‘I thought he had run ahead. How is it he appeared from behind us?’ said Deelind, giving in to Tom’s tugging.
‘Tom is the fastest runner in Brakenhill,’ said Mug with pride in his voice. ‘It is almost impossible to catch him, unless you set a trap. He must have used a sub-burrow and looped back around us. Dad uses him to run messages all over Brakenhill, even to the Upper house. He knows the burrows and tunnels better than anyone.’
At that moment Tom said, ‘Look,’ and pointed to the burrow Mug had dug. Before her eyes the ground started to close. She watched in amazement as the burrow closed, leaving the tunnel wall completely intact. The only trace of there ever being a hole was the soil lying on the tunnel floor that had fallen off them as they’d exited Mug’s burrow. She swallowed loudly. Thank heavens she had not still been stuck in the burrow when it closed.
‘Impressive, isn’t it?’ said Mug, quickly brushing away any traces of fresh soil on the tunnel floor with his foot. They hurriedly set off after Ivan. ‘I never tire of watching them close,’ Mug continued. ‘Mum could make her burrows seal up right behind her. If I tried that I would end up killing myself because the ground hardens too quickly for us to dig through it right away.
‘Mug, I can’t keep up. None of this makes sense. Tom’s answers just gave me more questions. Where are we? Why do you look…?’ She stopped when she saw Mug wince, but her mind was still buzzing with questions. She had watched many fantasy and science fiction movies over the years and had read magical books, but this was real life! About to pinch herself to see if she really was awake, she blurted out, ‘What is a Dragonknight?’
‘You mean you don’t know?’ said Mug pausing for a moment, his shoulders stiffening. ‘You have been coming to Brakenhill all your life and don’t know what goes on here? Not even what happened to you twelve years ago?’
‘No,’ she said, her eyes tightening in confusion. ‘Not a thing by the sound of it.’
Ivan suddenly stopped and pointed to the entrance of another small tunnel, low to the ground but looking better formed than the one she had followed the boys down. ‘Quick! Move into the flood tunnel. George’s patrol is coming.’ She was amazed that Ivan knew that people were approaching. She couldn’t hear anything. In single file they followed Ivan as quickly as possible into the tunnel. This tunnel seemed to wind its way even deeper down into the earth, eventually stopping at a wooden panel. Ivan stuck one of his strong nails into a crack and put his ear to the panel. After a few seconds, he turned his finger. The panel opened inwards into a five-sided room.
‘This old water junction will work nicely as a distraction for us,’ he said, stepping into the room. They quickly followed him in, and the door closed behind them.
‘What is it used for?’ she said, turning in a circle, looking around the room. Each wall had a wooden door, just like the one they had come through, set tightly into a stone frame. A steep, stone stairwell rose from the centre of the room and up through the ceiling.
‘It was used to fill the moat around the manor house. This junction isn’t used anymore,’ said Tom before Ivan could reply. She had never thought about how the moat remained full. There were no rivers close enough to feed it that she knew of, but then she had never been all the way around the moat to be sure.
‘The moat is fed from an underground lake and river,’ Ivan added as if he had read her thoughts. ‘Mug, as soon as I have gone, seal the door and flood the chamber. I take it you have done this with Dad? Draining the chamber will occupy everyone for an hour or so. This will give you time to get Deelind through the guard entrance, cleaned up and back to the surface. I will go back and distract the patrol.’ He turned and left.
Turning to Tom and Deelind, his expression tense, Mug said, ‘You two, go up to the next landing in the stairwell while I flood the chamber. This will take a few minutes and it is dangerous if I get it wrong.’
Taking Tom’s hand, she headed up to the landing and they sat on the top step waiting for Mug.
‘Mug likes you,’ said Tom while drumming his foot against the step below.
‘Oh!’ Maybe that was why Mug kept going red in the face when he spoke to her.
‘I’ve been watching him watching you when you go into the vegetable garden. We’ve only watched because we’ve not been allowed to talk to you.’
‘Why not?’
‘I don’t know. Princess Lee’s orders.’
‘Princess Lee? Do you mean Lady Lee?’ Tom did not answer and Deelind was silent, contemplating yet another piece in the puzzle that was her life.
There were a few minutes of silence and some scraping sounds from Mug on the level below, when a blast of wind swept up the stairs followed by the noise of rushing water. She looked down the stairs to see what was going on at the same time as Mug raced up them to escape the rising water.
‘Let’s go,’ he said, flushed with excitement. ‘I reckon that will keep them busy for two or three hours.’
‘Good,’ she said, ‘and now you can explain things along the way.’
‘Okay, okay, but let’s get out of here,’ he said as they climbed the stairs. ‘I am a moler,’ he began.
‘Moler? Tom mentioned that you chose to become a moler. Tom looks human. Are you no longer human? What are you?’
‘Whew! Okay. So many questions,’ said Mug and he chewed on his bottom lip as if contemplating where to start.
‘See? Told you,’ said Tom, nodding sagely to Deelind. Deelind rolled her eyes at him, her mouth twitching.
‘What?’ Shaking his head Mug said, ‘Never mind.
‘All humans in our world are called Mole People. Our families are often a mix of both Mole People and molers. For example, in my family, my dad, Ivan and I are molers, but Tom is still human. For ease of reference our families are called mole families, since it’s easy to see in each family who’s a moler and who isn’t. Molers and Mole People have slightly different roles but our skills cross over fairly easily.
‘Molers are guardians of the earth and belong to the Dragon Kingdom. To become a moler you go through a morphing ceremony which can take place anytime after your sixteenth birthday. I went through my ceremony four weeks ago. Once completed, you automatically join the molers and belong to the Lower house and Moler Valley. The transformation gives us super-strength, unusually large, strong hands to dig with, and the ability to navigate in the pitch-dark. The fur we grow helps us to move when we dig through the earth. We are changed at such a fundamental level that we are no longer human but another species entirely.
‘Can anyone become a moler?’ said Deelind.
‘Any creature, apart from a featherlite, may become a moler.’ Her mind did a double take. Did he just say creature? What was a featherlite? Mug hadn’t said anything about Dragonknights yet and he had only just begun with molers. Unaware of Deelind’s musings, Mug had continued talking, his pace slowing the further they climbed the stairs.
‘Like Tom, Mole People tend to live underground with their moler family members. We’re all easy to recognise because we tend to wear earthy-toned clothes which are better suited to the work we do. Mole People make good miners and tunnel builders, and often do other jobs like farming, building, shopkeeping and engineering. My family lives in the pit under the Tor next to Princess Lee’s manor house. Most mole families live in Mole City or in Moler Valley and a few live in Brakenhill Village.’
She felt her forehead crinkle. ‘You live in a pit?’
Glancing back at her, he said with a slight smile, ‘Nah, not in the way that you mean. The pit, as we affectionately call it, is the dungeon of the old castle buried under the Tor. It is the lowest part of the Tor and where my dad, Jack, works and manages the maintenance, excavation moler crews and, of course, moler training. I never knew how much effort and muscles you needed to use when digging a burrow. Dad let Ivan take me out today for a training run, but my navigation is terrible, and I ended up outside the vegetable garden.’
Even as her mind tumbled with
questions, she took a moment to wonder if Mug ended up at the vegetable garden out of habit, considering what Tom had just told her about Mug’s many visits to the vegetable patch. It was clear now who Miss Tibi had been referring to in the kitchen that morning when talking to Geoff about meeting Jack’s boys.
‘The manor house was built only two hundred years ago in front of the old castle. My ancestors helped hide the castle under a huge mound of soil that is now called the Brakenhill Tor. The manor house fits better into today’s modern world. Castles tend to attract too much attention from your world.’
Pausing to catch his breath, Mug said, ‘Let’s stop for a moment. The water won’t come any higher, but we still have a couple of levels to go before we leave the stairwell.’
Deelind sank down onto the stairs, grateful to rest her aching legs. She could see the relief on the others’ faces as well, although Mug seemed lost in thought.
‘What is it, Mug?’ she said.
His eyes jerked to hers. ‘Nothing serious, it’s just that this next bit I’m about to tell you is going to sound a little “out there” and I’ve realised that all this is rather a lot to absorb if you’ve never seen it before. But let’s try anyway.
‘Us molers look after the Lower house, Moler Valley, moat, tunnels and burrows. In the Middle house you will find Princess Lee, the Great Hall and the manor house. The Upper house is the very top of the Tor where the Dragonknights live.
‘Still with me so far?’ Deelind nodded, although she wasn’t entirely sure.
‘Okay. There are three valleys that lie behind the Tor, hidden to the world by Oak Tree magic. Brakenhill Village in Brakenhill Valley is where there is a mix of everyone living together. The Tor is the entrance to the valleys. Hundreds of years ago the Tor was a castle and the gateway between earth and Avenvale. Today the Tor, castle and the three valleys are the last remnants of the Dragon Kingdom. The link between Avenvale and Brakenhill has faded away. Few know anything about Avenvale and those that do, do not talk about it.’
Groaning, Mug stood up and started climbing the stairs. Tom and Deelind rose with him.
‘What are Dragonknights? Are they medieval knights?’ she said, feeling ridiculous even voicing the words.
Mug’s mouth twitched and his eyes twinkled as he said, ‘While there are several Dragonknights who are old enough to have been actual knights, they are actually a separate species called featherlites. Featherlites are dragons who have melded with other creatures.’
Rolling her eyes, she said, ‘Yeah right. Nice try.’
Mug raised his hands placatingly. ‘No, I’m serious. I promise. There really are living, fire-breathing dragons. You see the Dragonknights are Princess Lee’s personal guards, army and defenders of Brakenhill. However, first you must become a featherlite.
‘Becoming a featherlite is crazy. To start with, you must be over eighteen and go on a quest into the Dragon Valley, where you need to find a featherlite egg that is about to hatch. Normally all the dragon eggs hatch around the same time each year. If the newly hatched dragon chooses you and you both survive the melding, you are then joined to the dragon for life, becoming a featherlite. You are essentially no longer human and now part of the featherlite species. Unfortunately, if the melding does not work you and the baby dragon may die.
‘Then you start Dragonknight training to be a royal guard. If you are successful, you are invited to become a Dragonknight,’ explained Mug. ‘As well as the designation of Dragonknights, there are Dragonscouts and Dragonkeepers.’
‘So that’s why a featherlite can’t become a moler and vice versa. They’ve already been through a transformation into another species. I must say, a quest sounds exciting,’ she said.
Seeing Deelind’s face light up, Mug groaned. ‘Oh no, not you, too. Tom never stops talking about finding dragon eggs. Featherlite eggs are hard to come by. They are different to normal dragon eggs and are the only type that can meld with a human. There is only one dragon left who lays featherlite eggs, but she and her partner are old now. Dragons that lay these eggs are called featherlite egg bearers. These egg bearers can lay both featherlite eggs and wild dragon eggs. Dragons hatching from the wild eggs remain wild. The wild dragons live in Dragon Valley and can only lay wild dragon eggs. We have not had a featherlite hatching in many years now. We used to have thousands of dragons and featherlites and now there are only a few hundred left.’
‘Does anyone ever ride a featherlite?’
‘No, definitely not! Featherlites consider this an insult and will seriously injure anyone who tries to ride them.’
‘Who can become a featherlite? Could I become one?’ she asked. This was far more interesting than everything else she had heard so far.
‘Anybody can become a featherlite, unless you are already a moler. You and people from your world could become molers or featherlites, it is just that the outside world doesn’t know about our world.’
Regretfully she realised that if she wanted to become a featherlite she would have to wait another two years. Yeah. Sure. Just the thought was ridiculous. But goodness, becoming a featherlite sounded so exciting! It was infinitely better than working in the kitchens. She sighed wistfully.
‘So few are chosen to be featherlites that I didn’t think it was worth waiting around to find out if I would be chosen,’ Mug explained. ‘Besides, I don’t like heights all that much anyway.’ Tom snickered.
‘Tom thinks he is going to become a Dragonknight when he grows up, but if he doesn’t stop skipping school all he is going to become is a saddle polisher!’
‘Everyone was excited sixteen years ago when one featherlite egg was laid,’ said Tom ignoring Mug.
‘But sadly, the egg does not seem to want to hatch. Tom thinks it is waiting for him to be old enough,’ Mug teased. ‘Captain Roeland, the head of the Dragonknights, thinks that there is not enough Oak Tree magic left and the egg will not hatch. The council thinks that Blackthorn’s increase in power from his IceFire drug has unbalanced the magical energies and they are not sure if another featherlite melding will occur again.’
‘When a featherlite egg is laid it has a blue flame burning around it. They say it is a beautiful sight,’ said Tom, his gaze lost in dreamy wonder. ‘You know, dragons can breathe fire, move water, create wind and some can even control the earth.’
‘I’m not sure why you would want to be a featherlite anyway,’ said Mug, lifting his shoulder in a half-shrug.
‘Why not?’ said Deelind.
‘You have to go through three years of training, schooling with Princess Lee, and the physical changes to your body are just mad. If that wasn’t enough, Blackthorn gets to hunt you down.’
Her mind was jumping all over the place. ‘Do you mean old Blackthorn from Blackthorn Farm, in the north part of the town, past the sports fields?’
‘Yes, that Blackthorn,’ said Mug, curling his lip. ‘He is Princess Lee’s half-brother and wants her crown and the dragons. He who controls the dragons controls the kingdom and earth. Blackthorn will wipe out everything in his path and anyone who gets in his way. Princess Lee has a big job keeping Brakenhill safe from Blackthorn and any threats the outside world might pose.
‘Hush now, we are here,’ said Mug quietly. Finally, they had reached the level they needed. Mug looked sweaty and she could feel her own face was flushed from exertion. With a flick of his hand Mug signalled something to Tom. From Tom’s movements, she guessed it was to check to see if the tunnel was clear. It was obvious that they had done this many times before. Tom shot into the tunnel and within a minute returned and nodded.
They entered the tunnel and followed it in silence for a couple more steps before stopping at a T-junction. With another one of his hand signals, Mug instructed Tom to take the left-hand tunnel and distract the guard.
Deelind watched Tom enter a large cave. Directly in front of him was a wall made of sandstone blocks with a large, arched opening, signifying the castle gate. The portcullis was raised. There w
ere two large, brown and yellow flags hanging on each side of the portcullis. A guardhouse was positioned to the right of the gate. Before Tom could say anything, a guard exited the guardhouse and said, ‘Yes, we know there has been a leak in an old water junction and a breach in the defence burrow by your brother. Come and get a note for your father.’ Tom followed the guard into the guardhouse next to the entrance and coughed twice, which turned out to be the signal that the entrance was clear. Deelind was amazed and a little alarmed that the guard already knew about the flooded water junction.
Mug put a finger to his lips, indicating to her to be quiet and then he whispered, pointing to the arched stone doorway. ‘We are heading to the castle gate. Stay behind me and move as quickly as possible.’ She nodded.
They moved swiftly in the direction of Tom’s cough and within the space of a few steps they had entered the large cave. She came to a halt and stared around her in wonder, only snapping out of it when she felt Mug dragging her forward. The guard could appear at any time.
‘Stop!’ bellowed the guard from within the guardhouse just as they arrived under the arch of the castle gate.
Mug shoved her through the stone doorway before he was hauled into the guardhouse and knocked to the ground by the guard. Luckily, the guard did not see her.
‘Only me,’ he stammered, ‘in a rush, water junction has sprung a leak, got to get tools from the pit.’
‘You know the rules about entering without permission. Now beat it and you, too, young Tom! Take this note with you and give it to your father.’
CHAPTER 3
THE MELDING
Deelind found herself on the other side of the entrance looking down a large, well-lit castle passage. The passageway split into two, with one ramp going upwards and the other downwards. It looked old, solid and well used. Before she could take a step, two of the nastiest-looking guards appeared at either side of her. They both seemed just as surprised as she was.
Deelind and The Icefire Page 3