The room in front of me disappeared and the next moment I was toppling forward into a startled Ted, as Zing and I zapped back into the group.
‘OK, what just happened?’ Liam spluttered.
I dribbled out an explanation, but not surprisingly they just stared at me, not understanding. Their eyes darted between me, Zing and the windows above.
‘I think . . .’ Aura said, starting to grin, ‘I think Zing just teleported Tomas in and out of that building.’
I nodded shakily.
‘That is epic!’ Ted said.
‘I want a go!’ cried Liam.
I shook my head. ‘You really don’t,’ I said. It felt as if every cell in my body had hurtled down a roller coaster and been flung off into space at the other end and now they were all speeding back towards each other, only some had ended up in the wrong place and were ferociously elbowing their way back into position.
‘It hurts,’ I said.
I also wasn’t sure it was that great for Zing. He had curled up on the ground, his wings lying limply across the grass. He looked exhausted.
‘We have to find Chouko right now and tell her what’s going on.’
And I quickly explained what I’d seen. Only before I’d completely finished, Aura suddenly grabbed me and pushed me into the bushes, where Liam and Ted stood half hidden. She pressed her finger to her lips and glared at us as a beam of torchlight was cast over the path.
Footsteps came closer and we heard voices. My ears pricked up as I heard the woman I’d seen talking at Chouko last time I was here.
‘I have to have those seedlings transferred to my laboratory tonight,’ she was saying crossly. ‘They need to be in a carefully controlled environment where I can study them properly. Good heavens, man – the way they’re looking right now, they could all be dead if we leave them here a moment longer. They could have properties that are revolutionary for science and medicine. Do you really want to be the one responsible for getting in the way of that?’
I stared at Aura in horror, willing the man to argue with her. But he just let out a little defeated sigh and followed her as she hurried along the path.
‘Quickly,’ I said. ‘We have to stop them.’
‘How are we supposed to do that?’ Liam said.
‘We have dragons,’ Aura said, her head shrouded in a swirling cloud of bee dragons. ‘They’ll help us stall them – at least while you go and find Chouko, Tomas. Tell her what you saw and get her to come quick.’
I nodded. She was right. Chouko was our only hope now.
‘Look after Zing for me,’ I said, scooping him up and handing him to Aura.
‘Right,’ I heard Ted say to her as I hurried away, ‘tell me you’ve got a plan.’
33
No Joke
I raced down the path to Chouko’s cottage and banged on her front door.
‘Chouko!’ I yelled. ‘Please, we need you.’
I peered through the letter box. But there was no sign of her inside. I hurried round to the greenhouses, but she wasn’t in there either.
I called her name again, desperation turning my voice all squeaky. And then I saw her head pop up from a bush further down the garden and sprinted towards her.
‘Tomas? What are you doing here?’ she asked. ‘The garden’s closed. Oh dear, you haven’t got yourself locked in, have you?’
‘No,’ I said breathlessly. ‘We need you to come quickly. They’re taking the seedlings. And you have to stop them.’
Chouko gave a sigh. Shaking her head, she picked up the handles of the wheelbarrow. ‘I don’t know why you’re so interested in these particular seedlings. I’ve tried my best, Tomas. Obviously I don’t appreciate other people swooping in and taking over my research, but I’m not sure there’s anything more I can do. But you mustn’t worry – I’m sure they will be well looked after.’
‘They won’t,’ I insisted. ‘I’ve seen what they’ve done to them in there.’
Chouko frowned. ‘I hope you haven’t been wandering off the proper paths again, Tomas? Exploring where you shouldn’t be.’
I shook my head. There wasn’t time for this. ‘Please, Chouko. They’re not looking after them at all,’ I wailed. ‘They don’t even know how.’
‘That’s why they are so keen to study them, to see if they can understand what we are doing wrong.’
‘But they’re going to end up killing them. They’re trying to find out what’s so special about them. But I already know. And it’s the most amazing thing ever.’
Chouko peered at me. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
I took a huge gulp. Was I really going to do this? I hoped the others were managing to slow the woman down. But it wouldn’t take long to load the seedlings into the van. No. I had to do it, and I had to do it right now. And there was no time to get there slowly.
‘Chouko, what if dragon-fruit trees really did grow dragons?’
She let out a little snort of laughter. But when I kept her gaze, her forehead wrinkled.
‘Don’t be silly, Tomas. I suppose next you’ll be telling me crabs drop out of crab apples and fairies really do fly out of fairy cakes.’
‘I’m serious,’ I said. And Chouko must have thought it was all just a huge joke, because I broke into the biggest sunniest grin ever. But it wasn’t because I’d suddenly found anything funny. It was because I could prove it.
‘Turn around,’ I said simply.
Chouko, still looking perplexed, slowly turned her head . . . and then slammed her hand over her mouth.
Because there, hovering just above us, was the glorious shining ruby shape of Flicker. And what’s more, he wasn’t alone! A slender dragon with four beautiful wings like a dragonfly was flying alongside him. I grinned as I recognised the dragon from Aura’s pictures, the same one Elvi had drawn in her diary and told her stories about. Rosa’s dragon! The dragon’s four wings glittered and sparkled and its breath was a ripple of colour, just like a rainbow.
Chouko gasped and staggered back, her arm shooting out to shield me. But I laughed and ducked round her, rushing forward to wrap my arms around Flicker’s scaly neck as he landed in Chouko’s garden.
For a few minutes I thought she had gone into some kind of trance, that the shock had turned her into a statue. But then she clapped her hands and erupted into wild giggly laughter, her eyes sparkling with delight.
‘We have to go,’ I said, and started pulling her by the arm. ‘I’ll explain everything later, I promise. But now we have to rescue the seedlings.’
She nodded, breaking into a run, her eyes fixed on the dragons who had risen back up into the air and were flying above us.
When we reached the offices I skidded to a halt.
Aura stared past me at the four-winged dragon.
‘Tomas, that’s Mamma’s dragon,’ she whispered. ‘It’s come back.’
I nodded. ‘I think Flicker brought it.’ I turned to the others. ‘Have you managed to stall them?’
‘A bit,’ Ted called. ‘The bee dragons kept them on their toes. I think they might have a bit of a sting on them. The only trouble is, stinging makes them a bit dozy afterwards, and what with Zing already out for the count we’ve been relying on Rosebud. She couldn’t keep up the farting though. Once the two of them recovered from their hysterics, they loaded up the seedlings they were carrying into that van. They’ve gone back in for more. But they’ve locked the van so we can’t rescue them.’
‘What are we going to do?’ Liam said.
‘Chouko’s going to stop them,’ I replied, pointing to her as she hurried away into the building.
‘Did she . . . you know . . . see Flicker?’ he asked.
I nodded quickly. ‘I had to tell her. We need her help.’
I looked at Aura. The four-winged dragon had landed and it was reaching out its head towards her, its ruby eyes sparkling. She gazed up at it, a huge smile spreading across her face.
‘I remember you,’ she whispered. And then added softly, ‘I
just wish Mamma did too.’
34
The Eye of the Storm
‘Look, there’s Chouko,’ Ted said.
‘It’s no use,’ she cried, hurrying towards us. ‘They simply won’t listen to me.’
‘But we can’t let them take the seedlings,’ I pleaded. ‘We’re supposed to protect them!’
‘We’d better think of something quick,’ Liam said. And he pointed at the two figures carrying the last of the trays and placing them onto the trolley inside the van.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ Ted said. ‘What if Zing zapped you into the van? Then maybe he could zap you and that trolley out of there.’
I looked around for Zing. He was still curled up in the grass. He raised his head sleepily.
‘I think he used up all his charge getting me out of that building,’ I said sadly. ‘He’d need to be super-super-charged to do that.’
Ted looked thoughtful and then spun round to stare at Flicker. ‘We have a storm dragon, remember? What if Zing met a bolt of lightning?’
‘Er . . . he’d probably be a frazzled crisp,’ I said.
‘No,’ Ted said. ‘I don’t think so. He doesn’t react to electrical charge like we do. He feeds off it. It makes him powerful. This could work, Tomas.’
I really wasn’t sure, but Flicker was already launching into the air. And with a jolt I realised that Zing was perched on the end of his tail.
Higher and higher they flew, Flicker circling in ever tighter loops, his scales flickering through every colour. And everything became still as the darkening sky grew purple. There was a deep rumble, and for a second I thought it had come from an immense dragon beyond the trees. But then an almighty crack of lightning split the sky, followed by a louder burst of thunder. We watched as more jagged bolts of fierce white lightning struck again and again. Flicker stopped spinning and I could see Zing poised, wings outstretched. With one flick of his tail Flicker sent Zing flying, straight into the path of the lightning. When it hit him the sky turned electric blue.
And Zing vanished.
He reappeared a second later in front of us. Dazzling so brightly we had to shield our eyes.
‘Are you sure about this, Tomas?’ Aura said nervously. ‘He might be OK eating electricity, but you’re not a dragon.’
‘Also, you’re not going to be able to pick up that trolley with all those seedlings on your own,’ Chouko said. ‘But I can. You trusted me enough to ask for my help. Now let me help.’
The woman in the van had started the engine and was calling to her companion to hurry up and get in.
‘I think she’s right,’ Ted said. ‘We’ve only got one shot at this. Let her do it.’
‘OK,’ I said. Then I leaned closer to Chouko and whispered, ‘It feels horrible but only for a bit.’
She nodded and squeezed my hand. ‘Thank you for telling me the truth.’
‘They’re going!’ Ted cried. And sure enough, as soon as the man’s door closed the van jerked away.
Chouko held out her hands and Zing flew over to her. And in a blinding flash of light they were both gone.
‘How long does it take to grab a trolley and zap out again?’ Liam asked as the seconds ticked by. ‘Zapping’s meant to be fast, right?’
We kept our eyes fixed on the van as it drove away up the path towards the main gate.
‘Come on, Zing,’ I muttered. ‘You can do it.’
The van juddered to a stop and the man hopped out. He tapped a key code and the gate swung open.
As he got back in, the woman started driving off before he’d even closed his door. The gate closed behind them. And just like that they were gone.
The seconds ticked past and no one spoke. I think we all felt the same. That we had failed the dragons.
I felt Flicker’s warm breath wrapping around me as he bent his head down. But I couldn’t bear to look into his diamond eyes. And what about poor Zing?
Next to Aura, the four-winged dragon shook its head and let out a smoky sigh.
And then suddenly a voice called out from somewhere behind us.
‘A little help, please.’
We all turned, but the path was empty.
‘I’m up here,’ came the rather wobbly voice.
Turning our gaze upwards to the treetops, we finally spotted Chouko. She was balanced precariously on a branch, arms wrapped round the trolley, her back up against the trunk. And there was Zing, flaked out next to the seedlings.
We all whooped in relief and began dancing round delightedly, laughing and high-fiving. Then, realising that Chouko wasn’t feeling quite so relieved at being stranded up a tree, I called, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get you down.’
Ted and I climbed onto Flicker’s back and he flew us up to the branch, where between us we took the trolley from Chouko. I was just wondering if she would be able to climb down now, when the four-winged dragon appeared beside us and stretched out its neck. With eyes wide, Chouko clambered on and was lowered to the ground.
We all stood and stared at the seedlings in their little pots. And then I noticed the cloud of bee dragons hovering nearby. They weren’t dozy any longer, they were humming. As Aura held out a tub of cacao, one by one they broke formation and dived down to pick some up in their claws. We watched as they darted from seedling to seedling. Back and forth they went until they’d visited every single one. Then the little dragons rose into the air, circled the seedlings and headed back towards Aura. Her face lit up as they settled on her, covering her arms and head with their jewel-like wings and flicking tails.
‘I wish I could see their faces when they open up the van and find it empty,’ Liam said, grinning.
‘We really need somewhere safe to keep them though,’ Chouko said. ‘They’ve raised quite a few eyebrows while I’ve been caring for them. Dr Meadows may not be the only one to start taking an interest.’
‘We’ve got the perfect place,’ Aura said, beaming. ‘I think it’s time we took Chouko to your grandad’s garden, don’t you, Tomas?’
35
Time to Meet the Dragons
Crammed into Chouko’s little car, trays of seedlings on our laps, we threaded our way through the streets, every so often catching glimpses of Flicker and the four-winged dragon as they soared across the moonlit sky.
‘It’d be faster by dragon,’ Aura whispered.
I grinned and imagined Flicker swooping down, gripping the roof of the car with his talons and lifting us up and away from the traffic.
By this time of the evening Grandad would usually be happily settled in his armchair, flicking through gardening magazines and pretending to stay awake through whatever TV show he and Nana were watching. But when we drew up and came round the side of the house I could see the light on in his shed. And there he was, standing outside, waving his hands at something, like he was shooing it away.
But it wasn’t the two enormous dragons who had landed in his garden that were the problem. It was the twenty or so tiny shapes flitting around him.
He ducked and put his hands over his head as he spotted me.
‘Hey, up, Chipstick. I’m glad you’ve turned up. We’ve got an excitable bunch on our hands this time.’
His eyebrows shot upwards when he saw Chouko, but a lime-green dragon zipped down and swiped at his head with its tail before he could say anything.
To her credit, Chouko took the garden of crazed dragons in her stride. ‘Chouko Sato,’ she said, hurrying over to give his hand a shake. ‘Tomas has kindly offered to show me your incredible dragon-fruit tree.’
‘Well, I think it’s more their tree than ours,’ chuckled Grandad, pointing at the dragons. ‘But let’s see if we can send this lot on their way and then I can give you a proper tour.’
We ran around doing our best to shepherd them upwards, but these dragons were far more interested in playing games than leaving. It soon turned into a game for us too and we all ended up giggling and muddy.
Until, that is, Aura let out a wail.
‘Oh no!’ she cried. ‘Look, it’s Mamma and Papi.’
I spun round, and sure enough Aura’s parents had appeared at the back door, with Nana. And they weren’t the only ones. Mum, Dad and Lolli were there too.
‘What are we going to do?’ Aura hissed.
Rosebud, Zing and the flitter of tiny shapes zooming back and forth could be mistaken for birds or disappear into the darker corners. But right now we had Flicker and the four-winged dragon filling up most of the end of the garden. There was no way we could hide them. Especially not in the next twenty seconds. I watched our parents making their way up the garden path, Lolli skipping ahead, arms waving and not a toilet-roll bandage in sight.
‘Any cunning plans?’ Ted said. ‘Hey, Liam, you got that hypno-magnet? We can dangle it in front of them.’
I looked all around and then back at Aura. There was more written on her face than just alarm and worry. As her eyes flitted between me and her dad, I could see glimmers of hope and excitement. I took a deep breath and then smiled at her.
‘You know what? I don’t think we need to hypnotise them. I think it’s time they met the dragons.’
Aura beamed at me and immediately ran down the path towards her parents.
Mum and Dad raced over and wrapped me in a huge squeezy hug, and I saw Aura’s family was doing the same. Just for a second I thought the grown-ups were all like Rosa and couldn’t even see the dragons. But then I realised they were just relieved to see us safe.
It’s weird how parents react to things. I mean, sometimes they completely lose their cool over the fact you’ve spilt a glass of milk on the living-room carpet, and other times you present them with a garden full of dragons and they just totally deal with it.
‘I knew something was up, Tomas,’ said Mum. ‘But I have to admit, dragons weren’t my first thought!’ She looked around and laughed when she saw Dad with a dragon happily settled on his head, its tail swinging back and forth across his nose.
The Boy Who Sang with Dragons Page 10
