Bryan Davis - Eye of the Oracle

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.