War of Dragons

by Andy Holland

"Really?" the first man asked. "Seven to one? How were you planning on stopping us?"

  Jonah nodded, smiling before calmly punching the man who had just locked the door in the throat, catching him by surprise. He dropped to the ground silently, clutching his throat and gasping.

  "That'll be six to one," Jonah replied casually. "Who's next?"

  The nearest three ran at him, and Crystal retreated in alarm, finding herself trapped in the corner of the room. Jonah, however, moved towards them, quickly singling out the one on the left. The man swung at him, but Jonah ducked underneath the punch and moved to the outside of the attacker, seizing his head in both hands, and lifting his chin and tipping his head backwards. As the man began to fall Jonah punched him in the nose and he crashed to the ground with a loud squawk. Jonah kicked him in the head as he lay on the ground, and he went limp and fell silent. Jonah didn't even look at him, moving on swiftly to face his next opponent.

  The second man made a sound that could only be described as a growl, lunging at Jonah with both hands as if to throttle him. He never even came close, felled by a vicious kick to the groin. The third man snatched up a carving knife from the table and Crystal cried out in warning. Jonah appeared unfazed by the menacing blade, and deftly seized the man by the wrist as he tried to stab Jonah in the face. He twisted the man's hand violently, and the sickening crunch of the man's wrist breaking was followed by an agonised scream. Jonah proceeded to kick the man's ankle hard—more of a stamp than a kick—and the man fell to the floor, now clutching his ankle and continuing to scream.

  The three remaining men were more furious than afraid after seeing their friends disposed of with such ease, and didn't shy away from attacking Jonah. Daisy was thrown into the corner as if she was a toy, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor. Two of the three now had knives, and the third grabbed a skewer from the table. Jonah also found himself a weapon, although a less deadly one: a bowl of red sauce that was next to the roast meat. He flicked several handfuls in their faces as they advanced on him, the sauce sticking to their faces and getting in their eyes. Whatever the red sauce was, it had a startling and immediate effect on the men. All three of them dropped their weapons and began to scream, trying to wipe the offending liquid from their eyes. Jonah showed them no mercy and proceeded to knock them unconscious, using his elbow to deliver powerful blows to their heads. Within a few seconds all three lay silent on the floor.

  "Unlock that door," Jonah instructed Crystal, but she didn't have a chance to do so as it burst open, the lock breaking as two of the guards assigned to them charged through the door.

  "What's happening? Jonah? Is everyone alright?"

  "Relax," Jonah replied calmly. "It's under control now. You may want to wash these three's faces. Not that they deserve it, of course."

  Only two of the seven men were conscious; one silently bent double, clutching his groin and the other whimpering pathetically. The other five were lying unconscious where they had fallen. The guards set about securing the men while Jonah turned his attention to Daisy.

  "Are you alright, my dear?" He helped Daisy to her feet. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

  Daisy was quite pale, but shook her head and managed a polite smile. "I'm fine, thank you."

  "Who are they?" Crystal asked. "And why would they attack Daisy?"

  "They're known as Mud Dragons," Jonah said. "I have no idea why they would attack Daisy, or who these individuals are. I don't recognise any of them and I'm certain they weren't invited."

  "I've seen them before," Crystal replied. "We passed them yesterday in the street. They were in the Sanctuary."

  Mark ran into the room, shortly followed by another Mud Dragon; a much older man, who looked horrified at what he saw.

  "What is the meaning of this?" he cried in horror. "What are these men doing here, and who has done this to them?"

  "They were here to harm the Red Princess," Jonah replied. "They had cornered her and had a knife to her throat. I intervened."

  Mark's face turned white. "Are you alright, Daisy? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

  "Not really, I'm just a bit shaken. Jonah stopped them just in time."

  Daisy didn't look alright though, and was visibly shaking. Crystal found that she was as well.

  Mark nodded, looking a little relieved. "I'm glad you were here, Jonah. But Daisy, you look a little pale. Perhaps you should go and sit down." He nodded at one of the guards. "Please, escort the Princess back into the main hall and take her to her brother."

  Daisy nodded and took the guard's arm before disappearing through the door.

  Mark turned back to Jonah. "Let's get these men out of here. I'll send help to secure these men."

  Jonah shook his head. "I don’t think they'll be a problem for the moment, and help is coming anyway. I'm more interested in who they are and why they're here. Ambassador, do you know any of these men?"

  The elderly Mud Dragon nodded. "They're not residents here, but are just here to do some maintenance work on a number of our buildings in the Sanctuary. I don't know them personally or why they would want to harm that girl, other than because she is a Red Dragon, of course."

  Jonah frowned at him. "I hope you're not suggesting that that's a valid reason, Ambassador."

  "Of course not, Jonah. I have no idea why they have singled her out. Let me ask them." He turned to one of the men that was being bound by two Golden Dragon guards. "You! Explain yourself!"

  The young man looked the Ambassador straight in the eye defiantly. "These are Red Dragons, Ambassador. They that destroyed our home; it's bad enough to have to even see them walking and breathing in this city, but that one, the young girl, she dared to insult us! We could not let that lie!"

  "When?" Crystal asked angrily. "Daisy wouldn't do that!"

  "Yesterday, in the streets of the Sanctuary. She called us unwashed savages."

  "That wasn't her, that was Jenna," Crystal replied. "The other Red Dragon girl," she added, after noticing their blank faces.

  The young man shrugged. "They look the same to me. We thought it was this one."

  "Take them away," the Ambassador said in disgust. "Deal with them as you see fit. If it isn't harsh enough we will add our own punishment," he added, glaring menacingly at the sullen youth.

  Jonah nodded. "Our laws don't allow for very harsh punishments, so you may wish to carry out that threat. But they will be banished from the city; we can't allow any threats to our residents. You understand, I take it?"

  "Of course, and we're grateful for the protection you extend to us as well. These men do not represent us and I assure you they will be suitably punished when they return home. If you ever see them again do not expect them to have as many fingers as they do now."

  Mark shook his head. "I respect that you have your own laws, Ambassador, in your own land, but I do not approve of such punishments. They are no credit to you. And this crime was committed here."

  "Daisy would be horrified," Crystal added. "She would not want that to be done for her sake."

  The Ambassador shrugged. "But as you say, we have our own laws. Jonah, please come and see me when their punishment has been decided. Young lady, please excuse me."

  Crystal watched the Ambassador leave the room, followed by Mark, who was still arguing with him. She turned her attention to Jonah. "Will they really cut their fingers off?"

  Jonah nodded. "Probably the head of the ringleader. They're not a forgiving people—which you've already learnt; that insult was hardly reason enough for attacking Daisy. The real reason was the history between their two nations and that goes back a very long way. Over a thousand years."

  Crystal shook her head. "I'd never heard of them before I came here. I don't know anything about what we did to them."

  "We did? Oh, I forgot you were brought up by the Red Dragons. You have no reason to feel guilty about it; it wasn't your ancestors. We've helped them and we are the only reason that they're still around."

  "Why should Daisy f
eel guilty?" Crystal asked. "She hasn't done anything to them. Why should she feel responsible for what her ancestors did over a thousand years ago? She had no control over them."

  Jonah smiled at her. "Very true and that's the way that we encourage our guests to think. The test of how firmly you believe that will be when we have Blue Dragons here and whether you can apply that same logic to them."

  Crystal's eyes widened. "Blue Dragons! Never! You wouldn't allow them in this city, would you?"

  Jonah shook his head, laughing at her. "It's not likely—not any time soon—but if they were ever defeated and needed a safe place, we would welcome them in. It's not totally impossible. Do you think you could do it? Forgive, and even make friends with a Blue Dragon?"

  Crystal paused, unsure how to respond.

  "Maybe that's not being fair to you," Jonah added, taking Crystal by the arm and leading her back into the party. "You're still at war with them and our way of thinking is still new to you. I hope this hasn't spoiled your evening too much, young lady. Go, try and enjoy the rest of the party. I'll find Mark and your friend and make sure she is alright. Oh, you might want to speak to your other friend about watching what she says. Let's not give anyone else an excuse to exact revenge on you!"

  Crystal nodded, thanking Jonah before seeking out the others. Jenna was busy flirting with a group of four young men, all of them Golden Dragons and Crystal decided that telling her could wait.

  "Want to dance?" Crystal turned around to find Seth smiling at her, clearly a little intoxicated, but a welcome sight after her unpleasant encounter with the Mud Dragons.

  "You know what? I think I will," she replied, smiling at his obvious surprise and delight. "Come on, show me what you can do…."

  Chapter 9 - Meeting the Browns

  Crystal didn't manage to speak to Jenna till they got back to Immigration House, but was pleased to see that she was suitably mortified by the trouble she had caused. She immediately went to Daisy's room in order to apologise. Daisy was as gracious as ever, accepting her apology readily and insisting that they forget all about it.

  "I didn't see you afterwards," Crystal told the princess. "Did you go and see John?"

  Daisy shook her head. "John didn't make it to the party. He went to see his mother after he went to the doctor and didn't get back till just now. He's downstairs speaking to Mark about something."

  "Did he say anything about the doctor or his mother?"

  "No, he didn't. He was a bit evasive about both things. I don't think his mother is at all well, so he's not happy talking about it. Best not to bring it up."

  "Did you tell him about what happened?" Jenna asked nervously.

  Daisy shook her head very firmly. "No and I don't think we should. He will only feel bad that he wasn't there to protect me, and it's all forgotten now and there was no harm done. I haven't told Arthur or Seth either. I don't think any of them need to know."

  Crystal guessed that no one had mentioned to her the likelihood that her attackers were probably going to lose their fingers, so she decided that it was best kept that way. Jenna looked particularly relieved to put the incident behind them.

  "What are you discussing?" Arthur asked as he came back into his room with Seth. "You look very serious."

  Daisy smiled and shook her head. "Nothing you need to worry about." She was saved from having to explain any further by Mark, who entered her room followed by his brother.

  "I'm glad you're all here together," Mark told them. "It'll save me having to repeat myself. The meeting is happening, tomorrow at midday. Arthur, Daisy, myself and a representative from the government called Abel. He's well known to the Dark Browns and claims to have a good relationship with the man they'll be sending. We've already sent a copy of the treaty to them, so that should speed things along."

  "Sounds a rather small party," John said. "How many will they send?"

  "They didn't say," Mark replied. "But we would want them to feel comfortable, so if they want to have more people than us then that would be fine with us."

  John frowned but didn't comment any further.

  "How far is it to the meeting place?" Arthur asked. "Will it take long to get there?"

  Mark shook his head. "This is a small country and we aren't far from the border. There's a place where we always meet them on occasions like this, which is on the border. They would be welcome to meet us here, but they have always refused the offer. We will leave tomorrow morning. Just get a good night sleep tonight."

  "Have you thought about what you're going to say?" Crystal asked Arthur and Daisy.

  Daisy nodded. "Arthur and I discussed this before the party. We will keep it very simple and just tell them what we saw, how many troops were gathered and the preparations that were being made."

  "Then we will tell them how well we are prepared," Arthur continued, "or rather how badly. If the Blue Dragons attack, there is a chance that this will be just like with the Green Dragons. They've been preparing for twenty years, so they may be in a position to wipe us out. After us, they would be next. We won't beg or offer anything in return, but just explain it to them in a way which makes it clear that we have common interests."

  "Do you really believe all that?" Jenna asked. "That they could wipe us out? Surely we're not that badly prepared?"

  Arthur shook his head. "I don't think so, but John does and there would be no harm in overstating the case. If I can convince them that it's really that bad, then they'll be more likely to act."

  "Not out of sympathy. Self-preservation," Mark told them. "Remember, if they shared a border with you they'd use this as an opportunity to invade you. They'd let the Blues weaken you, then stroll in to finish you off and take the land."

  "Or let the Blues do all the work, then attack them," John noted. "They'll be weakened by a war. There's a possibility that they'll do that anyway. After all, they have no love for Red Dragons."

  "As you've frequently reminded us," Arthur replied irritably.

  John nodded. "I make no apology for that, Arthur. You've been brought up believing that your cause has always been the noble one, that your enemies have always attacked first and that somehow you're more civilised than they are. Reality is very different and these races know it well. Your task is a difficult one, but going in deluded would make it much, much harder."

  "Painting yourselves as innocent victims would only make them laugh at you," Mark pointed out.

  "We understand," Daisy replied. "It's just that it's not a particularly nice thing to learn. John has taught me this over a number of months whereas Arthur is learning all this now."

  Arthur glared at his sister. "Thank you, Daisy. I don't need you to apologise for me. If we're to leave early, then we should get some sleep, as it's already very late. Mark has given me some books on the Dark Browns, which I'd like to read. Perhaps you'd like to go to someone else's room?"

  "Alright, I can tell when I'm not welcome," Seth replied. "My room, everyone? Continue the partying?"

  Daisy shook her head. "It's time for me to turn in as well. I'll need a clear head for tomorrow."

  They filed out of Arthur's room. "What about the rest of you? Girls, you're not going tomorrow. What about you, John?"

  "I will be joining them tomorrow," John replied. "I'll just say goodnight to Daisy and then go to bed."

  "Going to tuck her into bed, John? Does Arthur know you're doing that?"

  John ignored him and headed to Daisy's room.

  "I'm done as well, Seth," Crystal replied. "I don't drink, remember. See you at breakfast."

  Seth muttered to himself before disappearing into his room.

  "Didn't ask me, I see," Jenna complained.

  "Oh give it a rest," Crystal replied. "Haven't you had enough male attention tonight? He's Arthur's best friend. How would that look?" Crystal didn't wait for Jenna's answer. "Go to sleep, Jenna. I'll see you in the morning." With that, Crystal quickly ducked into her room and went to bed, wondering whether she would be able to ge
t any sleep after the excitement of the evening.

  ***

  Daisy woke early, despite the activities of the previous night, and was dressed and ready to go long before Mark was due to meet them. She was nervous but excited about the prospect of meeting another race of dragons and talked non-stop to Crystal about it at breakfast. Jenna had seemed more interested in what she was wearing; both she and her brother were wearing very formal clothes for the occasion; not traditional Red Dragon clothing, but the Brown Dragons wouldn't know any better and the Golden Dragon styles were a nice change. When Mark arrived he was keen to leave straight away.

  "We will leave ahead of the rest of the delegation who will be joining you," Mark explained. "It will take you a little longer than the others to fly there, and as you've declined the offer of a lift—"

  "No, I don't think that would be dignified," her brother replied haughtily. "We are slower than you, but are perfectly capable of making our own way there."

  "Fine, well, John and I will accompany you on the flight. It seems that he's refusing to stay behind for this trip. If you're already good to go, we may as well head off now."

  "Doesn't feel right that we're sitting this one out," Seth commented, looking a little disappointed. "We all flew here together; we should all go along for this meeting."

  Arthur shook his hand. "I know what you mean. Still, we'll be back by the end of the day. I'm sure you can look after the girls for the day on your own."

  "We'll keep him out of trouble, more like," Crystal corrected. "Good luck, both of you." She hugged Daisy and her brother. Daisy was amused to see that he looked a little embarrassed by this.

  "Alright, I think we're ready," Arthur said. "Mark, John, lead on!"

  The brothers led them upstairs to a wide balcony. They both jumped off the edge, transforming simultaneously.

  "I guess John wasn't so exceptional after all," Arthur commented as they watched the two brothers speed through the air, flying in perfect synchronisation.

  "Oh shut up," Daisy replied. "And look away while I transform." She couldn't see a room for them to transform in; presumably the Golden Dragons didn't bother with it, but surely their guests would. It was too late to ask John or Mark, they were high in the sky already.