The Secret World of Dragons

by Sandra Harvey

  Mirth snorted. ‘I did say that, but I didn’t say that you could bring an army along with you! Do you think I’m stupid? I bet you thought you’d walk out of here with your name and the two stones!’

  ‘Well,’ said Mystic coolly, ‘maybe that was my intention, but you’ve obviously ruined it now. Yet it was your own fault, considering you distrusted me enough to send Dark Riders into the human world to look for the stone without my knowing.’

  Mirth’s lips twisted into a smile. ‘So you spirit away the girl and stone just to make me mad. How clever of you. But now I have her, the stone, and you ... so really I should be thanking you for your loyalty.’

  ‘Who are you to speak about loyalty? You don’t know the meaning of the word!’ The cat growled. ‘If you don’t let them go, then at least free Matt. He’s your own brother!’

  Mirthias smirked. ‘Worried about him again, are you? Don’t fret too much. You’ll be locked right up next to him soon.’

  Emma could not believe what she was hearing! How could Mystic do such a thing! How could he possibly be making deals with Vanyir!

  Two Dark Riders suddenly appeared in the doorway, shock rods in their hands. They moved threateningly towards Emma and Simon. Mystic bounded down towards the two, baring his teeth at the riders.

  He snarled furiously. ‘You promised not to hurt her!’

  Mirth sighed. ‘You worry so much about everyone,’ he said, ‘and I’m not going to hurt her. But they might if she doesn’t co-operate. We all don’t believe in promises as strongly as you do.’ He glanced towards his younger brother. ‘Simon, why don’t you come with me? I want to show you around my home … and tell you a few stories about the past.’

  Simon glanced uneasily towards Emma. ‘I ... I can’t do that,’ he said. ‘I can’t just leave Emma here. I can’t –’

  ‘She can stay with us,’ said Mirth quickly. ‘I’ll give her a room.’ He looked hopefully at Simon. ‘We can be a family again ... like we used to be.’

  ‘A family,’ murmured Simon, gazing distantly at the floor.

  Emma could feel all hope escaping. There was no way she could talk Simon out of such an offer. If Emma had the chance to see someone she once loved again ... she would stop at nothing to hold onto that.

  ‘But what about the dragons!’ exclaimed Simon suddenly.

  ‘What about the dragons?’

  Simon looked dismayed. ‘They’re going to die soon if we don’t help them. I can’t lose Red ... I won’t.’

  Mirth mused this over in his head. ‘Okay, sure,’ he agreed. ‘I’ll just fix that now,’ he glanced at Emma, ‘since she has the Sapphire Stone with her.’

  He took a step towards Emma, but Mystic growled and jumped between the two. His body shook for a few seconds before his wings expanded from his shoulders, and he leapt from the floor towards Mirth, claws extended. Mirth quickly swung out his arm and knocked the cat aside. He hit the cabinet’s doors and fell to the floor, pieces of glass showering down onto him.

  ‘Mystic!’ cried Emma. She tried to run to him, but Mirth blocked her way. She backed away from him, wide-eyed and frightened. She clenched the Sapphire Stone around her neck and searched for a chance to escape, but the only way out was through the door beyond the tapestry, and she had no idea where that led. There was also the risk of one of the guards to attack her while she tried to run away.

  ‘Stupid creature,’ muttered Mirth, as he glared at Mystic. ‘I don’t know why Matt likes you so much.’ He started again towards Emma. ‘But never mind. I promised to save the dragons.’

  If Mirth was indeed serious about doing the same deed Emma had came here to do, then maybe it was better off if she gave the Sapphire Stone to him, though Mystic had warned her countless times that letting such a thing fall into Vanyir’s hands would be dangerous. What could she do, though? She was trapped in this room and she had no help. Simon was under Mirth’s spell and Mystic was –

  ‘Mystic,’ she whispered, glancing towards him. He was struggling to get to his feet.

  What happened to the Dragon Child? That can’t be the ending.

  Emma smiled when she remembered that story. The answer was clearer now. Mirth had helped her figure it out. It was just as Titus had said: when looking for a lost name, I recommend talking with the people who can still remember it – people from the past.

  ‘I know a darker secret than yours,’ said Emma to Mirth, smiling, ‘thanks to you.’

  ‘Oh?’ questioned Mirth, stopping. ‘What’s that?’

  Emma looked to Mystic. ‘I know that ... even if someone pretends not to care for another person, friendship is a permanent bond that can’t be broken. Even after a thousand years it will not fade. You proved that to me just now, and I made a discovery. Mystic isn’t a cat at all. He’s a Dragon Child.’ She smiled. ‘He’s Thalendor Grey.’

  Mirth looked as though he wanted to kill himself at this moment. He spun around to glance at the creature on the floor, but it was as Emma had said: he was not a cat anymore.

  The pupils of the creature’s eyes had expanded until all the white had disappeared, and he stood upright with ease, no more pain in his limbs. A brilliant glow encircled his body and the shine was so bright that Emma covered her eyes with her hands. A dark shadow rose up in the centre of the light, stretching until it rose above both Emma and Simon’s height. When the glow finally receded, Emma moved her hands away from her face and gasped.

  A tall, human-like creature stood in Mystic’s place now. His hair was jet black, nearly touching his shoulders, a few strands hanging down across his perfectly structured face. He had a small, slightly crooked nose and pointed ears, one of them with its tip missing. Upon his forehead was a strange, glowing tear-shaped mark He wore nothing but a long, dark blue trench coat, leather-clad boots, and a pair of black pants, which were held in place by dark bands around his waist.

  When he opened his eyes, they were violet.

  ‘M-Mystic?’ whispered Emma, almost too afraid to speak.

  The new creature looked down at his hands, turning them over and blinking. A slow smile spread across his face.

  ‘I’m back,’ he breathed, the same voice as the cat filling the air, but it quivered with excitement. ‘I’m finally back ...’ He looked to Emma – eyes shining – and said, ‘Mystic I am no longer. My name … my true name … is Thalendor.’

  Mirth grunted, trying not to look upset by this change of plans. ‘Well, Thal … it’s been a long time.’

  ‘Oh, it has,’ replied Thal cheerfully, as though he had forgotten that Mirth was his greatest enemy. ‘Too, too long – and just think! I would have never been freed without your slip of the tongue!’

  ‘Yes,’ murmured Mirth. ‘I bet you’re glad that the girl’s clever.’

  ‘Very glad indeed,’ agreed Thal, looking to Emma again. He smiled and strolled across the room. Mirth watched him cautiously. ‘I know I can’t beat you and your Dark Riders,’ he continued, ‘but justice will come someday for you.’

  Mirth snorted. ‘Are you a seer now too?’

  Thal grinned and slid off his trench coat. His dark shirt underneath that was torn at the shoulders, revealing deep scars upon his skin. The coat did not fall to the floor though, as straps attached to the coat and to Thal’s waist bands prevented it from falling completely off.

  Mirth pulled out his swordstick and released the blade, while his Dark Riders pushed past Emma towards the Dragon Child.

  ‘Planning to fight?’ questioned Mirth.

  ‘No,’ admitted Thal with a sigh. He smirked suddenly, an odd glimmer in his eyes. ‘I plan on leaving.’

  As the two Dark Riders rushed forward with their shock rods in hand, Thal pushed both of their arms together, crossing the weapons. He stepped at the centre of the cross and leapt over them, landing just in front of Mirth, who swung out his blade at the Dragon Child. Thal spun and ducked underneath the weapon, evading the attack. He caught Emma around the waist and for a moment she thought he had lost hi
s balance, as they were heading towards the windows, but Thal kept going, lifting Emma off her feet and plunging through the glass. It shattered against the weight of two people, and they fell straight through.

  Emma saw Mirth lean out over the opening above, but she gave little heed to what was happening through the broken window – which grew smaller as the seconds passed. They were falling – and fast – from the top room of the tower to the ground below with nothing between them but air.

  ~ Chapter Twenty Four ~

  The Start of a Journey

  ‘Mystic!’ Emma cried, holding onto him for dear life. The ground below looked closer than ever.

  ‘My name’s Thal now!’ he shouted over the sound of rushing wind. He laughed and added, ‘Hold on tight!’

  Emma knew that he was excited about having his old self back, but she did not feel the same excitement while falling out of a tower so high that you needed binoculars to see the top.

  ‘Goodbye Black Fortress!’ cried Thal, and did a tremendous spin through the air, Emma screaming all the while. She saw the skin around his shoulder blades crackle and break, and two thick, black bones rose up through the fissures on either side of his back. The bones grew outward like the curve of a bow, eventually becoming thinner near the end. Then the dark membrane of his wings formed, spreading out in just a few seconds. They were almost as long and wide as any racing dragon’s wings.

  Thal swooped down towards Vashgal, heading south, and they flew over the roofs of hundreds of buildings. Many people looked up – most of them Dark Riders – to see the Dragon Child and exclaimed in wonder and surprise about the rare sighting. But no one knew that he was on Vanyir’s wanted list, and so no one tried to stop him.

  As they left Vashgal and the Black Fortress behind, Emma could not help but feel a pang of guilt rise up inside. She had left her friends behind. They were trapped in the tower dungeons and she was escaping with Myst – with Thal. She would have to get used to his name too. Everything would be different now. It was just the two of them fighting against Vanyir … against Mirth. She hadn’t even managed to steal the Crimson Stone from him, and maybe she would never be able to do it.

  And Simon …

  Simon had betrayed her! He had joined Mirth – Vanyir – the one who had destroyed Dragon City so many years ago! How could he do something so horrible! Even if Mirth was his brother, why would he do such a thing! She had trusted him and they had gone through so much together. She could not believe that he had left her to join the enemy. What would Matt think of his little brother now?

  The most bizarre thing was that the two brothers she had travelled with were actually part of the old world. They were immortal, just like Vanyir and Lucian in the legend. They had lived so many years and yet they remained the same. It seemed so weird to Emma.

  Then there was Thal, or Thalendor, the Dragon Child – the human with dragon abilities. Emma should have realized sooner that Mystic was really the one magical creature he had told her about through a story back in Gunclove. It had been a hint and she had completely misread it. Thanks to Mirth, she had saved Mystic from his spell. Thal was also a figure of the past. He had been friends with Matt, according to Mirth.

  But he had also been making deals with Mirth! Fury rose up inside Emma as she remembered the conversation that had occurred between Thal and Mirth back in the tower.

  ‘Put me down!’ she suddenly demanded. ‘Right now!’

  ‘What for?’ asked Thal, confused. ‘It’s easier to –’

  ‘I said put – me – down, Myst – Thal,’ Emma corrected herself.

  Thal sighed. He landed swiftly onto the ground and placed Emma carefully down. His wings retracted back into his shoulders and he pulled on his coat. They were now far enough away from Vashgal that only the smoke and darkness in the sky could be seen – along with the peak of the Black Fortress.

  ‘Why are you suddenly so upset with me?’ enquired Thal briskly.

  ‘Why do you think?’ spat Emma. ‘You had secretly made a deal with Mirth before I had even come to this world! You tried to sell us all out!’

  ‘That isn’t true!’ argued Thal. ‘I had no intention of letting Mirth get what he wanted! You heard what I said! I made it very clear that I had planned to double cross him!’

  ‘But why?’ cried Emma. ‘You could have just taken the Sapphire Stone from me and brought it there yourself! Why go through the trouble of bringing me and all the others to the Black Fortress?’

  Thal suddenly looked very solemn. ‘I ... I certainly never wanted you involved. I searched a long time to find the Sapphire Stone, and at your house ... I was so ... so angry that you touched it. I was even more upset that the Dark Riders had somehow followed me there. With your life in my hands ... I knew I had to bring you into Dragonis. It was unavoidable,’ he explained. ‘I had only ever intended Matt to be involved in this scheme. He could have easily snuck inside the tower with me, and we would have surprised Mirth. It could have all been so simple, but now it’s all a mess, especially after the thieves became involved.’

  He sighed. ‘Now everyone is trapped inside that place ... and it’s all because of my bad judgement.’

  ‘You’re not all to blame,’ said Emma reassuringly. She hung her head. ‘If I hadn’t been so curious and found the stone, none of this would have happened at all.’

  ‘No, if I had been half as concerned about finding the stone as finding my own name, then you would have never known about any of this,’ said Thal sadly, ‘because I would have discovered the stone’s location long ago.’

  Emma was silent for a moment. ‘I could have ... lived ignorant of this world?’

  ‘Yes,’ whispered Thal, looking away from her. His eyes had grown quite dark. ‘I am sorry ... from the depths of my heart.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ said Emma quietly, feeling quite guilty now. She studied Thal’s face for a moment. ‘Why do your eyes do that?’

  He looked surprised. ‘Do what?’

  ‘They change from light to dark,’ said Emma, giving a weak smile. ‘Light when you’re in a good mood and dark when you’re in a bad mood. It was the only way to tell what you were feeling before you changed.’

  Thal still had that astonished look on his face. ‘I - I never knew I was such an open book,’ he said, sounding as though he wanted to laugh about it.

  ‘You aren’t so open, just your eyes,’ pointed out Emma. ‘And what’s that strange symbol on your forehead?’

  ‘Can’t you guess?’ The Dragon Child crossed his arms and smiled in amusement. ‘It’s a dragon’s tear. Unlike the stone, this version cannot be destroyed. It’s like ... how should I put this ...’ He closed his eyes in thought. ‘It’s like a fire, I guess. It glows while it’s fed but dies when it’s weak. In the old days, a Dragon Child was easily distinguished from the others by this marking.’ His gaze darkened. ‘I suppose I didn’t have many public appearances, though. Not after that hex was in place.’

  Emma frowned. ‘But if you and Matt were such good friends so long ago, why didn’t he know your true name? You could have easily gotten rid of the curse.’

  Thal laughed. ‘Truth be told, I never gave him my real name. I didn’t like it, so I always nicknamed myself Thal. If I had known a crazy wizard would curse me, I would have spread my name all across the globe.’ He suddenly became sombre. ‘Only two people knew my name: Mirth … and Lucian. The children of G’zardac knew my name too, but they had either all died or vanished.’

  ‘That isn’t true!’ exclaimed Emma, suddenly remembering something very important. ‘I saw Ghalgaun today!’

  Thal shook his head sadly. ‘Maybe you saw a dragon like him, but –’

  ‘No!’ argued Emma. ‘Simon and I saw him in the tower! He was silver with a black stripe underneath – and golden eyes! It was Ghalgaun! I know it was!’

  Thal seemed to reconsider this information and Emma noticed his eyes slowly growing lighter. ‘But … even if he were still alive, why would he be
there?’

  ‘He saved us,’ replied Emma, ‘from Rais and his drayskul. But … but Titus …’ she bit her lip and tried not to cry again, ‘Titus fell out the tower window … and Rais too. I couldn’t do anything. It was so … so horrible.’

  ‘Mirth won’t be too pleased about that,’ mumbled Thal, sitting down on a curved rock. ‘I bet the reason why he wanted a seer so badly was to see what would happen to him in the future. I guess he wanted to know if he would ever acquire the Sapphire Stone, or to see if he would die soon and know how to avoid his own death. He might have even wanted to counteract every move his enemies made. But he would have found out sooner than later how Titus’s power worked, and how it would have never benefitted him.’

  Emma nodded grimly and shuffled her boot through the soft ground. Thal had been right about one thing – humans were greedy.

  ‘So why did Mirth want you?’ she asked next.

  Thal gave a small smile. ‘I am a Dragon Child,’ he said. ‘I can call dragons to my aid using but a simple thought to guide them to me. Can you imagine what Mirth could have accomplished with that power, considering that the Dragon’s Tear had been restored?’

  Emma thought on it for a moment, and then gasped. ‘He would have had complete control over the dragons!’ she concluded. ‘That’s what he wants! He doesn’t want them to die at all! He wants you and the stone together!’ She paused. ‘But you would never give into his will, would you?’

  ‘Of course not,’ murmured Thal. ‘But there are things about me that you don’t know.’

  ‘Like what?’ questioned Emma, frightened of the answer.

  ‘You must know that whoever holds the completed Dragon’s Tear will become the master of the stone,’ said Thal. He lifted his eyes to Emma. ‘I was born with the same magic as the Dragon’s Tear – immortality ... the ability to speak with the dragons ... and connected to our master in such a way that we can never refuse anything requested of us.’