The First Dragon(44)
Samaranth made a rumbling noise in his chest and rose to his feet. “So would I, little Tummeler,” he said, suddenly feeling the weight of his own history. “So would I.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Madoc being mistaken for a Nephilim didn’t create more difficulty moving through the city; in fact, it seemed to be clearing a path for the companions as the flying goats drew the airship between the towers and deep into the heart of the city.
Angels with the ability to fly headed in the opposite direction as soon as the airship drew close and Madoc’s wings became visible; and those below on the streets took shelter in whatever structure was closest and seemed to be avoiding even being touched by the Indigo Dragon’s shadow as it passed.
“They seem to be clearing a path for us,” Quixote said as he peered over the side. “That is good, no?”
“No,” said Laura Glue, pointing back in the direction from which they’d come. “It isn’t us they’re clearing a path for.”
The giants had begun stepping over the river estuary, having crossed the miles of desert between themselves and the city in a matter of minutes. They seemed to be converging on a single huge building in the center of the city—and were leaving destruction in their wake as they passed.
“We never should have let Kipling go on his own,” Madoc fumed. “Now we have four missing people to find!”
“You forget,” Fred said, removing his Caretaker’s watch, “the Anabasis Machines may not be as useful for time travel these days, but I can still use mine to contact another Caretaker.”
Swiftly the badger spun the dials in the necessary order, then waited. A few moments later it chimed. He read the message and frowned.
“He says that everything is fine, but he has t’ run an errand before we can come get him,” Fred told the others, “and he said we should go find Rose, Charles, and Edmund.”
Uncas and Quixote exchanged puzzled glances. “What does that mean?” Uncas exclaimed. “ ‘Run an errand.’ ”
Madoc raised an eyebrow, less concerned about the errand than his missing daughter. “He found them? He knows where they are?”
Fred shrugged. “He said we just need t’ go where the biggest explosions are.”
“Bangarang!” said Laura Glue.
“It figures,” said Uncas, pulling on the reins to turn the airship. “Head for the smoke, girls.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Driven by no other compulsion save for the Summoning that drew them, the Corinthian Giants were destroying the City of Jade simply by walking through it. Towers were falling; entire boulevards were crushed. Everywhere angels were fleeing, not realizing that soon there would be nowhere to flee to. No shelter would be adequate to protect them from the coming flood. The elder angels realized this, as did one other.
Deucalion stood at the prow of his massive ship, watching the chaos from afar. The departure of the giants had created a frenzy among the refugees who had lived for generations in the encampments below. Thousands saw the removal of the wall of giants as an invitation to invade the city themselves. Others realized it for what it was: a shift in the world. A change of global proportions. And so they simply waited, and went about their business. Some were weeping; others sought solace in prayer. And all of them were doomed to die.
“Not this day,” the old shipbuilder murmured to no one in particular as his youngest son came running up the deck.
“We’ve nearly secured them all, Father,” Hap said, breathless. “All the animals are accounted for and in their places.”
“Good,” Deucalion said, still looking out toward the city. “Tell me, we still have a great deal of room herein, do we not?”
Hap nodded. “Lots. It’s a very big boat, Father.”
Deucalion turned and put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Do you know that boy we have broken bread with? The quiet one?”
Hap nodded again. “Enkidu. I know him.”
“Find him,” Deucalion said. “Find him, and tell him to run among the peoples of the encampment. Tell them something terrible is about to happen—but all those who wish it may take shelter on our ship. If they do not wish to come, or they have their own means to survive a great flood, so be it. But make sure the offer is known.”
“To all the humans?” asked Hap.
“Not just the humans,” his father replied. “There are other races as well—and I would not deny them if they chose to come.
“All who wish it will find shelter here,” Deucalion said, turning back to the railing, “for as long as we can give it.”