Sniffing back the tears, Lauren looked into Ashley’s eyes. She was right. For fifteen years she and Walter suffered but kept fighting. She had blazed a bloody trail of her own, though not on a hot lava field. It was time to follow in her footsteps.
“By the way …” Ashley withdrew a phone from her pocket and gave it to her. “This is yours.”
“Thank you.” Lauren looked at the screen. Ashley had brought up Eagle’s photo, probably thinking it would complement the medallion somehow. It was a nice thought, but Eagle’s eyes pierced too painfully. Maybe someday his image wouldn’t hurt so much.
She switched to the next photo—Joan in her companion form. Glowing blue and staring with narrow eyelets, she hovered in place. For some reason, without her penetrating thoughts, she seemed to be no more than a floating bauble, artificial and unreal.
With two clicks back, Lauren pulled up Joan’s photo in Abaddon’s Lair. Dressed in battle array, she stood with her legs set and shoulders square, her eyes sharp and clear. Yes, this was the real Joan, a sacrificial warrior, the best of companions.
Tears welled in Lauren’s eyes. Her image, too, brought a stab of pain—another friend, short-lived but more precious than life, swept away too soon. What did their sacrifices mean? They had given their all, each one dying to feed someone starving for life, each one spilling seeds in the hearts of others that would germinate into fruitful trees and begin the process all over again, but only if the new soil would let it grow.
Three people had faced death—Joan, Eagle, and herself. Two had succumbed. Now, as Abaddon had said, facing the fear of death had defeated all fears forevermore. Since Jehovah-Yasha had rescued her both physically and spiritually, there was simply nothing left to fear. That kind of security might go a long way in battling the likes of Tamiel.
Taking a deep breath, Lauren brushed away the tears and hung the medallion around her neck. “I’m ready, Ashley. Let’s go find my family.”
Other Books by Bryan Davis
http://www.daviscrossing.com
To purchase autographed copies - http://www.theauthorschair.com/shopping/
Dragons in our Midst:
The Candlestone
Circles of Seven
Tears of a Dragon
Oracles of Fire:
Eye of the Oracle
Enoch’s Ghost
Last of the Nephilim
The Bones of Makaidos
Children of the Bard:
Song of the Ovulum
From the Mouth of Elijah
Omega Dragon
The Reapers Trilogy:
Reapers
Beyond the Gateway
Reaper Reborn
The Time Echoes Trilogy:
Time Echoes
Interfinity
Fatal Convergence
Tales of Starlight:
Masters & Slayers
Exodus Rising
Dragons of Starlight:
Starlighter
Warrior
Liberator
Diviner
I Know Why the Angels Dance