As they waited for Gabriel, Walter’s thoughts drifted back to that battle. In many ways, the army of Second Eden was badly outnumbered by the invaders—a conglomeration of soldiers from ancient and medieval times. Yet, it could have been much worse. What would have happened if the forces of evil had resurrected modern soldiers with high-tech weapons? How could Elam, Sapphira, and their primitive defenses have countered laser-guided missiles, stealth bombers, and machine guns?
When his mind returned to the present, Walter sighed. If the military compound was preparing for the attack, maybe everyone would learn how a unit of dragons and riders would fare against such weapons. Because of the weather and the need to attack by stealth, they had no way to carry high-tech weapons of their own. They had to rely on flames from dragons and an Oracle of Fire. He patted his coat where his holster lay underneath. And a handgun with an extra ammo magazine.
“While we’re waiting,” Elam said. “I have something to show you. Perhaps you can help us unravel a mystery.”
Walter nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
Elam withdrew a glass egg from a pocket inside his cloak and displayed it in his palm. Sapphira’s light made it appear to have a greenish hue, though it was difficult to be sure. “Before I tell you what kind of deal I made to get this, let me assure you that I gained counsel from a reliable source.”
“I have no doubt,” Walter said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“You might doubt when you hear the next part. While I was on Earth trying to rescue Sapphira from Fort Knox, a demon named Tamiel offered this to me in exchange for delivering Semiramis and Mardon to him.”
“Okay,” Walter said, drawing out the word. “Go on.”
“Tamiel claimed that two of Methuselah’s children are trapped inside, and they would stay there forever unless I agreed to the deal. He said I could take it with me and examine it on one condition—that I give him Semiramis and Mardon if I decided to keep the ovulum or if I found a way to release its captives.”
“How convenient for Tamiel that you’re so trustworthy.”
Elam caressed the top of the glass. “When I returned to Second Eden, I did a lot of research about this ovulum, including interviewing Thigocia. She told me that several of the dragons who became humans carried one of these as a protective device. It was supposed to act as a shield to keep Devin the dragon slayer away. Unfortunately, Devin obtained an ovulum that actually drew him to the dragons. What was supposed to be a protective device actually became a homing device of sorts.”
Walter patted Thigocia’s neck. “Which dragon carried this one?”
“Yellinia,” Thigocia said. “Since she is dead, we could not ask her if it has any special properties, but we did learn much more from another source. I will allow Elam to explain.”
“Okay.” Walter nodded at Elam. “Continue.”
“You might remember the story I told you about the time I found Naamah in the Bridgelands and how she gave her life to save Acacia and me.”
“And the world,” Walter added.
“Right. Anyway, after she appeared at the wedding ceremony, I thought I would never see her again, but one night while I was praying about what to do, she showed up in my bedroom, whispering, ‘Shhh. Don’t wake your lovely wife. I have important news.’ She looked more like a glowing angel than a human. Anyway, she told me that a boy and girl named Joran and Selah are inside the ovulum, and keeping them out of Tamiel’s hands was more valuable than holding Semiramis and Mardon in custody. She reminded me of the day that I decided to believe her repentance, and that I should believe her again, no matter how crazy it seemed to let those two criminals go.”
“So you let them go.”
Elam nodded. “I sent them through a portal to Earth, and Gabriel secretly followed to see what they would do, but when they crossed over, they became like ghosts, able to turn invisible. Gabriel lost track of them pretty quickly.”
“Then we can assume they’re here and up to no good.”
“Definitely.” Elam rubbed the egg with both hands, as if warming it. “Naamah said that breaking the egg wouldn’t help, that Joran has to play a special song to get out, something he won’t be able to do except in response to turmoil he hears from within the egg. Apparently, he invents tunes that respond to the environment around him, so he won’t know the tune until he is in the right place and time. Bottom line, he needs to be involved in a crisis, so Naamah asked me to take the egg the next time I go into battle.”
“I guess you can’t ignore a visitor from Heaven,” Walter said. “Kind of a pain keeping it safe, though.”
“I know what you mean.” Elam slid the ovulum back into his pocket. “If it breaks, it breaks. I can’t worry about it too much.”
Soon, Gabriel ran into the cave, slinging snow and ice pellets from his wings. Thigocia blew a sparks-filled stream of air over him, melting his cloak’s frosty coating. Then, all four dragons took turns providing warming blasts.
“What have you learned?” Elam asked from atop Makaidos.
Gabriel spread out his cloak, allowing the inside to dry. “Sir Barlow and I talked through our tooth transmitters, and he guided me from below. He said he was working on blocking the radar system to make it show an all-clear sky, so let’s hope that’s in place. He also said there’s a gun battery Mardon designed that can shoot Excalibur-like lasers from a ground base. The transmission was garbled, so I couldn’t catch everything, but he said something about the guns being immobile. After that, I lost contact. Anyway, I flew over a bunch of stuff that’s covered by tarps, and they have two guys who are sweeping snow to keep the tarps clear. Whatever is underneath has long protrusions, like narrow cannon barrels.”
“That sounds like a good target,” Elam said. “If we knock that out, we’re in good shape.”
Walter pictured the battle to rescue Sapphira at Fort Knox. The dragons’ scales had protected them from a battery of laser cannons. They reported a stinging effect, but they did little harm. If Mardon was able to harness Excalibur, scales wouldn’t protect anyone. “Sir Barlow told me yesterday that they have a bunch of tiny candlestones in an ammunition cache, so I’m worried about how they might use those.”
“Candlestone bullets?” Elam asked. “It sounds like Mardon has been busy.”
Walter shivered. Sapphira’s warming effect was wearing off. “We can’t worry about Mardon now. We’ll just have to take one step at a time. Since tarps are covering the laser guns, they probably won’t uncover them until right before they think we’re going to attack. We can blast them with fire while they’re still sweeping snow.”
“Exactly.” Gabriel flew up to Legossi’s back. “So we should direct the first wave at those guns, or whatever they are.”
“Instead of going straight for the prisoners?” Sapphira asked. “As soon as they’re alerted to our presence, won’t Bonnie and the others be in more danger if we delay at all in getting to their cells?”
“Good point.” Walter nodded at Gabriel. “Do you think one dragon can take out the lasers?”
“I assume so, but it depends on what those guns really are.”
“We’ll have to take the risk,” Walter said. “You and Legossi will attack them while the rest of us invade the research wing. Thigocia and I will pick up Lauren at the roof access, and the others will crash into the front door. We can create such a firestorm that we’ll be gone before they figure out what hit them.”
Elam nodded. “If all are in agreement, then let it be so.”
“I am,” Sapphira said, a shimmer of flames coating her body.
When the dragons echoed her call, their voices resonated in the cave.
Walter lifted a hand. “Now for the final preparation step. Sapphira, please provide a bit more light.”
Sapphira spread out her arms. Blue and white flames leapt from her palms, and rippling light filled the cave. Walter looked at each warrior dragon and rider in turn.
Without exception, they were much older and more experienced than he, and each one had suffered far more and witnessed more amazing miracles than he could possibly imagine. Yet, they still respected him, a normal human, as an equal. And now, as arranged earlier, he was supposed to dedicate the rescue mission to the Lord and ask for his blessing. Finding the right words without squeaking would be a miracle in itself.
“Dragons and humans, because of the weather, I will keep this as brief as possible. There is no need to remind you of God’s provision in times of trouble. We have all seen rescues against impossible odds, to the point where we are now ready to launch into the air and fly without fear into the teeth of sophisticated weapons wielded by highly trained soldiers. We are accustomed to seeing God’s mighty hand slap his enemies down on our behalf, and we have come to expect the same every time we go into battle. Even tonight I see no fear in any eyes, only steady countenances and peaceful confidence. Yes, faith that God will be with us is good and right, but as we make ready to take wing and hurl fire, allow me to challenge you to examine the fire in your hearts.
“What passion is driving you to risk your lives once again, to plunge yourselves into a hail of deadly resistance, and to expose your underbellies to the sharpened spears of Satan’s evil purposes? Is it hatred of his diabolical schemes? Anger at the injustice of captive innocents? Surely these are noble motivations. But let me tell you, my friends, these passions will not be enough. When we face the fury of demonic opposition, hatred will fail. Anger will wither. The only passion that will survive this onslaught is love, love for God and love for those trapped within that prison.
“My beloved Ashley has been tortured in that serpents’ pit for fifteen years, and I have wept for her every day. Gabriel and I have prayed for her countless times, so he, too, shares this unquenchable fire to risk everything for her. Now, as if ignited by Sapphira’s gift, I call on you to search your hearts for the flaming love that burns within, so that when we stare into the face of death, we will not flag, we will not turn, we will not doubt. Even if we lose some of our comrades, we will continue to press forward until either every innocent captive is liberated or we all rise to Heaven’s gate and meet God face-to-face. And when we stand in his presence, we will stand with our heads held high, because we will know that we surrendered our lives to set the captives free, just as the one who will be sitting at the Father’s right hand did for us so long ago.”
Breathing in the frigid air, Walter lifted his hand. “Now I ask you, Father in Heaven, to go ahead of us and prepare the way, for we know not the danger that lies in our path; go with us, for we will need strength, courage, and endurance beyond what we will feel as we fly through a cold, dark blizzard into the enemy’s lair; and finally, go behind us and repair the damage from any errors we might make, turning bad decisions into good results and ruin into rejoicing.”
When he finished, he lowered his hand and spoke with a passionate growl. “If you’re ready to fight for freedom with me, say Aye!”
“Aye!” they all shouted. Streams of hot breath turned into clouds of white vapor, filling the cave.
Grabbing a spine on Thigocia’s back, Walter leaned forward and yelled, “Then let’s fly!”
Makaidos and Thigocia launched out of the cave together. A barrage of snow assaulted Walter’s face, blinding and stinging. He lowered his head and watched the ground as the dragons dipped in and out of tree cover. Since the dragons carried GPS and transmitter chips embedded in their facial scales, Larry and Lois could guide them to the precise location, allowing Walter the freedom to listen to the instructions while scanning the world below for any sign of trouble. Of course, with the dragons’ ability to sense danger, they would probably feel it before he could see it.
As they flew through the bitter wind, Walter scrunched low and pushed his hands under his coat, sweater, and shirt. Quite a few miles lay between them and the prison, so staying as warm as possible was essential. He took off his gloves and pressed his fingers against his skin. They were ice cold, even colder than Ashley’s toes when she snuggled next to him on frosty nights and he and Ashley playfully fought about who had the colder feet.
Walter sighed. If only he could get her out of that overgrown tin can of a prison, she could put those arctic feet right on his back if she wanted to, and he wouldn’t say a word. He wouldn’t even flinch.
He slid his gloves on and again grasped one of Thigocia’s protruding spines. Dreams could wait. For now, nothing mattered more than getting ready to fight, and he would bring a fight the enemies of God would never forget.
THE SONG RESTORED
After following the hallway through its right-angled turns, Ashley and Lauren arrived at the stairway door. Ashley pulled on Lauren’s sleeve, halting her. “Do you hear something?” she whispered. “I’m picking up thoughts somewhere close, but they’re garbled.”
“Nothing in the hall.” Lauren turned the knob, cracked the door open, and listened. As her subdermal scales tingled, a voice came from below.
“Since the anthrozils are locked up,” a woman said, “all personnel are now preparing for ground-to-air combat. We have a few hours, so they’re going over the procedures. We have three tanks on site and ten more on the way.”
Lauren repeated every word in her thoughts to make sure Ashley could “hear” with her.
“We’re confident,” the woman continued, “that underground munitions haven’t been discovered. When they attack the decoy, we’ll have enough time to bring the real weapons to the surface. Colonel Baxter is still here, personally seeing to the preparations.”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. In the dim glow cast from the door’s window, a woman appeared, holding a cell phone to her ear as she walked up the steps leading to the landing below. In seconds she would turn and climb the next flight and face them. A flashlight beam struck the far wall, and when the woman grasped the railing to turn, Lauren pulled Ashley down below the window and eased the door closed.
She tossed a thought to Ashley. This will take perfect timing.
Ashley’s brow dipped low. I’m with you. As soon as she wiggles the knob, we’ll give it a shove.
Footsteps clopped closer. The beam flashed through the window, striking the wall on the other side and shifting from left to right and back again. Her voice returned. “Any reason to check on the two females? Or should I go straight to the roof?”
Lauren looked up at the window. The guard’s face was out of view, but she could almost feel her standing near the door. Was she close enough to hit if they shoved the door open?
“That’s what I was thinking,” the guard continued. “Lauren was parked near the roof for a reason. We picked up some encoded communication, so I’m going to see if she left a clue. Hoskins wouldn’t have known what to look for. … Sure. I’ll check on them first. No harm in that.”
The doorknob jiggled.
Now! Ashley screamed with her mind.
Each thrusting with a shoulder, they threw the door open, slamming it into the guard. She staggered backwards, and as she hit the railing with her hip, the flashlight and phone flew into the air. Screaming, she flipped over the railing and plummeted headfirst. A clang sounded from below, then another. Finally, a loud thud ended the plunge.
“Catherine?” a scratchy voice called from the phone on the floor. “Are you there?”
Ashley snatched it up. “Sorry,” she said, altering her voice to a lower pitch. “I dropped the phone. … I’m okay. I just slammed a finger against the stair rail. I hope it’s not broken. … I’ll check, but … After the rooftop, I should also check the munitions to see if—” She frowned. “I know I don’t have clearance, but I should at least check the perimeter. … From the rooftop? In a blizzard? … Okay. That will have to do.” She pressed the disconnect and used her thumb to scroll through the directory. “It’s Stella, Catherine’s crony. She said I could check the underground munitions perimeter from the rooftop. That means we can narrow down
its location. We should go there first and see what we can see.”
Lauren bit her lip hard. “Shouldn’t we check on Catherine?”
“She’s an Enforcer. If you knew what a vile monster Catherine is, you might not be so concerned about her.”
“Why did you emphasize her name?”
“Because it’s so absurdly inappropriate. It means purity.”
“Purity,” Lauren whispered. Why does that word seem so important?
I have no idea. Sighing, Ashley picked up the flashlight and handed it to Lauren. We’ll check on her. If you’ll lead the way, I’ll keep looking through these numbers. I picked up a tidbit from Catherine’s mind earlier today when I intentionally made her furious. She’s proud of her connections with the higher-ups, so I’m guessing she’ll have an important number programmed in.
They’ve been jamming other signals. I guess their phones aren’t affected.
We’ll soon find out.
Lauren shone the beam on the steps and hurried down. As she descended, Ashley followed, speaking in her mind.
Here’s a number for something labeled Headquarters. That could come in handy.
Lauren turned and followed the second flight down. How did you know they’d believe you were Catherine?
I practiced imitating her voice. I can do a couple of other guards, too. It irritates them, and that usually makes them slip up when they’re trying to keep their minds from leaking information. Ashley let out a quiet “Hmmm.” The signal’s worse the lower we go. It was already bad up there, kind of cutting in and out. Maybe the jamming is affecting it after all.
When they reached the bottom floor, Lauren scanned it with the beam until it ran across Catherine’s prostrate body. Although there seemed to be no blood, her head and limbs were cocked at impossible angles.
Ashley set a pair of fingers on Catherine’s throat. After a moment, she whispered, “She’s dead.” She then ran her hand around Catherine’s waist and jerked away a set of keys. “These should get us into any door.”