by Julia Suzuki
12
The Charcoal Trees
In the weeks of training ahead, Yoshiko spent hours and hours at the Talana adventure course with Romao, practising his turns. They would then fly the circuit around Dragor before going to the dragon gym to work with the weights. These training sessions with Romao had become the best part of Yoshiko’s day.
‘I’ve been very proud of your development, Yoshiko,’ announced Romao after one particularly intense session. ‘You now have good lifting power. But your fire resistance now needs work on it if you ever wish to face the hottest fire pits.’
Yoshiko’s gaze fell downwards to his body knowing that Romao was right.
‘It is time to take you to a place where there is plenty of heat,’ promised Romao. ‘Only this time we are going to a different territory.’
Yoshiko wondered what secrets this place might hold as Romao flew him out towards the Burial Ground.
‘We are at the edge of Saiga terrain now,’ said Romao, ‘where it is uninhabited. This area is barren and dry, but one amazing thing does grow here.’
Yoshiko strained his eyes to see the top of the rocks. He could just make out some dark shapes. Then as they drew nearer he realised that the clearings were scattered with dark-grey-coloured trees. They stretched up to the sky like twisted talons.
‘Dead trees,’ he said, wondering if that was what Romao meant.
The older dragon smiled. ‘Not dead at all,’ he said. ‘Those are charcoal trees and they are still growing. The Herb Doctors make things with special properties from these unique trees. They charm them to grow this way, some of the most powerful charcoal trees are nearly as high as some of the mountains. Just one or two of those twigs could make a whole cave hot for hours. Legend tells it that Surion braved a cave fired by a whole bushel of those charcoal tree branches, and this is where Ayo trains the Guard Dragons.’
They were nearing the trees now, and Yoshiko felt a strong heat in the air and sweat began to run off his face.
‘That is the heat the forest naturally gives off as the trees grow. You will feel heat far greater than this as we enter the forest,’ said Romao, who was clearly not bothered by the growing temperature. ‘Look down there,’ he added. ‘Below us the Saiga dragons have been planting seeds.’ He pointed to where tiny budding twigs were coming from the ground.
The heat was becoming more and more intense, and sweat was now gushing down Yoshiko’s snout. Romao stretched his talons to land and Yoshiko copied him, but the heat of the rocks below threw him off balance and he started hopping on the hot rocks.
‘Relax your claws,’ advised Romao. ‘Let them soften into the rock and take the weight off the back of your heels. The heat will not seem so strong.’
Yoshiko released his claws as instructed, trying to brave the heat whilst hopping from one foot to the other. Romao was settling into another lesson.
‘The reason why I bought you here, Yoshiko,’ he said, ‘is that this is the best way to harden your scales. The charcoal tree woods help you in two ways. Firstly, when you cut the wood the heat prepares your lungs for the Fire Pit. Secondly, the fire from these branches when you burn them hardens the scales like nothing else. This wood is another reason the Guard Dragons are so talented. They come here daily to cut the wood and train.’
Yoshiko realised the truth in Romao’s statement.
‘Come then,’ said Romao. ‘A few good branches will do it.’ They walked inside the forest.
Up close the charcoal trees looked even more eerie. Their branches were knotted and twisted as if disfigured.
‘The darkest black trees are the most powerful fire bringers but they resist being pulled down,’ said Romao as he reached out to tug down a branch. He dug both claws in and tugged. Eventually the branch snapped free in a shower of black dusty powder.
Yoshiko copied him, taking hold of his own branch he pulled hard. Eventually he snapped off a limb much smaller than Romao’s, which felt as heavy as stone.
‘Just a few more and we will venture to the pit,’ said the older dragon.
* * *
The Fire Pit was lower and narrower than any he had seen elsewhere, and Yoshiko was relieved to see that it had not a single Alana inside. Yoshiko approached with the branches, determined to put every bit of effort into staying in the heat.
Something caught his eye on the outside of the pit. It was a large red clay pot, and it looked exactly like the one in Cattlewick Cave.
They approached an intelligent-looking Saiga dragon at the entrance of the cave, who was busy stoking the flames, and handed over their branches.
‘Excuse me. Is that a Goadah pot?’ Yoshiko asked, pointing towards it.
‘Yes, it is indeed,’ replied the dragon. ‘One of the last in existence. We keep it here safe and sound. It is regularly fired in the pits to maintain its strength and durability.’
‘Is it magical?’ asked Yoshiko.
The guard tapped his own muzzle. ‘Dragor secret, not something I know about,’ he said, winking.
‘Can I try to lift it?’ asked Yoshiko.
The dragon laughed. ‘You can try,’ he said. ‘But I know you won’t be able to. Many many dragons have tried and failed,’ he added.
Yoshiko stepped towards the pot, flexing his wings out, with Romao watching on.
He then threw both wings around the wide pot and heaved with all his might.
‘See, I told you so, it didn’t even budge,’ said the Saiga dragon with assurance.
He then waved them both into the cave.
The first eye-watering wave of heat hit Yoshiko full-force across the face.
In the side areas of the pit were a few Guard Dragons, waiting out the hot temperatures in apparent comfort.
‘We’ll stay just here now,’ said Romao, gesturing they should remain very close to the entrance.
Yoshiko sat down.
With the dark heat of the pit, his mind whirred. How would it be possible to ever lift the Goadah Pot?
He puzzled over the question as his body withstood more and more heat.
13
The Burial Ground
Over the next few months Yoshiko worked as hard as he could. In the mornings he rose early and trained with Romao and in the evenings straight after school he did the same. To his delight he noticed more differences in his body. Muscles started to swell under his scales. Local dragons from the Effram clan lined up to watch Yoshiko beat flames as well as one of their own dragons. Yoshiko could now work for a full day in front of the fires if he chose. Neither did he mind this work.
There was something soothing about pumping the air, forward and continuously, and watching the fire heat the clay.
Collecting the charcoal wood had now built up a stronger resistance to heat, and he had managed the outer areas of the Fire Pit for some length of time though he still pondered daily about the task of lifting Guya’s Goadah pot.
* * *
He resolved to ask Ketu if he knew more about Guya. So one day, when Yoshiko and his elder were flying back from the marketplace after gathering some supplies, Yoshiko began his questioning.
‘Do you know any more facts about Cattlewick Cave?’ he asked. His elder turned his head to him and thought for a moment. ‘Well, having sat on the Council, I do know more than most, Yoshiko, and I trust you are now old enough for this information to be kept to yourself. Stories often twist over time but the basics of it involves Kinga.’ Ketu paused to recall all the details.
‘Kinga and Guya were close friends as hatchlings,’ he continued. ‘Then they were the best of friends all through Fire School and trained hard together to develop their fire skills. Both of them were so talented that they became Guard Dragons at an early age. Then some forty years ago the Council voted Kinga to rule the land and Guya was voted into the Council as representative of the Saiga clan.’
Yoshiko listened attentively.
‘At first Guya sat happily by Kinga’s side on the Council,’ continued Ketu. ‘Guya b
elieved in the Dragor rules and made sure that he upheld them,’ he said. ‘It was very important to him that the Commandments were never questioned. He did everything to ensure all dragons knew of them. Then, one day something happened to change all that.’
Yoshiko leaned closer curiously. ‘What happened?’
‘In some distant corner of Dragor when he was alone, without any other dragon around, he saw something. It made him question everything and he came to look at our rules differently,’ replied Ketu. ‘After that he could no longer sit at Kinga’s side. He no longer believed in everything he stood for. Though he still believed Kinga a fair ruler.’
Ketu turned slightly on the breeze. ‘Guya said that he had to go to some lonely spot and make his own path,’ he said. ‘At first Kinga tried to persuade him to stay. They argued, but eventually he saw that Guya could not be talked around. To this day Guya has not told Kinga or any dragon what happened to change him,’ continued Ketu. ‘Cattlewick Cave is an ancient place of importance, from long ago in Surion times, and it is said secrets lie there. Kinga allowed him the spot permanently, and ordered the cave to be constructed to his needs. No one knows quite what he does up there. Kinga believes what he does is for the best, and that is answer enough for most dragons.’
Ketu fell silent for a while, and something stopped Yoshiko from asking more questions.
‘Come now, Yoshiko,’ Ketu said suddenly, veering left instead of heading in the direction of their home cave. ‘Red Seventh Moon approaches. I want you to visit the Dragor Burial with me.’
It was the month when the dragons celebrated the passing of their clan ancestors. They would fly out to the deserted part of Dragor where the bones of their long-dead relations lay. Some dragons liked to rumour that the mystical Burial Ground made the spirits of the dragons rise up above it each year, and it was said that any dragon who might witness the ghosts armed with magical weapons would be rendered invincible. So every Red Seventh Moon the young hopefuls would descend on the Burial Ground to honour their ancestors, hoping to be granted the power. Each clan would bring flowers of their own colour that the Mida clan farmers had grown. During the evening, as the moon rose in the summer sky, a big colourful party was thrown to bless the dead.
Yoshiko and Ketu flew side by side, and as the wind dropped Ketu announced, ‘I have something important that it is time to show you.’
The dragon clan villages grew small beneath them and the sounds of life quietened. Yoshiko flew close to his elder as they headed deep into the dragons’ Burial Ground.
They landed on a barren-looking stretch of land, and Yoshiko felt an eerie energy around him. He had the strangest feeling that eyes were upon him but as he looked around could see no sight of anyone, yet he felt that they weren’t alone.
Ketu saw the concern on Yoshiko’s face. ‘Have no fear, there are not really any ghouls around here,’ he said trying to cheer him.
They sat for a moment, taking in the hush of the Burial Ground. Then Ketu spoke.
‘I have been proud of you these last seasons. You look like a young warrior now because of all your efforts.’
Yoshiko looked down modestly.
‘But there is something I have never told you. Something about when you were born.’
Ketu looked down guiltily as Yoshiko’s face showed alarm. The elder dragon began scratching at the dusty ground where he sat, his sharp talons digging deep; he then stood suddenly and Yoshiko looked into the hole Ketu had made. Something glittered at the bottom of it.
‘I see… strange-coloured shell!’ Yoshiko announced hardly able to breathe.
Ketu nodded as he continued pushing away at the earth with his claws.
‘It is the egg you were born from. We told the Hudrah that the whirl of colours was just the reflection of the firelight. But that wasn’t true. Your egg was different, Yoshiko.
‘Kiara and I took the pieces of the shell and buried them here,’ said Ketu. ‘We didn’t want any other dragon to see them.’
Ketu reached down and pulled out a glittering fragment.
‘This is where you came from,’ he said. ‘We tried to burn the eggshell to ash. But no matter how much fire we breathed on to it the pieces of the shell did not even get hot. They were indestructible. So we covered them in earth and left them here.’
Tears had collected in Ketu’s eyes.
‘We deeply wished we could keep the pieces as other elders did, in a gilded box for you to marvel at when you were growing up. But we could not for fear of others seeing it. But you need to know this, Yoshiko. Kiara and I thought your egg the most incredible thing we had ever seen.’
Yoshiko looked at the colourful pieces of shell and then back again at Ketu. He remembered Igorr’s words about his strange egg.
‘What does it mean?’ he asked.
‘I do not know exactly, Yoshiko, though I have asked the same question over and over. But something happened, before your birth. Something which made me know you would be a blessing.’
Ketu looked into Yoshiko’s eyes as he prepared himself for his story. He patted Yoshiko’s arm then began. ‘It was back when Romao had only just won his guardship with us, and Kiara was first at her nest. Do you remember the Ageless Ones?’
Seeing Yoshiko’s interest, Ketu drew himself up even closer. ‘It was a time of great worry for Kiara and me, for as soon as your egg had been laid gossip in the clans began.’
‘I was in the market,’ he continued, ‘buying some herbs and potions, for Kiara wanted to be sure she had every medicine for the cave and would not leave the nest for fear of prying eyes. I was weighed down with cares worrying about your egg. Without thinking I sat down in front of the Ageless Ones to sort through my basket. When I looked up they were staring down at me.
‘It was no different from how they usually gaze out blankly at everyone in the marketplace – but the white opal stones that they wear around their necks seemed to shine brighter – and I had a feeling, somehow, as though some kind of connection had been made.’
He looked at Yoshiko, who was staring back in silence. ‘I found myself talking to them,’ continued Ketu, ‘of how Kiara’s chest had begun to speckle before laying your egg, and of how overjoyed we were to be bringing forth a new hatchling.
‘Then I told them about all the rumours and of our fears for the egg because of it being so different,’ said Ketu, keeping his eyes now fixed to the dusty ground. ‘I spoke of how I had to reassure Kiara of our hatchling’s health when I did not feel the certainty myself, and that with many moons left to go I feared I would not have the strength to continue comforting her without more confidence. Then a strange thing happened,’ he said.
‘The Ageless Ones leaned forward and firmly took my arms. I gasped, having been told that the twin dragons had never been known to communicate with another dragon. I felt as though I were being pulled into another place, another time,’ he continued. ‘It was as if the whole of Dragor was rushing away from me and then, just as suddenly I saw myself, a few winters older, with a young dragon at my side. I knew instinctively that this was you, Yoshiko. That is when I knew that all would be well.’
Yoshiko swallowed.
‘Something similar happened to me too,’ he said, ‘with the Ageless Ones.’
Ketu looked at him in surprise.
‘When we first visited the marketplace. They stared at me and then touched their stones,’ continued Yoshiko. ‘I felt as though I had entered another world with them. Then came a voice that said something about destiny.’
‘I do not know what to make of all this,’ said Ketu. ‘I know only that Kiara and I want you to be safe and happy. I thought it unfair to keep this from you now you are older.’
‘Have you talked to the Ageless Ones since?’ asked Yoshiko.
‘Many times I have tried,’ said Ketu. ‘I walk past them often, but never again have they blessed me with a vision.’ He stopped as if considering something, and continued, ‘Without doubt, they have powers that are not know
n elsewhere in Dragor.’
He turned suddenly to face Yoshiko.
‘But you need not worry yourself about such things,’ he said as he then covered the eggshell over again with the dusty soil. ‘You are now a happy and normal dragon.’
Yoshiko nodded but inside he felt a twist of pain.
He had been ready to tell Ketu about the callstone and about his visits to Guya, but now felt he couldn’t. It was clear that all Ketu and Kiara wanted was for him to be like other dragons. And as time passed he wasn’t sure he wanted to be.
14
The Trail Mountains
‘Are you ready, Yoshiko?’ asked Romao.
The day had finally arrived for Yoshiko to try out the Trail Mountains.
‘I can’t wait. I will be like a soaring eagle,’ he said, grinning at Romao. ‘I hope I can get off the first level trail really quickly and start working through to level two in a few days.’
‘See how you go.’ Romao smiled.
Red Seventh Moon celebrations were fast approaching and part of the festivities involved the younger dragons showing off the skills they’d now learned, and Yoshiko was looking forward to taking part.
‘The first pass you’ll try is quite simple,’ explained Romao. ‘There are no obstacles, just a few turns. The obstacles are in the harder trails and there are five levels.’
Suddenly another Guard Dragon landed by Romao. He was panting heavily.
‘One of the guards has been taken ill,’ he said, pausing to take a breath. ‘We need you to watch over the Fire Which Must Never Go Out.’
‘You need me right away?’ asked Romao, instantly straightening up as he prepared to go back on guard duty.
‘Yes,’ said the Nephan. ‘Ayo says you will be rewarded for the extra work.’
