Dragons of Earth

BOOK TWO

CHAPTER 1

Earth

Vogelsberg Mountains, Germany

2018 A.D.

Fianna knew the time had arrived. She watched the priest approach from the far end of the cavern. “Celine!” the white Dragon called over her shoulder, “We must go. Are you ready?”

“Almost. Another minute,” the girl replied. She worked intently to strap a crate of precious Dragon eggs to the saddlebags her winged companion wore.

At last, everything was well secured. “Okay. Let’s go,” said Celine. “Will you lead the way, Father Greer?” The old priest, who had been waiting patiently, nodded. He turned and began the long climb up the ancient mountain tunnel, up toward the hidden gateway to the outer world.

Walking a few paces behind the priest, Celine was soon lost in thought. She shuddered in apprehension; what lay before them was uncertain at best. Failure was grimly possible, even probable. As was death. And theirs were not the only fates hanging in the balance: The survival of a whole race of Dragon-folk was at stake.

The young girl struggled to return her attention to the present — to suppress the insistent memories of their harrowing, near-fatal battle with the criminal Soader and his two-headed fire-breather, just days before. It was no use. She shivered and nearly cried out at the thought of the hideous Rept-Human hybrid and the flaming beast he rode.

Finally, the trio reached the massive door to the outer world, and stood facing its elaborately carved inner panels. The tension was almost a physical presence as they awaited the moment when the great space vessel Queen Asherah III was due to appear above their mountain refuge.

Father Greer’s fine old timepiece chimed softly. The moment had arrived.

Celine and Fianna edged closer to where the opening would appear. They glanced at one another, filled with anticipation — and a healthy dose of fear. The girl turned to the priest and nodded. He smiled, bowed, and turned his focus to the imposing grey doors before them. He spread his arms wide, then brought his hands to his chest and bowed as though in prayer. His low, droning chant reverberated through the rocky entry chamber. In moments, the portal whispered open; in rushed a gust of brisk evening air.

The old man stepped out onto the ledge beyond the doors, scanning the moonlit vista before them. “It is safe, my child,” he assured Celine, who had followed close behind. “I will wait with you until your father’s vessel arrives.”

Moments later, the sleek, shining under-hull of a spaceship appeared high in the sky, directly above them. At once Celine reached out mentally to contact Jager, who should be aboard the massive craft. The two were among but a few humanoids who still possessed this ancient ability, a kind of telepathy known as “menting” — mental communication. “Jager, are you there?” she called.

“Yes, Celine — right here,” her young soulmate replied.

“Good. Good. Now, please tell me: Will Asherah be able to transbeam Fianna and me directly to Scotland?”

“I’m sorry, but no—we’ll have to ’beam you aboard first, then back down to Loch Ness.”

“All right. I was afraid that might be the case. Please listen carefully. I apologize for what I must do now. I…”

“Wait! What do you mean, ‘apologize’?!” the young man broke in.

“There’s no time. Listen to me! Father Greer has something for you. You must come get it, and give it to my father. Please, please do this for me. I must go now. I’ll see you soon. I love you, Jager.”

With that, she shut her mind against further contact and rushed to Father Greer, hugging the priest so hard it nearly cracked his poor old bones. Pushing a recorder button into his hand, she explained: “Jager will come for this. It’s for my father. Thank you again — for everything.”

She dashed to Fianna, leapt to the saddle and hunkered down tight, ready for the jolt when the Dragon took flight.

Then, just as Fianna crouched to make her skyward leap, the pair glimpsed a flashing blur of wicked scarlet above, and felt, more than heard, a screaming whoosh of rushing wings.

There it was — their worst fears come true: a scarlet, two-headed Dragon diving straight at them. A humanoid form stood in the black saddle strapped between the enormous wings, laughing hideously — the evil Rept-Human hybrid, Soader.

Before girl, Dragon and priest had fully registered what was happening, a new blur of black streaked into view from their right, on a collision course with the red fiend. Another Dragon! It closed the distance in a flash and slammed into its adversary with terrifying force.

The Dragons tumbled out of the sky, down, down to the mountain slope below, a shrieking tangle of wings, claws, gnashing teeth and slashing tails. Celine leapt from the saddle and rushed to the ledge’s brink to follow their fall, Fianna right behind. It was no good, though—their immediate view was blocked by a rocky outcrop.

“Ahimoth! That was Ahimoth!” cried the white Dragon, half in amazement, half in terror at her brother’s peril.

“Jager!” mented Celine, “There’s a black Dragon somewhere on the mountainside below us. Can you shield him? It’s Fianna’s brother!”

“Yes, I believe we can. I see him on our monitors,” Jager flashed back.

Jager turned to Major Hadgkiss, Asherah’s second-in-command. “Major, can you put shielding around the black Dragon there on the mountainside, then on Celine and the white Dragon next to her?”

“Dragon?! Celine’s with a Dragon?” bellowed Commander Rafael Zulak, the ship’s captain — and Celine’s father. “Major, what in all space is going on?? Bring her aboard! ’Beam her out of there! Do it now!!”

“No time to explain, Captain,” the major replied. “Lieutenant Madda, shield the black Dragon, then the girl and white Dragon on the ledge above him.”

“Yes, sir,” Madda replied, running nimble green hands across the glowing panel before her.

“I asked what the hells is going on!” yelled Zulak, glaring at his bridge crew. “Bring my daughter aboard, this instant — or I’ll have the lot of you up on charges.” He strode toward Madda’s panel.

“Sir, respectfully, please bear with us,” replied Hadgkiss. “We’ll ’beam them as soon as we can.” He managed to speak calmly, knowing full well he was disobeying a direct order from his captain — and a fervent plea from his life-long friend.

Celine and Fianna raced along the ledge, trying to get a clear view of the slopes below. They saw no sign of Ahimoth, but spotted the red Dragon sprawled far below, both snakish necks limp. Soader lay close by, legs splayed almost comically in front of him. Then, to their astonishment, a scintillating swirl of energy grew around the distant figures, its intensity increasing until it vanished abruptly — taking their foes with it.

The girl and Dragon had no time to consider where their enemies had gone, or what it all might mean — for now, high above the mountain, a second ship flashed into view and wheeled to bring its blunt bow to bear on Queen Asherah; in seconds, it rammed the Queen amidships. Had her shields not been up at half-power, the impact would have been fatal.

Thrown violently to the deck, the Queen’s bridge crew scrambled to resume their stations. Claxons blared and hazard lights flashed. Hadgkiss made a lightning assessment of the situation and roared out an order: “Shields to full power! Prepare to jump-shift out of here!” Turning, he came face to face with a horrified Rafael. “Don’t worry, Raff. Celine will be okay. She’s safer down there than with us. We’ll come back for her directly.”

But now Dino’s eyes widened in a horror of his own. Over the commander’s shoulder he saw Ensign Jager — his adopted nephew and the newest member of the bridge crew—screaming and writhing in a desperate struggle to escape a transbeam. The major lunged past Rafael toward the young man, but it was no use. Before he’d covered half the distance between them, Jager had vanished.

Moments later, the ship was rammed again. The bridge’s lighting flickered, then switched to harsh red: they were on emergency backups. “Whoever that is, we’re outmatched, and we won’t survive another impact,” shouted Dino. “Jump-shift for Erra — now!”

The helmsman slapped his control panel; a howling groan echoed through the hull as the jump-shift drive engaged, wrenching the already tortured vessel. Dino and Rafael’s eyes met; both feared the worst…but it didn’t come. Instead, the ship steadied, shuddered once more, then smoothly made the jump across light-years of space. In no time — quite literally — they were in orbit above their home port and planet, Erra. Gravely wounded, limping, but still alive.

CHAPTER 2

Alternate Plan

Their faces turned skyward, Celine, Fianna and Father Greer watched, helpless, as the immense spaceships battled high above.

Suddenly, Celine was rocked by a mental cry of angry surprise from Jager; she sensed his desperate struggle to escape the transbeam. “Jager? Jager! What is it?!”

There was another roar of rage, then terrible silence. Silence, and an aching vacuum. The girl cried out in anguish with both voice and mind.

A new mental voice entered her awareness: the Mentor, West. “What troubles you, child?”

“West! Jager’s gone silent — I can’t reach him! What’s happened?”

“I do not know,” West replied, her tone betraying deep concern. She paused, then continued. “He does not reply to my call. He is no longer aboard your father’s ship, nor anywhere nearby. I fear someone has taken him; most probably the same agents who took the hybrid and red Dragon. And now the ships have departed — your father’s jump-shifted moments ago; the other followed almost at once.”

Turning her attention to the skies above, Celine saw it was true: There was nothing to see but a few early stars and some wisps of cloud, still roiling from the ships’ sudden departure. “No! NO! I can’t lose him again!” she despaired, slumping against Fianna’s flank.

The Dragon swung her head round to press her muzzle against the girl’s shoulder in reassurance. “Do not fear, my Companion. We shall find him. I know it. It is meant to be so.”

Celine heaved a shuddering sigh, then reached up and gave her friend a grateful hug. “I hope you’re right. You know such things. But it’s…it’s awful.” Shaking off her near-overwhelming dread, she steeled herself and addressed the Mentor. “West, who could have taken him?”

“I do not know for certain, Celine, but I suspect the Brothers.”

The girl could well have collapsed into a fresh bout of despair, but—to her own proud surprise — she reacted instead with adamant resolve. “You’re right. Damn them to the deepest hells! It had to have been the Brothers. Either the Brothers or G.O.D.—the attacking ship appeared out of jump-shift. No one but the Brothers or the damned G.O.D. has jump-ships.”

“Quite correct,” West replied. “We know the Brothers want Jager. So does High Chancellor Scabbage. And Soader and his Dragon slave are minions of both. But the Galactic Omniplanetary Democratum may also covet him for purposes of its own.”

“Fine. So, we’ve got to go find the Brothers. Now. Or find Jager, at least.”

“We must find Jager, yes,” said West, “but my sisters and I are best equipped to do that—and do it we shall. Right now there is another task, equally urgent, which only you and Fianna can complete. You must journey to Nibiru with all speed, and lift the hex upon the Dragons’ last eggs. To do that, you must travel to Scotland and enter the tube-chute, at once.”

“You’re right, West,” said Celine, “but I’m worried about the chute. I don’t think it’s safe. I have a feeling whoever took Jager and Soader may be watching it. If that’s true, and we try to use it, they could trap us.”

“Your concerns are astute, child,” replied the Mentor. “I sense you are correct, in essence. The tube-chute itself could not be compromised, but its vortex entrance at Loch Ness might be.”

“So, the situation’s changed,” said Celine, frowning. “Fianna, we’ve got to call Nessie. Maybe there’s a way she can keep the vortex safe. And we’ve got to make sure your parents made it safely through the tube-chute to Nibiru. If someone were waiting to ambush us, they could have interfered with your parents’ passage, too.”

Fianna gasped at the awful truth of Celine’s words. Her parents could be in terrible danger.

“West, we should leave here right away,” said Celine, “no time to talk to Nessie. Could you speak with her and relay all this? And find out if Fianna’s parents have arrived on Nibiru?”

“Yes, I can, child,” replied the Mentor. “And you are correct: Whatever Nessie may say, you and Fianna must hasten to Scotland, risk the vortex and travel the tube-chute yourselves. I see no alternative. You are no longer safe on Earth. And you must reach Nibiru soon, or the Dragons’ eggs will perish.”

A low voice came from the shadows behind them. “There is another way. You could escape through the Chalice Well.”

“Ah!” said West.

“The Chalice Well?” said Celine. She turned to see Father Greer standing calmly near the tunnel entrance. “Is that the old mystic well in England? I’ve read about one there, in the south.”

“Yes. In Glastonbury,” replied the old man. “I do not believe it has been used for centuries, but it should still function. I foresee only one problem. The Well was designed to accommodate humanoid bodies. The spell which controls its working would have to be re-cast, to transport Dragons as well. Princess Fianna, are you willing to make the attempt, if we manage to amend the spell?”

“Yes, of course,” replied Fianna, without a moment’s hesitation.

“So be it, then,” the priest continued. “A trusted friend and member of my order, Father Sinclair, lives beside the Well and tends it. I will converse with him, explain matters and solicit his help. I will also ask that he give you the Egg, a comm stone our brotherhood has used for centuries to converse with Pleiadean and other friendly vessels in the area. Use the stone to call for a ship, once Father Sinclair has transported you safely off planet.”

“Off planet? Do you mean the Well won’t take us to Nibiru?”

“No, no, dear one. It is not so potent as that. Only the tube-chute can carry you safely to Nibiru.”

Celine nodded. “West, are you in agreement with Father Greer’s suggestion?”

“Yes, Celine. I believe his counsel is most wise — the best and safest way to proceed. No one will expect such a move, certainly. It should buy you precious time, and take you safely away from Earth.”

“All right. That’s settled, then. We’ll travel to the Well, and do as Father Greer suggests. But we can’t just leave here without finding out what happened to Ahimoth!”

“Exactly so!” cried Fianna. All three hurried to the ledge’s lip and began scanning the terrain below for any sign of the black Dragon.

“Ahimoth!” Fianna called, mentally. “Where are you? Are you injured?”

“I am here, sister,” Ahimoth replied, “in a ravine far below you, hidden from your view.”

Fianna turned quickly to Celine and the priest. “I have found him! Please bear with me, while I learn more.”

The girl and older man nodded relief and agreement.

“Are you injured?” Fianna asked her brother.

“Yes, but not so very badly. Tell me, are Soader and that red Kerr still about? I should like another go at them!” A stifled groan betrayed his effort to make light of his condition.

“Hmph!” Fianna snorted. “I am greatly relieved to know you survived, but I don’t for a moment believe you are fit for battle! You are fortunate, though. Our enemies are gone. Transbeamed away, though we know not where, nor by whom.”

“Transbeamed? A perplexing development,” the black Dragon replied.

“Perplexing indeed, but solving it must wait. Are you well enough to fly?”

“Yes, I believe so. Are we to return to Scotland?”

“No. We must travel to England; I shall explain as we fly. We must depart at once. Can you follow us?”

“Oh, yes, yes. Please! Even injured, I can out-fly you, my silly sister!”

“Hmm. We shall see about that. We shall depart momentarily. I can sense your location now. When you see us pass overhead, please follow.”

“As you wish, Princess,” he replied.

“He is injured, but able to fly,” Fianna explained to Celine and Father Greer. “I have told him of our plan; he is waiting to follow us to the Well.”

“All right. Let’s go!” said Celine. She paused, then turned to Father Greer. With a deep bow, she addressed him. “We are forever grateful to you, Father, for everything you’ve done for us and for our cause. I hope you’ll be safe here, and that our presence hasn’t endangered you or your brothers.”

Father Greer bowed, returning reverence to the girl and then the Dragon. “Your efforts are the greatest thanks my brothers and I could wish for. You are risking your lives to save Nibiru and all its peoples. That will benefit this planet, too — more than you may understand.”

Celine gave a final bow, cupping her hands over her heart in a pose ancient priests once used to channel their mystic powers. Fianna bowed too, extending a foreleg as Dragons do.

The girl leapt to the saddle and snugged herself in for flight. Fianna spread her wings and dove headlong over the ledge’s margin. The glistening creature swept downward and then outward, soaring over the spot where Ahimoth waited. After a quick flip of a wingtip in greeting, she swung upward again; pumping wings carried her high into the sky.

On the mountainside below, Ahimoth managed a faltering leap upward…