“Merlin told me about that.” Elam folded his hands on the table. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since. How can any man endanger God?” As the lantern’s flame flashed brighter, he raised a clenched fist. “Why doesn’t God just crush him?”
Enoch waved a hand of dismissal. “God is in no danger. It is the created order that is threatened. If Mardon succeeds, God is quite capable of cleaning up the mess, but since Mardon is using the physical universe as it was created, God prefers to battle his enemy by employing his faithful servants. In other words, he wishes to use one part of his creation to save the rest.” He set his finger on the book. “The girl Acacia showed you will provide a weapon we can use to fight against Mardon, and you will be an integral part of the battle.”
As Elam uncurled his fingers, the lantern’s flame settled. “What do you want me to do?”
“You must go back through the shield to the Bridgelands where you will find Dikaios and your other traveling partner. Once there, you must gather soldiers, ten wandering souls who wish to prove their worth, and bring them to the shield. When you return, Acacia and I will meet you, and I will give you further instructions.”
“You want ten souls?” Elam asked, opening both hands to display his fingers. “Exactly ten?”
Enoch nodded. “Why do you act so surprised?”
“It’s just that I already know where to find them. There are ten gentlemen who are hoping to get into Heaven, but they got lost somehow.”
Enoch raised a finger and pressed it against his temple. “Take care that your enthusiasm does not overwhelm your discernment. We can hope for the deliverance of others, but the final barrier between them and this altar ultimately dwells in their own minds. And if they have died on Earth, their fate has already been decided.”
Elam processed Enoch’s mysterious comment but decided not to ask its meaning. The task at hand was too pressing. “So, do I go now? That storm was already getting close when I was last out there.”
Enoch pointed at the mural. “Simply walk through it, and you will be on your way.”
Elam took Acacia’s hand and kissed it, then Paili’s. “God willing, I will return.” He rose and walked right into the wall. For a moment, the brilliant light blinded him again, but it faded away as the familiar Bridgelands reappeared.
Naamah stood next to Dikaios, her hair wrapping around her neck as the winds whipped across her face. She ran forward and hugged Elam. “I thought you might not come for me. When Enoch sent me away, I feared that I had been rejected from our father’s house.”
“He didn’t tell me why exactly,” Elam said, patting Naamah’s back, “but I think it’s because of Paili. She’s still alive as a little girl, so her memories of how you treated her in the mines would probably scare her if she saw you again.”
“I see.” Naamah backed away and folded her hands in front of her. “My past sins are still a chain around my neck.”
“Give it time,” Elam said. “She’s a special case.”
Naamah bowed her head. “As much as she needs.”
“Dikaios!” Elam shouted through the breeze. “We have to go back to the Skotos Woods. Enoch wants me to collect ten wanderers and bring them here.”
The horse plodded to his side. “I can carry you and Naamah, but the ten will have to find other transport.”
Elam set his hand above his eyes and scanned the horizon. “What’s available around here? Can we find a carriage of some kind? More horses?”
“I know of other horses, but it would take hours to get to their grazing lands.”
“Hours,” Elam repeated. “We don’t have hours.” He stared at the gathering clouds. The stiff breeze dried out his eyes, and weariness flooded his bones, but he couldn’t rest, not now, not when the storm was about to strike.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted movement in the field. A line of ragged men marched across the grasslands, Zane leading them. The last man in the procession grasped the shoulder of the man in front of him. As they closed in, they picked up their pace.
“Do you see what I see?” Elam asked Dikaios.
“Indeed. It seems that our nomadic soldiers have wandered right into our troop.”
Elam crossed his arms over his chest. “But I told them to build a fire and wait. Could it have gone out so soon?”
“I suspect they built no fire at all,” Dikaios said. “They have come a very long way, so they would have had to begin their journey as soon as we left the forest.”
Naamah moved behind Elam and peeked around his side. “I think I recognize one of them. The last man in the line could be one of the men who tried to take advantage of me.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Elam shielded his eyes again. “He’s hanging on to the guy in front of him like he’s blind.”
When they came within earshot, Zane shouted gleefully, “We made it!”
As they drew closer, Naamah squeezed Elam’s arm. “He is one of my attackers,” she whispered. “I am sure of it! His name is Dawson.”
All ten men quickly gathered around, the last one still grasping his guide. “You were difficult to follow,” Zane continued, “but the horse’s distinctive prints always put us back on your trail. When we reached a rockier path, we lost track, but I saw the lady in red waving for us to ascend a ridge. When we arrived, she was gone, but from that vantage point we could see you standing here.”
Elam pointed a stiff finger at him. “I told you to build a fire and wait for me!”
“Well,” Zane said, his smile unabated, “were you planning to come back soon and bring us here?”
“Yes. We were just leaving.”
Zane spread out his hands and laughed. “Then we have arrived with the same result, only sooner. It seems that the lady in red has blessed us with another providential shortcut.”
Elam stared at Zane, taking in his good-natured smile. He seemed so childlike, too excited to do what he was told. Maybe he was just desperate. Wouldn’t anyone be desperate after all he’d been through? But what about his followers? At least one of them wasn’t an innocent wanderer.
Elam touched the blind man’s shoulder. “Naamah says this man attacked her.”
The man stepped forward, his eyes wandering as he wrung his hands. “If Naamah is the beautiful lady I met in the forest, then, yes, it is true. When I saw her lovely form, the desires of my flesh overtook my senses, and I couldn’t help myself.” He blinked rapidly. “As you can see, God has chastised me for my sin, and I am deeply sorry.”
Zane lowered his head. “It is sad that Dawson’s sins were so vile and offensive, but, as you heard for yourself, he has repented. We are grateful that God looks upon our faith and not our evil deeds, so our eternal destiny is secure.”
Pawing at the ground, Dikaios blew a flapping sound through his lips. “Your destiny is certainly secure.”
Zane glared at Dikaios for a moment, but his cheery disposition quickly returned. “I’m glad we’re in agreement. May we enter now?”
Elam glanced at Dikaios, but the horse swung his head away. Apparently, he had gone back to his “you-have-to-decide-for-yourself” mode. Elam sidestepped toward the blue wall. “I’ll show you how I got in.”
Naamah followed and ducked behind him, whispering. “Has God forgiven my attacker?”
He whispered back, “I think we’ll soon find out.” Naamah gave him a grim stare but said nothing.
“All I did,” Elam continued, lifting his hand, “was lay my palm on Heaven’s shield, and it covered me with the white clothes I’m wearing. Then it opened up and let me in.”
Zane marched up to the wall. “Just as we expected all along. The scarlet key is simply our faith.” He pressed his hand against the shield. In a splash of blue sparks, the wall threw him backwards. After rolling through the grass, he jumped to his feet and blew on his hand. “It feels like it’s on fire!”
Elam ran to him. “It’s blistered pretty badly,” he said, examining Zane’s burn. Thin streaks of dirt traced the fold lines in his skin, but no blood stained his palm. “There’s a pool not far from here if you want to soak it.”
“I can tolerate the physical pain.” Zane blew on his hand again. “But the stress of not being able to enter Heaven is torture I cannot endure.”
Elam patted him on the back. “There might still be a chance. I was told to find ten soldiers for an important mission. Maybe if you can accomplish it, you’ll be able to get in.”
Zane lowered his hand and glanced at his nine followers. “I am sure I speak for us all. We are troubled by these hoops we must jump through, but we are willing to do whatever it takes.”
“Wait here,” Elam said. “I have to check with Enoch to make sure it’s okay for you to do the job he has in mind.”
As he turned back to the wall, a robed arm and leg protruded from it, then the rest of Enoch’s body popped through. Acacia followed, her blue hood down and her white hair flowing in the stormy wind.
Elam stepped back and gave each a head nod. When he smiled at Acacia, her return smile seemed forced, and her eyes were dimmer than usual.
“I was just coming in to see you,” Elam said.
“Yes, I know. I watched you on my screen.” Enoch glared at the ten men. “So these are the soldiers you have chosen?”
Elam shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I guess so. One of them is blind because of his own doing, but they’re all I have.”
With the breeze whipping his robe, Enoch walked slowly in front of each man, gazing into their eyes. When he reached Zane, he stared at the bespectacled leader long and hard. “Perhaps they are all blind,” Enoch muttered.
“But I am not blind.” Zane lowered himself to one knee and looked up at Enoch. “We are mere men, leaders of flocks of the faithful on the Earth, and we have journeyed through this land wondering why we have not been able to reach Heaven. Even now at the very gate of entry, it seems that we are unable to enter, so we are willing to do whatever we must.”
“We shall see.” Enoch gestured for him to rise and continued walking down the line of men until he reached the final one. Looking toward Heaven’s shield he cried out, “Will ten blind or nearsighted men be able to accomplish this task?”
“Do you want me to send them away?” Elam asked. “I didn’t know one of them attacked Naamah until they showed up.”
Enoch waved his hand at Elam. “I was asking God, not you.” He gazed at them from head to toe, then looked at Naamah, who tried to hide behind Elam. “We will let them stay. The word from on high is that they will serve God’s ultimate purpose.”
Zane clapped one of his followers on the back. “Excellent!”
“Father Enoch?” Acacia laid a hand on the prophet’s elbow, her face streaked with pain. “Now that the participants have been approved, is the timing right for me to begin?”
“Yes, dear child.” Enoch took her hand and patted the top. “I know how tragically dangerous and difficult your task will be. After all, the chosen one is a hybrid, much like yourself, yet thrown away before her birth. Still, every great sacrifice requires great suffering, and I know you will be able to carry out what you have been called to do.”
Acacia walked to Heaven’s shield and set her back against it. As she stretched her arms forward, fire erupted in her upturned hands, two egg-shaped flames that sat in the center of her palms. Her lips thinning out and tears sparkling in her brilliant eyes, she looked at Enoch. “I await your signal, Father.”
Your dragon powers are gone?” Sapphira caressed Ashley’s hands. “Are you sure?”
Ashley nodded slowly. “I can’t even remember the quadratic formula, and I feel sick to my stomach. I can usually make nausea go away in a few seconds, but I can’t do it now.”
Sapphira covered her eyes with her hand. “I feel it again.”
“Feel what again?”
Blue light leaked between her fingers. “Remember when I looked inside you and saw a dragon?”
“Uh-huh. You scared me so bad, I was ready to slap you.”
“I’m so sorry!” Sapphira closed the gaps between her fingers. “I think it will stop soon.”
Ashley wrapped her fingers gently around Sapphira’s wrist. “It’s okay. I want to know what you see now.” She slid Sapphira’s hand away from her face.
Blue beams emanated from her eyes and spilled over Ashley, covering her in a blanket of azure light. Sapphira wheezed, breathing frantically. “I really don’t like doing this. I don’t like peeking at someone’s soul. I have no right to do that.”
“You have my permission.” Ashley slid into the center of the light. “Tell me what you see.”
After a few seconds, the beams dimmed and blinked out. Sapphira closed her eyes and wept.
Ashley took her hand. “What’s wrong? Did you see someone worse than a dragon inside me?”
“That’s not the problem.” Sapphira shook her head hard.
Ashley lifted Sapphira’s chin. “Can you tell me what you saw?”
Wiping a tear, Sapphira leaned close and whispered, “The dragon’s gone.”
Ashley firmed her lips and nodded. “That’s no surprise, I guess, since the traits are gone.”
“But there was nothing there.” Sapphira spread out her hands. “Nothing at all. No dragon and no angel.”
Ashley winced at Sapphira’s words but couldn’t raise her voice above a whisper. “I’m just an empty shell?”
Sapphira shook her head. “Don’t say that. It can’t be true.”
“But it
is
true. I feel the void, like my whole body is about to collapse.” Ashley wrapped her arms weakly around herself. “I’m nothing inside. Nothing at all.”
A loud clatter sounded from beyond the exit door. Ashley sat up straight. “What was that?”
“It came from where Walter and Karen went.” Sapphira pushed her shoulder under Ashley’s arm. “Lean on me, and we’ll find out together.”
Chapter 21
A pulse! Thank God!” Karen took off her jacket and covered Gabriel’s head with the hood. With cold drizzle now pecking through her hair, she watched the battle, praying for Walter with all her might. What else could she do? She felt useless, too weak and small to make a difference.
With one hand covering his wounded eye, Chazaq stomped toward Walter, reaching for the young man’s head. Walter leaped out of the way and charged toward the giant’s blind side, raising Excalibur in attack position.
Spinning quickly, Chazaq dodged. Walter’s feet slipped out from under him, and Excalibur flew from his grip, clattering to the stone as he slid past Chazaq’s legs.
The giant leaped in the direction of the sword, but Walter caught the toe of Chazaq’s oversized boot, tripping him and sending him toppling to the floor. Scrambling to his feet, Walter dove for Excalibur, snatched it off the ground, rolled away from the giant, then sprawled on the wet concrete, groaning.
Karen pressed her hands together. “Walter!” she shouted. “You can do it! I know you can do it!”
Walter pushed against the ground and rose slowly, nodding at Karen. “Thanks,” he gasped. “I’m glad someone thinks so.”
Ashley shuffled into the turbine room, her arm over Sapphira’s shoulders.
“Ashley!” Walter raised his hand, still breathless. “Stand back! I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” He turned again and faced Chazaq, who had just climbed back to his feet.
Karen waved Ashley and Sapphira to the concrete pillar. When they huddled together on their knees, she whispered. “Gabriel’s unconscious.”
The three girls made a tent over Gabriel with Karen’s jacket. “Walter’s supposed to be distracting the giants while Roxil sneaks up on the one on the turbine,” Karen said, “but I thought she would have attacked him by now.” She pointed toward the covered portion of the turbine room. “Mardon’s watching from over there. He’s not so confident anymore.”
Uncovering his bleeding eye, Chazaq raised a fist and roared. “I am going to grind you into dust!”
“Why don’t you add a ‘Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum’ to that?” Walter shouted. “Then I’ll really be scared!”
“What’s Walter doing?” Karen asked. “Is he crazy?”
“He’s taunting the giant,” Ashley explained. “Anger in battle is a handicap, so Walter’s trying to get him to do something stupid.”
Chazaq dove at Walter in a flying rage. Leaping out of the way, Walter hacked at the giant’s outstretched arm and sliced his wrist, drawing a new stream of blood. Chazaq grasped his wound and kicked at Walter, but he leaped away again, this time narrowly missing the giant’s ankle with another swipe of his sword.
“Chazaq!” Mardon shouted from the turbine room exit. “Don’t be such a fool! Remember what I taught you. A warrior has a will of iron. He cannot be seduced by a cunning opponent. Your pride in your brawn will be your downfall if you don’t change your tactics. Use your gifts, not your anger.”
Growling deeply, Chazaq lifted a hand toward the sky. As though he were a lightning rod, energy from the other giant’s beams streamed into Chazaq’s arm, making his hair stand on end. He extended a thick finger on his other hand. A jagged yellow bolt shot out and sizzled into Walter’s chest.
Walter flew backwards and slammed into a pillar, smacking his head against the concrete. Slumping to the side, he exhaled and his arms fell limply to the floor.
“Walter!” Karen screamed.
Ashley tried to get up, but Sapphira grabbed her arm. “No! Neither of you can do anything to help.”
“But I have to,” Ashley wheezed, trying to wiggle loose. “He’s my friend. He’s my … my best friend.”
“Get the sword,” Mardon ordered, walking into the open area. “Then kill him.”
Karen shook free and bolted from the pillar.
“Karen!” Ashley shouted. “No!”
Dashing into the battle zone with her head ducked low, Karen sprinted toward Walter. When Chazaq reached for Excalibur, she zipped past him and scooped it up as she ran. She straddled Walter, pointing the heavy blade at the huge, looming giant and screamed, “Get back, you creep!”
“She is mine!” the giant atop the generator shouted. “She is my prize!”
Covering his wounded eye again, Chazaq scowled at him. “Bagowd! Did you bargain for this puny wench?”
“There was no risk. I knew you would squash the runt.”
Ashley struggled to get up, but Sapphira pushed her down and sprinted to Karen, sliding to a stop between her and Chazaq. Using both hands, she shoved Chazaq’s thighs, but he barely moved an inch.
Chazaq laughed. “The little men are vanquished, and now the little women come to their rescue.”
Sapphira raised her hands. Fire leaped from her palms and formed into balls of flame. “You absorb light energy, Chazaq, but I wager that you’re still flammable. Want to test my theory?”
With a powerful swipe, Chazaq slapped her wrists, extinguishing her flames and knocking her to the side. Karen lunged and swung the sword at the giant’s arm, missing badly. The momentum of her follow-through spun her around, nearly pulling her to the floor.
Chazaq grabbed a fistful of Karen’s hair and dragged her toward the generator. Screaming, she kicked and tried to slash her captor with the sword, but to no avail. Suddenly, a stream of fire rocketed into Chazaq’s face. Roxil swooped down on his blind side and slammed into his body, knocking him flat. As she swept back up, she roared. “Run! We must hit the other giant while we can!”
Chazaq, his face and beard sizzling, lay motionless on the ground. Mardon was nowhere in sight.
Dropping Excalibur, Karen leaped to her feet and darted back to Walter. Sapphira was already lifting his ankles. “Grab his wrists!” she yelled. “Let’s get him under the roof.” Struggling side by side, they half carried, half dragged him to the covered section of the turbine room. After laying him down, Sapphira pressed her ear on his chest. “He’s alive, but he’s barely breathing.”
“Ashley will heal him.” Trying to smile, Karen swiped back her dampened bangs. “I know she will.”
“But Ashley lost” Sapphira cut her words short.
Karen pulled on Sapphira’s sleeve. “Come on! Let’s get Ashley over here.” Sapphira gave in to Karen’s frantic pull, and they hurried back to the column.
When they arrived, Ashley’s face was almost as white as Sapphira’s hair as she rested her hand on Gabriel’s chest. “He’s breathing steadily now. I tried to get up to help you, but I just couldn’t.”
Karen pulled on Ashley’s arm. “You have to come and heal Walter now.”
Ashley jerked back. “I can’t. I just”
“Look!” Sapphira said, pointing.
Karen and Ashley tipped their heads up. Roxil blew a torrent of flames at Bagowd. As the tongues of fire penetrated his surrounding energy field, they fizzled into plumes of smoke. Two other dragons joined her, and all three spewed a barrage of yellow and orange jets.
“It’s Arramos and my mother,” Ashley said. “They’re all working together!”
“Come on!” Karen pulled on her arm again. “Walter needs help!”
Ashley slid away. “I can’t,” she said, her voice cracking. “I want to … but I just can’t.”
“Why not? He’s hurt really badly. I’ll help you walk over there. I’ll carry you if I have to.”
“I can’t!” Ashley buried her face in her hands and sobbed. “Please stop asking me. Please!”
Sapphira touched Karen’s arm. “Ashley’s too weak. Besides, there’s no energy available. We need Excalibur’s beam, and Walter’s the only one who knows how to use it.”
Tears blurred Karen’s vision as she stroked Ashley’s hair. “How about Ashley’s mom? She has fire for energy. And she’s a healer, so she could do it herself.”
“She’s busy trying to save the world.” Sapphira wiped a tear from Karen’s cheek. “We couldn’t get her down here if we wanted to, and even if she could do it without Excalibur, we would need another dragon to heat her scales. We can’t leave only one dragon up there to battle the giant. It won’t be enough.”
As the trio of dragons joined their flames, they flew in a tight circle, and the fire streams shot deeper into the Naphil’s protective shield.
“They’re making a firestorm,” Sapphira said. “Do we want that to happen? What about the vortex?”
Ashley lowered her hands. Blood from her palms smeared the tear tracks on her cheeks. “I think that’s exactly what Mardon wants. Arramos probably kept my mother away until this moment, and he convinced her and Roxil that this is the only way to stop Mardon.”
Sapphira used her sleeve to wipe some of the blood from Ashley’s face. “It probably wasn’t hard to convince them, since that’s what they did to the first tower. But you said you figured out how
we
can stop him.”
“It’s only a maybe, but I can’t remember the probabilities.” Ashley hooked her finger around Sapphira’s collar and drew her close. “You have to do it yourself.”
Sapphira pulled back. “Me? But how?”
“I analyzed your light when you flamed up at Mardon. I remember thinking that the balance of frequencies was perfect.”
“Perfect for what?”
Ashley opened her hand, exposing her wound. “To pierce the electromagnetic field the giants are creating. All it takes is a big enough interruption in the field, and it will collapse. Mardon’s code, the one that was supposed to wake up the giants, was really a set of photometer readings, light intensities for seven different wavelengths. It looks like he matched the light waves that would shock the giants into wakefulness with the light that your fire creates. I guess he wanted to give you the ability to wake them if you needed to, but he never had the chance to tell you.”
Sapphira’s voice lowered to a whisper. “The other laborers and I were hiding from him. I didn’t want him to find us.”
“So he must have given up the idea and jotted it down so he could remember it himself if he needed it.” Closing her eyes, Ashley ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t remember how I came up with it, but I think your fire light will interfere with their ability to store and produce power.”
“Okay.” Exhaling loud and long, Sapphira glanced at Walter, Gabriel, and Karen in turn. “What do I do?”
Ashley leaned toward her. “It’s extremely dangerous, but you have to get close to the giant and make your light source penetrate his shield.”
“Okay. How close? How much fire?”
“I’m not sure. Just get as close as you can and see what happens.” Ashley touched Sapphira’s fingers. “How much flame can you produce from your hands?”
“I can set my whole body on fire and make a pretty big cyclone.”
“Good. Make the biggest inferno ever, but don’t spin the flames. We don’t want to help the dragons break down the dimensional barrier.”
Karen tugged on Ashley’s sleeve. “What about Walter?”
Ashley laid her fingers on Karen’s cheeks. “The only way to save him is to get my mother down here. We can’t do that until Sapphira destroys the field.” She drew Karen close, almost nose to nose. “Do you understand?”
She sniffed and nodded. “I understand.”
Ashley pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered into her ear. “I love him, too, Karen. But you know he would want us to save the world before we save him, right?” Ashley pushed her back and gazed into her eyes. “So we have to stop the giant. That’s the most important thing to do right now.”
“You’re right.” Karen straightened and trudged over the rain-slicked floor. “I’ll get Excalibur.”
After picking up the sword, she passed by the unconscious Chazaq. Shuffling up to his body, she lifted the blade and poised it over his neck. Her heart raced. It would be so easy to slice the scoundrel’s throat. So easy. She let the edge scratch his skin. A trickle of blood ran down and dripped into a puddle. She gazed at his swollen face, blackened from Roxil’s fiery jets.
Would Walter do it?
she wondered.
Would he get rid of this beast once and for all?
She shook her head. He wouldn’t. He always said you have to meet an enemy face-to-face. Killing someone when he’s down is the coward’s way out.
She hiked the sword up to her shoulder and hustled back. Sapphira now stood at the ladder that led up the turbine’s exterior wall, while Ashley, looking pallid and limp, remained at the pillar with Gabriel.
The three dragons sprayed the giant’s electric shield with fire, enveloping him in a flaming cocoon. As they flew closer, still shooting yellow streams, they used their wings to whip the fire into a frenzy as they zoomed around and around.
“No!” Sapphira yelled. “Don’t create the vortex! That’s what Mardon wants!”
The dragons continued their barrage. Either they didn’t hear Sapphira’s call, or they didn’t believe her.
Sapphira climbed the ladder, speedily passing rung after rung. When she reached the fence, she scaled it quickly and hopped onto the roof of the generator. One more short ladder to go.
Karen followed, dragging Excalibur with her as she stepped up the rungs. She couldn’t let Sapphira battle that hideous monster by herself. He made her look like a little white mouse.
After reaching the top rung, Karen stared up at Sapphira. With her hands raised and already flaming, she closed in on the pulsing electric field, the giant’s surrounding glow.
Karen heaved the sword up to her shoulder and looked down at Gabriel and Walter, both unconscious. Firming her jaw, she tightened her grip on the hilt. The guys gave it everything they had. Now it was up to the girls.
Enoch joined Acacia at the shield. “Create the tunnel and hold it in place. We will add the fire and move you into position when the king returns with the sacrifice.”
Acacia swirled her hands in front of her as if painting the air with her fiery palms. A shining orange oval emerged at the center of her swirl and grew to twice her height and width. As she slowed her hands, the oval stopped growing and hovered over the ground. Still visible through the semitransparent screen, Acacia looked at Enoch, her expression growing even gloomier. “The tunnel is ready, Father.”
While Elam, Naamah, and the ten wanderers gathered to watch the hypnotizing aura, Enoch bent over and peered through the light from Acacia’s side of the oval. “I’m not sure when the sacrifice will arrive. Can you hold it in place?”