by Linda McNabb
The entire land below was covered in snow, and Toby could almost feel the bitter wind that whipped at a large, elderly oak tree which stood only a few paces from the lake.
‘We should check one more.’ Toby dragged his eyes away from his old life — in some ways he had been happier before he had found Dragon Valley.
They hurried further along the side of the rock face and stopped at the next gate, which looked out over a vast ocean. It was closed.
‘Even though only one gate is open, I guess we should tell someone,’ Toby said with a sigh.
He didn’t really want to approach any of the village Elders right now. He had hoped to keep out of their sight for some time until they calmed down.
‘We could just get Klel to close it,’ Sanelle suggested.
‘Arandyl’s no threat to the valley, but they need to know about it,’ Toby replied. ‘A while ago the gates were opening randomly, but it only lasted a few days and it hasn’t happened since.’
Sanelle was looking out across the Dragon Valley with a puzzled expression. She pointed to the small mountain he had almost destroyed:
‘What happened over there?’
Toby coloured as he tried to avoid her quizzical gaze. ‘Well, there’s a funny story about that,’ he replied as he got up and started down the hill. ‘We should tell them about the gate.’
CHAPTER TWO
FIXING THE LAKE
Toby walked through the village with Sanelle, but when they reached the cone where Klel and Tryx were they stopped.
‘I’d guess your grandfather is in there with the dragons. They’ll be discussing me,’ Toby said a little sourly.
‘Don’t tell me you’ve been causing more trouble,’ Sanelle said with a grin. ‘Surely not you?’
She ruffled his slightly spiky, sandy-brown hair then hurried into the cone before he could retaliate. Toby continued walking through the village. He wanted to tell Merryn that the open gate wasn’t his fault before she heard about it from someone else, so he headed for the markets.
He found her buying fresh produce, and she looked up at the gate as he told her about it. Even from the market, it was easy to see the slight glow around the gate which showed that it was open. Others followed her gaze to see what she was looking at, and soon everyone was talking about it.
‘But how can it be open?’ One voice drifted over above the general buzz of conversation.
A large group of villagers was gathering by the well in the main square, and the concern on their faces showed that an open gate was far more serious than Toby’s recent magical mishap.
‘The gates have become so unstable that they are no longer safe.’ Merryn stepped slightly away from the crowd. She frowned as she looked out across the valley. ‘Is it just that one?’
‘Just the one to Arandyl,’ Toby replied.
‘Someone will have to tell Brax and Jerrik,’ Merryn said. It was clear that she didn’t want to be the one to pass on the bad news. She shook her head as she hurried through the cobbled streets. ‘Jerrik will not be pleased.’
Destroying a few dozen trees no longer seemed such a terrible thing, and Toby dared to hope that he might get away with no further trouble.
‘Sanelle has gone to tell Jerrik,’ Toby said, turning away from the crowd.
‘Sanelle is here?’ Merryn grinned, in spite of the seriousness of the situation.
‘It was Sanelle who found the open gate,’ Toby told her.
Just as they passed the entrance to the meeting cone, they heard voices. Toby recognised one of them as Sanelle, and a second later she came out the large entrance. She was walking next to Jerrik.
‘I’ll have to think about it, Grandfather,’ she said with a serious expression. ‘It’s not something I want to decide just yet.’
‘We need to make a decision soon, though.’ Jerrik’s reply had a slightly tense edge to it. ‘I don’t like how the gates are failing again lately. If we are forced to seal the gates to Arandyl, you may not be able to return. Brax is going to go and close the gate you used.’
‘I’ll let you know soon,’ Sanelle promised. ‘I’m going to see Toby before I go back home.’
Jerrik’s eyes hardened at the mention of Toby and the Elder’s jaw tightened as he stared at the young boy. That was a bad sign. Usually Jerrik managed to convince Brax to give Toby another chance. If Jerrik was no longer on his side, then Toby was in big trouble. The Elder’s glare softened to one of sympathy and helplessness, which told Toby more than words could ever could. Brax may well get his wish to stop Toby doing any magic.
‘There’s someone you should meet first,’ Jerrik said, turning away from Toby and smiling down at his granddaughter. Facing the cone, he called out. ‘Tryx!’
The smaller golden dragon did not come out of the cone, and Toby’s keen eyesight saw her flying out of the small opening at the top of the cone. Jerrik also spotted her and did not look impressed.
She dived down with her wings pinned against her side. It seemed that she would crash right into the ground, but Toby had seen her do this many times. Everyone but Toby stepped back several paces as the golden dragon came plummeting towards them.
At the very last second, she snapped out her wings and arched upwards, missing the people below by less than the width of Toby’s hand. A great gust of wind almost knocked them all over. Toby grinned. Tryx loved to dive off the cones, and he wished that one time she would let him come along for the ride.
Brax stepped out of the cone just in time to see his only child’s stunt — his roar brought Tryx meekly to a gentle, back-winged landing.
Dragon kings and queens not do that! Brax bellowed before flying off towards the still-glowing gate that Sanelle had come through.
Tryx waited for her father to be out of hearing before she grinned at Toby. Warm winds today. Might dive again later.
‘Sanelle, this is Tryx.’ Jerrik was trying hard to look sternly at Tryx, but only managed it for a few seconds. The infectious grin of the little dragon made it impossible to be angry. ‘She gets into almost as much trouble as Toby.’
Toby’s good humour slipped away and Merryn patted him on the shoulder. Jerrik was still talking to Sanelle, and Toby turned his attention back to the conversation.
‘Tryx will one day lead the dragons. She will need someone to rule with her. Someone strong, someone who is able to think of the valley’s needs before their own.’ Jerrik frowned slightly as Tryx, growing bored with the conversation, had flown off and was skimming over the rooftops, rolling over and over in the warm breeze that drifted over the valley. His voice grew a little firmer as he continued. ‘Someone who can keep Tryx focused on what she must do.’
Tryx came rolling back and landed gently by Sanelle. Come for ride?
Sanelle looked eager as she opened her mouth to reply, but Jerrik cleared his throat pointedly and she shook her head. ‘Maybe later, Tryx.’
‘We have other matters to deal with just now,’ Jerrik said solemnly. ‘We must check that all the gates are shut. We will need to discuss recent events further. The council will meet in an hour.’
Jerrik went back into the cone and the crowd began to disperse. Soon only Merryn, Sanelle and Toby were left. Tryx was flying from rooftop to rooftop again, not seeming bothered that she had been told off.
‘Keep out of trouble for the rest of the day. Just keep out of the dragons’ way,’ Merryn advised Toby. She smiled at him to take the harshness out of her words. ‘I’ll meet you at home.’
Tryx landed just as Merryn walked off, and she lay on the hot cobbles and rolled over and over. Tryx itchy. Need swim in lake. Toby and Sanelle come?
‘Sure,’ Toby agreed instantly. He had no desire to hang around the village all day and put up with the sneers and remarks that were bound to be aimed his way.
He and Sanelle leapt onto the young dragon’s back, and she flew off before anyone could stop them. Her scales were almost too hot to sit on, and Toby shifted a little to find a cooler spot. It f
elt good to soar over the valley, and Tryx rode the currents as she circled mountains and sped along the floor of the valley. She dived towards a large lake — and seemed as if she would dive in with Toby and Sanelle still on her back.
‘Tryx, don’t forget to let us off first,’ Toby called out, leaning forward so the dragon would hear him before the wind blew away his words. Tryx kept her course but drew back just before she hit the water, her feet skimming the surface and sending a refreshing spray up at Toby’s feet. She let them off at the side of the lake, and they sat on the hot clay bank and watched her dive head-first into the lake.
‘She’s so full of energy,’ Sanelle commented as the dragon shot out of the water and shook herself dry like a dog in mid-air.
‘Sometimes too much energy,’ Toby replied. ‘It often lands her in trouble.’
‘Like you? What exactly have you done that’s so bad?’ Sanelle asked as Tryx flew over and landed on the bank next to them.
‘Tryx, she wants to know what I did. Should we show her?’ Toby asked the young dragon. He wasn’t bothered if his friend saw what he had done — he knew she would not judge him harshly as the people of the valley had done.
Which one first? Tryx asked and Toby cringed a little. Did she have to make it so obvious that there were so many mistakes?
‘I guess the lake’s closest,’ Toby sighed, getting up and helping Sanelle to her feet. They climbed back on the dragon, who was cooler now after her swim, and she flew further into the valley. A dry lake bed soon came into view, and Tryx landed right next to it.
‘What happened?’ Sanelle asked as she jumped down and walked along where the edge of the lake had been.
‘It used to look almost exactly like the lake we were just at,’ Toby said with another sigh.
Not so bad. Tryx like dust as well, Tryx said as she launched herself into the air and flew into the middle of the dry lake bed. She landed and started to roll over and over in the dust.
‘I was learning how to control a stone with magic,’ Toby explained as he watched the young dragon enjoying herself. ‘Klel had shown me how to skip a stone across the water without touching the stone. He made it look so easy.’
‘It didn’t work?’ Sanelle guessed.
‘At first it did,’ Toby said, casting his mind back to how the stone had skipped across the water. He had been so proud that his first attempt had worked so well. ‘But then the ground shook and the water exploded into the air. What was left in the lake seemed to drain through that large crack over there.’ Toby pointed to a wide crack in the dusty basin, and Sanelle stared at it for so long that Toby wondered what she was thinking.
‘And was the mountain I saw from the gateway your magic, too?’ Sanelle asked.
‘Sadly, yes,’ Toby replied. ‘They’re bound to stop me doing any magic now.’
‘Really?’ Sanelle didn’t look like she wanted that to happen. Toby grinned. He knew his friend would be on his side. ‘But everyone makes mistakes.’
Tryx flew back and landed before shaking dust all over them. Toby put lake back. Fix mountain. Then Brax not angry.
‘Tryx has a point,’ Toby said, rubbing his chin as he turned to look at the dry lake bed. ‘If I fix up the mess I’ve made, they can’t say that all of my magic is bad.’
‘A reversing spell isn’t really all that hard either,’ Sanelle agreed. ‘They’re simple runes.’
‘I’ve used them dozens of times for small things that didn’t quite work,’ Toby said. He looked at the lake. ‘But not for anything this large.’
‘I’d help, but since it was your spell it’ll have to be just you who undoes it,’ Sanelle said. ‘You’ll be fine.’
Toby took a deep breath and then stepped back a few paces. Sanelle and Tryx backed up more than a few paces, and they looked slightly apologetic when he noticed.
‘It’s not that we don’t trust you,’ Sanelle said, and then pointed at the lake. ‘But it is a big spell.’
Toby knew they were right. Something this big was worth being a little cautious of. He picked up a sharp-edged rock and bent down to the clay bank. Slowly he scratched a series of designs into the earth and then whispered ‘Topaz!’
He stood up and stepped back to join his friends. They watched the lake. Nothing seemed to be happening, but just as he was about to turn away in disgust the ground rumbled slightly. Water began to seep back through the large crack in the lake. A loud bang made them all jump, and when Toby looked back at the lake it was restored to its former glory.
He jumped again as a stone came flying off the water’s surface and hit him on the arm. He rubbed his arm and bent down to pick up the stone. He held it up for Sanelle to see and grinned broadly at her.
‘It’s the stone I skipped across the lake that day,’ he told her. Relief flooded through him as he looked at the lake. He had fixed it. If he fixed all the other mishaps then they couldn’t stop him doing magic.
‘Well, that worked perfectly.’ Sanelle stepped down to the lake edge and dipped one of her toes in. She grinned back up at Toby. ‘What should we go and fix next?’
Mountain? Tryx suggested.
‘Sounds good to me,’ Toby said, strolling over to join Sanelle. He was confident that he could fix all his mistakes now. Everything would be okay.
However, he had barely finished the thought when the ground began to rumble beneath their feet.
‘What’s going on?’ Sanelle asked, stepping her legs apart slightly to keep her balance as the ground began to shake.
Toby didn’t answer. Instead he grabbed his friend and dragged her away from the lake as fast as he could. Tryx leapt into the air and hovered a little way above the ground to avoid the shaking.
They were still stumbling away from the lake when a huge blast knocked them to the ground. A loud bang resounded in Toby’s ears and suddenly he was soaking wet. The ground slowly stopped shaking and he lay still for a few more seconds. He saw Sanelle leap to her feet and turn back to look at the lake. He didn’t need to as he knew exactly what it would look like. This was how it had happened the last time.
‘Toby, are you okay?’ Sanelle asked as she knelt next to him. He rolled over and looked up at her with a sigh.
‘It’s empty again, isn’t it?’ he asked. He looked at her dripping wet hair and clothes and wasn’t surprised when she nodded.
Water good for land, Tryx said, hovering over them and dripping water everywhere. Valley has enough lakes anyway.
Toby tried to grin at the young dragon’s ability to look at the bright side of everything, but failed.
‘I guess there’s no point in trying to fix the mountain,’ Sanelle said, sitting down in the sun to dry her clothes.
Toby rolled over and lay face-down on the wet grass. Was it possible that they hadn’t heard the explosion back in his village?
CHAPTER THREE
NO MORE MAGIC
He got his answer to that question as Tryx flew them back half an hour later. The sun had dried their clothes and there was no indication that they had been involved with the explosion.
‘Toby! What did you do this time?’ Porthan, one of the councillors, asked as he stood waiting outside the main cone.
‘Nothing,’ Toby replied. He considered it wasn’t really a lie, as the lake was exactly as it had been before he’d started his spell that day.
Toby sure? Klel flew down and landed next to him. Toby didn’t reply.
The rest of the councillors were coming out of the cone, and Jerrik stopped next to Toby. ‘We have had a meeting. We are going up to the gate that failed. Klel, can you bring Toby? Tryx, you bring Sanelle.’
Toby wondered why he was needed. Surely they all knew which gate had been open? Tryx stood still just long enough for Sanelle to climb on her back and then she leapt into the sky. The young golden dragon only just swerved out of a sideways roll as she remembered she had a passenger.
Brax came out of the cone and took Jerrik ahead of the other two dragons. They flew up tow
ards the gate. Brax paused long enough to check that the gateway was still shut and then flew on. They checked several more gateways before Brax landed and the other dragons settled onto the rocky slope next to him.
Toby climbed down from Klel’s back, and Sanelle came to stand with him. Brax and Jerrik stood to one side of the gate they had landed next to. Toby looked through briefly. It was another gate to the world where he had grown up. He hadn’t been up to this gate for almost a year as it had been closed with a strong spell to stop the kings of his own world finding a way to get into Dragon Valley.
‘I’m sorry, Toby. You will have to leave.’ Jerrik’s voice was sad and quiet. ‘The council has decided you are a danger to our valley.’
‘How?’ Toby frowned. He knew that his magic was too strong, but if he didn’t use it nothing went wrong. He’d never actually harmed anyone.
Toby leave Dragon Valley. Never return, Brax said, not making any attempt to answer Toby’s query. His voice held no hint of sympathy.
‘In what way is he dangerous?’ Sanelle asked, stepping forward and folding her arms defiantly. ‘He is no more dangerous than you or I.’
Tryx causes trouble, too. Does Tryx have to leave? Tryx stepped right up to her father and glared at him angrily, her eyes whirling red.
Brax looked surprised that she was still defending the human. You want proof? Brax asked. One eye-ridge rose slightly as he looked at Toby and Sanelle with an expression that said he had all the proof that anyone needed.
‘Your mere presence in Dragon Valley is going to destroy it,’ Jerrik added.
Klel had remained silent, and Toby turned to see what his golden friend thought of this. What he saw filled him with a sadness that sank right to his feet. Klel’s eyes said that he knew what the proof was and that Brax was right.
‘Yes, I want proof,’ Toby replied, turning away from Klel to stare at the dragon leader. He knew that Brax had never liked him being an apprentice to a dragon, but surely that wasn’t enough to have him thrown out of Dragon Valley — was it?
