Eye of Abernathy (5 page)

I nodded. And closed my eyes.

It was as though Abernathy’s cave rushed into my mind. I remembered the smell of salt, the way old bones turned to ash so thick you could taste. I remembered the bats, their smell, and the first time I saw Abernathy. The sound of his voice. The way he’d given Silindra a piece of his soul in the shape of an amber teardrop.

The piece of his soul
dwelled within me now. It’d become a part of me, as with the six other magical properties. I felt heat rise in my throat, as though I were a dragon, and not Snow White at all.

Cindy began to speak. “
Abernathy.” She paused and I guessed I was to repeat her.

“Abernathy,” I said.

“Tua Tua Dragonia,” she uttered.

I repeated.

On the fringes of my mind I sensed a shift in the room. Like someone else came in, but I couldn’t open my eyes.

The spell must be working, I thought.

Cindy continued, “Sithiperia. Groanada. Desperia.”

The words were strange, and I garbled them out.

She finished with, “Abernathy.”

“Abernathy,” I echoed.

Chapter 9

I knew we weren’t in my room. The smell of bat guano and the deep rumbling of the sleeping dragon was all it took to convince me. But I didn’t want to open my eyes until Cindy told me too.

“Where the hell are we?”

That wasn’t Cindy’s voice. My eyes flew open. The room was pitch dark. With my vampire vision I perceived their forms. Cindy reached out and grabbed Gabe’s hand. Dorian remained perfectly still. 

Cindy said, “Listeria.” A b
eam of white light appeared above our heads.

“Gabe?
Dorian?” I was stunned. They helped Cindy to her feet.

I quickly stood on my own.

“Did you do this?” Gabe asked Cindy, his voice was filled with a loving wonder.

“Yeah,” she answered.
“But I can’t believe it only took one time through on the spell. And for the four of us. It must be Snow.”

They looked at me. “What?” I asked, embarrassed. “I just did what you said.”

“Well, ya did good.”

Dorian came over
. “You all right?” he asked, his eyebrows lifted in concern.

“Right as raindrops,” I answered. “But h
ow did you guys get here?”

“
We opened your bedroom door while the two of you were inside the star thing. There was a whoosh, and here we are.” He smirked. “Where exactly are we?”

I spun in a slow circle.
“This is Abernathy’s cave.”

“As in the dragon?” Gabe asked.

“Me and Snow thought we’d come and see him. We didn’t expect you guys to come along.” Cindy hugged Gabe. “I’m glad you’re here though.”

“What about me? Am I chopped liver?”

I wrapped my a
rm around Dorian’s. “I’m glad you’re here too.”

He raised his
eyebrows in comic flirtation. “Really now?”

I slapped him. “Stop it.”

He huffed, his shoulders sagging. “I thought you and I might be something,” he whispered.

I glanced toward Cindy and Gabe. They were in each other’s arms. Kissing. Sheesh. “I thought there might be something
between us too. But I’m in love with Christopher.”

He nodded, looking away.
After several silent moments, Dorian asked, “What’s making the noise?”

It was my turn to smirk. “Abernathy is snoring.” I stepped into the entrance
of a tunnel. “Dragons are lazy creatures. You want to meet him?”

Gabe stopped kissing Cindy, and the three of
us walked over. “Is he going to eat us?” Cindy asked nervously.

“No… at least I don’t think so.”

I ducked, and started walking. From the echoes and Cindy’s white light, I knew they followed.

“Man, it’s hot in here,” Dorian muttered.

I didn’t respond. He would understand why soon enough.

As we g
ot closer to the dragon’s chamber, I noticed Abernathy’s golden body, like heaps of gold coins. He hadn’t changed at all. When I exited the tunnel, I stood, straightening my spine. A sense of déjà vu tingled its way from my chest and spread up and down my arms. Dorian, Cindy, and Gabe flanked me on either side.

Abernathy stopped snoring, and opened his
saffron eyes.

Chapter 10

“Greetings little vampire. I’ve been waiting
for you for a very long time.” His deep voice reverberated of the rock walls.

Though I sensed th
is was the same chamber, it changed over the thousands of years since I was here with Silindra. The most noticeable was the giant opening above our heads. It let in the bright sky. Wispy clouds lazily coasted by. Sunbeams filtered in, and while they didn’t reach all the way down, they still bathed the cavern in light.

Abernathy shook his yellow mane
, like a lion after a long slumber.

“Hello Abernathy.” I was
nervous. Would he be angry I’d become the Seal? Did he already know? He said he’d been waiting. I took a step forward. “Do you know who I am then?”

He smacked his chops, his teeth clinking together. I heard a collective gasp from Cindy, Dorian, and Gabe.

“Of course, Snow White. I know exactly who you are. And, I know why you’ve come.” His liquid eyes blinked slowly.

I didn’t speak, sensing he had more to say.

“You want to know if the power of the Seal will destroy Sharra.”

“That’
s right.”

He regarded me thoughtfully.

“Destruction. Love. Hate. All words burdened with thick emotion. There’s also rehabilitation, change, compassion, kindness. Words to consider.”

I blanched. Was Abernathy suggesting I
don’t destroy the Vampire Queen?

Before I could specify,
he continued, “Whom do you have with you?”

I moved to the side
, preoccupied with my thoughts, but desirous to be respectful to the dragon. “This is Gabe. He is the leader of the chayot.”

“Ah, yes.
Oberon’s half human son.”

Gabe stepped forward, his face stony. “You knew my—Oberon?”

“I did. A distasteful fellow. Only cared for himself. What he could gain. What he wanted. What everyone else could do for him.” Abernathy yawned. “Are you like the narcissistic Oberon?”

Gabe took a step back. He seemed unsure about what to say.

“No,” I answered for him. “Gabe is nothing like Oberon. He’s a good man.”

The dragon snorted, and a puff of smoke exhaled his nostrils.

“I believe you’re right. Though he seems deeply troubled. Like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders. What troubles you, chayot leader?”

Gabe didn’t answer. Cindy slipped her arm through his.

“No matter.” Abernathy blew out another puff of smoke.

I went on.
“This is Cindy. She’s a…”

“Oh, yes. The young witch who’s been messing around with my book.”
A hint of what looked like a smile touched his lips.

Cindy
flushed, a bright red. “My grandmother gave it to me,” she whispered.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you
, my dear. I see great things in your future.”

Cindy glanced up. “You do?”

“Oh, yes. It’s no accident you and the young vampire are friends. It’s destiny.” A sound, like a large kitten purring, escaped Abernathy’s throat. He turned his attention to Dorian, who remained deathly quiet since we entered the chamber. “And last but certainly not least, we have you.” The dragon blinked. “The only normal, non-magical human in the bunch. Yet your destiny.” He paused, and sniffed the air.

Dorian stepped forward. “You know what I’m supposed to do with my life?”

“Oh, yes, young one. Very few have the capacity for love, to love, like you.”

Dorian took another step toward the dragon. He looked tiny in comparison. “What
is it?”

Abernathy shook his head, and let out a deep chuckle. “You will know when the time is right.”

Dorian sighed. His shoulders sagged.

“And you.” Abernathy focused his large eyes on me. “You’ve become the Seal of Gabriel. The magic of the seven dwell within your body, including a piece of my soul.”

I nodded.

“
You expect an answer. There are several, all of them depend on you.”

My
throat went dry.

He studi
ed me intently for a long time until I almost believed he fell asleep with his eyes open. “Snow White. The daughter of an elf and a human. You’re fated to bring—”

“Hold on.” I carefully moved
closer to Abernathy, so I had a perfect view of his giant mouth. “My mother wasn’t an elf.”

Abernathy shook his mane. “She was. I met her once, when she was much younger, before she escape
d Sharra, and moved to the human world.”

“I’ve seen elves. They look a lot different than humans. I
would’ve remembered if my mom looked like an elf.” I turned away, watching water drip from a stalactite off to the left of the dragon, near the edge of the cavern. Images of my mother flicked through my mind. She was soft spoken. Her hair was light. I used to say it was the color of starlight. Her skin was pale, and she had long fingers. “My mother was human,” I finally said.

Smoke trailed from his nostrils. “She
appeared human. But she wasn’t. Like the bird whose wings imitate snake eyes, or the caterpillar that appears to be nothing more than a stick, your mother seemed human, but was an elf. She was an anomaly, different from all other elves. And they hated her for it. Teased her. Called her a freak. Even her parents didn’t like her. They were embarrassed by her.

“After many years she came to me, desperate to start somewhere fresh. I helped your mother escape
the magical confines of Sharra.”

“You did?” My heart ached for what my mother must’ve gone through. “
Is that why she died? Because she was away from Sharra for too long.” The image of Pava, the pixilette, and the way she’d turned to ash after a short time outside Sharra, harassed my thoughts. I was afraid of the answer, but anxious to know the truth.

He stood, his scales clanking together like old metal. The tip of my head barely reached the top of one of his clawed feet.
Cindy, Gabe, and Dorian scattered back into the tunnel, which was the smart move, but I held my ground. If Abernathy knew what happened to my mother, I wanted the answer.

“Well?” I asked
, the word forced between my clenched teeth.

“It’s time you know, I believe.” He smacked his lips together. “Care to take a trip?” He stretched his golden wings wide. Each
wingtip touched a wall, blocking out the sunlight. He shook like a wet dog. Hundreds of old scales sailed from his body like giant discs. They smacked into stalactites, and stalagmites, knocking them to pieces. One flew over my head, and I ducked just in time. It crashed into the wall behind me, leaving a large hole. Powdered rock filled the cavern like smoke, and the smell of sulfur tainted the already pungent air.

When the dust finally settled, I answered. “What kind of trip?”

He laughed. Loud and hearty. Thousands of bats awoke, circling like phantoms. Their high-pitched screeching like nails raking a chalkboard.

Abernathy lifted his head, and roared, sending a rush of fire at the bats. They fell, their bodies charred and smoking, and I moved to the tunnel entrance, out of the way.

When the bats were all dead, he closed his mouth, extinguishing the fire. Smacking his lips together, he said, “Bats are worse than rats—flying mongrels, really.” He bent his front paw under, and leaned his body toward the four of us. “Climb on vampire. And the rest of you. Hurry up. I’m late for my nap.”

I didn’t
know if it’s a vampire thing or a Snow White thing, but I hated to fly in airplanes… with seatbelts, pressurized cabins, and electronic gadgets. This would be worse. “Where are we going? We’ll meet you there. Use magic.” I glanced back at Cindy who’d come out of the tunnel, and moved to climb on. Her face shone with excitement, and I sighed. We wouldn’t be using magic. She wanted to fly on the back of the dragon. Dorian and Gabe seemed excited about the prospect as well.

Me? Not so much!

Abernathy shook his head. “There’s only one way to get to your mother, and the journey requires I get you there. Come on.”

I gulped. If she were dead, how
did he plan to take us to see her? “Can’t you just explain what happened? You don’t need to show me.” The others were already on Abernathy’s back. Gabe next to his head, then Cindy, with her arms around him, a space, I guessed for me, and then Dorian.

Dorian smirked, patting the
spot in front of him. “It’ll be fun.”