Tears of a Dragon (25 page)
Shiloh nodded toward a set of wooden doors, one of the few passageways they had not yet explored. “It’s ajar,” she whispered, then peeked inside. Her hand tightened around Karen’s. “I saw a shadow . . . and a black dress.”
Karen backed away from the door, her voice still feeble. “Is it Morgan?”
“They’re coming out!” Shiloh jerked Karen’s hand. “Quick! Up the stairs!”
Ashley plugged two wires together in her restoration box. “There’s only one problem. My computers were destroyed in Montana, so I don’t have the processing power to decode Devin’s body.” She lifted a circuit board from the box. “This unit has a microprocessor that I used when the device was in prototype phase, back when I was restoring mice. It’s programmed to do the job, but it’ll take hours to work on a dragon. I really need Larry, my supercomputer, to do it quicker.”
Shelly’s red pupils pulsed, a wicked smile spreading across her face. Morgan was still in full control. “Can you send data to Larry through your tooth transmitter?”
“Tooth transmitter?” Ashley cocked her head to one side. “What are you talking about?”
Morgan scowled. “Oh, don’t play dumb, my little brainiac. Do you think Samyaza is incapable of intercepting your transmissions? We have been listening to your coded messages. Quite ingenious, but not unexpected from someone like you.”
Ashley set her fingers on her cheek. “So you let the messages go through? Why?”
“Because it suited my purposes perfectly. Your handheld computer would have brought them too quickly, but your clever clues drew all the dragons here at exactly the time I wanted them to arrive. The Watchers are merely waiting for Devin and my other reinforcements to attack en masse.”
Ashley tapped her jaw. “Larry!” she shouted. “It’s a trap. Tell the dragons to pull back!”
“Too late, my dear.” Morgan swept her arm toward the hole in the wall. “As you can see, the battle is already engaged. The dragons cannot retreat now.”
Outside, streams of fire and darkness clashed in midair. On the ground, a Watcher glided by carrying a woman and a child, followed by a dog dragging another woman’s body.
Ashley laid her hands on the table. “He has Pebbles!”
Walter shielded his eyes from the sun’s glare. “He’s got my mom, too. But what’s that dog carrying?” He laid a hand on his stomach. “It . . . It looks like Billy’s mom.”
“They are taking the prisoners to your friends.” Morgan grabbed one of the rejected lenses and broke it on the table, leaving a sharp fragment in her hand that she wielded like a weapon. Her face stayed perfectly calm. “I kept my part of the bargain. Now it’s your turn.”
Walter flared his nose. “Don’t be afraid of this chicken-hearted witch, Ashley! Break the candlestone and run for it! I’ll make sure she doesn’t follow you.”
Snatching a handful of Walter’s hair, Morgan pulled his head back, stretching his neck. She pressed the glass fragment against his throat, drawing a trickle of blood. She glared at Ashley. “Finish . . . the . . . job.”
“All right, all right. Don’t hurt him.” Ashley searched the table for a sharp instrument, anything with a point. Her glance landed on a screwdriver. She picked up one of the more polished lenses and checked her reflection, angling the glass to show the inside of her mouth. She inserted the screwdriver and popped out her tooth transmitter, then laid it in her palm and talked to it. “Larry. Listen. The receiver’s not in my mouth anymore, so I won’t be able to hear your answer. I’m going to modulate the data to you through this transmitter. Run it through the alpha/ omega algorithms and send me back the stream in binary.”
Ashley used the screwdriver to pry a microchip out of the open restoration box, then set the transmitter chip in the gap. Grabbing a couple of discarded wires and a soldering iron, she talked while she worked. “The new chip doesn’t have the same prongs, so I have to hardwire the I/O.”
As smoke rose from the soldering iron, Ashley’s shirt dampened. “It’s crude technology,” she said, “but it should work.” Finally, she laid her tools down. “I have to break the candlestone to let him out, so there’ll be no going back. I also don’t know how much ionic energy is left in the nuclear core. I haven’t recharged it with photoreceptors. Even if it didn’t leak during the earthquake, it might not have enough juice to complete the restoration.”
Morgan pulled Walter’s head back farther. “If it doesn’t work, then you will have broken our deal, and I will no longer be bound to it. Walter will die, and you’ll be next.”
Walter bared his teeth. The jagged glass dug deeper, and a faster flow of blood painted a red ribbon down his neck.
Ashley placed the candlestone in one end of the box next to the glass collection tube and aimed the restoration light at the tube’s exit point. She poised her screwdriver on top of the gem and struck the top with a hammer, driving it through the crystal and slicing it into jagged halves. A dazzling eruption of sparkling light flowed into the tube, and seconds later began spilling out the other side into the glow of the restoration ray. The sparkles seemed to pile up into a tall column, each one zipping into an assigned position, like an animated jigsaw puzzle putting itself together. Once a sparkle found its place, it flickered out, leaving a solid piece behind, a reddish-brown fragment of dragon flesh. As the pieces collected, the shape grew slowly, expanding to fill half the room.
Slowed by the altered data transmission, the restoration process took longer than it ever had in the Montana laboratory. And, after all, this was the biggest thing Ashley had ever restored.
As the shape solidified, the dragon began to move, awkwardly testing its weight and lowering its head and long neck to avoid the ceiling. He seemed covered with reflecting sequins, glittering from the tip of his snout to the abrupt end of his tail, which Walter had severed in their last battle. A crack appeared in the pattern on one of his forelegs, a gash also provided by Walter. Finally, when the last sparkle of light winked off, the dragon let out a terrible roar. “Where is that little brat who trapped me in there?”
Walter gulped. The long neck swung the dragon’s head around. His red eyes flamed with vengeance. Morgan released Walter’s hair, and he fell to the floor, clutching the wound on his neck. “Devin,” Morgan said in a singsong voice, “I’m glad to see your anger in full bloom. You’ll need it for the battle ahead.”
“I want to make a torch out of that boy first.” Devin sent a sizzling blast of fire toward Walter, but he rolled out of the way just in time. The volley splashed against the wall, leaving a smoldering hole. Some of the fiery drops spattered on strewn paperwork, igniting several small blazes.
Morgan held up her hands. “Patience, Devin. He has agreed to remain my prisoner, so I will deal with him in due time.”
Walter scrambled to his feet and scooted over to Ashley. He gave her a healthy shove toward the gaping hole in the wall. “You did your part, now get going. I’ll handle this overgrown lizard.”
Ashley set her feet. “But I can’t leave you with—”
“That was the deal!” Walter pushed her again. “Go! With the battle raging out there, they’ll need you to heal the wounded.”
Ashley ran to the hole in the wall, pausing at the crumbling frame to look back. With smoke from the fires filling the room, a mist of gray veiled Walter’s face. She tried to smile, but her lips could only tremble. “Dragon riding tonight,” she said, pointing at him. “Don’t stand me up.” She ducked behind the exterior wall and peeked back in, biting her finger as the dragon’s head floated around the smoky room.
Walter picked up the two halves of the candlestone and fitted them back together. He held the restored gem, pinching it to keep it in place. “How do you feel now, snake?”
Devin flicked out his tongue. “Except for the wounds you gave me, fine.”
“Enough chitchat!” Morgan pushed a long black sleeve up to her elbow, exposing Shelly’s delicate forearm. “The candlestone has lost its power, so Walter is defenseless.” She pointed toward the hole in the wall. “Now get out there and aid the Watchers. My army is awaiting your arrival to attack, and you will soon activate my secret weapon.”
Devin lumbered from the room, keeping his wings folded in to fit through the hole in the wall. Ashley lurched to the side, pressing her hand against her chest to quiet her heart. Devin came within inches, but he didn’t see her. The near miss made her feel sick. Steeling her courage again, she peeked back into the room.
Walter coughed, waving at the thickening smoke. “Army? What army?”
“The Lord Satan has sent reinforcements, but since they are not as powerful as the Watchers, he would not allow them to come until I had a dragon on my side. You will soon see why.” Morgan grabbed the nape of his neck and led him toward the door to the hallway. “This way. I want Samyaza to join us.”
When they left the room, Ashley stepped back in. She batted at the smoke and coughed, tasting a chemical coating on her tongue. She wanted to follow, but Walter was right; they needed her help with the wounded. Holding her breath, she dashed past the growing fire and yanked the tooth transmitter from the restoration machine. When she broke back through the wall of smoke, she stopped outside and pushed the transmitter between two bottom molars and lodged it in place with her tongue and upper teeth.
Gasping for breath, she tapped her jaw. “Larry?” She coughed deeply, dropping to her hands and knees. “I need your help.”
The computer’s voice buzzed in the back of her mouth.
“Ashley, I detect extreme distress. Initiating security measures.”
“No! Don’t lock me out!” She coughed again, barely able to speak. “Pass code . . . beta . . . omicron . . . gamma.”
“Security lockdown terminated. How may I help you?”
With a final cough, Ashley cleared the tickle from her throat and rose to her feet. “Just keep listening.” A loud shriek pierced the sky, and a ball of fire shot over Ashley’s head. She sprinted toward the source of the sound, her voice shaking as she ran. “We’re all pretty frazzled, so we may need your logical brain to keep us cool.”
A hideous, serpent-like monster dove at her, black-eyed with dual fangs in its gaping mouth. She dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way just in time. Fire spewed over her body, engulfing the beast in flames. A familiar voice shouted from a circling dragon. “Are you all right, Miss?”
Ashley stood and brushed off her clothes. She recognized Legossi’s flying style, smooth and graceful. She banked, taking the knight in a wide circle, obviously staying in the air in case of another attack. “I’m okay, Sir Barlow,” Ashley shouted. “What was that thing? It wasn’t a Watcher.”
With a flurry of wings, Legossi finished the circuit, bringing the knight back into view. “No, Miss,” he said, speaking rapidly. “A new kind of demon has begun to rise from the lake. Foul creatures, to be sure. They have strange powers we are just learning to understand. I don’t know how long we can last.”
Legossi took him high into the air again. Ashley yelled at the top of her lungs, jumping into the air. “Any losses on our side?”
Swerving at a sharp angle, Legossi swooped down. “Two dragons missing,” Barlow said as he approached. His face came clearly into view, his eyes wide with distress. “And Marilyn is dead.” Legossi flapped her wings and shot back into the air. “Thigocia is in the heat of battle,” he called back as they rose higher. “She cannot heal her, so you’re Marilyn’s only hope.”
Barlow guided Legossi away, her scales flashing as they surged toward a cluster of dragons in the distance. Underneath the battle, a small group of humans darted around in a grassy field near the edge of a forest. Ashley broke into a dead run, wincing as she passed the hideous, burning demon, wondering how an evil spirit could catch on fire.
She shook the image out of her mind and locked her gaze on the humans as she sprinted down the path to the lake. Would she have enough strength to endure another healing procedure? Might Marilyn be too far gone to save? Who would use the sword to generate the healing energy? The professor?
She kicked into her highest gear. There was only one way to find out.
Chapter 17
Walter stood on the gravel path between Shelly, still possessed by Morgan’s evil spirit, and a Watcher. He stared at the battlefield on the border between war and peace. Behind him was the door to the visitor center, a symbol of peace and security. Before him, brave dragons and humans fought for the safety of millions who were still under orders to remain in their homes, cruelly unaware that their lives hung in the balance in this battle between good and evil.
While the Watchers engaged several dragons in battle high in the sky, Devin isolated another in a one-on-one shootout. His dexterity in flight was far better than Walter expected. What would it be like for Clefspeare himself to possess that magnificent body and combine such raw, brutal force with experience and wisdom?
Devin collided with the smaller female, then whipped around and slapped her wings with his shortened tail. She tumbled in flight, spun downward, and plunged into the lake, her body sending up a geyser-like splash. Walter cringed. If this kept up, the battle wouldn’t last much longer.
Suddenly, the lake seemed to boil, huge bubbles popping on the surface. Then, from each bubble, a black snake-like creature arose, slithering through the air as if swimming upstream. It was hard to tell how big they were from so far away, maybe six to eight feet long, each one with a set of sharp-tipped black wings.
“My endgame strategy is at hand,” Shelly crooned in her Morgan-possessed voice. “The queen will now send her knights across the board. Since Devin has arrived, the dark angels can join in battle.”
Devin spewed a short burst of fire all over the body of one of the snakes.
Walter raised his eyebrows. With Devin firing on his allies, maybe there was hope after all. He snorted. “Your dragon is killing your secret weapon for the good guys.”
“Fool,” Morgan scoffed. “Dragon’s fire increases the dark angel’s strength.”
“To a point,” the Watcher said. “If the angel catches on fire . . .”
“Silence!” Morgan’s face darkened. “This battle will end soon. When the dark angels bite the humans, their death is certain.”
The snake demon flew away, its scales steaming like hot tar. Five sleek, shining dragons swooped down, blitzing the boiling lake with waves of fire. Walter silently clenched his fist. Yes! That was Thigocia leading the charge!
Morgan breathed a low tsk, tsk. “Your dragons won’t even make a dent in our forces.”
A snake demon rose into the flames. Three dragons locked their fiery jets onto its body. As fire encompassed it, its body hardened, then burst into flames. The snake writhed as if in pain, and when Thigocia’s flame intensified, it finally exploded. Thousands of glowing pieces rocketed over the lake.
The dragons circled as one and zeroed in on another rising serpent. Walter grimaced. Morgan was right. They couldn’t possibly get them all, not even one percent of them!
Morgan stepped forward a few paces and clapped her hands. “Excellent! Most of my troops are eluding the fire. The dragons will busy themselves with our horde while the Watchers free themselves to assemble the new recruits for battle and make ready for the next step. I will have a supercharged army of warriors, and your dragons will be no match.”
Walter shifted from foot to foot, itching to charge out and join the fray. With Morgan standing several feet in front, she’d never be able to catch him if he bolted to the side. He glanced up at the hulking, winged monster to his right. No way. Mr. Ugly would probably make it the shortest combat mission in history. If only he could—
Walter felt a tug on the back of his shirt and heard a low “Shhh.” He peeked over his shoulder. Shiloh and Karen crouched near his heels, glowing auras hovering above their heads. Shiloh rose and sidled up to him, a broken broomstick tightly wedged in her grip. She whispered, “The Watcher can’t see us. We’ll keep him and Morgan occupied while you make a run for it.”
Walter shuddered at the thought of leaving the two girls to deal with a pair of ghouls, but if the Watcher really couldn’t see them, maybe they had a chance. He nodded, hoping Shiloh and Karen wouldn’t hurt his sister too badly.
Shiloh drew back the broomstick and tiptoed up to Morgan, Karen padding a few steps behind. With a home run swing, she smacked Morgan’s head, and the two girls leaped on her back, knocking her flat on her face.
The Watcher pushed Walter away and stormed to Morgan’s side. Shiloh swung the stick upward between his legs, then she and Karen jumped off Morgan’s body and ran. Walter launched into a sprint, heading for the battlefield like a freight train out of control, passing so quickly over the gravel path he could barely feel his feet hitting the ground. The field drew closer. A couple of humans turned his way, one woman with her arms outstretched. His mother!
He slowed just enough to run into her embrace without knocking her down. “Mom! You’re okay! You got out!”
She squeezed him tightly, running her fingers through his hair. “And you, too! Praise God!”
Walter felt a strong hand on his shoulder. “Good job, son. Ashley’s here, and she told us what you did to save her and your mother and Pebbles.” His father patted him on the back. “I’m proud of you.”
Walter breathed a long, cleansing sigh. For a brief second, he let himself feel proud, too—proud to be a valiant knight who saved a fair maiden, and proud to be the son of Carl and Catherine Foley.
He pulled away and surveyed the scene. The professor, resting Excalibur on his shoulder, stood by a tree where Ashley crouched over a woman reclining against the trunk. Pebbles poured water from a thermos bottle into a cup and handed it to the professor. Sir Patrick was dragging a carcass away, a colorful animal that looked like the dog he had seen earlier, now decapitated. A dragon swooped low, tracking one of the snake demons as it zipped by. The wind from the dragon’s wings sent a fresh breeze across Walter’s face.
Pebbles ran up to him and lifted a cup of water. “Want some?” she asked, a concerned look on her lovely Oriental face. Walter smiled and took it gladly. Finally, a few seconds to rest. As he sipped, the water rippled at the top of the cup. He couldn’t stop the trembling in his hands.
He gazed across the field hoping to spot—Yes! There they were! Shiloh sprinted down the path, Karen close behind. Reaching the group, they stopped, huffing and wheezing, each with a hand on her chest. Shiloh dropped the broken broomstick on the ground. “This might come in handy again.”
As Walter helped Pebbles pour water for the new arrivals, he glanced around, then turned back to his father. “So, where are Billy and Bonnie?”
Carl’s shoulders sank. “They entered the rubellite in the pendant’s gem. Apparently, Billy’s supposed to look for his father in there, but we don’t know yet when or how they’ll get out.” He pointed toward the woman leaning against the tree, but, with Ashley blocking their view, he couldn’t see her face. “The pendant’s over there. Brace yourself, son.”
Walter edged closer to the tree, his legs feeling weaker with every step. Ashley eased to the side and faced him, her cheeks stained with tears. When he recognized the woman, her eyes tightly closed and her skin pale, he leaped forward and fell to his knees at her side. “It
was
Mrs. B!” He grabbed her limp hand. “Is she . . . Is she . . .”
Ashley nodded, her lips thin and trembling, her face nearly as pale as Marilyn’s.
“Well, can’t you . . .” Walter gestured wildly with his hands, gripping an invisible sword and swinging it at the professor. “Can’t you do the healing thing with Excalibur? Didn’t you just hit the ground with it and buzz Ashley or something?”
“That’s correct,” the professor said. “The energy travels through the ground, somehow picking up trace elements that aid healing. The process—”
“I don’t care how it works!” Walter spread out his hands. “Let’s just do it!”
“We tried it already.” Ashley ran her fingers through her hair, but the stringy locks fell back in her face. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I think I’m just completely drained.”
Walter swiveled his head. “Where’s Thigocia? Can’t she do it?”
Ashley nodded toward the sky. Walter tilted his head upward, scanning the blue backdrop. He saw five or six dragons firing streams at dozens of snake demons, but the Watchers were nowhere in sight. As the black angels swarmed, the dragons slowed, their tired wings barely able to keep them in flight. Finally, he spotted two dragons battling head to head, shimmering in the sun’s glow—Thigocia and Devin.
Thigocia dipped below Devin’s swiping tail, folding her wings just in time to avoid getting slapped. She spun back and shot a thin stream of flame at his eyes, blinding him while she lunged forward and latched her jaws onto his tail.
Devin roared and slung her away, her teeth dragging his scales and sending a spray of sparkling blood into the air. Thigocia dove, then glided, circling around for another attack.
Walter shook his head. “That could last for hours. How can we get her to come down?”
Carl opened his palm, displaying the candlestone Shelly had planted as a decoy. “We still have this,” he said, “but I’m not sure what to do with it. I guess it would weaken Thigocia, too.”
“Maybe not. She’s a healer like Ashley.” Walter scooped up a handful of dirt and let it run slowly through his fingers. He gazed again at Ashley and Marilyn, both limp and ragged. Ashley’s sad, weary eyes gave him an idea. Thinking about actually carrying out his idea knotted his stomach, but he couldn’t come up with anything better. “Dad, keep that rock handy. I have a plan that just might work.”
Carl closed his fingers around the candlestone. “What do you have in mind?”
Walter winked at him. “Just trust me.” He stood, grabbed Ashley’s sleeve, and jerked her to her feet. He screamed into her face. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you do your job? You’re supposed to be a healer!”
Ashley’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide, bewilderment mixing with exhaustion.
“Walter!” Catherine shouted. “No!” She ran toward him, but Carl held her back.
Sir Patrick grabbed Karen’s arm and whispered into her ear while the professor stepped toward the field, Excalibur poised in his grip.
Ashley stared at Walter, her chin trembling. He peeked up to the sky. Thigocia swerved around and stared in their direction.
Walter grimaced. One more ought to do it. He gripped Ashley’s biceps and shook her. “This is no time to wimp out on us! Get some backbone, girl, or I’ll . . .” He raised his hand as if to slap her.
Thigocia dove toward the trees. Ashley’s knees buckled. Walter pulled her into a full embrace, holding her head in his hand. “I’m so sorry, Ashley. I’m so sorry.” He set her down near Marilyn’s body and knelt. “I had to make you think you were really in danger.” He nodded toward the sky. “Look. Here comes your mom.”
Thigocia glided to the edge of the forest and pawed the ground like a mad bull, snorting jets of fire. “Where’s my daughter?” she roared.
Walter jumped up and waved his arms. “It’s okay! Ashley’s fine.”
Devin swooped toward them, twin flaming torrents erupting from his nostrils. The professor swung Excalibur and caught the flames in its laser beam. The stream curled around the beam, adhering to it like a snake around a pole. With a flick of his wrists, he slung the fire back toward the dragon, but it just glanced off his scaly hide.
Carl held up the candlestone. Devin banked into a hairpin turn, beat his wings twice, and headed back toward the skies. Carl cupped his other hand over the gem and exhaled loudly. “At least he won’t be back for a while.”
Thigocia thumped her tail on the ground and roared again. “What is the meaning of this?”
Walter took an awkward step back, stumbling at the impact of her rage. “We need your help.” He took three more backward steps and knelt again next to Ashley. She had taken Marilyn’s lifeless hand in hers. “It’s Billy’s mom,” he explained. “She’s dead. We need you to try to heal her.”
Thigocia’s ears twitched. “I have never raised someone from the dead. Only Ashley has done that.”
“Can’t you at least try?” Walter pleaded. “Ashley’s healing engine is fried.”
The other dragons glided to the ground, five in all. Sir Barlow dismounted the lead dragon and collapsed to the ground, panting. Standish, Fiske, and Woodrow joined him, each one tugging at sweat-drenched shirts as they dropped to the forest floor. Pebbles ran to Barlow with the thermos, and each knight took a quick gulp and tossed it to the next man.
Legossi’s eyes flashed. “I sense grave danger in every direction. The demons retreated, but not because we were winning.”
“You have fought well.” Thigocia dipped her head toward each dragon. “Three are missing. Where is Hartanna?”
Legossi flopped to the ground, her voice weak. “She and Newman chased a Watcher until I could no longer see her. Neither she nor the Watcher returned.”
Thigocia swung around to address the knights. “Did anyone see Sir Edmund? He fell into the lake during my fight with Devin.”
Barlow wiped his wet mustache with his sleeve. “Not I. He is a fine swimmer, but that lake is cold and rough.”
“Then we must find him, he’s—”
“Hey!” Walter stepped in front of Thigocia. “I hate to break up this troop inspection, but you have a dead woman to heal!”
Thigocia stretched out her neck and drilled her pulsing scarlet stare at Walter. “You have a lot to learn about war, young man. Many march into battle and never return. It is my job to minimize that number.”
Walter squared his shoulders and stepped forward, meeting her stare. “And you have a lot to learn about compassion. Billy risked his life to save dragons he didn’t even know. If not for him, you’d still be a bucket of bones collecting dust.” He gestured toward Marilyn, keeping his stare fixed on the dragon. “This is his mother we’re talking about.”
Thigocia gazed at Walter, the fire in her eyes fading. “You have both the wisdom and the courage that my own son had.” Her ears twitched again. “Very well. I will try.”
The professor stood about thirty feet from Marilyn’s body and waved Excalibur. “Everyone kindly stand back. I’ll need a clear path.”