Aurora

by Mark Robson

  ‘Elian and Kira hope to bring the dusk and dawn dragon enclaves to help.’

  ‘Which might add another fifteen to twenty dragons at best,’ Barnabas said, shaking his head. ‘That will not significantly change things.’

  ‘We could gather more along the way,’ Pell suggested, trying not to sound desperate.

  Barnabas regained his focus.

  ‘I hate to admit it, but I fear you’re right, young man,’ he sighed, drawing a deep breath and straightening his back. ‘It seems we can and we must if we are to prevent Segun from destroying the future of dragonkind.’ He paused and suddenly looked deep in thought. ‘Indeed,’ he resumed, ‘it seems our numbers are set to increase to one hundred and forty-eight as we speak. Wise has just informed me that Firestorm is approaching from the South.’

  ‘With Nolita?’ Pell asked, his eyebrows rising. He watched as Barnabas communicated the question to his dragon and received the reply.

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Nolita is with him. Is there any reason why she might not be?’

  Chapter Nineteen

  Surprises

  ‘What do you think, Husam?’ Tembo whispered. ‘Is it a rogue?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he replied, shaking his head slowly. ‘I can’t be sure. The villagers say it is, and the dragon doesn’t appear to have a rider. That’s good enough justification for hunting it. But I’ve got shivers running up and down my spine. Something’s wrong. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve lost my nerve.’

  The two dragonhunters huddled down behind the bushes again. Tembo took a long, careful look at his friend. Husam was showing no outward sign of fear, but he had always been good at concealing his feelings. His eyes were still their normal shade, which was a relief. Ever since the spirit creature that had possessed Husam was forced from his body at the Castle of Shadows, Tembo had worried that it might try to return. Where had it gone? Had it died when it was driven out of Husam? He hoped so, but something deep down in his gut told him it was still alive somewhere – hunting for a new body to possess.

  The night dragon they were currently stalking was a large male that was not showing much sign of intelligence. It had foolishly chosen to rest in a narrow box canyon, which had made the hunters’ job easy. The people in the nearby village claimed it had been eating their sheep and cows, but there were no eyewitnesses. All of the evidence was circumstantial. They claimed livestock had been disappearing both during the day and at night, which made Tembo suspicious. Night dragons rarely ate during the daytime and almost exclusively hunted by night. The only exception to this was when a night dragon hunted food for his rider, but Tembo could see no evidence of a rider, so that seemed unlikely in this case.

  ‘Shall we leave?’ he asked softly. ‘Say the word and we’ll go.’

  ‘Yes . . . no . . . I don’t know!’ Husam replied, a tormented look in his eyes. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I think there is something very strange going on here,’ Tembo whispered, giving a noncommittal shrug. ‘The villagers’ claims don’t add up, but I see no reason why we shouldn’t kill the dragon. They’re convinced it’s a rogue. No one will question the hunt. My thought is that we need to do this, Husam. We’ve already spent nearly all the money we got from selling the spare horses on the new dragonbone weapons. If we don’t make a kill soon, we’ll have to consider giving up hunting altogether and find a new trade.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Husam said, his resolve hardening. ‘We’ll do it. I never was much of a farmer. So, what’s the plan?’

  Tembo found it strange that Husam was asking him for instructions. Husam had been the natural leader until their visit to the Castle of Shadows. This change of roles was a measure of how deeply his friend had been affected by this recent experience. Tembo thought for a moment. The bodies of night dragons were so heavily armoured that it was impossible to guarantee a mortal wound, even with dragonbone weapons. The most vulnerable area was the torso area just beneath where the wing attached to its body, so their best chance was to attack from the side and strike there, then the dragon would not be able to fly away, and finishing the beast off would become relatively easy.

  A sudden keening sound made Tembo plug his ears with his fingers. The noise was coming from the dragon, but it was unlike anything the big hunter had ever heard before. Keeping his fingers in his ears, he peered around the bushes. What was the creature doing? It had its head tipped upwards like a dog that was howling at the moon, but the dragon’s cry was far more piercing than that of any dog.

  Tembo turned to Husam. ‘Let’s do it now,’ he urged. ‘It’s distracted. Try to hit the body near the wing root, then find cover as quick as you can.’

  Husam nodded, sucked in a deep breath and got to his feet. With a spear in each hand, the two hunters sprang forwards, sprinting around the bushes. The dragon had nowhere to hide. As one, Husam and Tembo drew back their right arms in readiness to throw. But, just as quickly, they both froze in their tracks as the dragon’s keening cut off abruptly and it fixed them with a glittering stare.

  There was something about the dragon’s eyes that held them – a power. They were not mismatched like Husam’s had been when the joining had possessed him, but there was something strange about them. Without warning, the dragon opened its mouth and belched a roaring sheet of fire towards them. The flames burned whiter and hotter than the orange flame of a day dragon. Despite their distance from the beast, a wave of heat raced ahead of the flames that took their breath away. The two dragonhunters did not hesitate. They dropped their weapons, turned, and ran faster than they had ever run before. They passed the bushes where they had hidden, but didn’t stop running until they had left the canyon and were hidden deep in the woods beyond.

  When they finally paused to rest, Husam looked at Tembo with fear in his eyes. ‘What was that?’ He panted.

  ‘That was the end,’ Tembo replied, his huge chest heaving as he tried to control his breathing. ‘Rogue, or not, I’m not hunting a night dragon that can breathe fire. I’ve never heard of such a creature. Even before the flames came out of its mouth I was scared witless.’

  ‘Me too! There was something horribly wrong with that dragon. It reminded me of Kasau. Can a dragon be possessed?’

  ‘I don’t know and I don’t want to find out,’ Tembo said, shaking his head. ‘The villagers only told me the dragon’s rider died in an accident, and that it has been terrorising this area ever since. They refused to tell me anything about the rider’s death, but I think now that I should have pressed them about it.’

  ‘We should have quit after the castle,’ Husam declared, thumping his right fist into his left palm. ‘Hunting dragons never used to be like this. They’re changing – becoming more dangerous than ever. First day and night dragons start working together and now they’re beginning to share abilities that have always been unique to each type.’

  ‘Well, let’s be glad we’re still alive to quit now,’ Tembo replied. He bent forwards, placed his hands on his thighs, hawked and spat. ‘I’ve got the distinct feeling that if we’d thrown our spears, we’d be dead now.’

  ‘Did it talk to you?’

  ‘No. You?’

  ‘No,’ Husam said, shaking his head. ‘But, like you, I feel as though I’ve had a lucky escape. Where should we go?’

  ‘Anywhere that’s as far away from here as possible!’

  ‘I’m with you all the way.’

  ‘Look, Nolita. Do you see it? We’re nearly there.’

  Nolita opened her eyes and squinted in the bright sunlight. It took a few heartbeats for her to find focus but, when she did, her stomach tightened with excitement. Fire was right. She could see the two volcanoes ahead. They were approaching the day dragon enclave.

  ‘I see it,’ she replied aloud. ‘Thanks, Fire.’

  For much of the past five days she had flown with her eyes closed, counting Fire’s wingbeats – over twenty thousand of them each day. The counting helped to calm her after the trauma she faced each
time she had to mount up. It was difficult to believe that her ordeal was nearly over.

  Firestorm stopped beating his wings and began to glide in a gentle descent towards the entrance to the enclave. Although the mountains were still several leagues ahead, the way into the enclave was already visible. Would Barnabas be waiting for her like the last time she visited? She doubted it. He had no reason to expect her this time.

  ‘Shadow is already there!’

  They were still some distance from the entrance when Firestorm made his surprise announcement. Nolita’s chest tightened as she absorbed the news. Her thoughts fluctuated wildly. She was overjoyed at the discovery that Shadow and Pell had somehow escaped the two night dragons but, equally, she was boiling with anger because they had not come and found her afterwards. By the time they landed, she had settled on being angry.

  Pell and Barnabas were waiting for her in the entrance cavern as Firestorm landed. Nolita wasted no time. She slid down Fire’s side and strode across the short distance to where the two men were waiting.

  ‘Nolita, you’ve no idea how glad I am to—’

  Pell did not get a chance to finish his sentence. Nolita slapped him across the face so hard that the sound of the impact echoed around the cavern.

  ‘That’s for leaving me, and this . . .’ she pulled her hand back to hit him again, but Pell was too quick. He caught her wrist before she had a chance to land another smack and he pulled her into a hug that left her more confused than ever.

  ‘It’s good to see you alive,’ he said softly. ‘I thought you were dead for sure.’

  He released her from the forced hug and stepped back quickly out of range from her quick hands. Nolita was stunned by Pell’s embrace. Was his concern genuine?

  ‘It is,’ Fire told her. ‘Shadow is similarly pleased to meet us here. It seems they tried to find us, but when they couldn’t, they decided to risk continuing with the plan in the hope of finding us. It was a brave decision for a night dragon and her rider to make. Approaching the day dragon enclave alone could not have been easy.’

  Barnabas smiled, bemused by the strange greeting between the two questors. ‘Welcome back to the enclave, Nolita,’ he said, stepping forwards and kissing her gently on the cheek. ‘It’s a pleasure to see you again. Pell has not been here long, but he’s told me a little of your adventures. You must be hungry after your long flight. Come. Follow us. We were just sitting down to some food when Wise told me of your approach.’

  ‘Did Pell tell you that Segun is gathering the night dragons to blockade the Oracle’s cave?’ she asked.

  ‘He did,’ Barnabas confirmed. ‘Don’t worry, Nolita. Your brave journey will not be in vain. The day dragons will do all they can to help.’

  Chapter Twenty

  The Red Baron

  Elian stomped across the room and sat down with a thump on a wooden chair. He stared out of the window into the foggy murk outside, the gloomy weather reflecting his mood.

  ‘This can’t go on,’ he snapped at Kira. ‘We’ve been here two weeks already and who knows how much longer Jack’s mission is going to take! If it weren’t for Aurora’s ability to control the return gateway and get us back to Areth moments after we left, the Oracle would be dead by now.’

  Kira looked at his grumpy expression. She empathised with his frustration. Indeed she shared it, but at least she had been spared the worst by spending most of her time flying, rather than cooped up waiting.

  Even though his leg was barely troubling him now, Elian could not go flying with her. Fang was finding the extra weight of Jack tiring enough. He could not take Elian as well. Kira did not know what to do to speed things up. They had tried using the Orb of Vision to locate their target, but when she looked into the glowing globe, Kira had problems controlling what she saw. It felt almost as if the Orb had a mind of its own and whisked her sight to places that had no bearing on their present situation. After several attempts, they had wrapped it in a cloth and left it with Elian for safe keeping each day.

  ‘We’ll have to persuade Jack to tell us what he knows. You and Fang have done your bit.’ Elian ranted, looking to Kira for agreement.

  But Kira was saved from having to placate Elian by Jack bursting through the door.

  ‘He’s back!’ Jack announced excitedly. ‘The Boss just gave me these reports. The Baron shot down two of our chaps – one just southwest of Bois de Hamel and the other over Vellers Brettoneux. The Boss thinks von Richthofen and his circus are flying out of Cappy, which fits with the other intelligence we’ve had.’

  ‘Have you looked outside?’ Elian said sourly. ‘You won’t be going anywhere in this.’

  ‘The fog should burn off quickly,’ Jack replied, not allowing the weather to dim his enthusiasm. ‘The boys from 209 Squadron are planning to launch three flights into that sector in about an hour. If they draw the Baron’s Circus across the lines we might get our chance to take him down in our territory.’

  Kira saw Elian’s eyes brighten as he began to catch Jack’s excitement. The airman was already dressed in his flying gear, with his leather skullcap tucked under his left arm and his rifle slung over his right shoulder. After two weeks of scouring the skies over France for the elusive red triplane, it felt good to have a positive lead. During that time there had been much debate on how they could down the Red Baron’s machine without killing him in the process. Fang still refused to grab his fragile flying machine, as he was convinced that there was nothing solid enough in its construction for him to gain a good hold on. There was some talk of mounting a machine gun on Fang’s back, but this proved too difficult. There was no safe way of securing it and it was far too heavy to hold, so, in the end, it was decided that their best chance of success was to damage his engine.

  Jack had insisted that he could use his rifle to take out the engine. ‘I’ve always been a crack shot and these Lee-Enfields are really accurate weapons. I used to take out rabbits with my father’s twelve-bore when I was a lad working on the farm. If you get me in close, putting a bullet or two through von Richthofen’s engine should be easy – unless he sees us coming. It’ll get trickier if he starts manoeuvring hard,’ he had explained to Elian and Kira.

  ‘It’s not as big as those other weapons you showed us, but it still looks heavy,’ Kira had observed. ‘Are you sure you’ll be able to hold it steady in flight?’

  But Jack had thought of that too. The rifle had a sling attached that, when looped around his arm, helped to hold it steady against his shoulder.

  In preparation, Kira and Fang had allowed Jack to try out his tactic on an unsuspecting enemy triplane. They had slipped up behind the enemy aircraft and positioned themselves below and slightly offset to the right. Apparently this made it easier for Jack to hold a steady aim with his right-handed stance. True to his word, Jack had put bullet after bullet into the machine’s engine. It took three hits before the first signs of smoke appeared, but Jack fired twice more for good measure. Fang confirmed each hit, but the bullets were so small and fast that they were invisible to Kira’s eyes.

  Even though the wind rush took some of the sound away, and the pilot’s leather headgear she wore dulled it further, the crack of the rifle firing just behind Kira’s head had caused her to jump with each shot. She hated the noise and did not know how Jack could absorb the brutal recoil of the weapon without appearing in any danger of toppling over Fang’s side. He had let her try firing a shot on the ground and her shoulder had hurt for days afterwards.

  Because of the thoughtful planning, they were ready and waiting to deal with the Baron and not wanting to waste any more time, now that they seemed to have him in their sights, Kira grabbed her jacket from the peg on the back of the door and struggled into it. Elian’s jealousy of her activity was almost palpable, but she did her best to maintain a businesslike bustle and ignore it. Grabbing the leather headgear that Jack had given her, she gave Elian a nod and a weak smile before turning for the door.

  ‘Be careful,’ Elian called
after her.

  ‘I’m always careful,’ Kira called back. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll see you later.’

  Kira and Jack walked to the wood in silence. The swirling fog seemed to heighten their anticipation. Aurora was curled up asleep. Despite the murky conditions between the trees, she looked more golden than ever. Resting for the past two weeks seemed to have intensified her colour.

  Fang was ready to go, but they had to wait for more than an hour before the spring sunshine thinned the fog enough for him to take off. Kira checked and rechecked the straps on her saddle and pored again over Jack’s map. She had memorised many of the key place names on it now. During the past two weeks they had flown across the territory so frequently that she could relate the lines and dots on the map to what the places looked like from the air. Jack had named the places as they flew over them.

  Visibility was still poor as Fang began his run across the field, but he reassured Kira that it was safe to get airborne. The sun was a pale-yellow disk in the gloomy sky overhead, and he was content that the fog was definitely going to clear enough for him to land again when he needed to.

  Once airborne, they broke through the thinning fog within seconds and the remaining fog was patchy, with clear sky above. The air was fresh, but not cold. Kira felt great with the sun on her face. They climbed rapidly, turning towards the River Somme and straining their eyes for signs of flying machines.

  Jack was first to see them.

  ‘Look!’ Jack tapped her shoulder and pointed to the northeast, shouting to be heard over the wind rush. ‘There. Over Cerisy. I think they’re some of our boys, but I can’t be sure.’

  ‘Fang?’ Kira questioned.

  ‘Jack is right,’ he confirmed. ‘There are two of them. They look like the type of machines he calls “RE8s”. But I can also see another much larger group of machines approaching them from further east. Nine altogether. They’re of the triple wing variety we’re looking for. And I think one of them is red.’