The Last Dragon Chronicles: Dark Fire (32 page)

Hannah nodded excitedly, her hopes restored. “Yes. There’s still time. Before

Ms Gee completes her preparations.” Sheleaned in. Her hair smelled of rosemaryand mint. “Listen carefully. The secret I’mabout to share with you has beenpreserved by my family for centuries. It’svery short and very simple but verypowerful: the creature can be woken bythe song of an innocent red-headed girl –

but she must be in physical contact with

it.”

Tam flicked his gaze at Lucy, whoseemed anything but ready for such adaunting prospect. “It’s buried. Howwould we get to it?”

From the pocket of her pinafore, Hannah drew out a map and unfolded it infront of them. “This is a diagram of theexploratory excavations that were madeon Glissington some years ago. Clive’sfather was one of the geologists involved. As you can see, they were a lot moreextensive than was reported in the press. They found nothing and the main tunnelwas eventually back-filled for severalmetres and the entrance sealed. The rest

they left untouched. Shortly after the

project  was   cancelled,   however,   a subsidiary tunnel was started…here.” She pointed to an area on the side of the Tor nearest the guesthouse.

“Your cellar?” Tam guessed.

“Clive’s father was a believer, like us,” said Hannah. “He was convinced there was something in this hill, but he died before he could prove anything. For years, Clive has continued his work. He’s completed a link between the cellar and the original excavations and he’s explored and extended many of the branches the geologists left  behind. Progress has been slow, but last week he struck gold – or should I say, green.”

Lucy gasped out loud. “He uncovered the dragon?”

Hannah raised a finger to her lips. “Part of the tail, we think. If you do as I’ve suggested, we’ll know for certain.”

Tam sounded a note of caution. “And…

how   do   we   avoid   Ms   Gee’s

‘preparations’?”

Hannah folded the map away. “She’s following the path of the accepted legend, which means she won’t make her next

move until the moon rises. I was out

walking early this morning and saw her do something quite extraordinary. She cast a spell to rebuild the Glissington cairn, then made it invisible somehow. I believe

she’ll uncover it when the moon comes up. If she knows the incantations, and I’m sure she does, when the moon shines into the eye of the cairn she’ll turn its light back

onto Scuffenbury Hill and fill the body of the unicorn with it, making it live again.”

“What about the dragon?” said Lucy.

“That version of the legend says that if the unicorn is calmed by a red-headed maiden, it will point its horn at the Tor and crack it open with a bolt of moonlight, allowing the maiden to claim the dragon. Maybe Ms Gee had a way of getting round that, but you turning up completes the fairytale and gives her options – or poses an unexpected threat. Either way, I think you’re in danger. Trust me, we
 
have
 
to get to the dragon before her. Ms Gee sleeps in the early afternoon. Meet me in the kitchen at one o’clock and I’ll guide you through the tunnels. They’re complex. Lots of branches. You’d never find the way to

Clive’s discovery on your own. Are weagreed?”

Without looking at Lucy, Tam said, “Sounds like it might be quite anadventure.”

“Oh,  indeed,”  said  Hannah. And gathering the tray off the sideboard she slid the doors to the kitchen annexe open and left her guests to finish their breakfast in peace.

A memory of dragons

“Mummy, there are BIG dragons on the

TV.”

Alexa pottered into Lucy’s room,where her mother was poring over thecomputer. Without turning away from thedensely-texted screen, Zanna stretched anarm and drew the girl to her. Her palmslid across the emerging wing butts. Theyseemed to grow more prominent by thehour.   “You   could   always   switch

channels,” she muttered.

Alexa shook her head. “The dragons are on ALL the buttons.” She put something down beside the keyboard. Zanna half-expected to see a mangled TV remote. Instead, it was Alexa’s white

horse.

“Why have you brought that in?”

“I’m going to show Gwillan.”

Zanna took off her dark-framed reading glasses. She touched the sculpture’s forehead. Smooth, like a horse. “How is Gwillan?”

“Sad,” said the girl.

“Oh, why’s that?”

“Daddy won’t let him come out of the

Den.”

Zanna suppressed a hmph. She satback, chewing on the frame of her glasses.

“The others have come out,” Alexaadded.

“Others? The other dragons? I thought

they were all playing?”

“That was yesterday,” Alexa said.

“G’reth  has   gone   downstairs.   He’s watering the plants.”

“What?” Zanna burst out laughing. The wishing dragon’s lethargy was legendary. Bringing his paws together to meditate was about as active as he usually got. “Why is G’reth watering the plants?”

Alexa closed her mouth and thought about it. “It was Gwillan’s job.”

“Oh, of course.” Zanna clicked her tongue. “G’reth’s helping him, then?”

“Yes.”

“That’s very sweet.”

“Mmm,” said the girl. “Will you come downstairs and see the dragons now?”

“Well, I’m sort of busy here, darling.”

“But… there isn’t
 
long
,” Alexa said, an undercurrent of frustration in her voice.

Zanna reached absently for the child’shand, accidentally clipping the head of thehorse. The shock of almost knocking itonto the floor brought her attention back tothe girl. “For what, baby? There isn’t longfor what?”

Alexa picked up her sculpture andstroked it. “Nothing,” she said. Her moodlifted again. “A dragon came out of amountain in Japan.”

“Really? You could see it?”

“Yes. But it was very
 
smoky
 
. Therewere lots of rocks and puffly clouds and

some… fire spilled out.”

“I expect that was lava. Did it flow

down the mountain?” Zanna made a river

with her fingers.

“Mmm.”

“Well, that must have been very exciting.”
 
And frightening for the local community
, Zanna thought. She pulled the girl closer until their hips bumped. “What did you mean ‘there isn’t long’?”

Alexa swung her body left and right. “Before
 
all
 
the dragons come out.”

“Oh? And what happens then?”

The girl shrugged as if she was a little embarrassed. Then lifting her chin she blurted   out   brightly,   “His   name’s

Gyrrhon.”

“Who is?” asked Zanna. “The horse?”

The little girl sighed. “No, the dragon

that flew out of the
 
mountain
 
.”

Zanna squeezed her waist. “How doyou know that?”

Alexa took a second or two to think. “I

remember him,” she muttered.

Her mother’s blood ran cold. “You

remember
 
him?”

“From a long time ago. Mummy, what are you doing?”

“I… erm.” Temporarily stunned, Zanna couldn’t think of anything to say. She replaced her glasses and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m finding some information for Daddy about… ” She looked at the horse again and clicked the keyboard.   An  image   of  a  unicorn appeared. “Do you know what this is?”

“A magic horse.” Alexa’s smile lit the

room.

“Do you… remember anything about

them
?”

Alexa thought hard. She touched the

horse’s forehead, like her mother had done. “You’re going to see one,” she said, which chilled Zanna almost as much as the

previous statement about the dragon.

At that moment David walked in, carrying a rolled-up magazine. “Hi, how’s it going?” He stood behind Alexa and placed the palm of his hand on her forehead, making her hair froth over his fingers. The child’s face became a picture of absolute serenity. Her skin glowed as brightly as the computer screen.

“What are you doing?” Zanna asked him, tensing up.

He let his hand slip away. “Just saying hello. You got anything?”

She moved her fingers back to the keyboard. “Not really. I’ve managed to

unearth some contradictory  legends about Scuffenbury, but none of them mention a unicorn. It’s either a hoax or a closelyguarded secret. To be honest, I don’t understand why a creature like that would stay at a place like Scuffenbury anyway, even if there
 
was
 
a dragon there.”

“You told me once it was covered by ley lines.”

“Yeah, but so are hundreds of other sites. If the legend is true, there has to be a very strong reason for that unicorn’s presence, but I don’t know what it is or why   –   oh,   grrr!   There’s
 
another
 
message.” She pointed to a box in the corner of the screen. “That’s about a

dozen this morning. Lucy doesn’t have

that
 
many friends, does she?”

“Put them up,” David said.

Zanna frowned at him darkly. “No. They’re personal.”

“Just the headers. I’m curious. Arrange them – by address.”

Zanna tutted and opened the software. “They’re coming from two girls, mainly.” She turned the screen slightly. “One of them is mailing from Australia. Who would Lucy know in Oz?”

“Her siblings,” David said, after a

pause.

For the third time in the space of five minutes,   Zanna   found   her   body temperature dropping. “What are you talking about?”

“Lucy’s been writing a journal,” he said. “All about  what she is and what she

knows. Before she left for Scuffenbury I asked her to put it up on the net. I think this is the result.” He nodded at the screen.

“Check out the headers.”

Zanna read a couple.

‘
 
IF GAWAINE MEANS ANYTHING TO YOU, PLS,

PLS RESPOND.’

‘
 
TWELVE DAUGHTERS. I’M HERE. YOU ARE

NOT ALONE.’

“They could be cranks,” said Zanna. “And the top one can’t spell.”

David shook his head. “They’re not cranks. When the press report the stories of the dragons tomorrow there will be one significant factor linking them: a redhaired girl will have been close by. Liz and Lucy are not unique. What you’re looking at is more of their extended

family, other daughters of Guinevere. Contact one of the girls: they may know something about how their dragon is triggered. It might help us understand the setup at Scuffenbury.”

“No way.” Zanna put the mouse through a series of clicks. The computer’s closing down jingle rang out. “I don’t care who they are; I won’t invade Lucy’s privacy.” She stood up, resting her arm around Alexa. All this time the child had been

quietly singing to her horse. “How come you and your buddies in the North don’t know the triggering process, anyway?”

David stood away. He dropped the magazine, the latest copy of
 
The National Endeavour
, face up, onto the bed. “Arthur ordered it,” he said. “He wants you to

read the relevant passages to him. When you do, you might think again about reading those emails.”

Zanna threw him a quizzical look.

“Until   Bergstrom   discovered   the writings on Hella we had no idea how the last Earth colony of dragons expired. The Fain abandoned them, remember? Even with the Chronicles, the narrative is sketchy. All we’re clear about is that twelve adult dragons went to their final resting places with a plan to defeat the Ix. One of them, possibly the most important of all, settled at Scuffenbury. Among the new Wearle of dragons in the Arctic is a type called a Ci:pherel. It detected the resting locations by scanning for traces of live dragon auma from around the world.

Barring the Tooth of Ragnar, the signalwas at its strongest on Glissington Tor,where, to the Ci: pherel’s surprise, itfound a female – which the writingsidentify as being named  Gawaine.”

“Gawain?”

“It’s not the one you’re thinking of. The name’s pronounced roughly the same, ‘Ga-
wen
’, but the spelling is different; there’s an ‘e’ on the end.”

“I’m going to play with Gwillan,” said Alexa, slipping away.

Zanna let her go. “A female? You mean, all this time… ?”

“No,” said David. “We think this is the mother of the one that Liz and Lucy revere. Their Gawain, her son, did live and die in what we now call the Arctic. When the

Ci:pherel scanned the polar icecap theauma trail there was off the scale, whichis why the new Wearle were keen tosecure it – hence the mist.