Matt imagined a cave in the hills and a pile of swords, spears, and battle maces, hardly enough to defend against heat-seeking missiles. Still, these people seemed to have the heart to put up a good fight.
An engine purred somewhere in the sky. Matt searched for the source. Far to the south, a light blinked well above the horizon. “Is that the hospital?”
“It is.” Valiant glanced between the light and the volcano. “I had hoped they would come earlier, but they likely waited for Mount Elijah to settle. It seems that they had enough fuel to stay aloft, or perhaps they landed for a while in a safe place. With so many people on board, they cannot fly for very long.”
Mom gazed at the hospital as it drew closer. “It has wings now. It didn’t before.”
“We added the wings shortly after you were imprisoned,” Valiant said. “But we had to cut its body quite a bit for balance until we were able to fly without the magnetos we used before that time.”
Matt studied the plane. The wing structure pivoted, making it clear that it had vertical takeoff and landing ability. They could settle to the ground almost anywhere in spite of the debris. “That’s a really modern aircraft.”
“While our two worlds were on good terms, we were offered a great deal of technology. Elam was careful, however, with what he allowed to be employed. We heard about your entertainment devices, such as television and computer games, but Elam turned down offers to supply us with that technology, including Internet.”
“Well, I like computers and Internet, but I guess Elam knows what’s best for you.”
Mom pointed toward the hills to the southwest. “Dragons are coming.”
Flying low over the slope, two dragons beat their wings while shining red eyebeams on the ground. Atop the larger one, a rider flashed a white light. The smaller dragon carried what appeared to be a saddle pack with long bulging bags on each side.
“Good timing.” Valiant used a hand to shield his eyes from the moonlight. “If I am not mistaken, Listener has joined them. That is not a surprise.”
Mom lifted her brow. “Because she’s such a warrior?”
“That is part of it.” Valiant smiled in a knowing way. “She recently announced her willingness to accept an Adam, and there are several men who have shown great interest. The eligible men at the enclave are probably trying to …” He blinked. “How do you say it? Wait on her hand and foot?”
Mom nodded. “And she’s too independent to enjoy the attention.”
“Indeed. I suspect that not very much time passed before she was too exasperated to stay there.”
“How old is she?” Matt asked.
“I am not sure.” Valiant stroked his chin. “Twenty-eight? Thirty, maybe?”
“Wow! She looks like a teenager to me.”
“Yes, our people do not physically age as quickly as those in your world. Because of your athletic build, you look every bit as mature as her suitors.”
Heat filtered into Matt’s cheeks. A rush of replies stormed through his mind, reasons why he would never be interested in someone Listener’s age, but they all seemed pretty lame. It was best to stay quiet.
Gusts of wind announced the dragons’ arrival. His wings beating, Albatross landed in a run while Karrick swept around everyone in a tight circle before gliding to a stop next to Albatross.
Listener jumped from Karrick’s back, a flashlight in one hand, her sword in the other, and her spyglass in a belt harness. As she marched with her eyes locked on Valiant and her companion flashing near her cheek, she spoke with a commanding tone. “There is trouble in the Valley of Shadows. Grackle returned without Eagle. He said that Eagle commanded him to return because of the smoke and that Eagle had found Cheer with Semiramis. Grackle is sick from the poison, so I left him at the enclave. He must have flown through terrible fumes.”
“Did Grackle say if they were in danger?” Mom asked.
Listener nodded. “His whistles were difficult to interpret, so I have no details, but they are in danger. I think that foul sorceress kidnapped Cheer to make sure someone would come back to rescue them both.”
“And now she’s guiding Eagle into the portal cave,” Mom added. “That can’t be good.”
“Mom saw that part in a dream,” Matt said to Listener. “It’s kind of a gift she has.”
“I have no argument with assuming the worst about Semiramis.” Listener reached toward Albatross and nudged one of the pouches with a fist, making the contents clank. “A sword for each of us to carry, water, bread, more flashlights and batteries, and a few other weapons.” She handed Valiant her flashlight, now darkened. “Storing these in our enclave paid off.”
He flicked the light on and shone it at Karrick. “Since Matt and I are the heaviest, we will ride him, while you and Bonnie ride Albatross. We will eat and drink while we ride. We might not get another opportunity later.”
After passing around the bread, Lauren’s cereal bars, and flasks of water, they climbed aboard the dragons and launched into the air. As they flew toward the valley, Karrick taking the lead, Matt sat behind Valiant with a protruding spine between them, eating bread and one of the cereal bars.
During the flight, Valiant provided a quick history regarding Karrick and his mother, Roxil, including the fact that Karrick was born from a makeshift birthing garden during the years the swamplands were separated from most of Second Eden. The rest of the story was a blur of dragon relations and transformations, way too much to remember.
When they arrived over the valley, Karrick bent his neck and aimed his eyebeams at Valiant. “The cloud weighs heavily below,” Karrick said. “We will dive through quickly, so make sure you hold on. Since breathing might be perilous, prepare accordingly.”
Valiant pulled his mask up and fixed it in place. Matt did the same and looked back. Mom and Listener had already raised theirs.
Seconds later, Karrick folded in his wings and plunged. Matt took a breath and grabbed the spine. When they passed through the thick cloud covering the valley, everything fell dark. Water rushed somewhere close, and smoke brought a new sting to Matt’s eyes.
After a few more seconds, the smoke cleared somewhat. Filtered moonlight allowed a view of Karrick’s spine and scales, though the surroundings stayed veiled in darkness. He fanned out his wings, caught the air, and landed, his clawed feet splashing.
“This is Twin Falls River,” Valiant said through his mask. “It is the safest place for a dragon to land. The cave lies within a forest, too dense for dragon flight.”
Behind them, more splashes gave evidence of Albatross’s landing. Karrick shuffled to the right and lowered his neck. “Dismount,” he said. “We are on the beach.”
Matt pulled down his mask and breathed in cautiously. The air carried the familiar bite, but he resisted the urge to cough. He checked his danger sensation—low to moderate and vague. The poison in the fumes probably elevated it somewhat, but nothing seemed ready to pounce.
After retrieving the flashlights and swords from one of Albatross’s saddle pouches, Valiant, his mask also lowered, flicked on his beam and pointed it through the hazy air. Waving an arm, he called out, “Karrick, come with me. The rest of you follow several steps back with Albatross guarding the rear.”
With a flap of his wings, Karrick skittered to Valiant’s side, and the two marched into a forest, shuffling through sand, then under-growth. Matt, his mother, and Listener followed, all with unmasked faces. Each held a flashlight and sword in hand, while Albatross stayed close behind. His eyebeams pierced the smoke and painted two scarlet lines that scanned the ground ahead of them, adding to the four flashlight beams that knifed into the hazy darkness. Albatross whimpered at times, and Listener shushed him. The look in her eyes made it clear that this white dragon was too yellow for her liking.
Matt glanced at the hilt in his hand. Fencing had been part of academy training, so the proper moves shouldn’t be too much of a problem, though this blade was thicker and
heavier than the ones the instructors provided. An assault rifle would be ten times better. It seemed that Second Eden had no high-caliber weapons at all, or at least they didn’t display them anywhere. If Earth were ever able to attack, how would Second Edeners defend themselves against the blitz that advanced armies could deliver? The result would be a slaughter.
Along the way, Listener plucked a large leaf from a vine clinging to a tree. “What’s that?” Matt asked.
“I’m not sure, but it might be the leaf I told you about.”
“The one that filters poisonous fumes?”
“Keelvar, I hope. I’ll ask Valiant to make sure.” She folded the leaf and pushed it into her shirt pocket. “I’m taking it in case someone needs protection. If it works, we can always come back and get more.”
After a minute or so, Valiant stopped at the entrance to a cave. When everyone had gathered around, he aimed his light through the opening, first scanning the ground where a pile of black goo covered the stone floor. He stooped and fanned strings of smoke curling up from the mess. “Shadow people. Something has already dispatched them.”
“They breathed the fumes?” Matt asked.
“The fumes were not the cause of their demise.” Valiant straightened. “If they were sensitive to the poison, it would make no sense for them to congregate at a point closest to the outside where the fumes are likely the thickest.”
“Semiramis.” Listener poked at the remains with the point of her sword. “Whenever she is around, you can count on her as the reason behind any ghoulish mystery. She probably lured them here and had something that would kill them.”
“I have to agree,” Mom said. “I don’t think breathing fumes would make the shadow people smoke like this. Something more violent happened.”
Valiant nodded. “Semiramis is a mistress of potions. We should assume that she might use one on us and that she already knows we are here.”
“In that case …” Listener motioned for the other humans to join her in a close huddle and whispered, “Because of the danger, we should send Albatross back to the enclave with a report and ask him to return for us in an hour. He is too cowardly to be counted on. It will be a tight fit, but Karrick should be small enough to come with us.”
“Agreed,” Valiant said.
After transferring the saddle pouches to Karrick and sending Albatross on his way, Karrick bobbed his head. “Allow me to lead. The witch’s potions will be less likely to penetrate scales.”
When everyone had moved out of the way, Karrick flapped his wings and leaped over the dead shadow people. Matt and Valiant followed first, then Mom and Listener. Again four flashlight beams joined red dragon lasers, piercing the darkness.
As they crept forward, Mom spoke up from behind, her voice low. “Do you feel any danger?”
Matt gauged the sensations. His stomach felt normal, and the edginess had eased. “Actually, I did a little bit out there, but it’s getting lower. Maybe Semiramis isn’t in here at all.”
“She might not even be in this world anymore.” Mom brushed her fingers along a wall. “This passageway once led to a portal that opened to Earth.”
“Would Semiramis have the power to open it?” Valiant asked.
“I doubt it. She hasn’t demonstrated that ability before. Escaping the fumes would be her motivation for coming here. But if somehow it is open, she probably wouldn’t hesitate to go through it.”
Matt imagined a secondary entrance to the cave well ahead. “If the portal were open, wouldn’t the shadow people have gone through it?”
“It depends on how much light is on the other side. They fear light.” Mom grasped Matt’s shirt and pulled him closer. “I’m not sure what we’ll find,” she whispered into his ear, “but I expect that going to Earth is part of my journey, so if we do happen to go there together, I just want to warn you about something. Valiant and Listener have never been to Earth, so entering a corrupt culture that’s probably worse than ever might be a huge shock.”
“I can hear almost any whisper.” Listener kicked a loose pebble, sending it clicking along the cave floor. “We’re ready. Not only do we have our companions, Elam required study of Earth’s culture. It was like swimming in sewage, but we learned a lot, including how to use Earth’s weapons. And Valiant trained me for battle. Only he is my better with a sword.”
“Good to know.” Matt focused on Valiant. Looking at Listener might expose his doubt. Expertise with a sword was great, but it wouldn’t do much good against guns and tanks. And Mom wasn’t as worried about their weapons’ expertise as she was about their emotional response to culture shock.
He leaned closer to Valiant. “Since we’re assuming Semiramis knows we’re here, and since we’re assuming she might want to use a weapon against us, wouldn’t it make sense to call her name and at least pretend to be friendly?”
“This is wisdom, but we are in search of Eagle and Cheer, not her.” Valiant called out, “Eagle! Are you in here?”
“Cheer,” Listener shouted, “it’s Listener!”
Only echoes of their calls replied.
“I hear something,” Listener whispered. “A crackling sound, like fire.”
Matt trained his ears. Nothing. But that was no surprise. Listener’s ears were far more sensitive.
Soon, a flickering light appeared deep in the cave, dancing on the side walls, and a crackling noise crawled through the air.
“It does sound like fire,” Matt said.
Valiant sniffed the air and lowered his voice. “I smell burning fuel.”
When the glow from the flame brightened enough to illuminate the cave floor and a curve in the passage, Valiant flicked off his light. Three clicks echoed his, shutting off the last of the white beams, though Karrick’s twin red lasers stayed on.
Valiant continued in a whisper. “We should assume the portal is open. The fuel means that an engine is nearby, which might indicate a military vehicle, since the Earth government has been monitoring open portals.”
Matt nodded. No use speaking. Apparently no one had been alerted to their presence. The flames might have muffled their shouts.
Valiant lifted a hand. “Listener and I will go first to see what lies beyond this bend. The rest of you stay here until—”
“I’m going.” Matt flinched. The words just leaped from his mouth. “I’m sorry. I mean, I’d like to join you.”
“Of course.” Valiant kept his voice low. “I did not want to volunteer for you. I am unaware of how well you are trained in combat.”
“I’ve been training for combat as long as I can remember.” Matt swallowed back the next thought, that he was certainly better trained than Listener was, but that would be a stupid thing to say. Although he likely could outshoot her with any gun around, she could probably kick his butt in a sword battle.
“Very well. Karrick will stay with Bonnie.”
Listener opened the second saddle pouch and withdrew a rifle of some kind, but the dimness prevented identification. She threw it toward Matt. “Ever use one of these?”
Matt caught the rifle and looked it over. “It’s an AK-47!”
“Fully automatic, fully loaded, ready to fire.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Matt pushed his cloak back, propped the gun against his shoulder, and looked through the sights. “And I do know how to use one.”
“The swords were for the shadow people.” She withdrew another rifle, popped in a magazine, and snapped back the charging handle. “These are for the Earth people.”
“Good thinking.” Matt couldn’t suppress a grin. This young woman was getting more amazing all the time.
Listener’s companion flashed red briefly, but when she gave it a smiling nod, it dimmed and settled on her shoulder. She turned toward Mom. “How about you? I have more rifles in here.”
Mom shook her head. “I am very good with a sword, and I know how to use a handgun, but I’m not sure I can handle that.” She to
uched the candlestone gun behind her belt. “And I’d better keep a hand free for this. Someone might need healing.”
After retrieving a rifle for Valiant, Listener collected swords, leaving Mom’s in her possession, and returned them to the saddle pouch.
“Bonnie,” Valiant said, “you and Karrick follow several paces behind. We want to be sure you are out of gunfire range if we come upon hostile forces.”
Matt checked his warning signals again. “I don’t sense any danger.”
“Do you have experience with sensing danger across a portal?”
“No. I’m pretty new at this.”
“Then we will assume the worst and be ready for it.” Valiant waved an arm and marched. His companion floated a few inches above his shoulder, flashing blue in a rapid rhythm, as if excited about what lay ahead.
Keeping in step with Listener behind Valiant, Matt glanced back. Mom stood in front of Karrick, her sword ready. Her shoulders drooped, but her eyes sparkled, maybe with tears or maybe with determination. Karrick swung his head back and forth, huffing sparks from his nostrils and shifting his eyebeams all around. Mom would be safe with him.
As they walked, Listener rolled up her sleeves, revealing taut and toned forearms. Her fingers opened and closed around her rifle’s grip, and her jaw tightened. Her companion hovered close to her ear and emanated a soft crimson glow.
“Is it talking to you?” Matt asked. “I mean, your companion.”
She nodded. “She is concerned about my aggressive attitude and is counseling me to remember that we fight to protect and rescue, not to gain revenge or exact punishing retribution. Vengeance belongs only to the Father of Lights.”
“Does her counsel help?”
“Always. When I see you and others from Earth without companions, it makes me wonder how you resist temptations.” She laughed softly. “Sometimes wrath boils up inside me to the point that I feel I am ready to explode, but my companion is like cool water, a soothing spring. She tames my temper with a balm of peace. I can’t imagine life without her.”