A Skin of a Dragon (The Guild of Gatekeepers Book 1)

by Frances Jones

  'Maybe he didn't want to risk his hounds bolting if we unleashed another fog,' said Eliza. 'It does seem strange, though, and that makes me uneasy.'

  Morning came, pale and frosty, and revealed the land that stretched out before us. It seemed to float above a sea of fog as we looked down into the valley below. Had it not been for my heavy heart and the urgency with which we now rode, I might have taken the time to admire its beauty. The Tamar river murmured softly in the valley as it wound its way to the sea, and the tree-topped hills beyond twinkled with snow.

  We stopped briefly around midday but ate only enough to stave off our hunger; Pluto had carried off with him the pack carrying a good portion of the food and the vesana flagrants when he bolted after his master. Both were a sore loss, but I blessed my luck that I had stowed the dragonskin and the gunpowder for the flintlock in my own pack and had kept one vesana flagrant to hand in the pocket of my breeches.

  'What is it?' said Eliza as I slowed Ralph to a trot not long after we had set out again.

  'I was just thinking of George, and I realised we haven't heard from him since before we reached Treadway Castle,' I replied.

  'What is the date today?' asked Eliza. 'I have quite lost count.'

  'It is December the first,' I replied. 'His last message was on the sixth of November just before we reached Truro. I do hope he has not come to harm. What with the Venatorian riding away without trying to capture us, and George's silence, I fear that something is afoot within the Guild.'

  Eliza looked anxious. 'What about Father?' she said. 'If George is in trouble and cannot write, what does that mean for him?'

  'I don't know,' I replied, looking out east as though the weight of my gaze could pierce the distance and reveal George's mind to me. ‘Perhaps he discovered his note to Rupert was intercepted so dare not write again, but it would certainly be a comfort to hear from him.'

  We rode on in heavy silence. The snow had fallen deep but had long since frozen to a thick crust through which there was no quick path, and the bitter air kept it from thawing. Nonetheless, the sky was clear, and pale sunlight dappled the valley that now lay behind us. Ahead, the familiar dark green of moorland was getting gradually closer.

  'That must be Dartmoor,' I said. 'We should pass it as quickly as possible and preferably in daylight. I have heard rumours that it is haunted and perilous for unwary travellers.'

  We pressed on and rode far into the night, but by the time we stopped to rest around midnight, several miles of moor still stretched out before us. Eliza was swaying in her saddle, dizzy with weariness.

  'I cannot ride any further tonight, Tom,' she said, yawning. 'Ghouls or no ghouls, I must rest a while.'

  'You're right,' I said reluctantly. 'We may as well stop here. We haven't passed any suitable camping spots this last hour. I doubt we are likely to happen upon one soon.'

  We climbed down from the horses and rolled ourselves in our blankets after securing the reins to one of the low-growing shrubs that dotted the moor here and there. In spite of the dark stories I had heard of Dartmoor, we set no watch and fell straight to sleep, too tired to concern ourselves with pixies or ghostly wanderers.

  Chapter 54

  Five days passed without event as we pressed onwards to the Isle of Wight. Winter was deepening all around, but we dared not linger in one place for too long, fearful of both pursuit and what lay ahead.

  In the evening of December 7th, we rested beneath the eaves of the New Forest and took our meal. We were tired, aching from riding and facing the prospect of spending a night in the open, having failed to find a barn or abandoned cottage in which to rest. The fire I had built offered little comfort.

  As we watched the last rosy light of day melt into night huddled in our cloaks and blankets, the once-familiar flap of a thrush's wings sounded beside me.

  'Bill!' cried Eliza as I lifted the note from his beak. 'What does George have to say?'

  I opened the much-folded note and read its contents before handing it to Eliza.

  6th December 1648

  Dear Eliza, Tom and Rupert

  I am sorry I have not written sooner, but the news I have been gathering since I last wrote to you has been confused and, at times, contradictory. I have waited until I have been able to uncover the truth before I committed pen to paper, as much has happened in the last month.

  On the 20th of November, I learned that the New Model Army's General Council had convened at St. Albans' Abbey to proclaim the sovereignty of the people of England and to call for the King to be put on trial. As you might imagine, hope deserted me upon hearing the news, but I was somewhat relieved to later learn from my spies that His Majesty had negotiated a treaty with the Parliamentary Commissioners, and the greater part of the House of Commons yesterday voted to accept it.

  However, even as I write, Colonel Thomas Pride is in the process of expelling those Members of Parliament in favour of the treaty from the House which will most likely result in the treaty's annulment. I cannot say how this will end, but the King's position is now more dangerous than ever.

  To confound the issue further it seems that the King has been moved from Carisbrooke Castle to somewhere on the mainland, though where is anybody's guess. My spies and associates are trying to locate him urgently, though my feeling is that he must eventually be brought to London. Therefore, I urge you to make your way here without delay.

  Rupert- given your notoriety and uncommonly tall stature, you are likely to be spotted as soon as you reach the city. It may be wise for you to enter in disguise and alone. I ask that you arrange safe passage and lodgings for the three of you with your contacts in London, preferably somewhere you can lie low until I can advise you further on what is to be done.

  To all of you- please don't lose hope. The news is troubling, but there is still time for our fortunes and the King's to turn around. I will write again soon. Until then, keep safe.

  George

  'Well what are we to do now?' cried Eliza. 'Rupert is gone, and we have even less hope of getting the dragonskin to the King!'

  I sat and stared at the note, re-reading George's words again and again.

  'We can only do as George says and make our way to London. There is nothing else for it,' I said at last.

  'And what do we do when we get there? We don't know any of Rupert's contacts. Where will we hide? I daren't risk going to see George again,' said Eliza.

  'Keep Bill here. I'm going to find a feather,' I said suddenly.

  'Whatever for?' said Eliza.

  'To send a message back to George,' I called over my shoulder as I plunged into the trees with my eyes to the ground.

  I returned a few minutes later carrying a thin twig which I had whittled down to a point with my pocket knife. 'It's not a feather, but it will do,' I said.

  'What are you going to use for ink?' asked Eliza.

  'These,' I replied, opening my palm to reveal a handful of holly berries which I crushed with my foot into a dead leaf. Dipping the sharpened end of the twig into their juice, I then wrote on the back of George's note in large, bold letters: Rupert taken by Venatorian. Help us! T & E.

  'Bill, we need you to take this back to George,' I said, re-folding the note and holding it up to the thrush. Bill took it in his beak and flew off at once.

  'Well, there's nothing more we can do,' I said as we watched the thrush disappear above the treetops. 'Let's sleep here for tonight and see what the morning brings.'

  Before dawn, we had gathered together our dwindling supplies and were on our way. The seemingly endless tracts of woodland made our progress slow, and more than once we were forced to dismount and guide the horses through the tangle of branches and boughs.

  'We shall have to venture onto the road soon,' I said.

  'At least we have one more of the vesana flagrants if the need arises,' Eliza replied.

  'Let's hope it doesn't,' I replied. 'I still can't fathom whether we had a lucky escape from the Venatorian or whether we were intent
ionally allowed to go free, but we've not been followed or seen even one of Cromwell's men since then. It unnerves me, and it makes me wonder whether they are waiting for us to get to London to unleash something terrible.'

  'Yes, it has been bothering me too,' said Eliza. 'I wish we knew where Rupert is and if he is safe. I'm dreadfully anxious about him. He would know what to do.'

  'Let us see what George replies,' I said. 'He says he has associates to call upon. Maybe he can send them to track Rupert. In the mean time we must manage as best we can and press on to London.'

  Chapter 55

  Another cold, dreary day had already emerged as we left the cover of the New Forest and took to the road leading north-east to Winchester. We rode fast and stopped only briefly, anxious to reach the city limits and relative safety before nightfall.

  'We've not much food left,' said Eliza as we set about making our camp for the night inside an empty barn a little distance from the road.

  'How much?' I asked.

  'Two days' worth maybe,' she replied. 'Three or four at a stretch, and we still don't know where we are to go when we reach London, or if we will have to fend for ourselves.'

  'I hope George replies soon,' I muttered. 'We shall have to ride like the wind to get to London in two days. We passed a marker only a few miles back. It was seventy miles thence to London, and Ralph and Ruby can't ride any harder than they have been already.'

  Tired and despondent as I was, sleep was far from my eyes, and so I took the first watch. Overhead, the clouds blotted out the moon and threatened further snow. I gazed across at the warm glow of candle and firelight in the houses of Winchester, a mile away at the most. I thought of the roaring fires and generous tables of Treadway Castle and poked miserably at the dying fire as it hissed and spluttered as the snow began to fall. Ralph and Ruby snorted unhappily and scratched at the ground with their hooves.

  For the rest of the night, we took turns to watch through the intermittent snow and sharp wind that seemed to reach us no matter where we put ourselves. By morning, we were tired, aching, and numb with cold as we took to the road once more. Nonetheless, we rode at a good pace until Winchester was many miles behind us and the pale sun had dipped below the horizon. Even in the darkness, we rode on as the moonlight reflected off the whiteness of the snow and lit the way as well as daylight. Exhausted as we were, riding at least staved off the cold we must otherwise endure at rest.

  In this way, we covered almost forty miles in just two days. By dusk on the second day since receiving George's note we rested in the valley of the river Wey. The meandering form of the river twinkled in the distance, touched by the last light of day. Ralph and Ruby grazed on the grassy banks at the roadside as Eliza and I stretched out our weary limbs. We had rejoined the road only a few miles back in order to cross the river bridge some miles ahead, for heavy rain in recent days had rendered any attempt to ford it on horseback too dangerous to risk and the surrounding land too saturated to ride across.

  As we took our meal, the tramp of marching feet sounded from around a bend in the road behind us.

  'Out of sight!' I cried, springing to my feet and leaping into Ralph's saddle.

  We guided the horses over the bank and into a thicket of trees that bordered the road a short distance away. The approaching force was only seconds away, and there was little hope of evading them on the open road.

  'Don't dismount,' I whispered to Eliza as the tramp of many feet drew nearer. 'We may be forced to flee, and we cannot afford to lose Ralph and Ruby.'

  We watched and listened as the marching grew louder. A moment later a platoon of soldiers appeared from around the bend in the road. They were dressed in the garb of the New Model Army and marched in lines of four. I peeped out from behind one particularly thick trunk and realised with horror that my pack, which held the dragonskin, was still lying at the side of the road. Eliza had noticed and now looked imploringly at me, but it was too late. The soldiers were just yards away. It was impossible to sneak back and retrieve the pack without being seen.

  'Halt!' cried one of the soldiers in the first line. The others stopped at once and waited as he moved towards the bank and reached down for my pack.

  'You're a fool,' I reproached myself. With trembling hands, I reached into the pocket of my breeches where I had kept our last vesana flagrant. My heart thudded, and my palms sweated as I closed my hand around the smooth metal, but as I drew it from my pocket Eliza gripped my arm and pointed to the sky. The dark shape of a hunting hawk circling overhead could just be seen against the evening sky. I couldn't be certain whether or not it was the Venatorian's hawk, but I dared not risk using the vesana flagrant and alerting him to our location if it was.

  On the other side of the trees, another soldier had joined the first at the roadside. They appeared to be debating what to do with my pack.

  'Touch it and 'twill be the last thing ye'll do,' said the first soldier. He was younger than the other, but from his demeanour I guessed that he was in command. His finger hovered over the lock of his musket and he took one menacing step towards the older man. 'My orders are that the boy and girl are to be taken alive and all of their belongings turned over unmolested.'

  'And how do ye know it belongs to them? Do ye see any sign of them? Do ye even know what it is they be carrying that is of such great value to Cromwell?' retorted the soldier holding my pack.

  'No, but anything that is found is to be handed over without question. Ye know that as well as I, Applethwaite,' replied the younger man.

  'Gar, this be naught more than a wild goose chase!' replied Applethwaite. 'To think two youths could have anything of import to the cause. There be bigger things afoot that we are being shut out of, ye mark my words!'

  'That's as may be, but my orders are clear, and I'll not hang for insubordination.'

  The air tingled with anticipation for a few tense moments as the two soldiers glared at one another over my tattered pack.

  'Take it,' said Applethwaite at last as he tossed it at the younger man's feet before returning to his position, muttering and cursing to himself.

  The young soldier stooped to retrieve the pack and slung it over his shoulder. I glanced across at Eliza; the look of horror upon her face matched my own feelings precisely.

  Chapter 56

  Darkness was gathering rapidly, and the soldiers were restless, eager to reach a suitable place to make camp before nightfall. The young soldier returned to his platoon and set them marching at once, onwards towards the river.

  'What do we do?' whispered Eliza when they were a good distance ahead. 'They have the dragonskin, and you heard that soldier's words! They are looking for us! What hope have we now?!'

  My head whirled, but I battled to keep my wits about me. 'We have to retrieve my pack,' I replied resolutely, 'and we have to do it tonight. We cannot hope to follow them far without being discovered.'

  'How will we do that?' cried Eliza. 'There are easily fifty soldiers, and they are already on the look-out for us!'

  'We wait until they have made camp and then we will use the vesana flagrant. Come, they cannot march very much further tonight. We shall lead Ralph and Ruby; 'twill make our going quicker and quieter. Let's hope the ground is drier further ahead. Don't lose sight of the road!'

  We dismounted and followed the curve of the road, keeping a stone's throw from it at all times. Mercifully, the banks on either side continued along the road’s length, screening us as we followed the lines of marching soldiers. We kept a good distance back from the last line, wary of the snap of a twig or the snort of the horses betraying our presence, but to my relief the soldiers in the vanguard showed little sign of watchfulness.

  At last, after marching little more than two miles from the place where they had found my pack, the platoon halted and made camp at the roadside in the shadow of the hills. Night had sprung suddenly into the sky, and the moon had not yet risen, leaving them no light with which to see their way.

  Eliza and I tethere
d Ralph and Ruby to a dead tree a little distance away from the camp and crept up the bank, lying flat on our fronts. There was little cover beyond the darkness and the hills rearing up behind us, but the height of the bank at least afforded a good view. A few soldiers huddled together in a group and tried to get a fire started. Others were wrapped in their blankets, sitting together to take their supper. The young commander wandered about, speaking with his men and holding my pack close. My heart sank. It was likely too much to hope he would leave it alone for even a short time.

  I nudged Eliza and gestured for her to follow me as I shuffled back down the bank. 'We can’t wait here,' I whispered. 'I'll warrant that a guard will be set and perhaps a scout of two sent to check the surrounding land. We shall have to wait until at least most of the platoon is asleep and then mount a stealth attack.'

  'But we should keep eyes on the soldier with your pack until then,' replied Eliza. 'There is no sense in rushing blindly into recovering it if we do not know where it is.'

  'You're right. You go back to Ralph and Ruby. I will keep watch. There seems little point in risking both of us being caught.'

  Eliza nodded and slipped back to the where we had left the horses. I set my back to the side of the bank and pressed my ear to it, straining to listen for approaching footsteps, but none came. Slowly, I shuffled back up the bank on my front and lay still. There was no sign of the platoon commander. I scanned the scene anxiously, but in the darkness there was no telling which of the dark figures was him.

  For an hour or more, I waited as the voices in the camp continued before gradually stopping one by one as the men settled down to sleep. One or two hunched figures sat around the dying fire on the edge of the camp keeping watch, but otherwise it was silent. I glanced over to where Eliza waited with the horses and signaled to her that I was ready to move. My heart pounded as I crept over the top of the bank and down the other side. I could hear the watch-men talking in low voices and the snores of the sleeping men just yards away. Trembling, I took a few steps closer, looking anxiously about for the platoon commander.