Becoming a Dragon

by Holland, Andy

  No, John. I won't leave my brother behind, Daisy replied firmly. Think of another plan. You can take Seth and Crystal ahead if you like.

  Daisy, you should go with John—

  No Arthur; and I won't discuss it. Assertive enough for you, John?

  John didn't respond, appearing unsure what to do.

  John, we're running out of time here. What are we going to do? Seth was starting to sound frantic.

  Alright, here's what you're going to do. Fly straight, don't look back, and just hold to this route. Fly as fast as you can. Leave nothing in reserve. You just need about five or ten minutes of flying, and then you can slow down. I'll buy you some time. Alright?

  What are you going to do? Daisy asked.

  Don't worry about me. Just do as I ask. Can you all do that?

  The four murmured their agreement. Without another word, John ascended rapidly, falling behind the group as he gained altitude and leaving them on their own.

  Some distance behind them, the Blue Dragons following them noted John's manoeuvre.

  Squadron leader, one of the reds has broken from the group. He's climbing as if to attack.

  He's no threat; they all fly poorly, the Squadron Leader replied dismissively. Concentrate on the main group. He's intent on fleeing, not fighting. We'll let this one go.

  Suddenly, John turned in the air, wheeling around to face the oncoming Blue Dragons and rushing towards them quickly. He flew straight at them, closing the distance surprisingly fast, and just when he was within fifty metres, blew flames at the group before wheeling to the north and diving. The flames barely reached the squad, but they shrieked in rage at his half-hearted attack.

  Kill him! the Squadron leader screamed angrily. You two! Dive after him! Catch up once he's dead!

  Two of the seven broke off and dived after John, who had barely a couple of hundred metres head start on them. The other five held their course.

  Crystal couldn't watch, terrified at what might happen, and desperate to fly as fast as she could.

  He's trying to lead them off, Seth said, glancing over his shoulder as he flew, but it's not working. Five of them are still on our tails and they're gaining on us. What shall we do?

  Exactly what John told us to do, Daisy replied staring ahead intently. We said we'd do as he asked.

  But his plan hasn't worked Daisy. They're going to catch us. And they're probably going to catch John. He can't help us now.

  What are you suggesting Seth? Arthur asked.

  We should split up, Seth replied. Two groups. There are five of them. Chances are they'll have to pick just two of us. At least two of us will make it back, and we have to get back to warn the others.

  John told us to fly straight and fast, Daisy objected. We should do as he asked.

  Look, Daisy, I'm sorry to say this, but John's probably already dead, Seth told her. You saw how close he was when they dived after him. The most important thing now is getting the message back. Crystal, what do you say? You and I go one way, these two another?

  Crystal paused. Sorry, Daisy, but I think Seth is right. We can't take the chance. If they catch all of us no one will know what they're doing.

  I agree, said Arthur. We'll continue on this path; you two head to the south. I think you should be heading towards a town that way.

  No, Arthur, this is wrong. John told us—

  You don't have a choice, Daisy, Seth interrupted. This is too important. Good luck, you two.

  Seth and Crystal veered off to the south west, continuing to fly as fast as they could. Within a couple of minutes Arthur and Daisy were far away.

  What are the Blues doing? Crystal asked, unwilling to look. Her wings were tiring and she didn't know how long should could keep up this pace.

  Seth glanced backwards. Oh damn, they've all followed us! Just our luck. At least the twins will get back and raise the alarm. They're really close. I'm afraid this is it, Crystal.

  Crystal glanced backwards and was shocked to see how close the five Blue Dragons were.

  They're almost on us! Shall we try to dive?

  I don't know, Seth replied. Neither of us are that good at it. John only covered it once. We could split up again?

  I don't think it will make any difference this time around. They'd just split into two groups. Just fly faster!

  Seth and Crystal were both terrified, and tried to fly as fast as they could, but the Blue Dragons continued to gain on them. They were now within fifty metres, then forty, then thirty. Crystal looked back desperately, hoping they were keeping ahead.

  Oh no, Seth—

  Suddenly, ahead of them a small, fast moving golden shape appeared, heading straight at them.

  What is that? Seth asked.

  The approaching shape reflected the sun behind them, glimmering gold, and sped towards them with alarming speed. They were now trapped between the Blue Dragons and this new threat.

  It's going to hit us! Crystal cried out in terror. Just before it reached them, it appeared to fire two fireballs at them, only missing them by a tiny distance. They heard an angry scream behind them, and turned to see that they hadn't been the target after all. The golden shape flew straight between the two of them and into the pack of five Blue Dragons, forcing them to scatter. One of the Blue Dragons fell behind, flying erratically, its wing slightly torn. It managed to control its flight, but had to turn back.

  It's a dragon! Crystal said.

  She glanced behind her and saw that the four remaining Blue Dragons had regrouped and were continuing their pursuit. They had fallen back a little, but were starting to close the gap again.

  Look to the north! Seth yelled. What is that thing? And how fast is it moving? The newcomer had wheeled about and was flying quickly back towards the two groups. Whether the Blue Dragons had seen it or not she wasn't sure, but they were still focused on catching them, and right now it looked as if they just might succeed. They were less than twenty metres behind them now, and shrieked in triumph at the prospect of catching their quarry. Crystal looked back just in time to see fireballs strike the heads of two of the Blue Dragons before the Golden Dragon struck at the squad again. This time it struck with lethal force, and two of the Blue Dragons fell from the sky, one flapping a ruined wing frantically, the other limp and lifeless, killed instantly by the attack. The two remaining Blue Dragons shrieked again, but with no confidence this time. Distracted by the attack, they had dropped back and were twice as far away as they were a moment ago.

  Look ahead, Seth cried. Reinforcements!

  Sure enough, about ten Red Dragons were flying straight towards them. The Blue Dragons could not possibly reach them before the others would join them, and they shrieked in rage as they wheeled away, now becoming the hunted rather than the hunters. The ten Red Dragons flew straight past them in hot pursuit.

  I can't believe we made it! Crystal cried. I thought we'd had it then.

  That was so close! Seth agreed. Did you see how far away they were just before that thing appeared? I think they were literally as near to us as we are to each other now. Maybe a second longer and they'd have had us.

  When they shrieked at us it was so loud, said Crystal. They were virtually on top of us. I don't think I've ever been so scared.

  It was over so quickly. I don't think I had time to be scared, Seth lied.

  What was that thing though? Crystal asked. It came out of nowhere.

  And did you see how fast it moved? Seth asked excitedly. It must have been twice as fast as us, if not faster! How is moving that fast even possible?

  It looked small, Crystal recalled. Smaller than the Blue Dragons. They looked so scary in the air; I thought they were bad enough on the ground.

  They stood no chance against that thing though. I think it could have taken them out on the first pass if it had wanted; I think it was just giving them a warning. It dropped the next two so easily. I'm glad it wasn't interested in us.

  Where did it go after it hit them the second time? Cryst
al wondered out aloud. I couldn't see it at all.

  No idea, Seth replied. It just vanished back into thin air, where it came from. I can't wait to tell the others about it. I bet even John hasn't seen one of those.

  Do you think anyone will believe us? Crystal asked. I find it hard to believe and I saw it.

  What about those other Red Dragons? Seth retorted. Wouldn't they have seen it as well? They'd back us up.

  I think they were too far away to see. How will we explain this? We were saved by a small Dragon, which appeared out of nowhere, flying straight towards us but ignored us completely, and chose to attack a group of five Blue Dragons, all on its own, and disabled one and killed two others. It fires twin fireballs, with pinpoint accuracy, flies twice as fast as us, and is a shiny Golden colour. We have no idea where it came from, and just before anyone else got near enough to see it, it disappeared. There isn't a single thing about that story that is credible.

  Hmm, when you put it like, it does sound a bit unbelievable. Perhaps John will know about them. Oh, wait, I forgot about John. Sorry, Crystal. I know he was your friend.

  Yours too surely, Crystal retorted. How many times has he saved your worthless hide?

  Hey, that's a bit mean, Crystal, but yeah, I guess I liked him too. I never really disliked him, not even at the start. I just found him a bit dull. I knew you all disliked him so couldn't be bothered to make an effort with him.

  Inspiring, Seth. You'll make a great leader one day, Crystal replied bitterly.

  What's got into you? It's not my fault what happened to him.

  I know; I just can't believe he's gone. Crystal couldn't believe that this had happened. John had seemed to be so sure that he knew what he was doing.

  Seth broke the uncomfortable silence. Let's just get back, alright? He may have escaped for all we know.

  Crystal thought that it was impossible, but didn't say so. Do you know which way we're going?

  Yeah, I know. It shouldn't be too long now, thank goodness. Flying that fast is pretty tiring. I doubt I could go on that much longer.

  Seth and Crystal continued flying for another half an hour before they reached the outskirts of Oldcastle, where they had been staying. They landed outside the courtyard, and after transforming, ran into the main hall, looking for teachers. They met the Headmaster first.

  "Seth, Crystal, thank goodness you're back," he began. "We thought that something terrible might have happened to you."

  "Sir, there's no time to explain. We have to raise the alarm!" Seth said.

  "Don't worry," the Headmaster assured him. "Daisy and Arthur have already told us everything. They've been back for a while now."

  Crystal breathed a sigh of relief. They were no longer responsible for what happened next.

  "Sir," Seth began, "there's one thing that they wouldn't have told you."

  "What's that, Seth?" he asked cautiously.

  "When we left Daisy and Arthur, the Blue Dragons followed us. They ignored the twins."

  "Yes, we know. They told us. How on earth did you escape them? Did you meet one of the patrols? We've had a lot of them in the air since you went missing, but we had no idea where to start looking."

  "Yes, we did meet a patrol, but afterwards. It wasn't them who stopped the Blue Dragons."

  "Oh, so what did happen? You're not going to try and claim credit for fighting off five Blue Dragons are you, Bragon?"

  "No, sir, although that may seem more believable than what actually happened. Another Dragon appeared. Not a Red or a Blue Dragon, but one we've never seen before. It attacked the Blue Dragons, killed two of them, and clipped the wing of one of the others, so it could only just fly. It then flew off."

  "Another Dragon? Well, what sort of Dragon?" The Headmaster regarded the two of them suspiciously.

  "That's the thing, sir; it's not a type of Dragon we've ever seen before. It was small and golden. It was faster than anything I've ever seen."

  "Are you sure you didn't imagine this, Bragon? You had been flying for a long time and must have been terrified."

  Crystal intervened. "I told Seth no one would be able to believe it. I was there and I find it hard to believe. It appeared out of nowhere, attacked the Blues, and then vanished. I have no idea what it was doing. But it would seem wrong to say nothing just because we're worried that we'd be laughed at."

  The Headmaster paused to think about this, stroking his beard. "Yes, yes. Well, I suppose at least you're being responsible, but I do find it hard to believe. Still, no harder to believe than Arthur and Daisy's story of the gathering army. Can you corroborate that?"

  Crystal was startled. She didn't expect this to be doubted, not when it came from the twins. "Of course, sir. Well, assuming that they described a vast army camped not far from the border, engaged in military manoeuvres, which can only be viewed as rehearsing an invasion. Isn't it being taken seriously?"

  "Oh, when it comes from siblings to the heir to the Western throne, it gets taken seriously. Especially considering the nature of the claim. But this isn't the first wild claim to have come from you lot. First there was the claim about the Blue Dragons near your family home, so far away from the border, and now this. You can't be surprised that people are starting to question whether you can be relied on. Don't look at me like that. I'm just explaining how people are starting to see it.

  "Sir, we're not making anything up!" Crystal objected. "You'd believe John if he were here, wouldn't you, sir?"

  The Headmaster shrugged. "His credibility is starting to be questioned as well by association with you all. Anyway, your parents have all been notified that you went missing. They'll probably be here either this evening or some time tomorrow. You'll have to explain yourselves to them at least. And then the military council. After the twins revelation they'll be summoned to Newcastle. You'll probably have to explain your story to them. By the way, where is John?"

  Crystal looked downcast. "We don't know, sir. He flew straight at the Blue Dragons that were chasing us to try and lead them off. Two of them followed him. We never saw him after that."

  She avoided his eyes as she spoke, her voice wavering. The Headmaster softened a little bit and put his hand on her shoulder. "I see. Look, Crystal, John is an exceptional flyer. There's no reason to assume the worst. It wouldn't be the first time that he's outflown Blue Dragons, would it? Now, don't worry about John; just go and find your friends. They'll be worried about you. They're all upstairs."

  Seth and Crystal walked up the staircase to the common area outside of all of the students' rooms. They dreaded meeting Arthur and Daisy, knowing how worried Daisy would be. When they walked in they were greeted by cheers, and a room full of over a hundred students.

  "You made it!" shouted Jenna, running over and hugging her cousin. "I've been so worried. When the twins arrived without you I expected the worst."

  "Well done, Seth," Daniel said, shaking his hand. "Another close one, eh?" Seth nodded. "And finally you managed to rid us of the blond one. Not a bad day if you ask me." He patted him on the shoulder and laughed with Joel.

  Seth shrugged, colouring slightly, and walked away from Daniel, pushing his way through the crowd of students to join Crystal and Jenna. Crystal glared at him. "Just once, Seth, couldn't you have stood up for John?"

  "What does it matter now? He's gone," Seth replied flatly. He looked down at the ground, clearly disgusted with himself.

  "Seth, Crystal!" It was Daisy, who was on the far side of the room. Her eyes were wide, searching their faces for hope. "I'm so glad you made it. After they followed you we didn't think you'd make it. I felt really bad about it. I didn't mean for you two to end up facing them alone."

  Seth shook his head. "Daisy, you were the only one who objected to the plan. It was my idea. There's no reason for you to apologise."

  Daisy nodded, trying to give a little smile. "Have you just got back?"

  Crystal nodded. "We met the Headmaster downstairs. He sent us up here."

  "We spok
e to him first as well," Arthur added. "He called in several of the other teachers so they all heard our news at once. They sent out teams to look for you. I guess you must have missed them."

  Seth nodded. "We did meet a patrol. But they weren't there in time to help us."

  "Then how did you escape?" Arthur asked. "We thought you'd have no chance. Not just the two of you, and you know, without John."

  Daisy's face dropped when her brother mentioned John, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Crystal tried in vain to ignore her expression. "You won't believe how we escaped. The Headmaster certainly didn't believe our story." Seth and Crystal told them about the Golden Dragon and their miraculous escape.

  "Yes, that certainly would be hard to believe," Arthur agreed, "if it weren't for a few of the other things we've seen this year. I think nothing could surprise me now."

  A commotion over at the entrance to the room distracted them.

  "What's going on?" Daisy asked, trying to hear over the cheers. They moved towards the crowd, to see what was happening, and the students parted as they approached to let them through.

  "Hello, Daisy," John said calmly, paying little attention to the students patting him on the back and clapping him. "How was your flight here?"

  "John!" she screamed, running across the room to meet him. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around to further cheers from the other students.

  "Surely you didn't doubt I could escape just two Blue Dragons did you, Daisy?" he asked. She pulled back from the hug to kiss him to yet further cheers.

  "No, I never doubted you," she said with a smile, wiping the tears from her face.

  "There goes any chance of maintaining her reputation," Arthur said shaking his head, clapping John on the shoulder. "Glad to have you back."

  "Thanks, Arthur. I'm glad you all made it back as well. Seth, Crystal, I've heard about your little encounter from the Headmaster. He didn't sound too convinced."

  "Forget the Headmaster, John. What do you say?" Crystal asked. "Golden Dragons. Ever heard of them?"