by Andy Holland
John shrugged. "I'm sorry that you'd prefer to be back in the prison. That's not an option now though, so I suggest you all just hide and remain quiet. I'll be up in the trees watching out for trouble."
John transformed into a tiny, colourful dragon and took off, amused by the surprised gasps of the girls. The form he took was that of one of the races from the Forbidden Quarter and the girls had probably never encountered one before. The Forbidden Quarter was a mystery to him and he hoped to learn more about it once he finally returned home. He flew up to the top of the canopy and perched on the thin branches. He could see dragons in the distance to both the north and south, those going home led by Natan and the others that were going to collect the remaining prisoners. He wondered who he would see first: those from the north coming back or those coming to collect the girls he was guarding. A thought struck him; suppose that girl was right and no one was coming. They didn't have water here, and no one had eaten for over a day. It was far too far to walk, especially with no provisions and the Blues would be hunting them. The two groups of dragons were both out of sight, so changing the approach was no longer an option. Perhaps he should have discussed it further; he could have asked Natan to just fly for half an hour and then return for some of these girls, although that would have meant splitting the group even more.
John's thoughts were rudely interrupted by the chilling, soul-piercing shrieks of Blue Dragons. He lifted his head cautiously; the sounds were distant and no dragons were in sight, but he had too much to lose to allow him to be anything other than cautious. His first thoughts were of Natan, Reuben and the dragons with them, but he then realised that the sound came from the east, not the north or south. He fixed his gaze on the east, straining to see movement, but all was still. Then just over the horizon, he saw tiny movements; the distant flapping of wings. Sure enough, Blue Dragons were approaching, still quite far away but definitely headed this way.
John dropped from his perch to warn the girls, unsure whether they would have heard the sound. The Blue Dragons didn't use the shrieks to communicate; they were to terrify their enemies and were horribly effective.
As soon as he landed he could tell the girls had heard the shrieks, the fear written all over their faces. He transformed in order to talk to them.
"They're still some distance away," he told them in a low voice, "but they are coming this way. Everyone must hide, keep still and not make a sound. If you hear them shriek, remember it doesn't mean they've found you. They're trying to get you to panic and give away your location. Now, quickly, get yourselves hidden. Whatever happens, don't move while they're flying overhead."
John transformed back into the little dragon and flew back into the tree canopy where he settled on a branch, his mottled green, blue and red colouring blending into the foliage. The Blue Dragons were a lot closer and would be flying over them very soon. They were spread out, clearly searching the forest, flying slowly over the trees. They let forth their chilling cries again and John closed his eyes in dread, worrying what the girls below might do. The sound reverberated through the forest and all around birds and beasts squawked in alarm. But down below him nothing happened; no one broke down or cried out and the forest immediately around him remained still and silent. As the Blues approached, spread out over the forest, John realised they wouldn't actually fly directly over them, the nearest dragon passing about one hundred metres away. John watched them as they approached, flying in tight disciplined formations, their beastly eyes carefully searching the forest. There were over a thousand of them and they formed a formidable force that they couldn't have fought if all nine hundred of them had been together—not without losing all of the girls and probably most of their fighters. Hiding had always been their only realistic option. John watched as they slowly flew into the distance, waiting till they were out of sight before dropping back to the forest floor to see the girls. Everyone was still frozen, clinging to trees and hiding under bushes, none moving even when John transformed.
"They're gone," he said quietly, and added with a smile, "you can all breathe again."
Daphne was the first to move, walking out from where she was hiding in a split tree trunk, and approaching John cautiously.
"How do you know they won't come back? Is it really safe?"
John shook his head. "I don't, but it's safe for the moment. I'll go back up there and keep watch again and I'll stay there until I see dragons—either ours or theirs. I just thought you'd all like to know that they've gone and that we've survived this one."
Daphne gave a weary smile. "How many more can we survive though? How much longer till we get out of here?"
John shrugged, wondering the same thing himself.
An hour later, John was lying on a branch high above the ground, watching over the girls below him and keeping an eye on the skies for any approaching dragons. He guessed that Reuben and the others should be on their way back, on their final run home. They should make it back before nightfall comfortably as long as they didn't meet any Blues. So far they had been very lucky, but maybe that wasn't so surprising. For the rescuers, the timing of this rescue couldn't have been better, with the Blue Dragons all drawn to the western border with the Red Dragons. For the Red Dragons' sake, starting the rescue slightly earlier would have been far better. He worried how they might be doing, although at the back of his mind was the thought that the people he really cared about he had taken away from the danger zone.
He lay motionless on his slender branch for another hour before he saw signs of life; to his relief it was Reuben and the others who were coming back from the north-east. He looked to the south-west, but still could see no one. Reuben would fly over in a few minutes, so he decided to fly up to join him and see how it had all gone.
Hello, John! Reuben hailed. Almost didn't see you there. That's a form I don't see very often. Very few of us learn it.
Being inconspicuous was my aim, John replied. How has it all gone?
All fine, Reuben replied. Although apparently we just missed a big group of Brown Dragons who passed just before we got back. The girls were too scared to call out to them.
You missed a group here as well, John replied, before telling him about the Blues that had passed over.
Hmmm, they might not be looking for us, Reuben mused. Both groups were headed west, so they might have been just going to the border to fight back.
No, Reuben, they were definitely looking through the forest. If the group I saw swing back to the south before sweeping the forest again you might meet them. Just be careful.
Noted, Reuben replied. Although you might not have noticed, but everyone is exhausted. Outflying Blues might not be possible.
I know, John replied. Carrying passengers continuously is too tiring over these long distances. Good luck on your return journey.
Same to you, Reuben replied, leaving John to descend back to the girls on the forest floor.
"I don't know if you saw," he told them as he landed. "But the rest of your group just passed over. They're on their way home."
"What about us?" a girl asked. "When do we get to go home? Are they coming back for us?"
John shrugged. "I hope so, as it's a pretty long walk back."
"We have no water here," another pointed out. "How long should we wait before walking? If they don't come today we need to find water."
John nodded. "Wait another couple of hours. If they don't come by then, then yes, we should try and find water. But I would prefer to wait until then, as you'll make a lot of noise walking, and leave tracks. It's the last resort. And I would want to look for water first. No point walking blindly."
"Two hours," one of the girls said, nodding. "But no longer."
John nodded before transforming and heading back to his perch. Reuben and his group were out of sight already and once again the forest was peaceful. His eyes were now firmly fixed on the horizon to the south. The girls were all still and quiet and needed no warning of the arrival of any Blue Dragons to st
ay that way.
A movement in the distance caught his eye; was that a bird or a dragon he could see? He strained his eyes trying to make it out before deciding that it was definitely a dragon; flying alone, so if it was a Blue then it carried no significant threat. Its scales caught the sunlight and John realised it was golden! He took off, transforming once he was high enough above the trees, adopting his natural form and flying swiftly towards the approaching dragon. As he neared he could see the Brown Dragons flying some way behind.
John, is that you? It was one of the Daves.
Of course it is, John replied. Who else is it going to be?
Very true, Dave replied. How far are the prisoners?
Former prisoners, John replied, and they're not far at all.
Good, Dave replied. Show me where your former prisoners are and I'll direct the others to you.
John led Dave over the spot where the girls were waiting and then flew down to join them. The girls were ecstatic when he told them and he had to appeal for calm, reminding them of the superb hearing of Blue Dragons. Within moments, dragons began to land. This group was made up entirely of Brown Dragons, who took the opportunity to take a break from flying and fraternise with the girls, who were all excited at the prospect of finally getting out of here.
"Have they all landed, Dave?"
Dave nodded. "That's all of them. I think they've had a long enough break now, I'll get them organised. Don't worry, you relax for a moment. I know the captains; I'll take care of this."
John felt uneasy letting someone else coordinate the two groups, but Dave was right, he did know the captains now and seemed to get them organised quickly. After a few minutes he approached John.
"Right, John, we're not going to leave anyone behind, don't you worry about that. You and I won't be carrying anyone either. We'll make sure the way ahead is clear. We should take off now; we need to be ahead of these lot and they're almost ready to go."
"Won't you be carrying me, John?" Daphne asked, appearing from behind a tree and looking up at him. Dave looked him questioningly.
John blushed slightly. "No, Daphne, I'll be going ahead to make sure everything is safe. You'll be carried by one of these Brown Dragons. You'll be flying faster now as these dragons won't be so tired. Don't worry, they won't leave anyone behind. Come on, Dave. As you said, we need to go."
John transformed and took to the air without any further delay. Dave followed behind him.
In a bit of a rush, John? Dave asked. Didn't want to say goodbye to your little friend?
John did his best to glare at him, something that was difficult as a dragon. Time to get going, isn't it?
Very true. Hang on, don't you have a girlfriend that you brought with you? Isn't she a Red Dragon as well?
Oh, don't you start, John replied irritably. If I'm going to risk my life for a bunch of girls I don't know I think I should be able to do it without being mocked.
Yes, that's one way of looking at it. Of course, you are doing it for your girlfriend. Me, I am doing it out of the goodness of my heart and if I'm going to risk my life, I should be able to enjoy myself while doing it by mocking you.
Brilliant, John replied. I thought Natan and Gideon were annoying. Shouldn't you be studying the ground, improving your maps?
Doing it all the time, young John, but that doesn't stop me being able to converse with you. It'd be rude to fly without making polite conversation. I'd worry that you'd think I was neglecting you. I know how self-conscious you children are nowadays.
I'll live. Oh look, they're taking off now.
Yes, thank you for pointing that out, Dave replied. It would have been easy for me to miss four hundred dragons taking off.
Right, whatever, John replied. I'll fly over there, you fly to the left. Let's go.
John flew away from Dave, ignoring his objections about being slightly off course. The Brown Dragons seemed to know where they were going and all started on the journey home. John realised how tired his group must have been, as the new group moved much faster than he expected, being fresher having not flown that far. Despite having no extra weight, John found that he wasn't moving a lot faster than the group and they made quick progress to the south.
Eventually the forest began to thin and John realised that they were approaching the place they reached this morning with the first group. It was late afternoon, but there would still be plenty of time to reach the territory of the Brown Dragons before sunset. He would have pinched himself if he could; they were actually going to make it without losing any more girls.
Then suddenly, a dark shadow appeared to the east. John's heart froze; he wasn't sure how they had missed seeing them, but bearing down on them quickly was a large group of Blue Dragons! John squawked loudly to raise the alarm, but instinctively knew that it would be too late. The Brown Dragons turned to the south-west, all moving as one. John thought this made sense; they would still be heading towards the border but would avoid the Blue Dragons for as long as they could. But he knew that it was too late to avoid them; the Blue Dragons, now realising that they had been spotted, began to shriek, their terrifying shrill sounds shredding the nerves of the frightened girls, who started to scream and cry in anticipation of the onslaught. The Browns were hopelessly outnumbered—perhaps three to one—and the Blues weren't weighed down by additional weight. Their cries became almost gleeful and they flew furiously hard, rapidly closing the gap between themselves and the group.
Dave didn't wait for John to react and flew straight at the Blue Dragons. Despite his long flight, he still cut through the air with incredible pace. But it was one against over a thousand and there would be little that he could do. He appeared to be merely trying to disrupt them, to buy a few seconds and he sent fireballs at their heads as he flew around them, attempting to slash at them with his claws as he darted dangerously near to them. But it had almost no effect against this disciplined group; they maintained a tight flying formation and didn't deviate from their route, closing the gap between them and the rescuers. John realised that there wouldn't be time to deposit the girls and return to the air; the Blue Dragons would attack them from above and the Browns wouldn't stand a chance. They were hanging on to their passengers for now, but as soon as the Blues reached them they there would be only two options: to drop the girls to their deaths, or to die carrying them, still not saving the girls.
John flew towards the Blue Dragons, following Dave's lead, but knowing that there was little he could do, being so tired and that he might well be flying to his own death. He desperately tried to think of a plan that could help as he flew, but could think of nothing. Besides, he was going to arrive too late; the Blue Dragons were now within a hundred metres of their quarry and it could only be seconds before the Brown Dragons dropped all of their passengers. Some of them starting firing fireballs after the Brown Dragons; although they were still too far away to land any hits, it caused the passengers to scream even more frantically, sensing that the end was near.
Then a new sound was heard. A loud, triumphant series of cries that made everyone look up to the heavens. John realised that he really must have been flying half asleep to miss this second group, as descending rapidly towards the distracted Blue Dragons were the rest of Gul's forces, at least four thousand dragons hurtling towards their foes. The Blue Dragons shrieked in rage and fear, realising that they were doomed. Those carrying the girls found an extra burst of energy to pull just away from the Blue Dragons before the reinforcements collided with their pursuers. A series of sickening thuds, crunches and agonising screams followed, with maimed and killed dragons falling like rain onto the thin forest below. John pulled away from the battle scene, knowing that there was nothing he could do here, having no energy to join the fight. Dave joined him and they flew on with the Brown Dragons carrying the girls, leaving the battle raging behind them.
A little close there, John, Dave said, his voice a little shaky. I thought we were in a bit of trouble there.
Me
too, John replied. They were very close to catching the Browns.
Oh no, they weren't going to catch the Browns, Dave replied. We were about to watch four hundred girls go splat on the ground though. Would have been rather messy.
Yeah, John replied irritably. Hey, Dave, I'm quite tired. Why don't you fly ahead and check that all's clear. I'll stay with the group.
Fair enough, John. I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'll patrol at the front.
John couldn't be bothered to correct him and flew alongside the Brown Dragons. He looked over and saw Daphne watching him, who waved when she saw him looking. He nodded at her before rising up to fly above them where she couldn't see him. He thought he recognised the border up ahead, and soon, they were flying over it, then they were descending, and they were home, safely back in the camp where the girls were reunited with their fellow residents of the prison, but now far, far away from that place, and free!
"Hey, John!" It was Natan, who was half-sitting, half-lying on a log in the middle of the camp and had spotted John land. "You made it back! Come and join us."
"Hello, Natan," John said, walking over to join him, "how was your journey back?"
"Long, tiring, boring," Natan replied, stretching himself out. "Almost wanted to see some Blue Dragons to break the monotony of that wretched forest."
"You really didn't," John told him. "We had a very close encounter on the way back. It could have gone horribly wrong."
"Really, what happened?"
John shook his head. "I'll tell you later. I want to see Theo first. What's happening with all of these girls? It looks like everyone is still here."
"Relax, John. You've done your part. Theo is coordinating it all and we've had a bunch more people from the government arrive. They're going to take all of the Reds, Sandy and Wasp Dragons back to look after them till we work out where they need to be taken."
"What about these Browns? Why are they still here? Didn't half of them arrive last night?"
"This morning and there are thousands of them to be moved and no one to take them; they're all patrolling the borders or fighting on the other side of the border. But that's not our problem, John; let Gul worry about it. Tomorrow, I'm headed home."