Rise of the Shadow Dragons

by Liz Flanagan

  So they’d understand what kept him away.

  So they’d trust him as one of them.

  ‘What dragons?’

  ‘You can’t have. There wasn’t another clutch,’ one of the riders said.

  ‘They are shadow dragons and we bonded before they hatched,’ Joe said. ‘I promise I’ll share the whole story later. Come on, we need to move.’

  Amina sighed. ‘It’s the best choice we have.’

  Around the hall, others nodded in agreement.

  More quickly than he could have hoped, they organ­ised themselves into groups. Maybe the bond between the dragons helped, but they moved with smooth shared pur­pose. Two women and two men declared themselves ready to fight. All the other full-grown dragons and people lined up inside the double doors, ready to fly the moment they were opened.

  Conor, Amina, Tiago, Flavia and Joe took up position beside the secret door. Everyone had grabbed their warmest clothes and a small bag of things they couldn’t leave behind. It wasn’t much.

  Joe felt a flurry of hopeful new sensations flooding through him, thawing the pain of his grief. They were lis­tening to him! He might not be forgiven, but they trusted him. They knew he was one of them.

  And then, just as fast, another thought smothered the hope. It meant it would be his fault if they failed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Joe went first, through the secret door and out of the dragonhall into the daylight. The sun was burning through the mist, so it swirled, dazzlingly bright, revealing patches of blue sky. He couldn’t see any guards.

  ‘Clear!’ he mouthed over his shoulder. ‘Hurry now.’ Time was passing, and he needed to get back to Ren. She and Fidell would need more food, and Winter wouldn’t dare leave them alone.

  The four dragonrider warriors came next, led by the spiky-haired man. They disappeared silently round the front of the building to ambush the guards and open the double doors.

  Without waiting to know if they were successful, Joe called the others through. Amina and Maric came next, Flavia and her dragon Elias, Tiago and Lina, Conor and Ariel. Ariel was shivering and trying to burrow her head under Conor’s pale purple jacket.

  ‘Follow me,’ Joe said, realising he had to act like a leader now. That meant thinking ahead. ‘If anything happens to me, take this map.’ He handed over the piece of parchment on which he and Winter had mapped the route through the tunnels. ‘You’ll have to find the stables, and go through the little iron door into the tunnels, then follow this path.’

  He led the way, and the others followed in a shaky line. It felt like a sinister version of one of the games they used to play when they were smaller, like hide-and-seek or back-to-base. They stuck to the outer edge of the curving wall, staying within the shadows at the back of the old hall. But the moment came when they had to dart across to the next building: exposed and vulnerable.

  ‘Just walk,’ Joe suggested. ‘Try to look confident, not scared, and if anyone sees us, they’re less likely to suspect anything. If we run, we look like prey. I’ll go first.’

  It was harder than he expected, to stroll out onto the wide strip of sunlit grass and cross it slowly, without rush­ing to shelter. His back itched, expecting an arrow. But he reached the next dragonhall and collapsed against its wall, rubbing the sweat from his forehead and breathing hard.

  He watched Amina come next. She was swift and grace­ful, only her wide brown eyes betraying how hard this was.

  She reached Joe and fell against him. ‘Maric? Are you all right?’ she whispered words of comfort to the dragon who’d followed like her shadow.

  Flavia was next. She started walking over to join them, but the pressure was too much, and she bolted, running fast across the grass, her dragon speeding after her.

  Amina caught her. ‘It’s all right, you’re safe.’ She hugged the little girl until she stopped trembling, saying, ‘You did it. Well done!’

  Finally Conor and Tiago set out together, tension in every inch of their bodies. They took it slow and steady, while their dragons trotted next to them, noses flaring for the scent of guards.

  Nearly there! Joe started to release the breath he’d been holding.

  They were almost across, when something shoved Joe, hard, from behind. He sprawled forwards onto the grass.

  ‘Did you really think we’d just let you walk out?’ a familiar voice demanded. ‘Although you are headed the wrong way. The gate’s over there.’

  Joe rolled and twisted his head, his heart hammering in his chest. It was Noah, his dragon silhouetted at his side. He kicked Joe hard. Joe doubled up, gasping. This couldn’t be happening, not now. He had to escape. He had to get back to Ren.

  ‘News for you, Thornsen.’ Noah’s voice was calm, and that was almost the worst thing when his words were so full of hate. ‘Things have changed. We’re in charge now. All of you incomers, you halfies, we’re going to put you in your place. Where you belong.’

  It was as if all of Noah’s anger and grief and bitterness had been fed and stoked up like a fire. The Brotherhood had used him, fed him lies, kept him hurting, in order to turn him into their weapon.

  Well, Joe could match that now. He had his own grief and desire for vengeance, and he would resist till his last breath. He scrambled up, breathing through the pain, ready to fight. ‘Shut it, Noah.’

  The words froze on his lips as he realised Noah wasn’t alone. Behind him there was a short, heavyset man in a black uniform, a sword in his belt. Yannic! He was studying Joe through pale blue eyes, and frowning slightly.

  Joe might be able to fight Noah, but he could never defeat Yannic, not with that sword.

  Flavia started crying quietly.

  ‘Jowan Thornsen,’ Yannic said, ‘we’ll have to stop bumping into each other like this.’

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Tiago stumble back­wards, his breathing fast and shallow: he must be recalling his attack.

  Joe swore. He felt his anger ready and waiting, like a beacon, ready to blaze. He was trapped and powerless, which made him even angrier.

  ‘Ah, Joe. You never know when to give up, do you?’ Noah smirked at him, and his dragon took flight, hissing at Joe. ‘You’ll always be a loser.’

  Just as on Hatching Day, Noah’s words ignited Joe’s temper. He channelled it deliberately now, drawing energy from his anger. ‘I’ll never give up, not against you.’ He ducked the dragon, launching himself at Noah, and they both slammed hard on the ground. Joe’s forehead crashed painfully against Noah’s chin.

  They rolled on the floor, both cursing and grunting, flailing around, arms tangling so Joe couldn’t land a proper punch. Then he was looking up at Noah’s lip dripping blood onto him, his hair full of grass and dirt.

  Noah glared down and pulled one arm back. ‘You’ll regret this, Thornsen.’

  Joe braced, but nothing came. Instead, the weight lifted from his ribcage; Noah tipped off him sideways and slumped on the grass. Joe pushed himself back onto his feet and stood there swaying, hands raised, still ready to fight on.

  Noah’s eyes were closed and he didn’t move. His dragon, Della, stood over his body, spreading her wings protectively and hissing at the person behind Joe.

  Joe glanced round warily. Conor, Tiago, Amina and Flavia all wore the same dazed expression.

  He spun round to face Yannic. From its position, Joe guessed he’d just used the rounded pommel of his sword to knock Noah out. ‘What did you do that for?’

  Yannic slid the sword back into its scabbard. ‘To save you,’ he said. ‘Even if you’re an idiot who doesn’t know when to stop fighting. Let’s go.’

  Joe was baffled. ‘What? Go where?’ Was he being arrested? But why had he hit Noah?

  ‘You tell me,’ Yannic said.

  ‘We’re not going anywhere with someone from the Brotherhood,’ Joe spat.

  ‘Oh, didn’t I say …?’ Yannic added with a grin. ‘Easy mistake to make. I actually work for your sister and the duke.’

  C
HAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Joe was paralysed, unsure what to believe. Could Yannic really be Tarya’s spy? Sure, he’d knocked Noah out of the game, for now, but that could be a ploy. He thought back. Hadn’t Yannic tried to take him aside, when they were beating Tiago? Could he have been trying to protect Joe, or let him escape? His mind spun. This was worse than playing chess against his father, he thought. Then he realised, with a stab of loss, he’d never do that again. Never. Never was such a long time. The pain of his father’s death ambushed him – again.

  ‘How can we trust you?’ he demanded, dragging his mind back to the urgent present.

  ‘Good lad,’ Yannic said. ‘You’re not as daft as you look. Look, I have your sister’s token to prove it.’ From his inside pocket, he took out a gold medal that was stamped with the symbol of the new Arcosi – the dragon in flight below the full moon on one side, then the leaping fish of Sartola on the other. It was supposed to show the unity on the island.

  ‘You could’ve stolen it! She’s your prisoner, after all. I’d be a fool to believe you.’ Joe looked to the others for their thoughts.

  ‘Don’t trust him!’ Tiago gasped. ‘He almost killed me.’

  ‘I had a plan, that night,’ Yannic insisted. ‘I’d’ve stopped it, only your mate here got there first.’

  ‘He did just help us,’ Flavia said, surprising them.

  ‘Also, we need to move quickly before Noah wakes up,’ Amina said.

  Conor nodded in agreement. ‘And Noah won’t know who hit him, so Yannic can still pretend to be loyal if they meet up again … Let’s get out of here – go check for patrols?’ He and Amina started checking the paths were clear to the east, while Flavia and Tiago went to check the opposite way.

  ‘Why are you helping us?’ Joe asked Yannic, out of earshot of the others. He needed more evidence before he brought a dangerous stranger anywhere near Ren.

  ‘I was in the old duke’s army, sure. It was a job: didn’t mean I agreed with him. And I don’t agree with the Brotherhood now.’

  Joe was unconvinced. ‘But you were there when they nearly killed Tiago. You’ve been there all along!’

  ‘Keeping cover,’ Yannic retorted. ‘When your sister sent for me last year, said she needed someone on the inside to report back … I said yes. Also, she pays better. The Brotherhood runs on hot air and revenge.’

  ‘So why didn’t you report? Why didn’t you warn her what they were planning?’

  ‘I sent the message. I swear to you that I did. But it was coded. Only she and I have the cipher.’

  ‘So, where is my sister? Is she alive?’ Joe choked out.

  ‘As I was saying, by the time the message arrived, she was already in labour, and her second, Rosa, was distracted by an explosion in the lower town, just as the Brotherhood wanted. By the time they found my message and decoded it, it was too—’

  For a moment, Joe couldn’t speak, then the words burst out. ‘Shut up! Stop babbling! How is my sister? Did you fetch a midwife?’ He found himself hanging on Yannic’s collar with both hands. ‘Tell me!’

  ‘She’s fine. And her daughter.’

  ‘She has a daughter! Oh!’ Joe found himself grinning, in spite of everything. ‘I have a niece!’

  ‘So that’s another reason I’m helping her. You don’t lock up pregnant women. Or new mothers and their babies. Not even when they’re a general.’

  ‘We’ve got to get her out!’ Joe cried.

  ‘Yes, we do, and we will.’ Finally, Yannic turned serious. He leaned in and spoke so quietly that only Joe could hear. ‘I’ll help you, Joe Thornsen. Do you want to know the real reason why?’

  He nodded.

  ‘I was just married, the year before the revolution.’ His voice was soft and intense now, and Joe found that more worrying than before. ‘My wife, Nova, she was from Sartola originally. She was—’ He stopped, unable to carry on. Then he gathered himself, taking a long breath in. ‘When the revolution came, we were separated. I heard she’d been imprisoned. I searched. I did.’ He finished in a rush, ‘But I never saw her again. She was carrying our child.’

  Joe started saying, ‘I … I’m s—’

  Yannic looked up and glared so fiercely that Joe froze. ‘Those prisons, they were Asa’s idea – our so-called leader. Remember him from our first meeting? And the attack on your friend? When he was in the army, Duke Olvar listened to him, though who knows why. It’s partly why Asa was so vengeful when he lost his position, why he leads the Brotherhood now. But I hate Asa for it. I will see him brought down.’

  ‘You’re a good actor,’ Joe said drily. ‘No one would ever know.’

  ‘What can I say? Lucky for you I missed my calling on the stage. So, I’ll help you get your sister out. And the duke. And their child. Now you know why. But we don’t speak of this again. And you tell no one my story. Agreed?’

  Joe looked at Yannic, seeing a grief in his pale eyes that was even bigger than the one Joe was carrying. ‘Agreed,’ he said, equally softly.

  ‘There’s something else. They’re staging a show trial in two days – Duke Vigo and your sister, Tarya.’

  ‘A trial? But she’s done nothing wrong!’

  ‘True enough. But if I was a betting man, I’d put all my money on a guilty verdict. And I’m afraid that’s not going to end well. Sorry.’

  Joe stared at him, horrified. Exactly what did he mean? He feared the worst. ‘We’ve got to get them out.’

  ‘That we do.’

  The others were returning, signalling that the paths were clear.

  Yannic’s mask snapped back into place, his swagger returned, and he was as sour and sarcastic as before. ‘Now, move. Before they find us here and decide these dragons don’t need their heads either.’

  That silenced them all.

  Joe watched, dazed, as Yannic bent, lifted Noah and slung him over one shoulder like a sack of flour, ignoring Della who hissed and scratched at his legs.

  Yannic laid Noah on the floor inside the dragonhall, barred its door and jogged back over to them. ‘They’ve got food and water – he and his dragon’ll be fine in there. Now, tell us your plan, Thornsen.’

  Joe was swamped with indecision: how could he leave with Tarya still a prisoner? He felt himself pulled in two different directions. But if the Brotherhood planned a mock trial, Tarya was safe for two more days. Right now, Ren needed him more. The invisible chord between them had tightened with every moment he spent away from her.

  ‘Now! Or we’ll be no good to anyone,’ Yannic urged.

  ‘Come on, Joe,’ Amina urged him. ‘This way, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Uh-huh,’ he mumbled, still not quite ready to trust this soldier. ‘Come with us, but if you try anything, I’ll make you pay.’ He still had his dragon-head knife hidden under his jacket. To protect Ren, he was ready to use it.

  Their strange procession made it to the iron gate unchal­lenged. And to their delight, just as they reached the gate, they heard a low thrumming sound as the older dragons and their riders took to the skies and flew to safety. Maric, Ariel, Lina and Elias made small sad aark, aark noises of farewell, and had to be quickly shushed.

  Yannic stood guard while they all crawled into the tunnels. The journey back was hard. Joe only had one lan­tern, while the others didn’t know the tunnels. Yannic’s curses were new and interesting, even for Joe. He forced himself to be patient and walk slowly, even though he was seething with frustration and desperate to get back to Ren.

  Finally he saw the entrance to the large cavern where he’d left Winter. ‘Er, I better go first. Wait here, just a moment.’ He left the lantern with Amina, and went forward alone into the darkness.

  ‘Winter? Ren? It’s me,’ he called. His fears swarmed his mind, as he stumbled forwards, arms outstretched. What if someone had found them? What if Ren had fallen ill without him? ‘Winter? Where are you?’

  Then he saw it: a trembling glow ahead. She’d stuck candles around the walls, casting a golden light that glinted
off the underground stream. Winter was sitting against a rocky wall. The hatchlings flanked her, heads up to sniff the air, eyes aglow, like four little golden suns.

  They were safe! He was home! Ren was here!

  ‘Ren!’ he cried, running the last stretch to meet his dragon and hold her tightly. Their reunion felt physical to Joe: warm relief spread through his whole body, like basking in front of a hot fire on a cold day.

  Ren was wriggling with delight, squeaking loudly and almost knocking him down. She batted his chest, press­ing her head against his cheek, telling him how much she’d missed him.

  ‘I’m sorry, Ren. I’m back now,’ he laughed out loud in delight, trying to catch hold of her. They were together again. Everything felt better, more possible, more bearable, when they were together. ‘Have you grown? Look at you!’

  ‘Two days!’ Winter snapped, interrupting their reunion. ‘You left her for two days and two nights. Have you any idea …?’

  ‘You must have known it was something big to keep me away.’

  ‘Something big, yes. Like you being dead!’ She looked at him stonily.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ He hadn’t guessed she might think that. Surely Ren would know if he died? It wasn’t the moment to ask. ‘Winter, my father was killed,’ he said. Ren leaned into him, making a soft crooning noise in the back of her throat.

  ‘Oh, Joe.’ Winter’s face softened. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘There’s more,’ he said hesitantly. ‘I had to bring some people here. They were in danger.’

  ‘Who is here?’

  ‘They’re my friends. Or they were, once.’ He squirmed under her gaze. ‘And Yannic’s a spy.’

  ‘I don’t believe it!’ Winter cried. She stood up and shouted in his face, ‘The dragons need to be safe, and you bring danger into the nest?’

  ‘That’s not fair.’ Joe explained everything that had hap­pened. ‘Yannic helped us escape. We need him. You know we have to stop the Brotherhood? You saw it yourself – they’ve already killed a dragon.’

  ‘Exactly!’ she yelled. ‘So we need to keep Fidell and Ren hidden from them.’