Queens of Wings & Storms

by Angela Sanders et al.

  Mr. Reynolds stopped by the largest tree. I wondered what kind of enchantment there was; everything looked perfectly ordinary to me. It was just a regular-looking pine, nothing special or anything.

  Mr. Reynolds raised his staff, and I expected him to point it at the tree roots, but instead, he turned his face up to the sky and made a great circle in the air.

  “Venite ad me: avem,” he cried.

  We all looked up, but there was nothing. For a moment, I wondered if the old man was off his gourd, because nothing at all happened.

  And then we all heard it. It sounded something like a bicycle horn being squeezed many times. And then a large bird appeared in the sky. It circled our party, swooping down slowly and carefully, and to my utter astonishment, it hovered thoughtfully over my daughter, before tearing off and landing on the bark of the tree.

  Pike gasped with wonder, and Mr. Reynolds chuckled.

  “Well, I never,” he said. “I suspect he’s after your bag of nuts.”

  The bird had a black-and-white body, with a beautiful red crest, and sharp talons which allowed it to move effortlessly around the bark of the tree.

  Once it found the perch it wanted, the bird began to tap carefully at the bark; first this way, then that. It moved so quickly I couldn’t tell where it was pecking, but then there was a great crack, and the tree tilted at an angle, its roots tearing up from the ground.

  Underneath the tree was a set of wide steps, almost four times as wide as the actual bark, and I imagined it was wide enough for two students to walk down at a time.

  The bird honked again, it spread its wings, which I figured must have been about three-feet wide, then it flew off to another tree and began to eat normally, as if nothing magical had happened at all.

  “Wow, that was cool,” Bo cried, impressed. “What kind of bird was that?”

  “That was an Ivory-billed woodpecker,” Mr. Reynolds replied.

  “An Ivory-billed woodpecker?” Harrison repeated. “I thought those were extinct?”

  Harrison listed ornithology among his numerous nerdy hobbies. I’d often had to listen to his chittering on about Shoebills and Victoria Crowned Pigeons, and now he was in his element, his face had lit up with joy at the mention of the name.

  “Endangered, yes,” Mr. Reynolds explained. “Maybe extinct in some places, since they haven’t been sighted in years, but this one seems to like the place.”

  “Up here? In the cold?” Harrison continued. “I thought they favored warmer climates?”

  “I see you’re a bird watcher.” Mr. Reynolds inclined his head with a small smile.

  “I prefer birder,” Harrison replied. “It’s a hobby of mine.”

  “Well, you are right,” Mr. Reynolds said, “and yet here the fellow is, and here he’ll remain until he passes the secret combination onto a new keeper.”

  “Secret combination?” I rose an eyebrow in question.

  “Yes. Only Reggie here knows the precise combination to open the tree. Not even I know it. Anyway, that’s enough about the bird for now, we’ll see him again later when we come back up. Now it’s time to go find us a dragon.”

  Dragons! I’d almost forgotten why we were here in all this commotion.

  Maisy and Harrison took the lead down into the dark earth, and with a growing sense of excitement, the children quickly followed.

  “Remember, my dears, don’t touch the mushrooms.” I heard Maisy say.

  Pike lingered behind, her attention on the beautiful and rare bird watching us all from the safety of another tree. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn the thing was watching her with as much interest and more. I noticed Pike hadn’t put away her bag of trail mix, just in case. Hmmm. I kinda guessed what she was thinking. I just hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed.

  “Come on, Tamara, let’s get going.”

  It was Carter. His smile was warm and genuine, and for a moment, I’d almost forgotten about his shenanigans as well. But not quite. I gave him a wary look and put my hand on Pike’s shoulder.

  “Come on, Pike, sweetheart, leave the wildlife alone,” I said. “We have dragons to tackle, oh child of my loins.”

  “Mom.” Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and I smiled sweetly, having exacted my revenge for her wand-polishing comments.

  I urged Pike ahead of me, and Carter went down the steps just before I did.

  I thought of Carter, Björn and that stupid glass vial that had passed between them. I wanted it to be nothing, I really did, I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of impending doom that had come over me. Well, okay, maybe not doom, but the feeling someone was going to get their eyebrows singed before the end of the morning.

  Just as I cleared the roots there was another loud crack, and glancing behind me, I saw the hole in the earth close up and blot out the light.

  This was it; there was no turning back now. Behind us was only darkness, and ahead of us, well, a dragon. And all this on juice and a few muffins. I prayed to Gaia it would be enough to get us through the day safely. If not, well, I hoped Carter’s insurance was paid up in full; his next of kin was gonna need it.

  Chapter 9

  Dark Caverns

  We were completely underground, cut off from daylight, but the long stairway under the tree was faintly lit by beautiful mushrooms growing all over the walls, and I could see exactly where I was going. They reminded me of big, fat shiitakes, and I wondered if they tasted half as good if you fried them.

  “Can you all hear me?”

  Mr. Reynolds had magically amplified his voice so we could hear him loud and clear at the back.

  “Yes,” I shouted, since I was the last in the tunnel. I saw Pike bow her head a fraction, as if she was thinking: My mom.

  “Good. We’re going down quite a way. If any of you are claustrophobic, let me know. I know a pretty good spell to help that.”

  It’s a bit late now, I thought, but said nothing.

  Carter turned to find me. “You okay?” he whispered. His eyes twinkled and his aftershave filled my nostrils. Ooh, instant manly pheromone rush. No waaaaay was he gay, that smolder couldn’t possibly be fake.

  “Me? Yeah, fine.”

  “Good.” He smiled and turned around again.

  Hmm. Delish. Mind you, there was still the problem of Maisy. I’d worry about that later. Right now, I needed to focus. Dragons. Well, dragon singular. But no less dangerous!

  “Okay, everyone, we’re coming to the bottom of the steps,” Mr. Reynolds announced. “We’re now two-hundred feet down, just a little above sea level. There is a small cavern at the bottom, and I need you all to wait there for a moment while I check the dragon’s lair.”

  It didn’t take long to reach the bottom, and the steps ended in a decent-sized cavern. I couldn’t see Mr. Reynolds, but there was a dark entrance to what looked like another cavern on the far wall, and I guessed he’d gone in there. I caught up with Björn who still looked like he’d rather be back in bed.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered.

  “Don’t ask,” he said. “I’ll be all right, I think. I just had a rough night.”

  “Oh. Maybe you just need a little tonic or something?” I asked, fishing. “Maybe Carter can fix you up? He’s good at potions.”

  “Ja, maybe,” Björn said.

  Clearly, he wasn’t going to bite.

  A lull came over the group as we heard the sound of heavy, rhythmic breathing. We were so close. That dragon could only be a few feet away. My adrenalin surged, and if I was honest, I was as desperate to see this dragon as everyone else.

  I noticed Bo had moved to stand by his father’s side. Most of the time the young teenage boy had kept his distance, like most of them did, but the possibility of coming face-to-face with a live dragon had exposed his more sensible side. I respected that. Then again, perhaps he sought to protect his father should anything go wrong. I respected that, also.

  Looking about I saw Pike on the other side of the cavern. Unlike Bo, she’
d moved to the front of the group, clearly wanting to be one of the first to see the great würm. A surge of pride and anxiety kindled in me at the same time. She was my only daughter, after all, and if there was gonna be any trouble, I wanted her by my side, too.

  “What are we waiting for?” Crystal asked. “Why don’t we just follow him in?”

  “Mr. Reynolds has to check out the dragon’s lair,” Maisy answered. “Don’t worry, err, my dears, he’s um, just making sure everything is okay before we proceed, that’s all.”

  Perhaps it was my imagination, but I detected a tiny tremor in Maisy’s voice. I wished I could read her face, but right now, it was turned away from me.

  Carter had caught up with her by the entrance to the dragon’s lair, and in the dim light cast by the mushrooms, I saw him put his hand on her arm. He leant in and whispered something to her, and though I couldn’t overhear what was said, I watched as her hand went instinctively to her face and she nodded.

  Carter seemed appeased, and then stood watch for Mr. Reynolds’s return, just like the rest of us.

  I had to admit, despite my imaginings, I’d seen nothing to cement the idea that he and Maisy were a thing. She’d been all over him sometimes, sure, but her clinginess came over as more platonic than romantic.

  As for Carter, he was always polite and attentive to her, but I’d seen his smooch-face, and this wasn’t it. Not once had I seen him look at her with anything more than friendship.

  Maybe Lea had been wrong about them. Maybe I had been wrong. Heck, it wouldn’t be the first time. Still, it was impossible for me to be totally sure. Time would tell.

  “Okay, everyone, there’s a dragon in the house and we are good to go!” Mr. Reynolds’s voice was clear, if maybe not quite so loud as it was before. “Please, keep your wands in your pockets, and no flashes of light. You’ll frighten her, and she might try to defend herself.”

  Carter’s gaze was fixed on me and I pressed my lips tight, controlling my anxiety. Okay, the order was that wands were away, but I squeezed mine in my pocket––nothing was gonna make me let go of it no matter how safe they all professed it to be.

  “Now, just a few last things,” Reynolds said. “You can talk quietly in her presence, her hearing isn’t that good, anyway, but no shouting or loud noises. She typically only responds to high pitches––so watch it ladies. And strictly no photos––the flash might set her off. Right. If you’re all ready, everyone follow me!”

  A famous wizard once said, “If you’re tired of dragons, you’re tired of life.” Well, I certainly wasn’t tired. My earlier lethargy had completely vanished, and I was as excited as every student in the cavern.

  At this exact second my attention was glued to Pike––my eager daughter and Evelyn were the first to follow Mr. Reynolds to the next cavern beyond ours.

  Harrison and Maisy were right behind her, and though I trusted them to protect her from any danger, there was no way I was letting my baby girl out of my sight. I gripped my wand a little tighter, and after taking a deep breath, I followed them all into the dragon’s lair.

  The two caverns were connected by a short tunnel, also lined with the luminous mushrooms. It was a little darker here in the tunnel, as there were fewer of them, and our progress through it was slow.

  The rhythmic breathing of the dragon ahead of us continued, and it grew louder as we inched along. It reminded me of a lion purring, only the sound was much deeper and richer. It wasn’t especially threatening, but the mere fact I knew this was a dragon had my nerves on edge. Like all the children and even the adults present in the tunnel, I craned my neck, lifting my head as high as I could for a better look over the top of everyone else, anxious for that first exciting glimpse.

  We slowed down. Mr. Reynolds had reached the entrance to the dragon’s lair, so we only had to be a few feet away from the beast. My heart was racing, and I wondered how Pike was faring so close to the front. I could only imagine her excitement, young as she was. Heck, I was wetting my panties myself.

  “Slowly, now,” Reynolds said. “We just had a railing put in, and I need you all to walk to the end of it, but no further.”

  A railing? “Is it a magic railing?” I asked, my hopes rising.

  My voice echoed through the cavern as if I were standing right next to Mr. Reynolds.

  “No. There are no magical enchantments in the cavern. We don’t like tampering with a magical creature any more than is necessary, and besides, any enchantments inside might have a negative effect on the concealment spells outside, and we don’t want anything messing with them.”

  “What’s the point of it then?” Harrison asked.

  “It’s just a way of keeping a little order and distance inside the cavern,” Mr. Reynolds explained. “She’s a good girl, I assure you, but I don’t believe in tempting fate. We had a bit of a, um, misunderstanding, when her baby was born, and well, we thought the railing might be a good idea, so we put one in.”

  “So just a precaution, then,” Harrison said warily.

  “Just so.”

  One by one, the students moved to either side, some venturing left, others right, and once the tallest had passed through the entrance to the lair, I caught my breath in wonder.

  Right in front of me was a dragon! A real live stinking dragon! I stood frozen in awe, then fanned my hand in front of my nose, because the place reeked of brimstone and sulfur.

  “Come along now, everyone,” Mr. Reynolds said. “Keep moving until we’re out of the tunnel.”

  I did as I was told, though was totally unable to drag my eyes from the blue dragon before me. She was freakin’ beautiful. It was hard to gauge her true size because she was curled up in a tight ball like a cat. Her blue scales looked soft, not like a snake’s as I’d imagined they would be, but more like soft leather or suede. Still, the softness did nothing to conceal the raw power she had beneath her skin. She was magnificent.

  The dragon sighed, and small wisps of vapor curled upward, spreading out like wafts of smoke along the cavern ceiling.

  Her head was bobbing up and down, and I suddenly realized she was licking something. Since her head was turned away from us, I couldn’t quite see what it was, but whatever it was, it had her full attention. I doubted she even knew we were there in the cavern with her.

  “See,” Carter said. “I told you we’d be perfectly safe.” He had waited for me by the entrance, and to my astonishment, when no one was looking, he gave my hand a little squeeze.

  “I’m sorry.” His whisper was low so he wouldn’t be overheard.

  “What for?”

  “Everything. I’m glad you came, though,” he said. “Experiences like this are so much better when you can share them with someone you care about.”

  A fire kindled in me that had nothing to do with dragons. Carter’s eyes twinkled, even in the darkness, reflecting his boyish excitement, and all my grievances and gripes disappeared in an instant. How could anyone hold a grudge against a man who said romantic slush like that? In front of a dragon. I knew exactly what he meant, though: an experience like this was better shared than seen alone. I felt exactly the same about it, so I gladly returned his squeeze.

  “She’s beautiful,” I said, letting go and placing both hands on the railing.

  The dragon moved slightly, and I heard the rattle of a chain clasped around her ankle, accompanied by a gentle groan.

  “She’s chained?” I said. “Um, I thought she was a wild dragon.”

  “She is.” Carter cast a glance down the line, making sure the students were behaving, which they totally were.

  I followed his gaze. Pike had pulled out some drawing paper and was taking a sketch. The others were being entertained by Mr. Reynolds, but I’d been too taken up with Carter to hear what he was saying.

  Next to my daughter, Björn was talking to Maisy, his huge frame practically obscuring the petite woman from view. They appeared to be talking rather animatedly, though were too far away for me to hear what was bein
g said.

  “Björn put the chain on her last night, as a precaution,” Carter continued, seeing where I was looking.

  “Björn did?” I sputtered. “He went up against the dragon on his own? And she let him put that on her? Without a fight?”

  “Well, I had planned to go with him myself, but I got, um, waylaid.”

  Was he kidding me? “Err, what? Why didn’t you say something? You let him go and face a dragon alone?” I thought about the vial that had passed between them. “Oh, please don’t tell me that was your cunning plan to keep us all safe? Dragon drugs?”

  “No, no, of course we didn’t,” Carter said. “What do you take me for? And keep your voice down.”

  I rolled my eyes but did as he suggested.

  “Look, I’m going to tell you, if only to shut you up. Björn comes from a line of Norwegian dragon shifters. Haven’t you noticed the silver tint to his aura? It’s not like he tries to hide it or anything.”

  “I, um, yes, I might have noticed it,” I said, embarrassed not to have made the connection. “So, what was the potion for?”

  “He hasn’t been around dragons for a long time. One touch of the dragon’s skin and poof,” he snapped his fingers, “just like that, he might shift into one. His son has never seen him transform, and Björn was afraid it might scare him. I gave him the potion to make sure he didn’t shift, that was all.”

  “And that’s why he looks like death warmed over this morning?” I asked, looking down the line to where he was still talking to Maisy. If he was a dragon shifter, then the closer it got to a full moon, the bigger and bulkier he would become as his body prepared for the transformation. No wonder his pants looked so tight!

  “Just so.”

  The conversation at the other end of the rail was growing more and more animated by the second. Even Pike had put her drawing away and was watching Björn and Maisy with interest. Mr. Reynolds stopped relaying dragon facts and seemed concerned.