The Last Dragon Chronicles: Dark Fire (15 page)

She raised her paws in surrender. Thehalf-darkling ravens sneered. And then

something happened that terrified even Gretel beyond her wildest nightmares. One by one, the birds changed shape. Until they were
 
her
 
shape. Four black Gretels. Four monstrous inversions of herself.

Gretel felt something move inside herbody. An auma shift. Deep within. Andthough she had always believed she wouldbe far too strong to ever reach this state,she identified the feeling right away: themoment before a dragon sheds its fire tear.

She was about to die.

Rescue

But in an instant everything changed. Anew and longer shadow fell across thepath. Human. A man. Tall. Strong.

The birds around Gretel turned their

heads in concert and quickly reassumed their   darkling   shape.   Chattering aggressively, they backed away from the oncoming figure, spread their wings and scattered to the trees. The alpha male was not so fearful. It threw out its wings and lifted away from Zanna, but hovered for a moment assessing the battle strength of the intruder. One swift scan of the visitor’s

auma warned it that engagement was not an option. It glanced at the darkling trapped in Zanna’s hair. The thing was

beating out a message of distress. The alpha male flew to the trees, where it could observe its companion’s fate. The human figure stepped forward, put his hand around the bird’s neck and squeezed the darkness out of it. It turned as white as

ice, from teeth to tail, then collapsed inward in a gush of water that trickled down the path and found a drain.

The alpha male recorded this and wisely flew away.

“David… ?” Sensing the sanctuary of the human form behind her, Zanna rolled over and stretched a bloodied hand.

A firm hand took it. “Not this time,sorry.”

That voice. That soft Scottish accent.

Zanna raised her eyes. “You?” she

gasped, before she finally fainted.

Her rescuer was the journalist, Tam

Farrell.

When she came round (a waft of scentedflowers from Gretel) he had moved her toa quiet, shaded bench and was alreadysecuring a makeshift bandage, torn fromhis shirt, around her injured hand. Shepushed him away with a startled breathand swept Alexa up in a desperate hug. “Are you all right? They didn’t touchyou?”

Alexa shook her head.

Mouthing  a   silent  prayer,   Zannasteadied her by the shoulders and strokedher face. “Gretel? Are
 
you
 
OK?”

The potions dragon gave a nervous

hrrr
.

“Sit back,” said Tam. “Please. You’re

hurt.”

Zanna’s dark eyes faded into his. “Where did you come from? Why wereyou even here?”

He shifted to the front of the bench and

attended to her injured hand again. “Long story.”

“Fine. I’m all ears,” she growled.

He tied the bandage off. “I was coming to the house, spotted you and Alexa, guessed you might be heading for the shop and tagged on behind. Lucky I did.” He looked at her kindly. “We should get you home.”

“My hair’s wet,” she said, feeling the

ends. “Have I got the blood of those things

on me?”

He shook his head. “Just melted ice.”

“And where did a journalist from
 
The

National  Endeavour
  
learn   to   turn

gargoyles into ice?” She grabbed his wrist and turned his palm up. Under the skin was the faint translucent image of a polar bear.

“That’s another long story,” he said, and put her hands back into her lap. “I’ll get your bag.”

It was lying, torn, on the far side of the path. Tam gathered up the contents and handed it to her. “They’ve made a real mess of it. Was it expensive?”

“Don’t ask,” she said, chin in the air.

So Tam spoke not a word on the entire journey back to the Crescent. But as they

approached the gate of number 42, Zanna stopped him with a hand to his chest. “You’ve never met Liz, have you?”

He shook his head. “She was ill in bed

when I was here before.”

“Well, she’s not ill now. Bear in mind

she’s Lucy’s mother, OK?”

“Am I unwelcome?”

“We’re about to find out.”

As usual, Liz’s first priority was for Zanna and Alexa’s  welfare. She bundled

them into the kitchen, where Agatha Bacon was admiring the dragons and enjoying a farewell cup of tea.

Agatha unwrapped the wounded hand. “What caused this?”

“Birds,” Zanna told her. “Like mutant

ravens.”

Liz stepped back with one hand acrossher mouth. “Didn’t you say you sawravens on Farlowe Island?”

Zanna, looking harrowed, didn’t reply.

“This is infected,” Agatha said. “Inmost cases I would prescribe a poultice ofgeranium and calendula root.” She raiseda hand as Gretel looked set to fly. “Wait,”she commanded. “The flowers may not benecessary.” She rested Zanna’s palm onhers. “Look inside yourself, girl. Theremedy is in your mind, is it not?”

Zanna focused her concentration. “I can

see it, yes. Geranium and—”

“For others, certainly,” Agatha cut in. “But you are sibyl. Concentrate harder. Think of the remedy, look at the wounds.”

They were a frightful mess, made

worse,   Zanna   suspected,   by   the bloodstains smeared and caked around the

knuckles. But as she brought her sibyl mind to work on them, she understood what Agatha was getting at. As she focused her thoughts on the image of a clean,  undamaged hand, the blood loss from the darkling’s bite was staunched and the severed tissues began to reknit. Within a minute, she had healed herself.

“Oh my goodness,” gasped Liz. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”

Zanna turned her hand as if it was new.

Her fingers were bloodied but painless to

move.

“Excellent,” said Agatha, bristling with

pride. “You have progressed at a speed I

would not have thought possible. But that was before I visited this house and its

colourful occupants, of which we now appear to be grateful for one more.” She studied Tam Farrell carefully. He was standing, out of the way, by the fridge.

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he said modestly.

“He frightened the nasty birds off,” said Alexa, going to sit on her mother’s knee.

“And not by flashing his smile,” said Zanna. “Why didn’t the darklings go for you? What were they afraid of, T—?”

“Tam?!” Lucy’s voice was louder, more insistent.

“Hello, Lucy,” he said, turning.

She stopped at the kitchen door and

pulled a strand of loose hair into her mouth. He was still just as handsome as ever, even with a slim gold chain round his neck (she  hated ‘bling’ on men) and unworldly dark brown eyes.

“You’re supposed to be in your room,” Liz said.

Which found no favour at all with her

daughter. “Oh, why don’t you just tell me I’m not going to get any tea tonight, either? Let’s go for total embarrassment, shall we?”

“I think I’d better go,” Tam said quietly.

“Thought you had a story to tell me?” Zanna threw him a penetrating look.

“It can wait,” he said.

“But you’ll be back?” Liz said,

hurriedly, hopefully.

Tam offered her his lowlands smile.

“You’ll be welcome, Tam.”

“Thank you,” he said, smiling at Alexa

as she waved him off.

As he stepped towards the hall, Lucyflattened herself against the door to let himpast. “Bye,” she whispered as he angledhimself to face her.

He looked kindly into her over round

eyes. A moment later, he was gone.

Outside, at the top of the path, Tamchecked his mobile and found he had a

new voice mail waiting. The message was breathless, spoken with an anglicized German accent.
 
Mr Farrell, please call me. I have a story for you. One which is

going to change the world
.

Tam snapped his phone shut and opened the gate. Over the creak a voice said, “Steiner?”

David was approaching along the pavement.

Tam gave a nod of recognition. “I’m guessing he’s translated the photographs.”

“Good. Then you know what you have to do.”

“The shell of the article is already written. I’m just waiting for Steiner’s input.”

David nodded and looked anxiously at the house. “What happened?”

“Birds. About double the size of a

normal raven. Not full darklings, but close enough to matter. Liz mentioned they were

there on Farlowe?”

“Yes,” said David, thinking back, showing in the merest tightening of his lips that he’d made a mistake in letting them go. “How many were there?”

Tam shrugged. “Half a dozen.”

David   looked   away.   Six.   He’d remembered more than that. “What’s your assessment? What would Kailar say?”

Tam turned his right palm up, where the image of the polar bear David was referring to was glowing luminescently under his skin. “He’d say things were going to get worse. That the enemy are learning fast what they’re up against. That they’ll step up their efforts  to achieve what they want. Maybe attack on different fronts.”   He   glanced   at  the   house.

Gwendolen was watching from Lucy’swindow. “You need to know something, David. Zanna was badly hurt in the attack,but she’s recovered, through her ownmagicks.”

“And Alexa?”

“Untouched. The birds didn’t come for

Alexa. I believe they came to scare Gretel. My guess is they were looking foranother tear to invert. You need to deal

with that piece of obsidian, or none of what we’re doing is going to matter.”

David nodded again. “Did you speak to Lucy?”

Tam moved the toe of his boot across

the ground. “I didn’t think the moment was right. You really want me to chaperone her to Scuffenbury?”

David glanced at Tam’s left hand, atthe second bear image imprinted there. Itwas younger than the bear on his righthand, with a far more intelligent profile. What it brought to Tam were memories ofthe Arctic; every story of the North wasright there, in his palm. David said, “Isn’tthat what the Teller of Ways woulddesire: to be present when a dragon risesout of stasis? You did well, Tam. Stayclose. I’ll call you.” And with that heclapped the young Scot once on theshoulder   and  walked  away  silently

towards the house.

Kitchen talk

For a while, it was a time of comings andgoings. As soon as David walked in hewas updated with the news of what hadhappened   on   North   Walk.   Shortlyafterwards, Agatha Bacon left in a taxi, Alexa went into her mother’s room to

play, and Liz announced she was going to the university to collect Arthur.

“After what happened to Zanna?” Lucy said.

Liz glanced at David. “They won’ttouch you,” he said.

“Oh, you are such a piece of work!” Despite the soothing qualities of a mug ofcamomile tea, Zanna couldn’t keep anangry snarl out of her voice. “You waltz in

thirty minutes after the event and assure us everything’s fine and dandy. How can you be so blasé about this?”

“They want a dragon,” he said.

“Another Gwillan.”

Every dragon in the room shrank back

in fear.

Zanna glared at him for a full threeseconds. “If you’d been there, feeling theirclaws ripping into your skin, you wouldn’tbe coming out with a cheap remark likethat.”

“I’m not saying you weren’t in danger,” said David. “But you weren’t the real target. Tell her, Gretel.”

But the potions dragon, in a fierce display of solidarity, flew to Zanna’s shoulder and refused to say a word.

Liz sighed and picked her car keys outof the fruit bowl. “I’ll be careful, Ipromise. Please be kind to each otherwhile I’m gone. A bit of TLC all roundwouldn’t hurt.” She checked her hair in

the mirror and set off towards the hall. On

her way out, she paused and said to David, “These creatures: will they attack us here?”

David glanced at the listening dragon. Its tall frail body was shaking in time tothe refrigerator pump. He sent it a calmingimpulse and said, “I doubt it. The house istoo well guarded. And we’re wise to them

now.  If  I’m  not  here,  Zanna  and Bonnington will keep them at bay.” As if by magic, Bonnington popped in through his cat flap and rubbed himself against

David’s shins.

Zanna banged her mug down and sweptstraight out. “I’ve got some packing todo,” she said.