The Last Dragon Chronicles: Dark Fire (31 page)

to speak to you and your uncle privately after breakfast. It’s terribly important.” She touched Lucy’s hair and pulled the door closed.

Lucy quickly pressed her ear to thewood, listening to the women making

small talk on the stairs. When the voices

dwindled, she slipped out onto the landing and burst into Tam Farrell’s room without

knocking.

He was bare-chested, wearing only a

towel.

“Oh… ” Her cheeks assumed the colour

of the ‘rose room’ decor.

“Hello, niece,” he said calmly. He pointed to his robe.

She took it off its hook on the door, squeezed her eyes shut and handed it to him at arm’s length.

“Thank you,” he said. There was a shuffle of cotton.  “OK, it’s safe to look

now.”

When she opened her eyes he wasknotting the robe and the towel was on the

bed. She sat down, carefully avoiding it. “I got quizzed by Hannah.”

He put a deodorant stick under one arm. “About what?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t tell her anything, but she warned me to stay away from Ms Gee. And she knows about the unicorn, I think.”

“You think?”

“There wasn’t time to talk. The old bag was coming downstairs. She obviously got back before us. And while we were out, the cat was here again.”

“I thought we’d established that—?”

“Tam, just shut up and listen. It came to my room to check out Gwendolen. It’s got magicks. It can move things about. It’s not a cat.”

He turned to the mirror to comb his

hair. “Then, what—?”

“It’s a girl.”

“
 
What?
 
”

“Her   name’s   Bella.   She   and

Gwendolen almost talked.”

“Almost?”

Lucy spread her hands. “It’s a
 
cat
.” How many  meaningful conversations didanyone have with Bonnington,
 
durr
? Sheallowed him time to think, and found hergaze touring his square-cut chin andhandsome profile, the shining spikes ofwetness in his hair, the perfect indent histhroat made at the ‘v’ of his robe. When

her eyes arrived at his muscular calves she could bear it no longer and blurted, “This is scary. We should tell David.”

“I rang him about the unicorn before I got into the shower.”

“What did he say?”

“To be careful. He’s going to get Zanna to check it out. By the way, they had a surprise visitor at the house. Some kid called Melanie and her mum.”

“Melanie Cartwright?”

“That sounds right. He said they brought a dragon with them.”

Lucy nodded. Glade.

“David wants you to compile a list of any other special dragons you remember that might be outside Wayward Crescent, particularly any listeners.”

Lucy sank back a little and frowned. “There were loads. Mum would know

more than—”

“Your mum’s still sleeping,” he said gently.   He  tossed  the  comb  aside. “Anyway,   for   the   moment,   let’s concentrate on the situation here. Get

yourself ready for  breakfast. Act like nothing weird has happened.”

“What about the flying stones? What if someone asks?”

“We were holed up in the car.

Weirdest hailstorm we’d ever seen. We’ll

hear what Hannah has to say and we’ll

just observe for now.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’. I’m here to keep you out of trouble, Lucy.”

“But,” she persisted anyway, “if Bella tells Ms Gee we’ve got Gwendolen—”

“Then she’ll know we’re not to be

underestimated. She’s played her hand and failed to raise the dragon. Now she’ll watch and wait as well. She doesn’t know

the key to it; she might think we do.”

“But…
 
we
 
don’t know how to raise the

dragon – do we?”

Tam opened the wardrobe and took out a shirt. “No, but Gadzooks and David want us here for a reason. I’m pretty sure we’re going to find out.
 
The National Endeavour
 
is published this morning. Our findings are going to be all over the news. This is the day the Earth’s history changes. It could be a long one. Might be dramatic. You want my advice, Lucy Pennykettle?”

She looked up openly.

“Start it on a decent breakfast.”

Breakfast for three

There were four tables in the guesthousedining area. Ms Gee had taken the bestone by the window. She was sittingperfectly upright, as if she’d been bornwith a pole for a spine. She didn’t lookround when Tam and Lucy entered, butjust slid her eyes sideways to note wherethey were sitting. Tam chose a table by theoak-panelled wall, underneath an aerialphotograph of Scuffenbury. He flapped outa napkin and wished Ms Gee goodmorning. The old woman stiffened. Sheraised a triangle of dry toast to her mouthand snapped off the corner, as if she’d liketo do the same to his head. Tam smiled

and picked up the breakfast menu.

“Cooked or continental?” he said to Lucy.

She glanced at Ms Gee. Mushrooms. The old bag was eating Gwilanna’s favourite dish. “Continental,” she said, and went across to a long sideboard where Hannah had laid out fruit, yoghurts, cereals and a variety of cold meats.

And croissants, a pastry never seen in the Pennykettle household. Lucy was considering whether she should try one (and how best to eat one) when Clive breezed in and switched on a small, wallmounted TV. “Good morning,  everyone. Forgive me if I appear rude, but I thought you’d all like to see this.”

The screen unfolded on an outside

broadcast from somewhere coastal and

icy.

“Svalbard,” said Clive, pointing at the banner of information scrolling across the bottom of the screen. “Norway.” He was almost panting with excitement. “In the early hours of this morning there were reports from a research station on one of the eastern islands – Nordaustlandet, I think – of significant activity on one of the surging glaciers there.”

Tam stood up to get closer to the

screen.

“What’s a surging glacier?” asked Lucy.

“One that’s capable of moving at an extraordinary speed,” Tam muttered.

“Not as fast as this,” Clive said. “Something large exploded out of this baby. It caused a small tidal wave of

icebergs and showered the mountains either side of it in ice. The precipitation is still coming down.”

On the screen, a reporter was jabbering away under a golf umbrella. Lucy risked a glance at Ms Gee. The sibyl was pofaced,   sipping   her   tea,   apparently uninterested.

“But that’s only part of it,” Clive went on. “They’ll show the footage again in a minute.”

Tam looked at him quizzically.

“A marine environmentalist stationed

there managed to get some film. It’s hard to see the creature because of the blizzard

it caused when it broke out, but it’s unmistakeably a dragon. Gold coloured. Fabulous. Massive wingspan. You get a

glimpse of its eye – slit, like a reptile.

And it’s been tracked.”

“Tracked?” Lucy squeezed her napkin tight.

Clive spoke over his shoulder to her. “Naval radar. They followed it to one of the Arctic islands. One of those that came

out of the mist.”

“What triggered this, do we know?”

asked Tam.

Clive lifted his shoulders. “Your guessis as good as mine. They’re saying that acomet was visible in those skies last night

”

—

A fire star?
 
Lucy mouthed at Tam.

“Or maybe these creatures have simplygot a very long-lived biological clock. Look,   here   comes   the   film.   The

beginning’s a bit shaky ’cos the guy’s climbing to get a better shot, but if you stick with it—”

“Switch it off.”

The polished floor squeaked as Cliveturned to Ms Gee. “But this is the most

extraordinary event since—”

“I don’t wish to see it.”

There was a crackle and the screen

went dead.

“What the—?” Clive whacked the set.

“Oh, how’s that for timing?”

Spot on
, thought Tam,
 
if you were hiding something
. He slid back into his chair, acknowledging Ms Gee with a carefully weighted smile. “It’s OK, Clive. We’ll catch up with the news later, no doubt. Whether there be dragons on the

Earth or not, a chap still needs hisbreakfast. Wouldn’t you say so, Ms Gee?”

The old woman turned to the window,her wizened face draped in shadow. Sheate the last of her mushrooms (with herfingers, Lucy noticed) dabbed her mouthand exited the room.

To Lucy’s great annoyance she wasforced to spend the next quarter of an houreating (when she really wanted to betalking to Tam), because Clive insisted onfiddling with the TV. Eventually he left ina bluster of frustration and Hannah came

in to clear the plates and cups. She put everything onto a tray, but instead of going to the kitchen with them she placed the tray on the sideboard, slid the doors to the kitchen annexe shut and joined Tam and

Lucy at their table. “Have you told youruncle about our conversation?”

Lucy shrugged and rolled her lip. “Some of it, yes.”

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”said Tam. “Why aren’t you wearing yourglasses?”

“Small accident,” she said. “I’ve gotmy contact lenses in. Listen, I need toknow that I can trust you.” She covered Lucy’s hand but kept her focus on Tam. “Both of you.”

“That depends what you want of us,”he said. “Lucy tells me you warned herabout Ms Gee. Why?”

Hannah sat back and spread her handsacross the table, smoothing out creases inthe covering cloth. “Do you believe in

witchcraft, Mr Farrell?”

He folded his arms. “Are you accusing Ms Gee of being a witch?”

“Yes, I am.”

Lucy curled her hands into her lap.

“Yesterday morning, I went into her room to make her bed and I found

something disturbing.”

A bag of bones? A straw effigy? A book of spells? Lucy had imagined all of these things before Hannah explained: “There was a loose sock on the floor.”

“A sock?!” Lucy spluttered.

“Please, keep your voice down,” Hannah said. “I picked it up and should have just left it on the bed. But for some reason I opened a drawer instead, and there, to my amazement, I found a dragon

artefact.”

“Oh?” said Lucy, much quieter now.

“It was yellowish-white, crusted with some kind of bacterial residue; I think it was a tooth.”

“How do you know it’s from a dragon?” asked Tam.

Hannah sat back smiling. “Come on, Mr Farrell. Meet me halfway. It’s no coincidence   that   you’ve   come   to Scuffenbury at a time when the whole world is talking about dragons and on the day before the white horse is shown to be a unicorn – I take it you’ve checked the hill by now?”

“Erm, yeah,” said Lucy. “We looked before breakfast, didn’t we – Uncle

Tam?”

“Go on,” he said to Hannah.

“Bringing with you a beautiful redhaired child… ”

The significance of that was lost on Lucy, but she let it pass.

“… and expect me to believe you’re nothere to claim the dragon, like Ms Geesurely is?”

“Claim it?” Lucy wrinkled her nose.

“We’re here to witness its waking,”said Tam. He picked up a salt cellar andrelocated it behind the vinegar, as if he’djust checked Hannah’s king at chess. “That’s all.”

She sat back, her face filling up withdisappointment. “Then we’re doomed,”she said. “If Ms Gee gets to the dragonfirst, I dread to think what will happen. I

can  assure you she’s not here to enjoy the scenery. She’s going to bring darkness upon us all.”

Tam let his chair rock back on two

legs. “And let’s just say we wanted to stop her? What would you propose we do?”

Hannah leaned forward again. “Take Lucy directly to the dragon. She needs tobe the one. She’s the innocent the legendspredict.”

Oh for bubble gum when you needed it. Lucy would have popped a big one rightthen. She looked restlessly at Tam andnoticed he was drawing the fingers of hisleft hand across his left palm, as if he wastrying to access all the memories of the Teller of Ways.

“All right, I’ll tell you what we know,” he said, leaning forward on his elbows. “Lucy is descended from a long dragon ancestry and we do expect her to commingle with the creature in stasis here, but we thought it would happen
 
after
 
the dragon emerged from the hill. From what you’re saying we can short-circuit that?”