Amber Light, Emerald Twilight

Prologue

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Though the tales and stories told would imply that dragons existed in our distant past where knights slew them for glory and fame. But those stories are myths and adventures that stimulate the young minds of children. To inspire their imagination and paint the world as something magical and worthwhile. To encourage little ones to either be a knight able to take on the world or a damsel in distress where the knight sweeps in to save her and bestow unending love. When she was a young girl and told she would meet one of these legendary beings one day, the anticipation would have frozen the breath in her lungs, and the thought of a knight coming to the rescue would infuse her being with mounting excitement. However, the reality was far from anything they had imagined.

1. Discovery

Bailey

"Bailey, you're going to be late for school!" Groaning, after another late night, completing assignments, the last thing she needs is her mom screaming the roof down.

"Bailey!" And there she goes again.

"I'm up!" Bailey shouts back.

She repeats to herself, that there are only a few more months left in the school year before graduation; as she gets ready for another torturous day of listening to her homeroom teacher harp about finals and college entry applications. If an opportunity presents itself, she will sell a lung to go one day without hearing another speech about college selections that can make or break her chosen career. Not that she has a choice seeing as her parents are well-known in the community; paleontologist Mrs. Adaj Devereaux and Marine Corps General Bradley Devereaux, no pressure, right? She heads downstairs for a quick breakfast, as usual, then watches as the white line zips past on the way to school.

“So, have you thought of which university you would like to attend?" Her mom asks.

She suppresses an aggressive eye roll. "No, I haven't given it much thought yet. I was hoping I could take a break after high school, have some fun, make friends, ya kno?"

"Darling, I understand, but you don't want to put it off for an extended period. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be for you to muster up the motivation to attend. I want you to have a good life and career."

Sighing, "I know, mom, I just..." Tired of having the same old conversation, again and again, like a record on repeat. Bailey's mom knew her thoughts on the matter. For her, trying to go through with the argument wasn't worth it.

Finally, after a long tense silence, they ease onto the curb outside the red brick entrance of Sagemont Academy, and with a quietly spoken "see ya" Bailey quickly makes her way to the first class of the day. Today couldn't go by fast enough, she thought. Bailey spends most of her classes daydreaming and barely hears what her teachers relay to the students. Fortunately, she can afford the distraction, her overall average sits at a comfortable A-minus. Daydreaming about life after graduation, not that anything she thought of had any hope of coming true, it's nice to visualize the potential experiences regardless. Her classes for the day flew by relatively quickly. Thank you, she exclaims silently to herself. So, meandering her way to the school library, she melts, with a sigh, onto one of the many bean bags strewn about in an isolated corner, ready to tuck into a fantasy novel that will never see the light of day at home. According to her mom, it rots the brain and encourages unrealistic expectations of otherwise realistic situations. But to her, it was a way to immerse herself in a reality far from her own.

Eventually, she comes up for air, realizing that the library had gotten considerably darker when she could barely see the words on the page. In a fit of panic, she double-taps her phone to bring the screen to life and checks the time. She'd spent nearly four hours reading; numerous missed calls from her mom and her dad. I am so dead she thinks. In record time, she was out the door hightailing to the nearest bus stop, legs bouncing like a jack rabbit, in a physical display of nerves during the bus ride. After thirty minutes, her nerves were nowhere near calm. She walks another fifteen minutes toward home which added another hour to an already late evening. As she approaches the corner of her street, she notices flashing red and blue lights strobing on the nearby houses. Mortified, she couldn't believe her parents called the cops. With a mouth feeling like cotton, she slowly makes her way to the house. Her mom is the first to spot her coming up the sidewalk.

"Oh my God, Bailey! Where have you been? I was worried sick," Adaj said, as she runs to meet Bailey.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Bailey responds, "Sorry, mom, I was reading at the library and lost track of time."

Holding Bailey at arm's length, she asks, "Couldn't you at least text to let me know where you were? I called and left messages; you didn't respond. I called your dad. He left work to come home, do you understand?" Her chest is pumping like a bellow by the time she’s finished speaking. Bailey, guiltily hangs her head, whispering another apology. Wrapping her arm around her shoulders, Adaj leads her to the waiting police and her dad. Unable to raise her eyes, she listens to him thank the police for their help and then follows as he marches inside.

While pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, she could only imagine the mess left behind at his abrupt departure from work. Calmly he says, "Bailey, please explain to me what you were thinking. I left in the middle of a meeting because your mom called agitated. She couldn't find you; you weren't picking up your phone. Do you realize calling the police for a false alarm is a waste of their manpower and resources? A situation that should never have happened in the first place if we had gotten a phone call or text." Bradley never shouts. He's always so calm and collected. Sometimes she wishes that her dad did. Then at least, it'll show that he cares.

Looking at her mom first and then making eye contact as he prefers, Bailey repeats what she told her mom earlier.

"Unfortunately, that excuse is not acceptable. It seems you still have a long way to go before you understand the significance of responsibility. For the rest of the school year, you will report home directly after classes along with a text to either your mother or me. Do I make myself clear?" Her dad commands sternly.

"But Dad, that's unfair, one time, one time...and your treating me like I committed a crime," Bailey shouts. In reply, he raises an eyebrow. Silently fuming, she swears she can feel steam exploding from her ears, and quickly heads upstairs while her parents quietly speak to one another in her absence.

---

Days and weeks fly past, school, home, study, sleep, rinse, and repeat. Bailey doesn't have the luxury of her daily escape into one of the many books at the library. All the devices her family uses are monitored due to her dad's position in the military, so any chance she has of downloading books goes up in smoke. The air at home is tense. Being around one another feels like tiptoeing on pins and needles and monotonous at times. She attempts to alleviate her boredom by infiltrating areas of the house she doesn’t usually frequent.

Bailey being home alone at any other time, wouldn't dream of entering her mom's sanctum, which she always keeps immaculate, not a thing out of place, not a stray piece of paper left on her desk, or a speck of dirt. How she does it is beyond her. Most of the books are about historical findings of fossils, plants, and excavations done throughout history. She didn't dare touch anything, for fear of disrupting her order. Browsing the titles would have to suffice, though boredom quickly sets in, she finds nothing of interest.

Having had her fill in the study, she decides to venture into the unknown, her dad's office. It's an unspoken rule not to enter his office; in the event, he has classified documents in his possession. Feeling reckless, especially given her unfair sentencing, his office was fair game. Like reading one of her books, it was something new, traveling untread territories. There, mounted on the wall behind his desk is an old steering wheel from an unknown vessel, maps, compasses, a massive atlas pinned behind his desk, and one too many nautical books in his bookcase. Spying a few scattered pages on his desk, she inches closer; and closely examines the loose sheets, careful not to disturb his disorder.

References about Christopher Columbus are noted in his familiar handwriting. It seems, Bradley has a fascination for Columbus she could understand his admiration based on his chosen occupation. However, some of the pages didn't look like any she'd ever seen before. Discolored, furled edges, watermarks, and slanted script handwriting. Fascinated, she tilts her head sideways; the language appears to be…Spanish? At the time she makes this observation, she hears a car pull into the driveway, startling her out of her examination. Quickly, she leaves the office, bounding across the house to her room, dives onto the bed, and pretends that the ceiling is as enjoyable as watching paint dry.

Bailey doesn't have to wait long before Adaj knocks gently on the bedroom door. As she opens the door, Adaj gives a hesitant smile before asking, "Hey sweetie, how was your day?"

Attempting to be as sarcastic as possible, she replies, "My day was fantastic. I went sightseeing, walked the nature trails, and eventually rock climbing at Clay Gully! At some point, we should make it a family outing. You guys would love it." When her mom's face loses the slight smile she was trying to maintain, Bailey hides a wince of guilt.

At that, Adaj sits on the edge of the bed. While studying her hand, she says, "I know it hasn't been easy for you. I understand; please know that. Just...put yourself in my shoes. Can you imagine the different scenarios that played in my head when I couldn't reach you? I wouldn't know what to do with myself if something was to ever happen to you." She places her hand on Bailey's, which lay on her stomach. Adaj trembled gently.

Remorseful, Bailey attempts to sit up to speak, but her mom steadily increases the pressure on her hand, indicating she wants her to stay where she was. Asking hesitantly, "It's fine. Maybe I can convince your father to lift your punishment?" She looks expectant. Mutely Bailey nods her agreement. Genuinely smiling in return, "Ok! Did you already have dinner?" Again, a nod is her reply. "Good." She stands up, and on her way out, she says, "Well, I'll be in my study if you need me."

---

In the evening, Bailey is in the living room watching a show when her dad barge into the house, hair in disarray, uniform creased, and uncharacteristically untidy. Concern, she calls, "Dad!?" Seeming not to hear her, with a wrinkle on her forehead, she gets up to follow when he shouts, "Adaj!". Worried something might be terribly wrong, she quickly finds herself outside her mom's study. He’s speaking so fast, tripping over his words Bailey could barely understand what he is saying. Drawing closer to the door that was left ajar when she hears her mom exclaims. "Brad! Calm down, speak slowly. I can barely understand you."

Bailey spies through the gap and watches him take a deep breath. Visibly he makes an effort to do as she said. After another moment, he begins again. "Adaj, ok...", another breath, "you know I had been working on a project for the past couple of years, but you didn't know the specifics, with no obvious solution in sight." Eyebrows bunched in bewilderment, she nods in agreement. "Well, I received word a few hours ago that a well preserved leather-bound ledger was discovered. I believe it to be the original log of Christopher Columbus!"

Bailey stifles a gasp. She takes a minute to digest this information, then realizes this could be the discovery of a lifetime, better than sliced bread. Adaj asks, “What does one have to do with the other?”

Bradley paces back and forth, which is also out of character. Rather than answering her, he mutters to himself. "I always believed the log he carried back to Barcelona was a copy. I also speculated that the original was left on the island he initially made landfall on...missing information...didn't want to be found...times and distances not accurate...all intentional..." Adaj watches and waits patiently, but he appears to have forgotten she’s there. He suddenly stops, eyes wide, and declares, "We're going to The Bahamas, be prepared to leave at a moment's notice."

As he turns to leave the office, Adaj shouts. "Wait, what are you talking about...why would we need to go…Brad...Bradley!" As he quickly approaches the door, Bailey scurries away to duck around the corner just as he opens the door. Hot on his heels, Adaj, trying to get an explanation. Bailey takes the opportunity to slink back to the couch, going over what she had overheard. The implication that the log submitted was a copy and not the original could change what the world always thought to be true. While she knows some won’t take kindly to having their history rewritten, people deserve to know the truth. In some small way, she’s a part of something so much bigger than herself that the exhilaration she’s feeling is heady. She looks forward to what this discovery will bring.

Afterward, periodically, Bradley updates Adaj on the progress of the project, nothing too detailed but enough to keep her at bay. Bailey always makes sure to be at the door eavesdropping. The team in The Bahamas they were to meet will need a couple of weeks to verify the find and make comprehensive notes comparing the ‘original’ and the few pages of the copied log he sent over. Anytime her mom asks what he is looking for, he replies, “We have to wait and see what the researchers find.” However, he remains confident that there is something hidden, ready to be unearthed by whoever has the fortitude to find it.

---

Arriving on the private airstrip at the military base, they disembark the aircraft. The team waiting at the end of the stairs ushers them into a waiting black-tinted Tahoe; the air conditioner was a relief during the short time it took to get to the vehicle. They would have been here during the colder season but had to wait for Bailey to graduate from high school before leaving. She was unable to recall the graduation ceremony. Fragments and distortions were the best she could do. Her excitement at the time eclipsed her surroundings, like the moon blocking the sun, knowing that as her diploma was in hand, they were to leave their home in Tampa immediately. Currently, steadily approaching the military base located on Andros Island in The Bahamas, the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, best known as AUTEC. On the flight over, her dad filled them in on the renovations done over a few months.

The barracks, cafeteria, and residential quarters received significant upgrades to prepare for everyone's arrival and all existing technology for conducting experiments. Supposedly the only military personnel at the moment that will reside at the facility are individuals aware of the project. After reaching the security checkpoint, IDs pass through a scanner, and access to the residential area is approved. Their footsteps ricochet off the plain walls of the corridor; eerily echoing back to them. At a T-juncture, Bradley informs them of a meeting. Turning abruptly, he continues left while Adaj and Bailey turn right. On both sides of the hallway, the doors are spaced evenly, disturbingly familiar to a hospital. Contrary to the outside, the family living space is modern. Three bedrooms, two baths, a living and dining room, and a fully stocked kitchen, the one thing that's missing is a backyard to make it complete.

Bailey decides she's going to take a look around. There is no way staying in their rooms is an option when she could be exploring.

---

While her mom is taking a bath, she stealthily slips out of the apartment. She confirms the coast is clear before picking a direction. Aimlessly she walks around, noticing the absence of guards while taking random corners. Stopping dead, she hears thudding footsteps heading her way. Frantically, she checks every door she passes; while those heavy treads come closer. But she couldn't seem to find an open one. By the time she does, her heart feels like it's beating a mile a minute; ready to vacate its home in her chest. In the nick of time, she closes the door behind her as the guard passes the door.

She rubs sweaty palms on her jeans, eyes squeeze shut, she takes deep breaths, and slowly her heart rate returns to normal. The lights are off though a large viewing window illuminates the room from the opposite wall. Gasping loudly, she lay flat on the floor hoping no one heard her. She scuttles towards the window, slowly peeking over the sill, realizing it’s a one-way mirror. Maybe an observation room turned conference room, she thinks. Peering into the other room; it is notably bigger than the one she currently occupies.

Bailey stands, recognizing she can observe without being seen. She examines the walls on either side of the window, flipping a switch; she holds perfectly still, expecting every head in the room to swivel her way. Loud and clear words filter through. Poised and at attention, her dad addresses the assembled men.

Bradley

Look at them, he thinks. Like a pack of hyenas waiting to steal his prey from underneath him. He didn't like having to give these updates on the project. He put sweat, blood, and maybe tears to bring this project to fruition. As far as he’s concerned, he's only doing them a courtesy by holding this meeting. If he had his way, they wouldn’t be here at all. After all, this is HIS project.

“Gentlemen, as you are aware, our researchers conducted a series of tests to confirm the validity of the logbook previously assumed to be lost by historians. Our lead researcher, Mr. Edward Khan, who authenticated the book, is here. Based on his investigation, we will move to the next phase of the project.” Turning towards a mousy-looking man, he asks, “Mr. Khan, after conducting your analysis of the information found in the log, what is your conclusion?”

All eyes turn towards him. He adjusts the glasses sitting precariously on the end of his hook nose. He flips through the thick binder he has in his possession. Clearing his throat, "Firstly, through extensive calculations and research, I can confirm that the island Christopher Columbus first made landfall is indeed..." He pauses, obviously aiming to be dramatic. Finally, he says, "Andros Island." Every man talks over the other. "How can you be sure!?", “What proof do you have!?", "On an island where our military base was all along? Impossible!"

Waiting for the chaos to die down, Khan politely explains. "From his records, Columbus described seeing an endless sea in all directions. Coincidently during the night, he witnessed a light arcing across the sky. We know that could only mean a meteorite entered the earth's atmosphere. He observed the light descending towards the horizon. The sky flares green for an instant. By vibrations felt through the boards while on deck, we can deduce the meteorite made an impact. He instructed his crew to follow and made their way to The Bahamas. The copy of his log doesn’t have exact measurements of which island he landed on, but it does in the original. While in the copy, he kept the width measurements the same and changed the length, ten and five leagues, respectively. Whereas in the original, ten and twenty-six leagues."

Feeling rather smug with his explanation, he turns to General Devereaux, who issues another question. "Have we found the location of the meteorite site?"

"Yes, sir. After arriving on land, Columbus and his crew made their way to a blue hole at the northern tip of Andros island. It’s about an hour away from our current location. The blue hole leads to an extensive subterranean cave."

"Excellent. Is the area secured?" He asks. Shockingly, excitement gradually bleeds through the question.

"Yes, sir! We are awaiting your approval to send the probe to investigate."

"Great work." To everyone else, "We are about to undertake the find of the century. I need everyone to do their part in case of any backlash or leakage of information." After a chorus of 'Yes sirs,' they are free to go. Smirking and feeling satisfied with the outcome, he fully anticipates a promotion. The position he was after for years will finally be within his grasp.

---

Backtracking as best as she can, Bailey makes double time getting back to their quarters.

---

Adaj

The probes make their first exploration two weeks later. Unfortunately, the videos that the probe captured only broadcast vast tunnel systems, crystalline water, and unfathomable depth. There are so many nooks and crannies that it takes several trips for the operation team to find an anomaly. Reviewing some of the footage they notice a section of the cave looks like a landslide occurred. The image warrants a dive team consisting of five people to investigate. Adaj, as a professionally trained diver and being interested in the rock formation, opts to go down with the dive team, with reluctant approval from her husband.

Outfitting their suits with Go-Pros, and a borescope, they arrive at the divergence from what they expect as normal. The first notable distinction to Adaj was the elevated temperature near the rock formation. She places her hand on a nearby rock only to snatch it back an instant later in surprise. The divers follow her lead; they stare at each other, eyes wide behind their goggles. Extracting the borescope and utilizing a small crevice near her position she feeds the scope as far into the cavity as possible. They lean into the display screen and watch as the camera shows a cavern, not unlike the previous areas. Moderate light filters through peepholes from the ceiling, forming illusions and creating shadows that aren’t there.

She adjusts the view in increments, taking as much footage as possible for analysis when an indistinct blur swims past. This sudden development provokes swarms of bubbles to erupt, each jockeying for position as flailing limbs try to propel their owners towards the exit. As Adaj gain the exit, she thinks whatever it was they saw should remain undisturbed. Later she relays her thoughts to her husband; however, the footage only convinces Bradley to pursue it and orders the detonation of explosives for the next day. Disappointed, she hopes he knows what he’s doing.

Bailey

"Bailey! Bailey, oh my god...Bailey! We have to leave. Come on!"

Everything filters through in snapshots, a blaring siren, shoulders violently shaken and screaming. Blearily, Bailey opens her eyes. She sees and then hears her mother screaming, telling her to put on shoes. Instinctively, she listens, moving on autopilot through the base. They zigzag and shimmy while navigating through people running back and forth, equipment falling, and pages lying haphazardly on the floor. Coming to her senses after a while, she asks, "Where's dad?"

Adaj frightfully looks around and answers, "He should be here soon. He said something about securing the base." After a pause, "I don't know what he's thinking. It's over."

Confused, Bailey asks, "What’s over?"

Looking Bailey in the eye, she solemnly whispers, "Everything."

After what seemed like forever, they make it onto the tarmac, where Bradley waits next to a helicopter, blades whipping the air. As soon as they’re seated, the machine takes off. Speaking into the microphone attached to her helmet Bailey asks her dad, “What’s going on…why are we leaving?"

He stares pensively out the window, eyes darting back and forth deep in thought. He glances her way opens his mouth to answer then promptly closes it again, refusing to answer. After an hour of listening to the blades constant whooping, her mother’s high-pitched scream shatters the otherwise silent cabin. Bailey’s seatbelt aborts her sudden lunge for her mother, but a spiked tail slithering past the window near Adaj grabs her unaware. She scampers to her window leaning as far as her restraints will allow.

Bailey's eyes bulge out of her head, taking in the view, she sees dragons; slashing, diving, pinwheeling through the air, and perching on nearby outcroppings. Only then does the familiar landscape of home penetrates her wide eye terror. There weren't always dragons in the valley; they're everywhere now.