“Do you know where it is?” asked Billy.
“I do not know exactly where it is. There are various notes in my own record book — which I call my Dragon Diary — that could perhaps help me to find it, but I am afraid that unless I am invited by the dragons themselves, or the gem falls under threat, then I, for one, would not be so foolhardy as to go looking for it.”
“Might anyone else be able to find it?” said Beatrice.
“Without spending a great deal of time studying dragons, or without the information in my diary, I very much doubt it. But I think you have learned enough about the Society of Dragons for now. We have some rather more exciting things to do after lunch than talk about dragons. We are going to meet Jamal.”
After lunch, Dr. Drake and Emery met us at the front of his house.
“Is everyone ready to go?” asked Dr. Drake.
“Are you sure that it will be safe for Daniel?” asked Beatrice.
“I’m quite sure,” said Dr. Drake. “While Scorcher seems rather out of the ordinary, quite possibly as a result of the disease he was suffering from, Jamal is a perfectly normal young wyvern, and there is absolutely no danger of being hypnotised by him. The time will soon come when I must take him home to Africa. However, he is a playful fellow, and I think he will be quite glad of a visit. In any case, as he seems to be escaping from his compound quite a lot, I think it is a good idea if we all check up on him from time to time. It will give Darcy a break, anyway.”
I suddenly realised what Darcy’s mysterious disappearances had been about — he had been going to check up on Jamal all along.
Dr. Drake turned to Emery and said, “Have you got the ball?”
Emery showed it to him, and Dr. Drake then took an apple out of his pocket and cut it in half.
“Jamal is learning to fly,” he said. “He jumps and leaps and moves his wings about in order to exercise them. He is very well fed, which makes him friendly, and he also has a lair, which he protects at all costs. Now, it is a little-known fact that, while dragons love lettuce, they hate apples with a vengeance because they give them stomachaches. So, it naturally follows that Jamal will not want anything that smells of apple in his lair.”
And at that he took the cut piece of apple and rubbed it all over the leather ball.
“Your job today is to kick this ball past Jamal and into his lair. I don’t think you will be able to succeed. But since it’s a game, I need someone to go on Jamal’s team.”
This time Billy’s hand shot up a fraction of a second before Beatrice’s.
“All right, then,” said Dr. Drake.
We trooped through the forest and soon arrived at the fence, which I now knew to be protecting Jamal’s compound. It showed signs of having been repaired several times. Emery took us round through a dark clump of pines to a small gate.
Emery unlocked it, and we went through.
Almost as soon as we were inside, there was a rustling amongst the bushes and Jamal ran forwards to meet us. Then he bounded away, flapping his wings as though he were showing off.
“That’s right, Jamal,” said Dr. Drake with a laugh. “Lead the children to your lair.”
It wasn’t hard to find Jamal’s lair. There was a huge pile of bones outside, and I thought that Dr. Drake must have been keeping at least ten butchers in business with all the feeding he needed to do. Like Weasel’s den, Jamal’s lair was dug into the sand, but it was dug into a tall bank and it looked much more like a cave mouth than a simple hole.
“Now,” said Dr. Drake, “show Jamal the ball.”
Emery took the ball and showed it to Jamal. The dragon came over and sniffed it. He looked puzzled for a moment. Then he leapt back towards his lair and stood in the entrance, looking at us warily.
“Right,” said Dr. Drake as Emery placed the ball on the ground. “Billy, if you go and join Jamal and kick the ball away, he will realise that you want to help him. You other four — your goalmouth is between those two large pines over there.”
This was amazing. Dr. Drake was actually going to get us to play dragon football.
“Who’s going in our goal?” I said.
“I will,” said Alicia. “I’m afraid I’m not very good at kicking balls.”
But she had hardly started back for the two trees, when Billy came running towards her and kicked the ball into our goal.
“Easy!” he said.
Alicia trudged through the undergrowth, fetched the ball and threw it back into the middle, where it landed near Billy’s feet.
“We haven’t started yet,” said Darcy.
“Then we’ll start — now!” shouted Billy. And he began dribbling the ball with his foot. Beatrice tried to tackle him, but he simply shoved her out of the way.
“That’s not fair,” said Beatrice.
But by now I was trying to tackle Billy. He isn’t going to shove me, I thought.
Unfortunately, he didn’t need to. He got past me in three swift steps and advanced on Darcy. He looked up, and then kicked the ball hard, but not at the goalmouth. It bounced off Darcy’s head, knocking his spectacles flying.
“Sorry!” said Billy.
Darcy had to scramble for his glasses to make sure they weren’t trodden on while Billy dribbled the ball up to his sister, who was making the most half-hearted goal-keeping effort I have ever seen. I think she was afraid that the ball might sting if it hit her.
Billy coolly passed the ball into the goal behind her.
“Dragons two, Dragonologists nil!” he shouted, running back towards Jamal’s lair.
Alicia trudged off to retrieve the ball again.
Beatrice looked over at Dr. Drake.
“It’s not fair,” she said. “We’re supposed to be seeing how Jamal guards his lair.”
“Then I expect you need a plan,” said Dr. Drake.
When Alicia had got the ball back again, Beatrice drew us together.
“Team talk!” she said. “There are four of us and two of them. All we need to do is get the ball off Billy. Let’s go!”
Alicia threw the ball out carefully, so that it landed between Billy and Beatrice. Billy ran towards it, looking as though he was going to knock Beatrice out of the way again. This time, though, she stepped out of the way at the last minute and knocked the ball sideways. Darcy then ran in and knocked it over to where I was. I dribbled the ball towards Jamal’s lair as fast as I could. Billy was running towards me, but he was too far away.
“Come on!” called Beatrice. “Score!”
I looked up. Jamal had started bobbing and weaving in the mouth of his lair, all the time keeping his eye on the ball. I didn’t feel entirely confident about kicking the ball past him, but I got in a pretty good shot, up towards the top right-hand corner of the lair mouth.
Jamal, however, simply turned and, using his tail, flicked the ball away as though it were the easiest thing in the world.
Billy was waiting. The ball landed at his feet, and he immediately began to sprint with it. He went past Darcy, and then myself, and then he was bearing down on Beatrice like a runaway train.
“Dodge me!” he cried.
But Beatrice didn’t dodge him. She slid out her foot and managed to punt the ball away back towards Alicia.
Billy looked down at his feet in surprise.
“How did you do that?” he said.
But he didn’t have any time to think about it, because Alicia had passed the ball out to Darcy, who had passed it to Beatrice, who passed it to me. I dribbled the ball up the field, but this time I wasn’t quick enough. Billy was upon me, and even Jamal had come out of his lair mouth towards me.
“Quickly!” shouted Beatrice.
So I passed the ball back to her just at the last moment. Jamal leapt back to protect his lair, and Billy turned so fast that he nearly tripped over his own feet. Beatrice kept her eye on the ball. Although Billy was thundering towards her, she ignored him and, concentrating on Jamal, passed the ball quickly from one foot to the other. Sud
denly, just as Billy was about to tackle her, she feinted as though she were going to kick the ball high over Jamal’s head then passed it between his legs instead. Billy made contact, and as Beatrice and Billy fell over in a heap, Jamal, taken in by Beatrice’s feint, leapt up so energetically and waved his wings so vigorously, that he suddenly found himself semi-airborne and did not get back down to stop the ball in time. But he looked pretty pleased with himself anyway.
“Goal!” cried Emery.
“A good feint!” cried Dr. Drake.
“He flew!” I cried.
“What happened?” asked Billy as Beatrice helped him up.
“We scored!” said Beatrice, laughing.
My sister really is amazing at times.
We didn’t get past Jamal again, partly because he was more wary of Beatrice and partly because the third time the ball landed near him, he grabbed it between his feet and, flapping his wings vigorously, took it up into a tree and lodged it between two branches. Although we threw sticks, it wouldn’t come down. Jamal looked very pleased with himself. When the ball had been lost, he flapped his wings more than ever, looking at them proudly.
“Soon he will be flying for real!” said Dr. Drake. “But for now, we had best return home.”
While the others set off, I lingered for a few minutes to watch Jamal, who came to the gate to see us go. Soon the others had disappeared, and I hurried along the path to catch up with them. But I had only gone a few hundred yards when I heard a loud cracking noise behind me. It sounded like splintering wood. Had someone returned to Jamal’s compound? I turned to go back and saw a woman stepping out from behind a tree. She was very tall and had pale skin and jet-black hair. She was dressed in a large black cape, high riding boots, and a very large, black hat. She was beautiful. Suddenly, there was a rustling noise in the trees. It was Jamal. He ran past us through the forest at top speed.
I opened my mouth to cry out. The woman smiled, but it was not a nice smile. Putting her finger to her lips, as though urging me to be quiet, she started coming towards me. I froze. I could hear distant shouts up ahead. The woman turned and vanished among the trees. I started to run. I felt that I needed to warn Dr. Drake at all costs.
When I reached the house, it was clear the others had seen Jamal, too.
“You didn’t open the gate, did you?” asked Billy.
“Why would I do that?” I said.
I started to explain about the woman I had seen, but Dr. Drake raised his hand and cut me off.
“It is absolutely essential that Jamal is recaptured at once,” he said. “I am afraid that I will have to think of somewhere rather safer to keep him than his compound. But first we must find him. All of you, I want you to spread out and use the dragon tracking skills you have learned to try and find him as quickly as possible. But do be careful not to disturb Weasel. Emery, you take the south part of the forest with Alicia. Mademoiselle Gamay, you take the north with Billy and Darcy. Daniel and Beatrice, we will take the west side. Come with me.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Dr. Drake said, “This is not the time for questions, Daniel. It is a very serious situation.”
“It’s not a questi —” I began.
“Hush!” he said, cupping his ear to listen as carefully as he could to the forest sounds.
“But —” I said.
“But nothing!” he said. He listened again and then let out a strange sort of keening cry. When nothing happened, he waited a few minutes more and then did it again. This time, he must have thought he had heard something, for he bounded away off the path and up a steep slope, where Beatrice and I had a hard time keeping up. In fact, it took us about another quarter of a mile before we were able to catch up with him again as he paused near a clump of pines.
This time I was determined.
“Dr. Drake,” I panted, pointing in what I thought was the direction of Jamal’s compound.
“What, Daniel? Have you found some signs?”
“No,” I said. “I saw a woman.”
“Where?” he asked.
“At Jamal’s compound,” I said. “I’m sure I heard her breaking the fence.”
Dr. Drake looked exasperated.
“Why on earth didn’t you say so?” he said.
“I tried to!” I said.
“What did she look like?” he said.
I told him.
A look of understanding suddenly crossed Dr. Drake’s features.
“It is Alexandra Gorynytchka,” he exclaimed. “We must return to the house at once. There isn’t a moment to lose!”
A terrible sight awaited us when we got to Dr. Drake’s house. The front door had been wrenched off its hinges, and as we ran up the hall towards Dr. Drake’s study, I saw that the parlour had been rifled and that the picture frames were all hanging at odd angles, as though someone had been looking behind them.
But things were even worse in Dr. Drake’s study. For there, everything had been turned upside down. Papers lay everywhere, pots of ink were spilt on the floor, books had been thrown off shelves, and every drawer and cupboard had been opened, and their contents pulled out. Whatever had happened, it had certainly happened in a hurry.
“Have they taken anything valuable?” exclaimed Beatrice as we stood staring at the sight of Dr. Drake dismally surveying the wreckage.
“Yes,” said Dr. Drake. “I am afraid to say that they have taken the most valuable thing I owned. My dragon diary is missing.”
I do not think I have ever seen Dr. Drake angrier than at that moment. His dragon diary contained all of the records that he had made during his entire life. For many people, these records would have seemed to be nothing more than fantastical ramblings, but for someone who was interested in dragons, they were a priceless resource.
“Don’t you have a copy?” I asked.
“A copy?” he said. “I’m afraid not. I only wish that I had taken the trouble to hide my dragon diary more securely, but it is difficult. I refer to it on a daily basis.”
Suddenly, Dr. Drake broke off. He glanced out the window.
Beatrice and I had the same thought.
“Scorcher!” we cried.
We followed Dr. Drake as he ran outside to the coal shed. But it too had been broken into. The baby dragon was gone.
Dr. Drake hung his head.
“I have failed him,” he said.
As we arrived back at the house, he bent down and picked up a letter that had been left on the mat. There was another letter propped up on a chair outside Dr. Drake’s study.
Dr. Drake opened the first letter. After reading it he said, “It is from your uncle Algernon,” he said. “It seems that Ignatius Crook has written to him, explaining that he ought to know who is looking after you both. Apparently your parents do not know the whole truth about me, which is why Ignatius has written to your uncle to warn him that I am a monster who teaches children dangerous nonsense about dragons. Algernon says that he is coming to pick you both up the day after tomorrow and that he will come back with a policeman if I do not give you up immediately.”
“Why would Uncle Algernon believe Ignatius Crook?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than going to stay with Uncle Algernon now that we had learned so much dragonology.
“Your uncle will not have needed much persuading,” said Dr. Drake. “Your parents are sure to have talked to him about me, and I am sure that he thinks I am a dangerous lunatic. In some ways, I am surprised he has not tried to come and rescue you before.”
“What about the other letter?” asked Beatrice.
“Ah, yes,” said Dr. Drake. “The other letter.”
Surprisingly, Dr. Drake gave it to us so that we could read it for ourselves.
My dear Ernest,
As you have sought fit to deprive me of knowledge of the location of a large part of my inheritance, I have had to take matters into my own hands. I have therefore been forced to borrow some of your papers. These, I am sure, will give me all the clues I need i
n order to locate the missing heirlooms. In the meantime I expect that Algernon Green will be along to pick up the Cook children any day now. I suggested that he bring along a policeman or two, just in case. As you know, I am a dear friend of their parents, and it will be pleasing to know they are safely out of your hands. I might even pay them a little visit if I have the time. As for that poor animal you kept locked in your coal shed, I took pity on it and decided that since you seem to have cured it, it might come in handy.
Yours sincerely,
Ignatius Crook
P.S. By the way, I ought to tell you that at least one of the family treasures has now been restored to me. I think that will come in handy, too!
“Can’t you just take this to the police?” asked Beatrice when she had finished reading it.
“Dear me, no,” said Dr. Drake. “Can you imagine my explaining Scorcher to them? Or the fact that I am a dragonologist?”
“But why is Ignatius bothered about us?” I asked.
“I am afraid,” said Dr. Drake, “that it is time I told you a few things that have an important bearing on your lives. As you know, Ignatius’s father was Ebenezer Crook. He was the last Dragon Master, and he died seven years ago. Before he died, he decided that he could trust no one to look after the ancient treasures of the Secret and Ancient Society. He had come to believe that dragons should be left alone and that no good would come of people interfering with them. So he placed the treasures in the hands of the Society of Dragons for safekeeping, refusing to tell anyone where they were hidden or which dragons were looking after them. As the position of Dragon Master had been in the Crook family for so long, Ignatius seemed to think that the position had become hereditary and that his father had somehow disinherited him. Although I was wary of Ignatius, I felt that our world, with all its science and discoveries, had changed, and I did not agree with my old tutor on the subject of dragon science. Indeed, I firmly believed then as I believe now that a proper understanding of dragonology is the only way for us to ensure that dragons and humans are able to live side by side. I continued to teach a class at my little shop near the Seven Dials. Ignatius came to me, asking to be taught, and for the sake of his father, I took him on.
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