Dear Mr. Kendall,Neva? Who is Neva, and why does she have my daughter? Did this woman find Zoe? Is this all a trap? Have to tell Nathan, then call the cops. There might be trouble ahead and I don't like it.
It may please you to know that I found your daughter alive and well. I've kept her hidden away from the Evil One who nearly killed her. He will no longer plague you or your family ever again. I will return Zoe to you this afternoon, but first, you must come to the Centralia. There is something you must see. Do not worry as Zoe is safe and finally out of harm's way. I will explain all once you and Zoe's beloved arrive.I am, sir...
Neva
******
Neva laughed but grew serious as she explained, "But, Zoe, I had no
choice. That man was about to murder Eldon, and me, if he got his way.
I had to transform into my true self. But the man, in profound shock from
seeing a dragon in the flesh, keeled over. The fire was an accident. I
didn't mean for it to spread, but it was too late. All I could think of
was finding you before Dato got to you." Then, "And those people, those
men with guns drawn, aiming at me..."
"Huh?," exclaimed Zoe with amazement, "you mean they called out the troops?
Figures. I knew people would freak once they got a look at you."
"And they did...er...'freak'. They brought out their cameras and firepower.
It's all there on the magic mirror. You can call it up if you like."
"No thanks! I just want to go home as soon as Daddy gets here. Uh, he is
coming, isn't he? And you still haven't told me what happened to Bud."
To this Neva laughed again, called up another image on her mirror, then
said, "Here, Zoe, looks as if your father will not need coaxing to come
here after all. I feared I would have to disguise myself, go to him..."
"Disguise yourself?"
"Yes, take on human form, as I did when I freed Eldon..."
Noting Zoe's shocked expression, the dragon added, "I only transform when it is absolutely necessary. I've done it only twice, and those occasions were when Eldon needed my help."
Zoe nodded and watched the apparitions before her. She could see the
interior of her father's condo. She saw her father, fiancé Nathan,
and the police detectives who had been on this case since the beginning.
They're talking about the letter Daddy got today. They're looking at it,
wondering if it is one of Dix's traps.
No, Daddy, Steve is dead! He wasn't Steve at all, but a man named Dato,
an evil man who hunted down Neva for more than 500 years. Why don't you
come to the Centralia? Come down here and meet Neva...Oh no! They're leaving.
Where are they going? Neva could read the girl's very thoughts, and with
a sigh of relief mixed with sadness, she said, "They are coming here, Zoe.
Soon you shall be reunited with your loved ones."
Was there a tear in those great golden eyes? Did the dragon's voice crack
a bit?
"Neva," said Zoe, now comforting her friend. "You don't want to see
me leave." She embraced the dragon, running her hands over the beast's
iridescent blue scales. How pretty she is, how magnificently beautiful.
I don't want to leave her. I wonder if...
"Neva, when they arrive, how will they find the chamber. Don't they
need the blue crystal to get in?"
The dragon slowly shook her head. Neva, sensing Zoe's sorrow as well as
her own, merely explained that the orb was not necessary once her father
arrives. "Eldon will be there, and he will show them the way down here.
No, on second thought...and if you don't object..."
******
Richard waited outside the theater's rear entrance while the cops searched
and secured the building inside and out. Nathan had just arrived on the
scene and was full of questions.
"What is it, Richard?," he asked, resplendent in his three-piece suit.
Nathan had just gotten out of church when Richard's odd call came. Is it
true? Someone has found Zoe alive and well? But what about Dix?
"I don't know what to think anymore," said Richard, his entire being wracked
with worry and dread. "Someone named Neva sent this letter, stuck it in
my mailbox, and claimed she had Zoe. She said come to the Centralia and
all would be explained. Explain what? Why she had my child holed up all
this time while we were hunting down Dix? I don't get it."
Nathan took a look at the letter, noting, "She said Zoe is out of harm's
way. Does that mean Dix is no longer a problem?"
"I don't know," said Richard, "and what if this is another of Dix's traps.
This Neva person could be one of his accomplices. Since Andy or Donna didn't
do the job properly, Steve recruited someone else."
Richard, again, began to lose it, fearing the worse. "What if the cops
find her body in there? I bet good money Dix has killed her already, and
he wants me here to see my child's..."
He broke off then began crying again, not all out sobs, but Nathan could see tears running down the man's bronze face. Toying with the gold ID bracelet Zoe gave him last Christmas, Nathan began to feel sorrowful as well. Within a few weeks he and Zoe were to be married, but now, with this latest development in the case, coupled with Richard's fears, Nathan had to resign himself to burying the woman who would never become his bride.
"It's just not fair!," Nathan screamed, pounding his fist into the brick wall. In an instant, that wall began to give way, exposing a long flight of steps that seemed to go down into the very bowels of the building. "OK, now what did I do?," said Nathan, thoroughly alarmed. Like magic – well, it was magic – a strange but beautiful blue orb rolled at Richard's feet. Within moments, an aged voice called out to them, "Mr. Kendall? Prof. Kellerman? Y'all can come on down now! Neva said the coast is clear!" Who is this man approaching them? To both gentleman, he looked like any other street bum, grizzled, but not as raggedy as most of the homeless. He came up from the steps, saying, "Come on! That there blue ball will get you inside where Zoe is. I took her down there myself after those punks grabbed her. She's been down there with Neva ever since. Oh, by the way, that man Dix is dead, but he wasn't who you all thought he was. When you all come on down, Neva will explain."
Richard's heart pounded as if it was going to burst through his chest.
Is it true? Zoe is alive and well; she's been hidden all this time? And
just who is Neva? Another homeless woman who kept his daughter safe for
the past four days?
"Sir," Nathan addressed the old man, "is what you say true? Is Zoe indeed
safe?"
"Son," the man said, "that Zoe is one tough lady. Why she...Wait, I'll
let Neva tell you." He motioned both men to follow him down the dark stone
steps. Down, down they went, not knowing what to expect. The man, forgetting
his manners, turned and said, "Oh, my name's Bud, but Neva calls me by
my real name, Eldon. I come here sometimes to get out of the cold, and
that's when I found Zoe. Those punks had her locked in an old dressing
room. I just took her down to where Neva stays. Old girl has been mighty
good to Zoe."
Nathan, despite his renewed optimism, still didn't want to believe
that his intended had been holed up far beneath the Centralia, and the
woman who "rescued" Zoe never bothered to call the police. "Uh, Bud," he
inquired, "if your friend, this Neva, has Zoe hidden, then why didn't you
or she call the police, or us?"
Bud never looked back; he kept descending the many steps, guiding Richard
and Nathan. His only reply: "When you see for yourself, you'll understand
why Neva couldn't tell folks."
Then, without thinking, he added, "But she did show herself when she saved me from that hit man Bruce. She didn't mean to do it, and get herself shown on TV but it happened."
Now Richard and Nathan, hanging back a bit, suddenly realized who and
what Neva could only be. After all, the area was still crawling with newspaper
and TV reporters from all over the country, even the world. Then throw
in police, even a small battalion of National Guard. It's the hot
topic all over Chicago and beyond. An actual, living, breathing dragon,
caught on videotape and film, subsequently broadcast around the world,
seemed to appear out of nowhere. Where did it come from? Where has it been
all this time? Nathan ventured when he whispered to Richard, "You think
the dragon can be – uh – his friend Neva?"
Richard shook his head then stepped up his pace; he had to know for
sure. "My guess is that this Neva is some old woman who this Bud knows."
He looked at Nathan, laughed, saying, "Come on! There's no such thing!
Why, it could be some outlandish prank. Maybe it's all a big publicity
stunt. Nathan, there's no such things as dragons!"
Bud only laughed to himself. "Let 'em think like that. I'll show 'em."
Finally they reached a heavy magnificently carved door. What is this?,
thought Richard and Nathan. Bud said, "Hand over that there blue thing."
Nathan gave the blue orb to Bud, who placed it on a unique carving on the
door. The orb's light pulsated brightly, bathing the dark corridor with
azure radiance. The door finally creaked open, revealing the most brilliantly
lit room and sparkling marble staircase.
"Come on down," said Bud as he led the men down to the main room of
the vast underground chamber. Richard was flabbergasted! How did he miss
this?
"This wasn't on the old plans!," he said out loud. "I saw the old blueprints of this building and nothing like this shows up! Who built this? Why? When?" Richard gazed in awe as he wandered through the great crystal chamber. "I don't get it, Nate. How could THIS be so overlooked by city planners?"
"Because the city planners never discovered it. I made sure that they never would."
That feminine voice came from another part of the chamber. Who is that?
Doesn't sound like Zoe. Bud just smiled and said, "Oh, that's Neva coming.
Zoe should be down in a little bit." So, we finally meet the woman who
rescued my child, thought Richard. How can I ever repay her? But what about
the cops upstairs? Didn't they discover the passage to this remarkable
place? Why aren't they down here?
"I can read your thoughts, Mr. Kendall. Let me assure you that the
police will not find my secret lair. As for your daughter..." The voice
grew closer; a shadow appeared on the wall. Odd, it doesn't look remotely
human but reptilian in shape. Now Nate and Richard began to tremble, for
what was, as the latter said, "a horrible prank", was no prank. She finally
came into view, every scaly, iridescent inch. What that saw nearly caused
major panic.
"It's true!," said Richard. "It was a dragon!" Even Nathan, who once entertained the notion of real dragons wrecking havoc all over town, gasped in awe, "Oh my God! Richard, how can this be? Where is...Zoe!" He spotted her before Richard. "Daddy! Nathan!," screamed Zoe as she bounded out from behind her draconic friend. She ran into her father's arms, kissing and hugging him, crying thousands tears. At last, Richard Kendall embraced the daughter he feared dead. Then she finally, passionately embraced and kissed Nathan.
There was much weeping with joy, relief, and sorrow. Well, joy for the Kendalls, Bud, and Professor Kellerman. But there was a touch of sorrow for Neva. The dragon knew that she had to move on. Too many people had seen her; she had been out in public. However, before she said her good-byes, moved on to another locale somewhere in this world where she could live in peace and obscurity, there was one – no, three – tasks left to complete.
"Mr. Kendall," Neva said as she introduced herself, "welcome to my home,
which will no longer be, sad to say, my home. I had my reasons to keep
Zoe here with me, and not contact you at once. It was to protect her from
harm."
"You mean harm from Steve Dix?," asked Nate.
The dragon shook her great head. "No, professor, Steven Dix was not
who he claimed. In fact, he had everyone with whom he came in contact fooled,
except me. So, please, enjoy your reunion with Zoe, then sit, for I have
much to explain..."
Neva drew a deep breath as Zoe, her father, Nate, and Bud, took their seats on the crystalline benches. She then, upon that wondrous magical quartz mirror, conjured vivid images of long ago. Then she began her tale.
"It has been nearly 500 years, and much of what I have to tell you is
painful but necessary. Zoe partially discovered, and relived, much of that
great adventure last night when we finally defeated the Evil One. Now,
I will go the beginning, to the early part of the 15th Century, when I
was still nestled safe within my egg aboard the Doña Lucia..."
TO BE CONTINUED....CLICK NOW FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER OF AMERICAN DRAGON