The Baby Firebird

by Paula Harrison

  Riki squawked and jumped in too. He flapped his wings, letting the golden water run over his feathers. “I love bathing in here. It makes your wings tingle!”

  “Is it lava? Like a volcano?” Talia crouched down by the pool’s edge.

  “No, this is a fire pool – the only one in the kingdom,” said Amber-wing. “You may touch the water if you wish – it will not hurt you – but I cannot let you bathe like we do.”

  Talia told Lucas what the firebirds had said and how their magic came from the pool. She touched the golden surface with her finger and drew back her hand immediately, surprised by the tickly feeling in her finger. She smiled. “It feels just as magical as it looks.”

  “It’s really warm too!” Lucas held his palms above the pool.

  Talia glanced up at the cave ceiling, that reflected the rippling golden water. Amber-wing flew out of the pool to perch on the side. Her crest gleamed and she glowed brighter than ever. The magic of the fire pool seemed to have soaked into her feathers.

  “Amber-wing!” Another firebird glided down the tunnel. “The soldiers are moving! They have found a boat to cross the river.”

  Talia leapt up. “They’re coming! We’ve run out of time!”

  “Everyone shall hide,” decided Amber-wing. “There are many places in this valley where we can stay out of sight.”

  The firebirds flew up the tunnel. Talia and Lucas raced after them. When they climbed back through the narrow hole, firebirds were flying everywhere and covering their nests with leaves. They hid themselves in the treetops, in rock crevices and in thick bushes.

  “What about us?” said Lucas. “If Lord Fortescue sees us here he’ll be furious.”

  “We need to find somewhere to go,” agreed Talia. “Amber-wing?” But the firebird was busy helping a clutch of young chicks to camouflage themselves with Izzala flowers.

  “Come with me!” Riki flew past. “I’m going to hide inside my favourite tree.”

  “Will it be big enough for us?” called Talia, but Riki had flown on. The young firebird landed in the circle of trees. He waved his wing towards the tallest Izzala tree. “This is my tree! I hide here when it rains.” He ran into a gap between the jutting-out roots and suddenly disappeared.

  “Riki?” Talia hurried after him. Leaning on the gnarled tree, she bent down to find an opening in the trunk that was hidden by a low branch.

  “In here!” Riki’s voice echoed inside the tree.

  Talia bent down and crawled inside, then straightened up again. The hollow space stretched far above her head, like a very tall, thin room.

  Lucas squeezed through after her. “Wow! This is a great hiding place!”

  “This tree’s so big. It must be hundreds of years old,” said Talia.

  Riki settled down on the ground and fluffed his feathers. “It’s the biggest tree in the whole valley!”

  “I wonder—” Talia stopped. She could hear men’s voices.

  “They’re here!” whispered Lucas.

  Riki jumped into Talia’s arms and huddled against her neck. Talia held his warm, feathery body close to her, listening for any movement outside.

  Lord Fortescue and his men came closer, their boots pounding on the earth. There was the cracking sound of branches breaking. Talia put her eye to a small hole in the tree trunk. She could see the soldiers now. They were hacking their way towards the circle of trees, leaving a trail of flattened plants behind them.

  “This must be the place,” yelled Lord Fortescue. “It was hidden from view and there’s a nasty feel of magic in the air. Now, find me the firebirds and that cave of treasure!”

  “Yes, sir!” The soldiers ran about the clearing, tearing down bushes and throwing stones into the treetops.

  Talia held her breath, horribly afraid that a stray stone might hurt one of the firebirds. But the men hit nothing and seemed to quickly give up throwing things. They moved on after a few minutes and the sound of crashing and banging came from further up the valley.

  Lucas leaned against the inside of the tree trunk. “I hope they don’t stay here long. I suppose we could sneak home now they’ve gone past.”

  Talia shook her head. “I can’t go until I know the firebirds are all right.”

  Bangs and thumps echoed round the valley. The mountain began to rumble as if complaining about being disturbed. The sound rolled round the place like thunder. The ground shook and there were shouts from the soldiers. Talia and Lucas waited calmly. Everyone living in the Hundred Valleys knew that these mountains sometimes rumbled. It was nothing to be scared of!

  The minutes passed slowly and the soldiers’ thumping sounds continued. The mountain growled again. Then a column of white smoke burst into the sky. Talia was sure it came from the direction of the dragon’s cave.

  The shouting of the men grew louder. Footsteps pounded down the valley. Talia put her eye to the hole in the trunk and saw the soldiers run past, followed by a breathless Lord Fortescue.

  “My lord, we have to get back to the boat,” one of the soldiers called. “This valley isn’t safe.”

  “What do you think I’m doing?” Lord Fortescue mopped his forehead. “This dratted place! How am I supposed to tell Lord Fitzroy that I didn’t catch a single firebird? We didn’t find any treasure in that cave either.”

  Talia beamed. She was so happy that the firebirds hadn’t been found!

  Lucas nudged her with his elbow and grinned.

  “At least we blocked some of the magic, sir,” the soldier called back.

  Hurrying after his men, Lord Fortescue tripped over a trailing vine and fell over. Muttering about dirty rainforests and horrible creatures, he picked himself up and stumbled out of sight.

  “Let’s go to the river and watch them leave!” Lucas squeezed out of the hollow tree trunk.

  “I’m right behind you.” Talia edged through the hole, still holding on to Riki.

  Getting through the rainforest was easy this time as the soldiers had left a wide trail of flattened undergrowth. Lucas and Talia hid in a clump of reeds and watched the soldiers rowing across the river. They worked their oars a little faster every time the mountain rumbled.

  Talia sighed with relief when the men reached the other side and trudged away into the forest. “I’m so glad they’ve gone! I thought it might be harder to get rid of them. What a horrid, selfish man that Lord Fortescue is!”

  Lucas turned to Talia, smiling. “So we warned the firebirds just in time.”

  “We did!” agreed Talia. “Let’s go back and tell them that everything’s all right.”

  Riki fluttered to the ground. “I’m so tired! Can’t we rest for a bit?”

  Talia crouched beside him. “Of course we can! Are you all right, Riki?”

  “So tired!” Riki flopped on the ground and put his head under his wing. Talia exchanged looks with Lucas.

  “That doesn’t seem like him,” said Lucas. “He’s usually so bouncy.”

  Talia bit her lip. “Why don’t I carry you, Riki?” The firebird didn’t answer, only buried his head further under his wing. She gently picked him up. “Poor thing! It must be all the flying he’s done.”

  As they walked back to the circle of trees, Talia held Riki close. He felt colder than before and there was no flicker of tiny flames among his feathers. The trees rustled as other firebirds emerged from their hiding places.

  “Don’t worry!” Talia called to them. “The soldiers have gone and the danger’s over.”

  The firebirds nodded their heads quietly. They seemed tired too.

  When the children reached the clearing, Amber-wing flew awkwardly to the ground. Her feathers looked dull and yellow. “Dear Talia,” she croaked. “I’m afraid something terrible has happened.”

  “But Lord Fortescue has gone!” cried Talia. “Everything’s going to be all right now.”

  “They all look so different,” said Lucas. “Is it because they were scared?”

  Talia put Riki down carefully. An awful worrie
d feeling grew inside her. “It’s like the fire’s gone out of them,” she muttered to herself. “But why would they change like that?” A sudden thought made her swing round and run up the valley.

  “Where are you going?” called Lucas.

  Talia kept running. Her breath caught in her throat. Where was the entrance to the cave? She knew it must be close. Maybe through these trees … She stopped so suddenly that Lucas, who’d run after her, nearly fell over.

  Huge rocks filled the tunnel opening that led to the Cave of Wonders. They were piled one on top of the other, with smaller stones pushed in between. The cave entrance was completely blocked by the boulders.

  Talia’s face flushed with anger. “This must have been Lord Fortescue’s men!”

  “Remember how they said they’d blocked some of the magic?” said Lucas. “I bet that’s what they meant.”

  “They didn’t know how important this cave is to the firebirds and if they’d known they still wouldn’t have cared!” Talia felt tears prick her eyes as she thought of Riki and how tired and ill he looked. “That’s why the firebirds aren’t well. They need the magic of the fire pool to keep them alive!”

  Dashing forwards, she tugged at the boulders. A few smaller stones toppled from their place but the bigger rocks didn’t move.

  “I’ll help you!” Lucas pulled at the boulders too.

  “Try this one!” Talia heaved at a large rock in the middle. Lucas joined her, taking the other side of the boulder. They pulled and pulled. Talia’s fingers ached from gripping on to the jagged stone.

  “It’s stuck!” she said at last. “It’s not moving at all.”

  Lucas aimed an angry kick at the boulder. “Stupid rocks! No wonder we heard all that banging and crashing when the soldiers were here. They were building a wall of rocks all that time.”

  “Careful!” gasped Talia. “What if the rocks tumble backwards and roll down the slope into the fire pool? It could destroy the pool forever!”

  A group of firebirds had gathered behind the children. Riki and Amber-Wing were among them.

  “We cannot survive without the Cave of Wonders,” said Amber-wing sadly. “Already many of us can no longer fly and it has only been a few hours since we bathed in the fire pool.”

  “There has to be a way to open the cave again.” Talia glared at the rocks.

  “If we could find some strong sticks, maybe we could lever the rocks out,” suggested Lucas. “Or we could run back to Kura and get people from the village to come and help us.”

  “It’d take too long to get home and explain everything.” Talia frowned. “The firebirds need help now!”

  “Then we need someone bigger and stronger than we are.” Lucas folded his arms. “We’ll never manage this on our own.”

  “There’s no one here that’s bigger than us!” cried Talia. “We have to think of something else.”

  “I’m trying to think!” snapped Lucas. “You’re not coming up with many ideas.”

  “Arguing isn’t going to help us!” said Talia, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “Wait a minute! You’re completely right! We need someone bigger and stronger. Someone MUCH bigger and stronger!”

  Lucas frowned. “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “There’s one creature in this valley that has to be stronger than either of us,” said Talia. “The red-back dragon!”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?” Lucas said doubtfully. “What if it doesn’t like humans? What if it breathes fire at us? That smoke coming from its cave looks pretty deadly.”

  “I’m going to try talking to him,” said Talia, with a determined look. “It’s the best hope we’ve got.”

  Talia knelt beside Riki and stroked his dull yellow feathers. “We’re going to get help,” she told him. “We won’t be long.” She looked round at the other firebirds, each one slumped on the ground.

  Riki lifted one limp wing. “Come back soon, Talia.”

  Talia swallowed. She hated leaving him but she had to get help.

  “I think the cave is this way,” said Lucas. “I remember seeing that white smoke when we’d just crossed the river.”

  Talia and Lucas fought their way through the rainforest, looking for the entrance to the dragon’s cave. At last they found the deep chasm in a gap between the trees.

  “I still don’t know if this is a good idea,” said Lucas, staring into the hole.

  Talia crouched down by the edge, her stomach twisting. “Excuse me!” she called into the hole. “Sorry to disturb you but we really need your help.”

  There was no sound from inside.

  “My name’s Talia and this is Lucas!” Talia tried again. “The firebirds are in trouble and that’s why we need you.”

  She waited. There was still no sound.

  Talia lay down and peered into the chasm. The jagged rock scratched her arms. Way down, she could see a red and black shape sprawled across the cave floor. One bright-green eye glinted in the darkness. Then it snapped shut.

  Scrambling up, Talia looked around for something that would work as a rope. There were plenty of trailing vines in the trees. “Can you get that long vine for me?” she asked Lucas. “I’m going inside.”

  “You’re going down into its lair? You’re crazy!” Lucas shinned up the Izzala tree and pulled down the vine.

  “The dragon heard me. I’m sure of it,” said Talia. “If I get closer he won’t be able to ignore me.”

  Lucas tied the vine to the bottom of the tree trunk. “Maybe being ignored by a dragon is a good thing!” He tugged on the vine to check it would hold, before throwing it into the hole.

  Using the vine like a rope, Talia climbed into the dark cave. Her feet slipped a little halfway down but she held tight and recovered her foothold. At the bottom she spun round to see if the dragon had noticed her, but his eyes were firmly shut.

  Water dripped from the damp, grey walls and the cool air made Talia shiver. The sleeping dragon almost filled the whole cave and Talia had to step carefully round him. The creature’s black wings were folded and his tail curled around his body. Large red spines jutted from his back. His stomach rose and fell as he breathed slowly.

  Talia wondered if he really was fast asleep. She remembered that bright-green eye glinting. She tiptoed as close to his head as she dared. His black nostrils twitched.

  Talia leaned closer. “Are you really asleep?”

  A faint rumble began at the back of the dragon’s throat. Talia pressed herself against the cave wall, her heart pounding.

  The dragon’s jaws parted. “Yes!” he hissed. Then he was silent again. He hadn’t even opened his eyes.

  The vine shook and Lucas landed on the cave floor. “You looked like you needed help,” he whispered to Talia.

  “We’ve got to wake this dragon.” Talia leaned forwards again, saying loudly, “Hello! I’m sorry to wake you! My name is Talia.”

  Nothing happened.

  “Hello!” yelled Lucas. “We come in peace!”

  “Wake up!” shouted Talia.

  The dragon didn’t even twitch.

  They shouted again and again. Then they tapped his front legs (keeping well away from his huge jaws). They even tried tickling him.

  “It’s hard to know whether a dragon would actually feel a tickle,” said Talia at last. “They have such tough hide.” Glancing at the dragon’s mouth, she wondered if she’d seen the twitch of a smile.

  “We’re running out of time,” said Lucas. “The firebirds will be getting weaker.”

  “There must be something else we can try!” said Talia desperately. “What do red-back dragons eat?”

  The dragon opened one green eye. “Izzala flowers,” he rumbled, his booming voice echoed round the cave.

  Talia jumped. “I knew he could hear us,” she whispered to Lucas. “He said he eats Izzala flowers. Quick, climb back up and get some.”

  Lucas shinned up the vine and started throwing Izzala flowers into the cave. Their honey-sweet scent fill
ed the air. Talia gathered a large bunch of the flowers and held them close to the dragon’s nostrils. “Would you like these? I just need to talk to you about the firebirds. They’re in terrible trouble.”

  The dragon slowly opened his eyes and yawned. “I’m not really hungry after all.”

  “But you have to help us!” cried Talia, forgetting to speak carefully. “This is an emergency. The firebirds are ill!”

  The dragon’s eyes narrowed and the end of his tail whipped to and fro. “I have to? I am not accustomed to being told what to do.” He coughed, and white smoke streamed from his mouth. Then he closed his eyes again and settled his chin on the ground.

  Talia had leapt back to avoid the smoke. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude but we’re running out of time.”

  “How is it that you can speak to me?” the dragon asked, his eyes still closed.

  Talia had forgotten that she hadn’t explained about her Speaking Stone. She took the little rock from around her neck and opened it to reveal the hollow inside. The crystals gleamed, casting flecks of golden light across the dark cave walls.

  The dragon peeked through one eye. Then both his eyes snapped open and he lifted his head. “THAT is very shiny!” The words rumbled in his throat. “Come closer and let me see!”

  Talia edged a little closer. She explained that the stone let her talk to magical animals. Then she quickly told him about the soldiers who had come to Jalmar Valley and how they’d blocked the doorway to the Cave of Wonders.

  The dragon listened but his green eyes kept straying back to the little hollow stone. “Silly people!” he snorted at the end. “I thought I’d heard a lot of noise and bother.”

  “So the firebirds really need you! They can’t survive without the magic of the fire pool,” explained Talia. “Lucas and I couldn’t move the boulders but I’m sure you’re so strong that you could do it easily.” She waited, hoping desperately that he wouldn’t go back to sleep again.