Chapter 15
Elam stood near the edge of the birthing garden, his arms folded across his chest as he waited for everyone to be seated in the grass. With Pegasus still barely over the horizon, lanterns abounded, illuminating the fragile expressions of the villagers. The younger children wore smiles and wide eyes that gave away their awestruck amazement at this new and exciting event. Deep lines furrowed the brows of many of the adults. Obviously they knew this gathering wasn’t a social ceremony. Somehow it would change their lives forever.
In fact, no one knew for certain what all these signs portended—the young warrior chief coming to their village without Father Abraham; a white-haired girl with fire in her hands and hair; two strangers from another world, one a healer and the other a warrior with a magnificent sword; a talking dragon in search of a human daughter; a strange buzzing machine flying in the air that disappeared over the trees; and a little girl who was supposed to speak words that would call a prophesied helper from yet another realm. To them, it must have sounded like a fairy tale, yet now they had come together to witness what they had heard about in bedtime stories ever since they had emerged from this very garden.
Angel sat cross-legged at the front, while Ashley and Walter stood far to Elam’s right where Thigocia had found room to lie in the grass. Valiant stood near the middle of the pack, Candle clutching his hand at his side. Listener, however, was nowhere in sight. She had asked to go to the dragon launching field to look at Pegasus through her spyglass. Since Albatross was there, she would be safe from any lurking shadow people, and his scales would keep her warm if need be. Angel had said Albatross was the most protective dragon she had ever seen, so if it was all right with Listener’s mother, Elam decided it was all right with him.
When everyone had settled, Elam gestured toward Acacia and Paili. “Is she ready?”
“She is ready.” Acacia took Paili by the hand and joined Elam. “We have been preparing for this moment for years.”
Angel jumped up and gave Elam a brief curtsy. “May I interrupt with a question?”
Elam nodded. “You may.”
She spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Since you and all who are involved with this ceremony are strangers to our people, you might not be aware of our ways.”
“Are we violating a custom?” Elam asked. “Please let me know, and we’ll try to do this the right way.”
Angel glanced back at Candle. Valiant crossed his arms and stared at her quizzically. As she looked at Elam again, she intertwined her fingers, her voice trembling as she continued. “You are not breaking a custom. It is a matter of priority. Father Abraham should be here to oversee this sacred event. He is the keeper of Enoch’s Ghost, but now even that is gone, so we have no guiding hand with which we are all familiar.”
“Are you saying that we should wait? I thought you wanted to bring our helper as soon as possible.”
“Oh, we must continue, but I wanted you to know what Enoch said to me. Since Father Abraham is not here to relay the message, I must give it for him.”
“You received a message when you looked into Enoch’s Ghost?” Elam asked.
A wave of gasps crossed the seated crowd. Angel’s face twitched, but she kept her eyes focused on Elam. “Enoch spoke to me.”
Elam tried to read Angel’s expression. Why the twitch? Why did the people react the way they did? He looked over at Valiant. The warrior’s face had turned stony. He obviously didn’t like what he heard. Something strange was going on. “What did Enoch say?” Elam asked.
“We all know that the girl, Paili, has come to speak a prophecy over our garden. Our understanding is that she is to call upon Makaidos to rise from the dead. I am asking that she change the song and say ‘the dragon’ instead of ‘Makaidos.’”
Elam pondered her words. Her odd facial expression raised a warning in his mind. Dealing with Morgan and Naamah for so long had shown him deception in many of its manifestations, and Angel’s stance and tone brought back nightmarish memories of his slave mistresses’ lies. She had crafted her response precisely and avoided a direct answer, one of the hallmarks of a deceiver. But could he accuse her of lying? Who was he to level such a charge when he was a stranger in this land?
“Your hesitation troubles me,” Angel said as she lowered herself to her knees. Pressing her hands together, she bowed her head. “I humbly thank you for hearing the request of your servant. I, of course, will abide by your decision. If you choose not to change the words, then let us proceed without any alteration.”
Elam took a step back. Seeing Angel’s contrite posture brought to mind Naamah’s lament when she begged for forgiveness. He had decided to believe that deceiving temptress, and his faith in her was rewarded to the point of saving the world. How could he doubt this woman who had never told a lie in her life?
He lowered his hand. She took it and allowed him to raise her up. “Did Enoch say why Paili is supposed to change the words?”
Averting her eyes again, Angel shook her head. “He gave me no explanation.”
Elam looked over at Ashley. She stood near Thigocia, a hand on the dragon’s neck. If she could really read minds, would she be able to help? Would it even be right to ask? Or should he rather just trust Angel and hope his faith would eventually be rewarded no matter what the outcome?
He nodded at Acacia. “Please bring the word-bearer to me.”
Acacia guided Paili to the edge of the garden and turned toward Elam. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe.” Elam looked back and forth between Acacia and Angel. The difference in their postures and expressions was like night and day. Acacia’s eyes, wide and bright, shone without a hint of secrecy, while Angel’s seemed like a stone wall. “Is Makaidos part of her song?” he asked. “Can Paili change it as Angel has requested?”
Acacia touched Paili’s head. “She is to call upon Makaidos, Elam, but we aren’t comfortable with making the change. Enoch’s instructions were clear. He made sure Paili knew the words precisely.”
Elam nodded. No doubt Acacia was right to feel that way. Still … “Is it possible that Enoch changed his mind?”
“Of course, it’s possible. When a storm arises, only a fool refuses to alter his course.”
He scanned the crowd. Many shifted restlessly, while some of the younger ones pranced around or battled with wooden swords. Leaving Candle behind, Valiant eased his way toward the front, his eyes set on Angel, but he seemed in no hurry.
Elam set his jaw. The people were getting restless. He had to make a decision. “Abraham is gone,” he finally said. “I think that qualifies as a storm. Please ask Paili to make the change.”
“Very well.” Acacia whispered to Paili but too quietly for Elam to hear. He looked at Angel again. A breeze blew her hair back from her shoulders and ears. He searched for her companion, but, unless it was buried in her hair, it wasn’t nearby. Squinting, he continued his search. He had to be certain. He needed something more than one of her oblique answers.
Paili set her toes at the edge of the garden, while Acacia stood behind her. Just as she spread out her shimmering blue cloak, Elam raised his arm. “Stop!”
As every head turned toward him, he gestured for Angel to come forward. She walked to the front, her eyes darting more frantically than ever. He grabbed her arm, turned her toward the crowd, and lifted his voice. “I just want to make sure everyone understands what’s going on. The great prophet Enoch gave the little girl words to speak to bring us a warrior dragon to help with a coming battle. Angel asked her to make a minor change to the words.” He turned to her, but she wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Angel, did Enoch tell you to do this? I want a straight answer.”
Her eyes flared. She trembled in his grip, and her chest heaved over and over. Elam looked down at her pocket. Her fingers clutched something through the material, something that wiggled violently.
Elam stared at her. Had she stifled her companion? If so, why? That couldn’t be normal behavior for the people here, but should he dare to challenge her, one of the most respected citizens of this world? Abraham had said that if a woman could possibly live as a saint without need of a companion, Angel would be that woman.
Slowly turning, Angel looked into the birthing garden. Her eyes locked on something well beyond the influence of the lantern lights.
Elam followed her gaze. A movement disturbed the backdrop. Was it a shadow? A branch blown by the wind?
Then, as if buoyed by the whispers of a friend, she straightened her body, turned back to the crowd, and lifted her voice, loud and strong. “Elam asked if Enoch commanded the change to the prophecy. He wanted a straight answer. I am now ready to give it.”
When she took a breath to speak again, a shout sounded from somewhere in the crowd. “Excuse me!”
Elam scanned the field and spotted a gray-haired man weaving through the seated villagers. “One moment, please!” the man called, a finger raised as he made his way toward the front. “I would like a word with you.”
Elam blinked. Could it be? He could barely speak the name. “Patrick?”
As the man strode past the front row, he pushed his hair back and tried to catch his breath. “Yes, yes, of course. I’m glad you recognized me. A fellow by the name of Cliffside detained me at the garden entrance for several valuable minutes, but I managed to convince him that I knew you.”
Elam embraced Patrick. “What are you doing here?”
“I have not yet figured out all that is happening, but you should know that Billy Bannister, his father, and Sir Barlow are here. A young girl named Listener is leading them on a mission to find Abraham. I hope they return—”
The buzz of an approaching airplane interrupted him. It flew directly overhead and headed for the dragon launching field on the other side of the village.
Patrick nodded toward the sky. “They are here. I assume they will be with us in a few moments.”
“We can’t wait!” Angel cried. “We don’t know if they found Father Abraham or not, and the moon will be too high before they can walk over here. Remember the prophecy.” She changed her voice to singsong and chanted part of the poem Abraham had recited not long ago.
While shadows dress the virgin soil,
Before the moon gives light,
The girl calls forth the garden’s fruit,
Then day will rule the night.
As soon as she finished, she stared at Elam, breathing rapidly.
Elam looked up at the moon. Rising above the tree line, its shadows had retreated, now barely covering the garden. “She’s right. We have to press on.”
Her body shaking, Angel tiptoed toward the crowd. “I’ll get out of the way and—”
Elam grabbed her arm again. “Not before you finish what you were about to say.”
She looked at Elam’s grip, then back at Elam. Her expression sagged, and tears formed in her eyes. “Why do you doubt me, Elam? You are treating me like an ignorant child.”
Grimacing inwardly, Elam released her. What had he done? He was a stranger in this land, an alien ready to project the lying ways of his own world onto the citizens of innocence. Even if he was sure Angel was lying, how could he possibly assume a judge’s chair and be her accuser? Only Abraham could do that. And what if she was telling the truth? Of course it was possible. Maybe she was acting strangely because she was so unsure of herself. After all, she was taking Abraham’s role by communicating the commands of Enoch. The people were obviously surprised that she had even spoken to Enoch, so stepping into the Prophet’s shoes had to be a very uncomfortable act.
“Elam?” Angel said, her voice trembling pitifully. “What do you want me to do?”
Elam heaved a deep sigh. “Just tell us all what Enoch said. I will believe you.”
“Very well.” She turned toward the crowd and, still clutching her pocket, she shouted, “Enoch commanded the change to the prophecy! He said we must call for the dragon!”
As soon as the words spilled forth, she clutched her chest, gasping. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to her seat. With frantic fingers, she dug into her pocket and withdrew her companion. It lay in her palm, a faint light strobing within its dull glass. She stared at it, then touched it with her fingertip, but it didn’t move.
While the crowd fell silent, Elam stared at Angel. Had she lied after all? He clenched his fist so tight, his fingers ached. If only Abraham were here! He was the only one with the authority and wisdom to judge his people, and even he had said that once the lie was uttered, there was no turning back.
Valiant stepped up to Elam and gripped his forearm. “I advise you to proceed, Warrior Chief. If the harvest of wheat must be shaken to filter the chaff, then so be it.”
Elam gazed into Valiant’s deeply set brown eyes—sincere, honest, resolved. Finally, as every gaze in the crowd locked on him, Elam let out another sigh and turned toward Paili. “Sing your song, and change the words as Angel has requested.”
Billy scrambled down the airstair, followed by Sir Barlow. They reached up, each grabbing an arm as they helped Abraham to the ground. When Billy’s father joined them, Abraham grasped Billy’s sleeve. “Run ahead of us. With my injuries, we will be too slow.”
“Sure.” With a quick jerk, Billy tightened his back scabbard. “Which way to the garden?”
Abraham pointed toward the village. “Do not go directly through, or Cliffside will delay you with many questions.” He then drew a loop in the air. “Go around to the left, climb over the rock wall, and stay low as you run between the thornbush hedges. Then you will climb through the gap created by two stately fir trees and come out of the forest on the west side of a field that lies between the birthing garden and the village. On nights when Pegasus rises full, that gateway is not well guarded, so, if you keep your head down, you should be able to get into that part of the field undetected.”
Billy gave a firm nod. “What do I say when I get there?”
“Tell them I will be there in mere moments, but if the ceremony has already begun, you must simply wait. Once the Oracle approaches the portal, we cannot stop what has been set in motion. I will have to see what I can do when I arrive.” Billy’s father and Sir Barlow each put a shoulder under one of Abraham’s arms and began helping him limp toward the village.
Billy took off to the left in a full sprint. Within seconds, a waist-high stone wall came into view. Leaping from one foot, he vaulted the wall, landed on a stony path, and kept running, barely breaking stride.
Hedges bordered the path with thornbushes rising to his shoulders. He lowered his body, checking the hilt of his sword as he continued his awkward dash. After about a hundred yards, the hedges ended, and the path changed to hard dirt. It led into a forest of tall evergreens that blocked the way with low bushy branches.
Knocking the branches aside as he slowed his pace, he burst into a clearing and stopped. A vine-covered fence stood in his way, too high to leap over. He searched for the tall firs. Just to the right, two enormous trees served as support posts for the fence. He dashed toward them and stopped again just a few feet away. The trees grew so close together, their trunks were joined in a single mass near the ground, and they allowed just a foot or so of space between them as they reached toward the sky.
He turned sideways, set his foot into the “V” where the trunk split, and squeezed into the gap. After scraping the sword against the bark, he pushed through and rushed out into a meadow about the size of two football fields.
Flickering lantern light covered the grassy expanse, illuminating at least a hundred people kneeling or sitting cross-legged in orderly rows, each one looking toward Billy’s left where a flat section of land with plowed furrows dominated the area. A dark form rose from the ground halfway between him and the crowd. It stretched out a long neck and slowly curled in its wings, making its identity clear.
Billy burst into another sprint and slid to a stop near the dragon. “Thigocia!” he whisper-shouted. “It’s me!”
Thigocia whipped her neck, bringing her head toward him. “Ashley! Walter! It’s Billy!”
Walter appeared from around Thigocia’s body. “Hey!” He leaped toward Billy and wrapped him in his arms. “Great to see you! You’re just in time!”
“Super! What’s happening here?”
Ashley appeared from the shadows, her arms crossed and her brow bent low. “Something sinister.”
“Yeah,” Walter said. “Elam’s trying to sort things out, but without Abraham, the village leader, it’s hard to know what’s up.”
Billy jerked his thumb toward the forest. “Abraham’s coming. I have to tell Elam before the ceremony starts.”
The lanterns faded all across the field. At the front of the crowd, two girls, one of them wearing a cloak and carrying blue fire in her uplifted hands, walked into the garden.
Walter dropped to a crouch and lowered his voice. “Elam’s the young guy at the edge of the garden, the one who looks like he’s in charge, but I think you’re too late.”
“You mean the ceremony’s already started?”
Walter nodded toward the cloaked girl. “She’s got her fire going, so I’m pretty sure it’s under way.”
“Then we’ll just have to wait. I guess Abraham will figure out what to do when he shows up.”
Ashley stared straight ahead. “I sense an evil presence, a powerful mind. It feels strange, as if it’s close, yet something is blocking its entry. It’s like a madman chopping at the door with an axe, but he can’t seem to break it down. I can tell, though, that his heart is set on murder.”
Thigocia reared up to her haunches. “I sense danger, as well, growing stronger every second.”
Billy pulled his sword from its scabbard. “We’d better get ready.”
Walter drew Excalibur. “I can’t get it to work here.”
“Let me try.” Billy and Walter swapped swords. As Billy wrapped his fingers around Excalibur’s hilt, he sucked in a quick breath. It had been a while since he last held the great sword, and he had longed for the feel of its warrior heart. Flexing his biceps, he willed the blade to flash to life, but its dull silvery metal merely reflected the moon’s yellow glow.
Loosening his grip, he peeled back his fingers and looked at the hilt. Two gems gleamed, crystal clear, about the size of dimes. He flipped the sword over and felt for the depression. As the professor had indicated in his journal, the red gem was missing.
“When we’re done here,” Billy said, handing Excalibur back to Walter, “I’ll have to tell you about something Prof discovered. Maybe it will explain why it’s not working.”
“I think it’s because we’re in the Twilight Zone. Everything’s crazy.”
Billy looked at the garden again. One of the two girls backed out, while the other stayed and began singing a song.
“Whatever’s supposed to happen,” Billy said, “I think it’ll be any minute.”
Thigocia lowered her head, creating a staircase with her neck. “Everyone get on. We might need to fly into action at a moment’s notice. I think my wings will last.”
While Billy climbed aboard, Ashley stooped near Thigocia’s head. “Mother, I sense another mind, someone … familiar.”
“Familiar? Who?”
She straightened and turned toward the garden. “I’m not sure. It’s just an impression, but it’s out there somewhere. Someone friendly. Someone who’s also trying to get here.
Standing on tiptoes, Walter leaned toward the rows of shadowed plants. “I can’t see anything.”
Ashley bent over and skulked down a row. “You two go with Mother,” she called back. “I’ll follow my nose.”
“You’re not going in there without me!” Walter rushed to join her, and the two faded into the shadows.
As Thigocia turned her head back toward Billy, her red eyebeams swept across his chest. “Get your sword ready, warrior. The greatest danger I have sensed in my thousands of years is building to a crescendo. As Ashley said, murder is on someone’s mind.”