Silver Hill

by Catherine Cooper

  ‘You’re safe now, make yourselves at home,’ Nora told the rats before turning to Jack.

  ‘Ready?’

  ‘Ready.’

  Although he was prepared, the jolt to his body made him jump. He began to stretch and grow while his nose shrank back to normal. He watched as the long claw-like fingers and long nails receded. Finally his spine straightened and he was back to his own body shape again.

  ‘I’m not sure I ever want to be a Hag again.’

  ‘I don’t think any of us do. Now, remove your wart and then you can be off, it’s getting late. If there’s any news I’ll send you a message.’

  Jack had to squint to see the long hair sticking out from the end of his nose.

  ‘Why didn’t it disappear in the transformation?’ he asked Nora.

  ‘It was your spell so you need to remove it,’ she explained.

  Jack took his wand and closed his eyes. He thought hard about the wart no longer being on the end of his nose. A small popping sound told him it was gone.

  ‘Well done,’ said Nora. ‘Soon you won’t need a wand for that kind of magic.’

  Jack didn’t really understand, he thought he needed his wand for every kind of magic. He wanted to ask Nora what she meant but it was getting late and he really ought to go home.

  Jack ran all the way back to Grandad’s. It felt good to be a boy again. He wished he could have stayed to listen to the information the Bogie had about the Caves of Eternal Rest and the stolen crystals but he knew he’d have to wait. He was happy Nora and Elan were back, even if it was only for a short time. He knew they’d have to go back to Annwn to save the Druids. He was glad he wasn’t going to have to go back to Silver Hill again in a hurry. As Jack reached the bottom of Grandad’s garden he stopped in his tracks. There’d been so much going on he’d forgotten all about the other dragon in Silver Hill, the big one, and the Night Guard were inside there now. If he wanted to help rescue them he’d have to go back again, and soon.

  THE DAY OF BAD OMENS

  Jack’s last day at school seemed to last an eternity. His teacher had promised they’d have some fun and although he’d enjoyed the games and quizzes he couldn’t wait for the day to be over. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the strange owl-like man that Camelin had called a Draygull. The big dragon they had to rescue was worrying him too. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy but it was vital if they were to help the Druids.

  After lunch he began to wonder about the important job the Dorysk had been doing for Nora and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop thinking about the three dragonettes. He’d spoken to them all briefly after the rescue but since then he’d not seen them at all. Jack suddenly realised that all the things he’d been thinking about started with the letter D. It must be an omen. He’d even spread damson jam on his toast while Grandad had been telling him about his double dahlias. He wondered what Camelin would have to say when he told him.

  It was a relief when the end of the day finally arrived. He’d be at the secondary school after the holidays, which he really wasn’t looking forward to. He wanted to get home as quickly as possible but he had too much to carry to run. He was really happy when he saw Grandad waiting by the school gate.

  ‘Pass me some of your things. I thought you might need a hand.’

  ‘Thanks,’ replied Jack as he began to work out the best way to ask Grandad if he could go to Ewell House.

  ‘I had a visitor today, your young friend Elan came to see me.’

  ‘Is she alright?’

  ‘Oh yes, everyone at Ewell House has been invited to a barbecue tonight and they wondered if you’d like to go with them.’

  ‘Could I?’

  ‘You can, but as I explained to Elan, it’s the County Flower Show on Sunday and tomorrow morning I’ve got to be up nice and early to help with the marquee. Would you mind staying the night? Then it won’t matter what time you get back.’

  ‘I’d love to,’ replied Jack as he tried to contain his excitement.

  ‘The barbecue isn’t ’til later so I’ve got some doughnuts we can have with a cuppa before you go.’

  ‘Doughnuts!’

  ‘Don’t you like doughnuts?’

  ‘I love them, you just surprised me.’

  ‘See you tomorrow night,’ Jack called as he set off.

  ‘I’ll come along as soon as we’ve finished but it won’t be ’til late, have a good time,’ Grandad called back.

  Jack turned and waved when he reached the gap in the hedge. He could feel his spine tingling. The leaves brushed against his legs and almost pulled him into the hedge as if they were eager for him to be on his way. As he made his way to Ewell House, Jack tested his memory trying to recall everything he’d read in Nora’s Dragon Lore book. She wouldn’t have lent it to him if it hadn’t been important. He couldn’t wait to hear what they’d got planned. The rescue had to be tonight, the barbecue must be an excuse so he could stay over.

  Jack felt slightly disappointed when he stepped into Nora’s garden. He’d expected Camelin to be there to meet him but the garden was deserted. The herborium and kitchen were empty too.

  ‘Hello, anyone there?’ he called from the patio.

  ‘We’re in the library,’ Elan shouted, ‘come through. Leave your bag, you can take it up later, we’ve got far more important things to sort out first.’

  Jack found his wand and made his way to the library. The first thing he saw as he entered the room was Pyecroft sitting on a chair by the open window. He didn’t look at all pleased. His legs were bound to the chair with ivy, which trailed into the room through the window. It was wound around his waist and both arms too. The table was spread with a large sheet of paper and Nora was busy writing. A pile of books stood next to several rolls of paper and the Dragon Lore book was open on top.

  ‘We have a problem,’ explained Nora. ‘Our friend here has been very helpful but I’m afraid it isn’t good news.’

  Pyecroft began to struggle at the use of the word friend. Another tendril of ivy crept in through the window and wound itself around his chest. Nora looked over at the Bogie and sighed.

  ‘The more you struggle the worse it will be and after what you’ve told us I can’t believe you’d be in any kind of a hurry to return to Silver Hill.’

  The Bogie stopped struggling and glowered at Nora but didn’t say a word.

  ‘What kind of bad news?’ asked Jack.

  Nora gestured for him to sit on the chair next to Elan.

  ‘It seems Pyecroft isn’t in charge after all, the Big One is.’

  ‘That doesn’t make sense. How can a big dragon be in charge when it’s a prisoner?’ asked Jack.

  ‘The Big One isn’t the dragon, in fact the Big One has deceived them all into believing he can shape-shift into a wasp whenever he wants and sting them any time he chooses.’

  Jack gasped.

  ‘You mean Velindur’s inside Silver Hill?’

  ‘He is. It’s no wonder there wasn’t any news of him. It seems he entered the hill through a keyhole in one of the doors. Once the transformation spell wore off he soon made his presence felt. Pyecroft here had a nice little trade going with the Spriggans in return for a place to live, until Velindur arrived. Now, it seems, he’s been turned into Velindur’s servant.’

  Jack looked over at Pyecroft. He could see his legs shaking beneath the ivy. Velindur must have frightened the Bogie badly.

  ‘Is that how Pyecroft found out about the crystals? Did Velindur tell him?’

  Elan nodded and sighed deeply before speaking.

  ‘If only I could have been back in Annwn sooner none of this would have happened. I’m afraid Velindur must have taken advantage of his position when he set himself up as King. In the palace library are many ancient books, which contain all the secrets of Annwn. Knowledge is a powerful thing, especially when you don’t possess magic. I suspect Velindur learnt all he could over the years and now he’s in a better position than we are. I don’t think
he made his way to Silver Hill by accident. I think he was looking for it.’

  ‘But why?’ asked Jack.

  Nora began tapping the table with her wand.

  ‘Do you remember the story about Howling Hill?’

  ‘I do. Timmery thought it might be more than a legend.’

  ‘We think Velindur must have come to the same conclusion. He’s probably known for a long time that the dragon inside Silver Hill was real. In the story the dragon guards a priceless treasure, those who’ve tried to find it have never returned. It looks like the dragons set up their home in front of the tunnel which leads to the fifth gateway. They couldn’t have known they were guarding a secret entry into Annwn as well as their own horde of treasure. Velindur knew about the fifth gateway but he couldn’t have known about the other inhabitants of Silver Hill. We can only presume that once he’d found the only surviving Dragon tethered, and the gateway open, he set about using the Bogie and Spriggans to further his own ends.’

  ‘Which were?’ asked Jack.

  Elan sighed again and walked over to the window before answering.

  ‘He wants to destroy the Druids completely. He knows they can’t survive inside the Caves of Eternal Rest without the life-giving magic the crystals provide. He knows where the fifth gateway into Annwn is located. He’s known all the time. When he swore he’d have his revenge it wasn’t a hollow promise, he knew exactly what he was going to do. He must have been overjoyed to find the Spriggans inside Silver Hill and a willing fool to do his bidding. Pyecroft’s been paid handsomely for his part in all this with Spriggan gold. They think he found the crystal cave especially for them. It seems they don’t like the Bogie but they’re grateful to him for the new lights. I doubt even they know they’ve been part of a bigger plan. Thanks to Pyecroft and the Spriggans, Velindur hasn’t had to lift a finger to get his revenge and if we don’t act soon he’ll succeed.’

  Jack didn’t know what to say. Nora had been right – the news wasn’t good.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ he asked.

  Nora pointed at the map.

  ‘Tonight, we rescue the dragon. Once we have it outside the hill, Elan and I will take it through the Western Gateway into Annwn. We’ll see if its fiery breath can melt the ice sheet. If we could make even the smallest hole we’d be able to save the Druids.’

  Elan nodded in agreement.

  ‘Once we’ve opened the caves, with Cora and Gwen’s help, I can put the crystals back. The magic will be replaced and we’ll be able to awaken the Druids who wish to return to Annwn. Those who choose to stay inside the caves will once more have an eternal resting place.’

  ‘It’s not going to be easy to collect all the crystals,’ said Jack, ‘they’re everywhere inside the tunnels.’

  ‘On the contrary,’ replied Nora, ‘we’ve got nearly all the crystals back already.’

  ‘How!’

  ‘Last night while we were Bogie-napping, Charkle, Norris and Snook, along with the Dorysk, were crystal collecting,’ explained Elan. ‘The dragonettes are incredibly strong for their size and were able to fly back here with the sacks they’d filled. When the candles finally burn down in the great hall, the whole of Silver Hill will be in darkness.’

  Jack smiled.

  ‘That’s brilliant. The Spriggans are really frightened of the dark. It’ll make it easier to travel along the tunnels when we go in to rescue the dragon. How can Camelin and I help?’ Jack looked around. ‘Where is Camelin? I haven’t seen him yet.’

  Nora laughed.

  ‘He’s in his loft. He’s not been down, not even for his meals. Today is known as the Day of Bad Omens and he seems to think he’s been cursed.’

  Jack wondered what terrible thing could have happened to make Camelin stay in his loft all day. There was only one way to find out.

  ‘Is it alright if I go and see him now?’

  ‘Of course it is,’ said Nora. ‘When you’ve sorted him out come back down and we’ll tell you all about our plans for tonight.’

  ‘Hello,’ Jack called as he got to the bottom of the ladder that led up to Camelin’s loft.

  ‘You can come up but you’ve got to promise not to laugh.’

  ‘Laugh at what?’

  ‘I’ve been cursed. I knew when I woke up it wasn’t going to be a good day but I didn’t think it would be this bad.’

  ‘Nora says it’s the Day of Bad Omens,’ replied Jack as he poked his head through the hole into the loft. ‘Wow! Fergus and Berry really did do a good job!’

  There wasn’t anything on the floor except the two soft cat baskets that Camelin insisted were raven baskets and Jack’s beanbag. Camelin was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Shh! Nora thinks I did it.’

  Jack looked in the direction Camelin’s voice had come from and could just make out a black shape in the far corner.

  ‘Did you get your wand back?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why are you hiding?’

  ‘Hasn’t anything strange happened to you at all today?’

  ‘I suppose it did earlier, everything I thought about started with the letter D.’

  ‘Like doom, disaster and destruction?’

  Jack laughed.

  ‘You promised you wouldn’t do that. Besides what’s so funny?’

  ‘I meant Druids, dragons, Draygulls, Dorysks, dragonettes, damson jam, dahlias and doughnuts!’

  ‘Oh!’ said Camelin. ‘I bet you haven’t still got your wart on your nose, have you?’

  As Camelin stepped out from the shadows Jack could see why he was so upset. There on the end of his beak was the three-hair wart. Jack had to suck his cheeks in tight to stop himself from laughing.

  ‘It’s a punishment, I know it is,’ wailed Camelin. ‘I’ve had so many bad omens I shouldn’t have been surprised when I saw it.’

  ‘What kind of bad omens?’ Jack managed to ask.

  ‘Well, walking under a ladder without realising it.’

  ‘Where did you find a ladder to walk under?’

  ‘I was hungry last night and when the Hag spell wore off I went out for a snack, I didn’t know I had this on my beak, no wonder they shooed me off.’

  ‘That’s not a bad omen; they only say that to stop people from getting hurt. If you walk under a ladder something could drop on your head.’

  ‘I swallowed a cherry stone too, that’s a bad omen; you never know what might happen when you swallow a cherry stone.’

  Jack sat down and clutched his sides. Tears ran down his cheeks, he knew if he didn’t laugh soon he’d burst.

  ‘You’re laughing aren’t you? Well it’s not funny. How would you like it? How am I ever going to get an extra snack again looking like this?’

  Jack swallowed hard and wiped away his tears.

  ‘I can remove it if you like.’

  ‘Can you? Really? Do you mean it Jack? Go and get your wand, but don’t tell Nora.’

  ‘No need for the wand,’ said Jack as he concentrated hard and imagined Camelin’s beak without the three-hair wart. A slight popping sound told him he’d been successful.

  ‘There you are, all gone.’

  Camelin shuffled over to his mirror. He examined his beak from both sides then moved his head up and down.

  ‘Run your hand over it Jack, just to make sure it’s really gone.’

  Camelin hurried back to Jack and let him rub his hand up and down his beak.

  ‘It’s gone.’

  ‘Aw Jack, you’re a real pal. How did you do that without a wand?’

  ‘It might be because I gave it to you in the first place.’

  ‘But without a wand, that’s real magic.’

  ‘I’m sorry, it was my fault.’

  ‘Not to worry, you didn’t ask to get all those D-words. I told you it’s the Day of Bad Omens, things never go right on those kinds of days.’

  Jack hoped it wasn’t true. They were going to need all the luck they could get if they were going to rescue the dragon tonight w
ithout being barbecued. Jack suddenly realised the barbecue had been Nora’s way of letting him know they were going to try to rescue the dragon tonight. Jack swallowed hard. Talking and reading about dragons was one thing but knowing he was going to come face to face with a real live one was a scary thought.

  ‘Nora wants us in the library if you’re ready,’ Jack told Camelin.

  ‘Never felt better. I thought I was stuck with that wart for life.’

  Camelin shuffled over to the window.

  ‘See you downstairs,’ he cawed as he took off.

  When everyone, including the Dorysk and dragonettes, was assembled in the library Nora tapped her wand to gain their attention.

  ‘Tonight we are going into the depths of Silver Hill. Our mission will be dangerous. We’re going to attempt to rescue one of the most deadly creatures ever born. If it breathes on any of us with its dreadful flames we’ll be barbecued.’

  Camelin cocked his head on one side and looked at Jack.

  ‘That’s three more D words, dangerous, deadly and dreadful, none of them good!’

  Nora frowned at Camelin before continuing.

  ‘Luckily Jack has prepared a potion for us. If the dragon smells another dragon it will be curious. It should buy us some time so we can talk to it and hopefully gain its trust. The first thing we need to do is to shampoo our hair with the potion. Charkle, Norris and Snook obviously won’t have to.’

  ‘That’s not fair,’ grumbled Camelin.

  ‘They won’t need to,’ explained Jack. ‘A dragon can tell another dragon by its breath. It can tell what kind of dragon it is too so when it smells Charkle, Norris or Snook it will know they’re dragonettes and no threat.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘I read the Dragon Lore book, remember? I did tell you all about it.’

  ‘Is that true?’ Camelin asked Nora.

  ‘It is.’

  ‘What kind of dragon are we going to smell like?’

  ‘We’re all going to smell like dragonettes. Charkle gave me one of his own scales to go into the potion.’

  Camelin leant over and sniffed the little dragonettes and then pulled a face.