by Chrys Cymri
‘That’s on your world, though.’ Tyra pushed through to the front, her horns pointed aggressively in my direction. ‘Why should we care what happens on your world?’
‘Because it won’t stay on my world!’ My voice cracked on the last word, and I quickly took another swig of water. ‘Do you know what devastation human weapons can cause?’
‘I do,’ Raven said. ‘I saw it, when I was escaping my matriarch. I saw the burnt-out metal machines, and all the dead humans.’
‘That’s nothing.’ The draka who spoke was so old that I wondered how she managed to stay upright. Her hide was more white than green, and her legs trembled under her thin body. ‘I’ve lived a long time. I’ve seen how the humans have sharpened their claws and built up their fires.’
‘And that’s what would happen to you,’ I said. ‘You’re not the only search dragons to have escaped their mothers. If you decide to help, if you pilot weapons through to destroy parts of my world, then human leaders will reach out to these other dragons. And they will send destruction to this, your settlement. They will find your settlement and destroy it.’
As I held my breath, waiting for my words to be passed along, Jago made a mournful sound. ‘Like I said. Not an adventure.’
‘Then we’ll just have to refuse,’ Tyra declared. ‘We’ll never help out the humans.’
‘I think it’ll take more than that.’ I took a deep breath. ‘I want Lloegyr to be safe. I want this settlement to be safe. So this is what I suggest. You help me to close all the air and land thin places between Daear and Great Britain.’
‘And how do we do that?’ asked a puffling, her voice barely carrying over the mutterings of her elders.
‘Blood,’ Raven replied. ‘The blood of a search dragon seals up thin places. A single drop will do.’
‘That’ll extend some of our journeys,’ a drake pointed out.
‘But only some of them,’ Tyra said. ‘We don’t have to go through Father Penny’s country. There are plenty of other routes.’
‘You need to protect yourselves,’ I said. ‘Please do this.’
The puffling cocked her head. ‘How did the humans find out about the air thin places?’
‘That’s not important,’ Raven said quickly. His ears were curling in embarrassment, and it was obvious that he had realised the cost of bringing Burrows to the settlement. ‘We just need to make sure that humans can’t cross over to Lloegyr by land or air.’
‘And Alba,’ I added. ‘All of the island, really.’
‘Well, I’ll help,’ said the puffling. ‘This is my home. I’m not going to let anything happen to it.’
‘You’re right,’ Tyra agreed. ‘I’m with you, Father Penny.’
Behind them, other dragons were breaking out into flame-accented arguments. I allowed this to carry on for a few minutes. Then I shouted out, ‘Everyone who wants to help, stay where you are! Everyone who doesn’t, or isn’t well enough to help, go back inside!’
Dragons shuffled, growled, swore, and sorted themselves out. Around a hundred remained outside, mostly in their prime, although several pufflings and the ancient draka were amongst them.
The puffling trotted closer. ‘I want to do my bit, but what if the humans fight back?’
‘They won’t,’ Raven said. ‘You’ll be sealing the thin place from the Daear side, won’t you? You don’t want to end up stuck in Britain.’
‘Yes, of course.’ She flashed white teeth in a draconic grin, then scooted back to the rest of the dragons.
‘This is what we’re going to do,’ I said. ‘Spread out, find the land and air thin places from the Daear side. We’re not going to worry about sea crossings, they’re too difficult for humans to use anyway. Seal up each thin place, then go on to the next. Raven and I will stay near the crossing in Caer-grawnt which leads to my own house in England. He’ll seal that one last. Any problems, come and find us. Otherwise, once you can’t find any more, make your way back here.’
‘You want all of them shut?’ Tyra asked. ‘Even the tiniest ones?’
‘All of them,’ I said firmly. ‘It’s best that nothing can get through.’
Jago climbed down my arm and looked up at me. ‘Not even a small gryphon?’
My throat was dry again. ‘You need to decide, Jago, which side you want to be on. Lloegyr or England.’
The crest rose and fell. Then he asked, ‘Uncle Clyde? What about you?’
The snail’s tentacles swirled with determined blue and purple. ‘Lloegyr.’
‘Then,’ Jago said, his voice shaky, ‘I’d better stay in Lloegyr.’
I reached out a finger to scratch his head. ‘Your mum and dad will be over here.’
‘But James won’t be, and I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him.’
‘I’m sorry about that,’ I said, fighting back a stab of guilt. ‘I’ll tell him for you.’
‘So you’ll be going back?’
‘Through the last thin place, just before Raven seals it up from this side.’ And my fingers tightened around a dragon spine as the stab deepened into sorrow.
As we spoke, Raven had been organising the volunteers, suggesting who would fly where. Some he sent out in pairs, placing the very young or the very old alongside a dragon in his or her prime. Several dragons, whose wings were too torn to be of use, he convinced to stay behind.
‘Clyde, Jago,’ I said quietly, ‘I’d like you both to wait here, please. Just in case there are any problems Raven and I have to deal with. When Raven’s finished, I’ll ask him to take you to, well, wherever you want to go.’
‘Llanbedr,’ Clyde declared. I nodded. Would he be able to convince the Church to ordain him? I’d probably never find out.
‘And I’ll go wherever Uncle Clyde goes,’ Jago said, his voice trembling. ‘But I’ll miss you, Auntie Penny.’
The puffling was lining herself up to join the other dragons already in the air. Even that slight movement had reopened the wounds on her shoulders. I brought Jago closer. ‘How about we go to that small dragon and talk her into staying here?’
‘You mean, be really clever?’
I stared into his mismatched eyes, the left blue, the right brown. ‘Yes, Jago. Be really clever. It might save her life.’
Forty dragons had now left the settlement, freeing up space by the wall. I slid from Raven’s neck and made my way over the rocky ground. ‘I need your help,’ I said to the puffling, holding out Clyde’s case. ‘My friends can’t come with me. Could you stay here and protect them?’
Her head was only the height of mine, so I could clearly see the anger narrowing her blue-green eyes. ‘But I want to help!’
‘And you will,’ Jago said from my shoulder. ‘Auntie Penny and Uncle Raven need to know that we’re safe or they’ll be distracted from what they have to do. And if those nasty people do come over from Earth, with their planes and things, then I’ll need help to protect Uncle Clyde.’
The puffling’s ears drew back. ‘Really?’
‘Really,’ I said firmly. ‘May I have the holding of your name?’
‘Torhild.’
‘Then, Torhild, please look after my friends.’ I placed the strap of Clyde’s case around her neck, and Jago leapt down to her back.
Rocks were skipping around our feet and bouncing against my legs, scattered by the down drafts of dragon wings as more volunteers left the settlement. Torhild lifted her head, eyes following her much larger companions. ‘It’s not really an adventure,’ Jago told her. ‘Not like when I went to the merpeople’s shoal.’
‘You’ve met merpeople?’ Torhild asked, her ears lifting.
‘Oh, yes. They put on a show for us. I’ll tell you all about it.’ And Jago gave me a very exaggerated wink.
‘Clever,’ Clyde muttered from the edge of his case.
My footsteps were lighter as I strode back to Raven. I climbed up his side and settled myself in place. I was beginning to sweat, particularly where my backpack pressed against my shoulders, b
ut I knew better than to remove my coat.
We were the last to leave the ground. As we made our way over the ocean, I asked Raven, ‘How will you know when all of the crossings have been sealed?’
‘I’ll try to find them,’ he replied, ‘and then I’ll know how many are still around. And I can locate any the other dragons have missed.’
I smiled at his unconscious arrogance. Then we passed through a thin place into cold night, and the sudden chill took my breath away.
Three more crossings brought us to the fields and forests near Caer-grawnt. We were now back in the same time zone as Northampton. The afternoon sun fought with clouds for possession of the sky, and their battle streaked light and shadow across the land below. Raven took us over the town and to the top of the hill beyond.
‘What about the thin places inside buildings?’ I asked as he landed. ‘Like Llanbedr Cathedral?’
‘Anyone can go into a church,’ he pointed out. ‘And few will argue with a determined dragon.’
‘And other buildings?’
‘As I’ve said, few will argue with a determined dragon.’
A slight breeze cooled my face. I eased my backpack from my shoulders and placed it in front of me. Only a few wisps of smoke emerged from the town’s factories, and the sounds of children playing in the streets reminded me that the work day was over. Birds commented to each other from nearby trees, and meadow grasses swayed as small animals scurried through. The lack of acrid traffic fumes encouraged me to take deep, calming breaths. ‘There’s one under our Parliament building.’
Raven cocked his head, eyes narrowing. ‘Leads to a nest of harpies. I’ll check again to see if it’s gone.’
‘And under our diocesan offices in Kettering.’ I pulled out my water bottle and drank it dry. ‘I used it for my interview to become Vicar General. It leads to a crypt.’
‘That one is gone. It’s been sealed.’
‘And don’t forget the one in Ashtrew Church.’
‘One hundred and eighteen,’ Raven said.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘The number of thin places, land or air, leading from your country to my world.’
I glowered at the empty water bottle. Then I pulled out the hip flask and had a swig of whisky. The alcohol burned against my throat and left an aftertaste of oak and leather in my mouth. ‘The dragons are doing well.’
‘Of course they are,’ Raven said calmly. ‘No one else knows what they’re doing. And please don’t drink any more of that. I want a sober partner.’
‘I’m not certain I want to be sober,’ I muttered. ‘There’s a thin place near Earls Barton that leads to a unicorn herd. And the one you opened up over Earls Barton Man’s house.’
‘I don’t remember that.’
‘You were under the Noble Leader’s influence at the time.’ The hip flask was warm in my sweaty palm. I forced myself to slide it into the backpack.
‘Ninety-eight,’ Raven announced. ‘The Kettering one has been sealed.’
The town had quietened as parents called their children inside. I found myself smiling. Never mind the species, the young still complained when play time was over. The children of Lloegyr deserved to grow up in peace. The conflicts of Earth could not be allowed to spill over into Daear. Some of the tension eased from my shoulders.
‘Seventy-four. And the crossing to the unicorn herd is gone.’
‘That’ll please the Archdruid,’ I said. ‘And keep her lands safe from people like Fred Wiseman and his corporation.’ Then I pushed past a sudden blockage in my throat. ‘There’s also the one which cuts through Peter’s house.’
‘That was sealed awhile ago.’
The sun had sunk below the edge of the clouds, and golden light streamed across the fields. The door to the vicarage opened, and a were-wolf stepped out. She was dressed in a black cassock, and as she turned to look up at us, I saw a white flash of plastic around her neck. The town had a new vicar. Of course they did. I hoped St George’s was flourishing, even as new growth was happening in St Wulfram’s. The priest strode down the road.
‘Sixty-three.’ Raven threw me a glance. ‘Are there any other crossings you want me to check?’
‘There are some small ones at Tattenhoe Abbey.’
‘No, there aren’t. They’ve been sealed already. Fifty-seven.’
I dismounted. My knees nearly gave way, and I grabbed a handful of warm dragon skin to keep myself upright. A few brisk strides back and forth restored circulation to my legs. ‘How much longer will this take, do you think?’
‘What’s wrong?’ Raven lowered his head to mine. ‘You wanted this.’
‘I didn’t want this, Raven.’ I rubbed my eyes, and was annoyed to find that my fingers came away wet with tears. ‘I just couldn’t think of what else to do.’
‘Well, not much longer. Thirty-nine.’
‘I know that the land-based thin places are dreadful,’ I said. ‘All those terrible conflicts and deaths which happened on our side. But there’s been something magical about riding on you through air ones. Unpredictable, but also wonderful.’
‘We’ll have many more flights.’
‘Really?’ I laid a hand on his muzzle, my fingers spreading just below one large eye. ‘How are you going to be able to visit me? It’s a long flight from, say, France or Norway, to my vicarage in Northampton.’
His sigh was soft against my face. ‘Twenty-three.’
‘I suppose new thin places will form, over time,’ I continued. ‘Tragedies won’t stop happening in Great Britain. But at least no one will know where they are, not for awhile. And maybe you can check every so often, so you can go and seal them up.’
The scent of wood smoke and leather wafted over me. ‘Penny--’
‘It’s all right,’ I said, hoping to convince both of us. ‘It’s been a wonderful time, a fantastic time. You, Morey, Clyde, Jago, you’ve all brought so much into my life. I’ll never forget any of you.’
‘Eighteen.’ Raven pulled his head away and looked down at me. ‘You wanted them to be in Lloegyr.’
‘That’s where you all belong.’
‘And you, percipient Penny? Where do you belong?’
I couldn’t meet his eyes. ‘With those who need me.’
‘No,’ Raven said quietly. ‘You belong with those who love you.’
I shoved trembling hands into my trouser pockets. ‘Like James.’
‘Who, I understand, might soon belong to someone else. Twelve.’
‘Yes. Skylar. I hope. But he’ll always be my brother.’ I clambered back up Raven’s side.
‘Only three now.’ Raven unfurled his wings. ‘Any regrets?’
‘Yes. Plenty.’ I gulped. ‘But it had to be done.’
The sun slid lower. Long shadows stretched across the countryside. I took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of baked ground and dry grasses. Small creatures emerged from the meadow and settled on the stone wall. They were the size of small birds, but lion-like heads emerged from golden, six-legged bee bodies. Yellow butterfly wings extended from their backs. I wondered what they were, whether they spoke Welsh, and if they lived in colonies. There was still so much I didn’t know about Lloegyr.
‘One,’ Raven said. ‘That’s all that’s left. Just the one above us which leads to your home.’
I straightened. ‘Then we’d better take care of it.’
Raven kicked us into the air. Lloegyr dropped away. I looked down, drinking in the uncultivated fields and forests. The lion-bees rose with the dragon, calling back and forth, their voices harmonizing like a well-rehearsed choir.
A shimmer creased the sky in front of us. The last thin place linking Britain to Lloegyr. ‘Well, Penny,’ Raven said, hovering just a few feet away, ‘which side do you want to be on when this crossing is sealed?’
Until he’d asked, I hadn’t thought to have a choice. Now my throat closed, and I fought for breath. England or Lloegyr. Both tugged at me, and my chest burned.
‘B
ecause,’ Raven continued, ‘whichever one you choose, I’ll be there with you.’
Air flowed into my lungs. My head cleared with sudden, almost painful certainty. I leaned to one side of the triangular spine, stretching my arms around his muscular neck. ‘Then close it from this side.’
The dragon bent his head and sliced open one of his fingertoes. Bright red blood was flung against the shimmer. I straightened as the last crossing to Britain shrivelled and disappeared. Then I pulled out my hip flask, removed the top, and drank it dry.
######
Penny White will return in
The Weariness of Were-Wolves
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Chrys Cymri
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About the Author
Priest by day, writer at odd times of the day and night, I live with a small green parrot because the upkeep for a dragon is beyond my current budget. Plus I’m responsible for making good any flame damage to church property. I love ‘Doctor Who’, landscape photography, single malt whisky, and my job, in no particular order. When I’m not looking after a small parish church in the Midlands (England), I like to go on far flung adventures to places like Peru, New Zealand, and North Korea.
Discover other titles by Chrys Cymri
Dragons Can Only Rust
Dragon Reforged
The Dragon Throne
The Unicorn Throne
The Judas Disciple
The Temptation of Dragons (Penny White 1)
