Lauren pulled him into her arms, closer this time. As her lips brushed his ear, she whispered, “I love you, Matt. Thank you for everything.”
“You’d do the same for me.” Matt returned the embrace. Though her arms felt strong and comforting, something was wrong. Her body radiated no warmth.
Holding her wrists, he pushed back slowly and looked into her eyes. Can you read my mind now?
She nodded, her brow arched.
He felt for a pulse. No response. The resurrection hadn’t worked after all. You said you weren’t so sure about being alive. Well … I don’t feel a pulse.
Lauren pressed two fingers on her wrist. Worry lines dug into her forehead. Reaching back, she slid a hand down her shirt. “My scales are tingling.” She smacked her lips. “I have saliva, and I’m breathing. How can all of my body systems work without a heartbeat?”
“All systems?” Matt fixed his stare on her hand. “It’s pretty dark in here, but you’re not glowing.”
“I didn’t always glow before, pretty much only …” Her words trailed off. “When my scales tingle.”
“And you say they’re tingling now.”
“Yeah … I know.”
Sir Barlow laid a hand on his chest. “If I may offer my experience as a comparison, although my Earth body is merely light energy, my heart beats while I am here, and I have moisture in my mouth and eyes. I need no food, but I do thirst on rare occasions. The mystery regarding our bodies is mind-boggling.”
Lauren’s eyes widened. “My body!” She knelt next to the pile of ashes and blew a section away, revealing a beaded necklace and a medallion attached to a chain.
As she studied the items, Matt crouched next to her. “They’re probably still hot.”
She prodded a bead with a finger. “Not too bad.” She picked the string up, draped it over her head, and straightened the beads. “Strange that this didn’t burn.”
“Or the metal stuff didn’t melt. The fire was huge.” Matt lifted the key ring, still connected to the chain. The attached key glittered for a split second before vanishing again. “Special materials, I suppose.”
Curling a finger under the chain, Lauren lifted the medallion and pulled the key ring from Matt. “We’d better save everything.” She slid the chain over her head and let the medallion and key dangle at her chest. “You mentioned a second statue. Do you know whose soul was in it?”
He shook his head. “Abaddon’s book didn’t give any clues except that the person died before you did. The flood took the statue away. I have no idea where it went.”
“Interesting.” She touched the medallion. “Eagle gave me this. He died not long before I did, so he might be the missing soul. We have to find the reservoir and resurrect him.”
“And you.” Matt looked through the portal at the column within Jade’s sanctum. “Abaddon mentioned that Jade has access to the life reservoir, so we should ask for her help, but we also have to find Semiramis’s device. We can’t be two places at once.”
Sir Barlow raised a hand. “May I suggest that Miss Bannister and I conduct a search for Jade and the reservoir? I already know that I am unable to safely enter Second Eden, and since Miss Bannister is, shall we say, without physical moorings, she is also likely unable to enter. This way, you and Listener can look for Semiramis’s device while we search for the other answers we are seeking, including a way to raise Miss Bannister from the dead. I have already entered Jade’s sanctum, so I assume I can enter again.”
“Sir Barlow, that’s perfect.” Matt withdrew a wet scrap of paper from his pocket. “I have the coordinates of the device. Listener and I have to translate them to a physical location, find the device, and figure out how to disable it. If either team has a significant update, and if it’s feasible, then come back here and leave a message. Spell it out with the leaves if you have to.”
“Understood.” Sir Barlow patted an empty holster on his belt. “It seems that I lost my pistol in the flood. I will have to rely on my sword.”
“That’ll probably be enough.” Matt set his hands on Lauren’s shoulders. “You be careful.”
“Careful?” She smiled, though it seemed forced. “Matt, I’m already dead. You’re the one who needs to be careful.”
“Don’t count on that. Everything I’ve done lately has been the opposite of careful.” He looked into her eyes—dry and pale. “I’ll help you with the resurrections as soon as I can.”
She kissed his cheek. “I know you will.”
“Then let’s get going.” Matt extended a hand through the new portal. A jolt sent him reeling backwards into Lauren’s arms.
When she set him upright, she studied the portal. “The other ones the tree created never carried a charge.”
Matt flexed his tingling fingers. “Well, this one does.”
Sir Barlow picked up the cloak. “Fortunately, we have protection.” He draped it over himself and Lauren. “Shall we go, Miss Bannister?”
She smiled. “Certainly, brave knight.”
Covered by the cloak, the two walked through the portal. A flash of light framed the material, accompanied by pops and sizzles. Soon, they faded into the dimness beyond.
Listener checked the spyglass at her belt, then slid her hand into Matt’s. “Are you ready?”
Matt looked at the clasped hands. Her cool skin and strong fingers felt good, though perplexing. What did her affectionate manner really mean? “I’m ready.”
They walked around the tree, stepped up onto the lava field in Second Eden, and stood on a strip of grass—green and lush. A few feet ahead, the grass gave way to dark soil that stretched out at least a hundred yards forward and to each side. A birthing plant stood close to the near edge, and two others protruded from the soil farther away. A cool breeze blew across the field, making the plants bend slightly, though the stalks seemed strong enough to support the twin leaves even in a gale.
Matt touched his stomach. The danger sensation churned again. Something was wrong, but no obvious threat lay anywhere in sight. Yet, like Lauren’s spontaneous combustion, a threat could pop up in an unexpected way.
“Our new birthing garden,” Listener said, gesturing toward the rich soil. “The men finished plowing yesterday. We lost many people to the volcano, war, and disease, so we’re hoping the Father of Lights will bring us a bountiful harvest.”
“Babies, you mean.”
“And possibly older children and adults. The garden has been known to produce them from time to time.” She knelt and touched an undisturbed spot in the soil. “See these footprints?”
Matt edged closer. Near Listener’s fingers two footprints interrupted the dark ground. They appeared to be reddish, as if whoever put them there had been bleeding. “Who walked here?”
“Your sister. Dr. Conner told me she did it when the lava field was still hot. There were six footprints, and the gardeners preserved these two as a memorial to her.”
Matt touched one of the prints. “How could she do that without going up in flames?”
“A miracle.” Listener swept an arm toward the village. “This entire place is a miracle.”
Matt turned that way. In the distance, at least twenty wood-and-straw huts stood in the midst of an extensive meadow. With no trees or shrubs nearby due to the recent lava flow, they looked like lonely sentinels. A wooden tower loomed near the center of the cluster, maybe fifty feet tall, similar to a forest ranger’s fire tower with a staircase winding to the top.
As they walked toward the tower, Matt’s legs throbbed from carrying Lauren for so long. His danger sensation stayed constant—a cloud of doom over the area. And silence made it worse. Maybe starting a conversation would help ease the tension. “So, what else did Lauren do here that I might not know about?”
Listener looked at Mount Elijah to the north. “Have you heard how she tried to leap into the volcano?”
Matt studied the lofty mountain. Pale smoke rose from its ragged crater
. “My mother mentioned it while we were crying over Lauren, but I didn’t get any details.”
“Then I’ll tell you what I know.” For the next minute, Listener told a thrilling tale about Lauren’s attempt to save the original anthrozils from a parasitic disease and how Eagle sacrificially took her place. If not for him, Albatross, and those in the airborne hospital plane, she would have roasted in the lava field.
Matt glanced at Mount Elijah again. Lauren actually tried to leap into that crater. Not long after that, she intentionally gave her life to stop Tamiel. Could anyone match her selfless acts of courage? “Well … I’m not sure what to say about that. My sister is …” His throat narrowed. He couldn’t go on.
“Your sister is a saint.” Listener pressed a hand against her chest. “She has the heart of her mother and father, and after hearing about your sacrifices, I believe you have it as well.”
“Thanks.” Matt swallowed to loosen his throat. Listener’s confidence in him was great, but living up to it would be hard.
He let out a silent sigh. Chatting hadn’t eased the tension at all. Maybe another distraction would help. He pulled the scrap of paper from his pocket and carefully smoothed it out. “Any idea how we translate these coordinates into a physical location?”
Listener stopped and looked at the paper. “Valiant and I came up with the coordinate system, hoping to mimic Earth’s, but since no one knows the size of our world or if its spherical shape has anomalies, we devised an alternative numbering algorithm. Instead of latitude and longitude, we use distances from the central hub in Founder’s Village expressed in hundreds of paces.” She pointed at the numbers on the paper. “Twenty point six nine equals two thousand sixty-nine paces to the east, and seventeen point four four equals one thousand seven hundred forty-four paces to the north. Negative numbers would indicate paces in the opposite directions.”
“But paces are variable. They can be two or three feet or more, depending on who’s walking.”
“We call them SVPs—Standard Valiant Paces. They equal three feet in your measuring system.” Listener pointed at the numbers. “The extra zero three at the end is a code to verify that standard.”
“How can you know if you’re walking with SVPs?”
Listener gestured toward the tower, still about a hundred paces away. “Our central hub has multiple purposes. We have a handheld device that communicates with it and five other towers spread out across our explored boundaries. The combination of data allows a central computer to transmit location information to the device no matter where it is. It even has a map that shows where you are.”
“Then it’s like a GPS without the satellites.”
“That’s what Ashley said when she invented the system. Unfortunately, the central tower and two others were destroyed by the lava. According to Ashley, we need only three towers for the system to work, and although the men rebuilt the central one, we haven’t tested the system yet for positioning, though we know it works for our version of tooth transmitters.”
Listener began walking again. Matt folded the paper, slid it back into his pocket, and followed. “Where do we get the handheld device?”
“In the village.” When they drew within ten yards of the closest hut, she stopped and pressed her palms together, fingers pointing upward. “Do this with your hands, and walk in front of me. I’ll tell you which way to go.”
He copied her hand position. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you walk in front?”
“Only if you want people to think you’re my suitor in a courting relationship.”
“Well …” Matt glanced downward for a moment before looking at Listener again. “Would that be so terrible?”
She pursed her lips. “I see your point. Such a rumor would cause no great harm. In any case, I will lead until we come upon other villagers, and I can decide what to do at that time.”
“Uh … sure. That’ll work.”
As they walked along a path between two rows of huts, she angled her head. “Strange. I don’t hear any voices, not even the chatter of children.”
Matt scanned the area. Unless people were hiding behind the huts, no one was around. “A meeting somewhere, maybe?”
“No one mentioned a meeting when I was here a few hours ago.” She broke into a trot. “Come!”
He pushed his aching legs forward and matched her pace. They weaved around a few huts and stopped at the base of the tower. A clipboard hung on a nail protruding from one of the four wooden supports. The breeze rattled an attached page.
Listener snatched the page from the clipboard and read it out loud. “Listener, Karrick sensed grave danger in Founder’s Village, so we have gone to Peace Village. If he does not sense danger there, we will stay. Otherwise, we will go to our enclave in the hills.” She looked at Matt, concern etched in her expression. “It’s from Candle, my older brother.”
“Yeah, I felt the danger, too, but it’s kind of … radio static, I guess. Not like someone’s about to ambush us. More like something gathering in the distance.”
Listener looked up. Matt did the same. The sky appeared hazy, as if smoke hung high in the air. She whispered, “Something gathering. Interesting.”
“Maybe Semiramis’s bomb or whatever it is.” Matt pivoted in place, checking each horizon. “It might be ready to activate.”
“I’ll get the positioning device.” Listener ran into a nearby hut and emerged seconds later carrying a red tablet that looked like an Etch A Sketch with two six-inch antennae. She glanced at the tower, then at a screen on the device. “It appears to be working. It says we are four point two SVPs north and two point seven east.”
Matt leaned close. The screen appeared to be from an old mobile phone, wired to fit inside a kid’s toy, but the blinking numbers proved that it worked. He pulled out the scrap of paper again and unfolded it. “So we head east northeast and correct our path based on what this device tells us.”
She nodded. “By Earth measurements, the spot indicated by the coordinates should be a little more than a mile and a half away.”
Matt whistled. “That’s quick math.”
“Well, I am not shy about saying that I am good at mental calculations, but …” She pointed at one corner of the screen. “I entered the coordinates from memory. The computer displays the distance in Earth units right here. One point five four miles.”
“Humble and confident at the same time. You really are amazing.”
She dipped her head briefly. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome.” Matt looked into her appreciative eyes. Not many girls could accept a compliment without a self-deprecating reply. “Well, we’d better hustle.”
Listener pointed toward the birthing garden. “That way.”
They jogged at a rapid pace, skirted the garden, and continued onto a verdant meadow—grass that extended for miles before ending to the north at a mountain range where Mount Elijah stood. To the east, a black expanse of rock interrupted the grassland, much farther away than they would have to travel.
As they hurried, Matt kept watch for visible signs of danger, but nothing appeared. The sense in his gut increased moment by moment—not a spike, just a gradual climb.
Every minute or so, Listener checked the numbers on the screen and adjusted their heading without slowing the pace. Yet, she neither gasped for breath nor perspired. As they closed in on the spot, Matt looked her over. Her stride, long and effortless, was perfect, even with a spyglass bouncing at her hip.
After a few minutes, Listener halted and studied the screen. “According to this, we should be standing right on the location. What does your danger sensation tell you?”
“It’s higher than before but nothing drastic.” Matt ran his foot along the ground—grass covering dark soil. “Semiramis said she hid the device, so it wouldn’t be out in the open, but nothing’s been buried here recently.”
“True, but the lava flowed over everything, and this grass sprouted
in a matter of hours. So did a few bushes and short trees. Much faster than normal. She could have buried it here, and now the lava is hiding any sign of her efforts.”
Matt kicked at the hard soil with his heel. “Digging through lava rock might be impossible.”
“It’s probably hard on the surface and softer underneath, but we would still need picks and shovels to break through.” Listener turned toward the village. “We could go back and get the proper tools.”
“Maybe.” Matt began pacing slowly. “The land is so barren, there really isn’t anywhere to search, except for …” He stopped and gazed at the smoke above, too thick to see beyond its lowest layer. “Could the device be hovering in the air? With all the smoke, no one could see it from down here.”
Listener looked up. “Our hospital airplane is our only flying craft. Before we modified it, the hospital hovered, controlled by ground-based magnets, but they’ve been dismantled.”
“A helium balloon could work, but it would need some kind of attachment line. Otherwise, the breeze would blow it away. And if the device weighs more than a few ounces, the balloon would have to be pretty big. It would need a tether that anyone could see, even from a distance.”
“A tether!” Listener said. “That’s it!”
“What’s it?”
She gestured with her hands, reeling out a make-believe line. “Years ago, Semiramis used an invisible tether that Mardon attached to your mother. She could feel it sometimes, like an evasive spiderweb that she couldn’t quite grab.”
“I haven’t heard that story.”
“I’ll have to tell it sometime, but if the device is really up there, we need to search from the air. Karrick will gladly volunteer. I assume Grackle will also, though his age might limit his ability to fly through the smoke.”
Matt drew a mental picture of the dragons flying through the hazy sky. “Why doesn’t the breeze carry the smoke away?”
“A local vortex.” Listener twirled her arm over her head. “The air currents travel in a circle much of the time, though it’s not perfectly consistent. Valiant told me that after one eruption, the volcanic ash stayed in the air over our villages for three weeks. This eruption was even bigger, so clearing the air might take longer.”