The Sapphire Quest

by Gill Vickery

  To Chris and Jennie

  DragonFather and DragonChild

  Contents

  Map

  The Story So Far...

  Chapter One: The Avenue of Beasts

  Chapter Two: The secret cellar

  Chapter Three: The Elves of Iserborg Castle

  Chapter Four: The Stone Guards

  Chapter Five: The Great Statue

  Chapter Six: Master Zeno

  Chapter Seven: Trapped

  Chapter Eight: Geysers and volcanoes

  Chapter Nine: Battle with the trolls

  Map

  The Story So Far...

  The High Witches of Tulay stole the DragonQueen’s jewels of power and drove the dragons away. In revenge, one of the dragons kidnapped the youngest witch’s child, Tia. Raised by the mighty creatures, Tia is now on a quest to retrieve the jewels, helped by her DragonBrother, Finn, who can blend invisibly into any background, and a jackdaw called Loki.

  Tia has already stolen back three jewels: the emerald, which grants the power to talk to animals, the opal, which lets its owner change shape, and the topaz, which controls the weather.

  Now Tia, disguised as a Trader called Nadya, has arrived at Stoplar. Stoplar is ruled by Skadi, who has the sapphire that enables the bearer to travel instantly from one place to another. But the three remaining High Witches have now learned of the thefts and Tia is in greater danger than ever before.

  Chapter One

  The Avenue of Beasts

  Tia and her DragonBrother sat on a sloping hill of plumed cottongrass and scanned the skies. Finn’s sharp dragon eyes were the first to spot a black dot high above the plain stretching away in front of them.

  ‘There he is!’

  Tia shaded her eyes with her hand and made out a jackdaw flying swiftly in their direction. He landed with a bounce on the grass.

  ‘Well?’ Tia demanded.

  ‘Don’t be so impatient,’ the bird said and started to preen his feathers.

  ‘What did he say?’ the little copper-coloured dragon asked.

  ‘He told me not to be impatient.’

  Finn laughed and puffed out a smoke ring at Loki.

  The bird shook his wings. ‘That’s better.’ He cocked his head at Tia. ‘I suppose you want a report?’

  ‘Yes, please, Loki.’

  The jackdaw flew onto Finn’s shoulder so that he was eye to eye with Tia and said, ‘To the west of Iserborg town there are a few big hills. They look as if they’re covered in snow and ice but it’s dust from the white stone that people quarry there.’

  ‘That must be marble – you remember Luona’s palace was covered with it?’

  ‘Skadi’s castle is grey stone but there are marble statues all over it.’ Loki shook his wings. ‘They’re of horrible, ugly monsters. The castle’s in the middle of the town and it’s got a moat. There’s a bridge at the front and a watergate at the back. The town’s surrounded by a wall with two gates. Big stone avenues lead up to them, only...’

  ‘Yes?’ Tia prompted.

  ‘There are more of those marble statues – huge ones – standing on each side of the avenues. I didn’t like them.’

  ‘Why not?’

  But Loki wouldn’t explain any further, except to say they looked bad and made him feel strange.

  Tia told her DragonBrother what the jackdaw had said.

  Finn’s smoke rings came faster. ‘I don’t like the sound of those statues.’

  ‘Neither do I,’ Tia said, ‘but I have to steal that sapphire from Skadi and I’d better get going.’ She picked up her backpack. ‘It’s late and I want to get there before the town gates are closed at nightfall.’

  Finn nudged Tia with his muzzle. ‘I can disguise myself and take you part of the way.’ He looked across the plain. ‘I wonder where the spell boundary starts.’

  Tia’s witch powers meant she could see the spells that kept dragons away from the lands of the six towns. This one sparkled like frosted spider silk right around the plain. But she couldn’t say so. She had to keep her powers secret from Finn because she didn’t want him to know she was a ‘witch-brat’. That was what the dragonets at Drakelow had called her.

  ‘I think you ought to disguise yourself right away, just in case the spell’s close,’ she said.

  Finn’s skin rippled and turned to the colour of the cotton grass he was lying on. He picked Tia up and sprang into the air, changing into the colour of the evening sky as he flew.

  They landed a safe distance away from Iserborg town, which was dominated by Skadi’s squat, looming castle. Tia threw her arms around Finn’s muzzle and told him to stay safe.

  ‘I will,’ he promised. ‘And I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.’

  ‘I’ll bring the sapphire with me.’

  ‘You won’t be tempted to use it?’

  She shook her head vigorously. ‘No!’ She’d learned that the jewels were much too powerful for her to control safely, except for the emerald which she kept on a chain tucked safely away under her shirt. Finn kept the opal and topaz for her. She wouldn’t risk using the sapphire, no matter how tempted she might be.

  She gave Finn one last hug before he flew away then set off towards the town. Loki flew on ahead. The sun was beginning to set and he wanted to roost before darkness fell.

  When Tia reached the avenue leading to the town gates, a chill ran through her. The marble beasts on either side were much, much bigger than she had imagined – three times the size of a large horse – and even more terrifying.

  The first two creatures were a wolf, on her left, and a serpent, on her right. The wolf was carved in a crouching position as if it were ready to spring, its lips drawn back to show huge fangs. The serpent reared up on a column of coils, its tongue darting out like a spear. They looked horribly real, especially in the failing light, and Tia felt her insides churn as she walked closer.

  She stepped onto the avenue meaning to keep her eyes on the ground, but a loud grinding noise startled her and she looked up. The statues’ heads had swivelled towards her. Their mouths gaped wider and their eyes lit up with a deep red glow.

  Tia’s heart pounded. Would they leap on her as she passed them? Holding her breath, she walked steadily forward. The ghastly grating noise started up again as the beasts’ heads twisted and their red eyes followed her progress down the avenue.

  A few strides more and she came to the next two beasts, a bear and a leopard. Their snarling heads twisted round too and their red eyes fixed on her. Skadi must have put a spell on the statues to make them move whenever anyone approached. It was strong magic. No wonder Loki had felt uneasy.

  Tia hurried on. She passed animals she recognised, a pine marten and a lynx, and animals she didn’t – a great cat with a collar of shaggy fur and a plumed tail, an armoured bull-like creature with a vicious horn on its nose. They were all the same size and all had moving heads and glowing eyes that followed her every step. By the time she reached the gates she was running. She shot into the town and across a square into a higgledy-piggledy collection of thatched houses.

  Panting hard, she skidded to a stop halfway down a shadowy side street. She made sure she had a good view of the gates and then slumped underneath a window, recovering her breath.

  In the square, people stood in anxious knots, talking in low, agitated voices. Even the guards at the entrance were deep in a tense conversation. Tia realised that was why they hadn’t noticed her. She’d been lucky they had other things on their mind than a running child.

  A light came on in the window above Tia’s head and she heard talking.

  ‘She wants five men for the quarries and seven women and children for servants,’ a man’s voice said.

  ‘But she took nine
folk last month!’ a woman replied.

  ‘There are accidents in the quarries and you know what happens when she tires of servants.’

  The woman gave a cry of fright. ‘But she won’t take anyone now – you know she doesn’t like to use the bracelet at night. Close the shutters and bolt the doors to be on the safe side.’

  Tia heard the shutters above her being pulled to. As the man locked them down he muttered, ‘Not that bolts and bars can keep her out.’

  All over the town, lights were being lit and shutters closed. The guards hauled the great wooden gates shut and barred them with stout beams. As darkness fell, two new guards with flaming torches marched up and the others strode off towards the castle. The night guards each went to a hut, one on either side of the gate, fixed their torches over the top and sat inside. The whole town fell quiet and the night closed in at last.

  Chapter Two

  The secret cellar

  Tia leaned back against the wall and thought about the conversation she’d overheard. What did the woman mean by saying High Witch Skadi ‘took’ people?

  Malindra had used animals to keep her citizens under control, Yordis had turned herself into a bear and threatened to eat people, and Luona froze anyone who crossed her. But what could Skadi do with the sapphire that frightened the people of Iserborg so much?

  A cold wind scurried across the square. Tia shivered. Summer was close but the nights were still cold and she needed to find shelter. She wished Loki didn’t roost at night; he’d be useful in finding her a place to go. A large piece of paper blew against her leg. As she pulled it off she saw it was a notice of some sort, with a picture of a face. It was too dark to see clearly but something about the face made Tia feel uneasy. She decided to look at it properly.

  She went further down the street, hid in a doorway, and snapped a tiny light on the end of her finger. She gasped at what she saw. The picture was of her own face.

  Hurriedly she read the notice:

  Tia had never heard of so much money. No-one would help her if that was the reward Skadi offered for her capture. She’d have to hide quickly – but where?

  A scraping noise from the end of the street made Tia put out the flame and spin round. To her astonishment a trapdoor rose up and three children, one of them very small, climbed out into the street. They closed the trapdoor and scurried off.

  Tia wondered who on earth they could be. She hurried to the end of the road and saw an alley running behind the houses. Feeling sure that the children had gone that way and wouldn’t see her, Tia hauled on an iron ring set into the trapdoor. It lifted to reveal a gaping black hole. Let’s see what’s down there, she thought. It might be a useful place for me to hide.

  She clicked another small flame onto her fingertip and leaned into the hole. Inside it looked like a cellar; maybe an old store for fire-rock. There were stools and a table and shelves. As she wriggled forward to take a better look, something shoved her in the back and she tumbled into the blackness. She banged her head as she landed, and fell into an even deeper darkness.

  ‘Is she dead?’ a small voice asked.

  ‘No,’ another voice answered. ‘She knocked herself out. Serve her right for breaking into our cellar. It’s a good job we heard the trapdoor creak and came back to see what was happening.’

  Tia’s head ached, but she was glad to know she was alive. She opened her eyes. Sitting in front of her, their backs against the wall, was a girl of about her own age and a very small boy. Light came from an oil lamp standing nearby.

  ‘You’re awake then,’ the girl said.

  Tia struggled up and discovered that her wrists and ankles were tied. ‘I’m not dangerous,’ she said. ‘I was just looking in your cellar because I need a place to hide.’

  ‘That’s because you’re a thief, running away from Skadi. We saw the poster. There’s a big reward offered for you.’

  Even though Tia’s head was hurting, she thought quickly. The children wouldn’t be able to turn her in to the High Witch without being caught themselves. ‘You’re hiding as well, aren’t you?’ she asked.

  The girl glared.

  ‘Does Skadi want you?’ Tia went on, trying to sound friendly.

  The girl nodded slowly. ‘She wanted our family,’ she said, hugging the little boy, ‘to punish our father for daring to ask her not to take people. Father was her steward and she made him go and haul marble in the quarry. He was killed. She made Mother her maid and my older brother, Ingvar, and me chimney sweepers.’ She hugged the small boy tighter. ‘And she said she’d take Sindri to be her son.’

  Tia thought about her DragonMother, Freya, who’d brought her up as her own DragonChild. She was kind and Tia loved her. Skadi wasn’t like that. ‘What happened to your mother?’ she asked.

  ‘The High Witch took her. She tried to run away with me and my brothers but Skadi appeared. Mother struggled with her and Skadi had to let go of us. Mother shouted, “Run!” So we did. I looked back and saw Skadi take her. We’re going to wait until Mother finds us again one day.’

  Tia remembered her father promising to find her when the great dragon Andgrim snatched her away. I’ll find you, Tia! I’ll find you and bring you back! he’d called. She was still waiting.

  ‘I was stolen too,’ Tia said.

  The girl’s eyes widened. ‘Who took you?’

  Tia couldn’t tell the truth, that Andgrim had kidnapped her because her mother was one of the High Witches who’d stolen the dragons’ jewels of power. ‘Malindra,’ she said, ‘the High Witch of Drangur. I’m good with animals and she wanted me to help look after her menagerie. When her emerald of power was stolen and the people caught her, I ran away. My parents are Traders and they’d moved on. I’ve been going to all the towns trying to find them.’

  Noises from overhead put an end to the conversation. The trapdoor opened and a boy swung down, locking it behind him.

  ‘Ingvar!’ The little boy leapt up and hurled himself at his brother. ‘Have you brought us lots to eat?’

  Ingvar put a sack onto the table. ‘Plenty of food!’ he said. ‘But I couldn’t finish all the tasks by myself. It’s a shame you had to stay behind after I pushed her in here.’ He jerked his thumb in Tia’s direction. ‘Now we need to decide what to do about her.’

  He and the girl went into a corner and talked in low, urgent voices while Sindri rummaged in the sack. Tia wondered where the food had come from and what Ingvar had meant by ‘finishing tasks’.

  Ingvar and his sister nodded in agreement and came back towards her.

  ‘Bryndis says she trusts you – that’s good enough for me,’ the boy said. He untied her bonds. ‘You can hide here while you look for your parents.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Tia rubbed her tingling wrists and ankles. ‘Can I do anything in return?’

  ‘Maybe tomorrow night. Now we eat and then we sleep while it’s day.’

  The food Ingvar had brought was very good. There were steaming pies wrapped in cloth to keep them warm, crusty bread, cheese and fruit.

  When they’d finished and cleared away Bryndis showed Tia to a heap of blankets by the wall. Her bag was on the top. ‘You can sleep here.’

  Tia thanked her and lay down. She wished she was snuggled up to Finn with the stars overhead and Loki nearby, sleeping with his head under his wing. But she was warm and safe here. Now she’d be able to look for the sapphire and plan how to steal it from Skadi. It’s strange, though, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, they live in a cellar but their food is good and these blankets are thick and warm – and clean. Before she could puzzle about it any more she was fast asleep.

  Chapter Three

  The Elves of Iserborg Castle

  ‘Wake up!’ Tia opened her eyes to find Bryndis shaking her. ‘We need to get going. Ingvar wasn’t able to finish the tasks by himself yesterday and we’ll have to start as soon as possible tonight to make up for it.’

  Tia scrambled to her feet, wondering what the mysterious tasks were.
/>
  Ingvar went first, unlocking the trapdoor and peering out cautiously before pulling himself up into the street. Tia, Sindri and Bryndis followed. They ran silently down the shadowy alley and round the streets until they reached the back of the castle. It was encircled by a moat with water plants, lush shrubbery and trees growing around it.

  They stopped at the water’s edge.

  ‘How are we going to get in?’ Tia whispered. ‘We can’t swim the moat, we’ll get soaked.’

  Bryndis rolled her eyes at her elder brother as if to say, What a weakling! Ingvar laughed and reached into some shrubbery. He untied the end of a hidden rope knotted to a branch, and tugged. A small boat floated out from among the reeds. Tia and Sindri climbed into the back while Ingvar and Bryndis took the oars. They rowed across the moat, leaving silver ripples in their wake.

  As they drew nearer, the bright moonlight lit up swarms of grotesque marble creatures covering the castle. They peered from window frames and round corners, from roofs and sheer walls that they clung to with long claws. Their hideous faces grinned down. Tia shivered and looked away.

  The boat bumped against a narrow gateway barred by a locked iron gate. Bryndis expertly kept the little boat steady while Ingvar stood and picked the lock. The gate swung open without a sound. They must keep the hinges well oiled, Tia thought approvingly.

  With the boat moored tightly to the watergate they ran up a flight of stone steps and into the castle. The four of them moved swiftly through shady corridors lit by flickering torches. Tia memorised landmarks as they rushed past tapestries and fantastic statues, all as ugly as the sneering gargoyles on the outside of the castle.

  Abruptly they stopped. Ingvar cautiously opened a huge door and stuck his head round it. He looked out again and waved cheerfully to show it was safe to enter.

  Inside was an enormous kitchen illuminated by wavering tapers and a glow of fire-rock from two great hearths. Shadows danced on a vaulted ceiling supported by smoke-blackened beams. Cupboards lined the walls and a long table with benches on either side ran down the length of the room. There was a heap of clothing at one end and foodstuffs laid out on a white cloth in the middle.