Gabi looked back from the direction they had come, her voice barely a mutter. “We’re off the mountain.” She looked at the moon again. “We must be on the back side of it now.”
Sarah followed her gaze. “We could be miles away from base camp, but once we get out of this gorge, we should be able to get our bearings and get back. We need to get help. Juan and his crew will still be there trying to figure out what happened. Maybe they have already called for help.”
As they hiked through the dense foliage around the mountain, neither spoke. Gabi staggered along, lost in thoughts of her mother and father, periodically collapsing into a heap of tears. Sarah never pressed her or rushed her. Instead, each time she lost it, Sarah lost it with her, and together they cried. And each time they picked themselves up after a moment and pressed on.
Hours passed as night turned to morning and the sun rose, casting its harsh rays on their already fire-seared backs. As the heat began to press, Gabi’s thoughts drifted to what they had seen, and she couldn’t help but wonder how they were going to explain all this to anyone who hadn’t been there to see it. No one would believe it. When the authorities came to investigate would the dragon still be inside, and if so would they be killed too? Soon her question was answered for her. The dragon would not be below, waiting for whoever came.
Overhead, a loud shriek rang out across the mountain. It was terrible and angry and could only belong to one thing – the murderer of her parents.
Gabi winced, throwing her hands over her ears and herself onto the ground. Beside her Sarah did the same.
Above them a large shadow appeared, momentarily blotting out the sun. The dragon flew over them, flapping its massive wings and belting out a torrent of fire as it disappeared into the midmorning sun. In the distant southwest, the forest combusted in unnatural colors. Acres upon acres ignited in flame so quickly it was as if the sun had lunged forward and kissed the mountains with one single fiery caress. They felt the heat right away, but the flames were nowhere near them.
“It didn’t see us,” Gabi said hopefully, but beneath her relief she felt a surprising rage building inside her.
“Come on, Gabi, we have to be close.”
They turned away from the dragon as it continued southwest, deep into the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains, screaming and breathing fire.
Finally, they made it back around the mouth of the gorge leading to the entry point of the site, but base camp was deserted.
“Everyone is gone!” Gabi said.
“No, they wouldn’t have left us unless they went for help, but the vehicles are still here,” Sarah said. “First things first.” Sarah retrieved two bottles of water from the supply. “We need to hydrate. Juan and his team must be inside trying to get us out.” Sarah took a pull of water and nodded toward the trail leading into the gorge. “I will go tell them we are here. You can wait here and get some food in you. You must be starving.”
“Sarah, don’t leave me. I will go with you,” Gabi said, her eyes tearing up. She did not want to be left alone but more than that they still didn’t know what happened to the giant.
“Okay, come on,” Sarah said, her eyes softening. “I won’t leave you, Gabi. I won’t ever leave you.”
Gabi nodded.
As they approached the crevice Gabi’s stomach twisted. The whole thing was sealed with rubble. It had collapsed again.
Sarah dropped to her knees. “Jesus, they were all inside. They must have been.”
“Maybe they are still alive! Maybe it’s only the opening that collapsed!” Gabi said, hope filling her voice.
Sarah nodded, forcing a smile. “Come on, let’s get back to the vehicles and call for help.”
Once back at camp, Gabi jumped into one of the three Jeeps and turned the key… nothing. “It’s completely dead!”
Sarah tried one of the others. “Dammit! This one won’t start either! Gabi, try the satellite phone! It should be in the back!” she shouted as she ran toward the equipment truck.
Gabi pulled the satellite phone from the backseat. It was dead too. “No, no, no! This can’t be!” She continued desperately pressing buttons to no avail. “It isn’t working, Sarah!” From the truck she heard Sarah scream out in frustration. She climbed out of the Jeep and stood facing Sarah, the satellite phone hanging loose in one hand. “What do we do?”
Sarah wiped her sleeve across her brow. “All the vehicles are dead and the phone too. What the hell is going on!?” It was nearing noon and already getting incredibly warm under the hot Mexico sun. “With no power to start the vehicles, the CB radios won’t work even if someone was within range to hear them. Without Fredy or your dad, I don’t think I can get us back.”
Gabi pointed toward the jungle in a northerly direction. “I know the way back, but it would be a long hike before we reach help.”
Sarah’s eyes followed the pointing finger. “We need to rest and eat first. We should try and sleep some too.”
Gabi had no appetite to eat and knew she would not sleep but agreed anyway. She knew she had to at least try to eat and rest if they were going to get out of there.
They thought of starting a fire but neither had the energy. So they sat, leaning against one of the Jeeps, and force fed themselves cold canned beans and rations.
Smoke billowed in the distance as Gabi finished off the last of her freeze-dried scrambled egg rations. “Sarah, do you think we are safe to stay and rest? What if the fire works itself this way?”
“I don’t think it will. The wind seems to be carrying it in the opposite direction. I can’t even smell the smoke now,” Sarah said. Then, brightening a little, she turned to face the girl. “But maybe it will draw authorities to fight the fire and we can get help.”
Gabi nodded.
“But first we rest,” Sarah said, glancing toward the camp tents, an unease spreading across her face.
Gabi followed her gaze. There was no way she would be able to close her eyes with nothing more than a zipper separating her from only María Purísima knew what.
“We’ll rest in the Jeep. Come on.”
They climbed into the cab of the Jeep covered by the most shade and locked the doors. Gabi was sure she wouldn’t sleep but as soon as she leaned back and closed her eyes, she slipped into a fitful nightmare of fire-breathing dragons and her parents’ screams.
Sometime later Gabi woke with a start. The entire Jeep had jolted, tossing her to the opposite seat. “What!” Her eyes went wide as she struggled to orient herself. Where am I? Then the horror of the earlier events came rushing back. Four shots rang out in fast succession. Gabi threw herself down, scrambling off the seat and onto the floorboard. “Oh! María Purísima! What’s happening?” She screamed for Sarah, but Sarah was gone. She was alone in the Jeep. She pushed on the driver’s side door handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. Crawling to the other side, she pushed open the door and fell out onto the dirt. “Sarah! Where are you? Sarah!” There was a loud crash of smashing metal as the Jeep jolted again, tipping up onto two wheels, threatening to tip over, crushing her, but it slowly lurched back the other way, settling onto all four tires again.
She still couldn’t see what was happening. More gun shots. She screamed again and pressed herself against the nearest tire. Were they being shot at? Who was shooting at them? Gabi’s mind raced for a logical answer. It could be the cartel, she thought.
More gunfire.
More shouting. Gabi’s English was good, but the words Sarah was screaming weren’t familiar.
A large boulder rolled passed the front of the Jeep, crashing into the jungle behind her. Sarah! Suddenly hiding behind the Jeep didn’t seem like such a good idea. If that boulder had hit the Jeep, it might have flipped it right on top of her. Gabi pushed herself into a squat and peeked carefully over the hood. Her mouth fell open.
The giant was midway up the mountain, standing on a newly cleared flat section. He was pulling large chunks of rock from behind him and tossing them idly down the mou
ntain. The base camp was right in the line of fire. Gabi caught movement to her right and quickly found the source of the gunshots. Sarah was reloading an assault rifle, which must have been in one of the Jeeps. Another boulder came dangerously close. It was only a matter of time before her luck ran out.
Gabi ran from behind the Jeep, dodging a smaller boulder as it bounded by. “Sarah! What are you doing?”
“Get in the truck, Gabi!” she shouted, pointing the rifle up the mountain, the stock tight against her shoulder as she squinted one eye closed and squeezed the trigger repetitively. A burst of rapid cracks echoed off the mountains. “Yes! I hit him! Gabi, I got him!”
The giant stopped and turned, peering down the mountain.
Gabi’s eyes went wide. “No! Sarah, please!”
Another burst of gunfire rang out, followed by a metallic click. Sarah dropped her head and began loading the gun again.
Gabi headed toward the truck but didn’t take her eyes off the giant as he leapt from the flat area of the mountain, landing on the steep slope as if he were on an invisible skateboard. Rocks, shrubs, and small trees tore loose from the ground as he began a reckless slide, his feet churning up the loose earth as gravity pulled him toward them.
“Sarah! It’s coming!” she shouted. She reached Sarah and grabbed her by the sleeve.
Sarah jerked her head up as she staggered forward off balance, her eyes flashing with panic. She dropped the rifle to the ground with a clatter. “Oh no! What have I done!” She started for the truck.
Gabi had started to flee too, but she stopped when she heard the gun fall to the ground. She didn’t know why but for some instinctual reason she would never understand she made a knee-jerk decision, turned, and went for the gun.
“No, Gabi, forget it! Just get in the truck!” Sarah dove in through the window, not bothering with the door.
Rocks and boulders careened down the mountain. Within seconds the giant was on them.
There was no time, and she didn’t know much about guns. Sarah had managed to get the magazine back in before she dropped it, but she hadn’t pulled the thing back. Frantically, Gabi searched for the thing she needed to pull to get a round into the rifle. She yanked it back with a click and it snapped back with a clack. She turned to point the long gun with hands trembling. She had shot before but only targets, never a living thing.
“No, Gabi! Get away! Run!”
The giant slid to a stop in the clearing between Gabi and the vehicles. His one giant eye searched the vehicles for the source of the shouts. The big eye fixed itself on Sarah, and the giant stepped forward.
Gabi took aim.
The giant roared.
“No!” Gabi screamed, firing the rifle into the giant’s back.
The giant turned, reaching for her.
Gabi stepped back and fell, striking her head hard on a stone.
The giant turned away from her and kicked the utility truck.
Sarah screamed as the truck flipped off the clearing and down into the jungle, crashing apart as it rolled into the gorge far below.
Gabi tried to sit up, but the world spun.
As darkness closed in, the last thing she saw was an enormous blurry eye hovering over her.
45
Reborn of Dragon Fire and Blood
Saturday, April 16 – God Stones Day 10
Petersburg, Illinois
Long blades of prairie grass swooshed, like waves in a vast ocean, as a gentle breeze pushed across an open field. The blue sky was cloudless as the sun shone warmly on Garrett’s face. It seemed like a perfect day. He closed his eyes, inhaling long and deep as the smell of prairie sage, aster, and columbine permeated his senses, intermixing in an exotic bouquet of fragrances.
When he opened his eyes again the whole world erupted in flame.
At least Garrett’s world did, and all he could see around him was burning. He spun. What’s happening? The sky was darker now, blotted out by smoke. The breeze no longer felt good across his face; instead it felt hot, dry, and hard to breathe. He was still standing in the field on top of a rolling hill of dry prairie grass. The field overlooked a valley and beyond this was a forest as far as his eyes could see. A forest on fire. He didn’t need to wonder where the flames came from – dragons. He couldn’t see them, but he could hear them in the distance all around him. Hungry screams of dragons as they set the earth ablaze.
Garrett held out a palm to try and shield his face from the heat. At the opposite end of the field stood a man in a long, white robe. Garrett ran across the field. He didn’t know why he felt compelled to run to him, but he did, and as he reached him, the robed man turned to face him. His long hair and beard were light grey in contrast to his dark skin. He smiled at Garrett.
“I am proud of you, my son.”
Garrett looked up at the man, old and weathered, like a man who’d lived his whole life under a scornful sun. He had kind eyes hooded by brows etched in wrinkles set deep into his leathery skin. “But I failed. I didn’t stop Apep, and now the whole world will burn.” Saying it made Garrett’s heart ache and his throat constrict.
The flames closed tighter around them. Garrett caught movement behind the man. Others were standing in the distance, though he could only see their silhouettes. But silhouettes were like signatures, and Garrett could read each one. “Mr. B! And my dad!” He longed for them, longed to push past the robed man and run to them.
Then the robed man spoke again. “Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, you and yours have not failed. You fulfilled my prophecy, but your journey has only just begun. You have much to do.”
“I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do?”
“You must set right what has long been wrong. This is the only way to save humankind.”
“What does that mean?” Garrett asked.
“You will know,” the man said reassuringly.
“But how will I know?”
The man smiled, “Because I gave you a heart. All you have to do is follow it.” He turned away toward the dragons and the flames, and Garrett sensed his time was short.
Wait! “Are you… Are you god?”
The man turned back to him and appraised him for a long moment, then said, “I created humankind.”
Garrett thought about this, his brows furrowing. Finally, he asked, “Did you create everything?”
The man smiled and it was the warmest smile Garrett had ever seen. It was full and bright and most of all it was proud, and Garrett knew the smile was for the question. The silver bearded man’s head nodded sagely. But the nod was not an answer to the question. Rather, it signaled approval of the question.
“No. I am one of seven creators.”
Garrett’s furrow deepened. He suddenly had dozens of questions swimming through his mind, and he thought he could easily fire them off, one after another, like a five-year-old asking why over and over, but something instinctively told him he only had one shot at this. He needed to make the next question count. “Who created you? Who is god?”
The man bent lower to meet Garrett’s eyes. He was still smiling, and now Garrett could see something danced in his eyes – a spark of silver-blue flame.
“The mother. The one who clapped her hands and created something when there was nothing.” He stood erect and pointed a finger down at Garrett. All expressions of warmth had fallen away.
The fire closed in around them. “You are hereby reborn of the dragon blood and fire. And Garrett?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Be sure and follow your heart.”
Garrett swallowed and nodded.
The flames closed over his head.
“Now wake, my child, the journey lies ahead of you.”
Garrett opened his eyes and gasped. He was back in the river. Everything was out of focus. The murky water must be clouding his vision. He started to panic. He had to swim! Swim to the surface and find air! He flailed his arms, waiting for water to burn his lungs. But the burn never came. Then he felt a
hand on his chest.
“Easy, Garrett, easy. Take it slow,” a voice said.
He recognized the voice as Breanne’s. The warmth from her hand and soft voice calmed him, and he knew then he was no longer in the river. He settled back into a pillow; blinking rapidly, he fought to clear his fuzzy vision. He couldn’t think of anyone he would rather have seen when he woke. His heart began to pound as he took in her beauty. Her braids were pulled back in a ponytail, revealing her perfect skin, dark and smooth. She wore no makeup, and he doubted she ever did. Why would she? She had a natural beauty that makeup would be wasted on. She was breathtaking. Garrett’s heart began to beat even faster as he held her stare.
“Jesus, Bre, I thought I lost you… I thought… I thought Apep took you away. Bre! Oh, Bre! Thank god!” The words came in a croak rather than a shout as he fought forward through the tangle of blankets to embrace her.
“Honey, please, settle down. You’re okay, I am here.”
Garrett’s vision went blurry again and he blinked. The voice was no longer Bre’s. “What’s happening! Bre!”
“Garrett, honey, it’s your mother. Calm down. You are safe now,” Elaine said, placing her hand back on his chest.
Still confused, he settled back. As his surroundings came into focus, he could see he was in a small room, plain and windowless. The ceiling was low, and there was no light other than what shone from two gas lanterns. The floor was plain concrete, and the walls appeared to be made of concrete block with no windows. Worst of all, there was no Bre. Slowly his eyes glanced up the block wall, coming to rest on the ceiling. Garrett cocked his head, his eyes knitting together as he realized he was looking up at exposed joist. The air around him was cool and clammy too, as if he were underground. What is this place?
Elaine drew her hand back from his chest. “Welcome back.”
Garrett tried to speak. “Where… where am…” But his throat was dry, and now he realized just how bad speaking hurt.
The Keepers Of The Light (God Stone Book 2) Page 30