Given that briar beasts are themselves tangles of brambles, I don’t think that coaxing xenofungus into rough terrain will slow them down very much. Not out in the park, where they’d probably roll right over it. If we have to fall back inside the building, though, it could block up the entrance way. “I’ll see what I can do about the front,” I call after Cleve as he heads farther back into the building to make sure none of the plant creatures sneak up on us.
At my words, Xiao looks down at me, this pale, drawn mess collapsed on the ground at his feet. His expression is incredulous, like what am I going to be able to do about anything. “You don’t happen to have any of your xenodragons around, do you?” I ask him.
Xiao actually laughs. “We can’t just summon them, Mariah!”
That’s what you think. “Are there any nearby?” I ask. The amusement flees Xiao’s face, and he considers me more seriously. “In port?” I press.
“There’s one in port with our ships, but we can’t get there,” he tells me. “Are you thinking clearly?”
Oh, yes, I am thinking clearly, at least at this one moment. If I can attract a xenodragon here—aside from that being awesome—maybe its winds could keep the briar beasts at bay. Or maybe just its presence would dissuade them from approaching. I just need to buy Marina some time to get the chemical approach prepared. “We could really use one,” I tell Xiao.
“Yeah, that’d be really great, if we could call forth that blue xenodragon down at the harbor,” Xiao agrees, voice momentarily laced with sarcasm. “I’ve seen it do some terrifying things. We mariners have taken to calling it Gale.”
“All right,” I say. “Let me see if Gale will come play.” Xiao’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. He must think I’m crazy. But I don’t offer explanations. Let him see what I can do.
I resettle myself, propping my cane upright in front of me with both hands resting atop it at eye level. Then I close my eyes and open myself up like a beacon. I don’t know what a xenodragon feels like—not yet—but I want to meet Gale, and I let that intention flow out of me. My body thrums with it. My leg and arm tingle, and my eyes burn. This is not an easy day for interacting with resonance energy—or maybe Dr. Gupta’s serum has done something to me.
The wind suddenly picks up, and not just a small breeze either. More like a storm. I can feel a dramatic shift in pressure. I open my eyes. In the distance, turbines faintly visible in the moonlight spin rapidly. Leaves in the park furiously whip up into sudden dust devils. Eyes pulsing with purple light, I look up. Illuminated above me is the most amazing creature I have yet seen here. Like Bella, it’s mostly shimmering wings. Little grabby claws, so cute on such an enormous animal, are located on the top and bottom of the wings, similar to on a bat. At the end of its long neck is a small head. At the other end, a short, flared tail acts as a stabilizer. For a moment, the entire xenodragon is outlined in a flare of purple light. It lets out a cry that to me sounds like whale song, muffled as if it were traveling through water—perhaps this is traveling through resonance pathways rather than air.
I have no idea what Gale looks or sounds like to Xiao, but he is staring up at the sky now, mouth agape. “Maybe this will even the odds a little bit?” I suggest with a broad smile. Despite all the horrible things that have happened over this long night, there are still wondrous things on Chiron.
“If you ever want to join the mariners, let me know,” Xiao breathes out, awed. “We’ve got a place for you.”