The Dragon's Apprentice

by Linda McNabb

CHAPTER TEN

  A NEW MASTER

  Toby hurried up the steps of the tumbling-down tower. One wall of the top floor was missing and loose rubble lay strewn across the floor, victims of the gusting wind, which battered the ruins in winter. Today the wind was resting and the snow was still not falling. From here Toby could see the entire castle at the bottom of the hill.

  “Need some help?” Sanelle asked as she came up behind him.

  “I think that’s Blaise down in the courtyard near Klel.” Toby squinted, trying to be sure.

  “Try this.” Sanelle handed him a small black tube and when he looked at it with confusion she added. “Look through it.”

  “Whoa, they’re big. Is this magic?” Toby could see that it was definitely Blaise walking towards Klel’s shelter.

  “No, just glass. My father is an inventor, he calls it an eyeglass,” Sanelle told him. “See if you can see the princess.”

  Toby looked everywhere he could with the eyeglass but he couldn’t see Princess Kaylene. “She must be inside.”

  “Then we’ll go inside the castle and find her,” Sanelle said firmly.

  “And we just rip the gems off her neck and run?” Toby didn’t mean to sound sarcastic but even if they were invisible she was sure to notice if her necklace suddenly disappeared.

  “If I can get close enough I can make her take them off. Then we need to get the talisman.” Sanelle said thoughtfully and then turned to face Toby. “We’re going to have to get down there without being seen so I can save my magic for getting the necklace. It doesn’t last forever and I have to rest it every now and then.”

  “Easy,” Toby told her with a smile. “Follow me.”

  He led her down into what had been the cellars of the old castle. He grabbed hold of a tarnished brass ring set into a large stone in the corner and pulled. The stone came up easily and revealed a ladder leading down into darkness.

  “I found it years ago when I was playing up here. It leads all the way into the cellars of the new castle. It must have been an escape route,” Toby explained to Sanelle who was already at the top of the ladder and starting to climb down. “They knocked down an old stone cottage to build the new castle so I figure they used the existing cellar as part of the castle and forgot about this tunnel.”

  Toby lit an old lantern that was hidden behind the door and followed her. Less than five minutes later they pushed up a trap door at the back of an unused storeroom.

  “How will we find her?” Toby wondered aloud.

  “I can feel the gems already,” Sanelle told him and left the storeroom after making them invisible. “This way.”

  It was odd walking through the castle knowing that nobody could see him. They passed right by Marc as he hurried about his duties.

  When they reached the more populated area they saw three well-dressed, men heading their way. The men were very excited and they were talking loudly as they hurried down the corridor.

  “I just can’t believe it!” one man said happily.

  “Nor I,” another man said with a sigh of pure contentment. “Just think of all the money we’ll make off our villagers with these.”

  “And he only charged us a year’s taxes for each one!” The third man seemed as delighted as the others and pulled something from his pocket.

  Toby just stared, and almost let go of Sanelle in his shock. The man had a dragon scale! The pale golden colour of it told Toby that this was one taken just a few days ago. Then he saw all three men had one! It wasn’t like king Herat to let anyone have a dragon scale, at any price.

  They went up another floor to where the royal guests’ suites were but it wasn’t until they arrived outside the guests’ sitting room that Toby’s fingers began to tingle.

  Toby looked in through the open door and saw Princess Kaylene sitting at a needlework frame, looking bored and unhappy. Two other young ladies sat at similar frames and their fingers flicked back and forth as they worked.

  “Now to make her take it off,” Sanelle whispered.

  Seconds later the princess began to scratch at her neck and rubbed so hard that she left red marks on her lily-white skin.

  “What’s wrong Kaylene?” one of the other girls, with black curly hair, asked.

  “My neck is itchy,” she replied with a whine in her voice that irritated Toby instantly.

  “Take off the necklace, maybe the glass has a chip on it,” the other girl suggested.

  Toby saw the look of doubt pass over Princess Kaylene’s face as she removed the necklace.

  “A dragon scale would heal those welts.” The girl with black hair paused in her needlework to look at Princess Kaylene’s neck.

  “I’m getting one tomorrow, Hana,” the third girl added a little smugly.

  “So am I,” Hana replied quickly.

  They were getting dragon scales too? Toby frowned as Sanelle led him quietly across the room to where the princess had put her necklace.

  “Then I’m going to get one too!” Princess Kaylene pouted as she rubbed her neck again.

  Toby frowned as Sanelle grabbed the necklace and they crept from the room.

  “Now we just need the talisman,” Toby said as they walked along the corridor. “We could wait for Blaise in the corridor just before his suite. It’s quite narrow and if we put out some of the oil lamps we should be able to ambush him easily.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Sanelle agreed with a nod. “But we’ll take these to Klel first. He’ll need to regain some strength before we can set him free.”

  They made their way to the courtyard and crept quietly past the guards patrolling the area. The courtyard was swept clean of snow and the air was quite warm. Spring was definitely on the way.

  “Klel,” Toby called softly as they approached the shelter but received no reply. Toby saw his friend curled up in his sleeping corner, a murky shade of brown again.

  “My magic is going!” Sanelle said as she pulled Toby around the back of the shelter. “Blaise must be nearby.”

  They crouched behind the shelter and peered through a gap in the stones.

  “I can see him,” Toby whispered. “He’s coming this way with Master Groomer.”

  “Shhh….” Sanelle hissed at him.

  Toby and Sanelle both watched as the red-haired prince and the overweight groomer came closer.

  “Take a look at the dragon,” Blaise commanded bluntly. “It’s gone a funny colour.”

  “I ain’t no dragon doctor,” Master Groomer muttered as he shuffled through the straw on the ground and bent over Klel. He made a clucking noise with his tongue as he inspected the wounds and then stood up and shook his head.

  “Well, is it getting better or not?” Blaise demanded.

  “No, Your Highness. The wounds are healing but it’s dying. I’ve seen it before when horses just give up after an injury.” Master Groomer was shaking his head sadly. “Poor thing.”

  Toby felt his mouth drop open. He had to get the gems to Klel, and soon. Blaise looked annoyed by the news and his face went red with anger.

  “But it has to live!” he exclaimed loudly. “I need those scales!”

  “I’ll give it something to make it go to sleep and never wake up again, Your Highness. It’s the kindest thing to do.” Master Groomer was about to walk off but Blaise stopped him.

  “Will the scales still heal even though they have turned brown?” Blaise had a desperate look on his face that made Toby shake with rage. He could tell what Blaise was thinking and it made Toby want to be sick. “I could remove them before it dies.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Your Highness,” Master Groomer said with a shake of his head.

  “I didn’t ask if it was a good idea… I want to know if the scales will heal as the golden ones do.” Blaise looked about to explode and Master Groomer took a step back out of his immediate reach.

  “I suppose they would, Your Highness.” Master Groomer obviously didn’t approve of what Blaise was i
ntending to do. “But to remove the scales now would cause it great pain and suffering.”

  “It’s going to die anyway,” Blaise snapped back at the groomer and looked hard at Klel.

  Toby realised with horror that Blaise was actually counting Klel’s scales.

  “The king would not approve…” Master Groomer left off the prince’s title and then with a withering look at the prince he stormed out of the shelter, heading towards the castle at a pace that Toby had never seen him achieve before.

  “There should be enough…” Blaise was talking to himself as he finished his count.

  “We can’t let him take them,” Toby whispered as softly as he could. He was ready to tackle Blaise right there and then but by the time he turned back to the small hole in the wall, Blaise was heading out of the shelter.

  “He’s probably going to find someone to do the dirty work for him,” Sanelle said with a glare of pure hatred at her brother’s back.

  “We have to stop him!” Toby whispered urgently.

  “Don’t worry, Toby. We’ll all be out of here in a few minutes. I’ll come back for the talisman later.”

  Toby couldn’t answer. He wasn’t sure he would be so selfless if it were his mother in the talisman.

  “My magic is working again now,” Sanelle said as she grabbed his hand and they hurried around to Klel.

  “Klel,” Toby whispered and couldn’t keep the urgency and desperation out of his voice. Klel raised his snout and opened his eyes sleepily.

  Gems! Klel saw the gems and struggled unsteadily to his feet. His eyes sparkled with glee. For Klel?

  “For Klel,” Sanelle echoed as she tossed them to Klel who caught them with one clawed foot and brought them to his chest to hug them close.

  Thankful, Sanelle. Klel bobbed his head towards Sanelle. His colour was quickly returning to a dull gold and he stopped shaking.

  “Thank Toby, if it wasn’t for him I’d be keeping them for myself,” Sanelle corrected him and looked longingly at the gems.

  “Sanelle, Blaise is coming back and the groomer is coming from the other direction with King Herat,” Toby hissed urgently, not caring about thanks right now. “He’ll see us!”

  You invisible to him, Klel said calmly. Klel feel magic. Wait… magic fades. Klel looked over at the approaching prince in amazement. Talisman!

  “My word does not work near him,” Sanelle said and sighed.

  “And I don’t have a word, so I can’t help,” Toby added.

  He and Sanelle could probably make a run for it and get away but they would have to leave Klel behind. It wasn’t an option for Toby and he dismissed the idea instantly. Leaving Klel would be to betray the friendship they had shared for so long and doom him to a certain death.

  Topaz, Klel said quietly and drew several lines on Toby’s forehead with one of his claws.

  “Topaz?” Toby repeated, not quite sure what this had to do with their impending capture.

  You not want word… and master? Klel asked. Use quickly. My magic still weak.

  Toby struggled to take it in and Sanelle nudged him hard in the ribs with her elbow.

  “Just do it,” she hissed.

  He quickly drew the rune to be invisible in a small patch of dirt where a cobble was missing. He grabbed hold of Sanelle, and Klel’s front leg, and whispered, “Topaz!”

  The king and Blaise arrived at the same time and both stared in shock at the empty shelter.

  “Blaise, where is my dragon?” The king yelled angrily. “The groomer tells me you are going to take all the scales before it dies. Give it back! It is my dragon, therefor they are my scales! I will be the one to remove them!”

  Toby couldn’t believe they were arguing who owned the scales on a dying dragon and he wanted to leap forward and punch them both. Master Groomer was also staring at the two royals with a surprised and disgusted expression then he stormed off across the courtyard.

  “I haven’t got the dragon,” Blaise snapped, then stared hard at the ground in the shelter. He looked directly at the rune Toby had scratched in the dirt and his face went white. “Sanelle!”

  “Sanelle?” King Herat looked confused. “Isn’t that your sister who disappeared when I arrived back? Has she got my dragon?”

  “She has,” Blaise said bluntly. “And she’s long gone, or we’d see her.”

  King Herat didn’t ask for an explanation of that cryptic remark but turned and began yelling orders to the guards. Blaise turned and stormed off across the courtyard, muttering furiously.

  “Now what?” Toby breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We all leave,” Sanelle suggested. “And quickly.”

  Sanelle flicked one finger at the chain around Klel’s leg and it fell to the ground.

  “Some little things you don’t even need runes for,” Sanelle said before Toby could ask and then she pointed to the courtyard. “Shall we?”

  Toby slipped his arm around Klel’s neck, and with Sanelle holding his other hand, they walked quickly out into the courtyard. Toby began to panic as he saw all the gates were shut, and guards were everywhere. How were they going to get out of the castle? All of a sudden the guards turned in their direction and began shouting and pointing.

  “There they are!”

  “Why can they see us?” Toby looked at Sanelle, terrified. His heart was thumping wildly and he was sure that they must all be able to hear it.

  Magic young. Not last long, Klel replied with a sad look.

  “And here comes Blaise,” Sanelle muttered angrily

  Climb on back, Klel nudged at them with his snout and passed the gems to Toby. “Hold gems.”

  Neither of them argued and they quickly climbed up onto Klel’s narrow back.

  Hold on, Klel said, a little late, and a second later they were high above the castle. Go where?

  “Circle around that hill over to the north,” Sanelle ordered. She sounded like she had a plan and since Toby didn’t, he kept quiet.

  Everyone in the courtyard was looking up at them and Blaise was shaking his fist angrily. Klel soared quickly around the back of the hill and Sanelle invoked the rune to make them invisible.

  “Fly back the way we came please Klel. We just have to keep a good distance from the castle on the way back and they won’t see us,” Sanelle said as she patted Klel’s side.

  Where?

  “The old ruins on the hill. Nobody would look for you that close to the castle,” Sanelle replied and Toby agreed that hiding right under their nose was probably the safest place to be.

  They reached the old castle after only a few wing beats and Klel flew into the same room that Toby had been watching from only half an hour ago. He ran straight at one of the walls and knocked a hole in it, allowing him access into another room with all its outside walls intact.

  Nice to fly free. Klel stated as they slipped off his back.

  Toby draped the gems back over Klel’s leg and sank down against the wall, feeling very tired.

  Magic drains. Must rest, apprentice. Klel’s voice seemed stronger, younger than it had only a few moments ago and it was almost a full minute before Klel’s words actually sank in.

  “Apprentice?” Toby repeated. He remembered what Klel had said to him down in the courtyard. “Then you’re my….”

  Master, Klel finished for him and nodded his head. Never done before. Dragon with human apprentice. Wasn’t sure would work.

  Toby couldn’t help but grin. He was a real apprentice, with a real master. Tiredness swept over him again and he leant back against the wall and was asleep within seconds.