by Gill Vickery
‘Listen!’ Hanzi said, ‘and I’ll tell you tales and sing you songs of dragon deeds and dragon lore.’
The dragons roared in pleasure as Hanzi began his stories, and when he sang the old ballads they rumbled along in their deep voices.
At last Hanzi stopped for a drink to soothe his throat. ‘Are there any requests?’ Zora called out.
‘Tell us about Thor’s battle with the High Witches and how they stole the Queen’s jewels,’ a voice called. It was Torkil. He sat opposite Tia and he was looking straight at her with a sly smile on his face.
‘Tell us! Tell us!’ the other dragonets chanted, flapping their wings and stamping their feet.
So Hanzi told the story of how the six sisters, the High Witches of Holmurholt, took gifts to the DragonQueen in the garden of the Eldkeiler Keep where the Queen guarded her precious eggs.
‘The DragonQueen had surrounded her clutch with the necklace bearing the jewels of power,’ Hanzi said. ‘The sisters stood in a circle round the eggs, one next to each jewel. As they bowed and put their gifts on the ground, each one of them seized a jewel.’ Hanzi stooped swiftly and mimed snatching a jewel in both hands.
‘They chanted a spell that spirited them away – and the necklace with them!’
The dragons roared. Torkil glared at Tia and she heard him say to the dragonet next to him, ‘If she knew what we know!’ The other dragonet sniggered.
‘She’s nothing but a witch-brat!’ Torkil clicked.
Tia couldn’t say anything; she wasn’t supposed to understand the private language of the dragons, but she had learned it by listening carefully.
Hanzi carried on with his story. ‘Knowing that the High Witches would use the jewels of power against them, the DragonQueen gathered up her eggs and flew to the safety of this ancient Keep deep in the Drakelow Mountains. The DragonKing and his brothers, Thor and Andgrim, searched all Tulay for the sisters. Thor found them in their home at Holmurholt, but the High Witches raised a wicked spell and Thor was blown far away over the Southern Seas. He has never returned.’
The dragons rumbled and roared again.
‘Worse was to come,’ Hanzi said. ‘The witches used the jewels of power to cast a spell covering the lands of the six towns. It is so terrible and so strong that the dragons can never return until the spell is broken.’
Hanzi raised his arms and began the Chant of Warning that all the dragons knew by heart. One by one they joined in too.
If the jewels of power see a dragon walking warily
On the lost lands of the six towns
The spell will toss them away, tumbling
Like a leaf in a storm.
If the jewels of power see a dragon soaring secretly
Over the lost lands of the six towns
The spell will blast them away, blowing
Like a feather in the wind.
If the jewels of power see a dragon creeping cautiously
Beneath the lost lands of the six towns
The spell will crush them cruelly
Like an eggshell beneath a foot.
By the time Hanzi reached the end all the dragons were chanting loudly: even the littlest dragonet knew the spell-warning by heart. As Tia chanted, she remembered the dreadful force that made Andgrim drop her when he tumbled through the air. She was still very scared of being up high but she was careful not to let any of the dragons know.
‘I don’t know what she’s chanting for,’ Torkil clicked to his friend. ‘Her mother’s one of the High Witches who stole the jewels and cast the spell.’
It couldn’t be true!
‘Don’t be stupid, Torkil.’ Finn pushed his way in between the red dragonet and his friend.
‘You’re the stupid one, freak!’ Torkil snarled, and the dragonets laughed as Finn turned bright pink with embarrassment.
‘I was there when my DragonFather brought her in,’ Torkil hissed. ‘I hid behind a rock and I heard it all. Her mother’s the youngest of the witch sisters, the one called Ondine.’
Tia couldn’t bear to hear any more. She ran to her secret place, her mind whirring with what Torkil had said. Could it be true? Was her own mother one of the High Witches? Tia wouldn’t believe it, she wouldn’t! But Torkil had sounded so sure.
Tia stayed in her cave for a long time, thinking about Torkil’s cruel words. She had to know the truth. She had to ask her DragonMother. Freya would never lie to her.
Freya and Finn were in the cavern, waiting for Tia.
‘Where have you been?’ Freya asked. ‘I was worried when I saw you run away from the storytelling.’
‘It was Torkil,’ Tia said. ‘He said that my mother, my human mother, is one of the High Witches. Is that true? Did my mother steal the DragonQueen’s jewels?’
‘How do you know that?’ Finn asked.
‘I understand your language,’ Tia said impatiently. She turned to Freya and demanded, ‘Is it true, DragonMother?’
Freya butted Tia gently with her nose. ‘Yes, but …’
Before she could say more Tia choked back a sob and rushed out of the cavern.
Behind her she heard Freya say to Finn, ‘Go after her, quickly – make sure she’s all right and bring her back.’
Tia ran to her secret cave, slumped against a rock and hugged her knees. She sat for a long time, confused and hurt. More than anything she wanted to go back to her beloved DragonMother and snuggle up to her warm, spicy-smelling hide. But how could she when her human mother had betrayed the dragons? Tia felt sick with shame.
She took out her locket and opened it. How could her mother look so kind when she was a High Witch and a thief?
Tia angrily tried to prise the picture out with her nails but it was too firmly fixed. She couldn’t bring herself to scratch it away. After a moment’s thought, she tore a scrap out of her rune book and slotted it over the picture. Now she could still see her father but not her treacherous mother. She snapped the locket shut and slipped it under her shirt.
She wrapped a blanket round her shoulders and built a fire. Spring had come to Tulay but the nights were still very cold. Tia didn’t care. She’d stay in her secret cave all night. She couldn’t go back to Freya and Finn, not yet.
Then she thought, What if I never go back? What if I run away? But where could she go?
‘I could go to the lands of the six towns,’ she said out loud. ‘The spell won’t affect me, I’m not a dragon.’
And then Tia had another idea. An idea that would prove to Freya – and Torkil and his friends – that Tia was a true DragonChild even though her human mother was a High Witch.
Tia jumped up in excitement and began to push her things into a bag. She would take her clothes, a blanket, her weapons, some food and the money she had left. She would sleep until a few hours before dawn and then creep away while the dragons slept. By the time Freya realised she was gone for good, she would be safely in Drangur, and no dragon would be able to find her.
Chapter Four
The Great Forest of
Drangur
Tia crept quietly to where the Traders’ horses were tethered. Even in soft leather boots the frozen grass crackled under her feet and made the shaggy little horses look up curiously.
She untied a silver-grey horse.
‘Hello, Fari, we’re going for a long ride,’ she whispered and led him away from the Traders’ tents.
Fari tossed his head, his long white mane flopping over his neck, and whickered in excitement. He was the horse Tia had learned to ride on and they were old friends.
Tia bridled Fari and walked him over the grassy slopes leading away from the mountains. Everywhere looked magical in the white moonlight and Tia’s heart beat quickly with excitement. Fari seemed to feel it too and he danced a little, his hooves drumming on the frosty grass.
As soon as she felt far enough away from the Drakelow Keep and the sharp ears of the dragons, Tia jumped on the grey horse’s back and squeezed him with her knees. ‘Let’s gallop, Fari!’ she
cried, and with a whoop from her and a whinney from Fari, they shot forward, thundering over the frosty grass, towards the Great Forest of Drangur.
Even in the sharp light of morning the forest looked dark and forbidding but Tia didn’t let that put her off. She slid from the horse’s back and stroked his nose. ‘We’ve got to say goodbye now, Fari,’ she said.
Fari blew sweet breath down his nose as if to say, I understand.
Tia turned him to face the mountains, knotted the reins and slapped his hindquarters. With a snort he sprang away. Tia watched until he was only a dot on the icy slopes then turned to the Great Forest.
She set off down a twisting path between trees with gnarled old branches draped in shreds of moss. As she went further in, the path grew narrower and more winding, the trees and the undergrowth more dense.
She pulled out her knife and slashed at the brambles that snagged her. Just as she cut herself free from one, a terrible cry like a ghost shrieking rang through the forest. Tia almost dropped her knife in shock.
The cry came again, louder than ever, followed by the sound of laughter.
Tia hurried forward, close to the ground so that she wouldn’t be seen, and came to an open space. On the far side were two men. They were prodding sharp sticks at two snow white frost-fox cubs cowering inside a cage.
‘Stop it!’ Tia cried.
The men looked up in surprise.
‘It’s a little girl,’ one of them sneered with a grin that showed gaps in his yellowed teeth.
‘Let those foxes go!’ Tia shouted.
The men ignored her.
Angrily, she pulled the sling out of her belt and slipped a pebble into the leather pouch in the middle of the strings. She whirled the sling round her head and then released one of the strings. The pebble flew through the air and hit the first man hard on his hand. He dropped the stick with a yell and spun round.
Tia quickly re-loaded her sling and swung it above her head as the men ran towards her. The strings caught in a branch. Frantically she tugged at it. It wouldn’t budge! She let go and started to run but it was too late.
One man caught her jacket and the other her ankles. She wriggled and bit and scratched but the men were strong and had her tied up in no time.
‘What’ll we do with her?’ the first man wondered.
‘Take her to Malindra, she’ll sort her out,’ the other one said.
Malindra – the High Witch of Drangur! Tia knew that once she was in the witch’s power it would be impossible to steal the emerald.
‘Leave the girl alone!’ a voice roared.
The men looked round wildly. For a moment the forest seemed empty and then, out of thin air, Finn appeared right next to them. He stood on his hind legs, crimson with anger, wings stretched as high as they would go, and with flames curling round his sharp teeth.
The men shrieked in terror and ran.
Finn roared and flames hurtled after them, scorching their hair. They disappeared into the forest, batting at their smoking hair.
Finn dropped onto all fours and turned back to his proper coppery colour. He looked very pleased with himself as he cut Tia free with his claws.
‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded, rubbing at her arms and legs.
‘DragonMother told me to find you and bring you back,’ Finn said. ‘I looked for you all night. When you took the horse, I wanted to know what you were up to so I followed you.’
‘I’m not going back, not yet anyway,’ Tia said stubbornly. ‘Not after what Torkil said.’
‘He shouldn’t have told anyone about… you know… your human mother being a High Witch. It was supposed to be a secret that only the older dragons knew. Torkil got into a lot of trouble.’
‘Good. I’m still not going back.’
‘All right, but where are you going?’ Finn insisted.
‘It’s a secret,’ Tia said and marched off into the trees.
‘If you’re not going back, I’m coming with you!’ Finn said. He followed Tia into the woods, snorting and puffing.
Tia she didn’t know whether she was pleased or not that he was following her. It would be good to have her DragonBrother with her, but what would he think when she told him what she was planning to do?
Chapter Five
The Great Spell
By the time Tia and Finn reached the other edge of the forest it was nightfall and they decided to make camp until morning. They built a small fire in front of a low cave. While Tia ate, Finn, who only ate once a week, relaxed by the fire, blowing smoke rings.
‘How did you make yourself like the bushes and trees so the trappers couldn’t see you?’ Tia asked.
‘I don’t know – it just happened,’ Finn said.
‘Can you do it on purpose?’
‘I’m not sure. I could try.’ Finn screwed up his eyes and concentrated. All of a sudden his skin turned to the same colour and pattern as the shadowy rock behind him.
‘That’s wonderful!’ Tia said. ‘I can still see you, but the trappers didn’t seem to see you at all.’
Tia yawned.
‘Don’t go to sleep!’ Finn said. ‘You still haven’t told me where you’re going – I mean, where we’re going.’
‘I’m going to get the jewels back from the High Witches,’ Tia said.
Finn started to laugh. Tia glared at him. He stopped laughing.
‘But you’re only a girl,’ he said, horrified.
‘Dragons can’t get into the lands of the six towns but humans can – and I’m human.’
‘But you’re so little! You can’t fight the High Witches, they’re too powerful.’
‘I won’t have to fight them because they won’t notice me,’ Tia said. ‘Tomorrow I’m going to Drangur, to get the emerald.’
‘You don’t even know where it is! How can you steal it?’ Finn demanded.
‘I can get work in Drangur and find out. Then I can plan how to get it back.’
Smoke rings flew fast from Finn’s mouth. He was thinking hard. ‘Even if you do manage to steal it, what will you do with it?’
‘Nothing. I’m going to steal the jewels, and when I’ve got them all I’m going to take them back to the DragonQueen. Then even Torkil will see I’m a real DragonChild and not a witch-brat.’
‘What about your mother – your human mother? Are you going to steal the jewel she’s got as well?’
‘Of course I am!’ Tia glared at her DragonBrother. ‘I don’t care about her – Freya’s my real mother, my DragonMother, and I’m her DragonDaughter.’
‘But Ondine –’
‘I don’t want to talk about her any more,’ Tia said fiercely.
‘All right.’ Finn blew a few more smoke rings then said, ‘I can’t go with you to Drangur or the lands round about it because of the spell.’
‘I know,’ Tia said. ‘But you can help me get there faster than if I was walking.’
‘You’re not going to ride me!’ Finn said in horror, his skin rippling with alarming shades of orange and yellow and green.
‘Maybe you can carry me,’ Tia teased.
Finn snorted. ‘I’ll carry your back-pack but you can walk! I’m a dragon, not a horse.’
Tia laughed. ‘So you’re still going to help me then?’
‘I suppose so. DragonMother told me to find you and bring you back. She didn’t say it had to be right away.’
‘That’s settled then,’ Tia said and yawned again. ‘Time to sleep. I need to be wide awake tomorrow.’
They put out the fire, squeezed into the cave and settled down for the night. ‘Good night, Finn,’ Tia said as she snuggled against him for warmth.
Finn sighed. ‘Good night, DragonSister,’ he said.
The road to Drangur wound by the edge of the forest. On the other side of the road gentle grassy slopes led to a huge rolling plain. Far away, in the centre of the plain, was a town, surrounded by a thick wall. Rising from the middle of the town was a castle perched on a jagged column of rock.
‘That must be Drangur,’ Tia said. She had never seen a town or a castle before and she was excited as well as scared. ‘I can see people working in the fields.’
The only humans she could remember seeing before were the Traders, and she was curious about other people.
Finn was curious too and peered between the trees to get a better view.
‘Stop,’ Tia said. ‘Someone might see you!’
‘No they won’t, they’re too far away. But if you’re worried I’ll disguise myself.’ In an instant Finn made himself the colour of grass dotted all over with white and yellow and blue wild flowers, and crept out onto the verge at the side of the road.
‘Don’t go any further!’ Tia shrieked. ‘You don’t know where the spell starts.’
‘DragonMother told me that people farm right up to the edges of the spell boundary,’ Finn said. ‘There’s no farmland here.’
It was true – the early green corn and the meadows with sheep and cows were far away in fields edged with low stone walls.
‘I bet those walls are the boundary,’ Finn said.
At that moment they heard the quick drumming of hooves, and a boy on a brown pony came round a curve in the road. He reined in his pony and stared at Tia in surprise. ‘Who are you, Trader?’ he said.
Tia realised the boy thought she was a Trader because she was wearing brightly coloured Trader clothes. She decided to use a Trader name.
‘I’m Nadya,’ she told him, ‘and I’m going to Drangur.’ She stared as curiously at the boy as he stared at her. He looked strange in his dull grey clothes, and his hair was blond, not red-gold like hers, nor black and curly like most Traders.
‘Why are on your own?’ he asked.
‘I got parted from my parents in a fog when we were coming back from the Drakelow Mountains. They were going to trade in Drangur so I’m going there too, to find them.’
Tia was amazed to find herself inventing such a story. She’d had no idea she could do it. ‘If my parents aren’t there I’m going to look for work until they arrive.’