Revelation

And, as a further sign of our doom, I could see in the distance at least twelve Askala coming to join the fray.

“It’s over,” I said.

Anna hacked at another crawler, fighting for her next breath. She looked at the dark sky, her blade falling to her side.

The Askala swooped down toward the ship with primal, reptilian screams. The remnants of the Exodus braced themselves for impact.

But the Askala ignored us, and instead started attacking the crawlers.

“They’re on our side!” I said.

Once again, our ships’ turrets opened up, letting out the last of our volleys. What people were left let out their own war cries, waving guns in the air. In the mix I saw Cain and Grudge, both of their faces bloodied, charging forward with what men they had.

The crawlers had been halted in their tracks, unable to fight the dozen or so Askala now in their midst. Just a few feet in front of me, an Askala with crimson scales swooped down, picking up a crawler with its talons. It beat its wings, rising into the air, dropping its payload into another group of crawlers that had ganged up on a grounded Askala bleeding purple blood. The crawlers screamed as their comrade crashed into them from above.

Blood and bits of crawler flesh sailed through the air as the Elekai dragons ripped into the Radaskim horde. Even though this was more crawlers than we had ever fought, I knew this was just the beginning. This was but a small fraction of the entire horde — and if it weren’t for these Elekai, we would be dead right now.

Finally, we had the edge. Between the aerial attacks of the dragons and our comeback on the ground, the crawlers were routed. They scuttled away down the hill, fleeing to the east.

I stood, dazed, as I watched the hundred or so crawlers that were left disappearing into the darkness. In a mere minute, they had vacated the entire battlefield. They had, as one, been called back. Had the Dark Voice summoned them home?

While it was good that they were gone, they had dealt a mortal blow. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, lay dead on the hill around us. Severed limbs and heads lay in gory piles. While we had won the battle with the help of the Elekai, we were now much weaker for it.

And, in the distance to the east, I could still hear the screeches of the crawlers. I couldn’t help but feel it was them having the last laugh.

Chapter 24

The Elekai Askala landed among the survivors, the dead, and the dying. The Askala had suffered no losses, but the one that had been grounded had several lacerations and puncture wounds on its side. It said a lot for the power of a crawler that the dragon’s thick skin could be breached like that.

I found Askal among his Askala brethren. Rushing up to him, with Anna at my side, I placed a hand on his neck.

Are you alright?

We are fine, brother. It is you that I am worried about.

I didn’t answer for a moment. No, I wasn’t fine. None of us were.

Did you call for these Elekai to come fight?

This is all of the Elekai dragons. They did not want to come, because they still remember losing the Xenolith. But our Father told them to come help. So like good children, they listened.

Father? You mean, the Wanderer?

Yes, Askal answered.

The Wanderer was their father. Askala in the north was called the mother. I wondered what connection, if any, there was between the two.

It is a difficult thing to understand, Askal said, sensing my thoughts. It is hard to put human terms to it. But both are needed, if the dragons are to exist — both Askala, and Askalon.

Askalon, I thought. Is that the Wanderer?

It is our name for him, yes, Askal said.

The way these creatures thought was very confusing. How could the two Xenominds on Earth, Askala and Askalon, be both mother and father to them all, and yet be on different sides? I felt that anything I could learn about them might help our cause, but maybe now wasn’t the time for that.

My brothers are ready to leave, Askal thought. I am going with them.

When are you going to come back? I asked.

When we are needed. Which may be soon. There was a pause in Askal’s thoughts. Find a place to hide, little human. I sense a great tempest in the north, sweeping in this direction. You will not want to be caught in it.

Suddenly, Askal stepped backward, taking me by surprise. With that, our communication was severed. As the dragon backed further away, I became all the more aware of how large he was. A creature like him could not be kept as a pet. He was an equal.

I realized I hadn’t even said thank you.

Askal looked me in the eyes a moment before turning to his brethren. Together, without so much as a sound, they cast off into the night. With a flapping of wings, they left us behind, watching in amazement.

“They saved us,” Anna said.

I nodded. “Now there can be no doubt. They are on our side.”

Anna turned to me. “We need to check on Samuel. Maybe he woke up while all that was happening.”

Her voice told me that she didn’t believe much in that possibility, but it was worth finding out. We started back to Gilgamesh, where refugees were already exiting, entering the battlefield with expressions of shock and horror. How many had lost loved ones? How could we go on after something like this?

Michael was forcing himself up the boarding ramp to Gilgamesh against a tide of people, trying to find his wife and daughter. I had been so out of the loop lately that I had never even had a chance to meet them. Michael finally found his way inside the ship as the last of the survivors exited. Lauren and his daughter, Callie, hadn’t been among them.

Anna and I walked up the boarding ramp, fearing the worst. But when we entered the galley, we saw Michael embracing his family, crying tears of joy that they were alive. I saw his wife’s face over his shoulder, her eyes closed with tears streaming down, her blonde hair falling in waves. The daughter, Callie, couldn’t have been more than seven or eight. She hugged her father fiercely and contentedly.

They both opened their eyes, watching me and Anna. The eyes were blue, and with a start, I realized I had seen Lauren before. Seeing a familiar person, even a person I didn’t talk to all that often, was hard to describe. I definitely recognized her from my time at Bunker 108.

“You must be Alex,” Lauren said, parting from Michael. “I’m glad to see you’ve made it.”

From the way she said that, I knew she wasn’t just referring to the battle. She was referring to everything I had been through in the past three months.

“It’s a miracle I’m still here,” I said.

“Isn’t it a miracle that any of us are?” she asked.

Michael turned to face me, keeping an arm each wrapped around his wife and daughter.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” he said. “But this is Lauren, my wife, and my daughter, Callie.”

Lauren forced a smile, while Callie just looked afraid. I didn’t blame the little girl. I was probably covered with blood.

“I wish it could have been in better circumstances,” I said. “I’m just glad everyone here is okay.” I sighed. “A