Bitterwood had no intention of stopping. He'd been caught off guard by the impressive reflexes of Blasphet's protector, but now that he was aware of her, she could be neutralized. His third arrow targeted her, on a trajectory that wouldn't hit Blasphet. As expected, she leapt from the arrow's path, landing with a roll that would bring her back to her feet. Bitterwood already had another arrow nocked. She was reaching her feet when he let the arrow fly, aimed at Blasphet's heart.
A sword appeared in the woman's hand as if by magic. She threw the sword into the arrow's path, so that the razor sharp edge of the blade bisected the thorn-tip of the arrow. The wobbling twin shards of arrow that continued past bounced harmlessly from Blasphet's scales. The woman somersaulted across the front of the platform and landed with her hand outstretched. The sword she had thrown fell into it.
Bitterwood narrowed his eyes. The woman looked at him with a calm gaze. There was something familiar about her. She moved like the mechanical men he'd fought, Hezekiah and Gabriel, ancient engines designed to look human.
The woman held an upturned palm toward Bitterwood and crooked her fingers, as if daring him to attack. Bitterwood took careful aim, intending to take that dare.
A steel crutch whacked him across the side of his face, knocking him off balance. Stars danced before his eyes and he stumbled. His ears rang, but not from the blow. Instead, Burke was inches from his ear, shouting at the top of his lungs.
'I said stop!' Burke grabbed Bitterwood by the collar and pulled their faces together. 'That's Anza!'
'Anza?' Bitterwood said, casting a glance back at the woman. Now he knew why she'd seemed familiar. He'd only met her briefly during their escape from the Dragon Palace. He hadn't recognized her without her black buckskins. Her hair hung loosely around her face instead of being pulled back in a severe braid.
'There's no need for violence,' said Blasphet in his smooth, well-mannered voice, as he lowered himself back down to a seated position. 'I hold no grudge against you, Bitterwood.'
'Who are you really?' Bitterwood growled. 'I killed Blasphet. You can't be the real Murder God.'
'Indeed,' said Blasphet. 'You brought an end to my reign as the Murder God. You are the Ghost who Kills, the Death of All Dragons. You, Bitterwood, are the true Murder God.'
Bitterwood felt as if he'd slipped into a nightmare. It was the only explanation. Even if Blasphet had survived, how could he be talking? His anger faded into confusion. 'I ate your tongue.'
'How appropriate,' said Blasphet. 'Devouring the remains of a defeated foe is a way of taking on their power.'
'It was only dinner,' said Bitterwood, shaking his head.
Hex said, 'This is why the valkyries never found your body, uncle. Once more, you've made an impressive escape.'
'No!' Bitterwood protested. 'He had no heartbeat! He wasn't breathing. When I sawed his tongue out, he didn't even flinch.'
Blasphet nodded. 'All true. I've lived many years with the threat of execution over my head. I long ago developed a poison that would plunge me into a state indistinguishable from death. Colobi found me and administered the antidote only moments after you departed. We limped away from the Nest. My wounds were grievous. You butchered me most effectively.'
'You… weren't dead?' Bitterwood found this difficult to believe, despite the evidence before him.
'I was as close to death as any mortal being may come. As the poison spread within me, I felt as if I were falling from my body, into a great, unending nothingness. I have been to the abyss, Bitterwood. What I found there changed me. When Colobi revived me, I returned to a world where every breath was agony. And yet, I now bear witness to the fact that one painful gasp is far, far sweeter than the nothingness of death. I left the dark tunnel repenting my wicked ways, vowing never to cause harm to a fellow being. I have turned my intellect, once so enamored with murder, to the protection and improvement of life.'
Hex shook his head as Blasphet spoke. 'You'll forgive me if I'm skeptical, uncle.'
'Judge me by my deeds,' said Blasphet. 'Look around you. I give sight to the blind. I allow the lame to walk. I feed the hungry and clothe the poor. When I designed the Free City, the false promise spread that it would be a paradise where all needs were met. Now, I intend to keep that promise. All who seek comfort will find it.'
Hex's eyes focused on the tiara above Blasphet's head. 'How did you come to be in possession of Jandra's tiara?' he asked. 'I've experienced her healing touch. I know that its power would be sufficient to regrow your tongue.'
'When I returned to my temple with Colobi, the sisters who stayed behind presented me with treasures they had collected during their raids on the Dragon Palace. Among their gifts was this tiara. I recognized it instantly. I'd long studied Vendevorex and Jandra, suspecting their headgear might be the source of their abilities. I placed it on my brow… and felt nothing. The device was lifeless.'
'Obviously, you figured out how to activate it,' said Hex.
'That was due to another looted treasure,' said Blasphet. 'The sisters had stolen Vendevorex's corpse before they freed me from my confinement in the dungeon. I'd long wanted to study Vendevorex to find out if his magic was, indeed, the result of his skull-cap, or perhaps flowed from some strange mutation. I hoped his body would reveal his secrets. Alas, I was occupied with the plot to destroy the Nest, and had little time to perform a dissection. When I returned from the Nest, with my change of heart, I regarded dissecting Vendevorex in a different light. Desecrating his remains further seemed distasteful. I went to the morgue where I had laid his body upon a slab. I discovered, to my amazement, that his body hadn't decayed since. Indeed, he showed signs of continued life. The broken and twisted bones of his wings looked straight and whole once more.'
Bitterwood watched Anza carefully as Blasphet told his story. She, in turn, watched him. Burke still held his collar. Bitterwood glanced toward the tiara floating like a halo above Blasphet. He needed this to save Jeremiah. Burke would never forgive him if he hurt Anza. But what choice did he have? Blasphet possessed poisons that would alter the mind. Anza must be under the influence of such a drug.
Blasphet continued his tale: 'I leaned close to the wizard's body, listening for a breath. I heard nothing. I placed my head on his chest to detect a heartbeat. Not a single sound stirred beneath his azure scales. Yet, as I concentrated, the tiara, which I still wore, began to glow faintly. I slowly grew aware of a multitude of microscopic machines permeating Vendevorex's body. These invisible constructs whispered pleas for my guidance. They had reversed his decay, repairing him from the cellular level up, yet lacked the initiative to restore the spark of life. The more I concentrated, the more clearly I understood the whispers of the machines.'
Hex rose on his shaky legs. 'So. You owe your new-found abilities to a tiara you admit to stealing and to a corpse you admit you planned to desecrate. I'm a friend of the true owner of the tiara. Jandra was haunted by the mystery of Vendevorex's missing body. If you're truly an honorable being now, you'll give me the tiara.'
Blasphet sagged as he shook his head mournfully. 'I cannot defend the actions of my previous self. The dragon I was died in the darkness, slain by the hands of the true Murder God. The dragon who limped out of that tunnel, and now stands before you, is a reborn being. Possession of this tiara is my greatest hope for repairing the evil I've done.'
'You slew eight hundred valkyries,' said Hex. 'No amount of good deeds can balance this villainy.'
Burke still had his hands on Bitterwood's shirt. He'd been glancing back and forth between Bitterwood and Anza. Increasingly, his eyes were upon his daughter. Finally, he asked, softly, 'Are you all right, Anza? Why are you protecting this monster?'
'Fah-der,' she said, in slow, halting syllable. 'Dis drak-on haz…' She paused, her mouth open, a look of intense concentration in her eyes. She uttered the final words of her thought carefully, in syllables that were more on the mark. 'He… healed… me.'
Burke's hand went slack and dropped from Bitterwood's collar. 'You can talk?'
'Yas,' she said, nodding for emphasis.
'Your daughter suffered from a calcified tumor near her vocal chords,' said Blasphet. 'I removed it, repairing the damaged nerves and reviving atrophied muscles. She is still training her new voice. In time, she will speak as well as any other human.'
Anza pursed her lips once more. 'He… can heal… you.'
Burke's crutch slipped from his fingers. He dropped to the floor in a motion that was half falling, half sitting. He held his hands in his head as he whispered, on the verge of tears, 'All my life, I've had dreams that you could talk to me.' He let out a long slow breath. 'I trust Anza. Let Blasphet heal Jeremiah.'
