Deelind and The Icefire

by Lance Dempster

  ‘Poor Princess Lee. Where was everyone buried?’ she asked, thinking about the graveyard at the old cottage.

  ‘Princess Lee had a private ceremony with herself and Oakman. That is all I know about that day.’

  ‘I wondered if Grimbell was a Dragonknight,’ said Deelind.

  ‘He was but in trying to save you his dragon had to sacrifice itself to save Grimbell. The deathburner got stuck in his wing and the burning spread to his body. To save Grimbell, his dragon severed the bond, allowing Grimbell to go human. He was lucky to have kept his arm.’

  ‘Can he still go dragon?’ said Deelind, her chest tightening and eyes prickling with tears for Grimbell.

  ‘Yes, he can but he doesn’t. His dragon form is just a shell now. The dragon soul has gone and Grimbell’s damaged arm means he can’t experience the joy of flying either. He has lost so much, and going dragon would only serve to remind him just how big the loss was. He has never been the same since. He has known you since you were a little girl. He is protective of you and saving you that day has made him more so. He insisted on meeting you each morning and walking you home every evening.

  Tears tracked down Deelind’s face. Grimbell’s story was just so tragic and she was irrevocably woven into the fabric of that tragedy.

  Miss Tibi’s face creased with concern and sympathy filled her eyes. ‘Now I think it is bedtime for you, my dear,’ said Miss Tibi, patting Deelind’s hand. ‘It’s been a long, hard day and you are going to be busy over the next few months. A good night’s sleep will do you wonders.’ Miss Tibi stood up with her, but left Deelind to find her own way back to her bedroom. She felt both sad and guilty for Grimbell. How did he manage to live without his dragon? Not being able to fly again would kill her.

  When she got to her bedroom, she collapsed onto the bed fully dressed and passed out for the night.

  * * *

  Deelind woke early the next morning to find a towel and her green school uniform ready on a chair next to the dressing table. In her en suite bathroom, she bathed and dressed quickly, gave the choker a tug in the vain hope it would give way, and then headed for the dining room. Geoff and Miss Tibi would have been up early to get the breakfast ready. She walked into the kitchen and gave Miss Tibi a morning hug.

  ‘Good morning, dear. How are you feeling?’ asked Miss Tibi. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, ‘Off you go to the dining room and I will bring you your breakfast.’

  ‘Do you need any help in the kitchen?’ she asked but Miss Tibi was having none of it.

  ‘No. Go join Grimbell. He is already eating.’

  She left the kitchen, knowing it was no use arguing with Miss Tibi.

  ‘Morning, Grimbell,’ she said, seeing Grimbell finishing a plate of food. She found it hard to look at him now. Grimbell nodded at her and refilled his plate. She quickly sat down and did the same.

  After breakfast she went to pack her bag. She did not want to miss school again or be late. Remembering to pack her featherlite uniform for the afternoon training with Corporal Lucy, she put her hat on and headed to the back exit that led out onto the cliff. She managed to catch the correct vein all the way to the Learning Tree. Rainbow travel could be quite fun when you got it right.

  CHAPTER 10

  THE LEARNING TREE

  Deelind arrived at the Learning Tree at the same time as Mug and Tom. She had seen the giant tree from the other side of the cobbled street near the Sleeping Tree. Up close, however, the school tree towered over her. Its girth was massive, and its heavy boughs reached up high, bursting with green leaves making the most of the bright spring sun. Greeting Mug and Tom, she looked around and noticed that she was not the only one dressed in a school uniform. Everyone was wearing them.

  ‘I thought you said you didn’t have to wear uniforms except for formal occasions?’

  ‘In normal times, yes, but because we are now at war everyone is expected to wear their uniforms. Not everyone will, though, and I hope it will not last long,’ muttered Mug, pulling at his collar. ‘Let’s go in.’

  They entered the tree through the front door. To the left was a reception desk perched under the arc of a wooden spiral stairwell that wound up the centre of the tree. The back door was open, and she could see out onto a large playing field backing onto the forest. A group of moler teenagers were ticking their names off in the register book on the reception desk and then hurrying to class.

  ‘You don’t have to tick yourself in but if you don’t you won’t get any money at the end of the month for attending school,’ said Mug.

  ‘You get money for attending school?’ said Deelind incredulously.

  Mug nodded his head, his lips twitching. ‘Yes, we really do. Princess Lee believes it helps motivate us to go to school and we don’t get pocket money, so it’s the only way we can get some money of our own. It works for the older children but not so much for some of the younger children like Tom who don’t seem to care or need much money.’

  Still processing that startling bit of good news, she said, ‘Where do we go and how does everything work?’

  ‘You choose the class you are interested in and study it for the term.’

  ‘You mean there is no set syllabus?’

  ‘Yes and no,’ he said. ‘You see, each class has a set syllabus, just choose a class and go to it.’

  ‘But my name is not on the list.’

  ‘Just write it in at the bottom. I am in the Moler levels 6 to 10 in the second basement. You must be a moler to do levels 6 to 10. Levels 1 to 5 are open to anyone.’

  Picking up the pen, she wrote her name at the bottom in black ink. The ink appeared to sink in, disappear and then reappear in gold. Cool.

  ‘There, now you are formally a student here. Congratulations!’ he said cheerfully. His watch buzzed. ‘Gosh! I’m running late, I’ve got to go. If you’re late too many times, you must do the term over again. Go to the noticeboard, it will help you with everything else you need. See you later!’ Mug dashed down the stairs towards the basement.

  Deelind stood near the reception desk. Spotting the noticeboard, she went over to read it. A single, blank sheet of paper was pinned to the board. ‘That’s helpful,’ she muttered.

  ‘English,’ replied the board. The sheet filled with English writing, listing all the subjects, levels and locations.

  1.0 Arnethland Law 1 to 5 (Elp Fine), classroom 2

  1.1 Arnethland Law 6 to 10 (Elp Rose), classroom 3

  2.0 Featherlite 1 to 5 (Elp Wing), tree rooftop

  2.1 Dragonknight 6 to 10 – Cancelled

  2.2 Dragon Quest – Cancelled

  3.0 The Art of War (Sergeant Sam), classroom 6. Open to students 14 years and older. Extra credit given to astute students for taking this class in this time of war.

  4.0 Moler 1 to 5 (Moler Long Tail), basement 1

  4.1 Moler 6 to 10 (Moler Black Pelt), for molers only, basement 2

  4.2 Moler history including Mole City (Moler Matthew), library

  5.0 History 1 to 5 (Elp Willow), classroom 1

  5.1 History 5 to 10 (Elp Barkley), classroom 8

  6.0 Scouts & Camouflage 1 to 5 (Elp Green), classroom 4

  6.1 Scouts & Camouflage 6 to 10 (Scout Wilson), practical – Cancelled

  6.2 Dragonscouts – Cancelled

  7.0 Tree House Growing 1 to 5 (Elp Treelong), gardening shed 1

  7.1 Tree House Growing 5 to 6 (Elp Grey and Elp Fern), forest school

  7.2 Advanced Tree House Growing 6 to 10 (Gardener Jane), forest school

  8.0 Farming (Elp McDonald), gardening shed 3

  9.0 Rainbow Magic (Princess Lee), by invitation only

  10.0 Waterway Maintenance (Elp Brown and Elp Tessa), the gatehouse

  11.0 Witchcraft 1 to 5 (Witch Hazel) Tuesday, the Cauldron Pot

  11.1 Witchcraft 6 to 10 (Witch Hazel) Wednesday, the Cauldron Pot

  11.2 Witchcraft – Mastering Witchcraft Magic 11 (Witch Hazel) Thursday, the Cauldron Pot. Not for the faint of heart.r />
  12.0 Dragon Quest Junior Training (Corporal Lucy), Wednesday afternoons, Upper house

  13.0 Elvish (Princess Lee), by invitation only

  Notes: Days, times, locations and dates will be confirmed on the first day by teachers

  Choose your subject(s) by ticking it above

  Remember: no attendance means no pay!

  The snapping of Elps is forbidden

  Her raised eyebrows turned into a frown as she scanned the list. She had never had the option to choose her own subjects before. Scouts and Camouflage levels 1 to 5 with Elp Green looked interesting and she had been intrigued with the scouts at the funeral.

  ‘Having trouble choosing?’ said a male voice.

  She looked around but saw no one.

  ‘Down here.’

  Looking down, she saw an Elp wearing an academic hat like the one she had seen professors wear in films and she stepped backwards to get away from it in fear that it would attack her.

  ‘I am Elp Brown, Headmaster of the Learning Tree. The Learning Tree informed me you had signed in. Let’s go sit in the restricted history room and have a chat.’

  Elp Brown walked at an astonishing speed to the stairs and hopped up them two at a time. Moving quickly to catch up, she followed him all the way to the top of the tree. At each level, there were four doors with the class name on it. There was only one door at the top of the tree.

  ‘Door, open,’ said Elp Brown to the door and the door swung open. Following behind him, she entered a small, dark room lined with bookshelves stuffed with books. Some books were locked behind a glass case, while others even had a lock on the book itself. A little book with a bright yellow cover caught her eye. It had a lock on it and a swirling script on the front cover said, ‘Princess Tia’s Diary’.

  Elp Brown gestured to an old rocking chair for her to sit in and he jumped up onto its arm.

  ‘Now the rules are simple. Stay out of trouble, no fighting, swearing or bullying. You choose your subjects on a term-by-term basis. If you wish to join an extra class, you may do so at any time provided you do not disturb the class. This room is out of bounds at all times to all children. As you can see there is nothing exciting in here which is why I show it to every student on their first day. I hear you are only with us in the mornings, but you can eat lunch in the Dining Tree.

  ‘To graduate and get your Dragon Kingdom Certificate or DKC, as most call it, you must pass five subjects to level 5. Arnethland Law, Featherlite and Moler are compulsory subjects for levels 1 to 5. You are going to have a busy year with all the catching up you need to do. Corporal Lucy will be covering Featherlite 1 to 5 with you in the afternoons, so you won’t need to attend the class with Elp Wing in the morning. This will give you a free period each day to catch up on other subjects. Which leaves you with two other subjects to choose from. Any questions?’

  ‘I don’t know what subjects to choose. Scouts and Camouflage seems rather interesting, but another option might be Tree Housing.’

  ‘Ah. As you are new to our world why not choose history? For your second elective, both Tree Housing and Scouting are good choices. All your other subjects are theoretical with written exams. These subjects are more hands on and have a practical exam. Perhaps go with Scouting. It leads to Dragonscouts, and it’ll be good for you as a featherlite to understand other arms of the Dragon Kingdom. There are no other students currently studying Scouting and Camouflage, so you’ll have Elp Green and his extensive knowledge on the subject to yourself.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ she said, not at all sure. She did not enjoy studying in the first place and how was she going to find the time to cram all this lot in?

  ‘It is a first in our history to have a featherlight attend our school. Previously all Dragon Quest candidates would have already graduated before heading out on their quest. This puts you in a rather unique position where you will automatically be afforded the respect due a featherlite by the other schoolchildren. You will be a role model and they will look up to you. With that in mind it makes sense to make you a prefect. Prefects at the Learning Tree are expected to establish and maintain the highest standards of behaviour, attitude and appearance. Please remember to set a positive example and please, no transforming while at school.’

  Deelind nodded, feeling rather like she was caught on a runaway train. She accepted the prefect badge he handed her and affixed it to her collar lapel.

  ‘Because you are so far behind and to help you get through everything, I will be teaching you History, Moler and Arnethland Law. I have classroom 5 on the floor below and I will see you downstairs in a few minutes, but first, let’s get you an Elp.’

  ‘An Elp?’ she said weakly. She remembered all too well her recent experience with them.

  ‘An Elp learning aid,’ said Elp Brown. ‘Each student gets an Elp to help them with their learning. You will use the Elp for writing notes and exams.’ Elp Brown leaned out of an open window and made a strange warbling noise. Soon ten Elps appeared at the window. Each took one look at her, screamed and left.

  ‘Oh dear,’ said Elp Brown.

  ‘What is wrong?’

  ‘None of them want to be with you. They’ve heard about you and fear you.’

  Deelind frowned. That didn’t make sense. In their last encounter it was she who had run from them. A soft voice from the window said, ‘I would like to help Deelind learn.’

  Looking closer, Deelind spotted a green, tatty-looking Elp with more leaves on it than any other Elp she had seen, hanging back in a shadowed corner of the window. On seeing the little Elp it was clear that Elp Brown was the elder of the two. He was much taller. His body was thicker around the middle and his bark was grey with fissures.

  ‘No,’ Elp Brown said to Deelind. ‘He is just an Elpling, and much too young for such responsibility.’ To the Elpling he said, ‘You get into too much trouble. Look at you, you don’t even keep your leaves trimmed properly.

  Watching disappointment fill the little Elp’s face, Deelind felt the spark of a kindred spirit. Apparently, they were both too young to be what they were. Walking over to the Elpling, she stretched out her hand so that he could jump on.

  ‘I think he will do just fine,’ she said. ‘I have the sense that we will work well together.’

  ‘Well, if you are sure,’ said Elp Brown doubtfully and he left the room.

  ‘My name is Elp,’ said her new Elp, settling himself on her shoulder as she walked downstairs to classroom 5.

  ‘Isn’t Elp what all of you are called?’

  ‘Yes, and all Elps have Elp in their names, like Elp Brown. I am just an Elpling. I have no real name yet.’

  ‘Well, we will have to fix that. You need a name other than “Elp”. It is like you calling me “Featherlite” instead of “Deelind”,’ she said as they entered the empty classroom.

  The classroom was not what she expected. There were no formal desks or chairs. At the front of the room was a large, wooden table covered with a cloth that hung down in front of the table and had the same school emblem as her hat, sewn onto it. Laid out on the cloth were writing paper, cups and water. The rest of the room had comfortable sofa chairs positioned in a circle. The walls were lined with books and paintings while the floor, like the ceiling, was the smooth wood of the inside of a tree branch. Placed on the floor was a beautiful, round, indigo carpet. The morning sun shone in through the two windows above spacious window seats, filling the room with warm, natural light. She had never known classrooms this welcoming before.

  Taking a seat in one of the sofa chairs, she placed her bag by her chair. Moments later, Elp Brown arrived and began a history lesson.

  ‘Brakenhill was built over four hundred years ago—’

  ‘How old are Princess Lee and Blackthorn?’

  ‘I’m not sure exactly, but over a thousand years,’ said Elp Brown as if that was nothing. Seeing that she was going to interrupt again, he said, ‘Princess Lee’s family are not human. They are elves, who can live for sever
al thousand years. But this subject is not for today, we must—’ Elp Brown went still as if listening carefully and then nodded his head. Looking at Deelind, he said, ‘The Learning Tree has just informed me that my assistance is needed elsewhere. Let’s get you started with some reading.’

  Elp Brown went over to the bookcase and with two quick jumps he landed on the top shelf. ‘Why not read this one?’ he said, tapping the tired, green spine of a book. The book moved to the edge of the shelf and with that Elp Brown left her to the quiet of the room.

  Taking the book down, Deelind read the silver lettering on the spine, The Quick Reference to All Known in Brakenhill. The green leather of the front cover was cracked and dry with age. A careful flick through the book revealed yellowed pages which was at odds with the new paper scent until she caught sight of new pages added to the back of the book. Clearly addenda had been made but she couldn’t see how the pages had been inserted. The spine’s stitching, though old, looked firm and untampered with. She shrugged lightly, lately there were mysteries everywhere she turned. Warm and relaxed, she settled into a window seat and opened the book to the first page of chapter one and began to read.

  * * *

  The morning flew past and Deelind was so engrossed in her book she jumped in fright when a girl popped her head around the door and said in a sing-song voice, ‘It’s lunchtime! I’m April and you are Deelind. Now we know each other. I’ll be showing you your prefect responsibilities, but for now I’m going to the Dining Tree to do my prefect duties. Catch you later!’ With that, April was gone. Apart from the long, black hair hanging down April’s back the only other thing Deelind had noticed was that April wore glasses.

  Hearing her stomach rumble, she packed her bag. Her Elpling climbed into an inside pocket and began munching on a green leaf which it had foraged from outside of the classroom window. She tried to put the book into her bag. It snapped shut and hopped away from her.

  ‘I would not take the book out of the room,’ said her Elp from within the bag. ‘Students are not allowed to remove schoolbooks without Elp Brown’s written permission. The book will scream until it is returned and will refuse to open.’