloh only to lose Acacia, and now …
Billy kicked at the mud. “Semiramis has the rope!”
“Yes,” Bonnie said. “What do you mean?”
“This is exactly what she wanted. We followed her plan from start to finish. They didn’t want Bonnie; they just wanted the rope. And only Semiramis knew how to cut it and what to do with it. She’ll anchor Second Eden to Earth and Hades herself.”
“So their army’s on its way?” Walter asked.
“Probably.” Billy searched the dark edges of the marsh. Every shifting shadow seemed to hide a crouching warrior. Although the potential danger was real, nothing prodded his alarm, just a bit of background uneasiness. “We need to get out of here.”
Bonnie marched toward the nearest hut. “Then we’d better search the homes and find the survivors out. Our dragons might be here at any minute.”
Looking at Walter and Yereq, Billy let his shoulders slump. “You’re right. Let’s do it.”
“I’m still kind of woozy,” Walter said, “so I’ll stay with Flint and the horses and watch for our dragons.” He pulled Billy’s gun from its holster. “But I might need this.”
Billy and Yereq caught up with Bonnie, and after searching through at least twenty houses, they found three women and two men between thirty and fifty years old. All five were either unconscious or too sick to walk, so Yereq carried them to Walter. By the time they brought the fifth patient, three dragons had arrived: Clefspeare, Thigocia, and Sorentine.
After Billy and Bonnie wrapped the five in cloaks, Thigocia and Sorentine snatched up two bundles each and took to the sky.
As Billy laid Flint on a cloak, his body jerked. His eyes blinked open, and he stared at Billy. “Who are you?”
“Relax. I’m a friend. I heard you’re sick, so I’m taking you to a hospital.”
“What hospital? The only hospital I know of is …” A frown bent his face. “Abraham’s village?”
He tried to get up, but Billy pushed him back to the cloak. “Don’t worry. We’re taking you there to help you.”
Venom laced his voice. “I cannot accept help from Abraham. He kept us trapped in a circular prison of flames. We had so little food, we were always weak. We had no way to fight disease.”
“You’re not accepting help from Abraham,” Billy said. “He’s gone forever, so you won’t have to swallow your pride. Just take it easy and let us get you and your people to the hospital.”
Closing his eyes, Flint gave a nod of resignation. “I am too sick to fight. Do with me what you will.”
Chapter 12
Finding Shiloh
Floating several inches above the lake, Gabriel pushed forward. Of course, using his mental power to travel in his light energy state was never physi
cally tiring, but it put a drain on his brain. Yet, that didn’t matter. Finding Shiloh and Acacia couldn’t wait for him to sit and rest. And now that he had found the lake, this was no time to slow down. The portal was probably only moments away.
After crossing a snow-covered valley, he found a large boulder that matched the description Billy had provided. He let his hand float above a letter X on one side. No doubt about it. This had to be the place.
He drifted around the area. The sixth circle village was pretty large, so its location shouldn’t be hard to find. The problem wouldn’t be sniffing out a portal if it was still here; it would be breaking through. It might take all his energy, but he had to find Shiloh and Acacia. Nothing was more important.
Something moved near the boulder, a human crouching at the base. Gabriel eased closer. The man, shorter than average, seemed to be manipulating something with his hands, as if tying a knot with an invisible line.
When the man straightened, his oval face came into view. Badly scarred from burns, he wore glasses over his narrow eyes, and his scant white hair blew back in the cool breeze, uncovering a nearly bald head. He pulled against his invisible rope, as if testing the knot he had fastened at the base of the boulder.
Gabriel studied his countenance. He seemed to be too serious, too focused to be a madman. Yet, what sane man would be playing an imaginary game of tug-of-war with a boulder?
The man withdrew a bottle from his pocket, pulled out a stopper, and poured a shining yellow liquid onto his “rope.” A splash of sparks sizzled in the air and shot out from the boulder like a lit fuse, following a line until it disappeared far away.
Suddenly, Gabriel’s body dropped. He looked down. His shoes made indentations in the snow, and his energy field gave way to physical legs and torso. Quietly, he patted his chest and stretched out his wings. It was true! He had regained his body!
The man gasped and jumped back. “What are you doing here?”
Gabriel raised his hands. “Hey. Don’t be scared. I know I have wings, but—”
“I am not frightened of you. We have met before.”