She tilted her head to the side and rubbed her cheek against his hand. “You can if you want to, but everyone’s already really scared. If any more strangers come, I’m not sure what they would do, especially strangers who fly in a mechanical dragon.”
“But Walter and Ashley will vouch for us,” Billy said. “They know who we are.”
“Valiant, our best warrior, is suspicious of everything, especially Ashley and her dragon, but you can try. The men can go and warn them while you and I find Abraham, but I don’t think we’re strong enough to defeat Flint by ourselves.”
“We’ll all go,” Billy’s father said. “Finding Abraham is our first priority.”
Sir Patrick climbed down the stairs. “I will find the gathering. Perhaps an old man entering their midst alone will not raise too much anxiety.” He turned and strode toward the village lights, his shoulders sagging as he faded into the dim surroundings.
Listener pointed at Billy’s sweatshirt. “That won’t be warm enough.” She picked up a heavy coat from the ground and slid her arms through the sleeves. “It’s much colder up there. I brought my coat in case a shadow person came around. Albatross is so protective, he would’ve flown me a mile in the air. He can heat up his scales for us, but it’s never enough.”
“I will get your coat.” Sir Barlow lumbered up the stairs and returned within seconds holding the coat and a scabbard, the hilt of the Excalibur replica visible at one end. “This first, William. You can wear it at your waist instead of on your back.”
As soon as Billy had attached the scabbard, Barlow helped him put on his coat. “Find a place for us to land,” Barlow said, “and I will fight at your side.” He clambered back up the stairs and disappeared in the belly of the plane.
When the door closed, Listener pursed her lips and let out a short whistle burst. Albatross lowered his head, creating a stairway with his neck. Listener hustled up the spiny ridges and took her seat in the front. “Albatross isn’t the easiest dragon to fly. Since he knows me, I’d better guide him.”
Billy picked up the lantern and followed. He had to stretch his legs to step around Listener and reach the backseat. With the lantern swinging in his hand, the sword dangling at his side, and a cold breeze biting his skin, the process was tedious, but he finally managed to settle in the leathery chair and tie the harness around his waist.
“Give us as much heat as you can,” Listener called.
Within seconds, a wave of warmth rose from the dragon’s scales. Billy set a hand closer to its body and let the heat radiate into his skin. If the little girl was right, he might need all the warmth he could get.
As Merlin taxied into position behind Albatross, Listener whistled again, louder and longer this time. The dragon stretched out his wings and leaped into the air. Billy grabbed the back of Listener’s seat and hung on. Although Albatross lifted with great strength, the flight seemed far rougher than when Billy rode atop Clefspeare. This dragon dipped and rose abruptly with every beat of his wings, but he seemed to know what he was doing as he flew low over a farm at the outskirts of the village.
Looking back, Billy caught sight of the trailing airplane. He lifted the lantern and waved it, but when the buffeting winds nearly blew out its flame, he propped it on the back of his seat.
Merlin closed in, then kept pace, staying about a hundred yards behind Albatross’s swinging tail.
“We’ll pass over the grasslands first,” Listener shouted. “We can fly low enough to see what’s down there, but when we get to the marshes, we’ll have to go higher to stay away from Flint’s archers.”
Billy shivered as he tried to hold the lantern while watching the endless field of grass below. With the moon casting a yellowish-white glow, the wind made the heads of grain look like sea foam being tossed about by churning waves.
As he scanned the landscape, it seemed that shadows appeared and disappeared, as if painted and then instantly erased by an indecisive artist. After a few minutes, one shadow stayed constant, a low, sleek profile that cut through the grass like a living scythe.
Billy pointed at the shape. “What’s that?”
Listener leaned over at a precarious angle. “A prairie lion. I think he’s stalking something.”
“There!” Billy pointed again. “A man! The lion’s chasing that man!”
“Hang on!” Listener slapped Albatross’s neck and kicked him with her heel. The dragon plunged and banked at the same time. He swooped between the lion and the man, swiped at the lion with his tail as he zoomed past, and slid across the grass on his belly until he came to a stop.
Pulling out his sword, Billy leaped to the ground and sprinted through the waist-high grass. About fifty feet ahead, the man held a stick with both hands, pointing it at the lion. He pivoted and aimed his stick at another shadow, a second lion that approached from the other side.
Billy leaped in front of the closer lion, whipped out his sword, and shouted, “Get back!”
The man sidestepped toward him. “I appreciate your kindness, stranger, but these lions are not easily frightened. They are obviously famished and desperate. I fear that we might have to strike an offensive posture to ward them off.”
“I’m on it.” Billy took a step toward the first lion and raised his sword.
“Father Abraham!” Listener ran toward them, still clutching her spyglass, but stopped when she saw the lion again. “Uh oh.” As she backed away slowly, the airplane skidded to a quick landing not far from Albatross. The lion spied Listener and lowered itself into a crouch, ready to pounce.
Billy charged, but the lion sprang toward her before he could reach it with his sword. Suddenly, a stream of ice shot through the grass, knocking the lion on its side. Billy slipped and fell on his back, but he kept his grip on the sword’s hilt.
Albatross scooped up Listener with his wing and roared at the lion, spewing a flood of ice over it and Billy.
Billy scrambled to his feet, slipping and sliding. The other lion pounced at Abraham. Its paws struck his chest, and its body snapped his feeble stick as it knocked him to the ground. Billy leaped toward them, but a stinging pain swept across his back. He toppled forward, spinning as he fell.
The first lion lunged at him, its teeth bared and its claws outstretched. He thrust out his sword hand, but the lion flew off to the side, ripped out of mid-flight by a huge man with two muscular arms wrapped around its body.
“Barlow!” Billy leaped back to his feet. “Great tackle!”
“Get the other cat!” Barlow rolled with the lion, holding its mouth closed with one hand while fumbling for his sword with the other. “I’ll take care of this little kitty!”
Billy rushed toward Abraham. The cat straddled the man, growling and snapping as he pushed against its chest with bloody hands. Rearing back with the sword as he ran, Billy lunged. With a hefty swipe, he sliced into the lion’s chest, then shoved it away with his foot.
The cat fell to the ground and writhed in the grass but quickly righted itself before slinking away into the darkness. Billy braced Abraham’s back as he helped him sit up. “Are you okay?”
The moonlight revealed several gashes across his face, each one streaming blood. “I believe so, but I will need medical attention. There is a doctor in Peace Village who—”
“Here’s a first-aid kit!” Billy’s father dropped to his knees on the other side of Abraham and opened a white metal box. “Billy, get everyone inside Merlin. I’m sure the dragon can find his way home.”
“Yes, sir!”
Billy rose to leave, but Abraham grabbed his pant leg. “No need to tend to me here. Help me into your airplane. I must get back to my village immediately.”
Billy and his father lifted Abraham to his feet. As they helped him hobble past Barlow, now standing over a dead lion with a sword in its belly, Barlow gave them a nod, blood oozing from scratches on both sides of his face. “This cat just spent the last of its nine lives.” Barlow touched his cheek, wincing. “Somehow I doubt he though
t I was his pajamas.”
When they reached Albatross, Abraham signaled for them to stop as he addressed the dragon. “You have done well, my friend. You may release Listener and fly home.”
Albatross unfurled his wing, revealing Listener crouching at his flank. She rushed toward Abraham, extending the spyglass. “I saw my mother! She’s standing in front of the birthing garden with everyone in your village looking at her. I think she’s getting ready to say something. Elam is standing next to her, and he seems really cross.”
Abraham touched the spyglass. “You saw Angel with this?”
She nodded.
“What color was her companion’s light?”
“I didn’t see her companion, but it likes to stay in her hair.”
Abraham’s body drooped. Billy and his father grunted as they held him up. Even in the dimness of moonlight, his face had clearly turned pale, shades of corpselike gray under ribbons of red. “We must hurry!” Abraham said, trembling as he tipped forward.
They hustled him into the airplane, and as soon as everyone was seated and buckled, Billy turned back to the passengers. Barlow leaned over Abraham and dabbed his wounds with a cotton swab. Listener sat alone on the other side of the aisle, looking out the window with her spyglass. “Albatross is on his way home.”
“That’s good,” Billy said. “No offense to the dragon, but I’d much rather ride in here than out there.” The increasing buzz of the propeller forced him to raise his voice. “I think you’ll like it, too.”
As the plane rolled over the bumpy field, Abraham reached across the aisle. “Listener, have you seen your mother again?”
She lowered the spyglass. “Not yet. I see far away things only once in a while.”
“Let me know if you do.” When the plane lifted into the sky, Abraham leaned back in his seat. “I have seen aircraft through my ovulum, but I never imagined that I would fly in one.”
Sir Barlow smeared a line of antibiotic ointment along one of Abraham’s deeper wounds. “I, too, was unaccustomed to modern conveyances when I emerged from the candlestone after over a thousand years of being trapped in that accursed gem, but it didn’t take me long to, as the modern idiom says, ‘learn the ropes.’”
“I see.” Abraham patted Sir Barlow’s forearm. “We have a few minutes. Let us tell each other our stories as quickly as possible. Afterwards, there may be very little time even to breathe.”
Chapter 15
The Seed Is Planted
Elam stood near the edge of the birthing garden, his arms folded across his chest as he waited for everyone to be seated in the grass. With Pegasus still barely over the horizon, lanterns abounded, illuminating the fragile expressions of the villagers. The younger children wore smiles and wide eyes that gave away their awestruck amazement at this new and exciting event. Deep lines furrowed the brows of many of the adults. Obviously they knew this gathering wasn’t a social ceremony. Somehow it would change their lives forever.
In fact, no one knew for certain what all these signs portended—the young warrior chief coming to their village without Father Abraham; a white-haired girl with fire in her hands and hair; two strangers from another world, one a healer and the other a warrior with a magnificent sword; a talking dragon in search of a human daughter; a strange buzzing machine flying in the air that disappeared over the trees; and a little girl who was supposed to speak words that would call a prophesied helper from yet another realm. To them, it must have sounded like a fairy tale, yet now they had come together to witness what they had heard about in bedtime stories ever since they had emerged from this very garden.
Angel sat cross-legged at the front, while Ashley and Walter stood far to Elam’s right where Thigocia had found room to lie in the grass. Valiant stood near the middle of the pack, Candle clutching his hand at his side. Listener, however, was nowhere in sight. She had asked to go to the dragon launching field to look at Pegasus through her spyglass. Since Albatross was there, she would be safe from any lurking shadow people, and his scales would keep her warm if need be. Angel had said Albatross was the most protective dragon she had ever seen, so if it was all right with Listener’s mother, Elam decided it was all right with him.
When everyone had settled, Elam gestured toward Acacia and Paili. “Is she ready?”
“She is ready.” Acacia took Paili by the hand and joined Elam. “We have been preparing for this moment for years.”
Angel jumped up and gave Elam a brief curtsy. “May I interrupt with a question?”
Elam nodded. “You may.”
She spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Since you and all who are involved with this ceremony are strangers to our people, you might not be aware of our ways.”
“Are we violating a custom?” Elam asked. “Please let me know, and we’ll try to do this the right way.”
Angel glanced back at Candle. Valiant crossed his arms and stared at her quizzically. As she looked at Elam again, she intertwined her fingers, her voice trembling as she continued. “You are not breaking a custom. It is a matter of priority. Father Abraham should be here to oversee this sacred event. He is the keeper of Enoch’s Ghost, but now even that is gone, so we have no guiding hand with which we are all familiar.”
“Are you saying that we should wait? I thought you wanted to bring our helper as soon as possible.”
“Oh, we must continue, but I wanted you to know what Enoch said to me. Since Father Abraham is not here to relay the message, I must give it for him.”
“You received a message when you looked into Enoch’s Ghost?” Elam asked.
A wave of gasps crossed the seated crowd. Angel’s face twitched, but she kept her eyes focused on Elam. “Enoch spoke to me.”
Elam tried to read Angel’s expression. Why the twitch? Why did the people react the way they did? He looked over at Valiant. The warrior’s face had turned stony. He obviously didn’t like what he heard. Something strange was going on. “What did Enoch say?” Elam asked.
“We all know that the girl, Paili, has come to speak a prophecy over our garden. Our understanding is that she is to call upon Makaidos to rise from the dead. I am asking that she change the song and say ‘the dragon’ instead of ‘Makaidos.’”
Elam pondered her words. Her odd facial expression raised a warning in his mind. Dealing with Morgan and Naamah for so long had shown him deception in many of its manifestations, and Angel’s stance and tone brought back nightmarish memories of his slave mistresses’ lies. She had crafted her response precisely and avoided a direct answer, one of the hallmarks of a deceiver. But could he accuse her of lying? Who was he to level such a charge when he was a stranger in this land?
“Your hesitation troubles me,” Angel said as she lowered herself to her knees. Pressing her hands together, she bowed her head. “I humbly thank you for hearing the request of your servant. I, of course, will abide by your decision. If you choose not to change the words, then let us proceed without any alteration.”
Elam took a step back. Seeing Angel’s contrite posture brought to mind Naamah’s lament when she begged for forgiveness. He had decided to believe that deceiving temptress, and his faith in her was rewarded to the point of saving the world. How could he doubt this woman who had never told a lie in her life?
He lowered his hand. She took it and allowed him to raise her up. “Did Enoch say why Paili is supposed to change the words?”
Averting her eyes again, Angel shook her head. “He gave me no explanation.”
Elam looked over at Ashley. She stood near Thigocia, a hand on the dragon’s neck. If she could really read minds, would she be able to help? Would it even be right to ask? Or should he rather just trust Angel and hope his faith would eventually be rewarded no matter what the outcome?
He nodded at Acacia. “Please bring the word-bearer to me.”
Acacia guided Paili to the edge of the garden and turned toward Elam. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe.” Elam looked back and forth b
etween Acacia and Angel. The difference in their postures and expressions was like night and day. Acacia’s eyes, wide and bright, shone without a hint of secrecy, while Angel’s seemed like a stone wall. “Is Makaidos part of her song?” he asked. “Can Paili change it as Angel has requested?”
Acacia touched Paili’s head. “She is to call upon Makaidos, Elam, but we aren’t comfortable with making the change. Enoch’s instructions were clear. He made sure Paili knew the words precisely.”
Elam nodded. No doubt Acacia was right to feel that way. Still … “Is it possible that Enoch changed his mind?”
“Of course, it’s possible. When a storm arises, only a fool refuses to alter his course.”
He scanned the crowd. Many shifted restlessly, while some of the younger ones pranced around or battled with wooden swords. Leaving Candle behind, Valiant eased his way toward the front, his eyes set on Angel, but he seemed in no hurry.
Elam set his jaw. The people were getting restless. He had to make a decision. “Abraham is gone,” he finally said. “I think that qualifies as a storm. Please ask Paili to make the change.”
“Very well.” Acacia whispered to Paili but too quietly for Elam to hear. He looked at Angel again. A breeze blew her hair back from her shoulders and ears. He searched for her companion, but, unless it was buried in her hair, it wasn’t nearby. Squinting, he continued his search. He had to be certain. He needed something more than one of her oblique answers.
Paili set her toes at the edge of the garden, while Acacia stood behind her. Just as she spread out her shimmering blue cloak, Elam raised his arm. “Stop!”
As every head turned toward him, he gestured for Angel to come forward. She walked to the front, her eyes darting more frantically than ever. He grabbed her arm, turned her toward the crowd, and lifted his voice. “I just want to make sure everyone understands what’s going on. The great prophet Enoch gave the little girl words to speak to bring us a warrior dragon to help with a coming battle. Angel asked her to make a minor change to the words.” He turned to her, but she wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Angel, did Enoch tell you to do this? I want a straight answer.”