by Linda McNabb
‘We need to go back and talk to Klel,’ Toby said, turning back towards the castle and hurrying off without waiting for the others. ‘We’ll wait for him in the castle courtyard.’
Sanelle and Kaylene followed, and they had just reached the front of the castle when Kaylene stopped and looked up into the sky.
‘Here comes Klel,’ she said, pointing across the roofs of the city.
Toby squinted into the bright daylight and saw the golden dragon heading their way fast. The blue of the sky was even deeper now that it was fully daylight. It definitely wasn’t winter any longer. Even the breeze was warm, almost tropical, and once again he regretted doubling up his tunics. Suddenly he knew where he had seen such a blue sky - Dragon Valley.
Klel glided in to land in front of the castle. Several people ran off in fear while others shouted up at the dragon, shaking their fists angrily. Most of the town seemed to have come out of their houses to see what had caused the noise.
The golden dragon landed lightly and looked around at the few people who had remained to vent their anger at him. Then he turned to Toby and the girls and tilted his head slightly. Why people angry?
‘People are falling sick and they think that dragons are causing the sickness and that dragons have also changed the weather,’ Kaylene replied.
Take Klel’s scale. Heal people. Dragons not harm anyone, Klel instructed Toby loudly so that those close by would hear.
‘We don’t want you here!’ a man yelled and threw a rock, which bounced off Klel’s golden hide. ‘Your scales are causing the sickness.’
People very sick? Klel asked, lowering his eye-ridges into the closest thing a dragon can get to a frown.
‘It’ll only be for a day or two,’ Sanelle answered. ‘Blaise’s friend has poisoned the town’s well.’
Have other problems. Bigger than bad water. Klel’s attention flicked away from the townspeople and he didn’t even flinch when another stone hit his leg.
‘The lightning?’ Toby guessed in a quiet voice.
And warm weather, Klel added solemnly.
Before Klel could continue, the crowd began to yell loudly although nobody came any closer.
‘Send the dragon away!’
‘Look another dragon is coming!’ a single voice yelled over the top of the others, and the entire crowd fell silent. Everyone, including Toby, looked out across the town to see another dragon gliding slowly in across the roofs.
‘Is that Brax?’ Sanelle asked as she squinted into the bright sky.
‘I don’t think so,’ Toby replied. He knew the dragon leader well and something didn’t look right.
Brax comes, Klel said simply, but the golden dragon’s eyes whirled and changed from green to a pale yellow. This was a sure sign that the dragon was sad. Jerrik also.
‘I didn’t do anything this time,’ Toby said defensively. ‘I’m a long way from Dragon Valley now — I can’t hurt anyone.’
Klel didn’t reply. The crowd began to back away as they realised that the second dragon was going to land as well. They were no longer hurling abuse but watched silently.
As Brax extended his wings to sink slowly to the ground, Toby felt his mouth go dry. It wasn’t that he was scared of what the dragon leader might say or do — it was the pasty brown colour of the dragon’s scales. Brax was sick.
Jerrik slid from the dragon’s back, looking distressed that the dragon was in such a state.
Must find Farren. Urgent. Brax’s voice was raspy and held none of the strength that Toby knew so well. Dragon Valley dying. Magic being sucked out through all gateways. Gateways fail soon.
A shiver ran down Toby’s spine in the stunned silence that followed. No wonder the sky was as blue as it had been back in Dragon Valley — the magic that had flourished in Dragon Valley was now spreading through Arandyl.
Farren not here, Klel told Brax. Why Brax sick?
‘The magic is being taken from both the land and the dragons. Dragons cannot live without magic. If we do not fix the gates soon, all of the dragons will die.’ Jerrik did not look at Toby as he spoke, but Toby’s cheeks coloured and he turned away to hide his embarrassment. He had not only destroyed Dragon Valley but now all the dragons would die as well.
‘Is there anything we can do to help Brax?’ Sanelle asked her grandfather.
‘Find Farren. Find the missing dragon stone,’ Jerrik replied sadly. ‘Nothing else will help.’
Toby looked at Brax again. He frowned slightly — the dragon’s colour was not as dull as it had been a few moments before.
Sanelle had noticed this as well: ‘Why is Brax looking better?’
‘The magic that has flowed into Arandyl will help Brax while he is here,’ Jerrik explained.
‘So dragons could live here?’ Toby asked, desperate to find something that meant he had not destroyed all of the dragons.
Dragon Valley is home. Dragons will not leave, Brax snapped coldly, his voice clearer and stronger. His glare warned Toby not to speak again.
Toby dropped his gaze to the marbled stones under his feet. Brax was right. He could not expect the dragons to abandon their home.
Klel leave now. Find Farren, Klel said firmly. Search all Arandyl. Search other worlds too.
‘We must find him soon. The valley will not last beyond the full moon,’ Jerrik said. ‘We will search also.’
Jerrik returned to the brown-bronze dragon and climbed onto his back. He looked at everyone except Toby, then nodded curtly and patted Brax gently on the neck. Brax leapt into the air in what seemed like slow motion. It was as if the dragon was flying through sticky treacle and each movement required a great effort. When the dragon had climbed high enough, he glided off to the south.
Klel must go now. Apprent— Toby come search? Klel asked.
‘I can’t help. I can’t sense the gems any more. You’ll fly faster without me,’ Toby replied sadly. ‘I’ll stay with Sanelle and Kaylene to see what Blaise is up to.’
With that, Klel leapt into the sky with a rush of wind that nearly knocked them all over.
Silence fell on those who remained on the marbled entrance to the castle. Even the watching townsfolk realised that there was more to what was going on than the fake healer had told them. After a moment, however, they began to wander off to tend to their sick families.
‘Don’t drink water from the town well!’ Kaylene called after them. ‘That supposed healer has poisoned it.’
Several people turned and stared at the princess, mulling over what she had said, but most did not even pause.
Suddenly a young boy came running up towards the castle, yelling to people as he went. ‘If you want potion, you better hurry — the healer is packing up and leaving town.’
‘Leaving?’ Sanelle muttered to herself. ‘Where would he be going?’
The children hurried down the hill, along with a large number of townsfolk who wanted some potion. As they reached the marketplace, they saw Blaise’s wagon all packed up and the two men sitting on the driving seat. Lark held the small dog firmly and it was struggling to get free. With a flick of the reins, Blaise set the horse in motion and the wagon rolled slowly across the flagstones.
‘Where are you going?’ a man yelled as he tried to grab hold of the wagon. ‘We need some potion!’
Blaise did not even make eye contact with the man, or with anyone else in the crowd, but slapped the reins again to hurry the horse along. Within a minute, the wagon had left the marketplace and was on the main cobbled road out of town.
‘He’ll be heading south,’ Kaylene told them. ‘There’s only one road out of town and it goes south.’
‘Now what do we do?’ Sanelle was looking worried that her brother had driven off. ‘Why didn’t he hang around for more sales?’
As Toby watched the dozens of townsfolk who were slowly leaving the marketplace, disappointed at not getting their potion, he said, ‘He’s not doing it for the money. All he wanted to do was cause trouble.’
�
�We could get horses from my stable and follow him,’ Kaylene suggested. ‘Or the royal carriage.’
Sanelle shook her head at both suggestions. ‘I’d rather he didn’t notice us following.’
‘There’s a stage coach tomorrow, I think,’ Kaylene said hopefully.
Just then Toby saw Riko strolling down the road with a knapsack on his back. Riko saw them and wandered over.
‘I’m off home,’ he told them. ‘There’s no point in hanging around here any longer,’ he said with a smile at his cousin Kaylene. ‘This kingdom has an heir.’
‘Where is your home?’ Sanelle asked.
‘South, two days from here,’ Riko replied.
‘How are you getting there?’ Toby asked as he eyed the less-than-comfortable boots the boy wore. He might be related to royalty, but his clothes suggested a much more humble background.
‘I’ll sign on with the caravan and travel with them,’ Riko said, pointing down across the park to where a dozen wagons could be seen by the docks. ‘It’s a free ride home.’
‘The caravan?’ Sanelle grinned at the others. Toby knew exactly what she was thinking, but Kaylene hadn’t caught on yet.
‘What about it?’ Kaylene asked.
‘Toby needs a new trade. Perhaps we should join him while he tries out the caravan?’ Sanelle said and then paused, waiting for the princess to work it out. Toby glared at Sanelle for reminding him he needed a trade. He didn’t think a trading caravan was what he was looking for, though.
‘Oh, and we can travel south without Blaise seeing us,’ Kaylene said, and then frowned. ‘But it would be more comfortable on the stage coach that leaves tomorrow.’
‘We can’t wait that long,’ Toby told her. ‘We can’t let Blaise get too far ahead.’
‘Well, Riko, it looks like you’ll have some company on the caravan,’ Sanelle told the boy. ‘Will they let all of us sign up?’
‘They’re always short-handed,’ Riko said with a grin.
Toby trailed slightly behind as they headed off towards the docks. He had no intention of staying with the caravans when the others left. As soon as they caught up with Blaise, his time as a caravaner would be over.
CHAPTER TEN
ON THE CARAVAN
Toby soon understood why the caravaners were always short-handed. The wagons looked fairly normal and the people were friendly and welcoming — it was what they used to pull the wagons that made Toby uneasy.
Instead of a horse tethered to the front of the wagons, there was a creature that looked like a cross between a mountain lion and a wolf. They lay half-slumbering on the ground in front of the wagons as the caravaners quickly loaded their goods into the back.
‘Do they bite?’ Toby asked, keeping his distance as the closest animal raised its head and growled at him, baring huge, pointed teeth.
‘Not if you don’t get too close,’ Riko said with a shrug which did not ease Toby’s concern.
‘Why don’t they use horses?’ Sanelle asked.
‘Horses are too slow,’ Riko replied as they reached the head wagon, where a man with a clipboard stood. He was shaking his head and looking worried as he studied his papers. He was dressed in the same way as all the other caravaners — in bright-coloured silks that seemed to shimmer as they moved — but this man also had his head swathed in the rich, silky cloth.
‘Can we sign on until Belmoor?’ Riko asked as the man looked up from his clipboard.
The man’s face was weathered and heavily lined from a lifetime exposed to the harsh weather conditions of Arandyl. At Riko’s request the man grinned broadly, showing yellowed teeth dotted with many gold fillings.
‘You are most welcome. I am Marahl,’ he said, striding forward to shake Riko’s hand. ‘You have worked the caravans before?’
‘A few times,’ Riko said with a nod. ‘My friends are new to the trade.’
Marahl looked closely at Toby, then the two girls, and his eyes narrowed as he saw Kaylene. He looked as though he was used to summing people up in one glance, and that first glance told him who she was.
‘Royalty don’t travel on the caravans,’ he said suspiciously as if he thought they were joking about signing on.
‘Lots of people tell me I look like the princess,’ Kaylene said quickly. ‘Maybe I should ask to travel on the royal carriage with her?’
Marahl shrugged, accepting her tale that she just resembled the princess. He pointed down the line. ‘I have four sick from the dragon sickness. Each take a wagon and drive it until my men recover.’
Drive the wagons? Toby eyed the small driving seat with apprehension. It looked safe enough, but there was nothing between that seat and the slobbering animal that was tethered to the front.
Riko nodded and led them all back down the line of wagons before any of them could protest about their assigned duties.
‘But I don’t know how to drive a wagon, let alone with one of those things attached to it!’ Kaylene protested as soon as they were out of Marahl’s hearing range.
‘It’s easy, cousin,’ Riko said with a grin. ‘The dengol know they will be fed when we reach the next town and they know the way, so all you really have to do is hold on tight.’
‘They haven’t been fed?’ Sanelle queried, also looking a little nervous now.
‘They don’t eat people,’ Riko assured her.
This didn’t make Toby feel any less nervous, but a shout from the back of the caravans drew their attention and cut off any further conversation.
‘They’re all loaded!’ a man yelled up the line to Marahl.
‘Move out, before the dragon sickness gets any more of us,’ Marahl shouted back. He looked at the four newest members of the caravan and pointed to the wagons, then grinned. ‘I hope you didn’t have too much breakfast.’
Toby rounded the nearest animal carefully and climbed quietly up onto the driving seat of the closest wagon. He looked back down the line and saw the others do the same. Riko had taken hold of the reins so Toby followed suit and sat holding them limply, wondering what to do next.
‘Yahar!’ A yell from the first wagon made Toby jump, and the dengol’s head rose instantly. As the wagon ahead of it began to move, it leapt to its feet and bent its back legs in a crouching position.
‘Hold on tight and don’t let it run too soon!’ Riko yelled from behind him, and Toby looped the reins around his hands, suddenly very nervous.
The dengol leapt from its crouch and almost yanked the reins out of Toby’s hands — given a free rein, it would no doubt have run right into the back of the wagon in front.
Toby hung onto the reins and nearly slipped from the driving seat as the caravan of wagons left Northport. As soon as they were on the open road south, the first wagon shot off ahead at a speed that surprised Toby. He was three wagons down the line, and by the time the second wagon had also taken off he was tensed and ready for the same thing. He loosened his grip on the reins a little, allowing more of the leather through and letting the dengol’s head forward. It took the freedom with a huge leap and bounded ahead immediately. The wagon lurched once, and then seemed to float over the ground as the dengol pulled it at a speed that seemed as fast as on dragon-back. The animal sped up even more and the wagon began to shake. Toby reined the dengol in a little and the shaking stopped. It was a surprisingly more comfortable ride than Toby had expected, but it was hard work to keep the dengol from running so fast that it shook the wagon apart.
By mid-morning Toby’s eyes were sore from squinting into the wind and from the dust blown up from the road. At this pace they were bound to catch up with Blaise, if not overtake him!
Hopes of catching up with Blaise were short-lived, though, as the wagons veered off down a narrow track. The wagons ahead began to slow down, and Toby gripped the reins and pulled with sore hands, leaning back on the driving seat as he attempted to slow his own wagon. The creature reluctantly eased back its pace, and the wagons rolled into a small village at a fast walking pace.
They came to a stop around the back of the buildings in the main street. Toby drew in a sharp breath as the animal turned to face him, glaring at him with startling green eyes.
‘Feed it,’ Riko said, hurrying up from behind and pointing into the wagon. A bucket full of huge slabs of meat was tied to the side. ‘Just one piece, and then give it some water.’
Toby threw a slab of meat to the panting animal, who launched on it and devoured it in a matter of seconds. Fortunately it had been trained to expect only one piece, so it turned away and collapsed onto the ground. Toby took another bucket from the wagon and filled it with water from the nearby trough. He walked as close as he dared to the animal and placed the bucket down before withdrawing quickly. The animal got up and drank deeply from the bucket, before crawling under the wagon and curling up to sleep.
‘You have to help unload the goods for this village.’ Riko pointed back to the last wagon, where the girls were also heading. Toby and Riko hurried back to help. The girls appeared to have fed and watered their beast, and from the way Kaylene’s hands were shaking she hadn’t enjoyed their trip so far.
‘How long until we get to your town?’ Sanelle asked. She seemed quite happy with their day so far and was even grinning.
‘Tomorrow evening,’ Riko replied as they unloaded bales of cloth and crates of spices.
Several hours later they were back on the road again, and they made another five stops at small villages before the sun began to sink low in the sky. The sick men of the caravan were in the front wagon, and they were no better by the time the caravan rolled into the last village for the day.
As the wagons came to a stop, Toby reached into the bucket and took out the last slab of meat. He tossed it to the creature, who reached out a claw and pulled the meat slowly towards itself.
Toby felt sorry for the animal. It looked exhausted as it slowly gnawed on the meat. He fetched it some water and even went close enough to pat it on the head. Its fur was incredibly soft, and it purred like a kitten at his touch. Toby didn’t linger, though, as he remembered the huge, sharp teeth far too well.
By the time they had unloaded the supplies for this village, Toby was about to fall asleep on his feet.
