He handed Walter the sword and lifted his arms. “If you wouldn’t mind lending me assistance.” Mrs. Bannister and Walter obliged, each putting a shoulder under an arm.
“Walter,” the professor said, now standing with his weight on his good foot, “in my efforts to dispose of the two aggressors, I did not think about what the sword might do to me. I was, however, concerned about you. That’s why I shoved you out of the room.”
Walter smiled from under the professor’s arm. “Yeah. I guessed that.”
“As soon as I raised the sword, an extraordinary beam emanated from its end. Although it startled me, I believe it terrified the other chap even more. He stumbled and fired his weapon at me, missing with his first shot and striking my foot with the second. Then, in an amazing flash of light, the beam consumed him along with the—ahem—lady on the floor.”
Walter dragged his shoe along the floor where the woman had fallen, letting his toe sort through the various items the bad guys had left behind—a watch, a bracelet, a set of keys, and a gray wig lying beside two guns and a brown jacket.
“I suspect,” the professor continued, “that Excalibur’s bearer has more control over its power than we expected. Bonnie was not affected when she used it, nor was I, and I was able to guide it toward my targets. It makes me wonder if Merlin intended to bring about his own disintegration.”
“Merlin zapped himself on purpose?”
Mrs. Bannister took a step forward and pushed the professor along. “We can make our guesses later. Right now we have to call the police and an ambulance. Walter got part of the license plate. And you, Professor, have to go to the hospital.”
The professor hobbled along with his two helpers toward the reception area. He grimaced at every step but managed to keep his voice calm. “I beg your pardon, Marilyn, but I think going to the hospital would not be wise. Our delay would be unpredictable, and my wound is not life threatening. I also think involving the police would hamper our efforts. We would not be able to answer all their questions, and based on Devin’s record of keeping his affairs untraceable, my guess is that the license plate would lead to a dead end even if we had the entire number. We have no real obligation to involve the authorities, since there are no bodies here.”
When they reached the chairs, Mrs. Bannister pulled the professor’s arm from around her neck and slowly released him. She ran her hand through her tousled hair and took a deep breath. “But what about your foot? It needs treatment. And what about Billy? Who’s going to find him?”
The professor lowered his tall frame down to the loveseat, letting out a lengthy sigh. He gazed up at her with sad eyes. “Trust me, Marilyn. This crude villain cannot harm your son. I am sure of that. You may wish to pray about a later battle, but for now, William is safe. As for me, I suggest we purchase a bandage and crutches, perhaps a topical antibiotic as well. More thorough treatment can wait.” The professor pointed toward Walter. “Walter, however, may need attention.”
Mrs. Bannister’s eyes widened, and she reached for his shoulder. “Walter! You’re bleeding!”
Walter wrinkled his nose and stepped back. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch from that creep’s knife.”
She cupped his chin in her hand and tilted his face toward the light. “And your eyes, they’re swollen half shut!”
“Mrs. B,” Walter said, pulling away from her hand, “I don’t mean any disrespect, but Prof and I don’t need a mother right now.” He tightened his grip on Excalibur. “We need to go skewer a slayer.”
She glanced at the professor and then at Walter. New determination flashed in her eyes. “Right!” She clenched her fist. “Where do we start?”
The professor’s gaze seemed far away, as though he were staring straight through the wall. “Walter,” he said slowly, “do you remember the assailant’s words? We were listening from the kitchen. He said that he was going to take William somewhere.”
“Yeah, I heard him. He said to Flathead.”
His eyes narrowed to two slits. “Flathead? Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It was a weird name, so I picked up on it.”
The professor lowered his gaze as if to study the gray carpet at his feet. “I perused our map of Montana during our flight. I’m sure there’s a Flathead Lake, but I believe there is also Flathead County and Flathead Forest. I’m afraid with all those options, our search region is far too large.” With a brighter expression he looked up at the others and tried to stand. “I don’t think we can risk asking questions around the campus. We’ll just drive into Flathead County and ask in that area if anyone knows Dr. Conner. Perhaps someone will be able to provide inform—”
A loud ring interrupted the professor. He bent forward to reach for his phone but lost his balance, and Walter and Mrs. Bannister caught him by the shoulder. The professor pointed toward his hip. “Walter, would you please answer my cell phone. It’s on my belt.”
Walter grabbed the phone and flipped it open. “Hello. . . . Yeah, Dad. What’s up? . . . From Bonnie? Cool! What’s it say?” Walter was quiet for almost half a minute, nodding as he listened. “The address? Sure. Hold on.” He held a pretend pencil and wrote in the air. “Hey, Prof. You got anything to write with?”
The professor shook his head. “Have your father send his information to my e-mail address. I can bring it up on my phone.”
“Gotcha!” He turned back to the cell phone. “Hey, Dad. Send it to Prof’s e-mail. We’ll get it. . . . Here? Oh, not much. We’ve been reading prophetic poems in a diary written by Merlin, and we found a real fire-breathing dragon in a cave, and after we got waylaid by a couple of gun-toting goons and an ugly old witch, Billy got kidnapped at knifepoint and thrown into a trunk. The kidnapper sped off just before I could get to him, and he tried to squash my head with his tires, but he missed. I’m okay, and it didn’t hurt much when he stabbed me. Oh yeah, the professor’s been shot. Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet. See ya later.” Walter pressed the disconnect button and snapped the phone back on the professor’s belt.
“Walter!” Mrs. Bannister cried. “Shouldn’t you explain it to your father a little better than that?”
He squinted with one eye and waved his hand. “Nah. It would take too long. He probably thinks I was kidding, anyway.”
The professor pointed toward their coats piled on the end of the sofa and wobbled to his feet. “What information is he sending, Walter?”
Walter picked up the professor’s coat and handed it to him. “Looks like Bonnie knew something was up. She gave a lady at some convenience store a postcard to send, and the lady happened to be the owner of the place. Anyway, she got worried about Bonnie and sent it overnight express with a note explaining what she saw.”
The professor wriggled on his parka and limped heavily toward the door. Mrs. Bannister stayed close to his side and placed a hand on Walter’s shoulder. “What did the card say?”
Walter zipped his coat, then held the door open. “It had the name of the store on it, and Bonnie wrote something like, ‘My father’s taking me to a place he said was about thirty minutes from here. He said it’s a lab near Flathead Lake, and the lab must be a pretty big place, because people live there. I hope you can find it. I don’t trust him. Something’s definitely wrong.’”
The professor stopped in the hallway and raised a finger. “Aha! Flathead Lake! Was there any other information?”
“Not from Bonnie,” Walter continued. “The lady wrote that Bonnie was traveling with a man and another teenaged girl. They were riding in an SUV. She wasn’t sure what kind, but it was sort of a maroon color, and new.”
The professor held out his arms. “I see now that my foot is too badly damaged for walking. If you will assist me to the car, I can retrieve my e-mail there. After we procure a pair of crutches, our first stop will be this lady’s store. Perhaps our eyewitness will be able to tell us a bit more. Walter, please fetch the box for the sword. We may have more transluminating to do.”
The magneto eng
ines whined, and Ashley’s hands and fingers flew across the control panel. She half-sat and half-stood while she watched the display, rocking her body and peeking around the light-deflecting hood every couple of seconds to see what was going on in the diver’s dome. With a gasp, she fell back to her seat and cried out. “Noooo!”
Dr. Conner ran out to the triangle. Two of the glass cylinders remained empty, while the anchor dome filled with sparkling light. Ashley, her face hot and her fingers trembling, turned a knob fully counterclockwise.
Within seconds, the dancing light solidified, re-creating Derrick’s slender body. He collapsed to his knees, his thin dark hands covering his weeping face. Ashley heard his mournful words through her headphones. “She let go! I tried to hold on, but she let go!”
Ashley threw off the headphones, flipped a switch to raise the glass, and ran to Derrick. Dr. Conner took one hand while Ashley gently held the other, and they led him down to floor level.
“Ashley, get back and monitor the activity. I’ll take care of Derrick.” He picked up the trembling youth, cradling him in both arms, and carried him to the dorm while Ashley stood alone in the midst of her trinity of glass domes. She gazed at the diver’s platform, the last place she had seen Bonnie’s shining face. As she dragged her feet toward it, her shoulders slumped. A million thoughts zipped through her mind, clogging even her powerful brain. The thoughts hurt, each one like a pricking needle, reminding her of her vows. I know you want your mother back. We need to get her out of that candlestone, and I’m not going to let you down.
She sniffed, trying to keep the tears back, but they broke through. She wiped the first few, and then gave up, letting them flow. When she reached the diver’s platform, she stooped and pressed the button on the base. With a low hum, the glass slowly ascended, and the sight of the exposed platform reminded her of Bonnie’s request. She dropped to her knees, searching the floor of the platform carefully. A single tear splashed where Bonnie’s feet had recently stood.
Her ring should be around here somewhere. But where? It couldn’t have gone far.
A loud voice interrupted her search. “Ashley! Why aren’t you at the panel?”
Ashley jumped and ran back to the controls, peering again into the displays through a glaze of tears. Dr. Conner’s footsteps pounded toward her. “What’s going on?”
Ashley pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to hold back an emerging sob. “Only—” She gulped and took a breath, trying not to whine. “Only two presences. That third one is gone.”
Dr. Conner put one hand on his hip and shook a finger at the monitor. “You said there was an attachment. What happened?”
Ashley took another breath, finding strength in her anger. “There was,” she said, flipping a switch near the bottom of the panel. “I’ll run the data back on the screen. You can see for yourself.” They both watched the stream of numbers while Ashley pointed. “Look, there’s Bonnie. She’s at six point two, and there’s Devin. He’s at seven point five. Then, here’s the third presence, ranging from three point eight all the way to seven point two.”
He squinted at the monitor, glancing now and then at the settings on the panel. “How can that be? We’re not showing any shadow effect in the other two.”
“Some kind of multiple presentation I guess, but it’s clearly the same entity.” She pressed her finger on the display. “Now here’s the connection. Bonnie was moving up, and when she reached six point eight—”
Dr. Conner frowned and shook his head, his scowl growing once again and his voice deepening to a growl as he continued to watch the data. “It wasn’t Devin attaching to her; it was that other thing, whatever it was.”
Ashley lowered her head and replied softly. “Yeah. I see that now.”
Dr. Conner glared at her. “Are you playing me for a fool?”
Ashley jerked her head up and met his angry eyes. “Me playing you? Look who’s talking! You and your lies about Bonnie’s mom! What really happened to her? And what was all that about my grandfather dying?”
Dr. Conner stepped away from the control panel and stuffed his hands into his pockets, taking a few steps in a small circle before looking at Ashley again, the creases on his brow deepening. “You’ve been wondering why your grandfather’s health has been leveling off,” he said, sarcasm coating his words. “And now he’s sick . . . very sick. It seems that our model patient is deteriorating. Your wonderful photoreceptors don’t work. They never have.”
He waved his arm at the glass domes glowing faintly in the dim room. “The receptors I’ve been putting into your restoration engine are real ones. And all this time I’ve been using the candlestone and dragon’s blood to restore your precious ‘Daddy.’ Didn’t you notice that he stopped improving at the same time Devin took the candlestone to West Virginia?”
The two glared at each other, but after a few seconds his scowl faded and he returned his hand to his pocket. “But now that the stone’s back here, it doesn’t work. I think it’s because Devin’s in there, somehow messing up the process. He’s trying to force us to get him out. He knows I can’t leave him there if I want our research to continue. That’s why I needed Bonnie. No one else has been able to get him out.”
Ashley gripped the sides of the control panel until her knuckles turned white. This creep had used his own daughter as a glorified guinea pig! He had put her in danger just so he could keep his precious research going! Not only that, he lied about why her grandfather was sick!
Her thoughts stretched back to months ago, before her grandfather’s treatments had started. Day after day she had told Daddy how much she loved him, explaining her research and how it would help him recover. It didn’t matter that he sometimes couldn’t respond; she was willing to do whatever he needed. On his nurse’s day off, she would change his soiled sheets, clean his feeding tube, and wash his body. And every day she begged God to heal him . . . but God never answered.
She pinched the bridge of her nose to hold back her tears. Letting Dr. Conner see her pain was out of the question. She steadied her voice, but a tight squeak slipped out. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”
Dr. Conner kicked a power cord out of his way and resumed a slow pace around the lab. “Oh, come now! Would you have helped me if you knew that I needed dragon’s blood every time we treated your grandfather and every time we sent a diver into the stone?” He made a full circuit before continuing his rant. “Devin agreed not to hurt Bonnie if I got him out of the stone, but would you help set a monster like Devin free, knowing that his lust for Bonnie’s blood would never die? Yes, Daddy’s dying, but are you willing to risk someone else’s life to save him?” He stopped and faced her, a strange expression moving from his eyes to his lips, as if a light had flashed on in his brain. “Maybe you were willing after all. You knew Devin was in the candlestone, and you were easy to convince that he was trapped in ‘A’ frequency. You noticed his frequency drift, but it didn’t stop you from sending Bonnie in there, did it?”
Ashley hesitated. His questions stung like a thousand hornets. And they raised so many new questions, her brain felt overloaded again. She took a deep breath. “Where have you been getting dragon’s blood?”
Dr. Conner dug his hands back into his pockets. Finally, he sighed and nodded his head. “I guess you might as well know everything.” He started walking toward the back of the lab and gestured with his head. “Come on. Follow me. It’s time to open the Omega door.”
Karen stepped out of the hall and motioned for the other girls. She whispered hoarsely, “Let’s go! The coast is clear!”
All bundled in heavy coats, thick pants, and high boots, the four girls stole through the lab. Karen paused to pick up Pebbles, and Stacey and Rebecca crowded beside her. They skirted the central lab area, traveling the long way around the perimeter of the cavern. When they reached the door to the Alpha exit tunnel, Karen turned the knob. “It’s unlocked. Let’s go.” She tapped the other two girls wit
h her free hand and pointed to a flashlight hanging on a hook. “Beck, you first, then Stacey. Pebbles and I’ll bring up the rear. On tiptoes, now!”
Snagging the flashlight, Beck snapped it on, and she and Stacey crept down the narrow corridor. Karen peeked out the door then closed it behind her. She blew out a long sigh. So far, so good. She shifted Pebbles in her arms, balancing her against her hip. Karen felt weak, and her knees wobbled. I have to do it! I just have to! There’s a bunch of stairs, but I’ve done it before. She set her jaw, pressing her lips together, and gave a firm nod. Bonnie did her part. Now I’ve gotta do mine!
As quickly as it came, the shimmering hedge disappeared, and Bonnie felt her “hand” zipping back toward her like a retractable measuring tape. In a way, it was a relief to have her new body all in one place, but her returning hand brought with it a new mystery. It carried a sparkle of some kind, a dark red glow that seemed attached to her own white light.
My ring! Somehow it came through with me!
The other light, the one she thought was her mother, had fallen back, as though cowering in the distance. She knew who it was now. The glowing fence of light had touched her, and it seemed as though it had fed her information, a gentle stream of loving thoughts that flowed from mind to mind.
The first light was none other than Devin, the dragon slayer, the very one who had plunged his sword into her mother’s belly and ripped her open, the same hateful maniac who would kill Bonnie if he had the chance. Somehow he had morphed his light energy to look like her mother’s body, and now he was reshaping again, his light congealing into a radiant image of his human form.
Bonnie felt the slayer’s words, his thoughts now buzzing into her mind like irritating static as he drew closer. “You’re trapped in here with me, Demon Witch, at least for now. You’re doomed to hell, where you belong.”