The Bones of Makaidos Read online

  Oracles of Fire, Volume 4

  The Bones of Makaidos

  Bryan Davis

  The Bones of Makaidos

  Volume 4 in the Oracles of Fire® series

  Copyright © 2009 by Bryan Davis

  Living Ink Books, an imprint of AMG Publishers

  All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in printed reviews, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (printed, written, photocopied, visual electronic, audio, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the publisher.

  The Bones of Makaidos is the third of four books in the youth fantasy fiction series, Oracles of Fire.

  Print ISBN: 978-0-89957-874-3

  ePub ISBN: 978-1-61715-007-4

  Mobi ISBN: 978-1-61715-036-4

  Third printing—July 2009

  ORACLES OF FIRE and DRAGONS IN OUR MIDST are registered trademarks of AMG Publishers

  Cover designed by Bright Boy Design, Inc., Chattanooga, Tennessee

  Interior design and typesetting by Reider Publishing Services, West Hollywood, California

  Edited and proofread by Dan Penwell, Rick Steele, and Sharon Neal

  Map illustrated by Jim Brown, Clayton, North Carolina

  “Family Tree” image illustrated by Jared Sloger, Papillion, Nebraska

  ____________________________________________________________

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Davis, Bryan, 1958-

  The bones of Makaidos / Bryan Davis.

  p. cm. -- (Oracles of Fire ; v. 4)

  Summary: As the fiery wall of Abraham dies away, the people of Second Eden wait for the coming war, unaware that a spy has come among them.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-89957-874-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)

  ISBN-10: 0-89957-874-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

  [1. Dragons--Fiction. 2. Demonology--Fiction. 3. Christian life--Fiction.

  4. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.D28555Bon 2009

  [Fic]--dc22

  2009006633

  For every Oracle of Fire who reads this, I pray that your heart’s flame blazes once again as these words reignite a passion that can never be extinguished.

  Acknowledgments

  After eight books and over a million words, this story has come to an end. It would be impossible to thank every person who offered a helpful hand in the creation and polishing of these works, so please forgive any omissions.

  Thank you to my wife and children. You helped me in more ways than I can count, from conception, to gestation, to birth. This story would have remained a crazy dream without you.

  Thank you to the folks at AMG, especially Dan Penwell. You took a chance on a strange new idea as well as an unproven author. I can’t thank you enough.

  This new book, the longest in both series, required the editing prowess of many willing helpers, including some of my faithful readers, so I send my thanks to Peter Blaskiewicz, Connie Wolters, and Holli Herdeg for poring over the two hundred thousand words and offering their suggestions.

  And most of all, thank you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You implanted the flame within me that helped me understand what an Oracle of Fire is. Without You, I would be nothing.

  Author’s Note

  The Bones of Makaidos is the fourth book in the Oracles of Fire series and is related to the Dragons in our Midst series. The numbers in the diagram below show the best reading order for the two series. Although the books are stacked vertically to indicate the chronological order of the story line, they should be read in the numbered sequence.

  For readers unfamiliar with the previous books, I recommend reading the first seven before this one. As a minimum, read Enoch’s Ghost, including the recap at the end of that book, as well as Last of the Nephilim. This story concludes all earlier adventures that readers explored in a multidimensional land, a journey guided by the Oracles of Fire.

  Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  Book 1: Refining Fires

  Book 2: From the Ashes

  Epilogue

  Pronunciation Guide

  Other Books by Bryan Davis

  Book 1: Refining Fires

  Chapter1:Hidden Gems

  Chapter2:Helpers

  Chapter3:The Vacants

  Chapter4:The Healer

  Chapter5:Elam’s Journal

  Chapter6:Visitors

  Chapter7:The River Portal

  Chapter8:A New Dragon

  Chapter9:A Reunion

  Chapter10:Abaddon’s Lair

  Chapter11:A New Lake

  Chapter12:Sand in the Hourglass

  Chapter13:Piercing a Gem

  Chapter14:Is There No Balm in Gilead?

  Chapter15:An Oracle of Fire

  Chapter16:The Physician

  Chapter17:A Potion from Poison

  Chapter18:Return to Perdition

  Chapter19:The Protected Weed

  Chapter20:Breaking the Barrier

  Book 2: From the Ashes

  Chapter1:Tongues of Fire

  Chapter2:The Portal Home

  Chapter3:The Faceless Protectors

  Chapter4:Seeing the Invisible

  Chapter5:Return to Earth

  Chapter6:The Empty Valley

  Chapter7:The Hybrid’s Seed

  Chapter8:The Reunion

  Chapter9:The Smallest Enemy

  Chapter10:Behind Enemy Lines

  Chapter11:Love Never Fails

  Chapter12:Finding Shiloh

  Chapter13:A Double Plunge

  Chapter14:The Calm before the Storm

  Chapter15:The Invasion

  Chapter16:The Slayer Returns

  Chapter17:The Sacrifice

  Chapter18:When Death Brings Life

  Chapter19:Another Sacrifice

  Chapter20:Till Death Do Us Part

  An Oracle’s Call

  A tender heart that burns with fire,

  A contradicting blend;

  With words of heat, I scald the soul,

  And with my words I mend.

  An Oracle of Fire born

  To sacrifice and bleed,

  For hungry souls, I spend my life

  To meet their every need.

  Yet, Oracles of Fire burn;

  They pierce, they scald, they sear

  Corrupted souls in dark abodes

  Who cower there in fear.

  The light has come! Begone, you shades,

  Who hide in blackest mire!

  I free the captives, loose their chains,

  And give them holy fire.

  While some will carry vibrant light,

  The fearful drop the torch;

  Courageous souls absorb the fire,

  While others fear the scorch.

  Yet, flames from God must pierce your breast

  To purge the dross of sin

  And make your silver wholly pure

  And light the flame within.

  A bridge awaits, a risky path,

  The cross of Christ displayed

  A broken body, blood, and tears;

  A tomb for us inlaid.

  I call you now to cross the bridge,

  To take the scarlet key.

  To gain the burning, tender heart,

  And walk the path with me.

  Prologue

  Mardon stood at the edge of the precipice and peered into the chasm. The sheer rock faces on each side plunged until they seemed to meet in the apparently infinite depths. Stepping back, he turned to a lady draped in a red cloak, Semiramis, her hood
lifted over her auburn locks. “Mother, how do you propose that we descend?”

  Lowering her hood, Semiramis gazed into the bright sky. “Arramos said he would show us the way during Second Eden’s eclipse cycle. Since that eve is upon us, he will fly here soon. He is quite anxious to send us into that world.”

  A crystalline egg orbited Mardon’s head, flashing crimson light from within. As it stopped in front of his eyes, its familiar voice, Sir Devin’s voice, penetrated his mind. “Will you trust the instructions of a dragon?” Its eyes, no more than two reddish ovals, blinked. “Arramos is the most devious of the accursed race.”

  Mardon stared at the light, concentrating his thoughts on its center. If you want to gain a new body, I suggest that you withhold your misgivings. I put our plan into motion to roust the girl and her dragon friends, so my promise to give you a chance to kill her will soon be fulfilled.

  “And my desire to capture her is the reason I put up with you. Although I have bigger draconic prizes in mind, I will mount that demon witch’s head on a pedestal so I can see it from anywhere in my leisure room.”

  Mardon cringed but said nothing. It was no use talking sensibly to the mad dragon slayer. Their crusades lay at opposite ends. Devin wanted nothing more than to kill all who possessed dragon blood, whether they were full-blooded or merely human offspring of former dragons. He had no spiritual ideals, only a lust for killing.

  Shaking his head, Mardon let his gaze follow a narrow footbridge to the other side of the chasm. He sought after so much more than slaying reptiles. Doing away with dragons and their kin was merely a stepping-stone toward the ultimate in spiritual ascensions, the unification of humanity with the heavenly host. Such a feat would demonstrate to all realms that the son of King Nimrod had finally taken his place at the side of the Majesty on High.

  As he scanned the skies alongside his mother, Mardon avoided further eye contact with Devin. The cruel slayer might be able to read unguarded thoughts, and if he caught any hint that their purposes differed so greatly, he might cause problems.

  Soon, a dragon flew into sight, reddish against the blue sky and carrying something in one of his clawed feet. Seconds later, in a flurry of wings and wind, Arramos set down a bucket and landed several paces from the chasm’s precipice. After drawing in his wings, he stared at Mardon with pulsing red eyes. “It is time for your transformation,” he growled.

  Mardon tried to steel himself, but tremors weakened his legs. “Transformation?”

  Laying a hand on the back of his head, Semiramis crooned. “A disguise, my dear. Some of the Second Eden inhabitants know you too well.” She turned toward Arramos and nodded at the bucket. “What is this, my lord?”

  “Water from the river of the Prism Oracle,” Arramos said. “It will help us complete the transformation.”

  “I see.” Semiramis eyed the water. “That oracle has powers beyond what I knew.”

  Arramos’s voice lowered to a rumble. “There is much you do not know.”

  “Well, if it’s just a disguise …” Mardon squared his shoulders. “I’m ready.”

  Arramos snorted twin jets of fire, coating Mardon from his head to his chest.

  “Ahhhrg!” Mardon dropped to his knees. Pain ripped across his face. He reached for his mother and tried to scream, but his desperate gasp brought a stream of blazing heat into his mouth and throat, scorching the tender skin inside.

  Semiramis grabbed the bucket and poured half of the water over his head. Then, adding gentle splashes with the remainder, she took care to soak every inch of melting flesh. When the bucket ran dry, she slung it to the side and glared at Arramos, her lips pressed tight.

  Mardon fanned his face, barely missing Devin’s egg as it floated near his cheek, apparently unhurt. “It still burns!” His voice sounded gravelly, like that of a dying old man. “It feels like my skin is melting!”

  “Ah, yes,” Arramos said with a chuckle. “Fire tends to do that. It will likely torture you for days or weeks to come.”

  Semiramis shook her fist, her voice spiced with rage. “So this is his disguise? What do you have in mind for me? Mummification?”

  “Don’t tempt me.” His eyes flaming, the dragon’s head swayed as he studied her from head to toe. “It is crucial that your beauty remains intact.”

  Her fingers loosened, but she maintained her violent glare. “My beauty, as you judge it, will be my undoing. The genius dragon girl and the Foley boy will surely recognize me.”

  “Indeed. Exactly what I hope for. You will appeal to their sense of mercy, and your loving care for this wretched burn victim will be proof of your repentance.”

  “So my disguise is …”

  “Righteousness.” Arramos tipped his head back and laughed. “The same disguise so many humans use to fool their fellows in every walk of life.”

  Semiramis lowered herself to her knees. With quick, angry motions, she helped Mardon strip away his smoldering shirt. “Loving my son will not be an act. My goal all along has been to put him on a throne of glory.”

  “All in good time. Surely ascension to such a throne will include healing. That should be another incentive to ply your trade well.”

  Clenching her teeth, she wedged her words between short, shallow breaths. “Incentive? After torturing my son, you speak of incentives? Why should I do anything you say?”

  “I hold the ultimate dagger over your head, your life and your son’s life. I can see to it that you survive in Second Eden in spite of your current state of deadness, but my power will not avail you if you try to enter Heaven. Surely you have wondered how your dead souls would survive. And have you not also wondered how you will be able to defeat the host of Heaven with an army of mortals from the Earth? Compared to them, your army would be a swarm of gnats.”

  Semiramis turned to Mardon. Her expression gave her away. She had wondered. In fact, those questions had haunted both of them for centuries.

  Looking at Arramos again, she murmured, “Go on.”

  “The Oracles are the key. They have eaten fruit from the Tree of Life, so their makeup has been altered. Unable to die a natural death, they are now like the angels. Since Mardon knows an Oracle’s genetic code and her weaknesses, he should be able to learn the secret and pass along her power to the two of you and your armies, thus enabling all of you to become like the sons and daughters of God.”

  “I see.” Semiramis eyed Mardon again. “Can you do this thing? It could be our only chance. If need be, I can temporarily incapacitate an Oracle with a sleeping powder.”

  Mardon pondered the idea. Since the Oracles originated as plant creatures, they possessed photosynthetic code. Through their eyes, they always had the ability to capture light that could be used for manufacturing energy. He could use tainted light on one of them and confuse her photosynthetic cells, causing them to expend energy rather than produce it, thereby deteriorating her body. In theory, her life-sustaining system would have to respond by battling the photosynthetic cells. She would literally be at war with her own body. Then, by getting samples of cells before degeneration began and after her body battled back, he could figure out how the life-sustaining code worked, reverse engineer it, and replicate it for others.

  His throat still on fire, he pushed through the pain. “I have an idea. It would weaken an Oracle at first, but we could use her cellular structure later for our benefit. To begin the process, I must have close contact, at least for a short time.”

  “One of the Oracles resides in Second Eden,” Arramos said to Semiramis. “You will have to gain her trust. Your skill as a deceiver will be put to the test.”

  Semiramis crossed her arms, her tone softening. “How will I deal with the dragons from Earth? I cannot fool their danger-sensing abilities.”

  “You are no danger to them. Only Makaidos, king of the dragons, has power great enough to sense danger toward others. Still, you must continue to guard your thoughts well, for the mind reader will try to see past your façade.”

&n
bsp; “Ashley?” Semiramis shook her head. “She will not be a problem. I have learned how to block her mental penetration. Her inability to see past my defenses will make her suspicious, but there will be no proof she can use against me.”

  “Very good.” Arramos spread out his wings. “Let us fly now to Second Eden.”

  “Fly?” Semiramis asked. “How so?”

  “The portal the Nephilim used remains open, though it is only a one-way passage to those who lack my power. It has been very useful for transporting new allies and one very old … shall we say … crystalline weapon for our eventual confrontation. I have been given permission to move parts of two circles of Hades to Second Eden, the great abyss that once imprisoned the Watchers as well as the village of the sixth circle where Morgan held Shiloh prisoner. That village now resides in Second Eden as a buffer between here and there. I can take you as far as Morgan’s prison, and, from that point, you are on your own.” Arramos lowered his head to the ground, creating a staircase. “The eclipse is upon us. Let us make haste.”

  “Very well.” Semiramis took Mardon’s hand and helped him climb the spiny steps.

  As soon as they settled between two tall spines, Devin’s crystal flashed in front of Mardon’s eyes. “I warned you about dragons,” the slayer said. “And this one has betrayed you. Will you trust me now?”

  Still racked with pain, Mardon nodded at the egg and spoke to it with his mind. Let us make our plans in secret. Perhaps we both can achieve our goals and thwart those of the dragon. Trust me. My mother is not pleased with this plan, and she has already told me how she will bring you back to life in a way that will surprise everyone, perhaps even Arramos.

  Book 1: Refining Fires

  Chapter 1

  Hidden Gems

  Bonnie looked down at the magma far below. As the slow-moving river boiled, heat rose from the depths and warmed her skin, a refreshing change from the chilly air that normally filled the tunnels and chambers in the nether regions of Hades. If she stayed here much longer, she would have to take her sweatshirt off. Her long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans would be enough to keep her warm.