by Linda McNabb
‘Will the magic that is in Arandyl help you?’ Toby asked. He hated seeing his friend so drained of her magic.
Yes, help little, Tryx said. Just need rest until then.
‘Here come my parents,’ Riko said, nodding towards a man and a woman who were running through the fields towards them. ‘They’ll help us.’
Riko’s parents came to a halt a dozen paces from where the children stood with Tryx. They looked from the dragon to the children and then back again.
‘Why did you bring that here?’ his mother asked bluntly.
Riko stared at his mother in surprise and didn’t answer.
‘We heard from the town this morning about the dragon sickness. Why did you bring it to our home?’ Riko’s father added.
‘We just need to rest here for a short while, then we’ll be on our way,’ Kaylene said. ‘We aren’t sick.’
‘That dragon looks sick,’ Riko’s mother argued. ‘Get rid of it or we’ll tell the townspeople where it is.’
‘There is no dragon sickness,’ Riko finally found his tongue. ‘It’s been made up by someone who hates dragons.’
His father pointed to Tryx. ‘You have ten minutes to get rid of it, and don’t come home until you can prove you’re not sick.’ Riko’s father turned and walked off, pulling his wife with him.
Riko looked shocked his parents’ reaction.
‘Don’t worry, you can come with us until they calm down,’ Toby reassured the dark-haired boy, patting him on the back.
‘We won’t be going anywhere until Tryx is better,’ Kaylene pointed out. ‘And that’s likely to take much longer than ten minutes.’
‘I can help,’ Sanelle said, looking to Tryx for her permission to help. ‘I can give you back enough magic to heal you quickly.’
Tryx nodded weakly — now was not the time to turn down help.
Toby drew back a step. He knew what Sanelle was about to do, and he wished that he could help, too. If only the Elders at Dragon Valley had not taken away his magic, he would have been able to help give Tryx back her magic.
Sanelle knelt back down and laid one hand on the dragon’s soft-scaled hide. She drew a simple rune, and then laid her other hand on the dragon as well. She seemed to just be resting her hands and closing her eyes, but Toby knew better. She was transferring some of her own magic into Tryx.
Slowly the dragon’s scales changed colour to bronze, then gold, finally shining with a brilliance that was hard to look at.
Enough magic, Tryx said quietly and Sanelle lifted off her hands. She looked tired and, by the colour of her eyes, she had left very little magic for herself. They were more black than purple, but she grinned and didn’t seem to regret giving her magic at all.
Feel much better. Tryx stood up and shook her wings out with a snap that showed her fully regained strength.
‘It looks like you did that just in time,’ Riko said, pointing to a group of townspeople heading quickly in their direction. He looked sad, and Toby wondered if Riko’s parents had told the townspeople where to find them. ‘It’s time we left.’
Tryx carry four, Tryx said, dipping low to allow them to climb up onto her back.
‘Are you sure?’ Toby asked. He had seen her carry three, but that was a while ago and he guessed she had grown since.
Hurry. Tryx ignored the question. The townspeople were not just armed with stones this time — the town guards were with them and they had their bows drawn, ready to fire.
The four children scrambled up onto Tryx’s back and she leapt into the sky just as the first arrow was let loose. Riko looked uncertain where to hold on until Toby pointed to one of the back-ridges. They rose quickly out of bow-shot range and circled the town once.
Where Tryx go?
‘South. To see my mother — she’ll know what to do,’ Sanelle replied firmly. She didn’t look as confident as she sounded, but Toby had no better plan so he kept quiet. Tryx turned south and flew off, leaving Belmoor far behind in a few dozen wingbeats.
CHAPTER TWELVE
FACING AGGIE
Tryx flew at a steady speed but without her normal antics of riding currents or doing barrel rolls. For once she seemed to be taking in the seriousness of the situation. A glint of gold off to Toby’s left made him squint into the distance. It stood out clearly against the brilliant blue of the sky. It was definitely a dragon, but Toby couldn’t tell who it was at this distance. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight, which reminded him even more of Dragon Valley.
Klel flies south also, Tryx said, glancing at the golden dragon in the distance.
‘We should tell him that Blaise’s lies have been spreading,’ Sanelle said.
‘Can you catch up to him, Tryx?’ Toby asked, aware that the young dragon was carrying a heavy load.
Easily, Tryx boasted, tipping sideways as she veered left. Luckily everyone was holding on, because she picked up the pace and shot towards the golden dot at an amazing speed.
Wind buffeted the four passengers, making talking a near-impossible task, so they sat in silence and watched the golden dot grow larger by the minute. Klel was clearly identifiable less than ten minutes later, as the young dragon closed the gap on the older one.
‘He’s heading to my home village,’ Sanelle said, leaning in close to Toby’s ear to talk to him. Sure enough, by the time Tryx caught up with Klel they were in sight of Sanelle’s home. At first Toby struggled to see any sign of life in the small valley they were approaching. Then he noticed several cottages with thatched roofs that blended into the trees and fields.
Come to see Morgain, Klel said as the dragons slowed and came to hover over the village.
Tryx also go find Morgain, Tryx added.
‘Mother may be able to stop Blaise,’ Sanelle told Klel. ‘She was the only one who could ever control him.’
The dragons spiralled slowly down to land in a large field by one of the small cottages. Sanelle slipped off Tryx’s back and hurried towards the cottage. She came out before the others had even gone half the distance to the cottage.
‘She’s not here,’ Sanelle said, frowning as she squinted across the paddocks in search for her. ‘There aren’t any crops planted at the moment, so I doubt she would be in the fields.’
‘Maybe she’s in the village?’ Toby suggested. He had seen a larger cluster of houses not far from there as they flew in.
Toby and Kaylene climbed up onto Klel’s back. Sanelle and Riko accepted Tryx’s offer of a lift into the village, and they reached the cluster of houses in just a few wingbeats. Both dragons landed at the edge of the main road to let their passengers dismount.
The main road through the village was busy with dozens of people who all seemed very happy. Stalls were being set up on the sides of the road and big banners strung between houses and shops.
‘It looks like they’re setting up for the Spring Carnival,’ Sanelle said, looking surprised. They started walking through the village, with the dragons walking slowly behind them.
Several children kicking a stone along the road seemed to be the only ones in the village who weren’t happy. They paused by a tree and watched as a man tore down a notice that had been nailed to it. The man rolled up the parchment and tossed it into a small handcart full of rubbish that he was pulling.
‘It’s not fair,’ one of the youngsters said, kicking the stone against the tree.
‘Why did the winter have to end today?’ another grumbled.
The children wandered off, kicking stones at anything that didn’t move, and Toby wondered why they were so upset to see better weather. Up ahead, another notice was nailed to a tree. He walked quickly so that he reached the tree before the man with the handcart. The notice said:
Winter Games
Prizes for best snowman
Downhill snowboard races
Sled races
Snowball fight
Bring your own snowballs!
No wonder the kids were upset. It sounded like a lot of fun. The man
with the handcart caught up with Toby and reached over and tore down the notice just as Toby finished reading it. Then he turned and saw the dragons that had accompanied the visitors to the village.
Indeed, all activity appeared to be stopping as the villagers saw the dragons. Many people were gathering to see the new arrivals.
‘It’s going to be a wonderful harvest this year, Sanelle,’ an old woman said, rushing up to give Sanelle a big hug. ‘What with the early arrival of spring, and now two dragons have come to bring good luck to the village.’
‘Have you seen my mother, Dora?’ Sanelle asked. She did not elaborate on the fact that the warm weather wasn’t due to Spring arriving early.
‘She came through town a little while ago,’ Dora replied. ‘Normally she helps with the carnival, but today she seemed to have something else on her mind.’
‘Thanks, Dora,’ Sanelle said, and the woman hurried on her way, stopping only to sneak up and touch Klel’s scales before hurrying off again with a big grin.
It took quite a while to work their way through the main street. Everyone wanted to look at, or even touch, the dragons as they went past. By the time they’d reached the end of the main part of the village there was still no sign of Morgain.
‘Where do we look next?’ Kaylene asked as they left the crowds behind.
‘I think I know where she’s heading,’ Sanelle said. ‘The gateway we use to get to the valley is half a day’s walk from here.’
We fly faster, Klel said and soon all of them were on the dragons and heading for one of the many mountains that surrounded the village.
‘There she is!’ cried Toby, spotting a lone figure walking up a track just off the main road. The dragons circled down to find a place to land, and Morgain came to a halt when she saw them. She waited for them to land in a clearing by the side of the track, and then hurried over to greet them.
‘I was heading for the valley,’ Morgain said, looking up and waving a hand across the brilliant blue sky. ‘What has caused this?’
Toby automatically began to slip back out of sight as Sanelle greeted her mother with a hug.
‘The valley is in trouble. All the magic is flooding out and the gates are failing,’ Sanelle said, tactfully not mentioning Toby’s role in the whole thing. ‘We have to find a missing dragon stone to fix the gates.’
‘Farren,’ Morgain said with a frown. ‘When we were young, my brother wanted to go exploring, but the dragons wouldn’t allow him to go through to other worlds as he wasn’t old enough. So he stole the dragon stone. He was convinced that he could use it to open a gateway so that he could go exploring.. He was practising his spell and it went wrong. Half of one of the cones collapsed, burying several houses and injuring a dozen people. They were going to take away his magic until he grew older, but he ran off and took the stone with him. Nobody has seen him since. He must have found a way to open one of the gates after all.’
‘We need to find him to save the valley,’ Sanelle said.
‘Without it there will be nothing for you to rule,’ Morgain said, looking at her daughter. ‘Did you accept Jerrik’s offer?’
‘Rule?’ Toby repeated. ‘What are you ruling?’
‘The responsibility of ruling Dragon Valley passes from father to son — or daughter,’ Sanelle explained. ‘My mother was next in line to take over from Jerrik, but she has chosen to remain in Arandyl.’
‘That makes Sanelle next in line,’ Morgain added. ‘There is no way they would consider Blaise as a ruler even though he is older.’
‘Why didn’t you say something?’ Toby was confused why his friend would keep such a secret. She was in line to rule an entire land and she hadn’t told him.
‘It didn’t seem right when you were in such trouble,’ Sanelle replied. ‘Besides I don’t know if I want to yet. I would have to live there all year around.’
‘What trouble were you in, Toby?’ Morgain asked, then she noticed the colour of his eyes and looked sad.
‘He didn’t do anything. His magic just kept damaging things,’ Sanelle said defensively.
‘Can we discuss this another time?’ Toby asked. He was a little tired of hearing how he had ruined everything.
Tryx told to stay in valley. Klel said to Tryx, kindly changing the subject. Why not in Dragon Valley?
All dragons searching, Tryx replied. Can no longer survive in Valley. Only people remain well. Dragons all sick.
Tryx not ill, Klel noted pointedly.
Sanelle give magic, Tryx replied. People stone Tryx. Stone Toby, Sanelle and others. Leave fast.
‘They threw stones at you?’ Morgain asked, upset at what she was hearing. ‘Why?’
‘Blaise,’ Sanelle said with what was close to a snarl.
‘He’s spreading rumours that dragons carry a sickness,’ Toby added.
‘He must be stopped,’ Morgain said. She looked bothered that her son was causing trouble for the dragons.
‘People are believing him and now they hate dragons,’ Kaylene explained. ‘We were chased out of my cousin Riko’s home town and even his parents wouldn’t let him near them.’
‘Do you know where we can find him?’ Morgain said, her eyes already showing that she was thinking of ways to stop her son.
‘It won’t be hard. He doesn’t seem to be trying to hide,’ Toby said. ‘He was heading south the last we saw.’
‘We’ll stop by at Castletown and tell Herat what his son is up to,’ Morgain said, looking over at Klel. ‘Will you take me, please? Do you have time before you return to searching for the dragon stone?’
Klel nodded and they all climbed onto the dragons again. They had to backtrack a little before they turned west, but it was only a short time later that the golden dragons were flying over the castle that Toby had called home for most of his life. The impressive castle of King Herat stood out against the now green countryside — at this time of year the ground was usually knee-deep in snow.
Klel signalled to Tryx that they should land, and the older dragon led the way down to the main square of Castletown. There were many people milling around in the unseasonable heat and they made way for the dragons to land.
For a brief second Toby wondered if the people were going to start throwing things and shouting about dragon sickness. The smiles and laughter of the people made him relax. They looked delighted to see a dragon, and clearly two arriving at the same time had made their day. They rushed up to greet both dragons and people.
A guard and an archer came running down the main road to the castle and stopped by the group of dragons and visitors. Toby grinned to see that one of them was his milk-brother, Nathan, and the other his good friend Cole. It was a while since he had seen them, but they looked to be on official business so Toby restrained the urge to give his brother a hug.
‘King Herat requests the pleasure of your company,’ Nathan said formally.
‘The dragons may land in the main courtyard where fresh straw is being laid for their comfort,’ Cole added. ‘The king welcomes dragons to his castle.’
‘We accept the invitation,’ Morgain said formally, and the two boys bowed and retreated. They remained waiting nearby and were obviously an escort. Nathan dared a glance at Toby and winked.
Toby went closer and spoke to his brother, making sure he didn’t make eye contact. Nathan was sure to notice his grey eyes and Toby wasn’t ready to answer questions right now. ‘It’s good to see you, Nathan.’
‘You too, brother. Aggie will be pleased to see you. It’s been months since you visited,’ Nathan said. ‘We volunteered to come down when your arrival was seen by the gate guard.’
Nathan and Cole returned to their duties as escorts as Morgain headed for the castle. They hurried to the front of the small group of people and marched ahead.
Toby doubted his mother would be so pleased to see him when she found out what trouble he had caused this time. She had been proud of him when he was an apprentice to Klel, but now what would she think?
‘It is a good week. First we have a break in the weather and now a visit from old friends and two dragons as well,’ King Herat said, beaming at them all.
Servants hurried out of the castle with armloads of the fresh fruit for the dragons. Klel and Tryx turned their attention to the feast immediately.
The visitors were led to the private eating rooms upstairs where a feast was quickly being laid out. Toby recognised one of the lads carrying in the food as he had worked alongside Max as a servant here. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but it was really only a little over a year. Max did not look pleased to see him, but Toby forgot all about the scowling boy when another face appeared at the door.
Aggie was peering around the open door and she smiled when she saw that Toby was there. She drew back, but Toby knew she would be waiting down in the kitchens for him to visit when he could.
The pleasantries of the feast seemed to go on forever, and although he hadn’t eaten since breakfast he wasn’t hungry. It had been a long day and all he wanted to do was go to sleep.
Finally, when all the eating and entertaining by jugglers and acrobats was finished, they moved down the hall to a sitting room.
‘Herat,’ Morgain began, before the king had even taken his seat in the highly padded replica of his throne. ‘Our son is causing trouble.’
Queen Lisan almost choked on the mead she was sipping. She did not like to be reminded that the king had a son before he married her.
‘You may all be excused,’ King Herat said, waving his hand at everyone in the room. ‘Morgain and I have matters to discuss.’
Toby did not hesitate to leave, quickly followed by Sanelle, Kaylene and Riko. The queen and her entourage were the last to leave.
