Dragon Charmers: #1 Mountains of Fire

by Linda McNabb

CHAPTER FIVE - DRAGON HEART

  ‘What was all that about?’ Alyxa asked in the stunned silence that followed the wizard’s departure.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Logan replied, clutching the silver sword to his chest. It was only a fragment of what he might have found out about his past. If he hadn’t met Erik and if the younger prince hadn’t saved his life, he might have been able to do what the wizard suggested. Logan sighed, tucked the sword into his belt and turned back to the spell book. ‘I guess it’s up to me now.’

  ‘It’ll be daylight in an hour,’ Alyxa said, coming over to stand beside him. ‘How long does it take to do a spell like this?’

  ‘I’ve never done one this hard,’ Logan admitted, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He could barely manage the simple spells after many attempts, and he only had an hour to do this one perfectly.

  ‘It can’t be too hard,’ Alyxa said, running her finger along the words. ‘You just say this poem and chuck the ingredients in at the points where they’re written.’

  ‘Something like that,’ Logan muttered. It did sound easy when she said it like that, but experience told him that it wasn’t.

  ‘I’ll get the ingredients,’ Alyxa said, hurrying over to the shelves of bottles. ‘I think we’re going to need a mirror of some sort, and I guess it’s going to need to fit inside whatever we use to mix the ingredients.’

  Logan frowned; he hadn’t thought of that. He didn’t own a mirror small enough and doubted the wizard did either. He looked over at the only mirror in the house, which stood in the corner of the workroom. It was taller than most adults and was held by an ornate wooden stand with feet that resembled the roots of a tree. It was far too big. He glanced over at Alyxa. She wasn’t exactly the sort to carry a mirror with her; her copper hair was wild and wavy, and didn’t easily tame. Most often it was tugged back into a ponytail with stray curls popping out around her face — not a style which needed a mirror.

  He turned his attention to finding a bowl in which to mix the spell. He dug through the cupboard under the bench and discounted most of the stone bowls at a glance. The biggest one he could find was usually used as a fruit bowl, but it would do.

  ‘How are we going to fit a mirror in this?’ Logan asked, putting the bowl on the bench next to the growing row of jars and bottles that Alyxa was collecting.

  ‘Maybe we pour the potion over the mirror?’ Alyxa suggested without a great deal of conviction.

  ‘Perhaps something shiny would work just as well,’ Logan said hopefully, wondering what he had that was that small and shiny.

  ‘Your sword would almost fit, and it’s shiny. Or maybe there’s something else in that chest that’s made of silver that will fit?’

  Logan’s eyes flicked past his friend to the chest which Zared had left open. It stood only a dozen steps away, all its secrets ready to be seen. A chill ran down Logan’s back as he tried to imagine what else could be inside. Perhaps some hint of his past? He tried to tell Alyxa that he would go and look, but, as he walked around the bench, he wasn’t even sure if he had said the words out loud. His steps slowed as he reached the old wooden chest. Logan was feeling a little guilty — the chest belonged to the old wizard and he didn’t really have any right to look inside it.

  ‘Is there anything there?’ Alyxa asked, selecting another bottle from the rack.

  Her voice brought him back to reality with a bump. He wasn’t snooping; they just needed something shiny for the spell. He would only be borrowing it anyway. The wizard could have it back afterwards. He stepped right up to the chest and sunk to his knees to inspect the contents.

  The chest was only half full, with a dozen objects lying inside. Logan felt a little disappointed as he saw several cloaks, not quite as fancy as the one the wizard had worn to the castle, and a handful of rolled-up parchments. Nothing particularly interesting at all. A delicate silver walking stick rested on the cloaks, and apart from that the only thing in the chest was a small collection of rather large gems.

  He was about to say there was nothing useful when he remembered seeing several shiny objects the last time the wizard had opened the chest. The sword was one of them, but where were the rest? He moved the cloaks to see if they were hiding anything, but all that was underneath was the wooden base of the trunk. A suspicion seized Logan. He moved back a bit to compare the depth of the inside to the height of the outside.

  ‘The chest has a false bottom,’ he muttered. Now how to open it? It took only a minute to find the small corner which clicked the floor loose. Logan lifted the false section out and placed it on the floor. Then he looked back into the chest; he had to blink several times before he could believe what he was seeing. He had been hoping for one small silver item which they could use, but the bottom third of the chest was crammed with jewels and silver. He counted five silver goblets at a glance, a dozen necklaces of gold, silver and gems, and other items buried too deeply in the gems for him to guess what they were.

  ‘Wow, now that’s what I call a treasure chest,’ Alyxa said, making Logan jump in surprise. ‘There’s bound to be something there we can use.’

  She was leaning over the chest, and she trickled her hands through the gems with a sigh of pleasure. Then she picked out a silver chain, with a flat, circular medallion, and dangled it in front of Logan’s face. ‘This would probably work.’

  Logan took the silver medallion and looked at it. The chain was of fine silver links, thin but tough, and the palm-sized medallion sparkled in the lamplight. One side was plain and undecorated, but the other had the same design as the sheath on the sword.

  ‘Perhaps this belonged to my father as well,’ Logan said hopefully. It wouldn’t be stealing if it did. The undecorated side reflected his face clearly. He nodded briefly; ‘It’s perfect.’

  He looked one more time at the treasure and resolutely put the false bottom back in the chest. It wasn’t his to look through, however much he wanted to. He gently closed the lid and carried the medallion over to the bench. He placed the medallion by the bowl and looked at the dozens of jars Alyxa had put on the bench.

  ‘Do we really need this many?’ he asked, a fleeting nervous tremor running through him. The more ingredients, the more chance it would go wrong.

  ‘There is still one thing we don’t have,’ Alyxa said with a shake of her head, running her hand down the spell again. ‘It says we need a lock of the other side.’

  ‘The spells speak in riddles,’ Logan explained. ‘It’s fairly typical of all spells. We need to work out what sort of lock it’s talking about.’

  ‘A lock off a door?’ Alyxa asked, looking confused.

  ‘No, I don’t think so. The most obvious answer is usually wrong,’ Logan said with a slight grimace. He’d been wrong with his interpretation so many times that he was cautious and put a lot of thought into working the riddles out. After a few minutes of pacing the floor he walked up to the spell book, hoping the illustration would give him some clue as it often did. He searched the picture desperately, not seeing anything that looked like a lock at all.

  ‘Seeing — from the other side,’ Alyxa muttered, reading out the name of the spell again.

  ‘The other side! That’s the clue. So what is “the other side”?’

  ‘Well, I guess the spell will show where the other person is,’ Alyxa said tentatively, not looking as if she followed him at all.

  ‘And how is the spell going to know just who we’re looking for?’ Logan knew he was only a step away from breaking the riddle.

  ‘A lock from the prince’s door?’ Alyxa sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

  ‘A lock of his hair,’ Logan said firmly, knowing that this time he had it right. It fitted perfectly. He grinned, pleased with himself for working it out so quickly. Sometimes he took days to work out what the spells meant, and Zared hardly ever helped, saying it was part of the training.

  ‘That would be easy if he was here.’ Alyxa waited for Logan to look at her. ‘But he’s missing, reme
mber.’

  A hammering sound echoed through the room. They glanced at the curtain and saw the daylight creeping around its edges.

  ‘They’re here for the spell,’ Logan said with a gulp. The old man didn’t seem to hear the commotion he just sat staring at the empty fireplace. Logan walked slowly to the door.

  Half expecting it to be the same messenger from yesterday. Logan took a step back as Prince Myles pushed past him and into the cottage. The prince took one look at the wizard and sneered. ‘I see the old man is still insane.’

  ‘He’s not well,’ Logan corrected the prince and earned himself a glare.

  ‘So where’s the spell? We have the blue dragons all ready to go as soon as we know which direction to head.’ The prince’s eyes flicked around the sitting room and then settled on Logan. ‘You do have the spell ready?’

  ‘We’re missing the main ingredient,’ Logan said, stepping back several paces as the prince glowered at him.

  ‘What ingredient?’

  ‘We need a lock of the prince’s hair,’ Alyxa said from the doorway of the workroom.

  ‘A lock of his hair?’ Prince Myles glared at then for several seconds, then turned and strode out of the cottage without another word. His blue dragon lifted into the air with a whoosh that slammed the door shut and Logan was left staring at Alyxa in confusion.

  ‘So he doesn’t want the spell now?’ Alyxa suggested hopefully. ‘They’ll have to find some other way to find Prince Erik.’

  ‘I don’t think he gives up that easily,’ Logan said with a shake of his head. ‘He’ll be back.’

  A few minutes later and a whoosh of wings and a slight thud announced the return of the prince. This time he did not bother to knock on the door, instead he threw it open and strode in. In his left hand he held a golden hairbrush which he held out to Logan. ‘A lock of hair — now finish the spell.’

  The brush was cold in Logan’s hand as he felt a sudden film of sweat on his palm. He truly wanted to help find the prince, but he just didn’t know if he could do it. He walked into the workroom and handed the brush to Alyxa. She placed it in the middle of the line of ingredients along the bench. Logan was a little surprised to see that she must have organised them in order of use during the spell, something he’d never thought to do.

  He stood in front of the bowl, placed the spell book within easy sight and took a deep breath. He tried to focus on the words, knowing that he had to get it right in one go — something unheard of so far. Just as he was about to start, Alyxa tugged on his sleeve. He frowned as he turned to look at her.

  ‘Shouldn’t you read through the spell and check your ingredients?’ Alyxa whispered. The prince had followed them into the workroom and was standing, legs slightly apart and arms folded over his chest, as he stared and waited impatiently.

  ‘Of course,’ Logan lied, not willing to admit he’d never done that before either. He quickly read through the first half of the spell, checking off the jars and bottles as he went. The colour drained from his face as he picked up the last jar; he knew very well that it was empty.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Alyxa hissed.

  ‘We can’t do this spell,’ Logan replied, in a voice so quiet that Alyxa had trouble hearing. ‘See this line...’

  Alyxa leaned over the book and read out loud. ‘And with a pinch of white dragon heart.’

  Logan held up the jar and removed the cork stopper. He tipped it up and shook it — a single, minute white flake floated out and landed on the bench with a tiny blue explosion.

  ‘Now what’s wrong?’ the prince snapped. The prince was stepping forward, looking angry that it was taking so long.

  ‘Another ingredient is missing,’ Logan said, feeling relieved that he wouldn’t have to cast the spell after all, but also guilty that he wouldn’t be able to help find the young prince.

  ‘So go and get some more,’ the prince ordered. ‘What is it? Some weed or magic dust?’

  ‘No, it’s the heart of a white dragon,’ Logan said with a heavy sigh.

  ‘A white dragon?’ Prince Myles frowned and then looked suspicious. ‘Are you trying to fool me? There’s no such thing as a white dragon.’

  ‘See for yourself,’ Alyxa took the spell book from Logan and handed it to the prince.

  ‘Well, it can’t be impossible to get. You’ve had some before,’ the prince insisted. ‘Make the old man snap out of whatever is wrong with him and find out where to get it.’

  ‘It’s not that simple,’ Logan tried to argue, but the prince threw the spell book to the ground, and his face went red.

  ‘It is simple. Get the dragon heart and finish the spell.’

  Logan suppressed the urge to tell the prince it could be a long wait, and instead picked up the spell book. He checked it wasn’t damaged and put it back on the bench. ‘Perhaps we could send word when the spell’s ready?’

  He hadn’t expected the prince to agree and wasn’t surprised when the prince walked over to the old armchair in the corner and sat down. ‘I am not leaving until it’s done!

  ‘I saw a book that had instructions on collecting ingredients when we were looking through the books,’ Alyxa said. ‘You go ask Zared while I look for it.’

  Logan nodded and walked out of the room. A wave of tiredness swept over him and he remembered he hadn’t had any sleep. He shook his head to clear it and pulled a chair up in front of the old wizard. He waited patiently for the wizard to notice he was there, and smiled as the old man lifted his head.

  ‘Ah, Logan, it’s about time for a cuppa I think,’ Zared said with a smile that indicated he had absolutely no recollection of their previous encounter.

  ‘I’ll get it,’ Logan offered. He got up and lit the fire in the hearth and placed the kettle on the hook above it. Nothing was said as Logan made the old wizard’s favourite brew, but as Logan handed a cup to Zared he caught the wizard’s eye and held it.

  ‘I’d like to fill some of the jars in the workroom,’ he said calmly. ‘Is that all right?’

  ‘All apprentices need to learn to collect the herbs and other ingredients,’ Zared said with an agreeable nod of his head. ‘Some of the herbs are running low.’

  ‘I thought I might get some more dragon heart,’ Logan said smoothly, not changing his tone of voice at all for fear of breaking the communication they had going. If the wizard sank any further into his own little world they would be in big trouble.

  ‘I haven’t been up in the mountains in years. I miss the mountains,’ Zared said with a fond smile. ‘It’s best to go in summer, though, because it’s too cold for the white dragon in winter.’

  ‘The mountains. Is that where the white dragon lives?’ Logan asked gently. ‘There are a lot of mountains.’

  ‘In the north, there’s a narrow pass that points west. The sun sets along the pass. The white dragon lives at the end of the pass,’ Zared replied, smiling as if remembering a time long ago. ‘Perhaps you could visit him. He would like that. I still haven’t apologised to him for what I did.’

  Logan doubted the white dragon would be pleased, but he didn’t say so. Just the thought of going looking for the heart of dragon was making him feel ill. Who was going to kill it?

  ‘Logan,’ an urgent whisper made him turn. Alyxa was standing in the doorway, holding a blue book. She beckoned him over, and when Logan looked back at the old wizard he had slipped back into obscurity.

  ‘Have you found something?’ Logan asked as he followed her back to the workroom.

  ‘Yes, but it’s not good news,’ she replied. She put the book in front of him and pointed to the relevant section.

  Logan read it out loud. The heart of a white dragon is rare and difficult to obtain. The white dragon will fly only in the light of the moon. Only a pure silver sword can remove the heart and it must be done by the sword’s master.

  Silence fell. Logan let the words sink in. He didn’t need to read them again to understand; unless the prince owned a pure silver sword, it was up to
him to get the dragon heart. He turned to the prince. ‘Do you have silver sword?’

  ‘Silver is rare. The hilt of my father’s sword is silver, as is the hilt of my dagger. No one has a pure silver sword...’ The prince looked a little unsure for a few seconds, then his eyes narrowed and focused on the silver sword tucked into Logan’s belt. ‘Except you.’

  ‘I can’t kill a dragon,’ Logan’s hoarse whisper didn’t even sound like his own voice.

  ‘It’s just a dumb animal,’ the prince snorted.

  Even Alyxa was looking rather green at the thought of slaying a dragon. Charming them to serve mankind was one thing, but she clearly didn’t approve of anything more.

  ‘So did the old man tell you where to find this dragon?’ the prince asked, getting to his feet and striding across the room.

  ‘To the north,’ Logan said quietly.

  ‘Fine. We leave at midday,’ Prince Myles stated firmly. ‘Be ready.’

  ‘We?’ Logan asked. ‘I had assumed I would go north by horse.’

  ‘That would take too long. I will take you on my blue.’ The prince paused, looking thoughtful, then turned to Alyxa. ‘And you’ll be coming, too, to make sure the dragon holds its charm up in the mountains.’

  Alyxa simply nodded, and looked sympathetically at Logan. The slam of the door briefly shattered the silence which enveloped the room.

  ‘He can’t make you go,’ Logan said to Alyxa with a slight wobble in his voice.

  ‘He couldn’t stop me. If you go, then so do I. Nobody should have to do something like this alone,’ Alyxa replied gently. She walked over to the bench, picked up the empty dragon heart jar and handed it to Logan. ‘You’d better get an hour or two of sleep before we go.’