Song of the Ovulum

  Bonnie hurried to the landing and turned a one-eighty to descend another flight. Lauren followed, keeping her stare trained on the still-shifting backpack. Every second with this strange but amazing woman seemed like a fairy tale, a dangerous chase through a dream. It was scary … and wonderful.

  The next landing led to a bare wall and a new set of stairs going down the opposite way. Bonnie continued, this time not slowing when they reached another glass-paneled door. After turning twice more, they descended into a darker stairwell. Bonnie turned the flashlight on and sent its beam into the depths. Dust particles swirled through the shaft of light, agitated by their approach.

  “Wow!” Bonnie whispered. “This goes way down. Were they preparing for a nuclear war?”

  “Is that question for me?” Lois asked.

  Bonnie descended once again, this time at a slower pace. Lauren stayed three steps behind, giving Bonnie’s backpack plenty of room.

  “Sure,” Bonnie said. “Do you have an answer?”

  “The schematic notes indicate that this facility was designed to house captured dragons. The prevailing belief is that dragons lose power if subjected to darkness for a long period of time.”

  “They’re right. That’s what my father did to my mother when she was a dragon.”

  Lauren slowed further. This fairy tale had a sharp edge. Walking in darkness with the daughter of a dragon wasn’t exactly comforting.

  After nearly a minute, Bonnie stopped at a solid metal door. Grasping the knob, she turned it slowly. “Unlocked,” she whispered. “Lois, we’re here.”

  “As I instructed earlier, when you enter the corridor, turn right. You will pass the break room on your left, and the next door on your left will be the maintenance room. There are no indications as to whether or not it has a lock.”

  “Got it, Lois. Thank you.” Bonnie pulled the door open and peered into the corridor. Lauren drew as close as possible behind her and looked over her shoulder. Even now, Bonnie hummed the same tune, exuding a quiet confidence. Ahead, bright fluorescent lights illuminated a hallway. With concrete floors and bare plaster walls, it looked like a bomb shelter from an apocalypse movie. Yet, the corridor was wide enough for six people to walk side by side, and the ceiling wasn’t even in sight.

  Bonnie clipped the flashlight to her belt. “Give me your loose handcuff.”

  Lauren lifted her arm, letting the cuff dangle. The sight brought back a memory, Portia checking the fastened cuff just before giving her the ring. But where was it now? “I must have dropped it.”

  “Dropped what?”

  “The Colonel gave me a ring. It has a red gem in it. He said—”

  “A rubellite?”

  “Right. I suppose you know all about it. I was going to show it to you, but I guess I fell asleep with it in my hand. It’s probably still upstairs. I think I left my gloves up there, too.”

  Bonnie showed Lauren her bare fingers. “They took my rubellite and my wedding ring. They’re so superstitious, they thought I might be able to use them to escape. I suppose they analyzed it to death and decided it was harmless. They probably gave the rubellite to you to see if it changed color. They’re ignorant about its real properties.”

  “What properties?”

  “If we have time later, we’ll go back up there and find it, and I’ll tell you all about them.” Bonnie pushed the open cuff around Lauren’s wrist and left it unfastened. “If we’re stopped, we’re going to pose as guard and prisoner.”

  “Sounds good.” Lauren glanced at the backpack again. “So, what if someone asks you what you’re carrying?”

  “I’ll think of something.” Bonnie strode into the corridor and, turning right, guided Lauren to the front. “Just stay a step or two in front of me.”

  When they reached the break room, Lauren sneaked a peak inside. A heavyset man with a dark mustache sat at a round table, eating a thick sandwich partially wrapped in paper. Lauren breezed by, her hands in front of her, the cuffs in full view.

  “Hey!” the man called. “The cells are the other way!”

  Pulling Lauren to a stop, Bonnie halted a few steps past the door. “Sorry. I’ve never been down here before.”

  “No problem. Want me to show you?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right there.” Bonnie altered to a whisper. “I’m going for broke. Get ready for a bit of pushing around.”

  “Let’s do it,” Lauren said. “I’m not fragile.”

  “Get the candlestone for me.”

  Lauren unzipped the backpack’s pouch and dug out the gem. It felt like fire against her skin, and the nausea returned. After juggling it like a hot potato, she thrust it into Bonnie’s hand.

  Clenching her teeth, Bonnie returned to the break room and, grasping Lauren by the arm, shoved her in front of the doorway. “This anthrozil is too dangerous for a normal cell. She’s supposed to go next to Bannister’s. It’s empty, right?”

  The guard chuckled. “As if we had any dragons down here. Bannister is the only fire-breather around.”

  “Then lead the way.”

  “Sure.” The guard wolfed down the rest of his sandwich and slid back from the table. He grabbed a tall cup with a protruding straw and spoke while chewing. “What makes her dangerous?”

  “They didn’t tell me her dragon traits.” Bonnie’s words seemed tortured as they came out in halting phrases. “I have a candlestone, though. … It’s keeping her in check.”

  Lauren spied the guard’s name tag—Private L. Anderson—then noted the goofy little-boy expression on his pudgy face. He seemed fooled so far.

  Anderson wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Let me see it. They tell me they come in different colors and shapes.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” Bonnie uncurled her fingers, revealing the gem. Light flowed into one of the facets and emerged again from another, making it glimmer. As Bonnie’s brow furrowed, she bit her lip, apparently battling the effects.

  A sudden pain stabbed Lauren’s gut. Holding her cuffed hands against her abdomen, she doubled over, gasping. It felt like claws digging into her stomach.

  Bonnie closed her hand around the gem and turned toward Anderson. “So you see, this girl is easily controlled.”

  The pain eased. Heaving in shallow breaths, Lauren straightened and scowled. “If you bring that thing out one more time, I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?” Bonnie set her fist directly in front of Lauren’s eyes. “I’ll make you crawl to your cell before I let you use any of your devilish powers on me.”

  “Woo hoo!” Anderson called. “That’s telling her! You’ll fit in just fine here.”

  Bonnie stuffed the candlestone into her pocket. “Great. Now if you’ll—”

  “By the way, what’re you carrying in that backpack?”

  Bonnie smiled and gave him a sly wink. “Dragon wings, of course.”

  Anderson laughed. “That’s a good one!”

  “Well, she needs stuff for her bed and toilet. I couldn’t have my hands full in case I had to deal with her.”

  Anderson reached for the backpack. “Here. Let me help you with—”

  “No need.” Bonnie swung away. “Let’s just get her locked up. I’ll feel a lot better when she’s behind bars.”

  “Yeah. You’re as jumpy as a cat on coals.” Anderson leaned closer, squinting at her jacket. “Private Tate?”

  Bonnie touched her name tag. “Is there a problem?”

  “Not at all. I just wanted to know who I’ll be working with. We have another Tate at the front gate, so—”

  “Oh, I’m not being assigned here. I’m just transporting this girl, because I’m experienced with dealing with anthrozils.”

  “Too bad. I could get used to seeing your pretty face in this hole.” Anderson walked slowly down the hall, pressing buttons on his bracelet as he spoke. “The cells down here have individual codes, so if you ever come back, you’ll have to program your access key. The one next to
Bannister is four, eight, seven, two, two.”

  “Four, eight, seven, two, two,” Bonnie repeated. “Got it.”

  As they turned a corner and proceeded down another high, wide corridor, the lights on the ceiling flickered wildly. “How do the locks work if the power goes out?” Bonnie asked.

  Anderson jangled a ring of keys hanging from his belt. “The security system disengages, and a regular key can unlock them. I was just thinking about that a little while ago. This blizzard might knock out the power.”

  He stopped in front of a huge metal door, at least twice his height and three times his width. He set his bracelet next to a reader at the right. A buzz and click followed. Using both hands, he grasped a metal handle and pulled the door, grunting as he slid it to the right until it disappeared into a pocket in the wall.

  A double door stood in the way, also metal, almost as large and apparently just as impenetrable. “This one always needs a key,” Anderson said as he lifted the ring. He pushed a different key into a lock next to a horizontal lever on the right-hand door. After a click sounded, he shoved the lever down and pulled the massive plate of steel open. “Supposedly, if a dragon rammed against this inner door, it would just be blocked by the outer one. I kind of wish we’d get a chance to test it. I’ve seen the dragons on the training videos but never in real life.”

  Bonnie shoved Lauren inside and followed her into the cell. “I’ll get her set up.” She turned and looked back at Anderson. “Do the doors lock automatically?”

  “Yep. Just close them and wait for the click.” Anderson pulled a radio from his belt and gave her a friendly smile. “I’m going on patrol, but I don’t have much floor to cover, so if you need me, I’ll be back here soon.” He strode down the corridor, away from the break room.

  Bonnie tiptoed to the door and peeked around it. Spinning back, she gestured for Lauren to follow. The two jogged on the balls of their feet, retracing the way they had come. Lauren glanced behind her. The open cell door blocked part of the hall, but the guard was nowhere in sight.

  They careened around the corner, passed the break room, and stopped at the maintenance door. Bonnie grabbed the knob, but it wouldn’t budge. “Locked!”

  Lauren let out a quiet groan. “What now?”

  “I have to get the keys.” Bonnie began sliding the backpack straps down her arms. “Help me get this off.”

  While Lauren pulled the material, she whispered, “Why are you doing this?”

  “My wings are cramping. We’ll have to go for the direct approach from now on.”

  “Direct approach? When you told him you had dragon wings, I nearly had a heart attack. How more direct can you get?”

  “You might find out very soon.” Bonnie pulled the candlestone from her pocket and rolled it down the corridor. It ricocheted off the left side, then the far wall, before tumbling into the right-hand corridor leading to the cells. “That helps.”

  With a final shake, the backpack fell to the ground. Her wings spread out fully in the spacious corridor. The ceiling lights shone through the honey-colored membrane, highlighting the support structure and vein network running throughout.

  “Wow!” Lauren whispered. “This is the first time I’ve seen them in the light.”

  “Let’s hope I can use them to get us out of here.” Bonnie folded her wings in. “The guard had a radio, so he might be checking to see if we’re legit.”

  “I don’t know,” Lauren said. “He wasn’t exactly Mr. Observant, but the name tag might have tipped the scales.”

  “Not having one at all might have been worse.” Bonnie took Lauren’s hand in a thumb-locking shake. “Things might get a little rough from here on out. Are you ready for it?”

  Lauren gazed into Bonnie’s fiery eyes. This woman looked like she could whip that guard with one wing tied behind her back. “I’m ready!”

  “Let’s go.” Bonnie withdrew the gun from her shoulder holster and led the way toward the corner at the end of the hall, this time at a slow, skulking pace.

  A clopping sound reached Lauren’s ears—shoes on a hard floor. A voice followed. “The name tag said Tate. Don’t we have another Tate here? … That’s what I thought.”

  “The guard’s coming,” she whispered.

  Bonnie halted and spread out her wings. While Lauren stood on tiptoes to see over them, Anderson’s voice continued in a whisper, intermixed with more footsteps, slower and quieter now.

  “She had a hairy birthmark on her cheek. It sounds worse than it is. She’s really quite a looker. … No, she wasn’t on patrol. When I find her, I’ll call you back and tell you more.” He peeked around the corner, his gun drawn. When he saw Bonnie, he scowled. “Thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?”

  DISCOVERED

  With a beat of her wings, Bonnie flew at Anderson, partially blocking Lauren’s view. A gunshot sounded. Bonnie jerked back, and her gun clanked on the floor.

  Anderson leaped from behind the corner. Bonnie surged ahead again, slammed into him, and knocked him against the far wall. In a flurry of wings and fists, the two fought wildly, both still standing.

  Lauren sprinted toward the fray, pausing to pick up the fallen gun. She pointed it at Anderson but couldn’t get a clear shot.

  With both hands firmly clenching Anderson’s gun hand, Bonnie kept the barrel pointed toward the ceiling, while Anderson punched her in the pelvis. As the violent stalemate continued, blood dripped from Bonnie’s tight fingers.

  Lauren leaped at Anderson and slammed the gun against his head. He set a foot in her stomach and shoved her away, making her slide on her bottom. She jumped up, rushed in again. Pressing the gun barrel into his stomach, she fired.

  Anderson doubled over and toppled to the floor. Bonnie snatched his gun and flew backwards, dragging Lauren with her.

  Lauren dropped her gun. “I … I shot him.”

  A sad frown darkened Bonnie’s face. “I’m not sure what to do with him. If I try to get help, we’ll never escape.”

  Lauren’s legs wobbled. Tremors rode up her limbs, shaking her whole body. “Do you think he’ll die?”

  Bonnie drew close and felt Anderson’s neck. “His heart is strong. I guess it depends on if you hit any vital organs, but even if not, he might bleed to death if we don’t get him to a doctor.”

  “What about you?” Lauren asked, pointing at Bonnie’s bloody hand.

  “I hardly noticed.” Bonnie pushed back her sleeve, revealing a stream of blood from her elbow to her wrist.

  Lauren opened Bonnie’s jacket and pulled back her sweatshirt’s neckband. Blood soaked her T-shirt. “Oh, no!”

  As Bonnie looked at the blood, her face turned chalky white. Drawing back the sticky shirt, Lauren stared at a gaping wound just below Bonnie’s clavicle.

  Bonnie tipped to the side. Lauren caught her and helped her down to the floor.

  “Lauren?” A male voice buzzed in her tooth. “Can you hear me?”

  Lauren’s throat squeezed so tight, she could barely talk. “Matt?”

  “Yeah. I’ve been listening in. My father says I might be able to help the guard you shot. You can get the access key from him. Bring him to us.”

  “It’s not just the guard. Bonnie’s been shot, too. It looks bad.”

  Matt repeated the message, apparently to his father.

  “Quick!” Matt shouted. “Get her over here!”

  Lauren pushed her arms under Bonnie’s body and lifted with her legs. At last her thousands of squats would come in handy. She straightened and began to waddle down the hall, grunting as she talked. “I’m on my way.”

  “Do you have the key?”

  “Oh, yeah. The key.” She laid Bonnie down within a few steps of the open cell door and hurried back to Anderson. As she drew near, the lights blacked out. Lauren froze in place. Seeing in a poorly lit gym wasn’t hard, but seeing in complete darkness was impossible. Somewhere in the distance, a whistle sounded, proba
bly an alarm. She could go back to Bonnie and see if she had the flashlight, but if she didn’t, it would be a waste of time.

  Touching the wall to her right, she pressed onward. “Matt, the lights went out. I guess they don’t have generator power on the lower level.”

  “Maybe they reserve it for other places,” Matt said. “Just get the key. We’ll work it out.”

  Lauren made her way to the guard and brushed her hand along his face, then down his chest and stomach. Her fingers dipped into warm, sticky liquid. She cringed but kept her hands moving. Finally, she found his belt, grasped the key ring, and, pushing a release button, jerked the ring away. “Got it!”

  “Good! Now hurry!”

  Lauren scrambled up and, again brushing her fingers along the wall, hustled back. With complete darkness veiling her path, she had to guess where Bonnie lay. Ten more steps? Five more steps? She slowed her pace, bent low, and swept a hand just above the floor. A familiar melody reached her ears—Bonnie’s song. Even while unconscious she hummed the peaceful tune. At least that meant she was still alive. Now following the sound, Lauren continued sweeping with her hand. After a few seconds, her fingers touched a leathery membrane—a wing.

  She scurried around Bonnie and felt the opposite wall for the cell door. After passing the one Anderson opened for her, she found another and groped for the handle. “I’m here.” The keys jingled in her trembling hands. “Now I have to find the lock.”

  “Dad says it’s to the right of the door,” Matt said. “About waist high.”

  “I saw one at another cell.” Lauren ran her fingers across cold metal until she found the edge of a protruding box. She flipped open the cover, pushed a key in, and turned it easily. A click sounded. “I think I got it!”

  “Now slide the door to the right.”

  Lauren felt her way back to the handle at the far left, grasped it with both hands, and pulled. The door budged, but just barely. “It’s heavier than I thought!”