Bryan Davis - Eye of the Oracle

“Uh. . I don’t know. The king didn’t say. Does it make a difference?”

“We need riders. Ever since the fall of the tower, I have trained my sons and daughters to follow only the commands of humans when fighting in a group. They would be severely handicapped without experienced riders, and we have had no need to train any riders since before Arthur’s coronation.”

“Then how will we find riders?” Edward asked.

Makaidos moved his head up and down, examining Edward. “How old are you? Sixteen? Seventeen?”

Edward squared his shoulders. “Eighteen.”

“Old enough. You will begin training immediately.”

“Me?” Edward said, pointing at himself. “Why?”

“Because you are at hand. Do you know anyone else who is brave enough?”

“My best friend, Newman, but he ”

“Then for your first lesson, you will ride Thigocia to send my acceptance to King Arthur. After that, you will pick up Newman and return here. While the two of you are training, I will summon those who are still loyal to me.”

“I am willing,” Edward said, glancing around for his sword, “but won’t we need more riders than just Newman and me?” Finding his weapon, he hoisted it up to his shoulder.

“I know of three retired soldiers who battled from our backs before Arthur’s time. Perhaps they would be willing to relive their glory days. With them and five dragons, we should have enough to defeat a band of savages.”

“Will you also summon Clefspeare?” Thigocia asked. “We could always use a sixth, especially if it is he.”

Makaidos pawed the muddy ground and snorted. “How can I be sure we can trust him?”

“He is not like his father. You know that. And he will not need a rider.”

Makaidos scowled. “Will not accept one, you mean.”

“Let us not go over this again. Not in front of the human. Clefspeare is a great warrior, and his loyalty to you is unquestioned.”

“Very well,” Makaidos said, sighing. “I will ask him to join us.”

Edward stepped between the two dragons. “I beg your pardon, Makaidos. Another knight joined me in this quest to find you, but Goliath captured him with his tail and flew away with him. Is there any way we can conduct a search?”

Makaidos’s eyes flamed. “Captured him with his tail?”

“Yes. His shield got caught ”

“Ahem!”

Edward turned toward the sound. Barlow emerged from the trees, sleeveless and brushing a coat of thistles from his vest. “There is no need to go into details,” he said, his face reddening. “I survived.”

“Captain Barlow! Your chain mail came off?”

“Yes.” Barlow picked a thumb-sized beetle from his undergarment and flicked it away. “The mail caught in the strap, so I stripped it off. Such a pity. That was my best shield.”

“You can ride with Edward,” Thigocia said. “I will take both of you home.”

Barlow gave her a slight bow, apparently too sore to bend lower. “I appreciate your offer, dragoness, but after the ride I’ve been on, I would rather walk.”

Edward pulled Barlow’s sword from his scabbard and handed it to him. “What about Goliath? He’s sure to be looking for you.”

“I will take the long way through the forest,” Barlow said, sliding his sword into its scabbard. “Fortunately, I wore my thick undergarments, so I should not be too uncomfortable.”

Edward clapped Barlow on the shoulder. “Thank you for protecting me. I am forever in your debt.”

“Think nothing of it.” Barlow clenched wrists with Edward. “I’ll look forward to seeing you and the dragons on the front lines.”

As Barlow walked away, Thigocia dipped her head low. “First lesson, a neck mount. It’s the safest and easiest. You will learn other methods later.”

Edward stepped up close to the dragoness’s neck. “Why would I need to mount any other way?”

“Well, it sounds as though Barlow very nearly succeeded with the most difficult maneuver of all, and with Goliath, no less. If I had trained him to perform a tail mount in midflight, he might not be walking home in his underwear.”

Sapphira sat at the side of the pool, gazing at the Ovulum. Even though it had been silent for centuries, she kept bringing it back to the healing waters every few days. . hoping. . hoping to feel love once again.

Holding it close to her lips, she whispered, “Elohim?” but, as usual, there was no answer. She dropped her hands to her lap and sighed. She didn’t dream it. She really was healed. Whoever was inside really did sing that heavenly song that told her of Elohim’s love.

She gazed at her reflection in the pool. The same fourteen-year-old girl stared back at her the same smooth, pale skin and stark white hair. Morgan had warned her that the tower’s dimensional rift could have altered their plane of existence, but she didn’t expect not to age at all.

Still, the spawns kept growing, though very slowly, and she would have to rise early to prepare the newest candidate for mobility training. She slid the Ovulum back into her pocket and rose to her feet, grabbing her lantern on her way up. As she strolled through the corridor, she waved her hand over the flaming wick. “Come on,” she said. “You can get brighter than that.” The lantern responded with a flash and burned steadily, brightening the entire tunnel as she marched on.

Watching her own shadow on the tunnel wall, she pictured the humanoid plants attempting to walk on their spindly green legs, tired and wobbly as they exercised to the beat of a slave-driving drummer. But when she tried to imagine a face on the shadowy mirage, she could only see Yereq’s, sad and thin as he toiled in silence.

As she slid down into her dugout, a tear formed in each eye. Yereq still came to mind every day, especially the hate-filled look in his eyes when Morgan finally sent him to the mobility room for good. What was he doing now? Could he be a fully formed giant? He had enough time to grow that much. But he had never shown up as a slave driver in the magnetite trenches or taken a shift as the lift operator. What might his job be?

Sapphira set the lantern on the floor, illuminating the two stone bunks. Paili sat in hers, her tiny feet brushing the floor as they swung back and forth. She formed her words slowly and carefully. “The lantern is very bright.”

Sapphira waved her hand over the flame. “Sorry.” The lantern slowly dimmed.

“If Morgan catches you doing that. . you will be. .” Paili rolled her eyes upward, apparently in search of a word.

“In big trouble?” Sapphira offered.

Paili nodded.

Sapphira wiggled her fingers at the lantern, and the flame waved its pointy head back at her. “I think she’s already suspicious about my power, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not afraid of her anymore.”

“You should be afraid. If she. . catches you trying to break into. .” Paili glanced upward again, but this time, she just shook her head and sighed. “Too many words.”

“Take your time.” Sapphira stroked Paili’s hair. She was still an eight-year-old in body, and perhaps even younger in mind, even after over a thousand years of training. “You’ve come a long way, Paili. Don’t get discouraged.”

Paili forced out her words as though each one tortured her throat. “I was. . doing better. Something. . is wrong.”

“Yes, I know. I’m still trying to figure out what’s holding you back.” She sat on the floor next to Paili’s bed, using her toes to pinch a stale morsel of bread near the “mouse” hole. A dozen or so other morsels lay strewn around the opening.

Sapphira tickled Paili’s foot. “How’s our food supply?”