Merlin’s aged face flashed a proud smile. “You recognized me!”
She straightened and grinned. “I’ve been spying on you.”
Merlin laughed. “Apparently we’ve been watching each other.” He pointed at their window to the living world. “Here comes the other witness!”
A new swirl of radiance streamed through the same hole Billy and Bonnie had entered and coalesced into the shape of a boy with two flapping canopies on his back.
Sapphira clapped her hands. “It’s Gabriel!”
As the sparkling shape thickened, its glow faded. Within seconds, Gabriel appeared, looking the same age and wearing the same clothes as the day he stood to face his executioners at Patrick’s estate. He raised each leg in turn. “I feel like I weigh a ton!”
“You’re solid again!” Sapphira lunged and wrapped her arms around his torso. “I’m so glad to see you!”
Merlin embraced both of them in his long arms. “In a few moments, Billy will lead the faithful dragons out of Dragons’ Rest and into this rubellite.” He pulled back and pointed at Sapphira and Gabriel. “You two have been chosen to bear witness to a covenant the dragons must make in order to pass through to the other side. As they enter, Gabriel will try to identify his father. If Makaidos doesn’t come, Gabriel will enter Dragons’ Rest and search for him there. But he will have to make haste. According to Enoch, that dimension’s annihilation will be swift and complete.”
Sapphira stepped up to the glass leading to Dragons’ Rest and peered inside. “So you don’t know who’s in there?”
“Only a few that I recognized from the outside. My window to their world is quite limited.”
“Should we do anything while we’re waiting?” Gabriel asked.
“No.” Merlin picked up the hourglass and gazed at the trickling sand. “Time is passing far more quickly in Dragons’ Rest than it is in here, so Billy will finish his work shortly.”
Gabriel huffed on the glass and wiped it with his sleeve. “Is that him coming this way?”
Merlin waved them back. “I must speak to him alone. Ponder what you have heard, and I will return in a few moments.”
Sapphira and Gabriel strolled to the glass wall on the other side of the gem, the barrier that separated them from the land of the living. Sapphira leaned against it and nodded toward the opposite wall, now veiled by a curtain of red mist. “Did someone tell you to look for your father in Dragons’ Rest?”
“Yes. Merlin says he’s not in heaven, hell, or any of the circles of seven.” Gabriel shrugged. “We couldn’t think of anywhere else to look.”
Sapphira rubbed his arm tenderly. “If he’s in there, he’ll follow Billy. Don’t worry about that.”
“You’re probably right.” Gabriel’s wings lifted and stretched out. “But if I don’t see him, I’m going in. I’m not taking any chances.”
Sweeping his arms back and forth, Merlin parted the curtain of fog. With his head bowed low, he pointed at the Dragons’ Rest screen. “Behold. The messiah comes in the arms of the virgin.”
Sapphira dashed through the fog and peered through the glass. Veiled by the crimson barrier, Bonnie shuffled toward the gem, carrying Billy in her arms.
Gabriel joined her at the screen. “Did someone kill him?”
“I’m afraid so.” Merlin wiped a tear from his withered cheek. “He knew this fate was possible, yet he went there willingly to save the dragons from doom.”
“If he’s a messiah” Sapphira paused through a throat cramp “will he rise from the dead?”
Merlin pointed at the world of the living through the other screen. “It depends on two teenagers out there who are doing everything in their power to battle against death. I think you will meet Ashley and Walter soon enough, but theirs is a story that must wait.”
As Bonnie drew closer, Sapphira stepped back from the glass. “Can we do anything to help?”
“Exactly what God has called us to do, what he has spent centuries preparing us to do. It is time for the two of you to create a covenant veil and complete the Great Key.”
“How do we do that?” Gabriel asked.
Merlin pressed his hand on Sapphira’s shoulder. “You stand here.” He pulled Gabriel parallel to the glass wall, separating him several paces from Sapphira. “And you stand here.” He raised both hands. “Lift up a hand toward each other, and as witnesses to this covenant, you will shout the vow all dragons must believe in order to pass through to the other side.”
“Vow?” Sapphira wrinkled her forehead. “What vow?”
“The name you so recently learned. The name that imbedded the fire within your soul. Then Gabriel will answer with the same words.”
Sapphira and Gabriel lifted their hands. A stream of flames shot from Sapphira’s fingers to Gabriel’s, creating a fiery arc.
Bonnie, her glittering silhouette carrying Billy’s, passed through the Dragons’ Rest screen and shuffled into the foggy chamber. Red sparks dripped from Billy’s side and splashed on the gem’s floor. She paused and looked around, as if lost.
“Now, Sapphira! Now!”
Sapphira took in a deep breath and shouted, “Jehovah-Yasha!”
“Jehovah-Yasha!” Gabriel echoed.
The shouts pushed the mist inward, producing two scarlet sound waves that collided under the center of the arc. At the point of impact, tongues of fire stretched out in all directions and licked up the fog. When every trace of mist disappeared, a wall of red light congealed between Gabriel and Sapphira and pulsed like a beating heart.
Bonnie’s face suddenly brightened, and she walked through the shimmering wall and out of the rubellite.
“Stay steady!” Merlin said. “Here come the dragons!”
Another human entered and instantly transformed into a mass of sparkling energy. As he passed by Sapphira, his bright blue eyes met hers.
“Hilidan!” She smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. When Hilidan pierced the throbbing veil, his energy field melded into it and passed through on the other side in the shape of a dragon, shining more brightly than ever. Then, with a sizzle and a pop, he penetrated the screen to the world of the living and disappeared.
Several more figures passed by, and Sapphira called out the names of the ones she recognized Zera, Shachar, and Clirkus but they didn’t seem to hear her as they penetrated the covenant veil.
When the parade of escapees came to an end, and the last sparkling form exited through the screen, Merlin sighed. “It is finished. You can lower your hands now.”
Gabriel and Sapphira rested their arms, but the arc of fire remained suspended in the air. The covenant veil continued to pulse, radiating a steady beam of light toward the living world. The gem’s interior, now clear of fog, seemed to glow with a light of its own as if the walls had been brushed with a million glowing crystals.
“My father didn’t come through.” Gabriel slumped his shoulders. “I’m sure of it.”
Sapphira peered through the gem’s entry into Dragons’ Rest. Inside, a solitary man stood on a stage that faced dozens of rows of chairs. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and paced in front of the screen.
“Could that be Makaidos?” Sapphira asked.
Gabriel cupped his hands around his eyes and peered in. “Dad’s not that tall, and his jaw is more rounded.”
“Roxil didn’t come through, either.” She clutched Gabriel’s sleeve. “We need to find both of them.”
“We?” Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t think you should go. If that place is going to blow up ”
“Enough talk.” Merlin waved both hands at the screen. “You may both go, but you must hurry. And remember, Roxil cannot leave through this passage unless she believes the covenant you declared.”
Sapphira turned to the translucent veil. As it continued to throb, somehow it seemed inviting yet forbidding at the same time. “Isn’t there any other way?”
“For a dragon to gain eternal salvation?” M
erlin shook his head emphatically. “No.”
Sapphira laid her hand on the glass, and her fingers passed right through. “Are you going to stay here and wait for us?”
“I must attend to a very important matter in the world of the living. You see, Morgan has yet to reap the harvest of destruction she has sown for thousands of years. I am going to send her to her final resting place. Then, since the gateway to Dragons’ Rest has been torn open, I will rescue my wife, and we will ascend into heaven together.” Merlin passed through the covenant veil and disappeared.
Tears welling in her eyes, Sapphira backed through the barrier and whispered, “I didn’t even get to say good-bye.”
Gabriel followed her. “Me, either. He seemed to be in a hurry.”
When she emerged on the other side, a cool wood floor greeted her bare feet. “Is this a theatre?” she whispered.
“I think so. I’ve only been to a couple of movies, though, and it’s been a long time, so I’m not sure.”
“Same here. People looked at me funny. Blind girls don’t go to movies very often.”
“Or boys who refuse to take off their backpacks.” Gabriel nodded toward the side of the stage. “There’s that tall guy we saw. He’s talking to two old ladies. Let’s scoot.”
“Shouldn’t we warn them?”
“Since they’re here, they’ve probably already been told.” Gabriel took her hand. “If this place is going to get nuked, we’d better hustle.”
“I guess you’re right.” Sapphira’s foot nudged something that slid across the floor.
“What’s this?” Gabriel asked, stooping. “A knife?”
Sapphira rubbed her finger along the wooden hilt. A hint of dark blood stained the rough stone blade. “I’ve seen it before. I think it’s Morgan’s.”
He slid it between his belt and trousers. “It might come in handy.”
As he led the way down the stage steps, Sapphira noticed his back, his wingless back. “Gabriel! Your wings! They’re gone!”
Gabriel never broke stride. “Yeah. Dimensional travel rocks. Maybe they’ll show up at baggage claim.”
After they exited the theatre and ran out to the village streets, Gabriel stopped and swung his head from side to side. “Any idea where to go?”
“Probably the town square. I’ve been to a reflection of this place in the sixth circle, so I know it pretty well.” She nodded toward a clock tower that rose above the tops of the other buildings. “It’s that way.”
Gabriel marched toward the tower. “I’ll recognize my father, but do you know what Roxil looks like?”
“I know what she used to look like, but we can ask around for Jasmine. That’s her name here.”
The ground trembled. A window in a nearby feed store shattered, and a crack split the road between Gabriel and Sapphira. Gabriel leaped over the widening rift and grabbed Sapphira’s arm. “Hurry!”
Running side by side, they followed dusty cobblestones that led to a broader road and then to a city square. In the central garden, a statue of a man riding a horse stood watch over an array of colorful flowers, and a rope lay over his outstretched arm with a hangman’s noose dangling underneath. Several people milled about, and a woman knelt next to a body lying on the road.
Gabriel let go of Sapphira. “I guess they didn’t feel the quake here.”
She ran up to the corpse the body of a petite female. A gash in the front of her dress revealed a gaping wound in her bosom. Sapphira gulped. “Naamah!”
The kneeling woman stood and faced them. Her stern, angular features hadn’t changed in the slightest. “So, you have come to bring our destruction, have you?”
When Gabriel joined them, Sapphira latched on to his wrist and squeaked. “It’s good to see you again . . . uh . . . Jasmine.”
Jasmine glared at Gabriel. “You’re not an oracle of fire, are you? The prophecy said that there would be two oracles, not one.”
Gabriel pointed at her. “Listen, Roxil, or Jasmine, or whatever your name is now, I may not be an oracle of fire, and I don’t know about any prophecy, but this place is about to blow, and I need to find my . . . I mean, your father.”
The ground shook again. Two more windows cracked, and a chimney toppled, spilling broken bricks down an angled roof. Sapphira stooped to keep her balance, and Jasmine dropped to her knees. The people in the streets scrambled in every direction.
When the tremor settled, Jasmine rose slowly to her feet. “You won’t find my father here. He left a long time ago, and he never came back.”
A fountain of fire erupted in the city hall building, spewing wiggling ribbons of flaming debris onto the street. As sparkling ash rained down, the three backed toward the statue to avoid the embers.
“Merlin predicted this,” Sapphira said, swatting at the ash. “We have to get you out of here before it’s too late!”
Jasmine sneered. “I should have known Merlin had something to do with this. He has been plotting to kill dragons all along, and now he has arranged our apocalypse.”
“Merlin set up the way of escape!” Sapphira grabbed a fistful of Jasmine’s sleeve. “This place is about to burn! What’s it going to take to get you to change your mind?”
“Truth!” Jasmine shook away Sapphira’s grip and pointed at Naamah’s body. “She killed that so-called dragon messiah with the same dagger that took her own life. A dead messiah cannot save anyone from this God-forsaken place. It is hopeless. There is no way out.”
“Really?” Sapphira narrowed her eyes. “Then how did your father leave?”
Jasmine nodded at the statue in the garden. “He wandered over there in sort of a daze, saying something about a red glow, but Brogan and I never saw anything. Then, he just vanished.”
“And he became human.” Sapphira clasped her fingers together. “He rejoined your mother, who also took a human form, and they had two children, Gabriel and Ashley, your brother and sister.”
Jasmine’s expression softened, and her voice lost its sharp edge. “So, they’re a happy family now, I suppose.”
Sapphira shook her head. “A slayer killed your father and mother, but Billy risked his life and resurrected your mother from a dragon graveyard.”
Jasmine glanced at the hangman’s noose. “Billy resurrected her?”
“Yes. She’s alive now and is a dragon again, but your father’s spirit is missing.” She nodded at Gabriel. “That’s why your brother is here looking for him, and we were hoping you’d want to help.”
Jasmine’s lip trembled slightly, but she quickly firmed it. “Of course I want to help, but there are a couple of important obstacles.” She extended a finger. “First, I’m dead.” She extended another finger. “Second, apparently you have to trust in a human to get out of here, and I haven’t seen any good reason for doing that.”
Gabriel stepped up to Jasmine and stood toe-to-toe. “I’ve been listening to you jabber long enough.” He extended his own finger. “Our father was dead, too, and that didn’t stop him from coming back to life.” He flashed all four fingers and began lowering each one as he continued. “This Billy guy is human, and he died trying to save you. Merlin’s human, and he sent Billy in here to save all the dragons. I’m human, and do you think I’m going to gain anything by risking my own life to argue with a stubborn dragon?” He lowered the last finger and formed a fist. “And Sapphira’s human, and she has more love than all of us combined. Without her, I would have been dead, Billy couldn’t have come here to rescue dragons, and you wouldn’t be getting another chance to crack your cold heart of stone.”
The ground suddenly lurched. Sapphira fell on her seat, and Jasmine toppled backward into the garden. Gabriel kept his balance, flailing his arms as he rode out the bucking cobblestones. When the quake settled, Gabriel helped Sapphira up, but the entire garden area broke away from the street and began to sink, taking Jasmine and the statue with it.
Gabriel dove for the edge and reached down into th
e growing chasm. “Jasmine! Grab my hand! I’ll pull you up!”
Jasmine struggled to her feet and jumped, but her fingertips merely brushed against Gabriel’s. With her second jump, her hand passed several inches too low.
Sapphira dashed along the chasm’s perimeter, jumped down toward the statue, and landed in the rider’s lap. Grabbing the hangman’s rope attached to the horse’s neck, she screamed up at Gabriel. “Catch the noose!”
Gabriel reached both hands. “Toss it!”
Sapphira slung the noose upward. The rope smacked Gabriel in the face, but he managed to latch onto it before it slipped away. “Got it!” he shouted, wrapping it around his wrists.
Sapphira clambered down to the pedestal and extended her hand. “Up here, Jasmine! We can still climb out from the top of the statue!”
Jasmine bent her knees, but the ground suddenly crumbled. She fell forward and grasped the bottom of the statue’s pedestal as it dropped, and her momentum drove the pedestal against the sloping wall, wedging it there.
The weight dragged Gabriel’s body farther out over the pit. He strained against the load, every muscle in his face quivering, and he let out a roar. “The rope’s cutting my wrists!”
“Hang on!” Sapphira yelled.
As Jasmine dangled over a deep pit, purple fumes rose from the blackness, smelling of camphor and garlic, then a voice filtered upward. “Roxil. Come and join me. I have been waiting for you.”
Jasmine twisted her neck and looked down. “Goliath?”
“Yes. Just let go. I will catch you, and we will live together in the true Dragons’ Rest.”
Jasmine spun her head back toward Sapphira, her wild eyes darting all around. The statue lurched down a few inches, jerking one of Jasmine’s hands loose, but it suddenly halted, teetering over the black pit.
Gabriel slid farther. Puffing and grunting, he let out a loud, wordless moan.
Stooping carefully, Sapphira grabbed Jasmine’s wrist. As she pulled, her vision sharpened. Far below, the skeletons of several dragons lay scattered in the midst of a black fog. A huge red dragon stood among the bones and called out, “Please do not abandon me!”