“Watching through his belt? Maybe you could explain it to me, too.”
“Well, when Billy went in—”
Barlow’s voice crackled through the computer speaker, weak and faltering. “Miss Stalworth, I . . . I hesitate to convey the terror I’ve seen.”
Ashley jerked the computer up to her mouth. “Go ahead, Barlow. It can’t be worse than Bonnie dying.”
Barlow’s voice strengthened. “A dragon has snatched Bonnie’s body from William and has flown away with her. William is chasing the beast even as we speak!”
“All right,” Ashley said, grimacing. “So it is worse.”
Shiloh whispered, “Is there any way I can go in there again?”
Ashley leaned back, angling her head. “Why would you want to do that?”
“I know why Morgan wants Bonnie’s body, and I think I know how to stop her.”
“Can’t Walter do it? Maybe I can get a message to him.”
“No!” A hint of impatience spiked Shiloh’s voice. “We’re not completely sure Bonnie’s dead. There might still be a chance to save her, and I’m the only one who can do it.”
“Okay, okay! But I don’t know for sure which circle Apollo’s in. You might not go back in the right place, and you’d be alone.”
“Ashley, you have programmed me to interrupt when my AI engine calculates a need to give you information.”
Ashley spoke into the air. “Go ahead, Larry.”
“Apollo’s signal has changed dramatically, so it has likely moved into the deepest region of that domain. It is safe, therefore, to assume that Walter has carried it into the seventh circle.”
“There!” Shiloh said, nodding at Ashley. “If you can get me through to Apollo, I won’t be alone.”
“That might be a big ‘if,’ but I have another idea.” Ashley punched several keys on her computer. “Larry, can you still flash Apollo?”
“Yes, but Apollo is no longer close to the existing portal. If we could simultaneously create a flash on your side, the two flashes could produce a cross-dimensional corridor straight to Walter’s location. But you should hurry. Apollo has been moving, so I cannot tell you how long it will stay where it is.”
Ashley eyed Hartanna, who was now rising to her full height and stretching out her wings. “I think I might be able to get a flash on this side,” Ashley said, “but it’ll be tricky. Can you send the numbers for the light spectrum I’ll need to produce?”
“Coming right up.”
The chart on Ashley’s computer screen filled with colored bars. She read the numbers under each one. “Wow! This may be doable.” She shrugged the backpack straps off her shoulders and let the pack slide down. “I was thinking of using biofeedback to get a certain fire-breather to create the spectrum. I’ll need another chart with the desired amplitudes at the top for each frequency. Are you with me, Larry?”
“Understood, Ashley. We’re on the same page, so to speak. I can monitor Hartanna’s fire penetration from Apollo’s position and send you back the corrected data, but can she hold a stream of fire long enough to adjust the frequency of the light she produces?”
Ashley drew her cloak and hood from the pack. “I think I can provide just the motivation she needs.” She smiled. “Never doubt a mother’s love.”
“Understood again. This should be fun . . . in a calculated sort of way, of course.”
Ashley whispered to Shiloh. “Okay, I have a plan.” She spread out the bottom opening of the cloak. “You’ll have to wear this.”
Shiloh raised her arms and allowed Ashley to drape the cloak over her head. “No zipper on this one?” Shiloh asked.
“You mean like the one on the guy who grabbed me?” Ashley pulled the hem down to Shiloh’s ankles. “That must have been a newer model.” She straightened the material with a brush of her fingers. “Okay,” Ashley continued, handing her the hood. “Put this on when you’re ready to go and cover your hands with your sleeves. Got it?”
“I think so.” Shiloh pinched the corner of Ashley’s backpack. “Can I borrow this?”
“Sure.” Ashley helped Shiloh put on the pack. “I think I see what you have in mind.”
“Yep,” Shiloh said, hoisting the pack in place. “I’m going to be dragon bait.”
Walter waited several minutes after Morgan and Palin left before allowing himself to breathe normally. He set Apollo down near the wall of the cave and tiptoed to the edge of the hole in the floor, keeping a firm grip on the hilt of Palin’s sword. As he approached, the room grew darker, as though light itself was being sucked into the abyss.
With his feet firmly planted, Walter leaned over the edge and peered down. A strange mixture of light and darkness swirled like a black-and-white striped whirlpool deep into the recesses of a narrow funnel. The walls of the abyss sparkled, as though embedded with crystals, and the vortex of light revealed a higher density of crystals the deeper it went. Each crystalline facet seemed to draw in the light, slurping its energy and darkening the tornadic stream as it passed by.
Walter lay on the floor and scooted his torso forward until half his body extended over the edge of the pit. He pressed his finger on the closest crystal. I’ll bet I know what this is. It could really come in handy.
Tired moans drifted up from far below, barely audible, and a foul stench filtered into his nose. He lowered the sword inside and dug out the gem with the point, grabbing the golf ball-sized stone with his free hand when it popped loose.
He scrambled back to his feet and dropped the gem into his pocket, then leaned over and whispered into the hole. “Anyone down there?”
A rumbling moan erupted from the depths of the pit. Walter jerked back, stumbled for a second, but caught himself and froze in place near the abyss, his heart pounding wildly.
The light stream slowed, finally pausing and collecting on top of the abyss like a bubbling fountain. It formed itself into an upright oval, shining like a mirror in a sunlit field, though foggy and indistinct. Walter lifted his hand to shield his eyes. The oval dimmed slightly and sharpened into a bright, elliptical ring.
The moaning clarified into words, each syllable vibrating the ring with pulses of light. “Who calls upon Samyaza? I do not recognize your voice.”
Walter tiptoed backwards, one careful step at a time, keeping his eye on the oval and feeling the space behind him with his hands. There was no way he was going to answer this thing.
The oval vibrated again, the voice louder and angry. “There is an intruder in our midst! Let us send a call to Morgan!”
Walter backed up to the wall and flattened himself in a slight crevice. He gasped, shallow breaths pumping his chest in and out. He gripped protrusions in the stone wall and searched the floor for Apollo. His trembling fingers finally touched its familiar outer frame.
Just before he could snatch it up, a flapping sound reverberated through the cave. Walter plastered himself against the wall again. A dragon flew into the opening, a limp body dangling from its talons. The bright oval illuminated the dragon’s face. The beast’s red eyes flashed, and its long tongue darted like a striking snake.
Walter grabbed his knees to keep them from knocking together. The dragon looked just like . . . Clefspeare?
The dragon stumbled, spilling its load and falling to one side. It struggled back to its feet, seeming fatigued and disoriented. The body rolled into the light, a winged girl, as still as death.
Walter’s belly churned. Could that be Bonnie? He was about to jump from his hiding place to help, but the oval shook, its radiance streaming in all directions. “Ah! It is not an intruder. I hear the sound of a dragon. Do you have the girl?”
Clefspeare gasped. “Yes. I will go now and alert Morgan.”
“Excellent! Is the boy following?”
“Yes. I must go before I collapse.”
“Indeed. And hurry. Morgan must arrive before the boy does.”
“If he comes too quickly, I will delay him.” The dragon retreated, crawling to the
entrance like a wounded dog. When it reached daylight, it spread its wings and flew away.
Walter ran quietly to Bonnie’s prostrate body and knelt at her side. He turned her head and placed his palm on her smooth, pale face. Cold. Too cold.
He turned her over, and pressed his ear against her chest. Come on! Give me something! He lifted his head, breathless, his brain screaming in terror. No! It can’t be! He released her shoulder, and her face turned back toward the floor.
Walter lurched to his feet and backed away, his mouth agape, his legs shaking. He dashed to the wall, smacking it with his hand. He then dropped to a crouch, biting his fist as his tears flowed. It couldn’t end this way! It just couldn’t!
A distinct shuffle, like a foot slipping on gravel, disrupted Walter’s anguish. He jerked his head up. A new shadow veiled the cave entrance.
Ashley pointed at a boulder nestled in the tor’s slope. “Hide there for a minute. I’ll be right back.” She quick-stepped to Hartanna and held the computer out for her to see. “Hartanna, I talked to Sir Barlow, and I’d like him to repeat what he told me.”
Hartanna’s ears twitched, but her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Is it about Bonnie?”
“Yes.” Ashley firmed her chin and spoke into the computer. “Barlow, tell me again what you saw in the sixth circle. Who was standing over Bonnie with a sword?”
“It was Palin, Devin’s squire.”
The dragon’s eyes burned red. “Palin?”
“But you can’t be one hundred percent sure Bonnie was dead, right?”
“Miss, I beg your pardon, but as I said before, I’ve seen many dead—”
Ashley shouted into the microphone. “One hundred percent, Barlow! Are you one hundred percent sure?”
“Well . . . no. But the lights in the circle—”
Ashley injected more passion into her voice. “And did Palin take her body?”
“No. William defeated Palin and carried her away, but the lights—”
“Yes, the lights,” Ashley repeated, her agitation growing. “I know all about the lights. Didn’t you tell me one of them turned on in another circle?”
“Yes, it did, but—”
“And it wasn’t Billy’s light, was it?”
“No, Miss, it was in—”
“Thank you, Barlow.” Ashley turned down the volume on her speakers. “Hartanna, I love Bonnie like a sister. As long as there’s one molecule of a chance she’s alive, we have to try to rescue her. Are you with me?”
“With you?!” The dragon gave her wings a mighty flap, sending a blast of air into Ashley’s face. “Show me what to do!”
Ashley swiped a vagrant strand of hair out of her eyes, then reached up and pulled on Hartanna’s wing. “Come this way.” She led the dragon to the portal location. “Look right here.” She drew a rectangle in the air with her finger. “I need you to blast fire at this target, and you’ll need to keep up a stream long enough to open a portal to the other world.” She held up the computer. “While you’re blowing, watch the three bars on this graph. They’ll adjust according to the kind of light spectrum you’re creating. All you have to do is alter the flame to make all three reach the top of the chart. Think you can do that?”
Hartanna arched her tawny brow. “If it is possible, I will do it.”
“Now,” Ashley continued, “I want you to be ready for a shock. I’m going to show you a girl who looks just like Bonnie. She was a prisoner in the other world and saw Bonnie there. She wants to go back and try to find her. If you two can go into the circles together, you can provide the firepower she may need. So you have to bust that portal wide open to get yourself through it.” Ashley waved toward the boulder. “Come on out, Shiloh.”
Shiloh emerged and stepped timidly forward.
Hartanna reared up, her eyes growing to the size of baseballs. She slowly extended her neck, drawing her head close to Shiloh. She sniffed three times, then pulled back. “She has a familiar scent, but I cannot place it. Nevertheless, I will accompany her.”
“Okay,” Ashley said. “That was easy enough.” She lifted the computer shoulder high. “Now I’ll hold the graph where you can see it while you get the flames going.”
Hartanna took in a deep breath and blew out a concentrated stream of yellow fire, as thin as a laser. The stream drilled into the slope of the hill, igniting the grass.
“Okay, Hartanna. You’re doing great on the white light, but we need a lot more ultraviolet. Alter the flame, and let’s see what happens.”
The stream slowly transformed to a reddish torrent, thickening into a lava-like river. The flames crawled along the grass, spreading out across the hill in a smoky circle.
“Great! Keep tweaking it. You’re getting closer.”
From red to purplish scarlet, the stream blossomed into a massive wave of shimmering fire. Hartanna’s face darkened. Her eyes bulged as she watched the tiny computer screen. After a few more seconds, the light seemed to spread out in midair as though it had hit a bank of fog.
“The portal’s coming into view!” Ashley shouted. She released the computer with one hand and tapped her jaw. “Larry, flash Apollo now! I want the biggest blast you can give me!”
“Coming right up!”
The stream of fire splashed against a barrier, as though an invisible wall had formed. The flames splattered around a tall, pulsating rectangle of brilliant white light.
“Apollo has flashed. The door is open on the other side, and Apollo is reading your light stream more clearly. You’re almost there.”
Ashley pumped her fist and yelled. “Break through it, Hartanna! Break through it now!”
Hartanna heaved an enormous burst of flame. A purple ball of fire smashed against the portal, sending sparks of light shooting in all directions like a thousand flaming meteors. The professor, Marilyn, and Shiloh dropped to the ground as slivers of streaking light zipped over their bodies. Ashley crouched while trying to hold the computer in place. Hartanna collapsed, her head striking the slope with a thud.
A jagged rectangle hung in the air like a window to a world of light, pulsating, throbbing with energy.
Ashley sprinted to the front of the portal and lifted a clenched fist. “We did it! It’s open!”
“The corridor is complete, Ashley. We now have a connective tunnel to the other world. But you must hurry. It is already deteriorating.”
Ashley waved her arm frantically toward the opening. “Shiloh! Hartanna! Go!”
Shiloh jumped up and ran to the portal, pausing there for Hartanna to join her, but the great dragon didn’t budge.
Ashley leaped to her feet and rushed to Hartanna’s side. The dragon’s body heaved, breathing chaotically, her eyes flashing yellow. Ashley spun toward Shiloh. “I think she’s out cold, or maybe in shock!”
The professor shone his flashlight into Hartanna’s eyes. “See how her eyes absorb the light? She must have spent all her energy. I think it will take more than my flashlight to revive her.”
“Ashley, the corridor’s safety is quickly becoming compromised.”
Shiloh pulled on the straps of her backpack, her face solemn. She firmed her chin, her lips quivering. “If you find my parents, please tell them that I love them.” Without another word, she threw on her hood, jumped into the portal, and dashed out of sight. Seconds later, the window of light began shrinking, dimming to a ghostly aura, then finally disappearing in a tiny flash.
Chapter 21
THE HOSTIAM
Walter, still in a crouch, kept his head as low as possible. A shadow—tall, slender, and feminine—strode into the cave with long sweeps of her arms and legs. Walter clenched his fist. Morgan’s back. Now how am I going to get out of here with Bonnie’s body?
Morgan halted at Bonnie’s feet. A wicked smile spread across her lips, then a laugh broke through, low at first, but it grew to a loud cackle and carried across the cave. The shining oval vibrated, creating a reply. “Morgan, hearing you laugh is the most delicious
sound that has come to my ears in centuries.”
“Yes, my love. My hostiam has arrived, and the time of possession is upon us.”
“Let us not delay another second. The pain of this prison never ceases.”
Morgan lifted her arms, straightening her body into a vertical column. As her eyes turned glassy, she uttered a string of unintelligible sounds and vaporized into a stream of black smoke. It tightened into a thin line and zoomed toward Bonnie’s body. Splitting into two streams, it poured into her nostrils. Her head jerked around, and her chest heaved into spasms. Pushing on the floor with her hands, she sat up. Her eyes snapped open, wide and flaming. A smile slowly crept across her face. She stood, her head turning from one side to the other as she strutted toward the abyss.
Walter’s heart thumped in his chest, and nausea torqued his belly. Was that witch now inside Bonnie?! But something was different. Bonnie’s skin had suddenly changed. It was rough and scaly now, more like a lizard’s than a human’s.
Bonnie’s wings stretched out and flailed wildly. Morgan crowed in Bonnie’s voice. “I’ve done it! I’m alive again!” She patted her body with both hands. “Solid and shapely. Just what a woman needs.”
Walter squeezed his sword so tightly, he could feel his pulse tap dancing on the hilt. Should he jump out and challenge this . . . this creature? Yes, it sounded like Bonnie, but whatever it was, it wasn’t Bonnie anymore. Somehow this was really Morgan in a scaly Bonnie suit.
A new shadow appeared at the entrance, and a bright light pierced the darkness. Morgan whispered something at the abyss, and the aura vanished.
Billy ran in, holding Excalibur in both hands. As soon as he saw the winged form standing in the shadows, he slowed to a stop and let Excalibur droop at his side. Its light faded completely away, casting the cave in darkness except for a hint of sunlight peering in from the entrance. Billy squinted. “Bonnie? Is that you?”