in the dim upper recesses. Tapering slightly as it rose, the curving wall revealed etchings of human shapes and archaic words, carved deeply into sun-baked bricks. Recessed arches framed tiny windows at precise vertical intervals, perhaps lookout points for guardians of the ancient city or maybe air vents for the tower’s inhabitants to help them find a cooling breeze. Old-fashioned lanterns lined the exterior perimeter, their flames painting the walls with an orange tint.
“It used to be filled with thousands of scrolls,” Sapphira continued, “but I could only keep the most important ones. I needed fuel for heating during the years I couldn’t get out. I usually keep the lanterns off to save oil, but I thought you might like to see the museum.”
Ashley walked slowly toward the massive doorway, still gawking at the amazing sight—one of the oldest artifices in all recorded history, once holding the greatest library the world at that time had ever known and now housing ancient documents of incalculable value.
Although she longed to browse the remains and drink in its educational bounty, her eye caught something of more immediate and practical value. Scattered around the walls she found a few scrolls; piles of old books, magazines, and newspapers; and a glass gallon-sized jug filled with clear liquid. She touched the glass and turned toward Sapphira. “Is this drinking water?”
“Please, help yourself! I collected that stuff during my visits to the land of the living, and the water is from our springs.”
Ashley withdrew her empty water bottle from her bag and filled it from the jug. After taking a long drink, she recapped it and tossed it to Walter, who shared it with Karen. Ashley picked up the jug and raised her eyebrows at Sapphira. “Want some?”
“No, thank you. I need very little to survive.”
“Really? Why is that?”
Sapphira lowered herself to the floor and sat cross-legged. “Maybe this is a good time to tell you the whole story. Now that I think about it, even if I can make a portal, it might take us to the exact spot where the giants will come out, and that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Let’s give them some time to move out of the area.”
Walter, Ashley, and Karen joined her on the floor. With the museum looming like a tall haunted house and Sapphira’s unearthly blue eyes shining, a midnight hush fell over the chamber. Sapphira told her story from her first memory of her slavish life under Morgan’s tyrannical rule, through her adventures with the dragons, all the way to her role in rescuing the great creatures from Dragons’ Rest. When she finally finished, she let out a long sigh. “And now, we, that is, Gabriel and Roxil and I, are hoping to find Makaidos.”
“But now he’s called Timothy,” Walter said, pointing at her. “How in the universe do you find a guy who blew up in a house but didn’t show up in Kingdom Come?”
Ashley tapped his knee. “Walter! This is my father we’re talking about. Get a clue.”
“Sorry.” Walter shrugged his shoulders. “It just seems too weird to be for real.”
Ashley locked her gaze on Sapphira’s blazing eyes. “Like everything else going on around here.”
“So,” Karen said, leaning close to Sapphira, “all the dragons had to do was say Jehovah-Yasha, and they could go through the veil?”
“Yes.” Sapphira took Karen’s hand, and her glow covered the younger girl’s arm. “But for dragons, a confession is much more than just words. To penetrate the veil they had to believe in Jehovah’s Messiah in order to pass on to eternal life, just like humans do.”
Karen nodded slowly, eyeing their clasped hands as the glow spread up to her shoulder. “That makes sense.”
Ashley took a sip from her water bottle and recapped it. “So now that you’ve eaten from the tree of life, do you think you might live forever?”
Sapphira pulled her hand, but Karen hung on, covering it with her other hand. As the glow washed over Karen’s face, Sapphira smiled at her. “I don’t think I would die a natural death, but maybe I could be killed.”
“But if anyone tries to kill you …” Walter slapped his hands together. “Smack! He gets the hammer.” He pushed against the floor and rose to his feet. “That was a cool story, but I’m ready to get out of this creepy place.”
Sapphira drew the clutch of hands to her face and kissed Karen’s ring finger, her lips passing across the rubellite and turning the gem white for a