Bryan Davis: Eye of the Oracle

“You’re probably right.” Gabriel’s wings lifted and stretched out. “But if I don’t see him, I’m going in. I’m not taking any chances.”

Sweeping his arms back and forth, Merlin parted the curtain of fog. With his head bowed low, he pointed at the Dragons’ Rest screen. “Behold. The messiah comes in the arms of the virgin.”

Sapphira dashed through the fog and peered through the glass. Veiled by the crimson barrier, Bonnie shuffled toward the gem, carrying Billy in her arms.

Gabriel joined her at the screen. “Did someone kill him?”

“I’m afraid so.” Merlin wiped a tear from his withered cheek. “He knew this fate was possible, yet he went there willingly to save the dragons from doom.”

“If he’s a messiah” Sapphira paused through a throat cramp “will he rise from the dead?”

Merlin pointed at the world of the living through the other screen. “It depends on two teenagers out there who are doing everything in their power to battle against death. I think you will meet Ashley and Walter soon enough, but theirs is a story that must wait.”

As Bonnie drew closer, Sapphira stepped back from the glass. “Can we do anything to help?”

“Exactly what God has called us to do, what he has spent centuries preparing us to do. It is time for the two of you to create a covenant veil and complete the Great Key.”

“How do we do that?” Gabriel asked.

Merlin pressed his hand on Sapphira’s shoulder. “You stand here.” He pulled Gabriel parallel to the glass wall, separating him several paces from Sapphira. “And you stand here.” He raised both hands. “Lift up a hand toward each other, and as witnesses to this covenant, you will shout the vow all dragons must believe in order to pass through to the other side.”

“Vow?” Sapphira wrinkled her forehead. “What vow?”

“The name you so recently learned. The name that imbedded the fire within your soul. Then Gabriel will answer with the same words.”

Sapphira and Gabriel lifted their hands. A stream of flames shot from Sapphira’s fingers to Gabriel’s, creating a fiery arc.

Bonnie, her glittering silhouette carrying Billy’s, passed through the Dragons’ Rest screen and shuffled into the foggy chamber. Red sparks dripped from Billy’s side and splashed on the gem’s floor. She paused and looked around, as if lost.

“Now, Sapphira! Now!”

Sapphira took in a deep breath and shouted, “Jehovah-Yasha!”

“Jehovah-Yasha!” Gabriel echoed.

The shouts pushed the mist inward, producing two scarlet sound waves that collided under the center of the arc. At the point of impact, tongues of fire stretched out in all directions and licked up the fog. When every trace of mist disappeared, a wall of red light congealed between Gabriel and Sapphira and pulsed like a beating heart.

Bonnie’s face suddenly brightened, and she walked through the shimmering wall and out of the rubellite.

“Stay steady!” Merlin said. “Here come the dragons!”

Another human entered and instantly transformed into a mass of sparkling energy. As he passed by Sapphira, his bright blue eyes met hers.

“Hilidan!” She smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. When Hilidan pierced the throbbing veil, his energy field melded into it and passed through on the other side in the shape of a dragon, shining more brightly than ever. Then, with a sizzle and a pop, he penetrated the screen to the world of the living and disappeared.

Several more figures passed by, and Sapphira called out the names of the ones she recognized Zera, Shachar, and Clirkus but they didn’t seem to hear her as they penetrated the covenant veil.

When the parade of escapees came to an end, and the last sparkling form exited through the screen, Merlin sighed. “It is finished. You can lower your hands now.”

Gabriel and Sapphira rested their arms, but the arc of fire remained suspended in the air. The covenant veil continued to pulse, radiating a steady beam of light toward the living world. The gem’s interior, now clear of fog, seemed to glow with a light of its own as if the walls had been brushed with a million glowing crystals.

“My father didn’t come through.” Gabriel slumped his shoulders. “I’m sure of it.”

Sapphira peered through the gem’s entry into Dragons’ Rest. Inside, a solitary man stood on a stage that faced dozens of rows of chairs. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and paced in front of the screen.

“Could that be Makaidos?” Sapphira asked.

Gabriel cupped his hands around his eyes and peered in. “Dad’s not that tall, and his jaw is more rounded.”

“Roxil didn’t come through, either.” She clutched Gabriel’s sleeve. “We need to find both of them.”

“We?” Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t think you should go. If that place is going to blow up ”

“Enough talk.” Merlin waved both hands at the screen. “You may both go, but you must hurry. And remember, Roxil cannot leave through this passage unless she believes the covenant you declared.”

Sapphira turned to the translucent veil. As it continued to throb, somehow it seemed inviting yet forbidding at the same time. “Isn’t there any other way?”

“For a dragon to gain eternal salvation?” Merlin shook his head emphatically. “No.”

Sapphira laid her hand on the glass, and her fingers passed right through. “Are you going to stay here and wait for us?”

“I must attend to a very important matter in the world of the living. You see, Morgan has yet to reap the harvest of destruction she has sown for thousands of years. I am going to send her to her final resting place. Then, since the gateway to Dragons’ Rest has been torn open, I will rescue my wife, and we will ascend into heaven together.” Merlin passed through the covenant veil and disappeared.

Tears welling in her eyes, Sapphira backed through the barrier and whispered, “I didn’t even get to say good-bye.”

Gabriel followed her. “Me, either. He seemed to be in a hurry.”

When she emerged on the other side, a cool wood floor greeted her bare feet. “Is this a theatre?” she whispered.

“I think so. I’ve only been to a couple of movies, though, and it’s been a long time, so I’m not sure.”

“Same here. People looked at me funny. Blind girls don’t go to movies very often.”

“Or boys who refuse to take off their backpacks.” Gabriel nodded toward the side of the stage. “There’s that tall guy we saw. He’s talking to two old ladies. Let’s scoot.”

“Shouldn’t we warn them?”

“Since they’re here, they’ve probably already been told.” Gabriel took her hand. “If this place is going to get nuked, we’d better hustle.”

“I guess you’re right.” Sapphira’s foot nudged something that slid across the floor.

“What’s this?” Gabriel asked, stooping. “A knife?”

Sapphira rubbed her finger along the wooden hilt. A hint of dark blood stained the rough stone blade. “I’ve seen it before. I think it’s Morgan’s.”

He slid it between his belt and trousers. “It might come in handy.”

As he led the way down the stage steps, Sapphira noticed his back, his wingless back. “Gabriel! Your wings! They’re gone!”

Gabriel never broke stride. “Yeah. Dimensional travel rocks. Maybe they’ll show up at baggage claim.”

After they exited the theatre and ran out to the village streets, Gabriel stopped and swung his head from side to side. “Any idea where to go?”

“Probably the town square. I’ve been to a reflection of this place in the sixth circle, so I know it pretty well.” She nodded toward a clock tower that rose above the tops of the other buildings. “It’s that way.”

Gabriel marched toward the tower. “I’ll recognize my father, but do you know what Roxil looks like?”