by Linda McNabb
Toby grabbed a lantern from the wall in the corridor and quickly headed down into the tunnel. It had been an escape route from the old castle, and Toby had found it many years ago as a child exploring the castle.
He hurried along the corridor and soon found himself by the trapdoor which led into the old ruins. He was breathless from running, and he paused to listen while he caught his breath. He couldn’t hear anything above in the old ruins, so he slowly pushed up the old wooden trapdoor.
This one opened without much noise and Toby doused the lantern and slipped into the ruined castle.
He could hear voices in the room next-door and he leaned against the wall as he held his breath and listened. Who could be in the old castle? After just a few words he had his answer. Blaise and Lark.
‘We’ll just wait for the guards to stop looking, and then we’ll move on with the plan,’ Blaise was saying. He sounded agitated and impatient. ‘Why is it taking the townspeople here so long to fear the dragons?’
‘I guess they’ve had one here so long when Klel was at the castle that they aren’t so easily convinced,’ Lark replied calmly. ‘Don’t worry. They’ll turn against the dragons soon. A lot of them must be sick from the poison by now.’
‘And how do we overthrow Dragon Valley without the dragon stone?’ Blaise asked in a heated voice, not at all calmed by Lark’s assurance. ‘Did that brat of a kid smash it?’
‘I don’t think so. I think he’s just as angry at the dragons since they kicked him out of Dragon Valley. He may be just what we need,’ Lark suggested, but Blaise just grunted.
‘I’m going to ride down to the town. Bring the wagon down when you’ve finished making that band,’ Blaise said, and the click of his heels on the stone floor faded away quickly. Toby waited a minute and then peered out one of the gaping holes that had once been windows. The prince was riding off on a white horse that looked like it belonged in the king’s stables.
He knew that this was his chance to talk to Lark. He stepped into the doorway and stood waiting for his father to notice him. Lark was bent over a pile of gems and appeared to be joining them with links of gold. His little dog was sleeping at his master’s feet. Oska’s ears twitched and he sat up, staring at Toby and wagging his tail. After a few seconds, Lark looked up and noticed Toby.
‘I was hoping you’d come and join us,’ Lark said with a grin. ‘Thanks for defending me back there. I probably could’ve got away before she’d finished her spell but you certainly helped.’
‘I haven’t come to join you,’ Toby replied shortly. The little dog came bounding up to him and barked as he ran around and around Toby’s legs. Toby bent down and grabbed hold of the dog to keep it still. ‘I came to talk to you.’
‘What about?’ Lark asked, shoving the gems to one side and turning his full attention on his son. He was sitting on a large chunk of stone that had once been the top of a table.
‘You’re not really trying to stop Blaise from taking over Dragon Valley, are you?’ Toby asked. Oska wriggled free and ran off to sniff at the corner of the room.
Lark looked offended for a second before he beckoned Toby closer. Toby stepped a little closer, but remained several paces away from his father.
‘Of course I am,’ Lark assured his son in a quiet voice. ‘Blaise is going to try to invade the valley, with or without me. I can stop him.’
‘So you’re going to make sure he doesn’t try to take over Dragon Valley?’ Toby asked, wanting to be reassured again. His father sounded like he meant what he said, and Toby was desperate to believe him.
‘Oh yes, Toby,’ Lark said with a sudden grin. ‘I can guarantee that Blaise will not rule the dragons — ever.’
Toby stared at his father, trying to decide if he could trust him. From everything he had heard, he should turn Lark in to the guards or tell Morgain where he was.
‘There is one small problem, though,’ Lark said, not seeming to notice Toby’s uncertainty. He frowned and tapped his finger against the stone table.
‘What?’ Toby asked.
‘Blaise’s magic has returned,’ Lark said simply. ‘I’m not sure my magic is strong enough to stop him.’ Lark sighed and looked deep in thought.
‘The dragons are weak and the valley is not safe,’ Toby said quietly. ‘If only there was a way to heal the valley and give the dragons back their magic. Then they would be able to defend themselves.’
Lark looked up, raised an eyebrow and grinned. ‘There is. If we both work together. I’ve spent the past few years gathering every gem I could find. I even went to lands across the water to search for them. With these gems we can save the valley.’
‘Really?’ Toby felt his heart skip a beat as he felt the first spark of hope since this whole mess had started. He knew that magic was stored inside gems, and perhaps his father had found a way to draw on it as the dragons could do.
Lark nodded but did not elaborate on how they were going to do it. He stood up, slammed the lid of the chest of gems, and picked the chest up. ‘We’ll meet Blaise down in the town. Help me with this chest.’
Lark smiled at Toby in such a calm and relaxed way that Toby felt that he had finally found the father he had been looking for. He stepped forward and eagerly took the other side of the small chest, and they hurried down the broken and crumbling steps of the castle. Oska ran after them, stopping to sniff at everything on the way.
Parked down below, screened from the surrounding lands by a single wall, stood the wagon and horse that Blaise and Lark had used in Northport. They put the chest of gems in the back of the wagon, and Lark picked up the dog and put it in with the chest. Then he leapt gracefully up onto the driving seat. He stretched out a hand to help Toby up. Toby clasped the warm hand and let himself be pulled up. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to be sitting next to his father as the wagon slowly worked its way along the rough, overgrown track.
‘Won’t the guards be searching for you?’ Toby asked, concerned that his father might get arrested before they had a chance to restore Dragon Valley to its former glory.
‘They won’t see us if we don’t want them to,’ Lark assured his son, and Toby nodded in understanding.
They spotted the white horse tied outside the local inn, and Lark stopped the wagon next to it. There was no sign of any castle guards as Toby and his father jumped down from the wagon. Oska leapt onto the driving seat and barked at them, wanting to get down, too, but he stopped when he saw that the distance was too big for him to jump.
Toby saw Kaylene, Sanelle and Riko heading across the bridge and into town. He wanted to go and tell them of the new plan to save Dragon Valley — he knew they would help if they could.
‘I just need to go—’ Toby started to say to Lark but, before he could finish, Blaise came out the swing door and stopped to stare at Toby. Toby saw that the prince’s eyes were indeed purple again, and they narrowed as they took in Lark’s companion. Blaise flicked his gaze to Lark and raised an eyebrow.
‘What is he doing here?’ he snapped.
‘Toby is coming to help us,’ Lark said calmly and looked over at Toby for agreement.
Toby’s three friends had seen him and they were heading towards him, looking confused. They merged into the busy midday crowd and Toby lost sight of them. He needed to talk to them so that they understood what he was doing.
‘Why would he do that?’ Blaise asked. His tone said he did not believe it for a second.
‘He is just as keen to get revenge on the dragons,’ Lark said, shooting a sharp glance at Toby. ‘Isn’t that right, Toby?’
Toby knew he had to answer. He had to convince Blaise to let him come with them so that they could stop him and fix the valley at the same time. His mouth went dry and he licked at equally dry lips as Blaise stared at him.
‘Yes,’ Toby said in a squeaky voice. ‘It’s time to show the dragons who is in charge.’
Blaise seemed to be considering Toby’s words, and after a minute he shook his head. He
stepped down from the wooden veranda of the inn. ‘I don’t think I want his help.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Lark replied. ‘With Toby’s help we can invade the valley without needing the dragon stone. He and I can defeat them for you, and you can just walk in and take over.’
‘You can?’ Blaise paused and looked at Toby again for a dozen heartbeats, trying to decide if the risk was worth it. ‘And you are sure he’s on our side?’
‘Definitely,’ Lark said quickly. ‘He will do anything I say. Won’t you, Toby?’
Toby gulped slightly before he replied. ‘Sure. Anything my father says.’
‘Fine, we’ll take him along,’ Blaise said and headed for the white horse. ‘We’ll leave now in case he changes his mind.’
Lark climbed back onto the wagon and settled the little dog in the back. Toby allowed himself to be pulled back onto the wagon by his father. He glanced back around the side and saw Sanelle standing a few paces behind the wagon. She stared at him with disbelief and shock in her eyes.
Toby wished he could tell his cousin what he was really doing, but the wagon jerked sharply as the horse pulled away from the inn. Toby was forced to turn back and grab hold of the seat as Lark drove through the town at a pace that caused more than a few people to have to jump out of the way.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
TRUE COLOURS
It hadn’t looked far when the dragons had flown off to nearest gateway to Dragon Valley, up by the huge, old oak tree, but by wagon it was a long way. For Toby it seemed to take forever. He wanted to ask his father just how they were going to save Dragon Valley, but Blaise was riding his white horse next to them. Lark had been whistling a happy tune since they’d left and seemed very confident of the outcome of their quest. Oska had spent almost the entire trip asleep on Toby’s lap.
Despite the summer weather, night fell at the usual time and they were forced to pull the wagon over and stop. The steep curved track would be impossible to navigate in the dark.
‘We’ll sleep here,’ Blaise said, tying his horse to a tree in a small, flat clearing by the side of the road. ‘Lark, make a fire.’
Lark nodded as he jumped down from the wagon, but Toby was sure he saw a flicker of annoyance in his father’s eyes. Toby took Oska as he joined his father to gather some wood. Even Oska helped by dragging branches along behind them, and they soon had enough wood. Most of it was still slightly damp from the snow that had covered the ground until two days before, and Lark was forced to resort to his magic to start the fire burning.
Lark went into the wagon and banged around noisily for a few minutes, then came out with some cheeses, bread and a large ham. Soon they were sitting around a roaring fire, eating quietly as the sun slipped beyond the horizon. Oska sat waiting for scraps to be thrown to him. Toby could almost imagine travelling across the countryside with his father like this after they had fixed Dragon Valley and stopped Blaise’s devious plan to overthrow the dragons.
Nobody spoke, as both Lark and Blaise seemed deep in their own thoughts. Toby drew back from the flames as it was a warm night.
‘I’ll take Oska for a walk,’ he offered. When he didn’t get a reply, he walked off with the little dog and sat on a rock near a clump of bushes to watch him sniff at trees and bushes.
He heard a rustle in the bushes, but before he could turn around he felt a hand over his mouth and he was being dragged backwards into a prickly bush.
‘What—?’ he mumbled as he tried to see who his attacker was in the dim moonlight. He could see three figures but he could not make out their faces. His hands were pulled behind him and it felt like someone was sitting on them. Oska leapt into the bushes as well, yapping with excitement, clearly thinking this was a game. He, too, found himself grabbed and held.
‘Quiet!’ a voice he instantly realised as Sanelle’s hissed. He stopped struggling and the hand was removed from his mouth, but his hands were still held firmly behind him.
‘What are you doing?’ he whispered to them, wishing he could see their faces. ‘Why did you attack me? Let Oska go.’
Silence followed for a few seconds and his hands were still held firm, but the little dog was let loose and it bounded around thoroughly enjoying the attention. It was Kaylene who spoke up finally.
‘We want to know why you’re helping Blaise,’ she said in an accusing tone.
‘I’m not,’ Toby replied quietly. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘We’ve got all night,’ Riko replied. Toby felt the pressure lift from his hands and he shook them to bring back the feeling to them.
‘Won’t you be in trouble for running off again?’ Toby asked the princess. ‘And just being near me is going to cost you your kingdom.’
‘I’d rather lose my kingdom than let the dragons and their valley be destroyed,’ Kaylene snapped back without hesitation. ‘Tell us why you are here.’
Toby explained how he had come to be travelling with Lark and Blaise, and when he finished nobody spoke for a minute. Toby’s eyes had adjusted to the deep gloom of the bushes and he could finally make out his friend’s faces.
His friends frowned as they thought over his explanation. Sanelle shook her head. ‘I don’t think Lark is trying to save the valley.’
‘He told me he is,’ Toby said, quickly defending his father. ‘It’s his home, too. Why would he want the dragons ruled by Blaise?’
‘I think we’ll follow you up to the gateway and see,’ Kaylene replied. ‘If there’s the slightest hint that Lark means harm, we will call the dragons.’
‘I had better get back before they miss me.’ Oska was starting to bark loudly, and it wouldn’t be long before it drew Blaise or Lark’s attention. Toby had no doubt that his friends would see he was right. He slipped out of the bush and returned to sitting on the rock. He threw a stick for Oska and the little dog ran after it. A minute later, Lark turned and waved him back to the fire.
‘Come on, Oska,’ Toby called and the dog ran after him, nipping playfully at his heels.
‘We’ll set off again at sunrise,’ Blaise said as Toby came near. Without another word, he stuffed a final piece of bread into his mouth and withdrew into the wagon for the night.
‘We sleep under the wagon,’ Lark said, with a hint of disdain. He clearly didn’t like pretending Blaise was the leader of this quest. He threw a bucket of water on the fire and headed for the wagon.
**
Toby didn’t sleep well. It wasn’t the hard ground, nor was it cold, but he was nervous about what they were going to do in the morning. Lark still hadn’t told him exactly how they were going to fix the valley. When he had raised the subject that night, under the wagon, Lark had raised one finger to his lips and pointed up to the floor of the wagon. Oska slept curled up between Lark and Toby, and the little dog seemed the happiest of all of them that night.
After a breakfast that resembled the dinner of the night before, Blaise was eager to get moving. They crested a small hill an hour later, and the waterfall came into sight.
‘We’ll be there in half an hour,’ Blaise said, barely able to sit still on his white horse. He rode slightly ahead in his impatience to reach the gateway, but he never went far enough ahead that Toby could risk a conversation with his father.
The wagon stopped next to a small lake and Blaise tied his horse to a bush. The old oak tree stood on the far side of the lake and, between the two, at the back of the lake, was a trickling waterfall.
Blaise was pacing along the edge of the lake, looking at the bare rock wall behind the waterfall and rubbing his hands eagerly. Oska was drinking from the lake, then jumped in and swam around. He bounded out of the water and shook himself dry, covering everyone else in a shower of water, before running off towards some bushes.
‘So, Lark, how long will it take you and the boy to overthrow the dragons? Will we be all done by dinner time?’ Blaise demanded, glaring after the dog then turning his gaze on the short man.
‘Not exactly,’ Lark answered slowly.<
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Something in his tone of voice made Toby’s heart skip a beat. Was his father about to tell Blaise that they weren’t going to let him rule the dragons? He held his breath while Blaise’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to the little man.
‘So how long will it take?’ Blaise asked icily.
‘You aren’t going to rule the dragons,’ Lark said calmly and with a slight shrug. Toby wondered how Lark could be so calm. If his father wanted his help, he was leaving it a bit late to tell him the plan.
‘What?’ Blaise’s voice was stony cold.
Toby couldn’t help but grin a little. His father was holding true to his word — this would show Sanelle and the others he was right. He saw his friends watching from the trees a little way down the track and knew that they would be able to hear everything that was going on. He waved at them to come out and show themselves. Lark may need more than just his help to stop Blaise.
Lark hadn’t replied to Blaise yet, and he flicked his gaze to the three youths walking up the track. He seemed neither pleased nor upset to see them, as if he either had known they were there or didn’t care.
‘It looks like you were right,’ Kaylene said as they walked up to stand next to Toby.
‘But I have a question,’ Sanelle said, not seeming as impressed that Lark was actually keeping his word.
‘What is it?’ Lark asked, not appearing bothered by the diversion from his conversation with Blaise.
‘Why did you trap my mother in the pendant last year?’ she asked.
‘Because I told him to. She wouldn’t let me go and claim my birthright to rule the kingdom,’ Blaise snapped. A muscle was twitching in his cheek and he looked furiously at Lark. ‘And I’m telling him to open the gateway and defeat the dragons now.’
‘No,’ Lark replied. He glanced briefly at Blaise then faced Sanelle. ‘I didn’t trap your mother there because Blaise told me to.’
