Chapter 7
Walter took a deep breath and set one foot on the outer edge of a plank and the other foot on the opposite side. Sliding his clenched fists along the upper ropes, he strode forward. With the wind whipping the bridge violently as he stepped farther out, shouting instructions wouldn’t make sense. Everyone just had to follow his lead, ride out the gusts, and hope for the best. Fortunately, their added weight helped to settle the sagging span, but would they make it sag too much and snap one of the ropes?
After a few minutes, they managed to safely cross at least a hundred planks, putting them well out over the chasm. Every few seconds, a winged shadow crossed their path. Flying low with her claws extended, Thigocia seemed ready to snatch anyone who might get blown over a support rope or fall through a broken plank.
A sudden gust batted the bridge to one side. Walter braced his legs. Ashley and Abigail gasped. When it eased back to the center, Walter exhaled and looked back. Both women hung on with rigid arms and white knuckles.
“You guys okay?” he shouted.
Abigail nodded, her face taut. Ashley did the same, adding a cry that carried a hint of fear. “Walter, we can’t do this. It’s only going to get worse.”
“Should we get Mother to carry us?” Abigail called. “Drop us off at the farthest point she can go?”
“And then climb off her back and hop onto the bridge?” Ashley asked. “Impossible!”
Abigail shook her head. “She can pick us up with her claws one at a time and—”
Thigocia’s roar echoed all around. “Nephilim!” She zoomed back to the cliff where at least five Nephilim had gathered. Two of the giants grabbed the bridge’s upper ropes, one on each side, and began swinging the entire span back and forth.
“Brace yourselves!” Walter shouted. The bridge flipped on its side and whipped up into the air. Ashley and Walter toppled over a support rope, but they hung on, dangling as the bridge swayed over the chasm.
Abigail lunged for them, but her foot broke through a rotting board. Her bottom smacked down on a secure plank, keeping her from falling through. She latched on to Ashley’s collar, then to Walter’s. “Mother!” she screamed. “Save us!”
Gasping for breath, Walter tried to pull up and watch Thigocia at the same time. She shot a burst of fire at each Naphil, hitting them in the legs. As they tried to slap out the flames, she swooped low, then bent around. Her tail slapped the first giant off his feet. The second one grabbed her tail with one arm and hung on to the bridge’s support pole with the other.
Thigocia’s momentum swung her around, bringing her back toward the waiting hands of two more Nephilim. They each grasped a wing. One grabbed a mainstay and wrestled her to the ground. The other caught the leather webbing and ripped it through.
Thrashing to get free, Thigocia whipped her tail and shook the first giant loose. She beat her good wing, but the other giant held fast. Setting his feet, he thrust the mainstay against his leg, snapping her wing with a loud crack.
Thigocia bellowed and clawed the giant’s face. Spraying fire all around, she broke free and lumbered to the edge of the cliff. As she hesitated, the giants closed in, but just as one leaped for her tail, she jumped, beating her wings against the fierce wind.
Half of her broken wing flapped hopelessly while her torn wing barely held enough air to keep her aloft. Still, she pushed forward.
Walter regripped the rope and tried to swing up, but it was no use. “Hang on!” he shouted. “Your mother’s on her way!”
Panting, Ashley nodded. “I see her. But she’s hurt.”
Abigail leaned back, using her weight to keep them from falling. “Have faith! Glewlwyd said the bridge won’t let us fall if we just hang on!”
The Nephilim grabbed the ropes again and jerked the bridge into a wild swing. Ashley screamed. One of her hands lost its grip, and she flailed wildly. “I’m losing it!”
Abigail let go of Walter and yanked Ashley higher. “Mother! Hurry!”
“I’m coming!” With fiery spittle leaking from her mouth, the great she-dragon closed in, but her elevation diminished with every second. “I’ll fly under you. You’ll have to drop to my back.”
Walter grunted. “But the extra weight will—”
“Let me worry about that!”
“We have to hang on!” Abigail cried. “Trust the gatekeeper!”
Red-faced, Ashley groaned. “I can’t let Mother fall into the chasm by herself!”
Just as Thigocia’s head passed several feet underneath, Ashley jerked free from Abigail’s grip and let go. She fell to her mother’s back, narrowly missing a protruding spine. Thigocia dipped downward. Straining every sinew in her muscular wings, she bent into a tight turn and headed back for another pass, still dropping in elevation.
The bridge jerked again, throwing Abigail against the side rope. As she struggled to her feet, balancing on the sides of the broken plank, Walter shouted, “Jump! Before she gets too low!”
She squeezed between the upper and lower ropes, then, timing Thigocia’s approach, she leaped, her arms spread as if she were reliving her dragon past.
Reaching for Ashley’s outstretched arms, Abigail missed her aim and smacked face-first on Thigocia’s shoulder. She clawed at her mother’s scales, slipping inch by inch.
As Thigocia wheeled around to pick up Walter, Ashley flattened her body, looped her arm around a spine, and groped for Abigail’s hand. Their fingertips touched, but it wasn’t enough. Abigail slid off and plummeted into the chasm.
Thigocia roared. Fire spewed from her mouth and nostrils. As she folded in her wings and began to fall, Walter let go of the bridge. He twisted into a vertical dive and reached out, hoping to catch hold of the dragon before she dropped out of sight. Just as Thigocia turned into a full dive, he caught her tail and wedged his arms between two spines.
As she plummeted, he fell with her, reaching for each spine in succession, climbing down her body as if scaling a ladder in reverse. Farther ahead, Ashley hung on tightly. She glanced back and gasped, then reached out a hand toward Walter and yelled something, but the buffeting wind snatched her words away.
Deeper in the chasm, Abigail’s body flailed, but they gained no ground. She had to be at least two hundred feet lower, much too far away for them to catch up. Walter struggled against the wind, forcing himself to let go of one spine as he lunged for another. He set his feet on the edge of a scale to steady himself, making the rest of the downward climb easier as he stepped on scale after scale.
When he reached Ashley, he grasped her wrist and rode her hefty pull until he was able to seat himself in his usual riding spot, though plummeting into a seemingly bottomless chasm was anything but usual.
Falling faster and faster, seconds passed, then minutes. The rocky faces of the chasm’s sides sped by, blurring as they accelerated. As light from above faded, their surroundings dimmed. Soon, the depths below grew dark and enfolded Abigail’s body in a pool of blackness.
Elam set his hands close to the smoldering embers, though they were barely warm enough to keep his body from freezing. He had again donned Abraham’s cloak, which helped, but a blazing fire would have done wonders to keep out the chill. No matter how many times Acacia relit the damp marsh reeds as she tried to maintain a low fire, they merely flared and died away. Not only that, Acacia had spent her last ounce of energy and could barely light a stick, much less create a blaze.
Still, as Abraham had indicated, a bright fire probably wasn’t a good idea for wanderers in a strange land. It would be best to stay undetected as Pegasus made his slow descent toward the horizon.
Abraham rose to his feet and whispered, “We should go. The floodwaters are low enough now, and darkness will soon cover our movements.”
Elam listened to the rushing water. Indeed, the noise had subsided. Yet, it was probably enough to drown out their footsteps and keep them from giving themselves away. Not only that, even in total darkness, they would be able to follow the river’s path without a problem.
As he rubbed out the embers with his shoe, Elam returned Abraham’s whisper. “I get the impression that Flint hates you. Would he really kill you?”
Abraham seemed unwilling to answer. He just stared at the moon with sad eyes.
Elam helped Acacia onto Dikaios’s back and covered her with the blanket, now dry and reasonably warm. She leaned over and hugged the horse’s neck. “Thank you, Dikaios. I think I am completely flamed out. I hope you don’t mind me being such a burden.”
“Fret not,” Dikaios said. “I am here to serve you and Elam.”
Elam touched Abraham’s back. “Shall we go?”
Nodding his head sadly, Abraham turned toward him. “Yes, we must go.”
They walked over the mushy sand to the river’s edge, Abraham leading the way with Elam close behind. When the rush of water rose to an angry roar on their left, Abraham slowed and allowed Elam to come alongside.
“I think the river will mask our conversation,” Elam said, “so we might as well use this time to get me up to speed.”
“Up to speed?” Abraham smiled. “That’s an idiom I haven’t taught my people yet.”
“You teach your people idioms?”
“They have invented some of their own, to be sure, but I also delight in teaching them. You see, I have watched your world for centuries through a portal viewer called Enoch’s Ghost, so I am well acquainted with your customs. We have even adopted some of your technological advances and your speech patterns. Yet, you will soon learn that we are very different in many ways.”
“How so?”
“As I mentioned before, our world was a kind of paradise, much like your Eden. Yet, we had no tree of knowledge of good and evil, no forbidden fruit, no serpent who would tempt either Adams or Eves in this world. Because of this, you will likely think my people are na”ve, perhaps even dangerously so. Still, we have endured many tests and tempters in the form of nonhuman creatures who come here when there is a rift in the Bridgelands, and those experiences have shaken the innocence of my people.”
Elam glanced back at Dikaios to see if he was listening, but it was too dark to tell. “A rift in the Bridgelands? How does that happen?”
As they came to a dip in elevation, the river’s rippling song heightened. They stepped gingerly down the trail, now stony rather than sandy. “According to Enoch’s Ghost,” Abraham continued, “there is a great chasm spanned by a bridge.”
Elam had to hurry to keep pace with the longer-legged man. “I know all about that bridge.”
Abraham’s voice rose a notch. “Have you crossed it?”
“With great difficulty, I assure you.”
Something rustled to their right. Abraham stopped and raised his hand. Elam and Dikaios halted while Abraham scanned the marshes, his neck craned as he listened.
Elam stood on tiptoes to see over the scrubby bushes lining the flood basin. Only the sound of water trickled into his ears.
Turning back to the others, Abraham muttered, “Muskrats.” Returning to his march, he spoke again, but he lowered his volume, now frequently peering into the reeds. “It seems that the Father of Lights has allowed the Bridgelands to be used as an entryway into Second Eden. An evil deed committed here opened a crack, and Enoch prophesied that if another one of my people ever commits such an act, it will open a new rift to allow entry of the greatest evil we have ever faced. The chasm is a natural portal to our land, but no evil can pass through it unless a specific evil act opens it.”
“Did Enoch say what kind?”
“Indeed. There is one act that I have spoken against ever since the first child came to this world in the birthing garden. My people always speak the truth. If we believe that true words will hurt someone’s heart or endanger a life, we will remain silent rather than invent a falsehood. If a lie should ever proceed from the lips of one of my people, the great evil will come through the chasm. That’s why I told you earlier that if a lie occurs, the damage would already have been done.”
Elam raised a finger. “So you do have a forbidden fruit.”
“In a way, yes, but ours is different. Adam and Eve fell together, suffered together, and laid the foundation for their children to follow. If one of my people were to lie, it is important to ensure that he or she suffers alone.”
“Wouldn’t the corruption spread to everyone else? Lies have a way of giving birth to more lies.”
“I’m sure you have seen corruption spreading like a disease,” Abraham said, “but it isn’t really like an infection. No one becomes corrupt because of the sins of another. They cannot catch it by mere exposure or by birth. All people choose for themselves.” Abraham stopped again, his voice fading as he stared into the marsh. “That’s why my people have two safeguards. I told you about the companions, and the people also have me to look to for guidance. Since I am the founder of the realm, and my people are na”ve about the ways of wickedness and inexperienced in dealing with the forces of evil, they often ask me for counsel when they have to venture into the regions occupied by the altered tribes or if one of the fiends violates our borders.”
Elam slowed his pace for a moment to let Dikaios and Acacia catch up. “Are you two doing okay?”
“All is well,” Dikaios said. “Please continue. I find your conversation intriguing.”
Acacia, her fair face glowing in the light of the moon, nodded. “I’m tired, but I’m listening. Don’t get too far ahead, though. I can barely hear you.”
Abraham slowed his pace. “Do we have eavesdroppers?” he asked, showing a weary smile.
“The best kind.” Elam stepped up to Abraham’s side again, risking a slightly louder tone. “So if something happened to you, your people would be without an experienced leader.”
“Experienced? You could say that. I witnessed many great evils while in your world, and Enoch helps me from yet another realm, so, yes, my people’s reliance on me is heavy, and I take great risk every time I leave the village. Even now, I feel anxious at being gone for so long. Still, I have learned to rely on Valiant.” He held up a pair of fingers. “There are two communities. Mine is called Founders’ Village, and Valiant is the leader of Peace Village. He is a wise man and my best warrior. If something were to happen to me, my people know to look to him for counsel.”
Elam held up his hand, halting Dikaios. When the horse caught up, Elam whispered. “I heard something. Did you?”
Dikaios bobbed his head. “I think so, but ask the Oracle. She has a better vantage point.”
Looking up at Acacia, Elam set his hand to his ear, hoping to signal his question.
She leaned over, keeping her voice whisper quiet. “I see moving reeds, but there is a wind.”
Dropping to a crouch, Abraham waved his hands at them. “Stay low.”
Elam wrapped his arms around Acacia’s waist and hoisted her down. While they squatted near Abraham, Dikaios settled to the cold ground, now hard sand once again.
Something zinged through the air. A thud sprang up from the ground nearby. Another zing. Then a splash.
“Arrows!” Abraham waved a hand again, signaling everyone to get lower.
More zings. More thuds and splashes. Abraham fell to his seat, an arrow protruding from his lower leg. He bit his fist to stifle a grunt.
Elam braced Abraham’s back. Acacia looked on, her blue eyes wide in the moonlight.
The arrows ceased. More rustling sounded. Suddenly a man broke through the thicket, his arms raised, showing that he had no weapon. Then, pressing a finger to his lips, he crouched with them.
Elam stared at the man’s wide white eyes. Greevelow! What was he doing here?
Greevelow grasped the arrow’s shaft and broke it off, leaving a few inches protruding from Abraham’s leg. The snap of wood made him stop in mid motion and perk up his head.
Elam listened with him. No sound but the never-ending rush of water.
Apparently satisfied, Greevelow bent close to Abraham. “Must flee. Attack comes.”
“Why did they stop?” Elam asked.
“Arrows found you.” He reached into the thicket and withdrew a long wooden shaft with a barbed metal end. “Spears kill you.”
Angel folded the bag and held it close to her face with both arms. She took in the aroma, a combination of leather and charred bones. Yet, there was something more, a familiar smell. She pressed her nose against it and took a long sniff, then raised her head and exhaled slowly. Yes, it was Dragon, her long lost Adam. Even three years after his death, this skin still carried his manly scent.
He had used it many times to cover his pillow, preferring the feel of leather under his head rather than the sheets she had spun and sewn from tufts of marlyn fur. It had taken her weeks to capture enough of the speedy rodents, but their soft coats made it worth the trouble for most of the villagers.
Smiling, she hugged it to her chest. Oh, if only those days could return! Running in the rabbit fields, laughing and playing with the children, teaching Candle how to build a rabbit trap, comforting Listener during her nights of torment and pain.
She sighed. Yes, those lovely nights, having him near as she drifted off to sleep, hearing his contented breaths after a hard day’s work. What bliss that would be! No more cold, lonely nights, no more drying tears of children bereft of his strong, masculine presence.
She lowered her head and shuffled away from the garden. It wasn’t to be. The Father of Lights had so decided, so it was up to her to be content and—
“Angel?”
She spun around. Dragon’s voice? She closed her eyes and shook her head. No. It couldn’t be. She was just exhausted. She was imagining things.
“Angel? I am over here.”
She gasped. It was his voice! She crept back toward the garden. “Dragon? Is that you?”
“Yes, my love. I have returned.”
A dark silhouette walked along a row in the garden, coming toward her with an outstretched arm. “A miracle of the scattered bones. You have been praying for my return for these three years, and your faith has been rewarded. Timothy held my companion when he died, so when his bones were spread over this soil, the birthing garden was able to regenerate my life.” He stopped at the edge of the grass. “I have missed you, my love.”
Her heart pounding, Angel ran toward him, but he held up a hand. “Come no closer.”
She stopped, panting, her lips trembling. “But why? I don’t understand.” She reached out her hands. “My arms ache for you.”
“If you touch me now, all will be lost. I cannot set foot out of this garden until my resurrection is complete.”
“What is left to resurrect? I see your head, your chest, your arms and legs. Even your feet make impressions in the earth, so you are not a spirit.”
“I walk in the valley of dead souls, and the lord of that valley told me that the scattering has opened a door to this world. Yet, I can come only when it is dark. Since the moon’s glow is ebbing, I am safe, but if I were exposed to the light of day, I would evaporate, and if we made contact, I would be forced completely into your world and would remain in this vaporous state forever.”
Angel’s entire body quaked. Her knees knocked together as she tried to keep her balance. “What … what must we do to complete the resurrection?”
“What you were planning to do. Find Father Abraham, the warrior chief, and the Oracle. Bring them here.”
She clasped her hands. “Yes! Yes, of course! They will be glad to know that you are back. They will—”
“No!” He lifted a hand again. “You must not tell them that I am in this state. They will not believe you. Only bring them here. The little girl who sang will sing again to bless the garden in the presence of the Oracle.” He spread out his hands over the garden’s soil. “She will invoke the name of Makaidos, king of the dragons, in order to resurrect him from these bones. But you must get her to change the name and ask for me instead.”
“Change Makaidos to Dragon?”
“To maintain the meter of the poem, she should say, ‘the dragon.’”
“I see,” she said, nodding. “Three syllables.”
“Correct. It is a very simple task.”
“How will I convince Paili to make the change? Resurrecting Makaidos is the very mission she and the Oracle have come to accomplish.”
“This will only delay the return of the great Makaidos. He can be resurrected at the next eclipse cycle. I have spoken to him in the valley of souls, and I assure you that he agrees with this plan. But you must get the participants here before the second moon comes back into phase, or it will be too late.”
“Second moon?” Angel tilted her head toward the sky. “It rises the night after next.”
Dragon lifted two fingers. “So you have today, for it is now early morning, and tomorrow, as long as the girl can sing before midnight, for that is when Phoenix rises.”
Angel extended two fingers of her own and stared at them. Two days would be plenty of time to find Father Abraham and the others, but what could she say to cause Paili to change her song without revealing Dragon’s plan?
Edging even closer to him, Angel gazed into his lovely eyes. Now she could smell him again, that wonderful aroma she had so longed for on many lonely nights.
With her eyes half closed, she pursed her lips and spoke in the playful singsong voice she had often used at romantic moments. “It will be much easier if I could tell them that my handsome Adam will come home to me if they change the name.”
His face remained stoic. “As I said, they will not believe you, so you should tell them that while Father Abraham was gone, you peered into Enoch’s Ghost. Tell them Enoch himself commanded the girl to change the name to ‘the dragon’ instead of ‘Makaidos.’ Since Makaidos was the king of the dragons, that label is appropriate.”
Angel’s mouth dropped open. “Tell them I looked into Enoch’s Ghost? Why?”
“Simple enough. You were seeking their whereabouts in order to aid your search.”
Her companion buzzed into her line of sight, flashing red. Such a statement would not be true! You cannot do this!
Dragon chuckled. “I can easily guess what your companion is saying, and she is right, of course; the statement would not be true. But it will be true by the time you speak it if you peer into Enoch’s Ghost and ask for help in locating Father Abraham.”
The companion flashed again. Do not plan to speak what is not yet true. Let the passage of time prove events before you implant them prematurely in your mind.
Angel stepped to the side to look past the companion. “I can see how consulting Enoch’s Ghost will become true, but how do you know Enoch will tell me to change Paili’s song?”
“I cannot guess what Enoch will tell you, but no harm will come if you say that he gave you my instructions.”
The companion rushed back and forth, its light blinking wildly. This man has no companion and speaks from a pit of despair, so he is influenced by his sorrows. Whether or not immediate harm comes is not your deciding factor. Saying something that is not true is a violation of our law. That should be enough to keep you from falsehood.
Angel knitted her brow, searching for a floating companion around Dragon’s head. There was no sign of one. “You are asking me to speak a … a lie!”
He set a hand over his heart. “I have learned much in the valley of souls. Although Father Abraham is a wise and noble teacher, there is much that he doesn’t know. While truth is the best choice in almost every case, telling a lie is an option in desperate times. Our enemies are willing to deceive us, so we would not be wise to ignore a powerful weapon.”
“But Father Abraham and the others are our friends, not our enemies. Why would you want me to lie to them?”
“No doubt, they are our friends. But a lie is not only a weapon; it is a shield to protect life. If one of the shadow people trespassed into our home at night and demanded to know where Candle and Listener slept, would you tell him they were sleeping peacefully in their room?”
She clenched a fist. “Of course not. I would not speak a word to the fiend.”
“Then he would merely search for them and eventually find them. Yet, if you told him they were visiting a friend in another village, he would slither away and accost you no more. Such is the power of a well-placed lie.”
Once again the companion flashed. Trust in the Father of Lights. Falsehoods are the path to darkness. If you—
“Would you please silence your companion?” Dragon said, his voice spiking. “We cannot discuss this if it continues to interrupt.”
Angel wrapped her fingers around her companion and, swallowing hard, placed it in the pocket of her pantaloons. As she held her hand over the opening, it pushed and prodded her leg, but after a few seconds, it became still.
“I …” Angel swallowed again, but the lump in her throat wouldn’t go away. “I will look into Enoch’s Ghost, but I do not know if the prophet will speak to me.”
“If he doesn’t speak, then you should search for Father Abraham without his help. You were going to do that anyway.” Dragon sighed and reached out his hand. His fingers passed by her cheek, an inch away, stroking the air tenderly. “I apologize for being so adamant, my love, but this is a critical hour. We cannot allow emotions to blind us. We cannot allow allegiance to unexplainable rules to erect obstacles to our reunion.”
As she drank in Dragon’s dark eyes, Angel’s heart thrummed. How could she possibly question her Adam, her protector, her love? Since Makaidos would eventually be resurrected, surely it was the right thing to do. Father Abraham would understand, at least eventually. Once Dragon came back, he could explain everything, just as he did tonight. All would be well.
She licked her lips, dry and cracked. “I … I’d better go now. When Pegasus sets, it will be harder to search the highlands.”
He smiled. “Yes, my love, and Flint’s Marsh, as well.”
“Flint’s Marsh?” She cocked her head. “Do you mean Adam’s Marsh?”
“Yes. Of course. I was merely referring to the fact that Flint now controls that area.”
“But would Father go there? Would he risk facing Flint’s arrows?”
“Ask Enoch.” He turned toward the twin fir trees at the edge of the field and angled his head upward. “If he doesn’t speak, I recommend flying over the marsh. Following the river is the easiest route from the Valley of Shadows, and Flint sleeps without knowledge of Father Abraham’s journey, so that would be a good guess. If you go there first, you can search all of Flint’s territory before dawn.”
“In the darkness? Without Pegasus, it will be like looking for a raven hiding in the Shadowlands.”
“You are witty, my love.” He turned back to her, smiling. “Watch for Acacia’s fire. Eventually they will need light and warmth.”
“How do you know about Acacia? I just learned of her gifts—”
“Shhhh …” He raised a finger and hovered it over her lips. “I learned much in the valley of souls.” He then pointed toward the village. “Go now. The sooner you complete your journey, the sooner we can be in each other’s arms.”
Angel turned and hurried away, glancing back every few seconds to see if Dragon watched. He was there, his handsome form waiting patiently, but when she neared the bordering forest, darkness veiled his body.
She focused straight ahead, ignoring her desire to search for him again. With little moonlight now, she could easily trip on protruding roots, so it was better to pay attention to what she was doing.
As she approached Cliffside, still standing guard at the boundary, she pressed her hands together and hurried on. Her prayer posture would let him know that she was on a mission and couldn’t afford the time to stand around and chat. With a smile and a nod, she breezed by him and hurried into the deserted street. Father Abraham’s home would be the third one on the right, the adobe hut with the thatched roof and a red dragon painted on each side of the entrance.
She set her hand on the door and pushed. Unlocked, of course. The shadow people feared his dwelling, and none of his own people would dare enter without his permission … She set a foot inside. … Until now.
She pushed the door behind her, but not enough to close it fully, and crept to the back of the room, a combination bedroom and study with a table near the back wall that held Enoch’s Ghost. Its red glow provided the only light, but it was enough to guide her way. When she reached the table, she set her hands on the weathered wood and peered inside the ovulum, a clear crystal at least ten times the size of her companion.
She pressed her hand over her pocket. My companion! She reached in and took it out, setting it on her palm as she tried to find its eyes. The red glow washed over the little egg. Its eyes blinked, then stayed open, looking at her.
What’s wrong? she asked it in her mind.
It blinked again but stayed silent.
Angel flicked her head toward her shoulder. Go on, then. If you’re not going to talk, you can sit up there.
The companion stayed on her palm, tipping slightly to the side.
Too tired? She wrapped her hand around it and pushed it back into her pocket. Then rest there.
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Heaviness weighed down her heart. The room seemed darker, colder. Even the air seemed thicker, and she noticed the odor of unwashed clothes for the first time.
Shaking her head, she cast away the annoying feelings and leaned closer to Enoch’s Ghost. Inside, red mist swirled, veiling anything that might lie deeper. She whispered, “Enoch? Are you there?”
The cloud suddenly twisted, as if blown by her breath. She drew so close, her lips nearly touched the glass. “Enoch? Can you hear me?”
This time, the mist coiled into a tight, spinning cylinder, clearing the inside, and as even that disappeared, the face of an elderly man began to materialize, taking up half of the crystal.
Angel gasped. “Enoch?”
The old man smiled. “Is this Angel of the Village of Peace?”
Her throat tightening, she could barely squeak out, “Yes. It is Angel.”
His brow furrowed, and his smile diminished, yet his voice remained gentle. “Why are you in Abraham’s hut? Is he nearby?”
“No, good prophet. That is why I am here. He is on a journey home from the Valley of Shadows, but he has no dragon to ride. I want to search for him, but I need guidance.”
He nodded. “Your motivation is noble, yet I wonder at the wisdom of entering his home uninvited.”
She cleared her throat, strengthening her voice. “Father Abraham has given us no law about his home. The requirement of an invitation is merely custom. Are not customs to be swept aside in a dire situation?”
“Not necessarily.” His image magnified, drawing his eyes closer to the surface. Like a pair of knives, they seemed to pierce her own eyes and cut into her soul. As he shrank again to his original size, his lips stayed flat. “It is a dire situation, but that is not the only reason you have come.”
Angel clenched her hands together and twisted her fingers. “You are wise, good prophet. Must I tell you all my reasons?”
Lowering his gaze, Enoch shook his head. “Search the kingdom of Flint, especially along the river’s path. Abraham’s danger is great, as is the danger to all his company.”
She bowed her head, almost touching the table. “Thank you, dear prophet! Thank you!”
As she turned, Enoch called out, “Angel!”
She spun back. “Yes?”
His lips parted, but, after a moment of silence, they closed.
Angel set her hand on the side of the glass. “Whatever you have to say, good prophet, I am ready to hear.”
“Are you, really?” With a heavy sigh, he added, “What you must do, do quickly.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Because of the danger?”
His face faded away along with his voice. “Because of the cost.”
Enoch’s Ghost darkened. Even its red glow faded away. Only a street lantern spilling light through the partially open door gave the room any illumination. Taking careful steps, she found her way back outside and closed the door.
Again assuming the prayer posture, she hurried past the village’s central circle, but, seeing no one around, she lowered her hands and ran. When she neared the end of the street, someone cried out. “Angel!”
She halted and spun toward the voice. “Emerald? Why are you still awake?”
Emerald emerged from the shadows, her eyes bleary. “I have been waiting for you. Did you speak to Cliffside?”
Angel peered into the dragon launching field. Albatross was still waiting. “I told him that you did not wish to be betrothed to him, but I fear that I did little to discourage his affections.”
Emerald’s brow lifted. “Was he hurt?”
“If you care so much for his feelings, why do you turn him away?”
Emerald’s companion floated near her eyes. Blue light flashed as it rocked back and forth in the air.
Angel grinned. “Your companion is laughing, isn’t she?”
Nodding, Emerald gently poked her companion with her finger. “I am getting a friendly, ‘I told you so.’”
“Yes, they are quite good at that. When mine wants to—”
“Where is your companion?” Emerald searched both sides of Angel’s head. “In your hair?”
Angel gulped. She touched her pocket but didn’t look down. “I … uh … I have to hurry. Enoch himself told me to act quickly.”
She leaped into a run, not daring to look back as she dashed into the launching field. When Albatross saw her, he whistled and lowered his head to the ground.
“I know. I know.” Angel clambered up his neck and plopped down in her seat. “I’m late, but I had to talk to some people.”
As he stretched out his wings, Albatross whistled again.
“To my village.” Angel buckled her belt. “Don’t worry about a rough ride. Just get me there as fast as you can.”
As they ascended, the bitter wind flapped her clothes. She shivered but didn’t bother to ask Albatross for heat. The flight would be short enough to keep from freezing. Still, it wouldn’t be short enough to keep from considering the hundreds of thoughts that pushed into her brain. If her companion were still talking, she knew what it would say. Remember the prophecy? “Beware the dragon from below who sings a siren song and calls an Eve from Eden’s twin to twist the right to wrong.”
She blinked away welling tears. Could her Dragon be the dragon from below? That seemed impossible. He was good and kind, a perfect Adam and the best father in all of Second Eden. He …
A cold lump swelled in her throat as the words rolled through her mind. Second Eden … Eden’s twin. A dragon from below.
She shook her head hard. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Father Abraham had taught her so many times to hold fast to what she knew, to cast aside dark doubts that contradicted what she had learned in the light. Dragon couldn’t possibly be evil. A hundred years of watching his gallantry had proven that over and over. No one could possibly have an evil heart and hide it for so long, especially from his Eve.
Letting a smile break through, she took in a deep breath from the cold, biting air. Settling the truth in her mind felt good. She would never doubt her Adam again.