Bryan Davis - Eye of the Oracle

“I guess so, but we’re not in exactly the same place as before.” He pointed at the rise on the other side of the more distant fountain. “We were over there.”

Sapphira breathed a sigh. “If we made it through, then Paili probably did, too.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and called, “Paili! Are you here?”

A tiny voice replied from far away. “I’m here!”

Sapphira stretched up to her toes. Excitement pitched her voice higher. “Where’s here ?”

“Right here with my two new friends.” A tiny pair of hands waved in the distance behind the second fountain.

Sapphira grabbed Elam’s wrist. “I see her! Let’s go!”

They ran past a carpenter shop, a seamstress boutique, and a spa, all with broken columns and entryways, then across a patio that led to the fountain. Letting go of Elam, she surged ahead, jumped into the fountain’s cavity, and dashed to the other side. She leaped over the low parapet and swept Paili into her arms.

After swinging Paili in a full circle, Sapphira set her down and combed her fingers through the little girl’s hair. “You’re okay! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Me, too!” Paili chirped. She turned and pointed. “I have new friends!”

Sapphira took a quick breath. A man and a woman stood at the base of the fountain, the same couple she had seen by the brick kilns. She dipped her knee in a brief curtsy. “Uh, hello.”

The man ascended the few marble steps leading to the fountain. “It is the girl from my vision!”

Elam stepped in between the man and Sapphira. “Who are you?”

The man stopped and extended his hand. “Makaidos is my name. What is yours?”

Elam lifted his hand slowly, his eyes revealing deep suspicion. “I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

Makaidos gripped Elam’s hand and shook it, then looked back at the woman and smiled. “This is my daughter, Roxil.”

Elam’s brow lifted. “I have heard your names! Those are dragon names. My father told me lots of stories about dragons.”

“Your father?” Makaidos released Elam’s hand. “Who are you?”

Elam squared his shoulders. “I am Elam, son of Shem, grandson of Noah.”

“You are Shem’s missing son?” Makaidos stared at Elam. “You must have died over a thousand years ago!” He glanced back at Roxil and scratched his head. “But now I am confused. We died as dragons and awoke here, so I thought this was a place for dragons to rest after they died. Why would a dead human be here?”

“We’re not dead,” Sapphira offered. “We can travel from one dimension to another. We came here looking for Paili, and we’re planning to leave as soon as possible.”

“Do you know how to leave this place?” Roxil leaped up to the fountain level. “May we come with you?”

“I don’t know,” Sapphira replied. “If some of these dimensions are meant for the souls of the dead, would it make sense if they could leave? I mean, wouldn’t they all just leave if they could?”

Makaidos took Roxil’s hand. “It could be dangerous. I think we should stay right where we are.”

“Listen to you!” Roxil said, turning to face him. “The one who loves adventure!”

“A well-placed stroke.” Makaidos shook a finger at her. “But there is adventure, and there is foolhardy risk.”

Roxil tapped her foot on the ground. “Would you prevent me from trying?”

“Would I be able to stop you?” Makaidos sighed and gazed at every face in turn. “We have only been here a short while, and I suspect that other dragons are hereabouts in the guise of humans, perhaps my father and mother or my siblings.” His gaze lingered on Sapphira. “Would you care to assist us in a search?”

Elam cleared his throat sharply. “I don’t see any dragons, and we have Paili, so we should ”

Sapphira squeezed Elam’s arm. “I’d love to help! Just because we can’t see the dragons doesn’t mean they’re not here.”

His eyes glazing, Elam raised his hands toward his ears, then lowered them quickly. He jerked his head back and forth as if shaking water from his hair.

Sapphira caressed his arm. The voice must have been tormenting him again. “When I’m standing at a portal,” she said, “I can see everything. Maybe if I ” Sudden warmth radiated over her thigh. Sliding her hand slowly, she reached into her pocket and withdrew the Ovulum.

Makaidos stepped closer, his eyes bulging. “The Ovulum! Where did you get it?”

He reached for it, but Sapphira pulled it away. “I’ve had it for centuries,” she said. “The Eye of the Oracle said I could keep it.”

Makaidos pushed his hand through his short reddish-brown hair. “The Eye speaks to you?”

“Yes. .” She pulled the Ovulum closer to her face. “Or he used to. It’s been a while since the last time. But the egg got pretty warm just now, so I thought he was going to speak again, maybe to help us find your dragon family.”

“So,” Roxil said, “what do you do? Ask it a question?”

“Yes, but he doesn’t always answer.” Sapphira raised the egg to her lips and spoke slowly and clearly. “Are there any more dragons here, and if there are, can you help us find them?”

“That’s two questions,” Elam said. “Maybe you should ask one at a time.”

“Don’t worry. He’s smart enough to ” The egg suddenly grew red hot. Sapphira juggled it for a moment, passing it back and forth between her hands as she lowered it to the marble skirt around the fountain. It rocked to the side for a second, then stood upright on its larger end.

Red halos pulsed from the glass, creating vertical rings of light that dimmed and thinned out as they expanded. The frequency of the pulses increased. Ring after ring flew from the Ovulum, so quickly that the gaps between them vanished, leaving a shining red half oval that feathered into pink hues at the edges.

Sapphira reached out and touched the flat oval with her finger, making the surface ripple. She leaned close and gazed through the translucent screen. Elam and Paili stood on the other side, bathed in a wrinkled red shroud, but Makaidos and Roxil appeared as dragons. She jumped to the side and peeked around the edge. Four humans stood agape next to the fountain.

She looked through the screen again. Two humans and two dragons stared back at her.

Elam pointed at her from the other side of the screen. “Sapphira! You’re covered with fire!”

Merlin rode on Clefspeare’s back through the clearing skies and gazed at the terrain below. A stream wound through a forest, leading away from a cliff that housed Makaidos’s cave. A rough path followed the stream through dense forest and undergrowth, but few now ventured its dangerous trek. With Goliath on the warpath, this area attracted only the ignorant or suicidal.

Clefspeare circled lower. “I fear we are too late, Master Merlin. The sense of danger peaked and now wanes with every second. If I had not been such a fool, I would have realized that Arramos was leading me away on purpose.”

“Don’t fret about the past,” Merlin said, patting the dragon’s neck. “Just get us to the cave.” He pointed toward the path. “I see two people carrying a third. Is that the king?”

“Yes,” Clefspeare said. “Devin and Palin are carrying him. Hold on!” He angled into a dive, taking Merlin almost straight down.

As they approached, Devin and Palin laid the king on the ground and withdrew their swords. Making a sharp turn, Clefspeare avoided the blades and slapped them away with his tail. He landed with a rough bounce, and Merlin scrambled down his back.

“Fools!” Merlin shouted. “Couldn’t you see me riding on the dragon?”

Devin picked up his sword and pointed it at Clefspeare. “If you had seen the heroics we had to accomplish to rescue the king, you would have done the same. No dragon can be trusted!”