Ashley leaned close to the phone. “So it doesn’t work on normal humans, because they don’t have photoreceptors.”
“Right,” Carly said, “and people like you and Billy and Bonnie have photoreceptors, but they aren’t dormant, so the parasites can’t attach.”
A bump shook the phone from Walter’s grip, but Ashley caught it, saving it from flying away. After Walter steadied the Jeep, she handed the phone back to him. “We’re still with you, Carly. What else you got?”
“Well, Lois ran millions of models based on plausible alterations of the parasite’s genetics and found a combination that would create a competing parasite.”
“Competing? What would it do?”
“Eat the original one. And she found a genetic switch that will make the competing parasite die after about forty-eight hours. It’s the perfect solution, but …”
Walter rolled his eyes. “I was afraid of that. What’s the catch?”
“It looks like the only way to create it is to use explosive heat and quick cooling, just like how the original one was created.”
“You mean a volcanic eruption?”
“Unless you can think of an alternative.”
Walter gripped the phone through another rollicking bounce. When the Jeep settled again, he turned to Ashley. “As if Second Eden didn’t have enough to worry about, now we have to figure out how to get Mount Elijah to erupt again.”
“Lois sent all her findings to Dr. Conner,” Carly said. “He’s an expert geneticist, so maybe he can work out another option. Now that we’re in contact, we can keep each other up to date.”
Walter gave Carly a thumbs-up sign, though she couldn’t see it. “Right, but let’s stick with the phones. Don’t try to contact my tooth. I still have it installed, but I think they’re too easy to hack.”
“Will do.”
“Just so I can picture this,” Walter said, “how are you transporting Lois?”
“I’ve got her in the portable station sitting in the passenger’s seat. She fits pretty well, but with all the protruding antennae and flashing diodes, she looks like Sputnik at Mardi Gras. I hope she doesn’t arouse any suspicion.”
“Carly, you’re amazing!”
“Yeah, I know. So are you. Anyway, I’ll sign off until I get an update. I’m on an Interstate highway without much traffic, so call me anytime. I patched you through to the radio to make it easier for us both to listen in.”
“Sounds good.” Walter disconnected and handed the phone to Ashley. “Progress, but it feels like two steps forward and three steps back. How can we get the volcano to erupt again? And even if we can, should we?”
“There might be a way to funnel energy to it like we did before. But timing it perfectly so we can be ready to throw in the ingredients?” Ashley shook her head. “Impossible. And it would be suicide for anyone who stirred the pot.”
Walter heaved a sigh. “And that’s what worries me.”
“What? Stirring the pot?”
“No. Suicide. I can’t shake this feeling that Joran and Selah burned up on purpose. Remember seeing those sparks flying into the sky?” He lifted a hand and sprung out his fingers. “It was a big whoosh, and the sparks scattered in the air and stuck in the sky like someone threw a bag of adhesive glitter.”
“That’s a vivid picture.”
“Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, I saw a look in Joran’s eyes, like he knew it was coming, like there was no future left for him and his sister.” He glanced at Ashley. “Have you ever seen a look like that?”
“A few times. But there’s nothing we can do to help them.” She massaged his shoulder. “It’s not Joran and Selah who are bothering you, is it?”
Walter shook his head. “Another brother and sister. When I first met Matt and Lauren, I got the same feeling from them, just not as obvious. It was like they knew they were different and didn’t belong, like they were martyrs on a mission just looking for a reason to die for a cause. Do you know what I mean?”
“I think so. I got the same feeling from Bonnie when I first met her in Doc’s office. I think it’s a sense of freakishness, like you feel so different you know you don’t fit into this world. You get a sense that you can’t exist here, so you find an exit that helps as many people as possible.”
“Exactly, and I especially felt that from Lauren the first time I met her. When I nearly got conked out, I saw her coming toward me, glowing like she was walking through fire without burning, like Moses’ burning bush. Anyway, I’ll never forget that look in her eyes. She felt lost and freakish, just like you said. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right.” He laughed softly. “But I couldn’t even lift my arms then, and I forgot to do it later. Now I feel stupid.”
“Don’t feel stupid. You’ve never been a father. You’re not used to trying to be one.”
“Maybe, but that feels like a lame excuse.” As warmth rose to his cheeks, he gazed into her sympathetic eyes. “Is it wrong for my arms to ache to hold her now?”
“No, of course not.” She ran her fingers through his hair, tears brimming. After a moment of silence, she intertwined her fingers with his. “Are you sad that we couldn’t have a baby? I mean, I know we had only a year before the Enforcers took me, but the tests didn’t look promising.”
“Mixed emotions. If you had a baby and then went to jail, who knows what would have happened? It could’ve been terrible for him or her.” As tears welled, his throat tightened, pinching his voice. “But when I saw Billy’s kids … especially Lauren … my heart kind of ripped in half. I felt this overwhelming urge to protect her, to be a dad to her, and knowing she’s not my daughter doesn’t change that. It’s just …” He tried to swallow down a lump, but it was no use. The words weren’t there.
“It’s just that you loved that protective feeling, and you want it to be permanent.” She leaned close and kissed his cheek, whispering, “You have the heart of a father, and I love you all the more for having it. Maybe someday it will happen.”
After a few more minutes, Walter stopped the Jeep at the end of the trail. With tall rocks and deep ditches ahead in the snowy landscape, there was no way to continue on wheels. They would just have to hoof it.
Ashley grabbed a medical bag from the back while Walter checked the Glock in his hip holster. He had stowed the weapons duffel in a lockbox in the back. Taking along another gun and more ammo would help, but carrying it over this terrain might be more trouble than it was worth. He read the GPS coordinates on his phone. “It’s not too far. Maybe three miles.”
“Not far for you. I’ve been cooped up in a cell for years. All I could do was run in place, not exactly cross-country training. And the snow will make it brutal.”
“Good thing the prison-issue boots are waterproof.” He gave her a kiss and took the medical bag. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you behind.”
After navigating past the rocks and ditches together, Walter ran through the brush, while Ashley hustled a few steps behind. Both wearing multiple layers under thick coats, the race across the Arizona highlands brought sweat and heavy breathing. The snow here wasn’t deep, having been blown into easily avoidable drifts.
“Gabriel’s close,” Ashley called. “I can feel it.”
Walter pointed at a rise. “We’ll rest up there.”
When he crested the rise, he stopped and waited for Ashley to catch up. She ran to the top and halted. As she held a hand over her chest and gasped for air, Walter looked around, shivering in a blustery wind. A stream coursed through a shallow valley with a few trees lining its shore. Beyond that, a flat-topped hill rose about a hundred feet. Lumps interrupted the surface, though failing sunlight made them hard to distinguish.
A human figure rose on the hilltop and began waving his arms.
“I said not to use this, but …” Walter tapped his jaw. “Yereq, is that you flapping over there?”
“It is I.” Yereq’s voice buzzed through
the tooth transmitter. “Come quickly. I fear that some are losing their battle for life.”
“We’re coming.” Walter touched Ashley’s shoulder. “Ready?”
After taking a deep breath, she nodded.
While they ran down the rise side by side, Walter set a finger on his jaw again. “Carly, are you listening to this frequency? We found them. There’s trouble, so stay tuned in.”
“I’m here, Walter,” Carly said through his tooth. “I’m driving through a thunderstorm now, so I might get distracted. I’ll find a place to pull over as soon as I can.”
“All right. Be safe.” Walter and Ashley continued at a jogging pace across the valley floor, dodging shrubs and stunted trees as they high stepped through the snow. When they reached the stream, they splashed through the shallow water and thin ice and hurried on. At this point, a chill didn’t matter. There was no time to waste.
After dashing up the hill, they ran across the flat top to where Yereq stood, towering over several bodies, both dragon and human. Makaidos, Thigocia, and Roxil lay motionless with their necks intertwined and their wings splayed over their backs. Gabriel lay curled on his side with his wings crumpled behind him. Elam, dressed only in his Second Eden battle uniform, sat with his head low and his arms wrapped around his legs, apparently unaffected by the frigid wind blowing a thin layer of snow past him.
Ashley dropped to her knees between Gabriel and Thigocia. “Mother! Gabriel!” She spun her head toward Yereq, her voice shrill. “Are they alive?”
“All are alive, though most are struggling to breathe.” Yereq reached into his pocket and withdrew something pinched between his thumb and finger. “After sweeping away as much snow as possible, I found several of these on the ground. I assume they are candlestones, so I disposed of most of them, but I saved this one for you to analyze.”
Walter studied the semitransparent bead. “Yep. A candlestone bullet.”
“So …” Ashley caressed Thigocia’s neck. “They’ve been shot with candlestones.”
“No telling how many times.” Walter slid the bullet into his pocket and set the medical bag next to Ashley. “Better get started. I’ll find the entry points.”
“Four in Makaidos. Three in Thigocia. Four in Roxil. Three in Gabriel.”
Walter turned toward the voice. Elam had lifted his head. Bruises and bloodstains covered his face, a wide rip in his shirt exposed his chest, and dried blood matted his hair. “How many times were you hit?” Walter asked.
Elam touched a gash on the side of his forehead. “Only once, really, but not by a bullet. I got walloped with the butt of a gun. The blow killed my tooth transmitter. It didn’t really matter, though. I stayed out cold until Yereq arrived. That’s when I checked out all the wounds.”
“Well, if you can move, get over here.” Ashley fished through the bag. “I need you to show me all the entry points. If I have to dig out fourteen candlestones, this is going to take a while.”
While Elam rose and limped toward Ashley, Yereq crouched next to her. “Do you have transport for everyone?” he asked.
Ashley withdrew a small vise clamp and a knife with a thick blade. “Jared and Marilyn are coming with Merlin, so Elam, Gabriel, and Walter and I can go with them. If I can revive my parents, they’ll be able to fly on their own. But I don’t think you’ll fit in the airplane.”
Yereq nodded. “Perhaps Makaidos can carry me where I need to go.”
“Where is that?” Walter asked.
“To find Sapphira.”
Walter slapped his forehead. “Right! Sapphira! I forgot to ask about her. How stupid can I get?”
“Not stupid,” Ashley said. “Just distracted. We didn’t ask about Legossi either.” She raised her brow at Elam. “Where are they?”
“While I tell the story,” Elam said, “I’ll show you the entry points, and you can work on extracting the bullets.”
“That’ll do.” She nodded at Walter. “Grab a towelette from the bag and disinfect your hands. I’ll need your fingers.”
While Ashley and Walter performed surgery, Elam related the horrific events—finding the portal locked, suffering through the helicopter attack, and trying to prevent Sapphira’s kidnapping. During the process, Ashley’s healing touch sealed and cauterized ripped flesh and torn vessels, halting bleeding that sometimes became profuse while she probed for candlestones.
By the time Elam finished, Ashley had removed Gabriel’s bullets and several from the dragons. Although Gabriel still lay unconscious, his breathing and heart rate were steady.
Finally, Elam let out a sigh. “I left the goriest part out.”
Walter tightened a clamp that held two of Thigocia’s stomach scales apart, allowing Ashley’s fingers inside. “What part?”
“Well, Yereq cleaned up the mess here on the hilltop, but …” Elam gestured with his head toward the opposite side of the hill. “Legossi was her usual heroic self. This time it cost her her life.”
Ashley looked at Walter. Her face twisting, she whispered, “Not Legossi.”
“Just keep working.” He clasped her shoulder with a bloody hand. “I’ll be right back.”
“Hurry!” Ashley reached farther into Thigocia’s belly. “We have a few more to extract.”
“I will.” Walter pulled Elam’s arm. “Show me.”
With hands in pockets, the two walked toward the hill’s far side, Walter watchful of Elam’s unsteady gait. “What happened?”
“Legossi attacked a helicopter and brought it down. They retaliated by shooting a missile at her.” When they reached the edge of the hill’s plateau, he pointed at a pile of wreckage at the bottom of the slope. A dragon’s wing lay spread over some of the debris, human legs and arms were scattered here and there, and a scaly head protruded between two mangled propellers. Several birds picked at various entrails hanging from a dragon’s abdomen.
Walter spun away. Nausea boiled. Clutching his stomach, he dropped to his knees and dry heaved. With no food in so many hours, there was nothing inside to vomit.
Elam patted him on the back. “I had the same reaction. I’ve seen a lot of death, but who could get used to carnage like that? Especially a dismembered and disemboweled loved one.”
Coughing, Walter climbed to his feet. When his spasms settled, he shook his head. “You have a strange way with words.”
“Too straightforward, I know. I used to understate the case, but the residents of Second Eden had a hard time understanding me, so I got into the habit of just stating matters plainly. That made me odious in the eyes of your government. They’re not accustomed to truth.”
“Trust me, I understand. My mouth gets me in trouble, too.”
Elam let out a long sigh. “At least Legossi and Angel are finally together.”
“Right. Mother and daughter.” Walter nodded slowly. “It’s good to get an eternal perspective.”
“When you’re as old as I am, it’s easier to do. I’m looking forward to my own heavenly reunions.”
Walter turned toward Ashley across the hilltop. Gabriel was now sitting, shaking his head as if trying to wake up. Thigocia’s wing flitted at the tip, and two lines of smoke rose from Makaidos’s nostrils. Roxil also stirred a wing.
Walter gestured with a flick of his head. “Come on. I have to get back to surgery.”
As they walked, Walter rubbed a thumb across his wedding band. “You sure are handling Sapphira’s kidnapping well. When they took Ashley, I nearly broke my wrist bashing a limb against a tree trunk. I know it’s happened before, but it’s got to be eating you alive.”
Elam nodded. “It’s hard to explain, Walter. When you’ve been alive as long as we have, and when you’ve seen as many miracles as we have, there’s less urgency about everything. The people who kidnapped Sapphira are afraid of her, so they won’t dare open that metal box. I noticed it had air vents and a feeding tray, so they plan on keeping her there until they can move her to a flameproof cell. Th
ey’ll make a ransom demand, probably access to Second Eden, and I’ll delay my answer long enough for us to make a plan to rescue her.”
“But you don’t even know where they’re taking her.”
“Oh, but I do. Fort Knox. After the dragons destroyed it, the government worked for years restoring it. I have no doubt that they have been planning a prison cell constructed especially for Sapphira—dragon-proof, if you know what I mean.”
Walter felt for the bullet in his pocket. “More candlestone guns?”
“Most likely. We’ll have to prepare for the worst.”
When they arrived, Walter, Elam, and Yereq pitched in to hold scales apart, pass around instruments, and fetch water from the nearby stream in a metal basin Yereq found in the helicopter wreckage.
After another hour, Ashley had removed every bullet and stitched every wound. When she finished, she reclined on her back with her arms over her face and her sleeves rolled up, revealing blood stains from fingertips to elbows. “I need three ibuprofen tablets and ten hours of sleep. I have the worst headache in the history of the world.”
“And your healing reserves?” Walter asked as he dug into the medical bag.
“Gone. Kaput. It might take days to get them back. I thought my mother’s last wound would never seal.”
Walter pushed three pills into her hand. “I’ll put some iodine in the water so you can swallow these.”
“No need.” She lifted her head, popped the pills into her mouth, and swallowed, wincing as they went down.
The three dragons rose to their haunches, their heads drooping at the ends of sagging necks. “You have done well,” Thigocia said, her voice low and despondent. “All of you.”