War of Dragons

by Andy Holland

  Don't worry, the first dragon replied coldly. They'll make sure they learn this time. They'll really suffer. With the numbers that will be coming in from the invasion, they can afford to kill a lot more. Still, we had better go and report it, much as I hate to do it. You two had better come with us.

  John glanced at Mark; this was the last thing they wanted. If they had to explain what they had seen, they might be expected to transform. Foolishly, they hadn't considered this possibility.

  Our father! John said. He won't know where we are! Can't we go and let him know where we're going and then catch you up?

  I suppose one of you could do that, but that doesn't require both of you, the first dragon replied. You—you found the tracks. You have to come. Your brother can go.

  John looked at Mark for support. Alright, little brother. I'll find Father and tell him everything. Don’t worry, I will tell him where you are going.

  John looked back at him. See you soon. He prayed that Mark would think of a way out of this. He watched his brother turn back towards the coast while he continued northwards with the two Blue Dragons. It didn't take long before the unwelcome interrogation began.

  So, young man, what did you say your name was? The first Blue Dragon asked. And where are you from? I'm surprised I haven't seen you ‘round here before.

  John paused, trying to think of an answer and cursing himself for not having thought to prepare for this, but before he had a chance to think of a suitable response, a Brown Dragon suddenly appeared above them, screeching angrily as it flew past. John wheeled to the right to avoid it and the other two dodged to the left, screeching at it furiously as it flew away.

  How dare he? The second Blue Dragon exclaimed angrily. Attack three of us in our own territory! Kill him! After him at once!

  John saw the opportunity he had been looking for. He's mine! You two go ahead and report the escaped prisoner. That can't wait. He flew hard after the Brown Dragon, outpacing the two Blue Dragons and not waiting to see if they would object. He wasn't sure what he would do if he caught up with the Brown Dragon, but it was better than staying with the two Blues, who would expect him to transform when they reached their destination, and in so doing, reveal who he was.

  He glanced back and saw that the other two had turned around and were flying in the opposite direction. Now he just had to worry about the Brown Dragon. Although they were allies, it might not know that the Golden Dragons were here, and seeing what looked like a Blue Dragon, their enemy, it would probably attack without warning. He had lost sight of it already; and knowing how fast they were John was nervous, looking around for the anticipated attack.

  Suddenly the Brown appeared above him. Hello, little brother, Mark said in greeting. I guess I am far enough away to change back now. He performed a quick mid-air transformation and flew alongside John.

  Nice idea, John commented. I wasn't sure how to get out of that one. They'd started asking some rather unwelcome questions.

  You did look a bit startled, Mark replied cheerfully, although not as much as the others. I thought you'd realise it was me straight away.

  Not at all, but I'm very glad you did come.

  Look, John, you heard what they said. They're starting the invasion already. We need to alert the Dark Browns—sorry, Browns—and our own government. If we leave it to the Browns to pass on the message they might not do so straightaway. I think I'll need to go back and tell everyone.

  Couldn't I go? John asked. I'm almost as fast as you.

  Almost as fast, but not as fast. Besides, I have more experience with the Browns, who are the ones that we need to give the message to, as well as our government and your friends. I know who to speak to in each of those groups; you might struggle to find the right person. I have no experience with the Blues however, but you do—more than anyone else here in fact. You need to concentrate on this task; without the Browns, it could be over for the Reds. If we fail here then the Reds really are doomed.

  Very well, John replied reluctantly. What you're saying makes sense. Good luck, and fly quickly.

  Of course. Find Theo as fast as you can and let him know that the plan has worked. They'll start moving prisoners soon and you'll need to make the most of that opportunity. Good luck, little brother.

  With that, Mark flew off back towards the border, not looking back. John headed east towards the coast, looking for Theo. It didn't take long to find him, as he was also looking for John.

  John, John, there you are. I met Reuben and Dinah just a few minutes ago. They told me about the beach. That was you, wasn't it?

  No, it was Mark, but Theo, we need to talk—

  Of course, there's lots to do now, but I do want to hear everything. First, let's find the others. They're looking for you as well. Dinah went up the coast and Reuben followed the border. Where's your brother gone?

  John told him what they had learnt from the Blues about the invasion. Theo was sympathetic but wasn't surprised. Sorry, John. I know you have friends back there, but we knew this was going to happen at some point. All you can do now is concentrate on this task; whatever you do, don't let it distract you as we have no one to take your place. Succeed here and we'll give your friends a chance. Can you fly along the coast to look for Dinah, and I'll go west to look for Reuben?

  John took off down the coast in search of Dinah, and it was not long before they all met up again, landing on a beach on the Brown Dragon side of the border, the five dragons not bothering to transform, facing each other as Brown Dragons.

  Well done, everyone, Theo began. We've had a very successful morning and can be proud of ourselves. News of Dinah's escape will be heading back to the prison camp as we speak. It's possible they'll do a check to see if anyone is really missing, which would a real shame, but I really doubt it based on what we already know. With the invasion already starting they'll want to avoid dragging the Browns into a conflict and will probably move the camp quickly and far away from where it is now. That's going to take a lot of Dragons, so hopefully if we're near the right area, they should find us. Now, you all know the plan and although we don't have Mark with us any more the plan will remain the same. We will spread out along the border and then fly north, looking out for signs of activity. Don't fly too fast and try to fly as if you're going somewhere rather than doing a search. Any questions?

  What do we do if we don't find it by night? Reuben asked. We don't really have any idea where this camp might be.

  Don't get stuck there unless you have to. We've discussed the search patterns, and that should put you back near the border in the evening. Remember, only one of us needs to find it for this to be successful and just because you haven't found the camp doesn't mean no one else has, but you could ruin it if you're seen there.

  Clear with me. Shall we go? John asked, his tone belying his impatience.

  I know you're keen, John, but remember, don't rush this, Theo warned. They don't fly as quickly as us, so you need to try to remember that while you're flying so you don't stand out. As I've said, any one of us could find the camp, so it doesn't matter if you don't personally. Just don't get caught.

  No one responded to this last statement, so Theo merely nodded. Alright, let's begin.

  John took off quickly, flying straight along the border. He was the youngest and had the least stamina, so had been given the shortest distance to travel along the border before heading north. Despite Theo's words he was still impatient and left the others behind, anxious to start the search. He realised they had been very lucky to meet the ones they met that morning and could have easily spent hours searching before finding anyone. He decided to ignore Theo's advice and sped up, flying fast above the forest with the intention of only slowing down if he saw anyone. He scanned the area carefully as he flew, keeping the coast in sight and wondering if he might catch a glimpse of Dinah, who should be travelling to the west of him. The forest seemed to go on for ever, but eventually he noticed a wavy line bisecting the forest, a gap in the trees cre
ated by a wide river that meandered lazily towards the coast. He followed the path of the river with his eyes until he saw where it met the sea. He turned to head towards the mouth of the river, reasoning that unless they shared the Brown Dragon's fear of the Sea Dragons, this would be a logical place to establish a settlement. Sure enough, as he neared the river, he could see some small groups of dragons flying inland, from what was clearly a reasonable size town built on either side of the river mouth.

  He decided to follow the dragons heading inland rather than get any nearer to the town, and bore westwards, keeping a healthy distance from them and travelling at a similar speed to them. There was a steady stream of them flying westwards, travelling in small groups and clearly all heading in the same direction. They appeared to be following the river, using it to navigate across the otherwise featureless forest. They must have seen some landmark that wasn't obvious to John, as the groups all turned north at the same point and began to descend. The dragons in front of him were now flying low over the thick forest and were clearly preparing to land, but John still couldn't see a clearing large enough for Blue Dragons to land in—at least not comfortably.

  Suddenly the group in front of him disappeared into the tree canopy. Although they were only a few hundred metres in front of him he couldn't see where they had gone. He slowed as much as he could, trying to see where they went and spotted a very large gap in the trees ahead, but no signs of dragons. He took a chance and dropped through the gap, hoping he wouldn't crash into a tree As soon as cleared the gap he realised that the forest wasn't nearly as thick as it looked. Under the canopy the trees were well spaced and they had trained the branches to join together, making it look impenetrable, where in reality there was plenty of room to fly underneath. Many blues were walking on the ground with some not yet having transformed back to human. The ground was dotted with grey and brown tents, with Blues scurrying back and forth in the process of dismantling them. He had found it! This was the existing camp and the relocation had clearly started.

  He didn't really want to land, but couldn't fly for ever, as he would run out of room to fly as the forest surrounding the camp was much thicker. He looked about desperately, assessing his options. The camp was large, but there were people and dragons everywhere.

  Follow me, a familiar voice said from behind him. It was Dinah, who must have followed him in. John slowed to let her pass and followed her to the far side of the camp, behind a large tent. Dinah dropped to the ground and quickly transformed into a tiny dragon and darted into the undergrowth. John followed her lead.

  We should stay out of sight, Dinah told him. If we landed in there now, we may be asked to transform and we won't be able to provide any good reason for not doing so.

  I know; I just couldn't work out how to get out of having to do so. I'm glad you showed up when you did. I'm surprised you found me.

  You're the only dragon who arrived on your own, and believe it or not, you have a very distinct way of flying. Blue Dragons generally look less in control of their motions. Watch them closely and you'll see what I mean. You probably don't stand out that much, but it would be worth trying to copy them.

  John was a little surprised by this revelation. I hadn't realised. Do you have much experience of Blue Dragons?

  None, she replied. But I've observed a few on the way here and you were easy to spot.

  Thanks for telling me. I was just thinking about speed rather than style.

  You're welcome, Dinah told him. Did you notice any prisoners on the way in?

  None, but I suspect they'll move the tents first; well at least some of them. There were lots of patches of dead grass on the ground near where I first came in, where you could tell that tents had been there recently. They must have already taken quite a few them down.

  I hadn't noticed, although I saw them taking down tents. Dinah peered out of the undergrowth to look at the camp. This place is huge; I wasn't expecting it to be as big as this. I dread to think how many of these poor girls they have here. Look, I can see a group taking off over there. What are they carrying? People or just tents?

  Tents I think, John replied, following her gaze. They must be going to the camp. Shall we follow them?

  No, wait for the prisoners. They could be taking some of the tents back to that town for repair for all we know. Prisoners will only be going in one direction.

  They watched as row after row of tents were dismantled and flown out by teams of Blue Dragons, who were constantly replaced by more who flew in through the large hole in the canopy. There were a number of much larger tents in the middle which hadn't been touched yet, but the workers were about to reach them. An official approached one of the tents and started shouting orders and moments later teams of people entered the tent and came out carrying large bundles before laying them on the ground in front of the tent. Something didn't look quite right about the way they laid them on the ground.

  Hey, they're people! John said, pointing at the bundles. One of them just moved! Sure enough, the bundles were people, tied up and wrapped in thin blankets, ready for transport. At least two or three hundred had been taken out of the tent and lined up on the ground. The workers started dismantling the tent and the official instructed dragons to come over and start moving the prisoners. Each dragon took two before taking off and heading for the exit.

  This is our chance, Dinah said. Quickly, we can take prisoners and follow them to the camp.

  Both of them transformed back to Blue Dragons and flew to join the queue that was forming. Dinah picked up two prisoners and took off and John did likewise. He heard the faintest whimper as he picked up the second bundle, but otherwise they were still and silent. He wondered whether they had been drugged or whether it was just fear that kept them so quiet. He stayed close to Dinah once they were in the air and they followed the long line of dragons in front. They were all heading to the north-west and John counted about forty dragons flying ahead of them.

  Ascend a little bit, Dinah ordered. If we slow slightly we can let these others pass beneath us. I'd rather fly a little apart from this group, at the back. I don't think we want to get drawn into any conversations if we can help it.

  Another eight dragons were flying behind the two and passed beneath them as they slowed. The journey was quite long and they flew for at least an hour before the dragons ahead started to descend.

  Follow them down, Dinah commanded. We must be getting near to the new camp.

  Are we going to deliver these prisoners? John asked. I thought we were going to bring them back?

  We will have to get more. Look at the sun; we're running out of daylight anyway and the route back is too far to be carrying these; the risk of being spotted is too high. I know Theo wanted us to avoid staying out overnight but that's beyond our control now. It won't be too much of a detour to go back to the old camp and get some more prisoners and then head home.

  This camp isn't so well hidden, John observed as they approached; it was spread out over a large, grassy area. It's a lot bigger too.

  Probably planning on having a lot more prisoners soon, Dinah commented. If the first day of the invasion went well they'll be bringing a lot of new prisoners here. We're also much deeper in their territory, so I guess they feel safer here.

  They glided down to join the others, who were depositing their prisoners in a long line on the grass as they were counted in by a group of officials. The other Blue Dragons were transforming after dropping off their prisoners and were all heading towards a large tent in the centre, which may have been where they received their next orders or refreshments—they couldn't tell from here. John and Dinah dropped off their prisoners and flew on straight away, heading over the tents to the far side of the campsite.

  We need to find somewhere to hide, Dinah told him. It would have been easy at the last campsite, but this one is too open. I would welcome any suggestions.

  John scanned the area. There were a few trees, but none that really offered any opportunities. T
here were a lot of people around, mainly concentrating on erecting additional tents. John spotted a tent near a small river. Hey, follow me into that tent.

  He flew straight into the tent, praying that it was empty—it was—and landed and transformed into a tiny flying dragon.

  What's the plan, John? Dinah asked cautiously once she copied him. Even like this they'd see us flying.

  Not if we're low enough, John replied. Follow me.

  John flew straight out of the tent and over the river, travelling low over the water as he followed the river upstream to the north. The water was low and they were hardly visible from the ground. There were dragons in the air, but none at the north of the camp, as all were coming from the south. They quickly moved away from the camp.

  This is working better than I thought it would, Dinah commented. It's still pretty open up ahead though. I can't see anywhere to hide.

  Open but with no one around. We can follow this river for a long way; it's pretty flat around here. We're bound to find somewhere to hide eventually.

  John flew on for a couple of minutes before landing beside the river and then climbed up to peer over the edge of the bank. The camp was quite far away now and it would be hard to spot his head above the tall grass. Dinah climbed up beside him.

  Good, we can't be spotted here like this, but we can't stop here either. If they patrol this area on foot we'd be easy to find. Can you see anything ahead?

  Nothing, John replied. Just endless grassland. The forest to the south would have been a better bet, but it'll be hard to get back there and I'm not sure we have enough time to fly much further. We're almost out of light.

  They took off again and flew with greater urgency. As they travelled along the river the bank slowly became rockier, which gave John an idea.

  Stop, we're far enough away. They won't come this far.

  But where will we stay? Dinah asked. There's still no shelter. And we don't know how far they will patrol at night.