by Linda McNabb
‘Well, I like it,’ Rem said and then rubbed at the dragon mark on her forehead again. She looked to be fighting back a sharp pain and the sash was forgotten as StarFire stood and lifted his head to the sky.
‘They come.’
Eagan felt his heart begin to race, despite his best efforts to slow it and stay calm.
‘Now?’
Eagan glanced up at the brightly lit sky. It was not long past high-sun. The night-shadows had never attacked in daylight before.
‘They come,’ StarFire repeated in a voice so free of fear that Eagan was jealous. It was a voice that said the dragon knew what to do and was looking forward to getting on with it.
‘Sound the drum.’
‘Sound the drum,’ Eagan repeated woodenly.
Eagan heard feet in motion behind him as someone scuttled off to deliver the message to the drum tower.
‘We will meet you down by the pass,’ Rem said, checking her sword would slip easily from its sheath on her back, and stepping away to give the dragon room to take off.
‘There is no time for that,’ StarFire said, head up and alert as if he could smell something strongly. ‘I will take both you and the apprentice.’
Eagan felt something crack in his neck as he whipped his head around in surprise. The dragon was offering to fly him?
‘Me?’ Eagan asked.
‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend – for now,’ StarFire said, crouching a little lower so that they could climb onto his back. ‘I will need your assistance. Our dispute continues after we have dealt with the night-shadows.’
Dispute? Eagan had no idea what the dragon was on about. He had never thought to ask why the dragons hated wizards and apprentices so much and now was definitely not the time. Perhaps he would be able to ask later? He shook his head to dispel such nonsense. There was only one outcome from this for him. At the end of the day he would be in the staff. He tucked the staff under one arm as he hoisted himself onto StarFire’s back.
A sudden thought gripped him and a new wave of terror raced through him. He had not chosen an apprentice to take over the staff! He grabbed at the soft white hide as the dragon suddenly launched into the air. The dragon grunted in disgust at the handful of supple skin that Eagan pinched. Eagan relaxed his grip when it was obvious the dragon was not going to tip them off.
‘Sorry,’ he mumbled and patted the hide as if such an action would make it all better. He felt as if he had left his stomach back on the ground and a quick glance down told him not to do so again. The world spun and he was forced to grip the dragon’s hide again, this time to stop himself from tumbling sideways. The world around him spun alarmingly and he shut his eyes hoping it would soon be over. A hand on his leg made him open his eyes and he saw Rem was standing on the ground next to the dragon. They had already landed at the entrance to the canyon. In the distance he heard the single toll of the drum as it echoed across the land. Fear would be spreading across the land in just a few heartbeats. At least the mists should keep the creatures contained for now.
‘Sorry,’ Eagan mumbled again as he slipped sideways off the dragon and felt a surge of relief when he felt solid ground under his feet again.
‘You’ll get used to it. That’s how it feels when someone shakes your staff,’ Darius commented in a dry voice.
Eagan felt the need to say he was sorry again but decided to leave it for a more appropriate time. StarFire’s wings filled the entire pass and he walked towards the illusion of a wall at the far end of the canyon. It would be a frightening sight for anything or anyone on the other side and Eagan hoped against hope that it would be enough to put them off.
‘And we thought she was too young,’ Darius said and ended with a low whistle of approval.
Eagan blinked and brought the canyon back into focus even though it was still spinning slightly. He saw Rem walking two paces to the right of the dragon’s front legs, sword drawn and focused on the blank wall in front of them. He knew he should be up there with her.
Up ahead he saw the slightest shadow appear on the surface of the wall. It grew darker and larger within a heartbeat. It was happening.
Eagan glanced around desperately. Who here would he choose for an apprentice? Marrik was nowhere in sight so he couldn’t even grant his old friend’s wish. He thought back to when he had been chosen two hundred years ago. It was simply because he was the closest person at the time. The nearest guard was a tall youth with pale skin and a shock of red hair peeping out under his well-fitted metal helmet. Eagan had no clue who this lad was, but he would have to do.
‘Come with me,’ he said, grabbing hold of the guard’s arm and hurrying across the canyon to catch up to StarFire and Rem. ‘I hope you’re ready to live for a very long time!’
Chapter Fourteen - The Mark of Yarris
The shadow on the false wall at the end of the canyon grew larger and larger. Eagan swallowed as he remained tense and waiting for the attack. Surely there wasn’t a creature of that size on the other side?
‘There are many of them,’ Darius said quietly.
The entire army of guards waiting in the canyon and the pass were silent and the only sound was the occasional clink of one guard’s metal amour against his neighbours and some heavy breathing.
‘Hundreds,’ StarFire added, but his voice did not hold any fear. He shot a burst of flame at the wall but it left no scorch mark on the illusion.
Despite the situation, one of Eagan’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he looked up at the large dragon next to him. He had forgotten that the dragon could hear Darius.
‘Stand your ground,’ Eagan said to the nervous looking red-haired guard who stood just a pace back from him. ‘Things will happen very fast.’
Rem did not appear to have heard any of their conversation as her attention was focused on the wall. She sank into a slight crouch, right sword-arm extended and ready to attack.
Eagan brushed a small bead of sweat from his forehead as time ticked into minutes. What were the night-shadows waiting for? He knew that they had no chance of stopping an onslaught of several hundred night-shadows but they were going to stop as many as they could.
A low growl sent a shiver down his spine and he knew it wasn’t coming from this side of the wall. Perhaps they couldn’t get through after all? Perhaps the wall was going to hold them back? He only held that hope for a split second though…
A single black shape suddenly launched through the wall and was upon them in less time than it took to register that it was there. Even StarFire’s burst of fire missed the black cat as it flew through the air – straight at Eagan.
Sheer terror gripped Eagan and he forced it down. He had just opened his mouth to freeze time when the cat’s front paws struck his chest. Startling green eyes stared directly into his own and for a split second Eagan stared back. He did not see any malice or the hungry wild look he had expected in the eyes of the creature. Instead he saw desperation and fear. As he fell backwards the cat turned away and brushed its head against his arm. Eagan flinched instinctively and imagined teeth sinking into his flesh. His eyes closed as he struck the ground and the breath was knocked from him.
It took a second to realise that the cat had not bitten him, nor was there anything weighing him down. He sat up and saw dozens more night-shadows emerging through the wall. He knew it would be almost impossible to kill these creatures. In the last battle not a single one had died despite all the weapons used in defence. This time he and Darius had come up with a spell to try to repel them. It wasn’t a strong one, for there was little magic left for anything.
‘Freeze!’ he shouted, raising his arm more for his own show of courage than any other reason. He scrabbled around with the other, seeking his new apprentice but didn’t find him. He needed to pause time while the red-haired guard took hold of the staff, ready for Darius’ final spell.
Eagan frowned. He hadn’t heard Darius chanting to freeze time. He looked over at the staff in his right hand and stared in disbelief.
His staff was gone. Time had not frozen. He turned his back on the advancing night-shadows. He knew it was a bad move but he had to find his staff. Had he dropped it when the night-shadow had knocked him down? Surely Darius would still be able to hear him and freeze time even if he was a few paces away.
The ground was a mass of feet as the guards rushed up to join the defences but there was no sign of the staff.
‘One got through!’ someone shouted.
‘Eagan!’
Darius’ voice was distant and faded out even as he spoke. The black cat had taken the staff.
He spun back to the mass of night-shadows. What use was he without his staff? All he had was the whistle around his neck. He kicked himself for not taking a sword when he had been offered one earlier.
The creatures were advancing slowly and seemed totally unharmed by the jets of flame that StarFire sent into their midst. Half a dozen of them leapt at the dragon in unison, forcing StarFire to have to evade them by rising into the sky.
The air was full of cries and roars from both sides. Yet, there was none of the massacre that Eagan had expected. The cats were simply knocking the guards out of the way but not advancing. Rem had been backed against the side wall of the canyon and was valiantly swinging her sword but the fast cats were evading her every strike with ease as they crowded closer and closer to her.
‘StarFire! Get her out of there!’ Eagan shouted. There was only one thing he could do. He had to go and find the night-shadow that took his staff. He was useless without Darius. He was just an old man with a gold-trimmed cloak.
For once StarFire didn’t object to being ordered about by Eagan. The dragon rose up from where it was flaming at a night-shadow and dove towards Rem. The dragon grasped her in one huge clawed grip and yanked her out of reach. The cats leapt up after her in frustration and even Eagan was impressed by the heights they reached, but StarFire was faster and they missed their target.
He turned and began to force his way through the mass of guards pressing down on the attackers. He knew that it would look like he was running away but he couldn’t do anything about that. He pushed one guard out of the way, only to get pushed back by another. A second later he saw a red-haired guard parting the way for him.
‘Make way. The wizard needs his staff!’ the guard yelled angrily and glared at those blocking their path. He looked up in the sky at StarFire and yelled again. ‘Dragon, fetch the wizard’s staff.’
Eagan nodded with satisfaction. His apprentice-in-waiting had worked out what was going on and was helping! Perhaps he had chosen well after all.
‘Look!’ Rem said, pointing up at the sky with her sword as StarFire soared into the air and dove after the fleeing cat.
Eagan, now almost free of the crush of guards, looked up and saw a sight that made him stop despite the urgency of his mission. High up in the sky was a black dragon.
It was heading towards them and on its back was a fair-haired boy. Seth.
**
The ache in Seth’s head had grown stronger as they came nearer to High Gate and so had MoonFlame’s insistence that the night-shadows were coming. He had managed to push back most of the pain as he worked out it was part of the bond between himself and the dragon. MoonFlame now seemed more than eager to head towards High Gate and had sped up considerably. Seth had to cling to a soft fold on the dragon’s hide so he wouldn’t fall off.
By the time High Gate came into view it was obvious there was a battle in progress. From his vantage point he could see the pass and canyon was full of guards and night-shadows and rising up from the canyon was a pure-white dragon, with a guard grasped by one front leg.
‘We have to help,’ Seth said, leaning closer to the dragon’s head and almost losing his balance in doing so.
‘Kill night-shadows? For that I do not need to be told,’ MoonFlame replied in a terse voice. ‘I will be the first of my kind to succeed.’
‘The first?’ Seth asked in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’
‘They do not die easily,’ MoonFlame replied in a flat voice. ‘But I will find a way.’
‘So how were the night-shadows defeated last time?’ Seth asked, confused and more than a little worried. Eagan had made it sound like all the hopes of a success in battling the night-shadows would be down to having the dragons.
‘The wizards drove them back and denied us the opportunity to keep trying to find a way to kill the creatures. We would rather have died than given up.’
They were over High Gate now and Seth could see the guard held by the other dragon was Rem. The dragon swooped low and dropped her to the ground, dumping her into the river with a splash. The black night-shadow the dragon was chasing appeared to have something in its mouth.
‘He has Darius,’ Neras said from where he was perched on the dragon’s head. Seth could make out the boy’s shape as the wizard leaned forward for a closer look. Oddly, the dragon did not appear to mind having Neras close but Seth had not asked why. ‘Eagan can’t help without the wizard.’
Seth was torn. Who did he help? He didn’t think Rem looked to be in any immediate danger but the guards in the canyon were far outnumbered and it would just be a matter of time before the creatures overran them and burst out into the open. They would be much harder to defeat without the advantage of the enclosed canyon and pass.
He frowned as he realised they didn’t have a proven way to defeat them anyway. The promised golden weapon of a dragon seemed to be nothing more than a story passed down through the years.
He flicked his attention back to Rem and saw with horror that the huge black cat had stopped. It dropped the staff and stared back at the stream where Rem was clambering out, dripping wet. The white dragon made a dive towards the night-shadow but it evaded easily and then with a huge bound, the black cat set off back towards Rem.
‘Rem!’ Seth yelled and almost leapt off MoonFlame’s back in his desperation to warn her. ‘MoonFlame, take me to Rem.’
‘It was our task anyway. I will still be able to kill a night-shadow as there is one near her,’ the dragon said in a matter-of-fact voice as she changed direction and dove at such a steep angle that it almost unseated Seth. As they neared the ground the dragon back winged and tipped sideways so that Seth had no option but to tumble to the ground. ‘I need to attack and I cannot do so with you on my back.’
Seth stood up and dusted himself off as he looked around to get his bearings. Neras’ staff was still tucked into his belt and didn’t appear to have suffered from the fall.
‘Get Darius first,’ Neras shouted and Seth realised he could see the boy clearly. The young wizard was jumping up and down and pointing to the long grass just by the marshes. ‘Take him to Eagan.’
‘But what about Rem?’ Seth argued even as he ran to the staff. He scooped it up without stopping and headed back toward the river. The cat was only a pace away from Rem now. One more leap and it would be upon her but she hadn’t even seen it coming. Her back was to the cat and she was watching Eagan running towards her. The old man was yelling something but it was obvious that Rem could not hear him.
‘Rem!’ Seth screamed at the top of his lungs. Rem turned to the sound of his voice and saw the night-shadow. The cat let out a roar that echoed across the land and went right through Seth’s head. Rem’s eyes opened wide with shock and she lifted her dripping sword to defend herself.
Three things happened at once. The cat reached Rem, both dragons descended on them and Eagan found a burst of speed to join the fray.
Seth set off at a run towards them all, carrying Darius’ staff, but he was a hundred paces away at least. Up ahead he couldn’t tell what was happening. There seemed to be wings and arms going in every direction and a snarling black cat in the midst of it.
Off in the distance another noise drew his attention as he ran. Guards were pouring out of the pass. Had the night-shadows overrun them already? He flicked his attention back and forth between the river and the pass. No black cats were visible near the pass
and he finally realised that the guards weren’t yelling in fright, they were cheering!
MoonFlame had the night-shadow pinned to the ground. It was writhing angrily but could not escape. The dragon swiped at it and struck the cat on the head. It went limp and Seth wondered if it had been killed. A slight twitch in its tail told him otherwise.
Seth caught up to them all and threw the staff to Eagan. He was relieved to see that Rem was not even scratched for her ordeal. The old man was looking rather ill and was staring at the huge black cat with a mix of hatred and confusion. He was out of breath from running and looked about to fall over. A young red-haired guard was supporting him by one arm.
‘StarFire, can you please fly Eagan back to see if they have gone?’ Rem asked her dragon.
‘I can hold this creature for now,’ MoonFlame said with a snort of pleasure.
Seth watched as the old man and the young guard climbed onto the white dragon’s back then it flew off quickly towards the pass.
‘Seth, you came back!’ Rem was saying as she threw herself into his arms.
His heart sank as he realised he must now take her back to Ryker. She pulled away as if she felt his unease. Seth glanced at MoonFlame and then the night-shadow and an answer to the problem came to him in a flash.
‘I can’t stay,’ Seth said, shaking his head sadly and backing away from Rem.
She looked confused and more than a little upset but before she could ask why Seth turned to his dragon.
‘MoonFlame, take the night-shadow. You know what we must do.’
The dragon looked up and snarled angrily. A flame shot out and narrowly missed Seth.
‘I wish to kill it,’ she snarled.
‘Later,’ Seth said firmly. ‘You will obey.’
‘I will not!’ MoonFlame hissed back.
Seth felt the fear of what would happen if he went back without either Rem or a night-shadow. This time though he did not try to banish that fear, instead he let it build and build and then forced it outwards.
Rem’s eyes opened wide as the grass around Seth began to die at an alarming rate. She backed away as fast as she could but the dragon, holding down the great cat, did not move.
