by Katie Tsang
The dragons strode forward, the children on their backs, and they emerged from the cavern and into the Dragon Realm.
Billy gazed out at the new world in front of him. In a dusty red sky three full moons sat above an oval sun. Even in the harsh daylight, millions of stars winked at them. Islands hovered in the air like giant clouds, exposed roots dangling beneath as if they’d been plucked from the earth. Below the plateau they stood on, rivers flowed between the mountains like serpents.
Everything in sight looked as if it had been scorched by fire. Despite the flowing rivers, there was almost no plant life, except for one type of tree with green leaves and pink flowers that dotted the landscape.
Spark slowly approached the edge of the plateau. ‘Things look far worse than I expected,’ she said, her eyes narrow. ‘This land was lush and dotted with fruit when we left the Dragon Realm over a hundred years ago.’
Billy felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it wasn’t this. Were they really the ones to stop whatever had caused all this devastation? His elation at defeating the tiger and riding Spark faded as he realized the magnitude of what he and his friends were taking on – and how unprepared the dragons suddenly seemed to be. He couldn’t let himself follow that train of thought, otherwise he’d run straight back home.
‘Hey, look! At least there’s still fruit growing here,’ said Dylan, distracting Billy from his thoughts. Dylan hopped off Buttons’s back and plucked a round, fuzzy fruit from a nearby tree. Then he held it further away from him, and looked up nervously. ‘This isn’t going to explode or anything, is it?’
‘It looks like a peach,’ said Charlotte, coming up behind him. ‘I should know, being from the peach state and all. I doubt it will explode.’
Dylan shrugged. ‘I also doubted the existence of dragons, and here we are. Besides, surely there aren’t things as normal as peaches in the Dragon Realm?’
‘I like how you think, Dylan,’ said Buttons. ‘You are right that things in our realm are not always what they seem. These fruits are one of those things. You see, peaches are very special in the Dragon Realm. Once every few thousand years, a peach will grow that grants the one who eats it immortality.’
Dylan eyed the ripe peach in his hand. ‘You mean, one of these could make me immortal?’
Buttons gave Dylan a smile. ‘Well, it could,’ he said as he reached out his paw and slapped it from Dylan’s hand. The peach popped up into the air and fell right into Buttons’s open mouth. ‘Or it could be just another ordinary peach. Hard to tell.’
‘Cool,’ said Dylan, plucking more peaches from the branches and taking a bite from each one. ‘I love peaches. Maybe one of these is a peach of immortality!’
‘Enough,’ said Tank, his voice harsh. ‘We must focus.’
‘Sorry,’ said Dylan, his face red and his mouth still full. He plucked a few more peaches from the tree and stuffed them into his bag, before getting on Buttons’s back again.
‘There will be plenty of time for peaches,’ said Buttons. ‘The trees grow everywhere in the Dragon Realm. And, unlike the peach trees in your realm, these ones are almost indestructible.’
‘It must be why they are the only things that have survived… whatever happened here,’ said Spark, her voice serious. ‘The Dragon of Death’s followers, the Noxious, must be using dark magic to bring their leader back. It would explain why everything we see is dead or dying.’
‘I fear you are right,’ said Xing. ‘A very dark magic has taken over our land. The nox-wings must have grown more powerful in our absence. I worry that our clan might be in danger.’
‘What exactly is dark magic?’ asked Ling-Fei.
Spark turned to face the children. ‘Everything in our universe is made of energy. Each of us standing here on this plateau. The plants in your forests, the fish in your seas. The moon and the stars you see in the sky. Everything. It is this energy that makes each of us special. It makes us who we are. It is the source of your inner powers; the source of your inspiration.’ Spark gazed back towards the scorched earth below. ‘It is a sacred and powerful energy, and it can be taken to create a dark and powerful magic.’
A chill passed through Billy as he imagined what it would be like to have his energy taken from him. He felt as if he was being hollowed out from the inside. He tried to gasp for air, but nothing came.
‘Billy,’ said Spark, interrupting his thoughts. She nuzzled Billy gently on the cheek and Billy turned to look at her.
She didn’t speak, but Billy heard Spark’s voice in his head. Do not fear, Billy.
The chill loosened its grip. He could feel Spark’s strength and determination through their bond, and he felt comforted. He smiled at her. How am I hearing your voice? he thought.
Spark returned his smile and Billy heard her voice in his head again. Every bond is unique, and it seems that we share an inner voice. When we are close, we can share our thoughts. I sensed it when we first bonded, but here in the Dragon Realm our connection is stronger.
I’m glad we’re in this together, Billy thought back, filled with relief that, no matter what happened, he’d have his dragon by his side.
‘Billy,’ said Charlotte, concern on her face. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I think so,’ Billy replied. ‘This is all a bit overwhelming, you know?’
Charlotte nodded.
‘The Dragon of Death and the Noxious are strong and this is a whole new world for you. It makes sense that you feel uncertain,’ said Spark. ‘But take comfort in knowing that we are stronger. We have our bonds and we have the pearls – we will win this fight.’
‘Spark is right,’ said Tank. ‘We are strong. Our bonds will overpower the evil that has consumed this land. We will defeat the Noxious. Our clan’s lair is about a day’s journey away. Let us fly there and tell Dimitrius and the others that we have returned.’
Tank dashed to the edge of the plateau and dived out of sight. Xing and Buttons followed, Dylan shouting as they did. Billy swallowed. This was it. This was his first time flying. Hold on, Billy, Spark thought and she took off into the air. Wind whipped through Billy’s hair and adrenaline pumped through his veins. He had never felt more alive.
* * *
They flew for hours, staying in tight formation. Billy scanned the land as they travelled, his muscles tense and his eyes alert. Whatever had caused so much widespread destruction had to be incredibly strong. He knew how serious the situation was, and he wanted to prove the dragons right – that he, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei were the ones to save both their worlds. Every now and then, pebbles and dirt rained down from the underside of an island floating above them. The landscape beneath them stayed the same, with rivers flowing through ravaged desert ravines and tufts of peach trees dotting the land.
As they flew, Billy practised communicating with Spark using only his thoughts, sharing some openly and keeping others to himself. He found that flying with Spark was a joint effort. He felt the bond as if it was part of him, and through it he could feel the movements of Spark’s wings as if they were his own. The closest feeling he’d ever had to it was when he was surfing, flying on the waves. But this, real flying, this was so much better.
As the sun started to set and darkness crept up on them, the three full moons climbed high in the sky amongst millions of twinkling stars that seemed to wander like fireflies. It was the most beautiful sky Billy had ever seen. As the group flew round a sharp river bend, Tank called out, ‘We are almost there. Everyone stay alert.’ Ahead Billy saw a large mountain, almost as large as Dragon Mountain. They flew towards the side of it and swooped into the mouth of a cave that seemed to appear from nowhere.
‘It shouldn’t be so quiet,’ said Spark, concern in her voice.
When his eyes had adjusted, the first thing Billy spotted was what looked to be a large hoard of dragon treasure. He gasped when he saw what it really was.
Bones. Hundreds and hundreds of bones. Billy had never seen dragon bones before,
but he suspected that these belonged to the dragons that they had come to find. He was suddenly filled with a deep sense of anguish, and he knew for sure that his suspicions were right.
Xing let out a screaming roar that echoed through the cavern.
‘We are too late,’ said Tank.
‘How… ?’ cried Buttons.
Xing flew round and round the pile of bones, her whole body trembling.
‘I had no idea,’ whispered Spark.
Billy felt an ache in his heart and tears pooled in his eyes. He could feel Spark’s loss and her agony. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, resting his hand on her side.
Spark hung her head. ‘This cannot be. I didn’t see any of this in my visions.’
‘Maybe we should get out of here before whatever did this… comes back,’ said Dylan anxiously, looking around.
‘We can’t give up!’ cried Charlotte. ‘If anything, this means we have to keep going. Right, Tank?’
‘Charlotte is right,’ said Tank. ‘We must find the nox-wings. And find out who is still alive. There must be survivors… somewhere.’ He turned his gaze to Xing. ‘Can you sense any magic nearby?’
Xing closed her eyes and her body thrummed. The others waited in silence as Xing focused her energy. A short moment passed before her eyes shot open. ‘There is a concentration of dark magic just north of here.’ She flew out of the cave with Ling-Fei and up towards the sky. ‘Follow me!’ she yelled to the others, who rushed to join her.
‘Look, there,’ cried Xing.
A red dome rose out of the horizon, its unnaturalness a stark contrast to the mountains stretching towards the sky. The dome was semi-transparent, with eight plumes of purple smoke rising from within it.
‘What is that?’ asked Billy. ‘It looks big enough to cover my whole neighbourhood back home!’ Something about the dome made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It looked as if it shouldn’t be there.
‘I do not know. It is new, and it reeks of dark magic,’ said Xing, wrinkling her snout. ‘It must be where the Noxious are.’
‘Then that is where we must go,’ said Spark.
A Surprising Reunion
Even from a distance, the red dome looked ominous. The group landed on a mountain a few miles away to see if they could figure out what was happening. For the first time since entering the Dragon Realm, Billy saw plants that weren’t peach trees. A dense forest of purple and black plant life surrounded the red dome.
‘Why have those plants around the red dome survived?’ asked Dylan. ‘Is that what all of the Dragon Realm used to look like?’
Spark shook her head. ‘Those horrific plants must be the by-products of the dark magic being used by the Noxious. Whatever they are doing beneath that dome, it is draining the rest of the Dragon Realm of its life and leaving bare what was once lush.’ She looked at the other dragons. ‘This is worse than what I have seen in my visions, and worse than what we suspected might have happened. This desolation, it is the work of dark magic, the work of the Dragon of Death acting somehow from the time in which she is imprisoned. I do not know how this is happening, but it must be stopped.’
‘I fear our clan is dead, or worse, having their life force sucked out of them to fuel this rampant dark magic,’ said Buttons.
For a moment, Billy again let himself imagine what it would be like to have his life force taken away, and was filled with the same empty, cold feeling.
Do not allow those thoughts, Spark told him. They will weaken you, and you must be strong. Stronger than you’ve ever had to be. We need your strength, Billy.
‘With this much dark magic, the Noxious could bring the Dragon of Death back,’ said Xing. ‘We cannot let that happen.’
Buttons turned to the children. ‘We thought we were asking you to join a war where we had an army, but it appears we are only four.’
‘Eight,’ said Charlotte in a loud, clear voice. ‘There are eight of us in this, not four.’
‘Charlotte’s right,’ Billy said, buoyed by Charlotte’s determination. ‘With us, you’re stronger, aren’t you? And we have powers too. We’re still with you.’
He felt Spark’s pride within him like a gentle glow.
‘We need a new plan,’ thundered Tank. ‘We do not have the time nor the luxury to mourn our lost friends. If anything, we owe it to them to do what they could not – to stop the dark magic that has poisoned our realm.’
‘We are greatly outnumbered,’ said Buttons. ‘And the nox-wings who did this are strong with dark magic.’
‘At least you – I mean, we – have the element of surprise, don’t we?’ said Dylan.
‘That is true,’ said Xing. ‘I propose we go straight to that wretched red dome and attack. They will not be expecting us. They won’t know we are strengthened by human bonds, and that our humans have powers.’
‘We can be your secret weapons!’ said Ling-Fei.
‘I had forgotten how hopeful humans could be,’ said Tank. ‘A stealth attack is a good start, but before we go to the red dome we need more information.’
‘Silence,’ said Xing. ‘Someone is approaching.’
A large dark shape emerged from behind a boulder. It was a new dragon, almost as large as Tank. It had dark orange scales and a monstrous head with huge horns sprouting out of it.
Billy tensed and gripped tighter to Spark. But, when he felt her relax, he relaxed with her. She must know this dragon. ‘Dimitrius! Old friend, you are alive!’ Buttons said, moving closer to the orange dragon. ‘I hope my human tongue approximation of your name suits? For our humans.’
‘I am indeed alive,’ said the orange dragon. ‘And yes, that is fine. Always so considerate of the humans. I must say I am surprised to see you four. And you have new names – Buttons, Spark, Xing, Tank.’
Dylan leaned in near Buttons’s ear and whispered loudly, ‘How does Dimitrius already know your names?’
‘Names are a core part of a dragon’s identity,’ replied Buttons. ‘We can always tell the name of a dragon who has bonded with a human. Our bonded names give off a strength that other dragons can sense as clear as the colours of the sky.’
‘Why, that is a cute human you have there, Buttons,’ said Dimitrius, a wry grin touching his lips. ‘A bit weak, if I had to judge. But you’ve always had a soft spot for humans.’
Billy felt Spark shift below him and sensed her growing wariness. Maybe Dimitrius wouldn’t be so eager to help in the way they’d hoped. ‘We’re sorry it took so long for us to get here,’ said Spark. ‘The Dragon of Death locked us in the mountain between the realms.’
‘Yes, I know about that,’ said Dimitrius.
‘And you did not… try to rescue us?’ said Buttons.
‘I am sure he did,’ said Tank. ‘But remember, four human hearts were needed to open the mountain to the realms.’
‘Yes,’ said Dimitrius. ‘And you are back now.’
Billy began to worry that maybe the dragons had been wrong to put so much faith in Dimitrius. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something off about him, something he didn’t like. He could sense Spark felt similarly.
‘We are, but I fear it is too late,’ said Spark. ‘Dimitrius, what has happened? We saw the cave and the horror that was left behind. Did any of the clan survive the nox-wing attack?’
Dimitrius stared at Spark for a long moment. And then he let out a sound so horrifying that it took Billy a moment to realize it was a laugh. ‘A lot has changed since you left, Spark.’ Dimitrius spat on the ground as if saying the name left a bad taste in his mouth. ‘My priorities have… changed.’
Electricity buzzed in the air around Spark. ‘What are you saying, Dimitrius? I saw a vision – the Dragon of Death is returning. The Noxious are growing in power. We must act quickly.’
Dimitrius stepped closer. ‘You are right. The Great One, or “the Dragon of Death”, as you call her, is returning. I realized after you left how wrong we had been. The Great One had offered us power, a
nd like fools we rejected it. I knew we had to bring her back. And that she would reward the nox-wings who could prove their loyalty.’ He turned a sharp eye on Spark and the other dragons. ‘I hope, of course, that you will join us.’
‘You’ve become a nox-wing!’ Buttons exclaimed, horrified.
‘We will never join the Dragon of Death,’ said Spark vehemently.
‘I thought you might say that,’ said Dimitrius. He stood on his hind legs, extending his body to its full length. He looked skywards, holding out a paw and turning it to the sky. He seemed to be concentrating intensely and his entire body quivered. Billy followed Dimitrius’s gaze and gasped. One of the stars in the sky was hurtling towards them.
‘Look out!’ Billy shouted as the star shot into Dimitrius’s open claws. Dimitrius lowered himself back to the ground, the star hovering above his right paw. ‘Serving the Great One has its… benefits,’ he said with a devilish smile.
The air hummed with tension. Spark and the other dragons shifted into protective stances.
‘Now, I am going to give you and your group one last chance. A choice. There will be a reckoning for those who have crossed the Great One. But for you, Spark, I think concessions can be made, given our unique history. Your group, the humans included, can join the Noxious. We grow in strength every day, while the rest of the realm weakens and loses its power. Once the Great One has returned, we will fulfil her vision and rule both the Dragon Realm and the Human Realm. The choice is simple. Choose wisely. But know that you will help me whether you want to or not. I think you would rather be on my side.’
This was not the battle that Billy had agreed to. Were they strong enough to face an entire army of evil dragons on their own? Could they win? Or had he joined the losing side in this war?
But he knew, no matter what, he would never fight alongside the Dragon of Death. He’d seen Spark’s vision on the ice wall. He would do everything he could to stop that from happening.
‘How could you do this to us, Dimitrius? We were friends,’ said Buttons. ‘We discovered all of the realm together. I helped you collect your first hoard of limestones. We took our first flight together.’