The Jack Brenin Collection

by Catherine Cooper

  Camelin jigged around Jack.

  ‘It’s him isn’t it? We’ve found him.’

  ‘I think he’s found us,’ replied Jack. ‘I’m sure it’s Charkle, I do hope he’s not too upset.’

  They watched as the tiny shape flew towards them. When it was overhead it did a triple loop-the-loop.

  ‘It is Charkle!’ cried Timmery.

  Jack was amazed. The little dragonette seemed to be in high spirits.

  ‘Where’ve you been?’ asked Timmery.

  ‘We’ve been really worried,’ said Jack.

  Charkle began speaking so quickly it was hard to understand what he was saying.

  ‘Come and see, come and see,’ he chirruped as he flew excitedly above their heads. ‘I’ve found it, Howling Hill, it’s real. I heard the dragon howling. Oh do come and see.’

  ‘Where?’ Timmery asked excitedly.

  ‘Over on the other hill. You’ve got to come, Norris and Snook might be on the other side of the door.’

  ‘A door?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Yes, a tiny door, it doesn’t open but you can look through the keyhole.’

  ‘And what about the dragon?’ asked Timmery.

  ‘It’s a long way off but you can hear it roar and howl.’

  Jack looked worried. They’d only come out to find Charkle. He wasn’t prepared for dragon hunting. He’d read Nora’s book so he knew that dragonettes weren’t capable of howling or roaring loudly. If there really was a dragon on the other side of the door it wasn’t going to be Norris or Snook, it was going to be something considerably larger.

  ‘We can’t go through the door tonight. We need to get back to Glasruhen,’ Jack told them.

  He could see the look of disappointment on Charkle’s face, even in the dark.

  ‘But I thought you’d be pleased, I might have found some of my family and you won’t even come and have a look.’

  Jack felt bad. Charkle looked so disappointed.

  ‘There’s nothing we can do tonight but as long as we don’t take too long we can go and have a look through the keyhole. After all, it’s on our way home. Once we’ve had a look we’ll have to go back. Grandad will be really worried if he finds I’m not there and I need to go to school in the morning.’

  Charkle flew over and landed on Jack’s shoulder. His long pointed tail swayed from side to side. He could tell the little dragonette was very excited.

  ‘Oh! Jack Brenin, I know there’s a dragon somewhere behind the door I can smell dragon’s breath from here.’

  Jack didn’t want to disappoint Charkle again but he suspected it was Nora’s potion he could smell.

  ‘Are we going or not?’ grumbled Camelin.

  ‘We are,’ piped Charkle. ‘Follow me.’

  Charkle took off and Timmery followed. Camelin glowered and hunched his wings. ‘Who said he could go first?’ he mumbled.

  ‘Come on,’ Jack coaxed, ‘the sooner we get over to Silver Hill, the sooner we can get back. Let’s go and see what Charkle’s so excited about.’

  THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

  Soon, Silver Hill loomed below them. Its twin peaks looked out of place in the landscape and although Jack knew its slopes were covered in trees, in the dark they looked bare and barren. He could just see the outlines of what must once have been ancient forts on both hilltops. Charkle flittered downwards towards the slope of the smaller hillside and disappeared into a crevice.

  ‘It’s down here on this ledge,’ he called. ‘You’ll have to be careful it’s not very wide.’

  Camelin landed first and skipped daintily to where Charkle hovered.

  ‘Come and look Jack,’ said Charkle. ‘I know there’s a dragon somewhere behind the door.’

  ‘I can’t see a door,’ replied Jack as he scanned the rock face.

  ‘Camelin’s stood in front of it,’ explained Charkle. ‘It’s only small.’

  As Camelin stepped to one side Jack could make out the faint outline of a doorway.

  ‘Is it a Spriggan door?’ he asked.

  ‘Naw, Spriggans don’t have much use for doors,’ replied Camelin.

  ‘It’s about the right size for a dragonette,’ piped Timmery excitedly. ‘Perhaps you should knock and see if anyone answers.’

  ‘I’ve tried that, and I’ve shouted through the keyhole,’ said Charkle. ‘That’s when I heard the roaring and growling.’

  ‘This door’s too small for a big dragon,’ said Jack.

  ‘Move over,’ grumbled Camelin as he bent over and put his eye to the keyhole. ‘Let me see.’

  ‘Oooh listen!’ cried Charkle excitedly. ‘There it is again.’

  Jack listened intently but he couldn’t hear anything. Then a distinct low rumbling began in the distance. As the sound grew, the ledge on which they stood began to vibrate.

  ‘What can you see?’ Jack asked Camelin.

  ‘It’s a monster with great big eyes coming towards the door and…’

  Camelin’s words were lost as a thunderous noise filled the crevice. It seemed to bounce off the rocks and echo around inside Jack’s head.

  ‘Oh my poor ears,’ said Charkle from underneath his wings. ‘Now do you believe me? That’s a dragon if ever I heard one. It might know where my family went. We need to get the door open. We need to and go and look for it.’

  ‘… it was really big and long and moved really quickly,’ gulped Camelin. ‘I thought it was going to come straight through the door.’

  Jack could see Camelin was shaken. He was too. He wasn’t in any hurry to open the door and find out what was on the other side. He needed to ask his Book of Shadows more questions before they made any rash decisions. Nora had made them promise they wouldn’t have any more unplanned adventures. Once they stepped through the door into the unknown he’d have a problem explaining why he’d gone, but if they planned it carefully, he wouldn’t have broken his promise. After all, she’d said he was allowed to help Charkle. They could easily find the door again when they were better prepared.

  Jack looked at the horizon. It was still dark. With any luck if they set off now they’d be home before dawn. He tried to work out how much sleep he’d be able to have before it was time to get up for school. He knew it wasn’t going to be enough. He didn’t know how he was going to convince Charkle to come back with them. Jack decided a firm command would be best.

  ‘Time to go. We’ll make plans tomorrow and come back when we can.’

  Much to Jack’s surprise Camelin took off without any argument.

  ‘Follow me everyone,’ he croaked.

  ‘Do you both want to climb on?’ Jack asked Charkle and Timmery.

  ‘No need,’ replied Charkle, ‘we’ve been getting around just fine. Watch!’

  Timmery grabbed the pointed end of Charkle’s tail and wrapped himself around it.

  ‘Dragonettes can fly for hours without getting tired,’ he explained.

  ‘Isn’t it hard work with Timmery on your tail?’

  ‘Not at all, dragonette’s tails are really strong and besides, Timmery doesn’t weigh much at all.’

  Without another word Charkle sped off after Camelin. Jack was amazed by how fast the little dragon could fly, even with Timmery suspended from the end of his tail.

  Jack found the flight back difficult. He could see Camelin trying hard to keep up with Charkle but in the end even he had to drop back. Jack smiled as Charkle did a triple loop-the-loop. He wondered if the little dragonette knew Camelin wasn’t able to keep up and was showing off on purpose. Charkle circled above Jack’s head before flying alongside.

  ‘We’ll get back if you don’t mind, it’s nearly dawn. See you tomorrow.’

  ‘See you tomorrow,’ Jack called as Charkle sped away.

  Jack peered at the sky. It was dark now, but he knew Charkle was right, it would soon be light. He wished he could fly faster and be home sooner. All he wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep.

  Thankfully it wasn’t long before the familiar sight of Glasruhen
Hill appeared. As they flew over the summit the sky began to lighten. Jack needed to be back in bed before the sun came over the horizon. He brought his wings down powerfully, summoned every ounce of energy he had left and caught up with Camelin.

  ‘As soon as we get back I have to go to bed. I’ll come round tomorrow after school.’

  ‘Fine, but what about my breakfast?’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll find something.’

  Jack could hear Camelin grumbling as he followed him through his open bedroom window.

  The blinding flash as they transformed woke Orin.

  ‘I’m sorry I’ve got to go to bed, I’ll tell you everything later,’ Jack told her as he yawned deeply. He could hardly keep his eyes open as he got back into his pyjamas. He was vaguely aware of Camelin whispering to Orin as he crawled into bed. Exhaustion overtook him as his head hit the pillow.

  ‘Here you are sleepyhead,’ said Grandad as he put a glass of milk by the side of Jack’s bed. ‘Feeling any better today?’

  Jack felt groggy but he wasn’t about to say that to Grandad. He needed to get ready for school.

  ‘I’m fine, I’ll come down for breakfast.’

  ‘Breakfast! It’s lunchtime!’

  ‘But I’ve got to go back to school. If I don’t, they won’t let me sing in the concert.’

  ‘Don’t you worry about that, getting better is more important. Let’s have a look at your spots before we make any decisions.’

  Grandad drew the curtains and came back to inspect Jack.

  ‘Well I never, they’ve gone!’

  Jack shot out of bed and looked in the mirror. His face was clear. He pulled up his pyjama top. There wasn’t anything on his chest or back either.

  ‘That’s amazing,’ said Grandad. ‘Looks like someone magicked them away in the night.’

  Jack wondered if Camelin had somehow got his wand back and done something to him but that was unlikely. It must have happened when they’d transformed. The main thing was that he felt well, looked fine and knew Grandad couldn’t keep him at home any longer.

  ‘Can I go back for the afternoon?’

  ‘I don’t see why not. Get yourself ready, we’ll have some lunch and then I’ll walk down to the school gate with you.’

  Once Grandad had gone Jack picked up Orin and hugged her.

  Jack dressed quickly, found his wand and started to tell Orin about the night’s events.

  ‘We found Charkle.’

  ‘I know, Camelin told me all about it, he stayed for ages after you’d gone to sleep. The dragon sounded scary, it’s a good job Camelin was able to stop it from breaking the door down.’

  Jack laughed.

  ‘Is that what he told you?’

  ‘You mean there wasn’t a dragon?’

  ‘I don’t know what it was but it made the ledge we were standing on shake. We need to go and find out what it was for Charkle’s sake. I’d better get a move on or I’m going to be late.’

  ‘I think you had a message in your book this morning, I heard a buzzing.’

  ‘Why didn’t you wake me up?’

  ‘Camelin told me not to disturb you.’

  Jack lay on the floor and wriggled under his bed until he could reach the book. He’d pushed it right to the back where he hoped it wouldn’t be seen. As he pulled it out it vibrated rapidly in his hands. He flipped the cover to reveal the first page and saw Elan’s name appear at the top.

  We have a big problem here in Annwn and need Charkle’s help.

  Ask him to go through Glasruhen Gate tonight at dusk.

  Nora says he’ll find the portal in the forest by the standing stones

  and she’ll meet him on the other side of the Western Gate.

  Jack was disappointed. He’d waited all this time for a message and when it had come it wasn’t really for him and didn’t tell him anything. What was the big problem? Why did they need Charkle’s help and not his or Camelin’s? Worse still Elan hadn’t said when Nora might be back. Jack decided to ask and quickly wrote back.

  What’s wrong?

  He waited for what seemed like an age for the answer to appear.

  Nora and Charkle will come back tomorrow night.

  She’ll explain everything then.

  Hopefully Charkle will be able to help and the problem will be solved.

  Jack sighed. Elan still hadn’t told him what was happening in Annwn. He wouldn’t be able to deliver the message himself, he’d have to ask Camelin to go and see Charkle later. It would mean the little dragonette wasn’t going to be able to go back to Howling Hill for a while. In a way Jack was relieved, it meant he didn’t have to go back either, at least not until Nora got back. She’d know what they ought to do. For now Jack was going to put any thoughts of dragon hunting far from his mind, he had a concert to think about.

  ‘I’ll see you later,’ he told Orin as he grabbed his school bag and set off downstairs.

  Jack had been expecting lessons so it was a big surprise when he was told the choir and orchestra were rehearsing all afternoon. His teacher had been overjoyed to see him and Jack was secretly pleased when she’d told him no one else could have sung the solo as well as he could. They’d all been given last minute instructions about the dress rehearsal, which they’d be performing to the rest of the school the following afternoon. The concert would be the day after on the school field, as long as it didn’t rain.

  On his way back to Grandad’s Jack wondered if Nora would be back in time to hear him sing. She’d not said anything about it all the time he’d been ill. He really did want her to be there. He was lost in thought when he met Grandad on the back lane.

  ‘You can come straight home I’ve been over to Ewell House and fed all the birds.’

  ‘Oh... er…thanks,’ replied Jack. It was the last thing he’d expected to happen and try as he might he couldn’t think of a reason for going back to Nora’s that he could give Grandad. Grandad carried on talking but Jack wasn’t really paying attention until he was asked a direct question.

  ‘Did you check the kitchen before you left yesterday afternoon?’

  ‘Yes, why?’

  ‘You had to have seen it with your own eyes to believe it, I don’t know how it got in but that raven was in there. Didn’t want to come out either. I had to chase him with the broom. He must have hopped in there without you noticing.’

  Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or not. The thought of Camelin being chased around his own kitchen and not being able to complain bitterly about it would have been a sight to see. Then it occurred to Jack he’d probably hear all about it later. That was, if he was able to think of a reason to go back.

  ‘Sorry. Had he done any damage?’

  ‘Not that I could see. He didn’t seem too interested in the bird seed I put out for him you’d have thought a big bird like that would have been hungry.’

  Jack had to pretend to cough as he fought to keep himself from laughing. While Grandad chatted on about watering Nora’s plants in the herb garden, Jack had a thought, a reason for going back to Ewell House.

  ‘Did you check the herborium?’ he asked Grandad.

  ‘I only fed the birds, why?’

  ‘Nora left me instructions to do a job for her and I left it all in the herborium. Would you mind if I went and checked, just to make sure everything’s alright?’

  ‘You can go over after tea. I’ll come with you if you like.’

  ‘It’s OK, I’ll be fine.’

  As they reached the gate, Jack heard a rustling from one of the trees in the field opposite. He thought he knew who it might be. When he looked up he could see Camelin perched on one of the lower branches. He didn’t look at all pleased. Jack tried to look sorry but it didn’t seem to have any effect. He heard several loud caws and humphs before Camelin flapped his wings noisily and took off in the direction of the shops.

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ Jack told Camelin when he arrived at Ewell House.

  ‘Bird seed! Doesn’t your Grand
ad know anything about ravens?’

  ‘I didn’t know he was coming round until he’d already done it.’

  ‘I’ll have you know I’ve had to go to the burger bar again. And this time it was your fault.’

  ‘I didn’t think you’d starve. I brought you a cheese sandwich, just in case, but if you don’t want it…’

  ‘Aw Jack, you’re a pal, I’ve always got room for a cheese sandwich.’

  Jack pulled out a neatly wrapped package from his pocket. It was a bit misshapen but he was sure Camelin wouldn’t mind. Within seconds it was gone.

  ‘Now, we’ve got things to discuss,’ croaked Camelin.

  ‘We do, I’ve had a message from Elan.’

  ‘A message! Nora’s not coming back early is she?’

  ‘No why?’

  ‘Er… I’ve got a job to do before she gets back.’

  ‘What kind of a job.’

  ‘Well Nora paid a little visit to my loft and saw the dustbin.’

  ‘Did she find out what you’d done?’

  ‘No she said she was pleased I was being responsible and was glad I’d decided to get a dustbin and have a good tidy up.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘I didn’t. How was I to know she’d come and check?’

  ‘Was this before or after she confiscated your wand?’

  ‘After, but before she left, she said I’d got to tidy it all up by the time she got back or there’d be trouble.’

  ‘And you haven’t.’

  ‘I haven’t. I thought I might have got my wand back by now. You could give me a hand and magic it all clean and tidy.’

  ‘I haven’t brought my wand with me. I only came to tell you about Elan’s message.’

  ‘I’m going to have to do it all by beak. You’ve no idea how much tidying up there’ll be.’

  Jack smiled. He knew exactly how much rubbish Camelin had in his loft.

  ‘Elan has asked me to get a message to Charkle. They’ve got a problem in Annwn and need his help.’

  ‘His help! Not ours? What’s he got that we haven’t?’