by Bryan Davis
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Ashley said. “From what I heard, she’s the reason the dome dissipated. When the spectral analyzer gets here, we’ll find her.”
Lauren cast a thought at Ashley. Not to be a pessimist, but you didn’t see what I saw. Matt flew into midair. There’s no telling how far he fell.
Ashley lifted a blood-stained finger. I once fell into a bottomless chasm and still survived. With portals, you never know what’s going to happen.
That helps. Lauren touched her ear and spoke out loud. “If my supersensitive hearing is a dragon trait, could Tamara’s deafness be from dragon genetics?”
“Deafness?” Billy began punching numbers into the phone. “Tamara’s not deaf. Her speech impediment is real, but her hearing is fine.”
An image of Portia’s face entered Lauren’s mind—intense, dedicated, loving. “Then she’s a great actress. She had me fooled.”
“I met Tamara,” Joran whispered to Lauren. “I know Devin killed her. How did she resurrect?”
“I wish I knew. I’m looking forward to hearing that story myself.”
A tear glistened in Joran’s eye. “An actress,” he said softly. “She lived her dream.”
“Hey, Dad,” Billy said into the phone. “Can you contact Elam? … Great. Get a message to Listener that we’re on Tamara’s trail. She was posing as a prisoner here. If Elam can let Listener come to Earth for a little while, she might be a big help. … No. There’s no news on Bonnie. I don’t sense danger anywhere, so we think Tamiel’s long gone. We don’t have any idea where he took her. … Right. Tell Walter’s folks that he’s fine. … Of course he nearly got killed. That’s normal for him. … Tell his dad that he’ll give him a call later. He’s cooking up a great way to tell the story. It might be sadder than usual, but it’ll be worth a listen. … Any news on the disease?”
During the pause, Lauren studied her new father’s worried face. Even with a bandage wrapped around his head, his furrowed brow was clear. One word he said reverberated in her mind—Listener. How interesting that her name reflected the gift Joran and Selah shared. Could she be the same Listener the viewing wall showed?
“This will numb your skin,” Ashley said as she pricked Lauren’s wrist with a hypodermic needle. “I don’t want you feeling like a pin cushion.”
Lauren smiled and cast another stream of thoughts her way. Don’t worry. It can’t hurt more than a bullet.
“Then you probably have the disease now,” Billy continued, his tone growing somber. “Are the others getting sicker?” After another pause, he whispered at Walter. “They’re pretty bad off. Dr. Conner is running out of options.”
Walter and Ashley locked gazes, both with worried expressions.
Billy turned his attention back to the phone. “You heard right, Dad. Sir Barlow died in battle. Apparently he got transluminated, and there wasn’t a candlestone around to catch him, so we don’t even have a body for a funeral. … Sure. We’ll have a ceremony after we get Bonnie and Matt home.” His voice cracked. “Yeah. I agree. Sir Barlow was the cat’s pajamas.”
“What was that about a candlestone catching him?” Lauren asked.
“Hold on, Dad. Lauren has a question.” Billy looked over at her. “A candlestone can absorb a person who gets disintegrated by Excalibur. It’s happened to Sir Barlow before. He was trapped inside of one for over a thousand years.”
“We had candlestones out there.” Lauren held her thumb and index finger close together. “Shiny little bullets. But the Colonel shot Sir Barlow. He might have died before he was … what was the word?”
“Transluminated.” Billy threw the bedsheet back. “Dad, there still might be hope for Barlow. Land on the prison’s sports field. I’ll see you there in a few minutes.” He swung his legs and sat on the side of the bed. “Can someone get my shoes?”
“Just hold your horses,” Ashley called. “Even if Barlow’s alive in one of those candlestones, we won’t be able to get him out until I build an extraction device. The search can wait till dawn.”
“I can track them down in the dark. After all the time I spent with a candlestone in my cell, it shouldn’t take long. Then I can concentrate on looking for Bonnie.”
Carrying the lyre, Joran walked over to Billy’s bed, hand in hand with Selah. “Maybe we can help with finding her.”
“Really? How?”
“With this.” Joran showed him the lyre. “It belonged to Enoch, my grandfather.”
Billy eyed the strings. “What does it do?”
“When I play the right notes, I can create images of people I hope to see, sometimes from the past and sometimes from the present. Maybe it can show us where Bonnie is.”
Billy leaned forward, wincing at the sudden movement. “How can you tell the difference between the past and the present?”
“We should be able to communicate with images from the present. I was able to talk to Selah when she was trapped inside a string, but this might be different since Bonnie’s not physically near.”
“Let’s see what it can do.”
Joran ran his finger slowly along the strings. As each note played, a dim halo pulsed, radiating the string’s color. “This is a tune my sister taught me, and she learned it from my father, who learned it from Enoch. It’s a ballad about love between brothers and sisters, and each generation makes up new words in keeping with their love for their siblings.”
Touching the lyre, Selah gave Joran a hopeful look. “May I sing? I have new words of my own.”
“That’s fine. I think it’s the melody that matters.” Joran played while Selah sang.
My brother loves, my brother gives;
He lifted me with gentle hands.
No matter where the dangers lurked,
He carried me through lonely lands.
Lauren laid a hand over her chest. Such beautiful lyrics! They reflected exactly how she felt about Matt.
O why do some forsake such gifts,
A brother’s sword, a sister’s shield,
And turn their weapons on their friends,
The ones for whom they ought to yield?
The lyre projected a full-color image of Bonnie sitting with her knees propped up, her wings spread behind her, and her hands tied at her back. Her face seemed pained and worn.
Joran stopped playing and held the lyre close while Selah sang the traditional refrain in a whisper. “Bonnie,” he called, “can you hear me?”
Bonnie looked around as if searching for the source of the voice. “I’m here. Who are you? Where are you?”
Billy got up and stood opposite Joran. “Bonnie, it’s Billy. Can you tell us where you are?”
“Hello?” Bonnie looked around again. “Is someone there?”
“Maybe only a Listener can talk to her.” Joran cleared his throat and called out again. “This is Joran, son of Methuselah.”
“Joran?” She stared straight ahead. “I’ve been dreaming about you! Are you inside an ovulum? I can’t see you.”
“Selah and I escaped, and now we’re with your husband and your friends.”
Bonnie smiled through her pain. “Can Billy hear me?”
“Yes. He’s watching you. We’re all hoping you can help us find you. What have you seen? What have you heard?” Joran again plucked the strings, slowly playing the tune while Bonnie answered.
“Tamiel blindfolded me until I got to this place. We rode in a car for a while, but I don’t think he was driving. I heard Mardon’s voice from the driver’s seat. Then Tamiel carried me in the air. It was very cold for the first part of the flight, and I felt snow, but then I heard a dragon, and a warm wind swirled around me. Maybe the dragon was Arramos, and he might have created a portal. I’m not sure. Anyway, when the wind died down, I was standing on soft turf. It was cool and damp, but not cold. I heard water, but not a stream. It sounded like a pond with something hopping into it, maybe frogs or bugs. Then we climbed a hill. I smelled blossoms
—gardenias, I think. For a while, I thought I was back on Morgan’s island, but that all changed when we walked into a building. It didn’t feel or smell like Morgan’s castle at all—none of that dank, musty odor or the feeling of deadness. It reminded me of what Heaven felt like while I was there—light and carefree, smelling fresh, clean, and alive.
“Then Tamiel said, ‘You start in Paradise, and you will slowly descend into Perdition. Every second of suffering will help me corrupt this world, and Elohim will have no choice but to administer justice, this time with a judgment far worse than a flood.’
“I asked him what that judgment might be, and his response still makes me shudder. He said, ‘Abandonment. A world without the divine presence. Yet, what will be the worst of worlds for humans will be the best for my kind. I leave the details to your imagination.” She shivered hard before settling. “So now I’m sitting in a small, empty room that has a floor and walls made of stones and mortar, like something from the Middle Ages. There’s a waist-level window across the room in front of me, open and big enough to crawl through except for vertical black bars. There’s a heavy wooden door to my right. I can hear a fire crackling, and I smell wood smoke, so I think there’s a fireplace nearby. Outside I see a lawn, mostly green but with weeds and brown splotches, like it hasn’t been tended in a while. It slopes down almost right away, and thick mist hangs in the air, so I can’t see much beyond that.”
Ashley patted Lauren’s shoulder. “You’re all stitched. You can get a closer look.”
Lauren rose and squeezed around Joran and Selah. She took her father’s hand and watched Bonnie through the strings.
“Mom,” Lauren said. “Can you hear me?”
Another weak smile emerged. “It’s good to hear you call me that, Lauren. I thought you might be my daughter, but I wasn’t sure. You had blonde hair when you were a baby.”
Lauren touched the ends of her dark locks. “It changed when I was about four.”
“Well …” Her voice quaked. “I love you, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to telling you face-to-face.”
“I love you, too.” Lauren swallowed. The lump in her throat had never been this big. Obviously no one wanted to say a word about Matt. Their mother was already suffering enough. “I was wondering about something I heard Tamiel say. He mentioned keeping two others until they could be tested. I got the impression he was talking about anthrozils. Have you seen them?”
“I haven’t seen anyone else, but I have an idea they might be Thomas and Mariel. Billy can tell you about them.”
“I’ll tell you later,” Billy said. “Right now, let’s concentrate on Bonnie while we can.”
Joran continued playing the melody, more quietly now. “Bonnie, are there any other details you can tell us?”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t give you much to go on, but it’s all I have. I tried singing my way out of the bonds around my wrists, but I think the candlestone embedded in my skin has weakened me too much. I think there’s a lot of pain in my future.”
When she stopped, she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. “Billy,” she said softly, “I was in your arms only a little while ago, and it already feels like it’s been another fifteen years. I didn’t give up hope during the first fifteen, and I’m not about to give up now, but it hurts …” Tears seeped between her eyelids and streamed down her cheeks. “It hurts a lot. Tamiel says my suffering will smother my song and help him corrupt the world, so I’ll try to resist, but I’m so weak, so sick. I need you to pray for me. I can’t do this alone.”
“I’ll pray for you,” Billy said, his own tears flowing. “And I’ll search the ends of the …” He let his voice trail into a whisper. “I forgot. She can’t hear me.”
“Shall I tell her what you said?” Joran asked.
Billy clasped his arm. “Please do, and tell her I love her with all my heart.” His voice strengthened. “And I will get her out of there.”
While Joran relayed Billy’s message, Ashley joined them. She and Walter sandwiched Billy and Lauren, each laying an arm around the pair. “We’ve been through tougher situations than this,” Walter said. “I mean, think back to when you carried Bonnie’s dead body through Hades. And now you have one of your kids here to help. Things could be worse.”
“I know. I know.” Billy took in a deep breath. “We have been through worse. We’ll get through this, too.”
Joran stopped playing. Soon Bonnie’s image began to fade. Lauren set her ear next to the strings and listened. Bonnie’s tune emanated, not as clearly as before, but still strong enough to be heard. Finally, she disappeared.
Lauren leaned away. With her rising emotions, the tingling surged along her back. Sounds filled her ears. Even though the strings’ projection had vanished, Bonnie’s emanating tune continued, the mercy song riding the air like a faraway fragrance. Yes, she would be able to track it. She had to, no matter what.
“Excuse me.”
The voice came from the hallway. A man wearing silver-dollar glasses poked his head through the entrance. Burn scars covered his oval face. “Please allow me the favor of a parley.”
“Mardon?” Billy let go of Lauren’s hand and strode toward him. “If you come in peace, we will grant a conference.”
Mardon lifted a hand. “No closer, please.”
Billy stopped within a few paces of the doorway. “Okay, what’s on your mind?”
“I know you want to locate and rescue your loved ones.” Mardon took off his glasses and stepped inside, blinking at the fluorescent lights. Wearing a tattered brown jacket and jeans with patches at the knees, he looked like a beggar. “I want to find my mother. You have extraordinary talents, and I have knowledge that you need, including the location of where I drove Tamiel and your wife, as well as information regarding the disease that inflicts the original anthrozils. If we work together, I think we will have greater success than if we strive alone.”
“Do you have Excalibur?” Billy asked.
“It is not in my possession, but I know where it is, though obtaining it might prove to be difficult.”
Ashley crossed her arms over her chest. “Why should we trust you?”
Mardon put his glasses back on. “As my burn scars attest, I am no friend of Arramos, so Tamiel is also my enemy. We went along with him, because my mother wanted Lauren.”
Lauren studied Mardon’s pathetic face. Of course, she already knew Semiramis wanted her. Based on the conversation in the limo, the reason probably had something to do with using her skin for restoration. This mad scientist likely could provide the details. “What’s so special about me?”
“I think I will hold that information for now. The more I give away, the less I have to bargain with.” He bowed his head, revealing more scars on his balding scalp. “I will retire to the hallway so you can discuss my offer in private.” With that, he backed away and exited the room.
For a moment, a profound silence reigned, communicating confusion, sorrow, and skepticism. Lauren scanned each troubled face. Their expressions reflected the silence, yet, like mercy, hope hung in the air. No one was about to give up.
“We don’t have much choice,” Billy said as he walked back to Lauren.
“Nope.” Walter pulled Ashley to his side. “And we have our own genius to counter Mardon.”
A distant sound entered Lauren’s ears, the whipping blades of a helicopter. Her new grandparents were near. “I hear a chopper,” she whispered. “What are we going to do?”
Her father grasped her hand again, his finger rubbing across the rubellite on her ring. “We’ll take Mardon with us. But don’t worry. We’ve dealt with him before. He’s not as unstable as Semiramis.”
As he pulled her closer, she leaned against his chest. Images of Matt flashed again in her mind, especially his love-filled eyes as he cut the rope and sailed away. No one had ever shown her so much love. No one.
Her throat tightened, pitching her v
oice higher. “I … I need to find my brother.”
“We’ll find him, Lauren.” He kissed the top of her head. “You and I will move Heaven, Earth, and every world in between to find him and your mother.”
She let the words sink in. His voice seemed so calm, so soothing. And he called her Lauren, not Karen, allowing her to maintain the identity she had known for so long, a gift of familiarity and security during these hours of life-shattering upheaval. After only a few moments together, he had proven himself as a father. She could trust him. She could love him.
She pulled away, grasped both of his hands, and gazed into his glistening hazel eyes. “I am Lauren Bannister, daughter of Billy and Bonnie Bannister.” As tears trickled down her cheeks, she smiled. “And we will find them … Dad … I know we will.”
RECAP OF DRAGONS
IN OUR MIDST AND
ORACLES OF FIRE
JASON WAGUESPACK
Enoch, son of Jared the patriarch and prophet of the Most High, extends greetings to all who read this account. For the sake of brevity, I will tell you only the broadest possible strokes of a much longer tale. Yet I know this will be enough for you to understand the extraordinary events that are about to take place.
Back in the days just after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, a group of high-ranking demons called Watchers came to Earth and took beautiful wives for themselves. One of them, a sorceress named Lilith, plotted with Lucifer to use seeds from two trees in the garden—the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—as part of an elaborate scheme to rule the entire world. Using genetic material stolen from her demonic husband, Lilith implanted within her sister, Naamah, the ability to produce a hybrid race of humans—a cross between normal humans and fallen angels. Lucifer then ordered Naamah to marry Ham, a son of Noah, ensuring that she would ride on the ark and escape the flood.
Lilith attempted to board the ark herself by taking the alias Morgan, but her deception was unmasked during a cataclysmic battle between the Watchers, who wanted to destroy the ark, and a host of dragons. The dragons safeguarded the ark’s inhabitants, including two dragons who would ensure the survival of the dragon race, while the Watchers were banished to Tartarus, the lowest level of Hades. While on the ark, Naamah gave birth to Ham’s son Canaan, a hybrid who carried the genetic code of the Nephilim.