The Girl with the Dragon Heart

by Stephanie Burgis

  Three balls of wickedly sparkling golden light slipped between the slowly opening doors and hovered in mid-air ten feet in front of them, turning and bobbing in place.

  I had to clench my teeth together to stop them from chattering. I’d wanted to meet the creatures who had stolen my parents? Well, here they were. Exactly the way I’d remembered them!

  A scream rose up through my chest, but I pressed my lips together, swallowing it back down with grim determination. I would not let them win.

  How could I remember these golden nightmares more vividly than I remembered my own parents?

  Dozens more lights followed the first three through the gap and clustered together in a tumbling, shifting group.

  Gasps of wonder echoed around the room.

  I remembered feeling that wonder, once. That night in the darkness of the Elfenwald forest, I’d laughed and reached out to those lovely, beckoning lights even as the adults’ voices grew angrier and more frightened, until …

  I set my jaw hard, yanking my gaze away from them. My beautiful, expensive skirts were crumpling in my grip.

  I wouldn’t show them any fear. I would not.

  Beyond the lights, through the slowly widening gap between the doors, I saw a deep-green darkness where there should have been a large, airy waiting room full of sunlight.

  I knew that darkness in my bones, just as I knew the kinds of trees that rustled within it, even though it had been six years since I’d last seen them.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  A high, fluted melody sounded in the distance. The golden lights shot forward in a shimmering cloud, weaving in and out among the crowd, as courtiers turned round to watch them go.

  The massive doors flew open with a crash that sent the big, muscled palace footmen stumbling out of the way.

  Light flared from the open doorway, blinding me. Something brushed against the back of my head. I jumped, twisted round – and threw my hands up in self-protection. ‘Ahh!’

  Silver, diamonds, rubies and more showered from the painted ceiling in a glittering cascade of necklaces, chains, circlets, rings and bracelets.

  ‘It’s a miracle!’ Lena gasped beside me. ‘How –?’

  ‘Who cares how?’ Anja demanded, lunging forward. ‘Just catch them, for goodness’ sake!’

  It was a fortune beyond imagination, a dragon’s hoard of jewellery and precious gems falling through the air around us. As the first shock passed, Drachenburg’s highest nobility turned into a mob of unruly children, leaping and knocking into one another as they each sought to grab the sparkliest, shiniest pieces for themselves.

  It was overwhelming. It was chaos. In the midst of it all, in the corner of my vision, I thought I glimpsed something hurrying past, a blur of red low to the ground … but before I could even blink to focus, a middle-aged nobleman leaped between me and whatever-it-was in pursuit of a ruby choker.

  Beside me, Lena and Anja giggled helplessly as they spun around in dizzy circles, grabbing out for everything they could catch. Ulrike’s eyes narrowed with concentration as she snatched one piece after another from the air with grim accuracy. But Sofia stood still, her hands clenched by her sides, watching it all with an unreadable expression.

  Even the smallest of those bracelets could have paid for months of food and firewood for both me and Dieter. If I caught fifteen or twenty …

  A silver and sapphire necklace landed on my shoulder. I lurched back, shaking it off as if it were a venomous snake.

  I didn’t want any shining fairy promises.

  Not after last time.

  ‘Our friends!’ A woman’s voice rang out through the hall.

  I hadn’t even heard the fairies coming.

  Suddenly, the open doorway was full of more than a dozen people dressed in magnificent, multicoloured, brocaded robes and elaborate, exotic hairstyles – and every one of them glowed as if they had internal fires rising from deep within their bodies.

  It was astonishing. It was so eerie, it made the skin all over my body prickle. It was magic, inhuman and unmistakeable in the midst of our cheerful, brightly painted great hall.

  They were so full of magic it was spilling out through their skin. No wonder they didn’t mind living underground! They must see in the dark better than cats.

  And all these years my parents had been trapped beneath the ground with these glowing people-lamps as their captors.

  ‘Our dear friends.’ The tall and shining woman in their centre stepped towards us, smiling and holding out her hands as if she were the hostess here, not Princess Katrin.

  If she hadn’t been holding my parents prisoner, I might have found the fairy queen beautiful. Her deep auburn hair was drawn up into a sparkling black net above her long, pale throat. As she glided forward to meet our royals, her black and purple robes swished in graceful folds around her, golden embroidery glimmering in their edges. The whites of her eyes sent off sparks like diamonds in the sun, and her lips curled into a strangely familiar smile.

  Oh! I sucked in a breath. I knew that smile.

  It was the expression every sleek, prowling street cat in Drachenburg wore when they caught hold of a fat mouse’s tail. It was their look of anticipation as they pre-pared to play with a new victim – but only until they grew bored enough to pounce in for the kill.

  ‘Your Majesties.’ The crown princess stepped forward to meet her counterpart, and the whole room bustled into action.

  Finally.

  Along with every other human girl and woman, I swept out my skirts and sank into a deep, respectful curtsey. I’d practised my curtseys so much over the last several days that I didn’t even need to glance down to keep my feet from tangling in my petticoats.

  My proper mission was beginning at last.

  ‘Queen Clothilde,’ the crown princess said. ‘King Casimir.’ She nodded to the tall, lean man who stood behind the queen, glowing and elegant, with long, loose waves of jet-black hair falling around his light brown cheeks. ‘Prince Franz and Prince Ludolph.’ She nodded graciously to two teenaged boys who lounged casually beside their father, looking like desperately bored, glowing statues with sharper-than-usual cheekbones. ‘We welcome our honoured visitors to Drachenburg. May this be the first of many such visits.’

  ‘Indeed.’ While her husband inclined his head with an enigmatic smile, Queen Clothilde took a quick stride forward, waving one pale hand to indicate the room. ‘We do hope you will all accept these paltry, insignificant little tokens of our appreciation for your kind hospitality.’

  Her gaze rested on a nearby courtier, who was clutching a pile of priceless fairy jewellery against his chest. Her smile deepened. ‘This is, of course, only the tiniest fraction of the rewards any allies of our kingdom may expect to receive in the future.’

  A sigh of wonder rippled across the room.

  The crown princess’s eyebrows rose infinitesimally.

  My teeth set together.

  Don’t listen to her! I tried to beam the message across to my royal employer. She’s trying to bribe you. But for what?

  Princess Katrin’s tone was serene, even as her courtiers rustled and whispered with excitement. ‘We certainly hope to come to an agreement that will benefit us both.’

  ‘Of course, of course. Why, I’m certain your little kingdom has many advantages – at least, to one who knows how to make proper use of them.’ The fairy queen’s smirk made my spine prickle up and down in warning. ‘But as charming as this little reception is …’ She turned pointedly to look across the gathered nobility of Drachenburg in all their splendour. Then she let out a theatrically disappointed sigh. ‘I must confess, this isn’t quite what we were hoping to see when we arrived.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Princess Katrin’s narrow eyebrows rose, her expression chilling. ‘Is there something in particu-lar you were expecting from us, Queen Clothilde?’

  The fairy queen’s voice was as sweet as an over-sugared chocolate fancy. ‘Well, naturally we were expecting to me
et your famous dragons. Haven’t you been bragging insufferably about them to the world? Or was that fabled alliance only another lie, just like so many other past human pronouncements?’

  ‘A lie? What? Bragging?’ King Leopold’s face reddened as he stepped up to his eldest daughter’s side. ‘I don’t know what you mean by that remark, Your Majesty, but whatever rumours have been flying about underground, I can tell you –’

  Snap! The fairy queen clicked her long, elegant fingers together. Emerald-green smoke puffed above her white, glowing palm … and an all-too-familiar piece of paper appeared above it.

  King Leopold stumbled to a halt, eyes widening.

  ‘You see?’ Queen Clothilde waved the handbill triumphantly.

  Its headline stood out in unmistakeable, giant print:

  CHOCOLATE SO SWEET, IT BROKERED A BRILLIANT TREATY.

  Oops.

  ‘We know everything!’ she declared.

  The fairy king nodded gently.

  The two fairy princes smirked.

  Sofia looked positively murderous.

  Oh, mud! I swallowed a groan as the crown princess turned to give me a meaningful look.

  At least now I knew that someone had been reading my handbills!

  CHAPTER 10

  ‘Well?’ the fairy queen demanded. ‘Where are your famous dragons then? Hiding in the cupboards perhaps? Or …’ she arched one glittering auburn eyebrow, ‘have they somehow turned invisible?’

  Her sons both sniggered.

  King Leopold’s broad pink face turned even pinker with outrage. ‘We don’t keep them as pets about the palace, y’know!’

  Oh, ouch. Thank goodness the chocolate kitchen was well out of earshot! If Aventurine had overheard that line …

  ‘Ahem.’ Princess Katrin cleared her throat. ‘I’m afraid our respected allies have other commitments this week, so, regretfully, they cannot share in the pleasure of your visit.’

  Ha. That was definitely royal-speak for: ‘I am far too clever to invite a bunch of fire-breathing dragons to a delicate diplomatic event!’

  ‘Hmm.’ Queen Clothilde narrowed her eyes. ‘“Respected allies”, you say? And yet, in all of our long history, there has never been any instance of those feral beasts forming political alliances with anyone.’

  Behind her, her husband spoke for the first time, his voice deep and gentle. ‘You must understand,’ he murmured, ‘that truth is extremely important to our people.’

  ‘Of course.’ Princess Katrin smiled graciously. ‘And now –’

  Queen Clothilde spoke over her, snapping out the words like bullets. ‘We could never enter into an alliance with any rulers who lie to us. Ever!’

  Sofia’s face scrunched into a scowl of pure fury.

  Her older sister gave the fairy queen a long, meaningful look. When Princess Katrin finally spoke, her voice was perfectly measured. ‘I am certain,’ she said, ‘that lies will not be a problem … on either side of our negotiations.’

  She turned to her sister. As if by magic, Sofia’s scowl disappeared, replaced by a forced smile.

  The crown princess smiled back at her approvingly. ‘Let us lead our honoured guests to their banquet now, to refresh them after their long journey. But perhaps …’ Katrin tilted her head, as if suddenly struck by a new idea, ‘you might send one of your ladies-in-waiting to order up chocolate for us to enjoy in my private parlour afterwards?’

  Aha. Even Sofia couldn’t pretend to misunderstand which lady-in-waiting her sister meant for that task – and even Sofia didn’t dare disobey the crown princess in public.

  Sighing, the younger princess turned to me and nodded.

  I curtseyed and ducked my head submissively – nothing to see here, oh no, nothing suspicious at all – as I hurried away through the crowd of jostling courtiers, leaving the fairies and their sinister golden sentinels safely behind me.

  Phew.

  The smell of cooking chocolate a few minutes later, as I slipped through a hidden panel into the servants’ corridor closest to Marina’s kitchen, eased the tension in my shoulders even more. As I followed that rich, delicious scent, my feet moved faster and faster of their own accord, until I had to lift my skirts to an unladylike height just to keep from tumbling down that narrow staircase that led to chocolate, safety and …

  No! I lurched to a halt just outside the kitchen. I certainly wasn’t running home. It wasn’t that and never would be.

  But ohhh, it smelt so wonderful anyway! It was exactly what I needed most right then – and, unlike the previous night, I didn’t even have to try to resist it. Letting out all of my held breath in a whoosh, I dropped my rich, burgundy silk skirts, pushed the door fully open and swept like a queen into a completely different world.

  Scented steam billowed through the whitewashed kitchen and surrounded me like a full-body hug. This room was only half the size of the Chocolate Heart’s kitchen, but the familiar rattle of roasting cocoa beans sounded from the big fireplace at one end, and two heated braziers stood against the walls, along with two long counters, a big black oven, a sink and, best of all, three beloved figures who turned to face me as I stepped inside.

  ‘Look who’s here!’ Horst leaned back against the bare wall, holding a gold-enamelled cup I’d never seen before. His quiet smile lit up his face, more warming to my heart than any fire. ‘We’ve been waiting for you to stop by.’

  ‘Well, well, well. If it isn’t the royal princess herself, come to visit the little people on her rounds.’ Marina’s mouth quirked into a smile she couldn’t quite hide as she poured an enticingly creamy, chocolatey mixture into one of the pie moulds that sat on her counter. ‘Isn’t our kitchen a bit common for a fine lady like yourself, madam?’

  ‘Oh no,’ said Aventurine, who was grinding down a sugar loaf at the far counter. ‘She can’t be a princess.’ As she met my gaze across the room, her fierce golden eyes crinkled with amusement. ‘Just look at her head,’ she told the others. ‘No crown.’

  ‘Ohh!’ Laughing, I mince-walked across the room as quickly as my skirts would let me. ‘I missed you all so much!’

  ‘Oof!’ Aventurine let out a grunt as I grabbed her from behind for a tight hug. ‘Careful of the sugar!’

  ‘As if you’d ever let it fall.’ Rolling my eyes, I released her and turned round to inspect everything. ‘But where are all of your cups?’

  The walls of the kitchen back in the Chocolate Heart were always covered with bright, colourful porcelain cups, and I knew and loved every one of them.

  ‘Nowhere to put them.’ Sighing, Marina waved at the bare white walls. ‘They’ve stuck all their own cutlery in what they’re calling “the chocolate room” next door. Silly things, those so-called cups.’ She shook her head. ‘They barely hold a thimbleful of hot chocolate each. All the same …’ She reached over to hook a bright copper kettle off the closest stovetop. ‘See what you think. I’ve been tweaking my recipe for the royals.’

  ‘Here.’ I’d barely noticed Horst disappearing through the connecting door, but now he returned with another lovely, fragile-looking gold-and-white cup in a silver holder. ‘I’ll see if I can find a chair for you to sit in while we chat, Silke.’

  Yearning stabbed through me despite myself as I looked around at their expectant faces. It would be so easy just to settle in and –

  No. I wasn’t working for them any more.

  ‘I can’t,’ I said regretfully. ‘I have to get back to the princesses and the welcome banquet. I’m only here to order up the royals’ chocolate … oh, and to pass on a message, too. An important one.’ I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was coming.

  Dragons were notoriously bad at listening to good advice. So if I didn’t approach this in exactly the right way …

  ‘Hmmph,’ said Marina. ‘You can stay long enough to try one of my new hot chocolates at least. You don’t want me sending something rotten to the royal visitors, do you?’ She raised her eyebrows at me as she frothed the brass kettle of hot
chocolate, rubbing the long wooden molinet briskly between her big, calloused palms. ‘Besides, you look as if you need it. Haven’t they bothered to find you a bed anywhere in this big palace? You look as if you haven’t slept in a week.’

  I shrugged uncomfortably, swallowing the yawn that wanted to rise up and split my head at the reminder. ‘I’ve been busy,’ I told her. ‘I haven’t had time to sleep.’

  ‘Huh.’ Marina’s grunt reeked of scepticism as she poured out the steaming chocolate from the kettle.

  She pushed the cup into my hands, and warmth shot up my arms. The scent of sweet, rich chocolate rose up through the air, dizzyingly delicious.

  ‘Well …’ I took a deep breath and almost moaned with longing. ‘Maybe I could stay just for a moment?’

  ‘Of course you can.’ Marina gave me a stern look as I lifted the cup to my lips, and Horst gently nudged a chair into place behind me. ‘I expect you to finish every drop before you go, young lady. You can tell your new employers that you were busy giving us all sorts of irritating instructions. I take it the fairies have arrived and want some chocolate?’

  ‘Mmm.’ I closed my eyes in bliss as I sank down on to the chair and swallowed a long, luscious sip of liquid chocolate.

  I had no idea what Marina had done to the recipe, but the usual flare of heat had been toned down somehow, replaced by an extra roundness to the taste, as if a whole new layer had been added to the chocolate’s story.

  ‘This is amazing.’

  ‘It would be even better if you’d kept all the usual chilli in it,’ Aventurine said, still bent over the sugar loaf. ‘I don’t see why you had to take any out just because you were adding the other ingredients.’

  Marina shook her head as she opened the oven door. ‘For all we know, those fairies might never have tasted any spices from abroad, since they’ve been lurking underground for over a century.’ She slid the last of the pies into the oven and stood up, closing the oven door with a firm thunk. ‘Believe it or not, girl, not everyone likes the taste of flame as much as a dragon!’

  Aha. I lowered my cup as nerves raced up my spine. ‘That’s what I was sent here to talk about.’