Magical Mayhem (7 page)

She pushed the thought away. ‘Let's both pull at the same time,' she said to Bimi. ‘Ready? One . . . Two . . .'

‘TWINK!' shouted Teena's voice. Twink's mouth dropped open as her little sister came zooming up.

‘Teena, what are you
doing
here?' cried Twink. ‘Get back to the wood with the others!'

‘No, I – I have to tell you something!' cried Teena, her violet eyes bright with tears. ‘Oh, Twink – this is all my fault!'

.

Chapter Seven

‘
Your
fault?' repeated Twink in confusion. ‘What are you talking about?'

Teena began to cry, choking the words out. ‘Oh, Twink, I – I wished on a dandelion on our first day back – and I wished that something exciting would happen – and the moment I did, the snowstorm started, and now all this, and – and oh, what have I done?' She wailed the last words, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed.

Dropping Sal's lead, Twink quickly put her arms around her little sister. ‘Hush, don't cry,' she soothed. ‘But Teena, I don't understand. What do you mean, you wished on a dandelion?'

Sniffling, Teena explained about the human magic that Zuzu had told her about. ‘I know I shouldn't have tried it,' she said. ‘But I was fed up, and – and I wanted something different to happen.'

Twink frowned. She knew from her time with the humans that, unlikely as it might seem, they
did
have magic – Christmas and Santa Claus had taught her that. Mixing fairy magic with a human spell seemed a sure recipe for trouble – but even so . . .

‘Teena, I don't see how your wish could have caused all this,' said Twink slowly. ‘Your magic just isn't strong enough yet, even if the fairy magic and the human magic
did
go wrong together.'

‘It sounds like her wish probably caused the storm though,' put in Bimi. She was struggling to hold Sal's lead on her own as he strained and pulled.

Twink nodded, thinking hard. ‘Bimi, I wonder if – if maybe the
storm
caused something to happen somehow.' The smoke wisped against the sky, teasing her.
What
did it mean?

‘But how could a snowstorm –
oh
!' cried Bimi as Sal jerked his lead from her fingers. He raced off over the hill.

‘Sal, come back!' shouted Twink. ‘I've got to go and get him,' she said frantically. ‘Teena, go straight back to Mrs Lightwing, and tell her exactly what you've told us! And explain that I had to go after Sal –'

Twink shouted the last words over her shoulder as she shot off. A moment later she realised that Bimi was flying just behind her. ‘I'm not letting you go alone!' panted Bimi. ‘I gave Chirpy to Teena – she's going to go and get the teachers.'

Despite her fear, a sunny warmth spread through Twink. Bimi was the best friend in the world!

They zoomed over the top of the hill . . . just in time to see Sal's spotted tail disappear down a hole in the snowy ground. The smoke they had seen was coming from the hole's entrance, rising out in a thin, steady plume.

Twink and Bimi landed in a skidding stop. ‘It's a rabbit hole,' said Bimi, peering in. ‘Sal! Sal, come out this instant!' There was no reply. They could just hear the sound of the salamander pattering away down the hole, his footsteps growing fainter and fainter.

‘What do you suppose is causing the smoke?' said Twink, gazing at it uneasily.

Bimi rubbed her silver and gold wings together. ‘I don't know, but . . . Twink, isn't that patch of melted snow close to here? It's just over the next hill, isn't it?'

The same thought occurred to both girls at the same time. ‘It's not a hot spring at all – there's something
down
there!' burst out Twink.

‘And Sal's gone in after it!' Bimi's blue eyes were wide with horror.

Twink took a deep breath. ‘Bimi, I've got to go and get him. Mr Woodleaf trusted me to keep him safe! You don't have to come – I know how scared you are of going underground –'

Bimi looked pale. ‘No, I'll come,' she said softly. ‘I'd never forgive myself if I didn't, and something happened to you.'

Twink started to argue . . . and then looked into the dark rabbit hole and thought better of it. The last thing she wanted to do was to venture down there alone!

The two fairies edged into the hole, holding hands tightly. The dirt tunnel sloped sharply downwards, so that they had to flutter their wings to keep their balance. The daylight winked out behind them as they rounded a bend.

‘Sal!' called Twink into the darkness. ‘Sal, come back!'

There was no answer. Bimi squeezed Twink's hand. ‘Let's keep going,' she whispered.

They tiptoed onwards. Suddenly Twink realised that it was growing warmer with every step they took, like walking into summer. Before she could mention it, a hot breeze gusted through the tunnel, stirring her hair.

‘Bimi, did you
feel
that?' she gasped.

‘It's like something's on fire!' agreed Bimi's frightened voice.

The scorching breeze came again, and again.
Oh please, let Sal be all right
, thought Twink as she and Bimi edged their way downwards. It felt as if they were walking into a human furnace! What on earth was down there?

The two fairies felt their way along the warm dirt wall as they rounded another curve. Twink jumped back with a shriek.

Staring at her out of the darkness was a pair of bright orange eyes.

For a terrifying moment, Twink thought they belonged to some sort of monster . . . and then her eyes adjusted to the chamber's dim light.

‘It's a
dragon
,' she breathed. Those orange things weren't eyes at all. They were his nostrils, glowing with fire! Smoke curled from them in long grey tendrils.

The dragon was asleep, with Sal snuggled up beside him. Salamanders and dragons were cousins, remembered Twink suddenly. No wonder Sal had been so excited by the dragon's presence!

Another sizzling breeze blew past as the dragon let out a soft snore. ‘I didn't know that there still
were
any dragons!' exclaimed Bimi.

Twink nodded. ‘Just a few, my father says. He's very young, isn't he? The poor thing must have got lost from his parents in the storm!'

They crept forward until they were almost close enough to touch him. The dragon's scales were a rich golden-red that glowed in the faint light. Suddenly he whimpered in his sleep, his feet and tail twitching.

‘Oh, he's having a bad dream!' said Bimi. She started to stroke the dragon's claw, and then jerked her hand away. ‘It's
hot
!' she exclaimed.

‘My father says that dragons are the most magical creatures of all,' said Twink, gazing at the slumbering beast in awe. ‘He says their magic is
much
stronger than fairy magic. In fact –'

Twink broke off suddenly, her eyes widening. ‘Bimi! Do you think maybe his magic has been interfering with ours somehow? I mean – if he
did
arrive in the storm, then it all started once he got here, didn't it? It could all be because of him!'

‘Oh, Twink, you could be right,' gasped Bimi. ‘Especially if he's upset and having nightmares! We've got to get him away from here – as quickly as we can.'

The two fairies stared up at the snoring dragon. Twink bit her lip. ‘Er . . . how shall we wake him up?' she said. She was fairly sure that it was a bad idea to startle a dragon awake – he might blast them with his fiery breath!

Bimi gulped. ‘Um . . . dragon?' she called softly. ‘Hello, dragon . . . Wakey, wakey!'

The dragon didn't stir. Picking up a twig from the ground, Twink very cautiously prodded the dragon's leg. ‘Dragon, do wake up!' she implored. ‘It's important!'

She flitted backwards as another red-hot snore gusted past them.
Ouch!
‘Bimi, what are we going to do?' she hissed, flapping her wings to cool them. ‘We've
got
to wake him up.'

Uncurling himself, Sal cocked his head to one side as if listening to them. His eyes twinkled – and then all at once he leapt up on to the dragon!

‘Sal!' cried Twink. ‘Get down from there!'

The salamander scampered nimbly up the sleeping dragon's back. Despite the heat, Twink's wings felt like ice. What was Sal
doing
?

Suddenly jets of orange flame burst from the dragon's nostrils as he started awake. Twink and Bimi shrieked, darting backwards.

The dragon lifted his long neck and peered closely at Sal, perched on his back. Salamander and dragon regarded each other for a long moment – and then Sal crept even nearer.

Twink's jaw dropped open. Why . . . he was whispering something in the dragon's ear!

‘What's he saying?' murmured Bimi, craning to see. As if in answer, the dragon turned and stared at them with a pair of large golden eyes.

Twink managed a weak smile. ‘Er . . . hello!' she said, waving.

The dragon's spiked tail thudded on the dirt floor. Uncoiling himself, he lumbered to his feet. His bat-like wings fluttered hopefully.

Sal slid down the dragon's snout and scampered across to the fairies. ‘Oh, Sal, well done!' praised Twink, stroking his smooth head. ‘You clever thing – you've made him understand!'

‘Will he follow us, do you think?' said Bimi, scratching the dragon's nose with a stick. He closed his eyes, almost purring with pleasure.

‘One way to find out,' said Twink, picking up the salamander's lead. ‘Come on, everyone – we have to hurry!'

The dragon followed readily, trundling after the fairies as they headed upwards through the tunnel. At least he seemed to be making an effort not to breathe fire on them, thought Twink – though she did let out a squawk once when he sneezed, blasting a super-hot breath at their heels!

Finally they emerged on to the snowy hill. The afternoon was drawing to a close, and the sun hung low in the sky. ‘Twink, look!' cried Bimi.

Twink's wings sagged with relief as she saw Miss Shimmery, Mrs Lightwing and Miss Twilight flying towards them in the distance, along with Teena, who was showing the way.

‘We're here!' she called, shooting up into the air and waving her arms. ‘We're – AAAGGGHHH!'

Twink screamed as a gust of wind roared over her like a hurricane, sending her flailing head over pixie boots. Fluttering her wings madly, she righted herself – and her jaw dropped.

Landing on the ground beside the rabbit hole were two adult dragons, each the size of a human house. Steam hissed from the ground as the snow melted around them.

Twink gaped, taking in the dragons' gleaming red scales and glittering eyes. It was the breeze from their massive wing strokes that had bowled her over, she realised – she hadn't stood a chance against it!

Shooting happy jets of flame, the young dragon threw himself at his parents, nuzzling and purring. The adults enveloped him tightly with their wings. A lump formed in Twink's throat. How worried the little dragon's parents must have been!

She touched down lightly beside Bimi and Sal. ‘Isn't it glimmery?' she whispered from behind her hand. ‘They're back together again!'

Bimi nodded vehemently. ‘Good old Sal,' she said, patting his head. ‘You knew what you were doing, didn't you?' Sal swished his black and yellow tail, smiling to himself. At the top of the hill, the teachers and Teena had stopped, watching the scene in amazement.