Second Term at Tall Towers

by Lou Kuenzler

  Pommmmmmmmmm! Pommmmmmmmmm­mmmmm! Hetty still blew bravely – hopelessly – on the horn for all she was worth.

  Grace had to think of a plan.

  The dragon circled again, higher this time, never taking her fiery eyes off her baby or the little girl on the nesting ledge below.

  Grace saw that the dragon was wearing some sort of bridle over her head – a halter of thickly-plaited copper rope. A broken length of rusty chain dangled from her neck.

  “Someone captured her,” gasped Grace. “That’s why she abandoned Huffle in his nest. She couldn’t get back to him. But now she must have snapped her chains and escaped.”

  “Help!” Hetty screamed, as the dragon swooped low to the nesting ledge once more. The sharp ridges of the creature’s spiky back were level with the shelf where Grace and the other princesses were perched.

  “Poor Hetty,” screamed Scarlet.

  “The dragon will kill her,” said Izumi.

  “Go on! Eat the servant girl, not us,” hollered Precious.

  Grace couldn’t bear to look. But at the very last moment the dragon turned, quick as a fish in water, and flew back out to sea.

  “Is she leaving?” asked Izumi. “Is she going away.”

  “No.” Grace watched as the dragon flipped around again. “She’s coming back more slowly, that’s all. When you’re as big as a dragon it’s hard to land.”

  It looked almost like a ballet turn as the giant creature arched her back and pointed her long clawed toes.

  “She has to land just right or she’ll skid straight past the nest,” said Scarlet, understanding exactly as a dancer would. Grace nodded. But she wasn’t thinking like a dancer. She was thinking of something else: Billy.

  She knew she had just one chance to save Hetty. She would have to act quickly as the dragon came in again to try and land.

  “Lean back and hold tight to the rock,” she said to the other princesses. “When the dragon drops below this shelf, I’m going to jump. I’m going to ride her.”

  “No!” gasped Scarlet.

  But Grace was already tensing her knees.

  “Hold tight to the rock,” she said. “The dragon will be surprised when I fall on her back. She’ll probably thrash her tail about and twist and turn. Don’t let her knock you off the shelf.”

  The enormous beast was circling back, slow and steady this time.

  “Are you sure about this?” asked Scarlet, squeezing Grace’s hand.

  “You’ll never be able to do it,” said Precious. “Never in a million years.”

  “Yes, you will,” said Izumi.

  “Grace can ride anything,” agreed Scarlet.

  And then the dragon was there. Grace knew she only had one go to get this right.

  She saw a gap between two of the jagged spines on the creature’s shimmering crimson neck.

  “Here goes!” she cried.

  Grace sprang forward.

  Time seemed to stand still. She was falling. She felt as if she would never stop.

  Then – THUD! She was on the dragon’s back. She could feel the leathery skin against her bare knees under the tunic. It felt rough like tree bark, but also warm to the touch, as if a great coal fire was burning inside the dragon’s belly. Grace grabbed the giant spike in front of her and clung on for dear life.

  “Whoa!” Just as she had expected, the dragon twisted as soon as she felt Grace’s weight land on her back. The creature turned, heading back out to sea again, roaring and spitting flames.

  “All right, Old Mama. No one’s going to hurt your baby,” Grace soothed, patting the ancient fiery beast and leaning forward along her neck.

  If she could just catch hold of the swinging length of chain, she could control the enormous dragon from her halter. Whoever had captured the Coronet Crimson had harnessed her mouth with a great iron bit.

  The dragon twisted again. Her neck swung upwards. The chain bounced and jingled…

  “Got it!” Grace felt a ring of cold metal in her hand. She pulled the chain back towards her like a pair of reins. “Steady, Old Mama. Steady now.”

  The dragon arched her neck, kicking her back legs wildly in the air.

  She’s trying to buck me off, thought Grace. But Billy had tried that once or twice. Grace just gripped harder with her knees.

  “Steady,” she soothed again. “I’m going to save my little friend Hetty, and then you can have baby Huffle all to yourself.”

  Grace turned the dragon’s head towards the cliffs again.

  “Are you mad?” cried Precious. “Take that monster away. Take her out to sea.”

  But Grace knew what she was doing and now she saw a chance to rescue the princesses as well as Hetty.

  “Jump on!” she cried, pulling hard on the reins and shouting to Scarlet, Precious and Izumi. “You have to ride the dragon. It’s the quickest way down from the cliffs.” She was almost close enough to reach out and take Scarlet’s hand.

  “Trust me. If you’re on the dragon’s back, her flames can’t reach you. Her claws can’t scratch you,” said Grace. “You have to believe me. It’s the safest place to be.” Scarlet looked terrified, but she was the first to jump. Izumi followed seconds later.

  “Safe?” asked Grace, twisting her head to see her friends behind her on the dragon’s back. There was plenty of room for them all – the huge red dragon was even bigger than a flying rhinoceros. More like two rhinos, really.

  “Safe!” breathed the two princesses.

  “Now you, Precious,” urged Grace. Her arms were aching from pulling on the chain to hold the dragon steady.

  “No way,” screamed Precious. “I don’t trust you. You have no idea what you’re doing.” She picked up a shower of stones and threw them at the dragon. “Shoo, horrible monster!”

  Whoosh!

  A blast of flames scorched the shelf. Precious jumped back and cowered against the cliff.

  “Don’t frighten her,” cried Grace. “You’ll only make her angry.”

  “Shoo! Ugly lizard!” Precious hurled more stones.

  “Giddy up!” Grace kicked the dragon forward, urging her downwards. If Precious was stupid enough to torment the enormous creature, it was too dangerous to stay.

  Now to rescue Hetty. This was going to be more difficult.

  “Hold tight,” she said, shouting back across her shoulder to Izumi and Scarlet. “I’m going to try and steer the dragon so that we fly close to the nest but she doesn’t actually land. If she does that, she’ll chase Hetty into a corner. Remember, all she wants to do is protect her baby.”

  “Got it,” said Izumi, loud and clear.

  “Got it,” whispered Scarlet.

  “And kick your legs,” said Grace. “Kick hard as if you were riding a unicorn. We want to keep this dragon moving while we snatch Hetty and pull her on board.”

  Grace thought of the gymkhana games they played on their unicorns: they had to lean down and a grab a flag from the ground without slowing to a trot. Grace was good at it. Riding lessons were the only time she ever got a merit at school. But grabbing a flag was a lot easier than snatching up a wriggling, frightened gir … and manoeuvring Billy was much simpler than trying to steer a furious, fiery dragon.

  Grace loosened her grip on the chain a little and kicked her legs hard.

  Whoosh! The dragon plunged downwards like a stone.

  “Whoa! Steady up, now,” cried Grace, pulling sharply on the chain as soon as they were level with the ledge.

  The dragon fought and tossed her head.

  “I’m not strong enough. I can’t hold her!” cried Grace. But she felt Izumi’s arms grab her around the waist. The two girls pulled back together. Then there was another tug. Scarlet must be pulling Izumi too. The three girls heaved, straining backwards in one long line, as if they were in the funny fairy tale about the giant turnip and were helping to pull it from the ground. Grace smiled to herself for just a second. Why did she never end up in the sort of fairy tales with glass slippers and mo
onlit dancing?

  “Heave!” she bellowed. “Keep pulling.” She felt the weight of the dragon’s bit in its mouth. She was in control again at last. They were beside the nesting ledge. Hetty was running forward.

  Grace knew she only had a second. Gripping the chain-like reins in one hand, she held the other out towards the terrified girl.

  “Jump!” she cried. “I’ll catch you.”

  “Again! Again!” cried Hetty as she landed safely on the dragon’s neck. She was sitting in Grace’s lap. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had.”

  “Never again,” laughed Grace.

  “Never!” squeaked Scarlet. “I thought I was going to faint.”

  Grace loosened her grip on the dragon’s chain as the giant creature landed beside the nest” We’ll just have to be patient now,” she said, patting the dragon. “We won’t come to any harm up here on her back. She needs to see that Huffle is safe and well.”

  “He’s adorable,” cooed Scarlet, as the baby dragon bounded forward.

  Grace explained how she and Hetty had found him.

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” she said.

  “Don’t worry,” said Scarlet. “I’m just pleased I got to see him now.”

  “I agree,” said Izumi. “Just look at that bright fiery crimson colour on his scales. It’s like a sunset.”

  Grace smiled. Here she was, sitting on a real live dragon as it tended to its baby. She was cuddling Hetty, who was almost like a little sister to her, and sharing it all with the very best friends that anyone could ever hope for.

  They all watched in silence, transfixed as the mother dragon nuzzled Huffle. She seemed to have totally forgotten that there were four girls perched on her back.

  The only sounds were the little squeaks and whelps the dragons made, almost as if they were talking to each other, and the occasional cry from Precious carried down the wind.

  “Get that thing back up here! I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Look!” said Hetty suddenly, leaning forward and staring between the dragon’s pointy ears. “Have you seen her halter? It’s copper rope. It’s the one from Uncle Falcon’s shed. I’d recognize it anywhere.”

  “Yes.” Grace nodded. The first moment she saw it on the dragon’s head she had been pretty sure it was the halter Hetty had described.

  “But that doesn’t make any sense,” said Hetty. “Unless…”

  Grace waited. She did not like the gamekeeper, with his narrow, angry eyes and his short temper. She did not trust him, either – the way he had been so quick to convince everyone that she was lying when Grace had said she’d seen the Coronet Crimson on the island. But he was Hetty’s uncle, and the only family she had left. The little girl had to decide things for herself.

  “Unless…” said Hetty slowly, “Unless it was Uncle Falcon who captured the dragon. It must have been him. Nobody else even knew that halter was in the shed.”

  Grace nodded.

  “What I don’t understand,” said Scarlet, “is why he’d want to put a halter on her in the first place? He wouldn’t need to tie her up if he was trying to drive her away from the island, would he?”

  “He’s a horrible, cruel man,” said Hetty. “And he’s greedy too. I bet he wanted to sell her to dragon smugglers.”

  “That’s terrible!” cried Izumi.

  “Thank goodness she was strong enough to escape,” said Grace.

  As if showing off her power, the enormous creature flapped her wings and shuddered underneath them.

  “I think we’re on the move,” said Grace.

  “Don’t let her fly out to sea,” gulped Scarlet. “I can’t swim! I’ve never learned.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Grace. “The dragon knows now that we don’t mean her baby any harm. I think she’s taking us home.”

  Sure enough, the giant creature rose up into the sky and shot through the air like a rocket.

  “Hold on tight,” cried Grace with a rush of excitement.

  Up the side of the cliff they flew, past Precious who screamed, “Bring that lizard back down here.”

  Above the Gemstone Glade they soared. They saw their classmates spread out in all directions, searching for the girls who had disappeared from the rehearsal.

  “Flying is amazing,” whooped Hetty. “I never want to land.”

  The twins, who were right beside the stage, looked up and screamed.

  “A monster! A monster!” they yelled as the dragon swooped towards their heads.

  For a terrible moment Grace thought that perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps Coronet Crimson dragons weren’t wise and gentle creatures who would only attack people if they were frightened or felt that their young were being threatened. Perhaps the mother dragon was going to dive down and gobble up Trinket and Truffle like two plump pork sausages.

  But the huge creature flew steadily on.

  Everyone in the glade was screaming now.

  Then the dragon turned sharply and hovered low over the red silk canopy above the stage.

  “Jump!” shouted Grace. “She’s found us a soft landing.”

  The cradle of silk hung like a hammock below them.

  Scarlet, Izumi and Hetty jumped.

  Grace just had one more job to do.

  She leaned forward as far as she could, stretching her body out along the dragon’s neck. Then she pushed her fingers under the tight copper halter and slipped it forward over the dragon’s ears. She watched as the harness fell to the ground, taking the heavy bit and cruel chain clattering down with it.

  “Go on,” she whispered, patting the dragon’s neck. “Fly back to your baby. You’re free now.”

  Then she leaped out into the air and waited for the billowing red silk to catch her.

  It was hours later, in the dark, after a long cold shower of spring rain, that Precious was finally rescued from the side of the cliff.

  “I am never speaking to Grace ever again,” she sobbed, shivering in her tattered sequin dress. “And as for that dreadful servant child, she should be sent away. And those dragons should be driven from the island too.”

  But Hetty was not sent anywhere. Nor were the dragons.

  Lady DuLac would not allow it. The headmistress had listened to the whole story. And when guards were called from the mainland, Keeper Falcon confessed that he had captured the adult female the first day Grace had seen her. He had sold her to dragon fighters on a faraway island but he never dreamed that she would escape and fly back. He hadn’t known that she had a baby to protect.

  “Coronet Crimson dragons mean us no harm,” said Grace. “They will only be a danger to us if we make them feel afraid or threaten the way they live.”

  “Princess Grace is quite right,” said Lady DuLac. She turned towards Keeper Falcon, who was hanging his head. “You are a clever man who has studied the behaviour of dragons closely. Surely, if a first year princess has learned that we can live alongside these noble creatures, then you must have known that too. I think you have known it for years. Yet you wanted to frighten people so that nobody would ask too many questions when you removed the nesting dragons from this island.”

  “At least I got a good price for them,” sneered the keeper.

  “No harm shall come to the mother and baby now. They will be our guests on this island until the young one is ready to fly away,” said Lady DuLac. “And, perhaps, if we are lucky, the mother will return to nest here again some day.”

  The guards stepped forward and put Keeper Falcon in handcuffs – just as he had put the dragon in chains.

  “What will happen to me now?” asked Hetty, standing on the steps of the Great Hall and looking out over the moonlit gardens as her uncle was led away to face a trial for cruelty to animals – not just to Huffle’s mother, but also the dragons he had driven from the island and sold long ago. “Uncle Falcon never wanted me – but he is the only family I have left.”

  “You can stay here at the school if you would like to,” said Lady DuLac. The hea
dmistress crouched down and took Hetty’s hands. “There are many fairy godmothers at Tall Towers who can look after you.”

  “Oodles of us!” said Fairy Godmother Pom, the cuddly seamstress, who was Grace’s favourite teacher of all. She bustled forward and wrapped Hetty in her arms.

  “You can have your very own room in the Sewing Tower,” she grinned.

  “But what about Flump?” asked Hetty, pointing to the big yellow dog. He was rolling on the lawn, which was still damp from the heavy shower of rain.

  “He can come too,” laughed Fairy Godmother Pom. “As long as he wipes his feet and doesn’t get muddy paw prints on my material, mind you.”

  “He’ll be good,” promised Hetty, and all the princesses who had gathered around clapped and cheered, Grace loudest of all. Only Precious looked sulky.

  “A servant girl!” she muttered under her breath.

  “When Hetty is old enough, she can become a pupil at Tall Towers,” said Lady DuLac, talking to the gathered crowd, but staring especially hard at Precious.

  “She’s not even a princess,” gasped Precious.

  “No,” said Lady DuLac. “But she is part of our community. We will look after her.”

  “And she already has a unicorn. He has chosen her,” laughed Grace. “Look.”

  Chalky was standing at the edge of the driveway.

  When Hetty called his name, he came galloping across the lawn towards her.

  “No unicorns in the garden!” cried Flintheart, who was standing amongst the crowd looking almost as sour as Precious.

  “You will have to teach him not to do that,” said Lady DuLac firmly, but with a little smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Off to bed now, everybody. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  “All the school governors will be here to see The Ballet of the Flowers,” agreed Madame Featherlight from the top of the steps. “Dragons or no dragons, the show must go on.”

  By the time the girls came down to breakfast next morning, a stage had been built in the gardens.

  “That’s where the performance is going to take place now,” said Princess Martine.

  “We’re not allowed anywhere near the Gemstone Glade anymore,” said Princess Rosamond.

  Big scrolls were hung on every notice board in the school: