The Last Dragon Chronicles: Dark Fire (27 page)

The   shape-shifter   shook   himselfconscious.

“What’s the matter? What are you doing? I told you to watch him.”

Groyne scratched his head and blushed a deep green. He must have fallen asleep, he said.

David sighed and returned his attentionto Glade. The assembled dragons werestaring in awe at her mood-detecting ivy,which had flared a deep violet whenthey’d all leaned towards her. But nowthat her attention was focused on Gwillan,the ivy leaves were glowing black andwhite, alternating swiftly between the two.

“Tell me what you’re reading,” Davidsaid.

Glade picked up the end of her scarf. She seemed as mesmerized as anyone bythe changes in the leaves.
 
Hrrr-rr
, shereplied.

“What’s  happening?”   said Arthur,coming to stand by David’s shoulder.

“Something   extraordinary,”   Davidsaid. He pointed at the hunched shape of

Gwillan. “That’s where your son’s aumahas gone to, Arthur. It appears he’d preferto be a dragon, after all.”

Orders

“Transferred?” Zanna dropped a piece of kitchen roll into the bin and gathered Alexa to her. Melanie and her mother

were still fast asleep, being watched over by Gretel. “I don’t understand. Do you mean the baby’s
 
gone
?”

“Not gone, moved,” David said. “The commingling was more advanced than I thought. The boy’s put his human body into stasis and jumped his auma into Gwillan.”

“How is that possible?”

“I really don’t know.”

“You think he’s dangerous?”

“I think he’s clever, which amounts to the same thing. Glade read his mood as ‘playful’ and ‘indecisive’, and that’s not

something I can afford to be any more.”

Zanna stared at him hard.

“The dragon colony want the dark fire destroyed. I was sent here to retrieve it. My orders were to take it north as soon as I’d reclaimed it from Gwilanna. I held out, hoping I might save Gwillan. Now, the situation has become unpredictable. I need to act.”

“And do what?” Zanna’s voice was

like the clang of  steel. Even Alexa looked at her father with stern disenchantment

strengthening her curls.

“I’m going to take Liz and Gwillan to

Ki:mera.”

“Oh, good. Get a fresh pint of milk

while you’re out.”

“Zanna, this is serious.”

“Too right,” she said. “When Liz wakes up, she’s going to want a cup of tea. She’s going nowhere, David.”

“You can’t argue this,” he pressed. “Even by Fain standards what the boy’s done is way off the radar. There’s no knowing what will happen if Gwillan starts to roam.”

“He was a house dragon,” Zanna hit back. “He watered plants, he dusted, he fed the cat. He had no special abilities other than kindness. What’s the worst he’s

going to do? A bit of extreme ironing? You told me yourself not an hour ago that Liz might be dealing with the crisis in her own way. You made me believe it; now it’s your turn. Seek advice from the Fain if you want to, I have no issue with that. But

Liz is my patient. She’s mine to watchover. I’ll fight you if you try to take herfrom me – so will Arthur.”

“No fighting,” said Alexa, stamping her

foot.

David sighed and looked at the ceiling.

He was about to come back with another

point when Melanie Cartwright raised her head and groaned. Gretel, who’d  been distracted from her duties by the argument, gave an irritated snort and wafted her flowers under Melanie’s nose. The girl’s head jerked back, as if she’d been punched.

Zanna winced, as if she’d just watched a public execution. “And this situation is plain ridiculous. How long are we meant to hold these two hostage?”

David glanced at the visitors. Melaniehad a face like a ventriloquist’s dummyand Rachel was snoring like Bonningtonon a full stomach. Quietly he said to Gretel, “Bring them round.”

The potions dragon pulled her quiverforward. She stared dourly at Melanie. That was one good tranquillising flowerwasted.

David’s gaze swept across the kitchento Gauge, who signalled it was twenty-five minutes past two. Time, thought David, was something he no longer had. He looked at Zanna again. She had herarms draped over Alexa’s shoulders. “They’ll come, Zanna – the Fain, thedragons – if I don’t deliver the fire to themsoon. They’ll work it out and take Gwillan

and Liz by force, if necessary. That’s not

what I want. It’s not what I came for.”

Zanna tightened her grip around Alexa. “And neither, it seems, were we.”

“That’s not true,” David said to her,looking   pained.   “I  can’t ignore thissituation. I’ll talk to G’Oreal, try to stall. Imight have to travel to the colony tonight.”

Hearing this, Alexa broke free of hermother and ran across the kitchen into

David’s arms.

Zanna raised her chin. Her body wasshaking,   her   thoughts   awash   withunresolved angst. But the feeling tearing ahole in her breast she realised, to herdismay, was regret. She folded her armsto protect herself against it. She hadn’tbeen expecting to react like this.

“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” Rachel Cartwright sat up suddenly. She blinked a couple of times, looking as fresh and rosy as ever.

Zanna reached for the teapot. “Another cup?” she asked, even though the pots were all untouched.

“Oh, no, thank you,” Rachel said. “Gosh, look at the time. We really should be—”

“Urr… ” Melanie’s head rolled and her

eyes crossed over. In a slurred voice she said,   “The   gorilla’s   burned   the

sausages… ”

“
 
What?
 
” said her mother.

On the windowsill, Gretel shook herhead and sighed. Some you won…

Rachel shook her daughter’s arm.

“Wake up, sleepy. You sound like you’ve gone ten rounds in the boxing ring.”

“I was in the jungle, with tigers the size of cats.”

“Tigers
 
are
 
cats,” her mother said. “And this is Wayward Crescent – and we’re in company.”

Melanie scratched her head. “Where’s

Glade?”

“I think you must have left her in the Den,” said David. He tapped Alexa who ran to fetch her.

Rachel searched her memories. “Did

we
 
go
 
into the Den?”

“Well, Glade didn’t fly there,” David said. Across the kitchen, he saw Zanna grimace.
 
I carried her, didn’t I
 
? he mouthed to her.

“I suppose not,” Rachel laughed, looking around. “And, erm, Arthur?”

“Gone upstairs to see if Liz can be woken.”

“No,  please.   Don’t  disturb  her,” Rachel said, looking slightly horrified at the idea. “Let the poor woman rest.” Alexa came hurrying in with Glade and put her on the table in front of Melanie. Glade’s   ivy,   David   noticed,   was variegated green, just as it had been when she’d arrived. She was settled again. Happy. Proud she’d been of help. As the guests were rising to leave, David sent her an impulse, thanking her. She rolled her eyes towards him and blushed very slightly. He smiled and said to her,
 
Take care, Glade
 
. And although there was no

forewarning in those words, it did worry him to think she  would be out there

unguarded. He made a mental note to ask Lucy next time if there were any more Pennykettle dragons beyond the Crescent. Even so, he saw no reason to frighten Glade with warnings of possible attacks by the ravens. Unlike Grace, she wouldn’t be beaming messages around the world. In that sense she was largely ‘invisible’. She would be safe if she stayed at home with the Cartwrights.

“Well,   thank  you  for   a   lovely afternoon,”   said   Rachel   as   Zanna shepherded them down the hall. “Is it me, or did it seem to go in a bit of a blur?”

“Oh, you know what they say,” said Zanna, “time flies when… ”
 
you’re zapped

by a potions dragon
.

Rachel smiled and buttoned her coat.

“I’m so sorry about Liz. I hope she’s better soon. Tell her you’re all welcome to visit us in Plymouth.”

“Yeah, and tell Lucy to
 
call me
,” said Melanie.

“The moment she gets back from Scuff

—” Zanna paused and bit her tongue, wondering if she’d given too much away. She was relieved when David showed no

sign of wanting to zap their visitors again.

“Scuffenbury?” Rachel stopped pulling on her gloves. “Is that where she’s gone? Scuffenbury Hill? Wonderful place. Very atmospheric. I went there once with my first boyfriend.”

“Mu-um?” Melanie gave her a look.

“He was quite dishy,” Rachel said, fondly. “He played a tune on his panpipes for me.”

“That’s   gross,”   her   daughter

complained.

“What’s Lucy doing there? Not off with a boyfriend, I hope?”

“Project for school – on dragons,” said David. This time he did react, clamping a hand across Alexa’s mouth.

“Yes, well, they’re very topical, aren’t they?” said Rachel. “I can’t help thinking this TV coverage is all a bit hysterical, though. I mean, dragons never really existed, did they? ‘Imprinted memories of dinosaurs’, that’s what I read the other day. Mind you, I wouldn’t want a tyrannosaurus   rex   trampling   through

Plymouth. Imagine what our insurancepremiums would be like?”

Melanie looked into the rain and

groaned.   “Mother,   you’re   being embarrassing. Let’s go.” She set off at a brisk pace up the drive.

“Been a pleasure to meet you,” Rachel mouthed.

“And you,” Zanna mouthed back, waving goodbye.

At last, the door closed. Zanna sank back against it and sighed. “Oh, that was weird.”

A leopard that might have been

Bonnington trotted past.

David chose to make no comment.

“So, what now?” Zanna asked him. She

flicked her head towards the stairs.

“About Gwillan? We watch him.”

“We? I thought you were leaving us – again?”

“Can
 
I
 
watch him?” said Alexa, springing up on her toes.

Zanna crouched down and stroked the

child’s hair. “No, sweetie. Gwillan… ”

“She’ll be all right,” said David. “The other dragons are with him. If there’d been any problems we’d have heard the rumpus.” He made Alexa stand on the second step of the stairs. “If he’s not too tired, talk to him, Lexie. Come and tell me what he says, OK?”

She gave an enthusiastic nod. Then her gaze dipped towards his waistcoat pocket and she put her hand into it and drew out his watch. A green light was chasing

around its circumference. Alexa held it out

at arm’s length like a present.

David took it off her palm and touched her on the nose. “No commingling. Just talking. Promise.”

“I promise,” she said and hurried upstairs.

Zanna,   watching  stiffly  from  the shadows of the hall, turned and walked silently into the kitchen.

When she was gone, David stepped out into the rain,  hesitantly tapping the casing of the watch. To ignore this call would arouse suspicion and might bring a posse of dragons to the Crescent. To answer it might have the same result. He thought carefully before he flipped the case open.

The star patterns cleared and the face

of G’Oreal swirled into view. The

dragon’s astonishing kaleidoscopic eyes drilled their patterns into David’s mind. “We await news of your progress, G’lant.”

David gave a slight nod of his head. “The daughter of Guinevere has been sentto her location and the angel child issafe,” he replied.

G’Oreal’s nostrils contracted a little.

“Are you now in possession of the fire?”

“The fire is contained, yes.”

“Then bring it to the colony. Why do you wait?”

David let his gaze slant away to one side. This was the question he’d been hoping to avoid. “The creator of the dragon whose tear was inverted believes

she may be able to restore it.”

The   picture   glittered,   as   though G’Oreal was communicating through a blizzard. The image zoomed back and two new dragons could be seen to either side of him. One was almost entirely white with translucent blue bands on the ventral

edges of its planished scales.  When it moved against the icy background it resembled a cloud of floating lights. The other was a magnificent purple beast, slimmer of face, with dramatic green eyes and a prominent carina. A pattern of semiradiant fins, as precise and threatening as the thorns on rose stems, followed the outlines of its skull, growing larger in size as they ran to its neck. It peered thoughtfully at David, churning small