Niamh flicked some hair away from her face and stared at Quinn. ‘I don’t think we’re the only ones keeping secrets. I think you know more about this lake than you’ve been telling us.’
‘What makes you think that?’ he said.
Niamh noticed he had not held her eye when he replied.
‘Only that we’ve been flying where you lead today. And you’re taking us directly towards the circle of stone, the place where Azrael cast the spell. What else do you know that you aren’t telling us?’
Quinn went quiet and looked back and forth between Niamh and Grady. ‘That depends,’ he said cryptically.
‘Depends on what?’ said Grady.
‘Whether you are going to get angry if I tell you everything I know.’
‘I think we’re all a little bit over secrets these days,’ said Grady. ‘Out with it.’
Quinn sighed and glanced towards the lake edge and the sward of grass leading to the circle. ‘I wasn’t completely honest when I warned you about Aoife. In fact, Aoife taught me many things about the Twins. Things that Gilly didn’t know and that I didn’t tell him. I’m sure he knew that. In fact I’m positive he knew I was keeping secrets. If it hadn’t been for her I wouldn’t have been able to work out that you two were the key I needed to take the Twins from the Vault of the Treasures. I wouldn’t have nearly had you killed.’
Niamh frowned. ‘Does she know who we are? Does she know what we ar… what we did?’
‘She probably knows more than you imagine. Don’t underestimate her. That’s all.’
‘You knew and you didn’t say a thing about her when we told you we were going to meet her! I can’t believe you would do that!’
Quinn looked away, embarrassment flushing his face. ‘I didn’t say I was proud. I figured that if you had been … I don’t know … led to her as it seemed like you had been, then there was something you needed to find out from her.’
‘Well she hasn’t done any damage to us that we know of,’ said Grady, trying to defuse the situation, though he recognised the look on Niamh’s face as one which required a whole platoon of explosives experts.
‘There’s something else,’ said Quinn flatly.
‘There always is,’ said Niamh angrily.
‘That circle over there is a way back to Avalon’s End. You, we, could go home through there with the right help.’
‘We know that,’ said Niamh.
Quinn’s mouth sagged open. ‘You knew that? How?’
‘Modron showed us,’ said Grady. ‘I saw the roads and the hills around home. I could almost touch them,’ he said wistfully.
Niamh drifted slowly away from Quinn and Grady, the tip of her broomstick swinging towards the circle of stone. A light breeze ruffled her hair but her face was stony and still. ‘Aoife knows who we are, Grady. She knows what we are.’
‘I don’t think she knows everything, Niamh,’ said Quinn. ‘She doesn’t know about the book and she definitely won’t know you met Azrael. That could be an advantage.’
Grady drifted over to his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘He’s right. We still have some secrets. She’s clever but we haven’t fallen into any of her traps.’
‘Yet,’ said Niamh, casting a steely look at Grady.
Grady smiled. ‘We still have a few tricks left t…’ he began to say, before he yelled out in pain and clutched at his head, falling forward.
‘What is it!’ yelled Niamh, yanking Grady back by his shoulders.
‘Over there!’ yelled Quinn, pointing at a smouldering patch of fire below the tree line on the mountain sides above Morrigan’s Daughter. ‘I saw a flash of light a moment ago.’
Grady looked up, his eyes swimming as they tried to focus on the spiralling wisps of smoke. ‘It’s Iris,’ he croaked. ‘Something’s happened to her. She’s hurt!’
Niamh shot a glance back at the forest before leaning close to Grady. ‘Then we need to get to her quick. Can you time-fold?’
Grady slowly sat up straight and groggily nodded his head. ‘Yes. Let’s go.’
‘Wait!’ yelled Quinn. ‘You can time-fold? How? You never told me this.’
‘We’ll explain later,’ said Niamh, exasperated. ‘If you stick close we can probably bring you along with us.’
‘You expect me to put my life in your hands just like that? How many times have you done this?’
Niamh huffed. ‘The answers are Yes and Twice. But if you want to come along then get close cause we’re going now!’
‘I know I’m going to regret this,’ said Quinn, shooting forward to sit closely between Niamh and Grady.
‘Look at it this way,’ said Grady, smiling. ‘If it goes wrong you’ll be dead before you have time to regret it.’
‘Very comforting,’ said Quinn.
‘Hold on,’ said Niamh, leaning over her broomstick.
Quinn clamped his hands tightly to his broomstick as the air ahead of him began to warp and change. The rush of speed as the three broomsticks shot forward was met by a scream which was whipped away by the acceleration. The mountain ahead loomed suddenly large.
Iris roared and twisted her bulky frame to one side as an arrow scored her wing. A sheet of flame erupted from her mouth and nostrils as she waved her head back and forth across the forest. Trees burst into flaming candles as the fiery blast swept across them. The trunks of huge ancient trees, ripped from the ground when Iris had hurtled through the canopy, had pinned her tail and rear legs. Another arrow arced towards her and was incinerated by a blast from Iris. A third arrow followed closely behind but clattered off a scaly shoulder as Iris twisted her bulk to deflect it.
A figure appeared at the edge of the burnt clearing and nocked another arrow as it stepped forward. Iris turned a jet of fire towards the figure, incinerating the spot. But the blast had been too late. The figure appeared again just metres away and continued towards the trapped dragon.
‘You are fast,’ it said, its voice muffled by a veil. ‘But not fast enough.’ The hunter raised its bow and took aim at Iris.
The dragon seemed beaten and laid her head down, waiting for the inevitable death blow. The slap of the bowstring as the hunter loosed the arrow should have signalled a painful end for Iris. But the arrow was destroyed as a firebolt picked it out of the air. The spell was followed by another and another, all aimed at the hunter. Iris raised her head and bellowed as Grady, Niamh and Quinn swept into the clearing, hurling bolts of fire at the hunter who turned and with superhuman speed fled into the forest.
‘We’re here!’ Grady said to Iris as the three broomsticks flashed across the clearing.
‘So I see,’ said Iris, laying her head down again. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome,’ said Grady. ‘What was that all about?’
Iris snorted weakly. A sickly looking green flame wafted from the end of her snout. ‘Settling old scores.’
‘That looked like more than old scores,’ said Grady.
Iris lifted her head weakly and stared at Grady. ‘That one was responsible for the deaths of my family,’ she said, putting her head down again. ‘As I said, old scores.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Grady, kneeling by Iris’s head. ‘You should have told me. I could have helped.’
‘Not against that witch,’ said Iris testily. ‘You’re not ready for her yet.’
‘Witch,’ said Grady out loud. ‘That was a woman?’
‘Yes,’ said Iris quietly. ‘That was the Morrigan.’
‘How can you be sure?’
‘We dragons can pass memories on between generations. My parents saw that woman loose the arrows that killed them. It was the Morrigan.’
‘What’s she saying?’ said Niamh, the word “witch” pricking her interest.
‘That was the Morrigan,’ said Grady, gesturing to where the figure had vanished into the forest.
‘No wonder she moved so fast,’ said Quinn. ‘That’s not natural.’
‘Natural or not, she was there,’ sai
d Iris to Grady. ‘Now, do you think you could do something about these trees. They are getting awfully heavy and I’m not feeling my best at the moment.’
‘Sorry,’ said Grady, standing up and looking at the enormous trunks splayed around and over Iris. ‘How do we get this lot off?’ he said, gesturing to the trunks with his wand.
‘How’s your levitation?’ said Quinn.
‘Not bad,’ said Niamh confidently.
‘Really?’ said Quinn.
‘No, not really. I’ve never levitated anything in my life. Mum was good at it though.’
‘You could be too,’ said a voice at the back of Niamh’s head.
‘Shut up,’ said Niamh. ‘I want to try this myself.’
‘As you wish,’ said Persephone. ‘But I would hurry if I were you. That dragon is not looking well.’
‘Let’s try it together. How hard can it be?’ said Niamh, raising her wand.
A faint glow suffused the length of each of the wands and reached out towards the first big tree. It quivered before lifting itself slowly clear of the dragon’s tail.
‘Throw it towards the back,’ said Niamh loudly.
The three children each flicked their wand and the end of the massive trunk rose high before crashing to the still smoking forest floor, away from the dragon.
‘Another one,’ said Grady. ‘That was easy!’
The second tree rose even quicker than the first. And, with a few more joint efforts, Iris was free.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘You’re welcome,’ said Grady. ‘But this doesn’t look good,’ he said, looking at the raw wounds where golden dragon blood seeped from beneath her scales.
‘I need McHavering,’ said Iris weakly. Her breathing seemed laboured now. ‘And I need him soon.’
‘We need Hector,’ said Grady urgently to Niamh. ‘Can you get him?’
Niamh was no longer looking at Grady. ‘I don’t think we’re going anywhere at the moment,’ she said, pointing behind him.
Grady turned at the drumbeat sound of dragon’s wings. Three large and angry looking mountain vipers descended into the clearing. They roared in unison and with a mighty sweep of their wings knocked the three children to the ground.
Niamh screamed as the first and largest of the vipers pinned her to the ground with a razor sharp talon – the points of its toes digging into the ground close to her head. Quinn tried to reach his wand from where the second dragon pressed him to the ground but it was tantalisingly out of reach. Grady, though close to Iris, looked in the most precarious state with a dragon’s talon neatly spearing through a loose fold on his sweatshirt.
‘Iris!’ screamed Grady. ‘What’s happening! Who are they?’
‘My apologies,’ said Iris. ‘These are … cousins is the best way I can describe it ... and I’m sorry, but they really … really don’t like wizards.’
Grady looked up into the reptilian eyes of the dragon that stood over him. A low guttural growl came from the creature’s mouth and, more worryingly, at the back of its throat the light of a growing flame lit dagger-like teeth with a menacing glow.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Iris. ‘I really am sorry.’
Chapter 21
Elf Song
The viper opened its mouth wider, a warm chemical blast of air sweeping over Grady as it did. Grady tried to reach the mind of the creature above him but there was nothing he could touch. This dragon was nothing like Iris.
‘Would you like to say “Goodbye” to your sister?’
‘Thanks for that cheery thought, Hep,’ said Grady, turning his head to look at Niamh. She lay as helpless as he – her wand uselessly out of reach. But she was not looking at the dragon that held her down, despite the tongue of flame that curled around the creature’s snout. She was staring past the dragon to a flash of light in the sky. It moved purposefully towards them and a strange song drifted ahead of it as it approached. The three dragons turned to stare in the direction of the voices.
Four figures flew closer and the song became louder and clearer. It was in no language the children understood and as the riders approached Niamh understood why. The dragons released the children and sprang back as Eilidia and three other elves swooped into the clearing. They landed and dismounted in a way that made Niamh feel she had a great deal to learn about style.
The elves continued to sing their haunting song. The vipers backed away as the elves advanced. Their tails flicked back and forth as they sulkily sat down at the edge of the scorched ground. Three of the elves continued across the clearing to stand in front of the dragons while Eilidia offered a hand to Niamh and helped her up.
‘You are lucky we found you when we did,’ the elf said softly.
Niamh brushed herself down without taking her eyes off the girl. ‘You’re not wrong. Thank you.’
‘What was that song?’ said Grady, rubbing his shoulder.
‘It’s ancient,’ said Eilidia. ‘We learnt it from our parents who learnt it from theirs. It’s the one song we can use that we know will calm a dragon. It also allows us to … talk to them. But talking isn’t the right word. We can send our thoughts while the song is sung.’
‘You can speak to dragons?’ said Grady incredulously.
‘No. It’s not like having a conversation. No one can do that. No one alive these days, at least.’
Niamh glanced at Grady. His face flushed red but the glows of the remaining fires hid his blush.
‘The song is part of elf lore,’ said Quinn, stepping up beside Niamh. ‘Elf mythology says the first dragons to be tamed were tamed by Eilidia’s people. The song goes back to those days.’
‘You know our stories well,’ said Eilidia, giving Quinn a radiant smile.
‘Yeah. Well … I used to spend a lot of time reading about this stuff. Not so much these days …’
Niamh grinned. ‘So what did you tell them that made them back down?’
‘That they were about to kill the wrong people.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Grady.
‘They think you were the ones who attacked your injured dragon.’
‘Did you point out we don’t have arrows? Those wounds weren’t caused by magical spells.’
‘You need to remember they aren’t the smartest creatures,’ said Eilidia.
Iris growled. ‘She needs to be taught a lesson. Not today though.’
‘You might want to be careful what you say around them,’ said Grady. ‘They understand more than you think.’
Eilidia cocked her head to one side and gave Grady an appraising look. ‘We’ve heard you have a special feeling for dragons.’
‘Not all dragons. Just one,’ said Grady, bending down beside Iris and running his hand down her neck. ‘She needs help.’
‘And quickly,’ said Eilidia. ‘That wound is deep.’
‘Can you do anything?’ Niamh asked Persephone.
‘Dragons aren’t my speciality. I might do more damage than good but I’m willing to try it if you are.’
‘I don’t think Grady would thank you. Better leave it.’
Golden blood seeped from a wound between the scales on Iris’s flank. It washed away the scorched earth where it fell and new grass began to grow immediately.
Grady turned to Niamh. ‘Will you go? I need to stay here with Iris. You’ll be faster than the others.’
Eilidia laughed. ‘You have a name for her?’
Grady scowled at the elf. ‘Yes. I have a name for her. And how did you know she was a she?’
‘Only the females have that pattern on them,’ said Eilidia, pointing to the golden line that snaked down Iris’s back.
‘You’re well informed for an elf,’ said Grady. ‘I didn’t know you took much of an interest in dragons.’
‘Our city kin don’t spend much time worrying about their country cousins. Dragon lore is something we are taught from an early age. When you have swarms of them ready to raid your city at any moment, you need to be one step ahead.’
‘Get McHavering. Tell him what happened and get him back here with whatever tricks he can bring.’
‘I want the skinny one too.’
‘And tell Roland that Iris needs him. That Iris asked for him.’
A second elf joined them. ‘You can talk to the dragon?’
‘Sort of. She can talk to me and I can talk to her. But only in my head.’
Eilidia smiled. ‘This is my sister Tiana,’ she said to Grady. ‘I knew there was something different about you. You are rare.’
‘You got that right,’ said Niamh, smiling.
‘Shut up, Niamh,’ said Grady. ‘Can you just go?’
‘Wait!’ said a third elf, running from the edge of the clearing holding a broken arrow. She gingerly held it out to Niamh. ‘Don’t touch the tip. The tree I took it from had a dark stain where the tip was stuck.’
Niamh felt through her pockets. ‘I don’t have anything to put it in,’ she said with exasperation.
‘Use this,’ said the last elf, taking off her thin silver jacket.
‘This is Keeva,’ said Eilidia. ‘She doesn’t talk much but she has some rare talents.’
‘Thanks,’ said Niamh as she dropped the arrow into the material and bundled it up inside her own sweatshirt. The elf clothing seemed to weigh next to nothing and folded down to a tiny square of cloth.
‘Why not use your iWand to call for help?’ said Eilidia.
‘I can get the others back here faster than they can reach us.’
‘Oh really? Next you’ll be telling us you can time-fold,’ said Tiana.
Niamh said nothing.
‘You can, can’t you?’ said Eilidia, looking shocked. ‘But no one as young as you can do that. What else can you do?’
‘If only we knew,’ said Niamh, shrugging. ‘Back soon,’ she said, nodding to Grady. She kicked off from the ground and rose lightly into the sky above before vanishing in a blur towards the castle.
‘How did you find us?’ said Grady.
‘Oh, you know. Out for an afternoon ride,’ said Eilidia.
‘Not very convincing,’ said Quinn. ‘You always head out with backpacks and supplies like that?’ he said, gesturing to the pouches slung under the seats on the broomsticks.
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