Raising Dragons (29 page)

As she flew, the sword grew heavier and heavier, weighing her down, forcing her to fly lower. She tried to shift her grip on the hilt in order to reposition the sword.
Maybe I can put it on my back somehow or—
The sword slipped away and hurtled toward the ground.
Oh, no!
Within seconds it disappeared through the treetops.
Should I chase it? No, I don’t have time! I have to find Billy!

She kept flying as fast as her aching wings would take her.

Surely the slayer will never find it, and I don’t think it’ll hurt anything if I just leave it way out here. I hope nobody was down there. At the speed it fell, it could’ve killed someone.

After a few minutes, she spotted something.
Two men? Yes! Yes! It’s Walter and Professor Hamilton, and Billy’s on a sled between them!

Bonnie could tell they were nearing the bottom of the ridge and would be back at the car in a few minutes. She stayed close to the treetops and passed the rescuers. She saw Mr. Foley waiting by the car in the distance, so she dove quickly and landed back where she had started over half an hour before. Bonnie pulled her coat and backpack from under the leaves. She knew she was supposed to report to Clefspeare when she found Billy, but that would have to wait until later, at least until she knew his condition. When she pulled the backpack’s zipper closed, she called out while pulling on the coat. “Walter! Professor! Can you hear me?”

“Bonnie?” a surprised Walter called back. “Is that you?”

“Yes!” She waved when Walter and the professor came in sight. They hurried toward her, arriving with gasping breaths, and slid Billy’s litter in front of her.

She limped to Billy’s side and tried to kneel, but the pain was too much, so she braced herself with her left hand and caressed his bloody cheek. His eyes were closed, his skin ice cold even to her frigid fingers.

“Bonnie,” Walter huffed, “what are you doing here?”

She lifted her head. “Your father and I came to try to find Billy. He’s waiting next to the station wagon.” She looked down at Billy again and then up at the Professor. “How badly is he hurt?”

The professor held out his car keys and pointed to the landscape in front of them. “Walter, can you push the shield around that bend? It’s downhill about a hundred meters after that. Please ask your father to warm up my car.” He reached one hand down toward Bonnie. “I’ll help Miss Silver.”

Walter didn’t hesitate. He snatched the keys and, digging his feet into the ground, scooted the shield down the path.

The professor lifted Bonnie to her feet, put his arm around her, and helped her stand. “Your face is bleeding! What happened to you?”

“Never mind me. What about Billy?”

“His injury is very serious. That’s why we cannot stop.”

“Don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine. Just send Mr. Foley back to get me.”

The professor nodded and ran ahead. In seconds he disappeared around the bend. Bonnie tried to walk, but it was no use. Between her aching knee and throbbing head, she couldn’t go on; she would have to sit and wait. Within a minute or so, Mr. Foley came running up the path, and, without a word, he helped Bonnie onto his back again and trudged slowly toward their parking place.

When they arrived at Mr. Foley’s car, the professor’s station wagon was already gone. After helping Bonnie get seated, Mr. Foley started the engine and turned the heater on full blast. “I can see tire tracks,” he said, getting out of the car again and pointing toward a secondary path. “My car would never make it up there, so I’ll follow the tracks on foot to see if I can find Marilyn. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Bonnie just nodded and watched Mr. Foley lumber away. She put her stiff fingers in front of the vent. The warming jet thawed them enough to return blood flow and with it, throbbing pain. It was a good pain, enabling her to bend her knuckles and flex her hands.

She yawned and laid her head against the window, trying to sleep in the soothing warmth. She was too tired to worry about any dangers—the slayer, the dark knight, or the candlestone. Only one thought kept her in prayer, Billy’s condition. He looked awful, like a frozen corpse being shuttled home on a failed shield, a dead hero returning from battle.

Bonnie alternated between dozing and wakeful prayer for what seemed like half an hour until a new noise roused her senses. An SUV rumbled down a mountain path in her direction, its wheels spinning and biting into leaves, dirt, and snow. When it arrived, Mr. Foley jumped out, and the truck zoomed away. Bonnie caught a glimpse of Billy’s mom driving the SUV as she passed by. Her face looked worried, tired, and scared.

Mr. Foley got in the driver’s seat and started the car down the unpaved forest road. He turned to Bonnie, who stared straight ahead, leaning forward to make room for her backpack. She grimaced, wondering what Mr. Foley must have thought of her. Her forehead and cheeks had tightened with drying mud, tears, and blood. She probably looked like a frozen street urchin.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No, not anymore.” She sniffed and choked back a sob.

“The hospital’s not real far. I’m sure the professor and Walter got Billy there in time.”

Her throat tightened, and her voice squeaked. “I hope so,” was all she could manage.

Mr. Foley slowed to ease over a very large bump and then stopped on the deserted road. He pulled out a clean handkerchief and tried to wipe a clump of dirt from beneath Bonnie’s left eye. “What did you do all that time after I left you?” he asked gently.

“I’d rather not say.” Bonnie couldn’t hold it back any longer. She started crying and buried her face in her hands.

Mr. Foley put a hand on the shoulder of her coat and gave it a squeeze. “Take your time,” he said quietly. He pressed the accelerator. The car moved ahead and turned onto a smoother road. “I have no idea what happened up there, but there’s something I do know.” He took a deep breath and went on. “That blood on your face was the cost of doing the right thing.”

Bonnie lifted her head and busily wiped the tears away. She sniffed hard and nodded. “Thank you.” She looked at him, and their eyes met. She smiled through the pain. “Thank you for believing in me.”

Billy opened his eyes. At first all he could see were white walls in front and to the left, with instruments of some kind dangling from shiny silver hooks. To his right, pale yellow curtains hung from tracks in the ceiling, and directly in front of him a portable table held a water pitcher and a Styrofoam cup. He tried to turn his head to the right, but a sharp pain near his left temple made him stop. As he raised his hand to touch his head, he noticed layers of medical gauze and tape wrapped around the base of his index finger. A thin plastic tube followed his movement, stretching out and tightening when he extended his arm. He followed the line with his eyes to an IV bag hanging from a metal pole.

“A hospital?” he murmured.

He felt a warm hand touch his right arm. “Billy?”

Billy turned toward the voice, this time ignoring the pain. “Mom?”

His mother stood and clasped his hand in both of hers. “Billy. Welcome back.”

“Back? Where have I been?”

Her smile was as broad as an ocean. “Unconscious, for going on two days. Do you remember what happened?”

Billy squinted and tried to sit up. “Ohhh! My head!” He slowly laid his head back on the pillow and turned to his mother. “Did the dragon—I mean, did Dad get away? Do you know?”

“Yes. Your father is fine.” She stroked his arm soothingly. “But you got hurt pretty badly, so you were brought here.”

“Here? Where’s here?”

“Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins.”

Billy lifted his hand again. “Why’s this tape on my finger?”

“I wouldn’t let them take it off, so they just taped it.”

“You wouldn’t let them take my finger off?”

“No, silly! Not your finger.”

He felt more dazed than ever. Nothing his mother said seemed to make any sense. “What happened?”

“There’s someone in the waiting room who wants to tell you the whole story.”

“Who? Walter? The professor? I remember seeing them, but—”

Billy’s mother put a finger on his lips. “Just stay still. The doctor said you would probably wake up this morning, so everyone’s waiting to see you, but they can only come in one at a time.” She got up and stepped toward the door. “I’ll get the first one, and I’ll be back later.”

Billy still felt confused. “Everyone?”

Right after his mother left, a nurse came in the door. She took his vital signs, checked the IV, and spoke a few soft words before leaving, but Billy wasn’t really listening. He just stared at the door, wondering who would come in to let him know what was going on. Dazed and throbbing, he recalled only images of his father’s battle against the slayer. The rest of his time on the mountain was a blur.

A few seconds later, Bonnie peeked in. When she saw Billy’s eyes open, she limped to the bed as fast as she could and threw her arms around his shoulders. She grabbed his right hand, and her voice sang like a meadowlark. “Billy, I’m so glad to see you again. I was afraid we were going to lose you.”

He smiled weakly. “I guess I’m like a bad habit. You just can’t get rid of me.”

Bonnie laughed, and her infectious joy spread. Billy tried to laugh, too, but he had to stop. He spread his palm over his bandage. “Sorry. My head’s killing me.” He looked back at Bonnie and squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Bonnie. You’re the best.”

Glistening tears formed in Bonnie’s eyes. “And you’re the very best friend I’ve ever had. When you thought Devin had me, you risked your life again to save me.”

“I figured out that he didn’t have you, but a little too late. Did you come all the way back from Montana just to see me?”

Bonnie laughed and explained the whole story, relating the tale of Devin’s defeat and Clefspeare’s recovery. She told him about dropping Devin’s sword, and they pledged to search for it together when he got well. Billy, his memory quickly returning, told about the evil knights and how two died and about how he tangled with the dark knight, Palin. They both concluded that they still didn’t know what happened to him or to Devin.

“But,” Bonnie explained, “I’m sure at least one of them is still around. When I went home to get my stuff, my room was torn apart. Someone was obviously looking for something, but I didn’t notice anything missing.”

“Did you find the candlestone? Maybe he thinks you have it.”

Bonnie shook her head. “I didn’t want to try to find it, and I hope the slayer never goes back to look for it. But I suppose he might, if he’s still alive. I guess we’ll have to look for it eventually.”

Billy breathed a deep sigh and gazed at Bonnie’s glowing face. Even with the painful abrasion under her left eye and the purple bruise on her jaw, he had never seen a more beautifully noble sight.
Those wounds are love scars
, Billy thought.
Yes, love scars.

He glanced toward the door. “Who else is out there?”

Bonnie started counting on her fingers and stifled a giggle. “Your mom and the professor are here. Walter and my parents were here, too, but when the doctor said it might be hours before you woke up, my parents went out to get something for everyone to eat. They’ll be back soon.”

Billy watched Bonnie’s hands and then turned to face her again. “Your parents? You mean your foster parents showed up? That’s great! Were they cleared of the neglect charges?”

Bonnie nodded. “They were cleared, but . . .” She leaned over and whispered in Billy’s ear. “I meant Walter’s parents and mine. The Foleys are adopting me!”

Billy’s eyes opened wide, and he grinned. “That’s awesome, Bonnie. So you’re Bonnie Foley now?”

She shook her head. “The paperwork’s not all done yet, but I asked if I could keep my old name.”

“Your old name? What did you say it was? Conner?”

She shook her head again. “That was my mom’s married name. I’m keeping the name she gave me, Silver. Actually, that was one of the names my mom’s used over the centuries.”

Billy narrowed his lips and nodded approvingly. “That’s okay by me. Bonnie Silver has a nice ring to it. But didn’t you like your father’s name?”

Bonnie turned her head to the side and frowned. “If you knew what my father did to us, you wouldn’t want his name, either. And something Devin said makes me wonder . . .”

Billy decided not to ask for details. “Did you tell the Foleys about your . . . ?” He stopped and pointed at her backpack.

“No. I haven’t decided about that yet. I’ve hidden it this long; I think I can hide it a little while longer. But I guess I’ll have to say something before everything’s finalized.”

“So,” Billy said, “at least for now, we’re all in the same house, you, me, and Walter, and we’re going to school at home with the professor teaching us. This is going to be great!”

Bonnie pulled on the straps of her backpack and smiled. “Couldn’t be better.”

Billy was about to nod, but his happiness suddenly died away. “Well it could be better,” he said coldly. “My father’s still living in a cave.” He turned his head and stared at the fluorescent lights, and Bonnie rested her elbows on the bed rails while he went on. “No more fun times together, no trips to the beach, no ball games . . . But at least he’s alive.” He turned again to face Bonnie. “It’s kind of weird, but I still dream about him as a human, like I’ll go home someday and everything will be back to normal.”

Bonnie listened quietly, letting Billy’s words sink in. He noticed her lower lip tremble ever so slightly and pools of wetness form in her eyes. “I have a favorite Bible verse,” she finally said. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” She wiped her eyes with her knuckles and went on. “I don’t know what’s left in the prophecy, but I’m sure your father’s involved somehow. And since you and I can both fly, we can go see him any time we want.”

“Fly? I can’t fly.”

“In Merlin, you can! Or should I say Merlin the Second?”

“Merlin the Second?”

“The insurance is going to cover the plane, and you and your mom can fly to Elkins in less than an hour. She told me she has her pilot’s license.”