Myvanwy and the House of Dragon

by KJ Sheerin

  Sehloho navigated between two hammocks and seated himself at the small fold-out table under the light as the men crowded around, eager to learn all they could about the impending action. They listened intently as he spoke above the steady hum of the diesel engine and sound of wash either side of the hull. The junk pitching and yawing as it sliced through the water, taking them closer to the island and their quarry.

  Flotsam

  The junk slipped into the half moon bay in the steel grey morning light. Josh and Sweet Pea watched from the hilltop as their foe was ferried ashore with guns bristling, while Clare and Myvanwy waited below them in the Temple of Baal.

  Myvanwy grew impatient.

  ‘Let’s have some music,’ she decreed, so Clare raced away to get the CD player and the Temple filled with the soothing strains of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons soon after.

  Clare sat cross legged in the sand with her eyes closed—at one with the music, while wearing a cartridge belt around her waist and cradling a broken shotgun in her lap. Myvanwy sighed as she looked across at her and then closed her own eyes, refusing to speculate or consult the records for the outcome of the impending action.

  They both heard the warning at the same time, Clare turning the volume up before racing away to take up her position, with Myvanwy off to her right. She closed the gun’s breech and peered over a boulder, her weapon aimed straight ahead into the semi-darkness of the bat cave, now alive with the chatter of returning bats. The sound of Vivaldi’s haunting melodies drifted up through the passageway behind them to fill the Cathedral and steel their minds.

  To Sweet Pea’s dismay, Josh stopped to relieve his bladder before going back into the cave. Then once inside, he extinguished all but one of the torches in the immediate area. The silence now broken by the sound of violins that emanated from deep within the cave system.

  What is that? Josh asked.

  Vivaldi’s ‘The sound of Summer’, I believe, Myvanwy informed him.

  How are you two going? she asked.

  Great, he answered, as he cocked his weapon and waited pressed up against the rock wall inside the television alcove, his ears strained for the slightest of sounds as Vivaldi’s summer ended and became autumn.

  Ullric led the attack team up the gentle slope, towards the bat cave. This time he and Sandor were armed with the same high-powered hunting rifles as the others. Sehloho signalled for three of his men to stay and cover the bat cave entrance, while he followed the rest of his men as far as the top of the hill. Once there, he chose to stay on the higher ground from where he could observe both entrances, and sent the remainder of his men to surround the front. When they were in position, the two dragon slayers went inside to dispatch their foe.

  Ullric and Sandor inched their way forward cautiously, stopping briefly to peer into the guests’ quarters. They found them empty, then heard the music coming from somewhere ahead. The hunters hugged the wall of the cave as they continued on, hesitating momentarily to peer around before entering into the torchlight. Sweet Pea and Josh saw the shadows the hunters cast and held their breath as the fishing line was released.

  The dragon hunters were too busy scanning the area ahead and to the left to notice the balloons fly past until too late. Four explosions rocked the cave a half-metre from their heads, to stun them. Ullric triggered a shot that went off wildly to his left as Josh jumped out to confront them, their eyes and mouths frozen wide with surprise as he blasted them in turn. Sweet Pea rushed past as he reloaded and added the distinctive cracking of bones to the sound of autumn leaves falling.

  ‘No prisoners, no mercy,’ Sweet Pea reminded him as he dragged the bodies out of sight into the television alcove. Josh recovered their weaponry and followed.

  The blasts and subsequent gun fire echoed throughout the cave system to reach Myvanwy and Clare in the Cathedral. Minutes ticked by as autumn finished and the chilling notes of winter begun.

  Myvanwy couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.

  Well? she demanded.

  Two down, Josh said.

  And Sweet Pea?

  I’m here, Mum, he told her.

  Sehloho had heard the explosions deep beneath him, followed by gunfire. He waited, not knowing the outcome. Silence followed, so he signalled his men to see if they could shed some light on what had taken place, but they shook their heads. He closed his eyes and concentrated while trying to read the thoughts of those below him, but all he heard was the haunting sound of violins. Finally he held a finger up and indicated for one man to go in from each end, then sat back and waited.

  Clare knelt in the sand—her upper body draped over a boulder in a relaxed fashion. She peered ahead intently, while listening to the cool crisp sounds of winter. From somewhere in front came a distinct metallic noise.

  Did you hear it, little one?

  Yes, when you’re ready.

  The spotlight came on and caught the foe unaware. Two seconds later he was blown backwards by the full blast of shot, and died as quickly as the light, amid the flutter of escaping bats.

  Josh was reassured by the shot as he waited, this time in Myvanwy’s alcove—braced and ready. Sehloho’s man heard it too, and gravitated towards the shot and the music. He crouched low as he passed the burning torch. Josh fired and Sweet Pea raced forward to retrieve the body, followed by the sickening sound of breaking bones. Myvanwy heard the deep boom of the lone shotgun and was happy also.

  Sehloho had heard both exchanges from his vantage point. He knew the differences between the weaponry and was perplexed by it. Evidently Ullric’s assessment of their armament was incorrect, and now he had paid the price, along with Sandor and two of his men. He slammed the palm of his hand down angrily upon the ground—a month of fruitless hunting and then another of waiting, all for this.

  Sehloho was unwilling to leave empty handed—the dragons were here beneath him, along with everything else that he wanted. He stood up and signalled angrily for the remaining hunters to go in.

  The two hunters that guarded the bat cave moved forward cautiously as the remaining bats stirred restlessly overhead. They hugged different sides of the cave while staying within sight of each other in the dim light, the fetid stench of bat guano assailing their nostrils.

  The men at the front entrance did likewise and inched along opposite sides of the cave—the cool crisp sand crunching beneath their boots. They paused to check out the guests quarter’s before moving on. Sweet Pea lay pressed against the floor of Myvanwy’s alcove cloaked in shadow, while Josh waited in the passage that led to the Temple of Baal. He made a scraping noise with his knife on the rock wall. The hunters heard him and stopped momentarily to circle around to face him, disregarding Myvanwy’s alcove altogether. Sweet Pea raised his head from the floor and poured an extended fiery breath on the one nearest him, to sear his face and arms. The other hunter turned instinctively, only to be cut down by Josh, who sprang out and shot him before turning the other barrel mercifully on his scorched colleague.

  The hunters in the bat cave were buoyed by the sounds of firing in the distance and quickened their pace—hoping to come up behind their quarry for a good result. They both stumbled on the early warning device and froze as the cans rattled. A spotlight came on and seconds later the loud boom of a shotgun rang out. One hunter fell and the other dropped to the floor of the cave as a second shot flew over him, so he rolled into the middle to wait.

  Did you get him? Myvanwy asked.

  No, I think he was too quick for me.

  Shall we go again?

  No, he’ll be waiting for us. When I tell you, throw a rock to your right.

  Clare reloaded and rolled to another location a metre away.

  Throw!

  As expected, the surviving hunter let loose with a volley of automatic fire in the direction of the clattering stone, while Clare zeroed in on the muzzle flash, and cut loose with a volley of her own. She quickly reloaded.

  Now?

  Yes, now.

  Clare lean
ed forward into the shotgun and waited for the spotlight. It came on, but wasn’t needed. The second hunter lay sprawled face down on the cave floor.

  Sehloho had listened to the battle from his vantage point high on the hill. At first he was dismayed, but the burst of automatic fire in the second exchange had lifted his hopes a little. Then as he looked in that direction, he saw the remainder of the bat colony as they poured forth from the bowels of the earth. Silence followed—he waited a few more minutes before running towards the boat and safety.

  How many men did Sehloho have, Myvanwy? Josh asked.

  Ten! Six fighters, himself, Ullric, Sandor and the junk’s master.

  We have five down here, he informed her.

  And we have three.

  I’d say we’re down to the third phase.

  Wait one moment, I’ll check, Myvanwy said. She closed her eyes and projected into the astral, only rising far enough above the island to reconnoitre. Moments later she reported back, All clear. Sehloho’s back onboard and they’re weighing anchor.

  Josh raced to the balloon basket in the corner and hauled the gas bottle out, along with its attachments, while Sweet Pea breathed life into the surrounding torches. Clare and Myvanwy ran to join them and the teenagers kissed.

  ‘Wow! What a mess,’ Myvanwy said, as she looked around.

  Josh turned to Sweet Pea, ‘It’s up to you now. Are you sure you can handle it?’

  ‘Give me that!’ Sweet Pea said, indignantly.

  Josh demonstrated the spring-loaded safety shackles again and reminded him to turn the gas on once he had finished.

  ‘You should have plenty of time to get away as the gas has to build up in the engine room before the heat and friction can explode it,’ he explained, then handed him the bottle and wished him luck.

  They all trooped out to watch as Sweet Pea took off. He veered left, skimming just metres from the lapping waves before arcing out to sea. When he could no longer be seen, they moved to the top of the hill to watch the junk as it motored out of the bay and into open waters.

  Sweet Pea came in low and headed straight for the oncoming junk, then stopped short and settled in the water, with just his head showing. He submerged as it went over him and reached up to sink his claws into the hardwood keel, and then did the same with his back legs. Up ahead he could see the propeller slicing through the water as he inched his way towards the stern, while from above the diesel engine could be heard working overtime as the junk tried to flee the island.

  The young dragon worked methodically. He removed an eye bolt and pressed its tapered thread into the hull above until it bit into the wood, then screwed it home before reaching for the second one. When it was in place, he slung the tank between them, using the strop and shackles. Once free of his burden, he removed the drill and bored a hole through the outer skin of the craft, into the bilge beneath the engine. Then when finished, he poked the hose through and turned the gas full on. Happy with his work, he reached around and climbed back to the front of the junk, and then taking hold of his tail, dove sideways as the vessel sped past.

  Sweet Pea stayed partially submerged until the junk had disappeared from view, before surfacing fully. Then he faced into the prevailing breeze and spread his huge wings to let the air currents lift him up once more.

  His duty done, he circled back, skimming the wave tops as he rejoined the others waiting on the hill.

  It took half an hour for the gases to build up and ignite, but the resultant explosion was worth it.

  ‘Do you think anyone survived?’ Clare asked.

  ‘Josh shook his head, ‘No way.’

  ‘Better to be sure than sorry. Sweet Pea, will you do the honours? And don’t forget, Liu Fung wants the log book,’ Myvanwy reminded him as he launched himself back into the air. The remaining trio walked slowly back down to the cave and entered.

  ‘Well, I suppose we had better clean up,’ said Josh.

  ‘No. You two have done enough, besides you must be tired.’

  Josh yawned, ‘I guess you’re right. But first we’d better secure those shotguns or we’ll be in trouble when we go back.’

  Myvanwy shook her head as the teenagers walked off towards the Cathedral. The Temple of Baal was now silent as they passed through, the music having finished long ago. Clare paused long enough to turn the player off.

  Once in the Cathedral they stood and kissed in the eerie silence. The smell of burnt gunpowder a stark reminder of the life and death struggle waged only an hour before. Clare shone the spotlight out into the bat cave while Josh recovered the weaponry and spare ammunition. When the guns had been made safe, they took them back to the nursery annexe and stored them, along with the other weapons from the front of the cave.

  The shotguns were also made safe before replacing them in their covers and were deposited in the sports bag, along with the ammunition belts. While they did that, Myvanwy bundled the bodies together near the balloon basket, ready to be dumped later that night.

  Josh raised a hand as he passed her, ‘Goodnight.’

  Minutes later both he and Clare lay curled up on their bedding asleep. Myvanwy let them rest until well into the afternoon before calling them.

  ‘Sorry to disturb you,’ she said, apologetically, ‘but I thought you might like to catch some fish for tonight’s supper.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Josh said, as he yawned and stumbled from bed. Clare followed with the towels, while Josh grabbed the fishing gear. They went for a quick swim and caught the last of the sun’s warm rays as they towelled off and dressed. Afterwards they collected some mussels for bait and cast their lines out from the rock ledge to the hungry fish below. Soon they had more than enough. Josh used his new fishing knife to gut and fillet them and left the offal on the ledge for the gulls to squabble over.

  On the way back they collected a fallen tree branch for firewood and soon had a fire going, ready to cook on. Clare handed Josh a dozen eggs from her backpack, along with the frying pan and another pot to boil water in. Then when cooked, she took the excess fish to the dragons and returned to have a feast of peas, couscous, eggs and fish

  When they re-emerged out into the main cavern again Myvanwy asked, ‘Have you been to the Hall of Records yet?’

  ‘No, why?’ Clare asked.

  ‘I wouldn’t advise going there for a while, particularly around anything to do with this morning. It’s the most sought after piece of action there,’ she exclaimed, adding, ‘you’d be mobbed.’

  Josh laughed, ‘What about you and Sweet Pea?’

  Sweet Pea rose to his full height and puffed out his body, his metallic green scales glittering in the torch light.

  ‘Ahem!’ he said, ‘Moloch, if you don’t mind.’

  Myvanwy sighed and shook her head, ‘I guess he’s right. My little boy has grown up and proven himself in battle. It’s time everyone knew him by his birth name, the same as Baal, his father before him. Which reminds me, have you spoken to Liu Fung yet?’

  ‘No,’ said Clare, ‘we were thinking of doing that later tonight.’

  ‘She’ll be waiting to hear from you, I’m sure.’

  ‘It will be nice to talk to her again and get back to the way it was before all this started. Everything has had to be put on hold and nearly half the year has gone by already.’

  Myvanwy gasped, ‘And your wedding is only seven months away.’

  ‘I’m not even going to worry about that. I’ll leave it in your very capable hands.’

  ‘Have you heard from your father yet? His wedding was so dreamy…’

  Josh noticed the ship’s log in the alcove and picked it up. He flicked through the pages as wet as they were, but couldn’t make head nor tail of it.

  ‘It’s all there,’ Sweet Pea assured him, ‘the bearings of the island homes of the dozen or so dragons that were spared in the hunt. As soon as the pages dry out we’ll burn it while Liu Fung looks on from the astral. Say, that was some awesome shooting this morning, Dude.’

 
‘Thanks, but I couldn’t have done it without you. We work well together.’

  ‘Mum was pretty impressed with Clare as well,’ Sweet Pea confided, as they walked towards the television alcove.

  ‘Was there much left of the junk?’

  ‘The forward section was still intact, but the stern was gutted.’

  ‘And Sehloho?’

  ‘He was there, floating face down. They both were.’

  ‘How far did they get?’

  ‘They made it as far as the Pyramid.’

  ‘Say, this Moloch thing. Does that mean we can’t call you Sweet Pea anymore?’

  ‘Well, I guess it’s alright here between ourselves, but otherwise we’ll keep it formal. A dragon’s got to have some cred,’ Sweet Pea said, as he turned the television on.

  Josh settled back to watch the film that was on. Somehow he gathered it would be ages before Clare and Myvanwy finished talking. They found them there an hour later, just as the film was ending. Josh resisted all entreaties to join the dragons in a choral fest that evening. He explained they had to be back on the mainland late on the Sunday, which left only one night for romance.

  ‘Oh, I understand. Come, Sweet Pea,’ Myvanwy said, and winked at Clare as they departed.

  ‘Don’t forget Liu Fung.’

  The teenagers went outside the cave and walked as far as the hilltop, where they stopped to look down on the empty anchorage, now bathed in moonlight. The serenity reminded them both of the balloon trip all those months before, when there was nothing but the stars overhead and sea below them. They lingered awhile before going back to their quarters to prepare for bed. Then when ready they lay peacefully together and spoke with Liu Fung.

  Thank you for watching our backs for us, Clare told her.

  It was the least we could do after what you did for us, Liu Fung assured her, and now you have eradicated the menace once and for all. We are all deeply in your debt.