Chapter 9
Valiant struggled toward Walter and Barlow, but with the weight of hundreds of shadow people dragging him back, he would never make it in time to help.
“Get ready,” Billy said. He summoned Excalibur’s beam and let it soar into the sky. When Cliffside saw the signal, he was supposed to turn on the magneto and fry those fiends. It was time to spring the trap.
The beam’s glow lit up the faces around him, including those of Candle and Windor. Wearing anxious expressions, they waited while the battle ahead of them raged on without the expected sounds and smells of cooking shadows. All three warriors faltered under wave after wave of shadow people.
Elam jumped on Dikaios and drew his sword. “I’m going in!”
As Dikaios galloped toward the melee, Sapphira charged after him, her body ablaze. Several other villagers ran to join them, one riding Ember.
Bonnie looked at Billy. “Are we going?”
“Come with me!” Dimming Excalibur to a glow, Billy sprinted toward a corner of the net where the primary node was anchored. Kneeling, he searched through the grass with one hand while reaching Excalibur toward Bonnie. “Hold the sword.”
The sword brightened in her grip. Billy glanced at it while continuing his search. “Here it is.” He fished the net from the slush-covered grass and held it up. “Now touch the blade to this.”
She obeyed. When the metal edge made contact with the net, sparks flew up. Billy dropped it and shook his hand. “Ouch!”
“What’s supposed to happen?” Bonnie asked.
“I’m trying to heat up the grid.” Now sweating, he nodded at the sword. “Do you know how to summon the beam?”
“I think so. I’ve done it before.” Bonnie closed her eyes. As she concentrated, the blade brightened further. Suddenly, the laser shot out from the tip and burrowed into the ground, raising more sparks and a foul odor. The filament turned orange, then crimson, and the color spread out along the netting, disappearing under the snow and reappearing again as it moved across clear ground.
Holding his breath, Billy watched the battle scene. Thousands of shadow creatures mobbed the villagers. It seemed that someone had dumped a legion of tar-covered demons over their army. The humans fought back—hacking, wrestling, and prying strangling fingers away from throats. They staggered about, desperately trying to keep their balance. Falling into the sea of demons would be a fatal mistake. Companions flashed like strobes, then winked out one by one.
Atop his warrior horse, Elam bent over and sliced at the attackers, while Dikaios stomped with his powerful legs, but Ember and her rider were nowhere in sight. A bright column floated from place to place, Sapphira, her body a flaming fountain. Wherever she went, the blackness fizzled, but she was so small, and their army was so massive. She was like a matchstick in a dark canyon.
When the heat reached the battleground, the batlike squeals changed from joy to terror. Sizzles and pops flew about everywhere, and steam shot up from bubbling black pools.
Billy shouted, “Everyone drop down and roll.”
Most heeded Billy’s call and pressed the dark attackers against the pulsing red matrix. More squeals erupted. Plumes of steam shot into the air. Two villagers continued staggering, and with their heads covered with black hoods of clawing vermin, they probably never heard Billy’s shout.
“Keep the beam going.” Billy leaped up and ran toward the battle. When he reached a standing villager, Billy pushed him to the ground. Then, after tiptoeing around several rolling masses of black, he grabbed the second warrior and did the same.
Walking from body to body, he tore away shadow people and stomped them against the heated net. With each uncovering, a village soldier heaved a breath of air and then jumped up to help in the rescue effort. Three of the villagers had to search the blackness and pry their companions from rigid black fingers, but every flashing little egg finally broke free.
As the pungent air grew thick with the stench of boiling shadow people, Billy worked even faster. The lack of oxygen would soon take its toll on their strength. They had to finish up and get out.
Near one corner, Ember walked backwards, dragging a villager by the collar. Now dismounted, Elam ripped a shadow person from Ember’s legs while Dikaios stomped another one hanging on to the villager.
Billy tore away another squirming black shroud, revealing Walter. Grasping his friend’s wrist, Billy heaved him to his feet.
“Thanks, buddy.” Grimacing, Walter peeled a severed hand that had been plastered on his cheek. “I have a good name for these critters. Skunk tape. Sticky and smelly.”
“Can’t argue with that.” Billy nodded toward the village. “Let’s get everyone back. I want to sweep the whole net clean with Excalibur.”
“I see Elam. I’ll ask him to give the order.” Walter ran into a rising column of steam and out of sight.
Billy hustled back to Bonnie and reached for Excalibur. “Great job. Time to clean up the mess.”
Bonnie turned off the beam and set the hilt in his hand. Her face downturned, she spoke in a sad tone. “I guess if I’m going to fight alongside you, I’d better get used to killing the enemy.”
He gazed at her sorrow-filled stance. She was right. A warrior had to be ready to use deadly force against an evil army, and when their numbers overwhelmed those of the innocent, everyone had to take up arms.
After giving her an encouraging clasp on her shoulder, he turned away and summoned the beam again, training it on the net at a forty-five degree angle. When he drew near the bubbling mess, he crouched and swept the beam across the matrix. Wherever the radiance touched, the black pools disappeared in a dazzling explosion of purple sparks.
Some of the closer eruptions sent arcing embers over his body that stung if they happened to land on exposed skin. As he breathed in the fumes, his lungs tried to repel the noxious gas. He coughed and spat, but the residue left a film on his tongue and the back of his throat.
Underneath the vanishing blackness, the net appeared, now fading from red to orange. As the beam moved from one part of the ground to another, it seemed to paint the dark canvas with orange paint until no smudge of black remained. Fortunately, the network of tubing beneath the net would likely be unaffected. Ashley had constructed the second-stage trap out of various plastic and rubber pieces she had found on the airplane, including a box of drinking straws and dozens of feet of wire insulation.
When the final spot disappeared, Billy straightened and let Excalibur fade. A breeze cooled his damp face and brushed away the remaining fog of shadow remnants. His legs shaky, he jogged back to where he and the other villagers had waited for the attack. With Pegasus now high in the sky, the villagers were easy to see, at least twenty standing at the edge of the field, touching each other as they examined their wounds.
Walter greeted him with a hearty pat on the back. “That’s what I call cleaning up!”
“I guess so,” Billy said as he slid Excalibur back into its scabbard, “but I feel like I need to scrub with lye soap.”
“Tell me about it.” Walter touched a raw spot on his forehead. “But not lye. Most of us already look like we had a losing battle with a flame thrower.”
Elam and Sapphira stepped out of a shadow. “What happened to the plan?” Elam asked.
“No idea.” Billy looked toward the southeast where the magneto station lay. “Maybe there’s a break in the circuit between here and the magneto.”
“Or something’s up with Cliffside.” Walter drew his sword and began jogging southward. “I’ll check on him.”
Billy looked out over the field toward Adam’s Marsh. In the distance, a single torch drifted away, small and fading, like a lit match dwindling as it burned down to the nub.
“A scout running back to tell the news,” Elam said. “Soon Flint will know that his first wave failed.”
“Does that mean he won’t attack with the rest of his troops tonight?” Billy asked.
Elam tilted his head upward as if trying to get a better view. A crisscross pattern of thin lines marred his cheek. “That’s my guess. We’ll station fresh guards, but if our theories are right, the Nephilim will do much better in the daytime, and the warmer season will help them a lot.”
“It’ll help our dragons, too,” Billy said.
“And theirs as well.”
Sapphira touched Elam’s arm. “I’m concerned about Walter going to the magneto by himself. We should give him support.”
“You’re right. There might be trouble.” Drawing his sword with a sagging arm, Elam waved for everyone to head back to the village. “Sapphira and I will ride the horses to the magneto. The rest of you report to the hospital for some healing salve.”
Billy weaved through the crowd. He found Bonnie kneeling next to Valiant and Candle. Both sat leaning against a fallen log, their legs straight out with their trousers rolled up past their knees. Sir Barlow sat on the end of the log. As he pulled black goo from his mustache, he frowned. “Back on Earth, the Caitiffs’ sticky blood dissolved after we skewered them. I doubt that we will have the same benefit with these creatures.”
As the clops of the two horses passed by, Bonnie touched Candle’s leg near a long burn. “Will you be able to walk?” she asked.
Sweat glistened on his handsome dark face. “I think so. I just need to rest. I’m not used to the warmth.”
Billy reached for Valiant’s hand. “Need a lift?”
“I gladly accept.” Valiant wrapped his hand around Billy’s wrist and pulled himself up. When he gained his balance, he rubbed a finger across a mark on his chin that looked more like a bite than a burn. “I am grateful for your quick thinking, Billy. Those creatures were more ferocious than I realized.”
Looking into Valiant’s noble face, Billy kept their wrists locked. Watching his courage had sent a charge of bravery through his own muscles. “Good job, my friend,” Billy said. “You’re a true hero.”
After Valiant and Barlow began a stiff-legged march toward the village, Billy and Bonnie supported Candle from each side and helped him limp. They took their time, chatting with him as they shuffled through the damp grass. There was no hurry. He wasn’t badly hurt, and listening to him recount his battles with the shadow people gave Billy another boost. This teenaged warrior had a heart the size of a mountain.
As soon as they set foot on the street leading to the center, Pearl and Mantika ran toward them with a stretcher. They set it down and helped Candle lower himself to it.
“Such a warrior,” Pearl said as she mopped his brow with a soft cloth. “You were brave and strong for us. Now we will serve you with our healing skills.”
Mantika brushed her hand through his mud-caked dreadlocks but said nothing. Even after four years in the village, she still maintained her habit of speaking only when necessary. Yet, her eyes spoke volumes. She loved her adopted son, and her pride in his courage poured forth.
As they rushed Candle toward the hospital, Billy looked around. Several pairs of women hauled other wounded warriors in the same direction. Obviously, Ashley had stationed a battery of stretchers and orderlies at the edge of the village, ready to tend to the wounded.
Billy shuffled to the village’s central circle and plopped down on a bench. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. It was dimmer here than on the streets that fed the circle, and it felt good to rest in the shadows, out of the limelight, far from the bustle.
Sitting down next to him, Bonnie touched his arm. “How did you know Excalibur would do that?”
Billy looked at her through the shadows. When his eyes adjusted, he tried to read her expression. She seemed tired, yet charged up by the excitement. “Something that happened a few years back. I’m not sure if I told you about it or not. When I was staying at that old mansion in England, one of the New Table goons attacked me. He was wearing a black cloak that was covered with metallic mesh. When I hit him with Excalibur’s beam, it didn’t hurt him at all. The mesh just heated up, and it protected him from being disintegrated. Prof looked at the cloak later and said it was coated with iron oxide, a fancy term for rust. I thought if Excalibur did that then, it might do it again.”
“Good thinking.”
They paused, looking at each other in silence. Billy pondered her new expression, meditative, uncertain. For many other people, this would be an awkward moment, but a break in conversation never bothered Bonnie. She often searched for the best words, always willing to risk discomfort in her quest for eloquence, and those who had a chance to listen to her were rewarded for their patience.
As he waited, a woman ran toward them from the direction of the hospital and passed by without glancing their way. Stripped to jeans and a T-shirt, she hurried down the road toward the birthing garden, her slender and muscular form now recognizable.
“Was that Ashley?” Bonnie asked.
“Yep. She was in a big hurry. I guess we’ll find out why soon enough.”
“I’m sure we will.” Bonnie touched the string of beads around Billy’s neck. “Did you make that? It looks exactly like mine.”
“I found it in the mines. Acacia and I went there looking for you, but the magma chasm had filled with water, so we had to give up.” He lifted the necklace and then let it fall back to his skin. “We were worried that you and Sapphira had drowned, but I’ve been wearing it ever since, because . . .” He looked down for a moment before regaining eye contact. “Well, because I believe in the prophecy.”
Bonnie took his hand into hers. “Before we go to the hospital to see my father, I have something to tell you.”
Billy studied her expression again. She looked so serious, so grave. Swallowing, he nodded. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”
She averted her gaze, apparently focusing on a woman helping one of the wounded soldiers walk past. “I spent over four years in the Valley of Souls training to help Second Eden on the battlefield. And I did a lot of thinking.” She looked back at him. “About us.”
The lump in Billy’s throat grew, this time more painful. “Go on.”
“Someone pointed out to me that the prophecy wasn’t exactly clear. It might not mean that you and I are supposed to get married.”
The lump’s pain increased. A tear welled. He fought against the emotions, but they were winning, breaking through to the surface. And although a million words raced through his mind, he swallowed them down. It was better to let her finish speaking her mind.
As she continued, she kneaded his hand with her thumb, and her voice rose to a plaintive pitch. “There are other children of doubt, Billy. There are other virgin brides. Maybe it wasn’t talking about you and me. You know, Elam and Sapphira fit the poem perfectly. And Makaidos might be the dragon shorn that lives again.”
She paused. Now her eyes searched for a response. It was time for him to say something. But what? His emotions were twisting into a knot. After years of believing he was destined to marry the most wonderful girl in the world, she seemed to be pulling back. She was drifting away. He was losing her.
He breathed a silent prayer. How could he put his feelings into words? Just be quiet? Just ask a question and hope for a clue?
Clearing his throat and hoping to keep his voice steady, he said, “So does that mean you don’t want to marry me?” He cringed. Was that too bold?
Her face displayed half amusement and half anguish. “No, no. That’s not it at all. I just want to know that I don’t have to marry you. I want us both to be sure that we want to. If you love me, I want you to pursue my heart with your courage, your kindness, and your godly manner. And I want to freely give my heart to you in love, not by compulsion because of a prophecy that seems to chain us together without a choice.”
As she continued, tears streamed down both cheeks. “Ever since someone labeled me as the prophetic virgin bride, I was okay with it, because you’re such a great guy, but it felt like an arranged marriage. We didn’t have any choice. Then, when I heard that the prophecy might not be for us, I felt free. I didn’t have to marry you if I didn’t want to.”
She caressed his cheek, her voice shaking. “But that’s a good thing, Billy. If we really do get married, neither one of us will ever wonder about being bound by someone else’s words, a predestined edict that denies our free will and forces us to obey its irresistible decree. Instead we can come together by a choice to love that is free and resistible, because if we aren’t able to choose to walk away from each other, then our coming together wouldn’t be because of love at all, would it?”
As she drew back her hand, a torrent of conflicting emotions flooded his mind. She was so right. Being bound like that wouldn’t be love. Freedom to choose a life partner was the basis of love in the first place. Being dragged by fiat into a relationship would be nothing more than bondage. Still, not knowing for sure that he would forever be with this amazing girl nearly tore him apart. Finally, he squeezed out a reply. “I … I think you’re right. But it’s scary. It was kind of …” He paused. The words had to be just right. “It was comfortable, I guess, knowing that you would be in my future. I didn’t have to guess what was going to happen.”
Her fists clenched in her lap. “But I don’t want you to be comfortable. I want you to win my heart. I want you to fight for me, sweat for me, bleed for me. I want you to know that you had to pay a valuable price for me, and that I am a treasure in your mind, not a trophy that was handed to you because of a divine proclamation.”
Billy looked into her fiery eyes. She had been bold, confident, and true. Again she was right, and he couldn’t say a word.
She laid her palms on her chest, covering the sunburst on her uniform. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she extended her arms, her palms up. “Here is my heart, Billy. It’s yours if you want it. But you have to buy it. And since it’s the most valuable possession I have, it will be very expensive.”
He glanced between her palms and her pleading eyes. “How much will it cost me?”
With a quivering smile, she wept through her words. “Everything. It will cost you your life, your devotion, your commitment to love me for the rest of your life till death do us part.” Sniffing back a sob, she added, “But don’t answer now. I don’t want words. Show me. Show me that you’ll pay the price for my heart, and I’ll show you that it’s worth every drop of sweat and blood you spend.”
Billy cupped his hand over her palms, making a covering for her “heart.” Firming his jaw, he pushed every ounce of energy he had into his voice, giving it strength, yet a sense of calmness, like a lighthouse in the midst of a storm. “Watch me, Bonnie. We have battles ahead. We have enemies to conquer. And we have women and children to protect from some of the greatest evils imaginable. But I will not neglect this mission. I will show you how much you mean to me, how precious your heart is to mine. And when you see how much I’m willing to pay, then you can decide if it’s enough to buy what is priceless.”
A new voice broke in. “Billy!”
Her face now striped by tears, Bonnie turned. “That sounded like Ashley.”
Billy stood up and looked around. “Ashley! Over here!”
Ashley ran toward them on the southeast road, breathless. “Oh, thank God I found you.”
When she arrived, Billy grasped her forearms. Her face was red and glistening with sweat. “What is it?”
“It’s Walter.” She held a hand against her chest and swallowed. “He was captured by Flint’s army. Elam and Sapphira tried to help, but they had a Naphil and a dragon. They barely escaped and came back here for reinforcements.”
“An ambush?”
Still trying to catch her breath, Ashley nodded. “They killed Cliffside. That’s why our net trap didn’t work. Then they waited for someone to check on him.”
“That’s terrible!” Bonnie said. “The cowards!”
Ashley gasped. “Bonnie!”
Bonnie pulled her into an embrace. “I’m so glad to see you again.”
Ashley began sobbing. “Me too, Bonnie … but it’s so terrible. … Did Billy tell you?”
Bonnie pulled away. “Tell me what?”
“Walter.” Her weeping nearly overwhelmed her words. “Walter is my fiancé now.”
“Your fiancé!” Bonnie pulled her close again. “Oh, Ashley, we’ll find him. We’ll get him back.”
While they held their embrace, Billy pelted Ashley with questions. “Which dragon was it? Did Elam and Sapphira see which way they went? Did either of them get hurt?”
“They’re fine.” Ashley pushed back from Bonnie, sniffing. “While Elam battled the Naphil, Sapphira rode Ember, trying to follow the dragon when he flew away with Walter, but she couldn’t keep up. I don’t know which dragon it was. Maybe you should ask Elam. He’s with your father and my mother. They’re planning a rescue.”
Billy grabbed Excalibur’s hilt. Redness blinded his vision. He imagined Walter and Elam battling those creeps while he, Billy, relaxed in the village. The thought made his blood boil. “Are they at the garden field or the launching field?”
“The birthing garden. I guess Sapphira and Elam cut straight through from the hospital, so you didn’t see them.”
“Let’s go!” Billy jumped into a quick jog, drawing his sword as he hurried. Of course, holding it now wouldn’t do any good. It just felt better to have something to strangle.
Bonnie caught up, half walking, half flying at his side. “Would they take Walter back to their … camp, I guess? I don’t know where they came from.”
“It’s a marsh area, and yes, they would probably go there. They know the territory better than we do, and after four years, they might have all sorts of traps set up.”
When they arrived at the field, they slowed to a walk. Most of the snow had melted, leaving wet grass, thin and sparse, in the midst of a quagmire. Although Billy’s shoes slid at times, slowing him further, Bonnie hovered over the mud and kept him from falling.
Ahead, Elam, Valiant, and Sir Barlow huddled with Dikaios, Ember, and a group of dragons. Billy recognized Clefspeare, Thigocia, and Legossi. Two others blended into the darkness behind them. Sapphira stood a few paces to the side, her arms spread and her body ablaze to add more light to the moon’s glow.
As Billy drew nearer, the conversation reached his ears.
“They have us in a bind,” Elam said. “If we attempt a rescue, they will have the advantage. The marsh is dangerous enough in the daytime; more so at night. So we can’t just march in, and any sign of a dragon or airplane will alert them to our presence.”
Valiant gave him a solemn nod. “It seems as if they knew our plans. How else would they know to attack the magneto station?”
“An informer,” Billy said as he drew into their huddle. “I think we can assume Semiramis has been lurking.”
Elam looked at him. Billy offered a nod of surrender. The warrior chief had the right to say, “I told you so,” but he didn’t. He was too noble for pettiness.
“I am torn,” Valiant said. “My heart burns to rescue Walter, but my brain is shouting that this is exactly what Flint wants. He knows that battles fought in his territory will give him an advantage, and he wishes to deplete our forces. We would bring back a single warrior at the cost of twenty. Flint will gladly make that trade.”
Sir Barlow drew his sword and traced a line along the ground. “True, my good fellow, but there is a line we cannot cross. At what cost do we forsake a rescue and allow Walter to suffer alone? Our morals? Our dignity? Our character? We are willing to die to do what is right, and retreating from our purpose now is the very line we should not step past.”
“Remember what happened to Shiloh,” Billy said. “They won’t hesitate to torture Walter.”
Ashley joined them. With her arms wrapped around herself in spite of the warmth, she listened quietly, her unkempt hair draped over one eye.
A deep growl rumbled in Clefspeare’s throat. “You are correct, son, but he is not a kidnapped hostage. He is a prisoner of war. At the risk of sounding callous, he knew this possibility existed. He is not a boy playing at war with a sharpened stick, and he is prepared to face whatever befalls him.”
Billy tightened his grip on his sword, and a growl spiced his own voice. “I agree with Sir Barlow. We pledged to spill our blood for each other. What kind of soldiers are we?”
“Wise soldiers,” Ashley said. “Reasonable soldiers.”
Everyone looked at her. In spite of the tear tracks, her face seemed peaceful, serene. “Walter and I already talked about this. He’s ready to die if he has to, and he wouldn’t want anyone else dying to save him. If you try to rescue him, and you lose soldiers in the process, you’ll put more people at risk, including women and children. Walter would rather die than let that happen.”
Bonnie pushed Ashley’s hair out of her eyes. “Would you object to a precision rescue attempt?”
A new tear followed a well-marked track. “A precision attempt?”
“One person, or maybe two. They couldn’t walk in safely, but they could fly in.”
“Goliath would sense one of us from far away,” Clefspeare said. “He would meet us in the air before we had any chance to locate Walter, much less rescue him. I could match him in a head-to-head battle, but the element of surprise would be lost.”
Bonnie gave her wings a quick snap. “I could fly in. He might not recognize me as a danger to him.”
“Alone?” Billy shook his head hard. “No way.”
“Why not?” She touched her sword. “I can fight, and I can fly away if I get outmatched.”
Billy looked at her narrowed eyes. How could he protect her without offending her? “But you don’t know the marsh, where Flint might keep a prisoner, or—”
“Or where the muskrats roam,” Dikaios said.
Billy pointed at him. “Exactly. Elam says they have these huge rodents that are more like bears than our muskrats, and they nearly had him for dinner.”
“It’s true,” Elam said. “I faced several. If I hadn’t been lifted out by a dragon, they would have killed me.”
“So,” Billy continued, “at least you would need an escort.”
Elam pointed at him. “But you don’t know the marsh either. It’s been closed off ever since you’ve been here.”
“He doesn’t,” Dikaios said, “but I know it quite well. I have already participated in two escapes from there.”
Elam stroked the horse’s neck. “Are you saying you would be her escort?”
“I would be honored. And her flying ability would allow her to escape if capture or injury seems imminent. And remember, we have two allies somewhere in the marsh, Yereq and Roxil. Perhaps we will be aided in our rescue from within.”
Billy chafed. He couldn’t let Bonnie ride into the marsh without an armed escort, and he couldn’t risk insulting her by suggesting that she wasn’t capable of handling the rescue. And if he just let her go, she might think he didn’t care about her safety. There was no easy answer. He had to buy time. “Give me a minute to think.”
Everyone looked at him. They couldn’t wait long. Walter was in trouble, so every second of delay might make rescue even more difficult. But how could he sort out the pros and cons under such pressure? Haste was always a poor general, but delay, based upon fear of doing the wrong thing, was even worse.
He looked at his father’s fiery eyes. He seemed to think that rescue was foolhardy; better to risk losing one life than many. Mom would likely agree with Barlow; better to show how much we value a single life and trust that a rescue attempt would work. Seeing her in his mind’s eye, now packing a pistol more often than not, he almost grinned. Even with her tender heart, she had become a warrior.
As he concentrated on the image, he focused on his mother’s holster. Of course! She still had it, and she had mentioned keeping it with her to protect the hospital in case of attack.
Billy pushed a hand into his pocket and looked at Elam. “We have a weapon Flint won’t expect—my mother’s gun. She brought one clip, and it has only eight rounds. It’s not much good for a war, but it would be perfect for a precision rescue effort, and after fending off the Caitiff back on Earth, I probably know how to use it better than anyone else here.”
“You’re probably right.” Elam shifted his gaze upward, as if trying to remember something. “I had a revolver back when I worked in the shipyard, but I rarely used it.”
Billy turned and gave Bonnie a courtly bow. “Fair lady, I do not mean in any way to minimize your capabilities, but, taking notice of your fair gender, I consider it my duty as a knight to offer my services as a pistol-packing flaming torch and as a bodyguard of your person.”
Smiling, she bowed her head. “I accept your noble offer.”
“I will let Marilyn know of our need for her weapon,” Dikaios said. With a quick turn, he bolted toward the village.
Billy looked at Clefspeare. At the sound of “Marilyn,” his brow rose for a moment but quickly settled. Their reunion had been delayed by preparations, a battle, and tending to the wounded. Would she now come to the garden field to see her husband? Or was the thought of him as a dragon again too much for her to bear? Maybe the delay had been intentional.
Sapphira let her energy dim to a white aura. With the moon casting its light over her body, she seemed to be a small moon herself. “If our rescue party is captured or killed, our only clue will be that they didn’t return.”
“If Flint expects a second rescue after a failed attempt,” Barlow said, “he might assume that we have depleted our guard at the village. It would be a prime opportunity for an attack.”
“Then we’ll double our security here.” Elam looked at the village. “If we have enough guards remaining.”
Ashley raised her hand. “I can implant my tooth transmitter in one of them and stay in touch the entire time. We have plenty of helpers in the hospital and only minor burn cases, so I can go to the radio station and stay in contact with our rescue party.”
“As long as you have a dragon guard,” Elam said. “You’ll need a danger detector. We don’t want to lose you, too.”
Ashley raised her eyebrows at Thigocia. “Mother?”
“Of course I will go with you,” Thigocia said. “Anything to help my future son-in-law.”
After a few minutes of discussion, including how they could bolster the guard, Dikaios returned with Marilyn’s holster clenched in his teeth. He laid it in Billy’s hand. “Marilyn sends her love, and she wishes to convey her appeals for a safe journey. She cannot come right now. Apparently several people have become ill, and she is helping Dr. Conner with …” He shook his mane and blew through his flapping lips. “I suppose the best words would be, ‘cleaning up messy expulsions.’”
“This is very strange,” Valiant said. “We have had no such sickness here before. I have heard of it among the marsh people, but these expulsions are new to us.”
Billy turned to Ashley. “Biological warfare?”
As she nodded slowly, her voice turned somber. “Delivered by the shadow people. Maybe Flint implanted something in them.”
“Could that be what was growing in the garden?” Elam asked. “Did that weed carry an infection?”
Bonnie shook her head. “A man was inside, not a virulent bug.”
“A carrier,” Ashley offered. “Maybe they raised up a man to bring the bug into the world.”
“So …” Billy raised a hand to his chin. “Maybe the shadow people weren’t sent to slaughter us. They were sent to be slaughtered so they could deliver the infection and be disposed of.”
“Semiramis again?” Elam asked.
“Who else?” Billy smacked his palm. “With her spying on us, they’re always a step ahead. They knew about the magneto and the net trap, and now they’ll probably be content to wait for the infection to take hold. They’ll strike when we’re at our weakest.”
Ashley took on her rapid-fire voice of command. “Valiant, ask Dr. Conner if he saved any of the shadow people remains. We need to culture it. I already showed him how to use my microscope, so if the infecting agent is big enough, he might be able to spot it. We need to isolate the bug and see what we can do to counteract it. If it’s fast-spreading, we can’t delay for a second. We have to isolate everyone who came into direct contact with the shadow people, including those who took care of the wounded. Put them all in the hospital, and don’t let anyone enter or leave without permission, including yourself. I’ll be there soon to organize the quarantine and the effort to find a cure.”
Without a word, Valiant ran toward the village. As he faded into the darkness, Thigocia touched Ashley with a wing. “What will you do about monitoring the rescue effort at the radio station?”
Ashley stared at her. She seemed lost, perplexed. “I … I have to do both. I can’t let them try the rescue without someone monitoring their progress.”
“You have to help Dr. Conner,” Elam said. “I’ll man the station. Besides, you took care of the wounded. You’re subject to quarantine.”
“But so are you,” Ashley countered. “We all are.”
Billy pointed at himself. “Bonnie and I are leaving the village, so we won’t infect anyone.”
“And I’ll be outside the village at the station,” Elam said. “You need to be with Dr. Conner.”
Looking at the ground, Ashley furrowed her brow. “It could be that the Second Edeners are the only susceptible ones, anyway. Since they haven’t been exposed to diseases, they don’t have as many immunities.”
“Perfect,” Billy said. “Then you can probably take care of them safely.”
“And I have a portable receiver,” she added. “I’ll see if I can pick up your broadcasts while I work in the hospital. It’ll help me keep my sanity … what little I have left.”