"Are they dead?" someone asked. One glance at the stricken dragon was enough to answer the question, with a pool of blood forming around the body.
"Dead before they struck the ground," Dale answered grimly. "They didn't have a chance."
The battle that being fought low over the city was quickly turning against the Blue Dragons though, and the sky was beginning to fill with Red Dragons as more and more of the city guard took to the wing. A second Blue Dragon tried to attack some guards as they took off, but was engulfed in flames by his intended victims, and unable to see, crashed into the tower. Before he could fall to the ground, another guard caught his neck in his jaws, and broke it with an audible crunch before tossing the lifeless attacker to the ground.
Many of the students cheered the victory, but Crystal ignored them, keeping her eyes focussed on the skies high above them. Her father and the other city guard—whoever they were—had just reached the seven Blue Dragons. She couldn't see John anywhere. She raised her hand to her mouth and gasped, unable to turn away, knowing the likely outcome. The groups merged briefly, and then two shapes started to fall.
"No!" she cried. The two dragons hurled through their air towards certain death.
"Wait," Seth said, "look, there is still one Red Dragon up there. One of the two killed must have been a Blue."
"And the other was a Red Dragon," she replied. "That might be my father!"
The group of six Blue Dragons wheeled about and where headed back towards the remaining Red Dragon, who was turning to face them again.
"Why doesn't he just flee?" Daisy asked. "He can't beat all six of them."
"If he dives, they'll be free to dive on the city. From that height, they can't fail to each make a kill. He's buying the others time to get higher," Seth answered.
"Where's John?" Arthur asked desperately, "he should have reached them by now."
"Probably fled," Kal answered. "It's one thing to jump out of a window and look brave in front of the girls, another to actually face the enemy."
"Shut up, Kal. No one cares what you think," Daisy retorted.
"Either that or dead already," Kal continued. Daisy swung at him with her open hand, but Kal just calmly stepped out of the way.
"Look!" Seth shouted. The lone Red Dragon was about to engage with the six Blue Dragons. It was still too far away for any of them to see what actually happened, but four dragons flew on, and three dragons dropped from the sky.
"Father!" Crystal cried in horror. They could now make out the colours of the falling dragons. One of the dragons was spinning as it fell, with one wing badly shredded and the other wing flapping futilely, and was clearly a Red Dragon.
"He's still alive," cried Daisy. "He could still make it!" No one else spoke. If he was one tenth as high above the ground, the fall would still kill him. From that height, there was no chance. All the students watched it fall with horror.
"What's that?" Seth asked suddenly, pointing above the falling dragon.
"What?" Arthur asked, looking where he was pointing. Above the falling dragon, another form was dropping towards it from a great height, but moving much faster than it was.
"What is it?" Daisy asked. The object was almost on top of the Red Dragon, but they still couldn't make out the shape. Suddenly, two wings emerged, and an outstretched claw caught hold of the shredded wing.
"No, it can't be!" Jenna said.
"It is. It's John!" Arthur shouted in triumph. "Look, he's caught him. He's going to save him!"
"No, he can't," Seth replied. "They're falling too fast and he's too heavy. He won't be able to stop him falling." They watched in disbelief as the two fell in unison, with John doing little more than slowing the descent. Then to their surprise, the stricken dragon vanished. John pulled out of the dive, and glided downwards.
"What happened?" Crystal asked, confused. "What happened to my father?" No one dared point out that the first dragon, which didn't survive, may have been her father.
"Look, he's transformed!" Arthur pointed out. "John's carrying him. He's safe! They're going to make it."
"They're not safe yet," Seth answered grimly. "Look above them!"
Sure enough, hot on their trail were the four surviving Blue Dragons. They dove after John and were headed straight towards him very quickly. The city guard had finished off the group that had attacked the city, and were ascending to attack the other group but will still too far away.
"They're going to catch him!" Daisy cried, her hands covering her face in alarm. For a moment it looked as if that was going to happen, but just before the Blue Dragons reached them, John veered rapidly to the right to avoid them and the Blue Dragons were moving too fast to react. They shrieked in anger, bringing their dive to an abrupt stop and heading towards John again. This time John dropped into a steep dive himself, falling like a stone towards the city, his wings held close to this body. The Blue Dragons did the same, keeping pace with him not that far behind. Just before he reached the ground, John pulled out of the dive and flew very low through the streets, weaving through the narrow spaces between the buildings. The Blue Dragons proved to be just as agile, flying close behind him and starting to close on him.
"They can't catch him. Surely not now!" Daisy cried out.
"They can," Jenna countered. "They're faster than him and he can't out manoeuvre them. He's just a boy, remember. They're trained soldiers."
"Jenna!" Crystal objected. "That's my father he's carrying, remember? John has to make it..."
Jenna coloured quickly and bit her lip, refraining from pointing out that it might not be her father John was carrying, or that she was still right anyway. John was flying very fast, especially for one carrying a passenger, but the Blue Dragons were ever so slightly faster, and were gaining on him. The skies above the city were full of the city guard now, but they were too high up and wouldn't be able to catch the Blue Dragons before they caught John. Not that it could end well for them either, as they had no escape from the hundreds of Red Dragons closing in on them. The only thing they cared about now was catching and killing John.
"What's he doing?" Seth asked. "He's headed for a dead end. That's certain death!" John was flying straight towards the high inner city wall, and was flying too low to be able to ascend without slowing enough to be caught. The Blue Dragons sensed their imminent victory and shrieked in anticipation, but John didn't seem to slow at all, just hurtling towards the wall even faster. At the last second, John threw his passenger forwards through a large square opening in the wall, which was normally used to hold one of the many giant cross bows, but was currently empty. The opening was slightly higher than the height of a man, and just before John reached the opening, he transformed, disappearing as he passed through the opening after the other man. The following Blue Dragons shrieked in rage and disbelief, but couldn't react quickly enough. Two of them tried unsuccessfully to pull up to avoid the fast approaching wall, but failed spectacularly, and at the speed they were travelling no one had any illusion about their chances of survival. The other two managed to slow just enough to clear the wall, but were instantly caught by the descending city guard and torn to pieces.
"What about John?" Daisy asked anxiously. "Did he make it?" After a couple of seconds her question was answered when John soared above the other side of the wall before circling back over the wall and gliding towards the centre of the town. The whole class burst into cheers.
"I can't believe it!" Seth said in astonishment. "How was that even possible?"
"That was amazing," Daisy said in agreement. "No one else could have done that!"
Crystal didn't say anything, desperate to see who John was carrying. He turned towards the school building and landed gracefully in front of their tower. For a brief moment his wings enveloped his passenger, then a figure emerged in front of him, staggering away and into view.
"It's my father!" Crystal cried. She pushed her way through the students crowded around the window, and ran from the classroom, down the stai
rs of the tower and out of the front door and into her father's arms, nearly knocking him over.
"Careful, Crystal!" he warned with a laugh as she clung to him. "Were you watching that?"
Crystal nodded without replying as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Well, you shouldn't have been," her father reprimanded her. "You should have been underground." But he was unable to even try to appear angry, and hugged his daughter back, lifting her from the ground.
"I thought, I thought…" Crystal struggled to finish her words.
"I know what you thought," he responded. "I thought I was finished as well. I never expected to get out of that situation when there were six of them against me. I just wanted to try and take a couple with me. I couldn't believe it when he grabbed hold of my wing while I was falling, even less when he suggested transforming mid-air. I don't know why we haven't tried doing that before."
Crystal looked around, but John was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?"
"My rescuer?" her father asked. "I have no idea; he must have left us when you arrived. He gave me his clothes to wear, which I'm very grateful for. They're a little small, aren't they?" Her father was wearing John's clothes, which looked a little ridiculous on him, being far too small. "Why, do you know him?"
Crystal nodded. "It was John. Didn't you recognize him?"
"What, John? The scholarship boy?" her father asked in astonishment. "Of course I didn't. He was a dragon all the time, well, most of it. I caught a glimpse of his face as we went through that hole, but I didn't recognise him. Of course, I should have realised when I caught a glimpse of his hair. That's amazing! Why, he's just a boy. I wish he hadn't flown off like that after we landed. How on earth can he fly like that? He shouldn't be able to do much more than a simple glide at his age. Why, I don't even know how he managed that stunt with the wall, I don't think I know anyone else who would have even tried that, and to think he's just a boy. His flying was better than anyone I've ever seen. I haven't heard you mention him since the dinner party. He was in your class, wasn't he? Is he a friend of yours?"
"No," Crystal answered. "Well, he's in my class but we're not friends. Not really."
"Well, you'll have to tell me more about him. I'd forgotten all about him since the dinner party. Come on, you can walk with me; I doubt they'll mind you missing the rest of the day."
School was cancelled for the rest of the day, and Crystal spent it at home with her father. Her mother had heard the alarm and had been terribly worried, so was very glad to see them both. Despite the extensive damage to his wing, her father assured her that he would be able to fly again, as the injuries were not permanent or particularly painful.
The Council meeting was called on the same day to discuss the attack on Furnace, the first attack there in living memory. The meeting was held in the formal council chambers, rather than at Lord Robert's house, and every member of the council was present, something of a rarity in these peaceful times—well, relatively peaceful. They all sat around a large marble table, the five commanders, the Keeper, the head of the army intelligence, the advisor to Prince Henry, and the eight representatives of the noble houses: Thorne, Lockwood, Highwind, Danton, Blackash, Greytower, Redwood and Thane.
"Prince Henry," Lord Jeremy began, "was it really necessary to call a council meeting? I understand that these attacks are a regular occurrence in the North and East, and they deal with them without involving the council."
The question from the commander of the West was provocative, and pointless, as the high turnout showed that everyone deemed it necessary.
"It's the first time that Furnace has been targeted," Prince Henry replied irritably. "It's an affront that goes beyond anything they've done before."
"Not beyond anything they've done before," Lord Greytower pointed out. Lucius Greytower, Kal's father, was referring to the loss of the city that bore his family name. Greytower rivalled Furnace both culturally and financially, and the Greytower family were the most powerful of the nine noble families, even surpassing the wealth of the Thornes. When the Blues had captured and destroyed the great city that bore their name, the Greytower family were almost totally ruined. This was under the rule of King Jerle II, the disastrous.
"It's an escalation," Lord Lance pointed out, "and more aggressive than anything we've seen during our lifetimes. I don't think anyone can disagree with that. The question is, how do we answer it?"
"Simple," Lord Jamie Blackash replied coldly. Lord Blackash was the oldest of the nobles, and sat next to Lord Daniel and Lord Greytower, the other lords from the East. "Same as with any attack. When our cities in the East are attacked, as they so often are, the response is left to us, as this council has so often told us. It's a regional issue. I say Furnace should be treated in the same way."
"The home of our great King is not the same as some backwater forgotten hole in the East," the insidious Lord Oscar argued. He was a thin, weasel-faced man who sat next to Prince Henry. "This is an insult against the whole nation, and the whole nation should respond." The Redwoods were the only nobles that hailed from the capital, and were the least powerful and influential of the nine noble houses, and even if Lord Oscar hadn't been so unpopular, many would have questioned why they had a seat on the council. Originally there were just seven nobles, but the Redwoods had been elevated to the status of a great house on the authority of the previous King in order to boost the number of loyal nobles on the council.
"An argument that would reach more sympathetic ears had you ever sent support from the capital to our besieged lands, Lord Oscar," Lord Greytower replied coldly.
"One of us was attacked," Lord Lance reminded them. "A member of the council. We are lucky to have Lord Robert here with us at all."
All eyes turned to Lord Robert.
"Of course, we are very glad you survived," Lord Daniel, the young commander of the Eastern Army, said in agreement. "But you can see our point of view, surely? We face these raids regularly, and have had no support from the council, mainly due to opposition from the representatives from Furnace. You've lost how many people today? Less than five? We lose more than that each week."
"As do we," Lord Lance replied gruffly. "And we answer in kind. But you won't hear us complaining about lack of support. We can take care of ourselves."
"There's something we should consider," Lord Jeremy began, "and that's whether this raid was designed to goad us into retaliating. Sending hundreds if not thousands to their deaths over an attack from less than twenty Blue Dragons? It could be what they're hoping for. They could hardly have expected to achieve anything else with so few attackers."
"This was the boy's argument," Lord Daniel pointed out. "I thought you told my wife that was a wild idea."
"What boy is this?" Lord Oscar asked.
"Some boy working for the Keeper," Prince Henry replied dismissively. "He entertained us with his theories at a dinner party at Lord Robert house."
"The same boy who saved me today," Lord Robert commented. "And his theories didn't just entertain us, your majesty. Lord Karl has been taking them quite seriously."
Lord Karl, the head of army intelligence, nodded politely. "As I take all possible threats," he replied smoothly, stroking his dark red beard. "But I had no idea it was the boy who saved you. How was that even possible? What was he doing in the air at the time?"
"He's a classmate of my daughter's," Lord Robert replied. "She was upset when she heard the alarm and saw that we were outnumbered, so John jumped out of the school window and flew up to join us."
"My word! That's pretty bold," Lord Ronald declared. "Did he join in the defence?" Lord Ronald Thane was a good friend of Lord Robert's, being the only other council member from the south.
"No, the first I knew about his being there was when I was plummeting towards the ground. He appeared out of nowhere and grabbed hold of my wing, urging me to transform. I thought he was crazy at first, but now that it's happened I don't know why we haven't tried this before."
"Look, much as I would love to discuss this boy," Prince Henry remarked caustically, "we do have more important things to discuss."
"We do," Lord Jeremy agreed. "But like this boy, I suspect these raids are designed to draw us into a retaliation and I urge caution."
"The West urging us to do nothing," Lord Greytower observed coolly. "Well there's a surprise."
"Just urging you to think before rushing in and losing more than we bargained for," Lord Thorne replied. "Not something that comes naturally to some." Lord Thomas Thorne was one of the two nobles from the West, and was no friend of Lord Greytower's.
"I think we can see where everyone's positions lie," Lord Oscar observed piously, "and who is willing to show their loyalty. I suggest we put this to a vote straight away. I vote that we send a national force to strike at the heart of the enemy, to show the Blue Dragons what happens when you insult a great nation such as ours by attacking the home of the King."
"Well said," Prince Henry replied, though without any enthusiasm. The votes of the nobles were of little relevance in a matter such as this, as only the five Commanders had any actual authority. "What about you, Lord Robert? I know you have reservations about any acts of aggression, as you put it, but you were the victim this time, and could so easily have not been here with us today. Surely you see the need to strike back?"
Lord Robert paused, weighing the arguments. Any motion put forward by Lord Oscar was likely to fail, hated as he was for his toadying to the prince, unless someone like Lord Robert backed it as well.
"We need to respond," Lord Robert agreed, "but we need to bear in mind that they will be expecting a response, and we can't let them dictate our actions."
"What do you suggest?" Lord Lance asked. "Anything other than a big attack reeks of weakness. As soon as they think we aren't capable of fighting back and they'll invade."
Lord Robert nodded. "I know, but this attack cost them hardly anything. Do we need to send hundreds in response?"
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