The Dragon's Descent (33 page)

Tack breathed a sigh of relief. “We made it.”

Disappointment swept across Vero's face when he glanced up the winding trail. “It looks like we're only a little more than halfway up. We're not going to make it to the top by sunrise.”

“Does it matter?” Tack asked, blinking in the morning sun.

“Yes, I think the entrance must be at the summit.”

“Why?” Kane asked.

“It makes the most sense. I was hoping something would just hit me when I saw the view from the summit,” Vero said.

“That's lame, dude,” Tack said. “You can't wait for something to just hit you. In your pocket is a book that can give you the answer, and you don't want to read it?”

“He's right.” Clover looked curiously at Vero.

“It's something Raziel said . . .”

“Who is that?” Tack asked.

“He's an archangel,” Kane answered.

“Raziel said when you possess that much knowledge, you feel like you know as much as God.”

“But you don't,” Clover said.

“Right, but Raziel said it's a dangerous feeling. Wanting that kind of knowledge is what led to Adam and Eve's fall.”

“So you're afraid the book will corrupt you?”

Vero slowly nodded.

“You have to use the book to find the garden,” Clover said. “You don't have much more time. We'll be with you and make sure it goes right back into your pocket.”

Vero looked to Clover, considering. Kane stood, his eyes glued to Vero's pocket, awaiting his decision. After a moment, Vero nodded.

“But I'll also need you guys to be on the lookout,” Vero said. “I'm afraid the second I pull it out of my pocket, maltures or whatever are going to attack.”

“We've got your back,” Kane said.

Vero pulled the blue sapphire from his pant pocket, nervously glancing around. The stone captured Kane's complete attention. He appeared mesmerized by its sparkling allure.

“Stand around me,” Vero instructed as he crouched down on one knee in the cluster of trees. “And keep an eye out.”

Clover and Tack crowded around Vero. Tack looked at Kane, who appeared to be in a trance. Tack elbowed him. Kane's head jerked up, his face startled.

“Vero needs us to keep guard,” Tack sternly told Kane.

Vero stared into the stone. His index finger swiped the stone's surface several times as if he was swiping some sort of electronic screen. Before his eyes, tiny flames formed into archaic symbols. Vero was surprised that he could read the symbols, but none so far mentioned the garden. His finger swiped across the blue gem a few more times, then he stopped. Something had caught his attention. The tiny flames rose and fell. They formed a symbol that Vero read as ‘garden.' Then the flames twisted into a figure—a
triangle. Vero could clearly see the shape with three equal sides, and then in the center of the triangle, more flames transformed into a pair of fluttering wings.

Vero stared intently into the stone. He swiped his index finger across its surface once more, but the “pages” did not turn. The triangle image remained. What did it mean? Vero thought hard. There were the three waterfalls in the Ether that formed a perfect triangle. Was that the portal to the garden? But he was told he would have to enter from earth . . .

As Vero silently deliberated, the flames began to fade. And after a few seconds, they disappeared completely. Vero stood. Clover closed Vero's hand around the stone.

“Put it back in your pocket,” she said forcefully.

Vero nodded and pushed the stone deep into his pocket.

“Well?” Kane anxiously asked. “Did it tell you?”

Vero shrugged. “It's trying to tell me something, but I don't understand.”

“What?” Clover asked.

“It showed me a triangle with wings in the center.”

“The waterfalls in the Ether!” Kane blurted excitedly.

“I thought that too, but no,” Vero answered dejectedly. “I have to enter from earth.”

“I might know,” Clover said.

Vero watched curiously as Clover walked toward the edge of the mountain. He followed her.

“Where are you going?” Tack shouted after them.

Neither answered. They continued walking. Tack and Kane chased after them. Clover stood on the edge, where together she and Vero took in the vista of lofty hills, rolling green plains, meandering rivers, and, in the far distance,
the sparkle of the Indian Ocean. As the morning sun illuminated the panoramic view of the landscape, Clover pointed to the sky in front of her.

“There's your portal.” She smiled. “It was in my drawing the whole time.”

Then Vero saw it, and an astonished smile graced his face.

In the distant sky, a shadow was cast from the mountain of Sri Pada. It was a perfect triangle! Surrounded in mist, the shadow appeared to stand upright. Awe-inspired looks came over everyone.

“How do you access it?” Kane wondered aloud.

“There were wings in the middle of the triangle,” Vero said. “You fly into it.”

“Then I guess Clover and I definitely can't go with you,” Tack said with sadness.

“Now you really need to get back on the path,” Vero said.

Clover looked to the sky, and Vero's eyes followed. As the sun climbed higher, the shadow began to retreat swiftly toward the base of the mountain.

“You better go or you'll miss it,” Clover said urgently. “It looks like it might disappear quickly.”

Vero looked down from the sky, and his gaze landed over Tack's shoulder. His eyes shot wide.

“The dog thing is back!” Vero shouted. “Run to the stair path!”

Clover momentarily locked eyes with Vero. Vero knew she was worried for him and didn't want to leave him.

“Pray for me,” Vero said. “It's more powerful than you think.”

“I promise,” Clover said.

Vero gave one last look to his sister and his best friend. Through the tree branches, he saw several of the demonic dogs.

“Go!” Vero shouted.

Tack and Clover ran in the direction of the steps. Vero turned and saw a pack of the creatures running up the side of the mountain toward him. The dog beasts were coming at Kane and him from two directions, preventing Vero from reaching the edge of the mountain and the triangular shadow. Kane took off running into the forest, as did Vero, chasing the shadow. He looked up, surprised by how fast the shadow was moving across the vista. He had to hurry while the beasts pursed him at the same time.

“Vero! Help!” Kane yelled.

Vero stopped a few feet short of reaching the edge of the forest, and the shadow beyond. He looked back and saw Kane lying on the ground, holding his ankle in pain.

“I can't move!” Kane shouted.

Vero quickly ran back to Kane. He bent down and lifted Kane's arm over his shoulder and raised him to his feet.

“Lean on me!” Vero yelled, looking back at the pack of dog creatures snarling and drooling.

Kane limped along with Vero supporting him, toward the shadow. With a supernatural strength, a demon dog leapt more than twenty feet through the air and landed on Vero's leg, grasping his pants. Vero let go of Kane, who fell to the ground then scooted back away. Vero fought the dog, but it sunk its teeth into his calf. Vero screamed in agony as blood ran down his leg.

“Kane, help!” Vero screamed, looking to him. “Kane, please . . .”

Kane stood perfectly straight. Vero saw that Kane's ankle was not injured. Vero's heart sunk as his worst fears were confirmed, and he realized that Kane had never intended to help him . . . Kane had set him up. The betrayal was more painful than the bite to his leg.

The rest of the pack soon joined in the attack. They backed Vero up to the edge of the mountaintop, and then the dogs instantly grew docile and sat. Vero looked over the pack of dogs as Adrik walked toward him. Vero saw red flecks in her eyes, and he knew exactly who she truly was.

“It's over,” Adrik said to Vero.

Vero shook his head. “No, Lilith!”

“Give me the book or I'll have the dogs finish you, and then I'll take it anyway.”

Vero looked to Kane, his eyes pleading one last time for help. Kane lowered his gaze. Adrik held out her hand. As she stepped toward Vero, he backed up dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, his leg leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

“We're done here,” Adrik said, turning to the pack. “Kill!”

The demon dogs leapt to their feet. Vero's eyes darted around, desperately searching for a way out. There was none.

Except . . .

“Please, God,” Vero said. “I can't do this by myself. Don't let me be alone on the other side.”

As the doglike beasts sprung off their hind legs at Vero, he stepped back, spread his arms wide, and fell into the air. Adrik's eyes narrowed in fury. Kane looked on in disbelief.

At that same moment, Clover stood on the edge of the steps, looking out over the vista. She gasped when she saw Vero freefalling over the side of the mountain. But then his body caught the mountain's shadow. Wings shot out from Vero's back, stopping his fall. Clover knew Vero was an angel, but seeing him flying in midair took her breath away. Her eyes widened as his majestic wings took him higher toward the peak of the triangle shadow. Vero flew into the peak of the triangle, and disappeared.

“Go, Vero.” Clover smiled.

As Clover continued to look, she saw four other young angels suddenly materialize in the triangular shadow. One was a slight boy with big ears, another a teenage girl with curly, auburn hair, the third a handsome teen boy with light brown skin, and finally a tall, athletic girl with short brown hair highlighted with blonde streaks. They flew in the same direction that Vero had, and they, too, disappeared into the peak.

A moment later, Clover's smile quickly dropped when she saw Adrik holding on to Kane, and then watched them leap off the cliff together. When they were in the shadow, their true forms were also revealed. Kane sprouted angel wings, but Adrik turned into a vile, hideous hag.

Clover gasped as she watched them also disappear into the peak of the pyramid shadow. She knew her brother and his fledgling friends were in grave danger.

In the most barren of deserts, the ground began to rumble. Red hotspots flashed just beneath the surface. The rocky,
sandy soil bubbled as if tar were coming to the surface. Then the ground burst open—thousands of maltures broke through as if they had been festering in a large boil and were finally cut free. The vile creatures rocketed up to the surface, climbing over one another like a den of snakes released from their long hibernation.

As Clover kept watch over the quickly moving shadow, a tunnel of what looked like dark smoke appeared, swirling and racing toward the shadow's peak. Clover stumbled back when her eyes made out the true nature of the smoke—thousands and thousands of hideous red-eyed creatures with jagged black wings. It was a horrifying sight. The creatures disappeared into the peak when what looked like a tunnel of bright, white light spun, then grew bigger and bigger as it headed toward the peak. The lights began to take form, and Clover saw they were angels—legions of angels—flying at supernatural speeds. And when they vanished into the peak, Clover knew an epic battle had begun.

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