Tears of a Dragon (22 page)

Billy halted, waiting for a caravan of street peddlers to pass. “Think there’ll be a speaker who’ll start the festivities?” he asked Bonnie.

“The article said the mayor would speak at two, after everyone’s had a chance to eat.”

Billy glanced up at the clock. “Twenty minutes.” As his gaze returned to the street, he spotted the constable circling around the statue, scanning the crowd from the elevated center island. Billy turned Bonnie around. “Don’t let him see you.”

“Who? The constable?”

“Yeah. I think he’s looking for us. Let’s get to the bookstore while we have the chance.” He hesitated. “But we can’t afford to both get waylaid. Let’s go one at a time.”

Billy strolled through the square with Bonnie trailing several yards behind. When he reached the door, he opened it quickly and ducked inside. Two people stood in front of the sales counter. Billy froze.

Sarah and Jasmine both turned his way. “Aha!” Jasmine said, smiling. “Here you are. Where’s your—”

Bonnie opened the door and stepped inside next to Billy.

“How convenient,” Jasmine continued. “Right on cue.”

Sarah waved a finger at Jasmine. “Don’t you dare touch them. They know nothing about oracles of fire or any of your prophecies. They’re just children.”

“But they wear the white gems,” Jasmine said as she approached Bonnie. “They must be the two oracles.”

Billy stepped in front of Jasmine and showed her his hand. “We got rid of them. Are you happy now?” Bonnie also lifted her hand, showing her empty fingers.

“Oh,” Jasmine said slowly, “I see.” Putting a finger to her lips, she walked around Billy and Bonnie. “Getting rid of your rings, of course, doesn’t alter your identity. I’ll just have to find another way to convince the crowd that you deserve to die. The white gems would have made it easier, but I do have other options.”

“Like what?” Billy fired back. “Claiming we’re underborns or one of those shadows in the past you’re so afraid of?”

Jasmine laughed and continued her orbit around the teens. “If only you knew how close you are to the truth. The people of Dragons’ Rest eagerly accept my advice to forget the past, because they fear it. If they searched deep within, they would learn the secrets of their origins, and they would realize that they live here without hope.” She stopped in front of Billy and shook a finger at him, anger rising in her voice. “Are you willing to dredge up those sad memories? Do you want them to know how futile their lives are here?” She spread out her arms. “This is a place of eternal forgetfulness, and knowledge for these people means torture.”

Jasmine glanced at Sarah but seemed unconcerned that so many secrets were coming out into the open. “I take care of the people,” she continued. “And most of them trust me to drive out or alienate anyone who might shine the light on the deep recesses of their minds.”

Billy spread his hands. “But we want to take them to a better place, and the only way to get them to go is for them to realize what they were. They have to remember the past to understand why they need a new life. If you really cared about your townspeople, you’d let us tell them.”

Jasmine shook her head. “There is no better place for them. With their memories locked away, they are perfectly happy in this town. That’s why I named it Dragons’ Rest.”

“
You
named it?” Billy said, glancing at the statue in the middle of the town square. “I thought Captain Autarkeia was the founder.”

Jasmine gestured toward the statue with her hand, a proud smile on her face. “Captain Autarkeia was my father, and we founded this place together. He taught me how it came to be, how we must learn to be content with who we are and what we have here, but he disappeared long ago, so I have taken his place.”

Bonnie peered out the window. “But being content without knowing the truth is just being gullible. It’s like . . . it’s like . . .”

“Being a lemming,” Billy prompted.

“Right!” Bonnie spun back to Jasmine. “What good is that? They’re all just jumping off a cliff.”

“I prefer to think of this as a psychiatric ward,” Jasmine countered. “The past is a haunting ghost that keeps them from being happy here, so I medicate them with forgetfulness. Would you take away their eternal happiness by telling them they will toil in meaningless labor forever? I don’t believe my father would have.”

Billy kept his gaze on the statue. The image of a heroic figure riding high in the air reminded him of something, something he had read in
Fama Regis
. The connection finally registered. Yes! Captain Autarkeia had to be him! The first murdered dragon, and a king at that. Of course he was the founder! Billy focused on Jasmine again, half closing one eye. “Does Makaidos mean anything to you?”

The color in Jasmine’s face drained away. “Makaidos? Where did you hear that name?”

Billy smiled, trying not to sound too triumphant. “I’m glad you recognized it as a name. It was your father’s dragon name.”

Jasmine’s cheeks turned from white to red. She shook her finger at Billy again, screaming, “Memories are poison! You will pay for spreading it in my town! I’ll see to that!” She stormed out of the building and slammed the door.

Bonnie jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Way to go, Billy!”

Sarah kissed Billy on the forehead. “I have never seen anyone fluster her before.”

Billy felt a blush in his cheeks. “Maybe. But she’s definitely out to get me now.”

Bonnie pulled Sarah’s ring from her pocket and laid it in her palm. “You’ve got to believe us now. Merlin gave Billy this ring to give to you.” She dropped it into Sarah’s hand. “Will you wear it to the theatre? Your husband is waiting for you.”

Sarah slipped the ring onto her finger. “I’ll go out the back way.” As she shuffled to the door, she smiled back at them. “This is so exciting! I feel like I’m on a blind date to my own wedding!”

As the rear doors swung shut, Billy laughed. He put an arm around Bonnie’s shoulders and turned her toward the window. His smile faded. Out in the streets of Dragons’ Rest were a thousand thirsty souls. And besides them, a small audience patiently waited in a dark room in a theatre just a few blocks away. They were counting on him.

Billy opened the front door. “I’m going straight to the statue. Everyone’s sure to see me up there.”

Bonnie placed both hands on Billy’s cheeks and looked him in the eye. “You’ll be great. Everyone will listen to you.” Her skin felt as cool as ice water, but her words seemed to travel through her hands and set fire to his heart.

They exited the bookstore together and marched toward the center island, maneuvering through the stream of people. A high-pitched peal of laughter cut through the chatter, and a chill prickled Billy’s neck. At the base of the statue, Jasmine stood with the constable. She glanced away from him, and her eyes locked on Billy’s. Her wide smile melted.

“Trouble,” Billy murmured. “Do you want to come with me or head back to the theatre?”

“Is that a serious question?” Bonnie smiled. “Lead the way. I’m right behind you.”

Billy edged between a peddler and a man on stilts, then headed for an open space, checking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure Bonnie was keeping up. After stepping around a blanket, he halted and looked back. No Bonnie. He retraced his steps, pushing past a juggler and spilling his collection of flying fruit. He finally caught sight of Bonnie, her arm clutched by a young man wearing knickers and black suspenders. Brogan!

“Let me go!” Bonnie hissed.

“I just want to talk to you for a minute. My sister said—”

“Let her go!” Billy ordered, loud enough to make several heads turn. He strode forward and jerked Brogan’s arm down. “Don’t touch her again.”

Brogan took two steps back and jerked the cap off his head, his voice trembling. “I meant no harm, Sir. I assure you my intent is honorable. I just wanted to deliver a message.”

Billy stepped in front of Bonnie. “Then deliver it to me.”

Brogan backed away another step. He lowered his gaze, shifting his weight nervously as he threaded the edge of his cap through his fingers. “I told my sister that you suggested the marbles, and she was so happy, she wanted me to find you and thank you.”

Bonnie stepped around Billy and stood at his side. “But the marbles were your idea, not mine.”

“Oh, no, Miss.” He dug into his pocket, then withdrew his hand, his fist still closed. “I said that an angel whispered the idea in my ear, and I wasn’t lying. You see, I used to have this dream every night that someone who looks just like you comes up to me and asks me to play marbles. But I was too busy for such nonsense. The dream always ended the same way. I’m holding a bunch of flowers and a ruddy silver dollar, and I just go about my business and leave her crying.”

Bonnie’s lips parted, but she didn’t make a sound.

“Today,” Brogan continued, “you told me that I had a silver dollar in my hand. How could anyone know that but the angel in my dream?” He nodded at Bonnie’s necklace. “The angel wore the same beads, to be sure.” His gaze wandered to just above her head. “And now that I know who you really are, I can see your halo.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Dozens had gathered around and were now listening to the conversation.

Brogan extended his trembling fist, his eyes welling with tears. “Heavenly angel,” he said, his voice shaking with passion. “What am I holding now?”

Bonnie lifted her necklace, fingering each bead as she passed it through her hand. Finally, she slipped her palm under his fist. “A blue bead.”

Brogan slowly straightened his fingers and dropped a shining blue bead into her hand. “Yes, dear angel,” he said, dimples hollowing his cheeks. “I will play marbles with you.”

A gasp erupted from the crowd, then a shout. “I see it! I see the halo!” The people began pushing in, the mass of bodies pressing heavily. As Billy and Brogan formed a shield around Bonnie, more shouts confirmed sightings of her halo.

“Stop!” Billy shouted. “Get back!”

Brogan lifted his hands and waved at the crowd. “You’ll hurt the angel. Back away!”

The pressure eased a bit, but the throng of people still roared—buzzing, shouting, some even crying.

Bonnie leaned over and whispered into Billy’s ear. “No time like the present.”

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Billy shouted, “Listen to me everyone!” But he couldn’t seem to make a dent in the noise.

Brogan squatted and pointed at his back. “Up you go now!”

Billy straddled Brogan’s shoulders and balanced himself while the young man straightened his body. When Billy looked over the sea of faces, he immediately caught sight of Jasmine arguing with five or six townspeople. That was exactly what he needed. Bonnie’s miracle just might be the distraction to keep Jasmine at bay.

As Billy shifted his body to get more comfortable, he prayed for the right words. The din slowly ebbed, every eye focusing on him. “You have all heard of The Waiting Room,” he began, his voice much stronger than he expected. “And most of you have probably heard about the deliverer some have been waiting for. After all these years, that deliverer has finally come to the theatre, and he will lead the way to the new world for all who wish to go.” Billy glanced at the clock. “The door to the new world will close in less than an hour, so I urge you to come. When the deliverer leaves, this world will be no more.”

“He speaks the truth!” a woman called out. It was Constance, her lovely face beaming. “I saw him enter the theatre before noon, and he drew the curtains aside. The screen shows another world, and it’s filled with beauty and wonder.” She extended her folded hands. “I came here to beg you to join us in the theatre. There isn’t much time left.”

“Liar!” Jasmine pushed her way through the crowd and pointed a finger at Billy. “You have come to destroy us. We are safe here, but you would lead us into a world of dragons and demons, of wars and floods, of rape and theft and murder.” She shook her finger at him. “Do you deny it?”

Billy glanced around at the expectant faces in the crowd. How could he deny it? His own world was full of evil, exactly as she described it. But how could he explain that it was better than a life of worthless repetition?

As Jasmine’s anger settled into satisfaction, a devious smile bent her lips. She had nailed Billy, and she knew it. She crossed her arms over her chest, a cold stare matching her icy voice. “As you can see, my friends, he doesn’t deny it. He is not a deliverer. He is a destroyer who has come with his demonic soothsayer, to beguile you all.”

New murmurs scattered through the crowd, arguments lobbing back and forth. “She’s right. . . . No, there has to be a deliverer . . . Maybe she is a demon. . . . She can’t be; she has a halo.”

Billy shouted over the noise. “If I were a destroyer, I would have denied her claims right away, but I am not a liar like she is. There is evil in the new world, but I need you to go there to battle against the evil forces that threaten to destroy us.”

Jasmine paced in front of Billy and Brogan, waving her arms. “Why should we go to your world and battle your evil? We’re safe right where we are! We live in peace and contentment.”

Body Text:“But what good is it to live in peace if you’re living a lie? You just repeat everything over and over, because you’re scared to see what you really are. If you would just . . .”

Billy paused and repeated his words to himself.
See what you really are.
He slowly curled his ringless fingers and held up his fist. “Listen! Have you ever wondered why you wear the dragon’s eye? Look into the gem right now, and tell me what you see.” He waited while every head dipped down to look. Jasmine maintained a defiant glare at Billy.

Billy shouted again. “What do you see?”

Brogan yelled from underneath Billy. “I see a dragon!”

An old lady in a shawl echoed him. A young woman holding a box of popcorn cried out, “So do I! What does it mean?”

The crowd fell silent. Billy shifted again, wondering if Brogan could hold him up much longer. Jasmine held her tongue, allowing him to speak. “Search your memories. You were all once dragons in my world, but when it became cursed, evil forces killed most of your race, and your spirits now rest here waiting for the deliverer. The reason you’ve been taught to ignore the past is so you won’t remember what you are. Yes, it helps you live here in peace, but the truth will show you the way to a better life.”