He looked at Bonnie and yelled as loud as he could. “Bonnie! Can you hear me?”
Bonnie’s red, tear-stained face peeked out. Her eyes widened. She laid her palms on the floor and slid back toward the wall, trembling.
Gabriel lowered his voice slightly. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, holding out his hand. “I won’t hurt you.”
Bonnie swallowed. “Who . . . who are you?”
“My name is Gabriel.”
“Gabriel?” Bonnie pointed at her bookshelf. “Like the angel in the Bible?”
Gabriel noted a child-sized Bible lying on top of the shelf. How should he answer? He certainly didn’t want to lie. He took a half step closer. “What do I look like to you?”
Bonnie wiggled her fingers. “Like a sparkly ghost with wings. I can see right through you.”
“It’s fair to say that I am like a guardian angel, for I have been assigned to watch over you.”
“Why?” Bonnie pointed at herself. “I’m not important.”
“You are far more important than you realize. You heard about your wings, didn’t you?”
Bonnie’s eyes teared up again. “Daddy said I’m a freak.”
“Look at me.” Gabriel flapped his wings. “Do you think I’m a freak?”
“No.” Bonnie wiped a tear with her finger. “But you’re an angel.”
Gabriel knelt next to her and caressed her hair with his hand. “And so are you, the sweetest angel I have ever met.”
Bonnie raised her hand and set it on Gabriel’s arm. “I can’t feel you at all.”
“No, and you couldn’t see me earlier, even though I was with you all day.”
“All day?” Bonnie sniffed and smiled. “Really?”
“Yes, I saw that sour bus driver and those mean boys, but I also saw your new friend Carly and her Tigger lunch box.”
Bonnie took in a quick breath. “You really were there!”
“And I will stay with you as long as I can. Even if you can’t see me or hear me, I’ll be there.”
Bonnie drew back her hand. “You’re disappearing! Don’t go!”
“I won’t go. I’ll stay here all night.”
“I can barely hear you now.”
“Then hurry to bed, and I’ll sing you to sleep.”
“Oh, please do!” Bonnie jumped up and turned off her light, then, throwing back her blanket, she nestled into her bed. “I’m ready!” Her eyes darted around. “But I can’t see you anymore.”
Gabriel knelt at her bedside. “Can you still hear me?”
“Yes, but like a whisper.”
“Okay. Close your eyes. I’ll sing as loud as I can.”
Bonnie closed her eyes tightly and drew her blanket up to her chin. Her delicate lashes still sparkled with leftover tears.
Gabriel stroked her hair again and sang.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Bonnie smiled. Her eyelids began to relax, and she sighed deeply.
If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;
but the night shineth as the day:
The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
As light from the window faded, Bonnie opened her eyes again. “Are you still here?”
“Yes, I’m still here.”
“Gabriel?” She reached out her hand. “Are you here?”
“Yes, sweet angel,” Gabriel said, laying his hand on hers. “Can’t you hear me?”
Bonnie’s eyes darted around again. “Gabriel?”
Gabriel tried to hold her hand, but his fingers passed right through hers. “I won’t leave you, Bonnie. I would give my life to protect you.”
Bonnie straightened out the wrinkles on her blanket and laid her arms on top. “Gabriel, I guess I can’t hear you anymore, but you said you’d stay with me, so I know you must be here.” She closed her eyes again and smiled. “Angels never lie.”
November, 2002
Elam carried a lantern through the corridor that led to the ancient chamber. He glanced back at the man walking behind him, a tall, older gentleman who had to duck to make his way under the low ceiling. It had been hundreds of years since he had seen Merlin, but this new arrival looked so much like the old prophet, it was frightening.
“Almost there, Professor Hamilton,” Elam said. “The ceiling gets higher in a few seconds.”
“It’s quite all right, my good fellow. The anticipated meeting is well worth such trivial unpleasantries.”
When Elam passed the final doorway, light from within the chamber washed out his lantern, so he lifted the glass and blew out the flame. Beside him, Professor Hamilton ran his fingers through his wild, gray hair. “Remarkable!” he said, gazing all around.
Elam smiled. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
A voice beckoned from the far end of the chamber. “Charles! Welcome!” Patrick waved at them from the round table in the back. “Come here and join us.”
Elam led Charles over the compass design on the floor in the center of the room. “The table used to be here,” Elam said. “I’m not sure why they moved it.”
Professor Hamilton slowed his pace as he passed over the design. His eyes locked on one of the sketches. “Astounding!”
When they reached Patrick, Elam stopped for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust. Three bright lanterns formed a triangle at the center of the table, illuminating Patrick’s face and the faces of four other men. Their eyes followed Charles as he drew close to one of two empty spaces.
Patrick nodded at the chair. “Please sit, my friend.”
Elam strode to Patrick’s side, taking his place as the oldest errand boy who ever lived.
Professor Hamilton slid out the chair and cleared his throat. “May I say, Sir Patrick, that I am honored by your selection of me as a new member of this distinguished body, and ”
“Oh, cut the squash!” one of the men boomed. He then laughed and patted the man next to him on the back. “We’re about as distinguished as rubber socks! Aren’t we, Kaplan?”
Kaplan glared at him. “Rubber socks? What’s the connection?”
“Nobody knows we exist!” The man burst out with a series of belly laughs.
“I know rubber socks exist,” a third man protested.
“Quiet!” Patrick raised his hand. “Let’s not give our new designate the wrong impression.”
Kaplan drummed his fingers. “It seems to me that he is getting exactly the right impression. All we ever do in our meetings is crack jokes and tell tall tales. When McCorkle died, maybe we should have just propped up his body in his chair, then we wouldn’t have needed a replacement.”
The first man piped up again. “McCorkle’s corpse would be funnier than he ever was. That’s for certain.”
“The point is,” Kaplan continued, “that waiting for Arthur’s heir to arrive has been like sitting in the maternity ward waiting for fifteen hundred years of labor to finally end. It’s no wonder we expectant fathers are getting a bit punchy.”
“Fathers?” the first man rejoined. “I feel like the poor mother!”
Patrick rapped his knuckles on the table. “Gentlemen! Please!”
The men murmured for a few seconds, and when all was quiet, Patrick again gestured for Charles to sit.
Professor Hamilton nodded and sat down. “Thank you, Sir Patrick.”
Patrick folded his hands. “Since we consider ourselves equals, Charles, we normally dispense with titles that indicate superiority. I realize my knighthood is significant to you, but I am merely called Steward. You will learn the others’ titles in due time.”
“Very well. What shall I be called?”
Elam leaned over and whispered in Patrick’s ear. “Merlin.”
Patrick’s face brightened. “Of course. Merlin!”
“Merlin?” Professor Hamilton repeated. “Why Merlin?”
Patrick glanced at Elam but quickly returned his gaze to Professor Hamilton. “It seems to me that you are as gifted in spiritual matters as anyone I know. Your heart for God reflects the legends of the great prophet of old.”
Professor Hamilton’s face flushed. “I am grateful for your confidence in me,” he said, fidgeting in his chair.
“Merlin,” Patrick continued. “As you know, we are the protectorate of the Arthur legacy, and we wish to make his heir’s ascendancy to the throne an easy path. Since you are the newest member, it is your privilege to investigate the latest report of a possible heir and either verify or falsify his pedigree.”
Professor Hamilton bowed his head. “I am honored.”
“Not if he sends you to Alaska,” Kaplan said. “That’s where I went on my wild goose chase when I joined.”
Patrick rapped his knuckles again. “Not Alaska, but you will have to visit the States West Virginia, to be precise.”
“Very well.” Professor Hamilton folded his hands and nodded. “What information do you have?”
Patrick withdrew a small map from his jacket and spread it out on the table. “Our intelligence is based on the movements of our enemies, and one of their prominent agents has set up residence in Castlewood, West Virginia.” He pointed at a spot on the map. “Our spy believes the agent is seeking information about a young person, perhaps a pre-teen or teenager.”
Leaning close, Professor Hamilton touched the edge of the map. “Then securing a position at a local school would be an optimum plan of action. My credentials should suffice.”
Patrick touched a ring on the professor’s finger. “The officials might wonder why an Oxford professor would want to teach there, so you should prepare a convincing explanation.”
Elam edged to the table and tried to read the emblem on the bejeweled gold band. It appeared to be etched with Latin words signifying the professor’s achievement in college Philosophiæ Doctor.
“I would simply tell the truth,” Professor Hamilton said. “I have always been interested in Arthurian legend, especially the stories surrounding Excalibur, and my research has led me to Castlewood. I doubt that anyone would question me beyond that.”
“True enough, I suppose.” Patrick folded the map and returned it to his jacket. “If you find the heir, and you are convinced of his authenticity, bring him back to me. There is a test he must pass to prove that he is worthy in mind, body, and spirit. I won’t divulge the nature of the test at this time so that you can honestly say you don’t know what it is.”
Professor Hamilton withdrew a pocket calendar and opened it to the current date. “Is there a suggested timetable?”
“You are to leave immediately and bring him back as soon as you have him in hand. Since our opposition seeks to thwart Arthur’s return, their agent will not have the heir’s best interests in mind.”
Kaplan stood at his place. “Merlin, all jesting aside, I, for one, welcome you with open arms. Our jocularity has no real reflection on our sincere wish to fill our empty chair with the one true king. If you should find him, we are willing to lay down our lives to assure his ascendancy.”
“So say we all!” the first man shouted, now standing next to Kaplan.
The other two men stood with them. “Hear, hear!”
Patrick slowly rose to his feet and nodded at Professor Hamilton. “What say you, my old friend?”
Professor Hamilton slid back his chair and stood with the rest. “If Arthur’s heir is in West Virginia, then I will not rest until I bring him to this very room.”
Chapter 9
December 30, 2002
Gabriel followed Bonnie as she tiptoed down the stairs. When she neared the bottom, she peered over the banister, her hiking backpack shifting with the movement of her hidden wings. With no one in sight, she skulked toward the front door.
All was quiet. Gabriel zoomed down the hall to the laboratory and sneaked a look through the open doorway. Just as Bonnie had feared, Dr. Conner sat at a table next to a collection of glass vials and a set of hypodermic needles. He marked one of the vials with a Sharpie, then scratched down an entry in a logbook. Gabriel glided back to Bonnie and mentally shoved her toward the exit. Maybe she would be able to get away before her father had a chance to find her.
As her hand touched her coat on the wall rack, the telephone rang. Bonnie froze in midstep. Dr. Conner breezed into the front room, holding a mobile phone to his ear. “Yes, Dr. George.” He pulled out a desk drawer and withdrew a thin stack of paper. “I have the test results right here. There is no doubt about the findings. My wife’s blood definitely has the allele we discussed.” He nodded and dropped the stack on top of the desk. “That’s right. An anthrozil. . . . Yes, I’ll bring the samples to you tonight. . . . That late? . . . Sure. I guess I can do that.” He glanced at Bonnie, and the color in his cheeks suddenly drained away. “Dr. George, I have to go. I’ll see you at my office.”
Bonnie lifted her cell phone. “Daddy, Mama called. I’m supposed to meet her downtown. She’s taking me shopping for my birthday.”
“Oh. Your birthday. Right.” Dr. Conner ran his fingers through his short nap of red hair, keeping his eyes from direct contact with Bonnie’s. “That can wait. I just need a couple of minutes.”
Bonnie shuddered. “But you said you’d never ”
“I know what I said.” He grabbed her wrist, tightly at first, but his grip slowly eased. “This really is the last time. I promise.”
Bonnie pulled in her bottom lip and stared at her father. A tear welled in her eye. Finally, she whispered a shaky, “Okay,” and followed him toward the laboratory.
Gabriel stalked behind them, his energy field flashing. Bonnie was no guinea pig! If only there was a way to stop this madness! He could plug himself in somewhere and short circuit the lights, but that wouldn’t last longer than the time it took to flip the circuit breaker, and the shock would paralyze him for hours. What else could he possibly do?
When they reached the lab, Dr. Conner picked up a hypodermic needle. “You know the drill, Bonnie. It’s just a prick.”
As Bonnie pushed her sleeve up, her hand quivered. She picked up a rubber ball from a letter basket, laid her arm on the table, and squeezed so tightly, her forearm muscles bulged.
Dr. Conner tied a rubber band around her upper arm and swabbed the tender flesh in the crook. As the needle drew near, she closed her eyes and turned her head, her whole body trembling.
Gabriel caressed her skin at the needle’s entry point. It poked a tiny hole in the midst of a dozen or more minute white scars. Dr. Conner attached a collection tube to the needle, and as blood began to flow, he unfastened the band and tossed it to the lab table. “Just a few more seconds, and I’ll be finished.”
Bonnie kept her head turned, panting as she whispered something to herself. Gabriel moved closer to listen to her feeble, halting voice.
“Yea, though I walk . . . through the valley of the shadow of death . . . I will fear no evil . . . for thou art with me . . . thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Dr. Conner pulled out the needle and pressed a ball of cotton on the wound. “I have what I need. You can go now.” He turned away and began entering numbers on a log sheet.
Tucking her head low, Bonnie hurried out of the lab. After grabbing a coat off a rack, she ran to the front door. Gabriel zipped alongside her, but, of course, he could offer no comfort, only a sympathetic embrace with his wing, another hug she couldn’t feel.
Bonnie threw the door open, ran outside, and banged it closed. As she stuffed her arms into her sleeves, trying to fit her coat over her backpack, she slipped and almost stumbled down the porch steps. Stopping for a moment on the lawn, she heaved in a couple of deep breaths and mumbled to herself. “Okay, Bonnie, get a grip. You don’t want Mama to know you’ve been crying. She’ll just get upset again.”
She took a final deep breath, and a thin smile grew on her lips. Combing her fingers through her hair, she hustled to the open garage and snatched a helmet from a shelf next to her bicycle. After strapping it in place, she straddled her bike and guided it onto the driveway. Overhead, tiny flakes of snow floated silently down from the gray sky.
She pushed a pedal and rolled out onto the street. Gabriel rushed ahead of her and hopped onto the front, attaching his energy field to the metal handlebars. Bonnie pumped the pedals hard until the bike reached a brisk cruising speed, then relaxed and pedaled more easily.
Amidst a flurry of snow, girl and guardian raced through the neighborhood and onto the main thoroughfare’s bike path. Having left her gloves at home, Bonnie raised a hand to her mouth from time to time and blew on her fingers. As a thin dusting of snow coated the street, she slowed her pace and guided the bike toward the clearer pavement. Traffic dwindled, and with it the danger of colliding with a car, but she maintained a tight grip on the handlebars to keep from losing traction and taking a spill.
After several minutes, they reached a two-story white building at the edge of downtown Missoula. As the snow thickened, Bonnie parked her bike next to a hedge in front of the building and jumped over the two steps that led to the entrance. Blowing on her cupped hands, she pushed open the front door with her elbow and slipped off her coat. As she unhitched her helmet, she scanned the spacious lobby, then smiled. Her mother sat on a cushioned bench just outside an office.
Tucking the helmet under her arm, she ran to her mother’s side and kissed her cheek. “Mama,” she whispered, “what’s going on? Why here instead of the mall?”
Irene combed back Bonnie’s mussed hair. “I heard from my brother. He believes that a slayer has moved into our area. That means he’s probably on my trail.”
“How could a slayer find you?”
“My brother gave me no details.” Irene unfolded a telegram and began reading. “A dark knight is coming quickly.” She lowered the paper and looked at Bonnie. “That’s a coded message all dragons are supposed to know.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “Go to the surrogate nest. Your daughter’s passage has been arranged.” She refolded the telegram and put it into her purse.
“What does it all mean?” Bonnie asked.
“My brother is concerned that something might happen to me, so he arranged for a safe hiding place for you, just in case. He is well-connected with adoption and foster care services in England and in the U.S., so he can make sure you are buried in the system where no one can find you.”
Bonnie gripped her mother’s forearm. “But nothing’s going to happen to you, right?”
“I don’t think so.” Irene patted Bonnie’s hand. “But we have to be ready, just in case.”
“So why did you call me here?”
“I wanted to show you where to go.” Irene nodded at the office door next to the bench. “If something awful happens, get here as quickly as you can. Mrs. Lewis works in this office. She knows what to do. I wanted to introduce you, but she’s in a meeting right now.”
“I . . .” Bonnie turned her head away. “I don’t want to think about it.”
Irene stood and lifted her purse strap over her shoulder. “You don’t have to dwell on it. Just remember this place and this office. It might never happen, but we have to face the possibilities.”
Bonnie kept her head turned. Her lips trembled as she whispered, “Okay, Mama. I’ll remember.”
Irene laid her hand on Bonnie’s cheek and gently turned her head back toward her. “Bonnie, I love you very much. That’s why I’m telling you these things.”
Bonnie wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist and laid her cheek on her shoulder. “I know. I’m just scared.”
Irene kissed the top of Bonnie’s head. “There’s one more thing. If the worst does happen, you need to find another dragon. My brother thinks he lives in Castlewood, West Virginia. His human name was Jared at one time, but I don’t know what it is now. I did hear, though, that he has a son about your age, so that might help you find him.”
“If you’re gone,” Bonnie said, still leaning on her mother’s shoulder, “how will I get there?”
She nodded at the office again. “Since you can’t get past airport security, they will arrange to transport you to Castlewood by train. It might take a while, and you might have to endure quite a few transfers, but you’ll get there eventually.”
Bonnie pulled away and looked her mother in the eye. “You want to hide me from Daddy, don’t you?”
Irene turned away, her voice barely audible. “He can’t protect you from a slayer.”
“Won’t, you mean. He’s in love with his research, not you or me. He thinks we’re lab rats.” Bonnie took her mother’s hand and extended her arm. “He’s stuck you even more than he’s stuck me.”
“You know I can’t stop him.” Irene pulled her hand away. “Not without revealing our secret.”
“I know.” Bonnie stuffed a hand into her pocket and lowered her head. “You’re right.”
“If something happens to me, you’ll be safer in foster care than you would be with your father. They’ll change your name, so he won’t be able to find you.”
“I’d better get going,” Bonnie said, taking her helmet from under her arm. “It’s starting to snow pretty hard.”
Irene tapped the helmet with her fingertip. “If we can’t fit your bike in the car, we’ll just leave it here until tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll let us.”
Bonnie wiped the water droplets from the shiny surface. “So, are we really going to the mall like you said?”
“Of course.” Irene hooked her arm around Bonnie’s elbow and led her toward the door. “Thirteen is a special birthday. Have you decided what you want?”
“That pen set I told you about, and maybe a new journal. I’ll probably fill my old one up in the next couple of weeks.”
Irene pushed the door open. “Don’t you need anything else? Books? Music?”
Bonnie dipped her head. “Do you think it’s weird to just want pens and journals?”
“I didn’t mean that at all,” Irene said, waving her hand. “You have a writing talent that amazes me! You write with a fiery passion that I could never hope to equal. In two thousand years I have never seen anyone your age who comes even close.”
Bonnie let a thin smile break through. “Thank you.”
“And do you know where your talent comes from?”
“From being a dragon?” Bonnie guessed.
“You might have inherited it from a dragon. I’m not sure. But I do know this; your talent comes from God. However you choose to use your writing, make sure every word honors your maker. If you do that, I’ll be delighted to give you all the pens and journals you’ll ever want. I was just wondering what else you need.”
As they descended the front steps and pierced the curtain of falling snow, Bonnie looked up at the dark sky, blinking at the thousands of flakes. “As long as I can write prayers in my journal, I have all I really need.”
Gabriel floated near the ceiling in Bonnie’s room, admiring the new wallpaper wide vertical purple and pink stripes that matched the purple blanket and pink sheets on Bonnie’s poster bed. Ever since they moved to this new house, her father had promised to decorate her bedroom, mostly to assuage her pain at leaving Carly and all her friends at her old school across town. Finally, after four years of her father’s promises and excuses, a pair of handymen came in and slapped the paper up with little care for craftsmanship.
Using his glowing finger to trace a narrow gap between two sheets of wallpaper, Gabriel shook his head. At least the worst spots were up near the ceiling where no one else would notice.
He drifted slowly down toward the bed. With the thick blanket pulled up to her waist, Bonnie reclined on her side, propping her head on a stack of pillows and gazing at a spiral-bound notebook that lay open on her sheet. One wing rested on her arm and leg, while the other extended beyond the edge of the bed and touched the floor, her usual sleeping position since the age of ten when her wings truly blossomed.
She had just finished retacking her posters to the wall a unicorn with a long, flowing mane, and, adjacent to that one, a girl kneeling at her bedside in prayer while a winged angel watched over her. She chose that one years ago, a week after her first day at school.
Tired from her strenuous day, and with snow spoiling her plans for a walk, she had decided to go to bed early, opting for her short-sleeved nightgown in spite of the cold. Of course, Gabriel had excused himself to the hallway while Bonnie dressed for bed, and when he returned, he wanted to scold her for her selection, but, as usual, he had to complain in silence. Still, Irene had turned the heat up, and the blankets would likely keep Bonnie warm if a chill draft seeped in around the window. She would be fine.
Gabriel chuckled to himself. After only a few years, he had become a mother hen, yet without an audible cluck to nag his little chick. Sinking closer to the bed, he peered at Bonnie’s journal. She often left it out on her night table, and Irene came by now and then to read her latest entry even while Bonnie was in the room, so it seemed that she didn’t consider her daily missives to be private, at least to friendly eyes.
As her silver Papermate flowed across the page, leaving behind a beautiful blue script, Bonnie’s thoughts came to life. Gabriel read them slowly, pondering each phrase, hoping to feel the emotions with the same passion the young author poured into her words.
Dear God,
I descended into the shadowlands today. A specter of fear wrapped his cold, cruel fingers around my heart and led me into his chamber of treachery, a sanitary cube of torment that once again enclosed my mind in darkness. Can any instrument of torture deliver cruelty as savage as love betrayed? Does a dungeon’s rack stretch a body as sadistically as betrayal stretches trust? Can faith endure a traitor’s sinister hand as it turns the wheel, each notch testing conviction until the sword of despair separates peace from its rightful habitat?