Becoming a Dragon

by Holland, Andy

  "I just returned," John explained as he entered the room. He still looked rather pale, especially standing next to Gerald, who was the picture of health, but the dark lines on John's face had almost completely faded. "The Keeper told me I'd just missed your visit."

  "John!" Daisy screamed loudly, jumping from the bed to wrap herself around him, almost knocking him over.

  "You made it!" Arthur said. "I thought you were dead!"

  Fortunately, Daisy was oblivious to what her twin was saying. "I thought I'd lost you!" Before he could reply, Daisy kissed him on the lips. She pulled back for a second. "You scared me. Don't ever do that again!"

  "Hey, Daisy. What are you doing?" Arthur asked, outraged as Daisy started kissing him again.

  Gerald took his brother firmly by the arm and led him out of the room. "Let's give them a few minutes, eh?" He closed the door quietly behind them.

  "What are you doing? That's our sister!" Arthur declared furiously.

  "Yes, that's our sister. And I don't think she wants us in there at the moment. If you hadn't noticed, she's a little preoccupied."

  "Have you gone completely crazy? She's your sister! She's royalty! He's...he's nobody! What would father say, or mother for that matter?"

  "Maybe they'd say thank you to John for saving their daughter. And their idiotic son. Then they'd ask you why you put both of you in danger in the first place."

  "That's not fair and it's beside the point. They'd never let this happen if they were here. She needs to find a good match, someone she can marry. Being with him could ruin everything for her!"

  "It's perfectly fair. Daisy has spoken to me a lot since she came back from your ill-advised camping trip. She's really lonely here and misses her friends from back home. I thought she would have made loads of friends by now, but it seems that the opposite is true, and it doesn't sound like you've been helping her at all. She told me that John's the only one at school who respects her and that you wouldn't let him go with you on this stupid camping trip. None of this would have happened if you had just let her bring along just one friend, but no, you had to do what your girlfriend told you."

  "I didn't tell her to do anything." Arthur objected. "That was between Jenna and Daisy…"

  "Well you should have backed up your sister. Now you've pushed them closer together, and to be honest I don't care. I like him. There's something trustworthy about him. Daisy doesn't need marrying off to some well-connected noble. That's just your scheming girlfriend talking. I'm to be the prince and I'll always make sure she has a place, regardless of who she's married to."

  "You won't be the prince for years; you can't promise anything now. Father and mother will stop this, and then what?"

  "Father and mother trusted you both to my care, so it is my decision. Leave it at that."

  "I can't do that," Arthur insisted. "They should be told."

  "Do as you wish; I can't stop you. But left to themselves, it might fizzle out anyway, of course. Bringing in our parents to try to split them up would be unwise. All you would do is push the two of them closer together, and she'd probably never forgive you and I wouldn't blame her. And of course, if they are told, and they ask me how this happened, I'd have to tell them the whole circumstance of how they were thrown together. I was hoping to spare you having to explain how you nearly had both of you killed. Remember it was your decision to go without any guards, not mine or Daisy's. I wouldn't be surprised if Mother brings you both back home."

  "That's blackmail!"

  "Not really. Just the way it is. I'm sure Daisy would tell them anyway. Especially the part about you leaving John behind to die after he rescued you."

  "Gerald, that is really unfair! John asked me to do that. We couldn't help him, and it wasn't safe for us to stay. And he told us not to send anyone back."

  "Of course he did. And you agreed very readily. I, on the other hand, can make my own decisions. If you'd told me I'd have gone back personally. I mean, he saved your life! And your sister's."

  "You would have never found him. He disappeared!"

  "If you'd have told me early enough I would have found him. I would have gone back with a hundred men if necessary, especially if I had known how upset Daisy was and why."

  "But what about Crystal? John has been obsessing about her since he first met her. How do we know that he's no longer interested in her? Think what will happen to Daisy if he drops her for Crystal. Do you really want that to happen to her?"

  Gerald shook his head. "I don't know anything about Crystal, but he won't do that to her. Not John. He's not the type. He's too dutiful."

  "Alright, so do you really want your sister to be with someone who only is with her out of duty? Not someone who really wants her, who loves her?"

  "Arthur, please; no one was thinking about finding her someone who loved her. Good breeding and influence are all that everyone cares about. She was destined to be the unappreciated wife of a stuffy lord from the northern principality, which means she would have to move away and live there and would never see her own family, which is all that matters to her. John, on the other hand, has no family to speak of. He would follow her wherever she goes."

  "What? You just want to keep her at home! Are you sure you're really thinking of her? Do you really think it's in her best interests to marry some nobody?"

  Gerald puts his hands up in protest. "I'm not trying to make her do anything, and it's a little early to be discussing who she's going to marry. I trust her enough to let her decide who she wants. At least she wouldn't choose someone like Jenna."

  "Leave her out of this!" Arthur replied angrily.

  "Whatever you decide to do, you're in my home now, so just give them a few minutes together. She thought he was dead up to a few minutes ago."

  "Think of her reputation. Have you any idea what they could be doing in there?"

  "Far better than you, little brother. I am in the army, remember? But you've forgotten who is in there. He won't do anything to harm her reputation."

  "You've only met him once! How can you be so—" Arthur stopped mid-sentence as Daisy's bedroom door opened and Daisy led John out. He had a slightly surprised, happy smile on his face, as if he wasn't really sure if he was dreaming or not. Daisy looked a little sheepish, but kept hold of John's hand.

  "Boys," Daisy said, addressing them both. "What are you doing standing outside my room?"

  "Debating whether we need to go in and rescue John," Gerald replied teasingly.

  Daisy slapped his hand and giggled. "He thought we should come out. Didn't want to worry you. You wouldn't worry though, would you?"

  "Not at all," Gerald replied. "I trust you both to behave as you should. Now, if it were Arthur and that Jenna, I would be more concerned…"

  Arthur glared at him angrily and stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

  "He's in a good mood," Daisy commented drily to her brother, wondering whether to go after him.

  "Yes, well let's not stand here in the corridor. Let's give Arthur some time to cool down. To the sitting room, I think," Gerald replied.

  Daisy followed Gerald, still keeping a firm hold on John's hand and leading him to sit next to her on a comfortable chair. As soon as she had sat down, she moved John's arm so she could nestle close to him.

  "Aren't you going to offer our guest a drink Daisy?" Gerald asked pointedly.

  Daisy frowned at him. "John, would you like me to get up and call the maid or stay here?"

  "Stay here," John replied, gazing at her with a dopey smile.

  "Perhaps I might like a drink," Gerald observed.

  "Perhaps you know where the kitchen is," Daisy replied, still not moving. "You're the one who chose not to have enough servants here, not me. Go and get yourself a drink."

  "Alright, look, I'm very happy for you both, but this is my house, and you're in my care, so I'm setting some rules. Firstly, that was your last time alone in Daisy's room together. Secondly, especially if you're in the house alone, I
expect you to both remain fully clothed."

  "Gerald! As if you'd need to tell us that!" Daisy squealed.

  John turned a bright red. "Sir, I assure you that I wouldn't do anything that would hurt her reputation."

  "Don't worry, John, I trust you. Daisy though, I'm not so sure about. She might lead you astray."

  "Gerald!" She threw a pillow at his head, which he caught easily. "Haven't you got anything better to do?"

  "You want me to go? From my own sitting room? What did I just say about being left alone?"

  "This isn't my bedroom!" Daisy objected.

  "Still, you shouldn't be doing anything that you need to be left alone for," Gerald insisted, "and this is my sitting room, and I'm quite comfortable here, thank you. I think I'll stay."

  Daisy glared at him then gave him a mischievous smile. "Fine. Have it your way." She turned to John and smiled, taking his cheek with her hand to turn his head to face her. She rubbed her nose gently against his before beginning to kiss him passionately. Gerald lasted about five seconds.

  "Mercy, Daisy; alright, you win. The sitting room is yours." Daisy stopped kissing John, who looked a little dazed, and smiled triumphantly at Gerald.

  "Just don't make me watch that again," he told her. "Ever! You're still my little sister."

  Daisy giggled. "Bye bye, big brother. Oh, and Gerald?"

  "What?"

  "While you're up, you couldn't get John a drink, could you?"

  The pillow caught her squarely in the face as Gerald left the room.

  "Hey," Daisy squawked. She turned to John and put her hand on his face, tracing the faded dark lines on his face which had yet to disappear completely. "Does your face hurt? It still doesn't look very good."

  He shook his head. "No, not any more. I just feel tired now. All the energy has been sapped from my body. Flying back was quite a challenge."

  She nodded sympathetically. "You haven't had a great first term, have you? I'm surprised you're still alive, to tell the truth."

  John nodded, smiling. "There have been a few close calls, I admit. For both of us."

  Daisy kissed him again. "It'll be better for you now. Next term things will be perfect. I promise."

  Chapter 24: Imprisonment

  Pete opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the bright sunlight. He couldn't believe he was still alive. His body was sore all over and he felt a painful lump on the side of his head, but he was still breathing. His hands were bound together and he could feel something strange and uncomfortable around his neck. He reached up to feel it; it was a heavy metal ring, like a collar for a dog, but with a series of spikes pointing inwards.

  "Transform, if you like." Pete turned to look at the speaker; it was the blue-haired man who had commanded the soldiers at the river bank. He was sat watching him with a smug smile on his face. "I've always wanted to watch what happens when someone tries transforming wearing one of those."

  Pete nodded grimly, understanding the purpose of the device. The collar was designed to kill him if he transformed. A simple but effective tool. He looked around him, trying to get his bearings. They were no longer beside the river, but by some trees at the edge of a grassy clearing. He was chained by his ankle to a tree, and his hands were tied together with rope. Anna and Butcher were on the floor beside him, unconscious but similarly bound. The Blue Dragon's leader was leaning against a tree a few metres away, watching him with interest.

  "They're fine. Sleeping. They have been for a long time."

  "You've given them something?" Pete asked. Judging by the sun, it was late morning, so it was unlikely that they had just dozed off. Not in this camp.

  The Blue leader nodded. "They were making too much fuss. It upsets my men. And when they get upset it's harder to stop them getting carried away, if you understand what I mean. They were already disappointed that you were kept alive. They didn't expect to be taking male prisoners."

  "Why am I alive?" Pete asked, feigning indifference.

  The man shrugged. "Orders. I'm not told why and I don't question them. But then my orders aren't as hard to follow as yours. Or did you enjoy murdering those children?"

  "I didn't touch any children. I only fought in the air. Besides, you murder our children as well. How are you in a position to judge?"

  "You've seen children murdered by us?" the Blue leader asked pointedly. "I've been on eight raids, and I've never killed or even seen children killed. Why would I? My orders are to bring all girls back alive."

  Pete hesitated. He hadn't seen any place that had been raided; all of his knowledge was second hand. "And the boys? You murder their parents, kidnap their sisters and just leave them alone? Do you expect me to believe that?"

  The man shrugged. "I ignore the boys. My orders ignore them so I do as well. Others may kill some but it's not something I've seen. But babies? What sort of monster does that? Gives orders to do that? You left none alive yesterday, did you?"

  Pete said nothing. He was wracked with guilt, the image of the burnt child still etched in his mind.

  The man nodded, reading his expression perfectly. "Monstrous, wasn't it? I can see it sickens you just as much as me, and I believe you when you say that you didn't kill any children. But you're still just as guilty as the rest of them, clearing the way for the baby killers. All you did was play a different part in the attack. Of course, my men wouldn't care what role you claimed to play. If it was up to them you'd be dying a very slow death at the moment. Many of them had relatives in that city. They're disappointed that I made them kill your two friends so quickly. Personally, I don't really care just as long as they're dead. Two less monsters."

  Pete glared at him, hatred in his eyes. "Every attack we make is a direct response to your raids. What do you expect us to do? All of this could stop if you stopped attacking us."

  His captor shook his head and laughed mockingly. "Do you really believe that? So that's what your leaders tell you. Tell me, how do you think we'll respond to yesterday's raid? We'll attack a few of your villages in response. We react to your raids, not the other way around. When you stop attacking us and murdering our children, then it will stop."

  Pete couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Nonsense! You attacked just ten days ago. Twenty people murdered, and five kidnapped. Just across the border from here? What was that in response to? This is the first time we have been deployed in months."

  "Twenty, you say? I should have you talk to my commander for me. He was very disappointed when I told him we killed nine of yours and lost twenty of ours. Personally, I thought that was an excellent result; we always lose more of ours than we kill of yours on these raids, as do you on your attacks, with yesterday as an exception. And if you really believe that was unprovoked then you've been misled again. Your troops to the north attacked one of our towns just a few days before; a place near the coast. Not near to here, granted, but why should we let you decide where the battles are? We choose where we retaliate, and that's all it was: retaliation."

  Pete was silent, not sure what to believe.

  His captor continued. "But these five kidnapped—those I am interested in. I led that attack, and would have loved to have taken some captives back with me, but I had no such luck on that raid. I have a deal with my commander you see, when I reach ten—and ten taken personally, that is, not including those I command, mind you—I get to keep one. Not for long of course; they are all sent to the camps, where they produce what we call the purple soldiers. You know, red hair, blue skin. One of those will be sired by me."

  Pete shuddered. "And you call us animals. Is that what these two are destined for?"

  The man nodded proudly. "Yes, and one will count towards my tally. I'm up to nine now. I'll have to be a bit choosier about my next one I guess. Any recommendations of places to visit? If I'm going to father a child with a monster, it may as well be a vaguely attractive monster."

  Pete reddened with fury. "You call us monsters, but you wouldn't find us treating captives this way. We
wouldn't lower ourselves to mate with your women. Why, it would be comparable to enjoying the company of sows, although I expect that's a popular past time here."

  His captor's eyes flashed with rage, but only for a second. "Brave words. I guess you're relying on my obvious sense of duty to obey orders to prevent me from taking a break from my guard duty here. I'm the only thing between you and hundreds of men who want to avenge the young women, children and babies you murdered. Most of these men spent yesterday digging graves for your victims. Lots of very small graves. Yes, we take them captive instead of killing them like you would, and they do carry our children, but you'd be surprised; some them grow to like it. I think some actually prefer it here. They enjoy what we do to them. Looking at you and the other two pathetic excuses for dragons we disposed of yesterday, it's not surprising, is it? At least they know their children will grow up to be strong."

  Pete fumed silently. "Brave words when your enemy is chained to a tree with this thing around his neck," he said, touching the metal ring. "Why don't you take it off and we'll see who is the stronger."

  His captor laughed. "I would love to. Tearing you into little pieces would give me no less pleasure than it would to my men. But as I've said, I have my orders. So, if I had reached my ten, which one would you pick if you were me? They're both reasonable-looking, once you get past the hideous skin and hair colour. Although I suspect you could dye that." He looked at Butcher. "She's quite muscular, but her face isn't so bad. What do you think?"

  Pete ignored his question, just staring at him with hatred. His captor was quite a bit older than he was—in his early thirties, if not older.

  "Or the skinny one, perhaps. I doubt the children would be such useful warriors, but I think I'd enjoy making them more than with the other one."

  "Leave her alone!" Pete snapped.

  "Ah, you prefer the skinny one. Yes, she wouldn't be a bad choice. Easier to manage, I expect."