No point going on about it though. She wasn't forced to fly; she just caved in under a little pressure. She always does. Anyway, there's nothing that we can do now. Let's just wait for the storm to clear then work out where we are. Personally, I'm going to get a little rest. All that flying in the storm was tiring.
Seth curled up on the floor and shut his eyes. Crystal shook her head in disbelief, wondering how on earth he could get any rest with the wind as loud as it was. She lay down beside him, tried closing her eyes, and found that shutting out the noise of the wind was easier than she expected, as was falling into a dreamless sleep.
"The rain has stopped," Arthur said, waking Crystal with a prod. "It's pretty clear out there now. But I don't recognise a thing."
Crystal opened her eyes and found that she was lying naked, with Seth's clothes spread over her but still freezing cold. She had forgotten that you couldn't sleep as a dragon, and couldn't understand why transforming hadn't woken her. Arthur was doing his best to not look at her, and was almost as embarrassed as she was. He left her as she transformed back into a dragon, the warmth flooding back into her as the scales crept over her body. She put Seth's clothes into as tidy a pile as she could before paying attention to her surroundings. She found that the wind and rain had stopped, and the air was clear and fresh. The only sound was of birds calling far below them. She walked out from under the overhanging rock to look over the edge of the mountain and scanned the scene in front of them. In front of them was a wide open plain, which stretched for miles, and to their left and right were low peaks that continued into the distance.
So have you two stopped arguing? Seth asked the twins as they walked over to join them. Just like Arthur, he made no comment about her accidental transformation. Crystal was very glad she couldn't blush as a dragon.
Thanks, Seth, Arthur replied coldly. He had also transformed. Daisy and I were just discussing where we are.
And I have a really bad feeling about this, Daisy added, her voice conveying the anxiety that her reptilian features could not.
Yeah, I know what you mean, Seth replied, clawing the ground nervously.
I don't, Crystal replied. Nothing much has looked familiar since I arrived in the north. How is this place any different?
Do you never study maps? Daisy asked incredulously.
Crystal shook her head. Never was any good with them. So tell me, what's wrong?
Daisy shook her head dismissively. Well I do study maps. And none of this is familiar.
Meaning?
Meaning that I think we're on the wrong side of the border, in Blue Dragon territory. These peaks we're on, I think they're parallel to the border but on the east side. The range that forms the border is much higher than this, and our maps don't show it, but I think these peaks are part of that range. I'm not sure how far but I think it could be half an hour's flight back to the border.
Crystal froze at her words, panic creeping over her body. Then what are we doing here? Shouldn't we be getting out of here?
Arthur shook his head gloomily. It's late in the afternoon. Everyone will be up and about. The safest time to fly would be first thing in the morning.
We're deep within Blue Dragon territory. Is there any time of day that it would be safe to fly? Crystal asked.
Night time, Seth replied. Although you can ask John how well that works out. If we ever see him again. Hey Daisy, I guess you'll have to agree that even John wouldn't be looking for us out here?
Daisy was interrupted before she could reply. Wrong again, Seth. This is one of the first places I'd look. Now transform all of you before you're seen. You're too easy to spot as dragons.
The four of them turned around to see John leaning against the rock face behind them, having just transformed. Daisy transformed and dressed first and ran over and hugged him.
"John! You found us! I knew you'd look for us!" She clung to him in delight.
"Daisy!" Arthur growled as he put on his own cloak, having transformed just after her. "Cover up! Show some decorum." In her rush to greet John after transforming Daisy hadn't tied up her flying clothes properly, and they had fallen away at the back. John smiled at her sympathetically, and helped her tie them up.
"Oh, sorry, Arthur," she replied. "You must show me how you do that so quickly, John," she told him.
"He will show you nothing of the sort!" Arthur snapped. "You will not practice transforming in front of him!"
"Oh, no, I didn't mean that," Daisy replied, feeling embarrassed. "I meant he could explain it to me."
"Tell you what, Arthur," John suggested, "I will teach you, and then you can teach Daisy. Right after we work out how to get out of this mess. First of all though, can you all come away from the edge? You could easily be seen where you are."
"Yes, sorry, of course," Arthur apologised, pushing Crystal and Seth away from the edge. They crouched down in front of John, trying to make themselves comfortable on the rocky ground. Daisy, having finishing adjusting her clothes, sat down on John's lap, and put her arms around him and pouted at Arthur defiantly, daring him to tell her off.
"So John, you managed to fly in here safely," Seth said, "can't you get us out the same way?"
John shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. Not with you four. It was difficult enough on my own."
"How did you get in anyway? And how did you find us?" Seth interrogated him.
"Finding you wasn't too difficult; although I admit I thought it would take longer. I had a rough idea of where you were blown off course from what Jenna told me, and I had a good guess at which direction you would be taken, so I hunted for places that would make a sensible landing place. You were alarmingly easy to spot from the air, which is why I was very glad to have found you so quickly. Now that you've transformed you're smaller, and sitting further away from the edge you're safer, but I'm still not totally happy about where we are. Perhaps we should pile some of the stones up to form a little wall in front of us. It would make us pretty hard to see."
Arthur and Seth heaved themselves from the floor and started shifting some of the rocks, which were quite heavy; it took both of them to move them. "Aren't you going to help, John?" Seth asked. "This isn't as easy as it looks."
"No, he's busy," Daisy replied firmly, staying seated on his lap. "You seem to be managing perfectly well on your own." Crystal decided to help them build the wall, moving some of the lighter rocks on her own to form a low pile just a few feet high. It only took them a couple of minutes to finish.
"Excellent," John commented. "That should give us enough cover. We don't need it to be perfect, just a little barrier. Unless someone is actively searching for us we should be safe."
"Like you were," Seth replied. "How exactly does one conduct a search in enemy territory and not get seen?"
"Very carefully," John replied. "Not without some risk, and unfortunately, not in a way that I can teach you how to do. Look, enough with the questions. I'm getting a little tired of them. Do you really want to question me on how I found you, or concentrate on getting out of here? I mean, I could just as easily dwell on how you got my girlfriend and yourselves into this mess in the first place."
"Hang on, John," Seth replied defensively. "It wasn't just me; we all agreed that we should fly. It was a group decision."
"I didn't want to," Daisy piped up. "I said so at the time."
"Enough!" John said, raising his voice. "Daisy, whether you wanted to or not, you did it. You're smarter and more sensible than they are, but that doesn't help you at all if you allow yourself to be pressured into doing things you don't want to do. This isn't the first time you've ended up in one of these situations. This could have gone at lot worse. You could have died in that storm, or have been killed by Blue Dragons, and there would have been nothing I could have done. There's nothing I wouldn't do to try and save you, but you don't make it easy."
Daisy looked down at the ground. "I know, John. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Just be more assertive. Next ti
me you're convinced you're right and that they're wrong, don't back down. Make them go along with you, rather than the other way around."
Daisy nodded meekly, which Crystal suspected wasn't the response John was looking for.
"And you, Seth: enough with the suspicion. Yes, what I do a lot of the time does leave a lot of questions unanswered—ones which I'm afraid I'm not willing to answer—but there are a lot of questions you should be able to answer on your own. Have I ever done anything to you or for you which hasn't helped you? When you've been in danger—which has been plenty of times now—have I ever hesitated from putting myself in danger to help you? Do you have any idea how close to dying I came getting you out of that mess in the valley? Have I asked for anything in return? No, nothing at all. Now, if the positions had been reversed, and I'd have been in trouble, would you or anyone else have helped me? Bear in mind I've always known exactly what you've all thought of me and yet I've always acted in your interests, knowing that you didn't like me, and didn't want me around. Answer those questions and then tell me if you have the right to demand all these explanations."
Seth looked down at the ground. "Um, yeah, I know the answers to those questions. Sorry. I know we've been a bit harsh, and er, thanks."
"I don't ask for apologies or thanks, Seth. Just a bit of trust. I think I've earned that, although you've shown me none. To get you out of this one will require that trust. Can you trust me?"
Seth nodded, having gone a little red.
"Good, let's move on," John replied simply. "We have much to work out. You haven't moved yet, so I'm guessing you've worked out that this isn't the best time to make an escape, which is fortunate, as I think I'd be too late if you'd tried to fly back. It's too late for you to make it back in one go now, and really, once we take off we don't want to land this side of the border again. First light would be the best time. If there ever is a good time, of course. There's not much between here and the border, so with luck, we may get away unnoticed."
"Honestly, John, what are our chances of that?" Arthur asked. "Do we have any real chance of not being seen once we take off?"
John shrugged. "Honestly, it could go either way. This is a border area. There were a lot of Blue Dragons in the air while I was looking for you, even when it was still raining. Don't ask me how I avoided them, as I won't tell you. They'll probably have an active border patrol. They fear our raids as much as we fear theirs. But first light is always going to be when they're inactive, and they'll be looking out for Red Dragons coming in, not leaving. They'd have to take off, and they will probably be living nearer the ground. We'll have an advantage being so high."
"Raids on what?" Crystal asked. "I can't see any towns."
"No, not a town. Not here. A camp," John replied. "This is what really worries me, and what makes it hard to gauge our chances of getting out of here unnoticed. If you stay close to the ground, and move slowly, I'll show you what I'm talking about. I think I saw some bushes we can hide in."
John crawled along the ground and moved around the mountain. There was some vegetation he stopped to hide in.
"Now, look down there," he instructed them, talking very quietly. "See those rows of brown shapes, not far from that small river? Well, they're tents."
The others looked where he was pointing. "No," Seth replied. "They can't be tents. There's too many. There must be thousands of them."
"Exactly what bothers me," John replied. "It's a military camp. I'm sure of it. They have a huge force gathered here, larger than anything I have ever seen. You have to ask yourselves: what are they gathered for?"
The others didn't respond, uncomfortable with what the probable answer was. An invasion. They watched the tents below. There were some movements around the tents, like ants moving around a nest, but not a lot considering the number of tents that were spread along the river. John let them watch for a while before crawling back to the overhang.
"That's an invasion force," Arthur said grimly once they were safely under the overhang. "It's the only explanation."
"That would be my guess," John replied. "It was always just a matter of time before they decided to invade. They were just waiting until they had the numbers, I think. It looks like they think that now is the time."
"Shouldn't we warn someone?" Daisy asked. "Tell them what's happening?"
"Of course," Arthur replied irritably. "We just have to get home first."
"Shouldn't we go now?" Seth asked. "The sooner the better, surely." Crystal could hear the anxiety in his voice.
"No," John replied. "There isn't time to get back today, so there's no point rushing off. We can't do anything until the morning. When we are ready to move, just do exactly what I tell you. I know it's a lot to ask, but just do as I say, question nothing, don't use your imagination and I promise you that I will get you all safely out of here. Agreed?"
"That's a big promise, John," Arthur replied. "Any idea how you'll keep it?"
"Yes," John replied. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you how. Just as I couldn't tell you how I survived in the valley, or how I took care of those Blue Dragons when we went away for the weekend."
"So you do know what happened!" Seth said emphatically. "I told everyone you were holding back. Why did no one believe me?"
"Of course we believed you, Seth," Crystal replied. "We just didn't want to try to push John about it. Alright, John. We'll do it your way."
Arthur shook his head. "I don't know, John. Last time we were just hiding in a hole. This time we'll be flying in Blue Dragon territory."
John shrugged. "I haven't let you down before though, have I?"
"We all trust you, John," Daisy said firmly. "Just tell us what we need to do."
"For now, nothing. Just rest. I know it's still light, but we need to be ready to transform and fly at first light. I suggest we all just try and sleep. Try and stay close to each other, as it's going to get cold."
"That may be easier said than done, John," Seth replied. "It's hard to forget about a million Blue Dragons on your doorstep.
John lay down on the rocks. "Try. You'll get used to it eventually."
Daisy rested next to John, ignoring her brother's frown. Seth sighed and tried to find a comfortable spot among the rocks, which wasn't easy, and Arthur and Crystal did the same, getting ready for a long, cold and nervous night's sleep.
Chapter 41: Demonstration of power
So, Tarek, what have brought us all here to see? Perak asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.
The three Colonels in charge of the army's special projects, Moric, Perak and Tarek, were waiting together on a hill near their camp, as dragons, on a high vantage spot that allowed them to view the whole plain and the myriad activities that were unfolding in front of them. Tarek's wing commanders were busy organising the troops into position, although Perak couldn't tell for what purpose. Tarek had positioned large metallic cone shaped objects in rows along the plain, each surrounded by long metal chains. There were forty of the cones laid out in five rows of eight, each about two hundred metres apart from the next. All the activity was around the first row, with troops lining up around the cones. Perak had been summoned a day ago, by Zygar himself to witness this demonstration, but the command had not specified what the demonstration was. So far, he had managed to refrain from interrogating Tarek as to the purpose of this demonstration, but could wait no longer.
Tarek actually managed a smug smile, something almost impossible as a dragon. I think you can wait a few minutes more, Perak. I don't want to spoil the surprise. The others will join us in a moment, then we can begin. Ah, look, here come the Generals.
Perak and Moric looked up, and sure enough, a large group of dragons were flying towards them from the south. Perak recognised the distinctive features of General Zygar, leading the group and followed by his personal guard. He landed beside them and the three Colonels bowed deferentially.
You have a distinguished audience, Zygar commented casually, glancing at the c
rowd of Blue Dragons lined up behind them. All of our Generals and about half of our Colonels. This would be a bad time for a mistake, Tarek.
I don't ever see a good time for a mistake, General Zygar, Tarek replied. My men have not reached perfection yet, but they will acquit themselves satisfactorily. They'll be completely ready when they are needed to perform this task in battle.
Well, we will see for ourselves, General Zygar replied. Begin in your own time.
Tarek shot a fireball into the air, and immediately a loud bell rang out, clearly audible all over the plain, and heard by the five youngsters watching high in the surrounding mountains. Immediately, the troops burst into life. Like a flock of gulls startled by a loud noise, thousands of little dots took to the air all over the plain. At first it was hard to make sense of the frenetic activity, but then it became clear that the dragons were organised into eight separate groups, each circling above the first row of cones, with another eight groups of dragons still on the ground, each surrounding a cone. Perak had never seen so many dragons in the air at once, and marvelled at how well Tarek's Wing Commanders coordinated the movements of the squadrons. This must have been practiced many times.
A second bell sounded, and straight away the eight groups of Blue Dragons still on the ground took to the air. As they rose, it became apparent that each dragon was attached to one of the long metal chains, which were in turn attached to one of the cones. Each group of dragons started to fly in a circle around their cone, and slowly all of the lines went taut as the dragons rose higher and higher. They flew in perfect harmony, gracefully circling as if performing an aerial dance. Another bell sounded. Each dragon started flapping harder, and the eight cones all simultaneously lifted off the ground. Perak estimated that each cone-shaped object was about a metre and a half across and maybe two metres high. Sticking out of the flat end of the cone was a long pole—maybe three metres long—with four blades at right angles to the pole, rather like feathers on an arrow.
What are they? Perak asked, still confused as to the purpose of the demonstration.
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