Deelind and The Icefire

by Lance Dempster

  Tom arrived and sat on the other side of her, seemingly not bothered with seating conventions. He was wearing the same shorts and red T-shirt he wore on the day she met him, except now the T-shirt had fresh mud patches all over it. Entertained, she felt the corners of her eyes crinkle. Clearly Tom marched to his own drum.

  ‘Hi, Dee,’ said Tom, looking full to bursting with something to say as his legs swung back and forth under his chair. ‘We have to talk. I want to be a Dragonknight, too, and need to know how you did it. Did you see another egg for me?’ Seeing her attention focused elsewhere, he said, ‘What are you looking at?’

  ‘Oh, just the emblems on the different uniforms.’

  ‘Each house has its own emblem and flag,’ said Tom. She recalled seeing the badge on Jack’s green overalls and could see it on all the moler uniforms now. ‘We learn about it in school. The Upper house is blue, the Middle house is green, and the Lower house is brown. What’s your dragon’s name?’

  ‘Her name is Zara.’

  ‘Can I meet your dragon? Does she know if there is another egg for me? Will you go dragon?’

  Deelind froze. This was what she was afraid of. It was embarrassing not to be able to transform or talk to her dragon because of her shiny new choker.

  Swallowing hard, she said, ‘I’m sorry, Tom, you’ll have to wait to see Zara. I know she would enjoy meeting you. Unfortunately, Nurse Amy said I can’t transform while my arm is broken and it’s going to be several months before it is healed.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Tom, looking crestfallen. ‘Mug already said you couldn’t but I was hoping he was wrong.’ Deelind felt bad for him.

  ‘What do you mean ‘go dragon’? I’m guessing that is what the transformation process is called?’

  ‘Yes, Dad says that’s our slang term. On more formal occasions we talk about transforming into the dragon or human form.’

  ‘Shhh now,’ Miss Tibi whispered. ‘Tom, Zara can hear you just fine and if she had anything to tell you she would. Quiet now and sit still. It’s all about to start.’

  The hall went quiet and everyone turned in their seats to watch the royal stateroom door. Hanging above the door was a massive, carved stone dragon head. The door opened and Princess Lee entered wearing a long, white dress, and a small, white bone crown adorned her head. Her feet were bare, her long, copper hair hanging loose down her back, and her crystal hung around her neck on a thin, green chain.

  ‘I love her natural hair colour. She only reveals it at formal occasions,’ said Miss Tibi, as if more to herself than to Deelind.

  ‘I never knew she had copper hair.’

  ‘Yes, all royal family members have copper hair,’ said Miss Tibi. ‘Blackthorn’s hair is pitch-black, which proves he is not royalty and will never rule the Dragon Kingdom.’

  Princess Lee took a few steps forward and with a popping sound her dragon wings appeared on her back. She stretched them out and up, a beautiful spread of radiant green, vibrating with the essence of life. Everyone sat dead quiet. Mouths opened in awe. Deelind realised that the princess had not fully changed into a Dragonknight. Princess Lee was easily three times her normal human height which Deelind could see was needed to support the weight and length of her wings. Would she be able to do that? She could feel Zara’s urge to transform and had it not been for the choker Deelind would have been unable to resist.

  The Dragonknights, in human form, entered the Great Hall from the royal stateroom. Moving forward they passed under Princess Lee’s wings and formed a tunnel down the wide pathway between the chairs. They wore blue shirts and trousers or skirts and were draped in full-length, dark blue knight cloaks. The last two Dragonknights wore brown leather jackets, like First World War pilots. The moment the last two Dragonknights stopped and faced each other to complete the tunnel, all the Dragonknights, in a single movement, dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Princess Lee walked down the tunnel, letting her wings touch the heads of each Dragonknight. As she touched them, they changed into half-dragon form, just as Princess Lee had. Captain Roeland walked a few paces behind Princess Lee. As he passed each Dragonknight, they stood and fell into line behind him.

  ‘Why are those two Dragonknights dressed differently?’ she whispered to Miss Tibi, pointing to the two men who had been dressed differently.

  ‘They are not Dragonknights because they are not part of the royal squadron. They are Dragonscouts,’ Miss Tibi whispered. ‘They are sent out to collect information, spy, assess situations and carry out covert operations for Princess Lee and Captain Roeland. If you ask me, they are underappreciated. Their job is lonely and often dangerous. Only a few weeks ago, Captain Roeland’s brother, Rudy, went missing—’

  ‘I am going to be the captain like Captain Roeland,’ interrupted Tom.

  ‘Of course you are, dear. Now be quiet, it is about to start.’

  The Dragonknights all took their places around the pond, facing outwards, leaving the front of the island open for Princess Lee. Princess Lee went to stand in front of Oakman, facing the hall and spectators, with her wings tucked behind her. Captain Roeland, now half-transformed, too, went to stand to the left of Princess Lee.

  ‘All rise for Princess Leilatha Beriogelir-Arnethland,’ bellowed a man who had appeared next to Princess Lee, carrying a long, clear pole in one hand and a flag in the other. She could not make out the name the man shouted out but guessed it must be Princess Lee’s formal name. Everyone in the hall stood and bowed their heads in respect. Looking carefully, she saw the pole was a crystal rod made of the same type of rainbow crystal she had around her neck.

  Princess Lee took the crystal pole and raised it above her head. With a flash of white light, the room filled with rainbow colours.

  ‘Let us begin,’ said Princess Lee. The council members took their seats. Deelind hadn’t noticed them arrive and clearly some were missing, as evident by the empty chairs. Princess Lee turned to Oakman. Oakman’s branches and leaves bent forward, sweeping towards the ground. The rainbow colours in the pond water flowed up the trunk, poured into the branches and up into each leaf as the tree bowed to Princess Lee. The dead, burnt branch remained still, straight and black. Oakman raised its branches and leaves back to their normal position. Princess Lee bowed to Oakman. Oakman’s leaves burst into bright red and blue flames before returning to their normal shimmering green.

  Princess Lee lowered her pole, and everyone sat. Oakman lowered a branch over the rainbow water. The smaller branches and leaves bent out of the way, leaving a bridge for Princess Lee to walk over. She crossed swiftly and stood at the base of Oakman. Once there she turned and faced the hall, while Oakman withdrew the branch.

  Then Oakman lowered two other branches and unfurled the smaller branches and leaves to reveal a body lying nestled inside a basket of leaves on each branch. The first body she saw was that of the Dragonknight who had died from the poisonous thorns. A lump formed in her throat when she saw the second body was her gran. She looked peaceful. Her body was wrapped tightly in the royal flag. Deelind brushed a tear from her cheek.

  ‘We have suffered a great loss at the hand of my half-brother,’ Princess Lee said. ‘We are here today to remember these two members of our family. We give their bodies over to the rainbow magic, through Oakman, as has been our way since the beginning. We say to our fallen family, ‘Take our blessings with you and may you guide us during our trying times.’ Oakman then curled closed the leaves surrounding the Dragonknight and slowly raised the branch in the air. The branch pulsed with colour. The rainbow moved down the branch, up the main trunk and into the dead branch.

  Deelind jumped when Miss Tibi whispered in her ear, ‘He is going to heal the dead, burnt branch. Oh, this is so exciting.’ They both sat riveted in their chairs, hardly breathing.

  The colours tried to move up the dead branch. Princess Lee turned. Stretching out her crystal pole, she touched the dead branch.

  An explosion sounded. Princess Lee was flung backwards to the edge of the island
, at the same time transforming back into her human form. The crystal pole shattered, spraying shards across the hall. Oakman’s dead branch was smoking. The rest of the tree screamed. Its branches whipped violently around, trying to hit at the dead branch. The branch that held her gran swayed and then dropped her into the pond before it, too, joined the other branches in attacking the dead but now burning branch. A storm of thunder and lightning erupted above Oakman, spreading across the hall, destroying the beautiful rainbow ceiling Princess Lee had made. As lightning bolts erupted from the clouds, a large, low-lying branch scooped up the unconscious Princess Lee and sent her flying to the back of the island before returning to its original position. Everyone was running for cover. Deelind ran to help Princess Lee, but Captain Roeland caught her arm. The Dragonknights turned and faced Oakman. They raised their wings to protect everyone in the hall.

  ‘No! If you enter the pond while your gran’s body is in there, you will die! Never enter rainbow water when the dead are in it!’ shouted Captain Roeland.

  ‘Let me go, I can jump!’ But she knew she could not jump with Oakman’s branches flying around. The same large, low-lying branch that had thrown Princess Lee bent so far back that Deelind thought it was going to break. Suddenly it shot forward so fast it made a whistling sound, as it aimed itself at the dead, burning branch. With a deafening crack the large branch hit the burning branch, snapping it clean off the main trunk. The force of the impact was so strong, the burning branch flew across the island, over the water and into a Dragonknight’s chest. It fell to the ground at his feet. Going full dragon, the Dragonknight grabbed the burning branch with his claws and flung it at the sidewall away from everyone. Deelind flicked her eyes back to the low-lying branch that had done the damage. It now lay damaged and limp on the ground. She was relieved to see it was still attached to Oakman.

  Silence fell. Oakman twisted his main trunk and branches in the direction of Princess Lee as if he was trying to look at her, then swung its big trunk forward towards Deelind and then towards her gran.

  The sounds of large trees falling and branches snapping filled her mind as Oakman said, ‘I have been poisoned by the toxins in the Dragonknight’s body, I need your gran’s body to heal.’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ she said in her head, and then aloud, knowing her gran would want to help in any way.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ said Captain Roeland, who still had a firm grip on her good arm.

  Deelind did not reply but just pointed to her gran’s body. Oakman lowered a branch and picked her gran’s body out of the pond, closing the branch around it as he had done with the Dragonknight. This branch began to pulse, the rainbow colours moved down the branch, up the main trunk and into the damaged branch. Should she run for cover? Even if she should, she couldn’t. Captain Roeland was not releasing her arm anytime soon so they both stood and watched. The damaged branch now pulsed with the rainbow colours. Its leaves started to lift and burn a light green. The branch tried to lift itself back up to its original position, but after a few feeble attempts it gave up and lay down on the ground. She was relieved to see that the branch did look better, even though it didn’t have enough strength to rise off the floor.

  In a blink of an eye Captain Roeland let her go and went dragon. He flew across to the island, straight to where Princess Lee lay, changing back immediately as he knelt next to her. He picked her up and carried her over to Oakman, but did not seem to know what to do next.

  ‘Tell him to place her on your gran’s branch,’ Oakman said. Distant branches creaked and groaned. As she was about to shout the instruction out to Captain Roeland, Oakman said, ‘No, tell him in his mind. Same as you did during the battle at your gran’s cottage.’

  ‘Captain Roeland!’

  ‘Yes?’ Fire flared as tree sap ignited dry leaves. Deelind flinched. Magical signatures and telepathic communication weren’t always a comfortable experience.

  Calmly and clearly, she said, ‘Oakman says to place Princess Lee on Gran’s branch.’

  Captain Roeland carried Princess Lee over to the branch and laid her on it. The branch leaves quickly closed around Princess Lee’s body, forming a green pod.

  Oakman turned to Deelind and the ozone from fresh rainfall filled her senses. ‘Thank you. There is still a flicker of hope for us all. Your road is a long and lonely journey. Be brave and be strong when others cannot. I must rest now.’

  People around her were pointing and talking about her, but she was more concerned about Oakman.

  ‘Wait!’ she cried out in her mind. ‘Are you going to be okay? Is there anything else I can do to help?’ Oakman had gone silent and she knew she was not going to get an answer. She turned and saw that people had started to gather into their houses again. Some were injured and others looked dazed. She realised that Miss Tibi and Tom had run for cover like any sensible person would have done.

  ‘You okay, dear?’ asked Miss Tibi as she walked up to Deelind.

  ‘Yes, thank you. I… I think Princess Lee is dead,’ she blurted.

  Miss Tibi pulled her in for a hug. ‘No, dear. Oakman will heal her, but her injuries must be bad if he has taken her in.’

  ‘How long will she be gone for?’

  ‘I’m afraid I have no idea,’ said Miss Tibi with a sigh. ‘Now I must go and help Nurse Amy with all the injured.’

  Before she could ask another question, Captain Roeland began barking orders to the hall.

  ‘Dragonknights! Take to the skies. I want a way through that hedge. We have been attacked within our own walls.’ As one, the Dragonknights bowed slightly and left.

  ‘Deelind, and Sergeant Sam, please stay behind while I clear the hall,’ said Captain Roeland. ‘I will be with the two of you soon. Wait here.’

  ‘Jack,’ called Captain Roeland.

  ‘Yes, Captain?’ said Jack, who had come running up to Captain Roeland when he called.

  ‘Please take the burnt branch down to your pit and put it under guard. Let’s see what we can learn from it.’

  ‘Yes, Captain.’

  ‘Oh, and Jack, please ask Mug to stay behind as well,’ he said, just as Jack was heading towards the dead branch.

  ‘Everyone, quiet!’ bellowed Captain Roeland and everyone fell silent. ‘The mound is in lockdown. Everyone is to return to their normal duties. The hall will now be used for a council meeting. All council members are to remain. Guards at the doors and everyone else out!’ There were mutters but soon everyone had left the hall except council members, the sergeant and Deelind.

  While waiting in silence with Sergeant Sam, she watched Oakman lower the same branch Princess Lee used as a bridge, allowing the council members to cross the pond. She guessed that the council meeting was to take place on the island. Geoff, a woman and a man walked over the bridge. The man and woman wore long, white coats and no shoes. They all sat on the ground near the base of Oakman’s large trunk and engaged immediately in a deep conversation. Deelind was surprised to see that Geoff was a council member. She blew out a breath. If the past few days were anything to go by there was clearly more to Miss Tibi and Geoff than just the manor kitchens.

  Captain Roeland was moving in and out of the hall attending to people and tasks. After about fifteen minutes he walked up to Deelind and Sam.

  ‘Sergeant Sam, you will be managing Deelind’s training as soon as her arm is mended. Each afternoon she is to be given academic lessons until she is able to fly.’

  Deelind groaned silently at the thought of studying.

  ‘Yes, Captain,’ said Sergeant Sam who did not sound any happier with this arrangement than she was.

  ‘Dismissed, Sergeant Sam.’

  ‘Yes, Captain.’ She turned and moved away immediately.

  ‘Captain,’ said Deelind, in his head, ‘I have the choker on. Who can remove it now?’

  ‘Only Princess Lee. Where is Mug?’ snapped Captain Roeland, indicating to her he was not going to take the conversation any further. ‘Mug!’

&n
bsp; ‘Here, Captain,’ squeaked Mug, running from across the other side of the hall. ‘The guards would not let me in until Dad got there.’

  ‘Take Deelind and show her around the mound, the village and then to school for both of you.’

  ‘Yes, sir!’

  ‘But what’s going on?’ she said.

  His face hardened. ‘Considering everything that has happened today, you’ll forgive us if we focus elsewhere and you get your answers at another time. You will go to school in the morning and then after lunch report to Sergeant Sam. Dismissed.’

  Mug grabbed her hand before she could say anything else. ‘Come, I have lots to show you.’ They passed Jack who was on his way to the island for the council meeting.

  ‘Mug,’ said Jack, touching Mug’s arm, ‘Look after Deelind and no getting into trouble today. This afternoon I want you in the pit. Have you seen Tom?’

  ‘No, Dad.’

  Jack grimaced with the look of a long-suffering parent. ‘Well, make sure he goes to school this morning.’

  CHAPTER 8

  BRAKENHILL VALLEY

  ‘I’m not sure anyone can make Tom do anything he does not want to do,’ grumbled Mug to Deelind as they exited the door at the back of the hall, the opposite side to the royal stateroom. This door led out into a long passageway. They followed it until they came to a right-hand corner. At this point they stopped and looked at a stone wall with a painting of a valley on it. Peering down the next corridor Deelind recognised the door to the sickroom room.

  ‘We are at the back of the mound now, which is the back wall of the castle,’ said Mug, as though that meant something to her.

  ‘Mug,’ she pleaded. ‘I have a great sense of direction and my dragon has enhanced that further, but I find myself getting overwhelmed with the layout of the Tor and what feeds into where.