The Jack Brenin Collection

by Catherine Cooper

  ‘I don’t need reminding, couldn’t you just hop off somewhere for a while? This is a private conversation.’

  ‘So, did Nora find out?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What happened to your wand then?’

  ‘She took it away. I got told off good and proper about not using magic for my own benefit.’

  ‘What on earth did you do?’

  ‘I bigged one of her buns.’

  ‘What d’you mean bigged?’

  ‘I know how to make things bigger. I thought it would be a good idea to make one of Nora’s little buns cake sized.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I went a big too far. If I’d stopped on two lots of the bigging spell and eaten it, Nora would never have known, but I did it one more time and it exploded all over the kitchen. She knew what I’d done straight away. I didn’t have time to get rid of the evidence, there was bun everywhere. She told me she didn’t want to hear any excuses and took my wand away. I wasn’t even allowed to clear it up. I can’t have it back ’til I can be trusted again or until we have wand practice together.’

  Jack tried not to laugh but the thought of the gigantic exploding bun was too much. Camelin frowned.

  ‘It’s not funny.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I did warn you not to misuse your wand.’

  ‘You sound just like Nora.’

  ‘You still haven’t told me what Fergus and Berry are doing in the herborium.’

  ‘It’s a secret and if you don’t know you can’t tell.’

  ‘I can keep a secret.’

  ‘And Nora’s good at getting them out of you. And if you thought it was something she ought to know you might go and tell her anyway.’

  Jack didn’t know what to say. He knew Camelin was right.

  ‘How long have Fergus and Berry been doing this important job for you?’

  ‘Ten days,’ croaked Saige.

  Camelin shook his feathers and looked very annoyed.

  ‘You won’t keep asking questions when Nora’s there will you? I never know when Saige is going to be around.’

  ‘Ten days? Is she right?’

  ‘Of course she’s right, she’s always right. But how did you know about Fergus and Berry? Nora didn’t say anything to you, did she?’

  ‘No, it wasn’t Nora. They upset Orin and I said I’d try to find out what they were up to.’

  ‘Well now you know. It’s a secret mission, and that’s all you’re going to find out.’

  ‘Can we go up to the house now? I’ve got a book to return to Nora.’

  ‘What kind of a book?’

  ‘It’s the one about Dragon Lore.’

  ‘The one that’s covered in real dragon skin?’

  ‘That’s the one.’

  ‘She lent you that?’

  ‘Yes. Why?’

  ‘It’s one of the books she keeps under lock and key, it’s very precious. Did you read it all?’

  ‘I did. There’s all kinds of amazing information inside.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I know why all the blue dragons are extinct.’

  ‘The dragonors?’

  ‘The very same.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  ‘The book says the dragonors were very bad tempered and liked to eat people. They’re the ones you read about in all the old stories. The ones the knights used to fight. In fact, the knights were so successful they killed them all.’

  ‘Did the book tell you the cover is made from dragonair skin?’

  ‘No, I was going to ask Nora where she got it from.’

  ‘It came from a really famous fire-breathing dragon called Wygrym Sharp Claw the Dangerous.’

  ‘So how did Nora get its skin?’

  ‘They moult. Every hundred years they grow a new skin and wriggle out of the old one. Nora found it in one of their caves and brought it home. She said it’s the best thing to bind books with, it’s strong and doesn’t rip, but best of all it’s fireproof. So if it didn’t tell you any of that what did it say?’

  ‘Well I’m not sure I should tell you, Nora might want me to keep the information a secret. I’ll ask her first to see if it’s alright.’

  Camelin humphed loudly.

  ‘I don’t suppose it told you anything useful like how we’re going to find Charkle’s family or even how many dragons are left.’

  ‘Four,’ croaked Saige as she jumped past them.

  Jack and Camelin stared at the little frog.

  ‘How many dragonettes are left?’ Jack asked slowly.

  ‘Three,’ Saige replied.

  Jack shook his head.

  ‘That’s not good news. What do we do now? Do we tell Charkle there’s only two other dragonettes left?’

  ‘They might not even be his family’

  ‘We need to ask Nora, she’ll know what to do.’

  Jack and Camelin made their way up to the house in silence. This new information was something they’d not been prepared for.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Nora as she came out of the kitchen. ‘Are you feeling unwell again Jack?’

  ‘I’m fine, but we’ve just had some information and we don’t know what to do with it.’

  ‘Oh dear, that doesn’t sound too good. What was it?’

  Camelin flew up onto the back of the stool but didn’t say anything. Nora looked at Jack.

  ‘Saige just told us that there are only four dragons left and only three of them are dragonettes.’

  ‘Oh my goodness! Charkle had such high hopes he was going to find his whole family.’

  ‘The ones left might not even be his family,’ croaked Camelin.

  Nora looked concerned.

  ‘It also means there’s a dragonair out there somewhere. You’d have thought I’d have heard about it by now. I wonder where it could be?’

  ‘The dragonettes must be somewhere too,’ added Jack.

  ‘I need to think about this. Don’t you two worry about it, leave it with me. But we’re going to have to tell Charkle. It’s going to be a big disappointment for him but he needs to know. For now, until I’ve had time to think, it’s going to have to be our secret. Agreed?’

  ‘Agreed,’ Jack and Camelin replied.

  Jack took off his backpack and began to open the top.

  ‘I’ve brought your book back.’

  ‘Did you read it all?’

  ‘I did, it was fascinating. Am I allowed to tell Camelin about the Dragon Lore.’

  ‘If he’s interested,’ replied Nora as she looked at Camelin.

  ‘I’m interested but I’d rather have some wand practice with Jack.’

  Nora shook her head.

  ‘That wand stays locked up in my herborium until I know you can be trusted again.’

  At the word herborium Jack’s eyebrows shot up. Camelin frowned.

  ‘Well can we transform and go flying?’

  ‘Jack isn’t well enough yet, maybe tomorrow but definitely not today.’

  Camelin sighed.

  ‘It’s no fun around here.’

  ‘Why don’t you both go down to the lake. I’ll call you when it’s lunchtime.’ Jack picked up his wand and set off across the grass as Camelin flew on ahead. Jack saw him land in the willow tree by the water’s edge.

  ‘Shall I tell you about the Dragon Lore?’ asked Jack as he looked up at Camelin.

  ‘Naw, not now, I’ve got something to do. I’ll be back in a bit. But don’t tell Nora.’

  Jack watched Camelin fly around the lake to the kitchen garden. He wondered what he could be up to now. For want of anything else to do Jack started drawing in the soft earth with his wand. He stopped when he heard a scampering sound. When he looked up, Fergus and Berry were peeking around the trunk of the willow tree.

  ‘Hello, you two.’

  ‘Hello to you Jack Brenin. We’re looking for Camelin,’ said Fergus.

  ‘I was sure he flew into this tree,’ squeaked Berry.

  ‘He did,’ Jack a
ssured him.

  Berry turned to Fergus.

  ‘See, I told you it was Camelin.’

  ‘But he told us to meet him behind the shed in the kitchen garden,’ replied Fergus.

  ‘And he didn’t turn up. I knew I’d seen him fly into this tree,’ Berry said crossly.

  ‘He was here, but now he’s gone,’ explained Jack.

  ‘Where?’ asked Fergus and Berry together.

  ‘He didn’t say but he said he’d be back soon. Why don’t you stay and wait for him?’

  Berry and Fergus nodded and perched on the nearest root. Jack smiled as he looked from one to the other. They were almost identical. Both had a silvery brown coat and protruding front teeth and were smaller than the rest of the Night Guard. Jack could only tell them apart because Berry was smooth and sleek while Fergus always looked tousled.

  ‘So,’ began Jack, ‘what’s all this I hear about you two doing a very important job for Camelin?’

  Fergus nudged Berry who was about to speak.

  ‘It must be important if he gave it to you two.’

  ‘Oh it is,’ replied Berry. ‘He’s promised to big us in return.’

  ‘You were told not to say anything,’ grumbled Fergus. ‘You want to be bigged don’t you?’

  ‘Bigged?’ asked Jack.

  ‘It’s a secret. He told us not to tell Nora, but I’m sure it’s alright to tell you. Camelin promised to make us bigger so we’ll be like the rest of the Night Guard. We’re always being left out because we’re the smallest, or the youngest, or some other excuse Motley comes up with,’ explained Berry.

  ‘He’s going to use his bigging spell if we get his wand back for him,’ added Fergus.

  Jack looked worried.

  ‘Is that wise? Don’t you know what happened to the cake he bigged?’

  Both rats shook their heads.

  ‘It exploded!’

  Fergus and Berry exchanged looks and gulped.

  ‘Exploded!’ gasped Berry.

  ‘Yes, splattered all over the kitchen. That’s why Nora locked his wand up.’

  ‘He didn’t tell us that,’ grumbled Fergus.

  ‘I’m not sure I want to be bigged,’ squeaked Berry.

  ‘What exactly did Camelin ask you to do?’

  Fergus sighed and began to explain.

  ‘Nora locked Camelin’s wand up in the cupboard on the wall. Camelin can’t get to it because there’s nothing to perch on so he asked us to get into the dresser drawer and find the spare key for the lock. We were going to get his wand out and put a twig in its place so Nora wouldn’t know he’d got it back. Then he was going to big us both.’

  Berry nodded in agreement and continued explaining.

  ‘We made a hole in the back of the dresser and got into the drawer but there are lots of keys. We’ve been trying as many as we could when Nora’s been visiting you.’

  ‘And you didn’t find the right key.’

  ‘No,’ replied Fergus. ‘None of them would turn in the lock. I said to Camelin that Nora might have put a spell on the lock but he said she wouldn’t have, it’s the only cupboard in the whole house he can’t get into, which is why she put it in there in the first place.’

  ‘Have you tried them all?’

  Berry shook his head.

  ‘Not yet, but Camelin said it didn’t matter if we couldn’t find the spare key. He’s sure Nora’s special key is in the drawer too.’

  ‘Special key?’ asked Jack.

  ‘It’s supposed to open anything,’ replied Berry. ‘But how could just one key open any lock?’

  Fergus shook his head and rolled his eyes.

  ‘Because it’s special, it’s a magic key.’

  ‘There’s nothing special in that drawer. We should know, we’ve been in and out of it for the last ten days,’ said Berry.

  A flapping of wings made them all look up.

  ‘I thought I told you two to meet me by the shed in the kitchen garden,’ grumbled Camelin as he landed on a branch. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Fergus and Berry didn’t reply.

  ‘Are you two listening? You can go and do that special job for me at lunchtime. You won’t be disturbed for at least an hour.’

  Fergus coughed and stood on his haunches.

  ‘If you don’t mind we’ve decided not to be bigged after all.’

  Camelin glowered at Jack.

  ‘You told them, didn’t you?’

  ‘It was only fair they knew what happened to the bun.’

  ‘I thought you were my friend?’

  ‘I am but you wouldn’t want to hurt Fergus and Berry would you?’

  Camelin shook his head.

  ‘But I want my wand back.’

  ‘I think you’re going to have to wait until Nora says you can have it.’

  Camelin let out an exasperated sigh.

  ‘Life’s not fair, especially when you’re a raven.’

  Berry looked relieved.

  ‘We’ll be off now,’ said Fergus, and without waiting for a reply they both scampered away.

  Jack felt a bit guilty. The willow tree would have heard the whole conversation and it wouldn’t be long before Nora found out what Camelin was up too. Unless she knew already, keeping any kind of secret from Nora was difficult. If she did know, he doubted she’d have left the spare key in the drawer. It was also unlikely she’d keep her special key in a place where it could easily be found.

  Camelin sighed.

  ‘You can tell me about the book now. I’ve got nothing better to do until lunchtime.’

  Jack found a comfortable spot, lay on his back and began to tell Camelin all about dragons.

  HOWLING HILL

  After lunch Nora decided Jack ought to go home. She said he wasn’t to overdo it on his first day out. He hadn’t realised how tired he was until he got back and immediately fell asleep. He’d slept again after supper. When it came to bedtime Jack was wide awake. He lay in bed trying to feel sleepy but his mind was racing. Too many thoughts about dragons were filling his head. He heard the hall clock chime eleven. It wasn’t long before Grandad climbed the stairs and started getting ready for bed. When the house was quiet, Jack reached over to his bedside table for his Book of Shadows, picked up his wand and created a light from the tip so he could see to write to Elan.

  Half an hour later, he’d written three pages. He watched the ink disappear and shut his book. He didn’t expect an answer tonight. Before he put his wand away Jack tiptoed over to Orin’s cage.

  ‘Are you asleep?’ he whispered.

  The curtain twitched before Orin poked her head out.

  ‘I thought you were in bed.’

  ‘I’ve been watching Timmery.’

  ‘What’s he doing?’

  ‘Flying back and forth past the window.’

  Jack dimmed his wand, opened the curtains and peered into the darkness.

  ‘There he is. Did you see him?’

  ‘What do you think he’s doing?’

  ‘Maybe Nora asked him to keep a lookout.’

  Jack watched as Timmery came over and tried to hover in front of the window. He could do it with ease as a hummingbird, but it didn’t work when he was a bat and it looked as if he was doing a strange kind of jerky dance. Jack waved.

  ‘Can I come in?’ Timmery squeaked in a muffled high-pitched voice.

  Jack opened the window and the little bat flew in and landed on top of Orin’s cage.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Jack. ‘Isn’t Charkle with you?’

  Timmery sighed.

  ‘Such terrible news, terrible news. Charkle’s with Nora, he knows all about what Saige told you. He’s been crying for so long he’s run out of steam.’

  ‘Oh dear, I knew he’d be upset.’

  ‘It didn’t help when Camelin said the two dragonettes might not even be anyone from his family.’

  ‘Poor Charkle.’

  ‘Nora sent him to bed.’

  ‘Charkle?’

 
‘No, Camelin. She wasn’t pleased with him. He’s been in a lot of trouble lately, which is why I couldn’t ask him to come over tonight.’

  ‘Come over for what?’

  ‘We’ve got to do something to help poor Charkle.’

  ‘I’m sorry Timmery, I know I promised to help, but I can’t until Nora says I’m well enough.’

  ‘I need you to help me tonight.’

  ‘But I can’t fly.’

  ‘You don’t have to go anywhere. I got to thinking, and when I saw your light on I thought I’d talk to you myself, with no one else around. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before.’

  ‘Think about what?’

  ‘Asking the Book of Shadows. I would have suggested it to Nora but I didn’t want to disturb her when she was trying to comfort Charkle, but then I thought if you were awake I could ask you to help. Please Jack, say you will. It would be wonderful if you could.’

  ‘Of course I’ll help, but ask what?’

  ‘You know the story we heard in Annwn, The Dragon of Howling Hill?’

  ‘I do remember, it was brilliant, but what’s that got to do with Charkle’s family?’

  ‘I want you to ask where Howling Hill is.’

  ‘But it was only a story, it’s not real.’

  ‘What if it is real? The storyteller told everyone about the Glasruhen Giant and that’s a true story. It wasn’t quite the same as Nora’s version but we all know a giant used to live on the hill. If we could find Howling Hill it’d be a start and there might be a dragon under it, like it said in the story. I could at least take Charkle to look. It would cheer him up and give him something to do.’

  ‘I’ll ask but I’m not sure we’ll get an answer.’

  ‘But you’ll try?’

  ‘Of course I will.’

  Jack put his Book of Shadows on the bed. Orin scampered onto the bedspread and Timmery flitted onto Jack’s shoulder. He concentrated hard and put his hand on the front of the book. He spoke softly so he wouldn’t wake Grandad.

  ‘Where is Howling Hill?’

  Jack removed his hand and they waited expectantly. Nothing happened.

  ‘Maybe it was the wrong question. I’ll try asking it another way.’

  Jack thought again before once more placing his hand on the front of his book.

  ‘Is there a place called Howling Hill?’

  Again they waited and again the book remained firmly shut.