“Are you ready for me to whistle for Shami?” he whispered to Amy.
“Yes! Let’s just get this over with,” answered Amy, eager to escape.
Ben took the whistle from his pocket and put it to his lips. He blew with all his might and the high-pitched sound could be heard all around the castle grounds. The guards looked around in confusion, unsure what the sound was or where it had come from. An eerie silence followed as they stood still and listened. Then, out of nowhere, Shami appeared, flying high over the castle wall and descending into the grounds beside the chariot. The three boys climbed quickly onto her back, unseen by the Unicerons. Ben shouted to Amy and she emerged from her hiding place and fled towards Shami, holding out her hands to be helped onto the dragon’s back.
The Unicerons saw her immediately, and angry voices could be heard as the guards realised this was a rescue mission. They ran towards Shami with spears raised, and an alarm sounded. Ben gave the dragon a quick kick with his heels and she took off into the sky. Arrows were fired from the castle walls, and the four children clung on to Shami as tightly as they could. She jerked as a loud, deep booming noise was heard, and Ben looked down in horror as he saw the Unicerons loading a cannon. Another huge boom filled the air as the cannon was fired, and Ben just about managed to steer Shami clear of its path. She sped through the sky, flying faster than Ben had ever known her to do, away from the castle, out across the morning sky, carrying four very weary but ecstatic youngsters away from danger.
Chapter 9
Glamoran
The children arrived back at the Citadel later that day, where they met with Hal and Ballin who had returned from the wood with Sissy. Amy was thrilled to be back and ran excitedly into Tia’s arms. Ben explained what had happened on the island and introduced Owen and Jacob to the Moonbeamers. Owen, in particular, seemed pleased to be in safe company and regularly expressed his gratitude to Ben. He was a small boy for his age, with pale-blue eyes, red hair and freckles. Jacob, on the other hand, was a tall, stern-looking boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He didn’t express the same gratitude as Owen had done, and Ben wasn’t sure whether he could be totally trusted.
“Well done on your mission, Ben!” declared Hal, smiling. “It was a very brave act to undertake, going to Numblebrook Island Prison and rescuing young Amy and your fellow Giddles. You should be extremely proud of yourself. It was a very dangerous mission and I have to admit, I was not overly confident that you would succeed. But I am pleased to say you have proved me wrong. Your friends owe you a great deal and I’m sure that they will be forever indebted to you.”
Amy and Owen expressed their thanks and smiled, but Jacob just nodded silently, his eyes hard and scornful.
“Whilst I was away, did you fathom out where the red dragon’s lair is?” asked Ben, feeling a little embarrassed with all the praise and wanting to change the subject.
“The senior members of the council have been doing a lot of research, Ben,” Hal answered. He took out the blue coin that they had found in the Gothic Well and placed it on the table. “It appears that this coin is made from turquoise, and we believe that this may be a clue as to the whereabouts of the cave. According to the ancient books, there was once a small, remote mining community up in the hills near the village of Glamoran, far in the east. It was here that they mined for turquoise, and it was once a thriving business. However, one day the mine ran dry and there was no more turquoise to be found, so the mines were abandoned. There are tales that a red dragon dwelled in the nearby caves, close to this community. The dragon was extremely volatile and ferocious, and the villagers lived in fear of their lives. Once the mine had run dry, they were more than happy to distance themselves from the dragon and quickly moved away to more densely populated areas where other trades could be found. Red dragons can live for many hundreds of years and it is possible that this dragon still resides there. This is where we shall begin our search.”
“What will we do once we get there?” Amy shivered.
Hal read out the verse from the riddle:
Hidden in the caves
Is the red dragon’s lair.
Count the spikes on his back;
Beware of the bear.
“The verse says we have to count the spikes on the dragon’s back. To do this with any certainty, we will have to be very close to the dragon. Red dragons are extremely dangerous and hard to kill, so we will have to count his spikes whilst he sleeps.”
“Is that where we help?” muttered Owen nervously. “Do we need to eat some of the invisibility sweets before we enter the dragon’s lair?”
“Unfortunately, I can think of no other way,” answered Hal. “We will stay close by. We still have some use of the old magic, but we will try and avoid using it as it may alert the King. However, if any of you are in any danger we will use the magic without delay. This should stun the dragon long enough for you to escape from the cave.”
“What does Beware of the bear mean?” asked Owen.
“We are not sure,” answered Hal. “Bears have been extinct in this land for a very long time. Hopefully this bear no longer exists, but we need to be on the lookout just in case.”
“When do we leave?” asked Ben impatiently, eager to solve the riddle so that he could go home.
“We will depart first thing tomorrow. After this morning’s rescue, the King will be monitoring the skies for dragons, especially Shami. It will be safer to travel by horseback.”
Amy looked disappointed that Shami would not be accompanying them, and Ben smiled at her reassuringly.
“Do not worry, Amy, Shami will be well looked after by the Moonbeamers. She is safe here,” added Hal, sensing Amy’s disappointment.
The Giddles, Amy, Hal, Shadrack, Ballin and Josiah met early the next morning to begin their journey on horseback. Tia accompanied them, and Amy seemed pleased that she was no longer the only female in the group. The hills of Glamoran were far to the east and the party travelled for several days, stopping only to rest and sleep. They travelled mainly through wooded areas, and picked routes where they were unlikely to be spotted.
After five days on the road they eventually came to the deserted and dilapidated village of Glamoran. They rode their horses through what remained of the streets and observed the shabby buildings as they passed. Faded signs that were barely readable remained above some of the doorways and shop windows. One read Glamoran Inn and another Groceries of Glamoran. Ben imagined that this was once a lively and thriving village, and felt sad that it had become a derelict and deserted array of buildings and overgrowth.
They tied up the horses and continued to walk along the dusty, narrow streets to get a closer look at what remained of the town. Suddenly Ben thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. As he focused, he saw something disappear around the corner of a building and head off down the cobbled side road. He ran over to the building and peeped around the corner. He was startled to see an old lady with a walking stick leaning against an old gas street light. She turned to look at Ben, and he immediately recognised her as the hag he had met at Labyrinth Junction in the cave! Ben gasped in surprise. Without saying a word, the old witch beckoned for him to follow her and started to hobble down the street. Ben quickly turned to look for the others and saw them peering into an old shop window.
“Quickly, come here!” he shouted eagerly.
“What is it, Ben?” yelled Hal, as they ran towards him.
“The old witch from the cave, she’s here!” gasped Ben. He turned to look back towards her, but to his surprise she had vanished. The road was empty and quiet except for a large black raven which sat on top of a street light, squawking loudly.
“Where is she?” asked Amy, looking round apprehensively.
“She was here a second ago, I swear she was!” cried Ben. “She can’t have walked off that quickly. She was hobbling with a walking stick and there is nowhere
for her to hide!”
“Maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you, Ben,” said Hal softly. “You have had a tough few days and you are tired.”
“My eyes weren’t playing tricks. I know what I saw; she was here!” Ben protested.
The raven let out a piercing squawk and they all looked up. It then flew along the lane and landed on another street light a few feet away. As it turned to look at them, it let out another high shriek.
“It wants us to follow it!” gasped Ben, as he ran in the direction of the flying raven.
Amy and Hal followed Ben as the others ran back to where the horses had been tethered. The raven flew from light to light waiting for Ben to catch up. He entered a wooded area and stumbled across the roots of large trees as he tried to keep up with the strange bird.
Eventually, they came to an old wooden hut and the raven flew straight through the open doorway with Ben, Amy and Hal in pursuit. It glided across the room and landed on a window opening which contained no glass. Ben ran to the window and looked out. To his amazement he was no longer looking at the wood but staring straight across a quarry, a huge quarry thousands of feet deep! It looked like a massive, circular, empty basin with steep, rocky sides. An old rusted shaft could be seen at the far side, and Ben knew that this must have once been a working mine. An occasional tree had grown along the steep sides and overgrowth filled the bottom of the basin. The wooden building was probably an old lookout point for the mineworkers.
The raven gave a high-pitched squawk and flew off the window ledge into the air above the quarry. As Ben watched it fly into the distance, his attention was diverted to something else approaching through the sky. At first he thought that it was a huge bird, but as it got nearer, he realised that this beast was far too large to be a bird. He began to make out its reddish colour and its shape, with the most enormous wings that he had ever seen and an extremely long, jagged tail. Ben, Amy and Hal gasped in horror as the creature opened its huge jaws and blew out a great, glittering ball of fire. The dragon glided through the air towards the far side of the basin and landed gracefully on the rock face. It turned to look back across the quarry before swooping into a large cave and disappearing from sight.
“I think we have found our red dragon!” Hal stated uneasily.
The others looked across the basin of the quarry in fear.
Chapter 10
The Red Dragon’s Lair
The horses were left to graze in the wood close to the lookout hut whilst the group considered their next move. The dragon’s cave was high up on the opposite side of the quarry, and to reach it on foot quickly without being seen would be virtually impossible.
“I think we need the help of Shami or one of the other dragons,” said Amy. “I know you said it was dangerous, Hal, as you thought that Shami could easily be spotted, but I think we have no other option.”
“Maybe you are right, Amy,” agreed Hal. “I can’t think of any other way we can reach the dragon’s cave safely either. It would take us a long time to climb the cliff face and the risk of being seen by the red dragon would be too great. I will use the moonstone to communicate with the Moonbeamers back at the Citadel and arrange for Shami and one of the other dragons to be flown here. The journey by air will only be a few hours, so they should reach us by early evening. Dragons normally sleep at night, so once darkness has fallen, we shall make our move.”
“What’s the plan?” asked Owen nervously.
“You, Ben and Jacob will each eat one of the red sweets,” replied Hal. “Once you are invisible, we will fly over to the cave with the dragons. Amy and Tia, you will wait here with the horses and keep a lookout, just in case the King has his spies around. Ballin, Josiah and I will position ourselves outside the cave in case the dragon wakes. Hopefully, it will continue to sleep. Ben, Jacob and Owen, you will enter the cave and search for the red dragon. Once you have found it, you will need to count the number of spikes down its back and along its tail. You must do this very carefully, as there is no room for error. Although you will be invisible, you need to tread as quietly as possible, as it is imperative that you do not wake the dragon. And remember, the riddle refers to a bear. I have thought long and hard about this and unfortunately cannot make any sense of it. If by some miracle bears still exist, one would surely not dwell in such a place. But even so, make sure to remain alert. Does anyone have any questions?”
“The dragon will not be able to see us,” Owen shivered, “but what if it can smell us?”
The group fell silent. Nobody seemed to have considered this, and a chill went through them.
“If the dragon wakes and you are in any danger, you need to shout for us immediately. We will wield some of the old magic if necessary. I don’t really want to do this as it may alert the King to our whereabouts, but your safety is paramount and I will always put that first.”
Jacob remained silent and didn’t look particularly happy with the arrangements. Owen half-smiled, and Ben gave him a pat of encouragement.
“Don’t worry, boys, we will be fine!” he laughed, although he could feel his heart thudding. But if doing this meant he would help to solve the riddle and thus find his way home, then he was determined. If this was the only way, so be it.
Shami and Sissy arrived early that evening with Kondo, one of Hal’s aides. He was a hard-working and reliable Moonbeamer, whom Hal trusted with his life. Amy was delighted to be reunited with Shami, and the gentle dragon licked her face tenderly.
The group prepared for their task and everyone ensured that they had everything they needed. Ben checked he still had the moonstone in his possession before passing a red sweet to both Owen and Jacob.
“Before you eat the sweet, Ben, I think you should take this,” interrupted Hal. He handed Ben the turquoise coin that they had found in the ancient well.
Ben took the coin and turned it over in his hands. “I thought that this was just to guide us to the dragon’s lair?”
“Indeed, I am quite certain that this is true, but I feel that you should take it, just in case. I do not envisage that you will need it for anything.”
Ben put the coin in his pocket and turned to the others. “Right, are we ready?” he asked.
“As ready as we will ever be!” replied Owen hesitantly.
“Good luck, boys!” said Amy in encouragement.
Ben popped the sweet into his mouth and immediately began to feel the tingling sensation spread through his arms and legs. Owen and Jacob followed suit, and they too felt the sweet begin to take effect. Within moments all three boys were invisible, and one by one they climbed onto Shami’s back. Hal, Ballin and Josiah mounted Sissy and they all rose up into the sky and flew towards the red dragon’s lair.
The two dragons landed on the small rocky platform at the front of the cave. Hal checked that they had all safely dismounted and then signalled to Amy and Tia back at the lookout point in the distance. The dragons took to the air, flying back in the direction from which they had come.
“Are you ready?” Hal asked softly.
Fear assailed the Giddles, but they ackowledged that they were ready and stepped into the cave entrance apprehensively. They used a small lantern to light the way. The floor was quite uneven and they had to tread carefully to stop themselves from tripping over. The roof seemed very high as the cave opened up into a huge, circular dome. They could see no sign of the dragon and continued to creep further into the dark. The children whispered to each other in encouragement as they walked deeper into the gloomy, rocky chamber.
Occasionally they could hear a soft tapping noise, like the sound of something being knocked lightly against the rocky wall. The noise became steadily louder as they walked deeper into the cave. Eventually, they spotted the outline of something huge and forbidding only a few feet in front of them, and Ben felt an overwhelming sense of dread overcome him. As they approached, they heard the terrifying sn
oring sound of the dragon’s deep breathing. Its nostrils flared and occasionally it would slap its enormous tail against the rocky floor. They slowly approached, and Ben shone his light towards the huge, frightening creature. They could now see the dragon’s body in detail and make out each huge spike along his gigantic, scaly back.
“Let’s count the spikes as quickly as we can and get out of here!” whispered Owen shakily.
“We should count in our heads and then check that we all have the same number,” added Ben quietly. He slowly shone the lantern towards the dragon’s spikes, but to their horror it unexpectedly stirred and lifted its huge, frightful head high into the air. The boys jumped backwards in shock and fear as its skull hit the floor once more. Thankfully, the dragon continued to sleep. Ben carefully returned the light to the dragon’s spikes and slowly and methodically began to count. When he had finished he repeated his task, wanting to be certain that he had not made any errors.
“How many did you count?” whispered Owen from somewhere within the cave.
“Nineteen,” answered Ben. “What about you?”
“Great, that’s what I counted too!” murmured Owen.
“What about you, Jacob? How many did you count?” asked Ben softly.
There was only silence.
“Jacob, where are you?” asked Ben.
There was no reply.
“Jacob!” muttered Owen, a little too loudly.
An eerie silence followed, but then the dragon slowly began to stir! The two boys froze, and Ben felt the hair on his arms stand on end. The dragon lifted its ugly head into the air and, to their horror, slowly opened its eyes. Fear and numbness infused the boys’ bodies. In despair Ben dropped the lantern and the dragon quickly swung round its head and stared in their direction with a ferocious look in its evil eyes. Ben stayed glued to the spot, knowing that he was invisible and praying that the dragon was unaware of their presence. He didn’t want to do anything else to attract its attention, and silently held his breath in anticipation. The dragon looked straight towards him and seemed unable to see either him or Owen. But as Ben regained his composure, the dragon slowly began to twitch its nose!
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