Night of the Ninth Dragon

by Mary Pope Osborne

  The knights each raised a hand in farewell.

  “Here we go!” said Annie.

  “Here we go,” Jack repeated softly. “Just us.” And the hay cart clattered through the gateway, leaving the castle of Camelot behind.

  “Westward, toward the mountains,” said Queen Guinevere. She was sitting next to the sleeping king, with her hand resting on his chest. “Cafelle lives not far from here, where the wood borders the heath.”

  “Got it,” said Annie. “Haw!” she called to the oxen, using the sled dog command for “Turn left!”

  The heavy animals moved slowly toward the distant cloud-covered mountains. A cool, moist wind rippled through the wild grasses on either side of the rutted road.

  “Where are the invaders now, Your Majesty?” asked Jack, rocking from side to side on the drivers’ bench.

  “We hope that our army is defeating them in the east,” said the queen. “But small bands may still be roaming the kingdom, like packs of wolves.”

  “Like packs of wolves?” said Jack. His eyes darted around the countryside, looking for bands of invaders.

  The hills and fields were covered with shadows of clouds scudding across the sun. The shadows swept over abandoned huts and farmlands with charred trees and blackened fields.

  “What happened here, Your Majesty?” Annie asked. “Did the wolf packs of invaders burn everything?”

  “No, the fires were set by those who live here,” answered the queen. “Rumors of the enemy caused farmers to abandon their crops and hide in the hills. Before they fled, some burned their timber, barley, and flax to keep them from the invaders.”

  “When will everyone come back?” asked Jack.

  “When they know their king has returned,” the queen said. “Until then, no one will have the courage.”

  So everything depends on King Arthur, Jack thought, which means everything depends on us.

  As the oxen pulled the cart toward the wooded hills and plains at the base of the mountains, the bright air grew colder and the wind stronger. The lonely road grew wilder, until it was no more than a weedy path, overgrown with thistles and brambles.

  “Stop here,” Guinevere said finally.

  “Whoa!” said Annie.

  The oxen stopped moving, and the cart jolted to a halt.

  Guinevere gently shook her husband’s shoulder. “Wake, my lord,” she said. “Wake up.”

  “Yes?” the king said, lifting his head.

  “We are near Cafelle’s,” said Guinevere. “We must walk a short way now.”

  Arthur sat up and looked around. Then he ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes,” he said faintly. “We must walk from here.”

  “First, drink this,” said the queen, lifting the flask to the king’s lips. Jack wondered how much of the healing water from Avalon was left. He hoped they had enough for the whole journey.

  Annie climbed down from the cart bench and grabbed Oki. After Arthur drank from the flask, Guinevere helped him out of the back of the cart. King Arthur took the queen’s arm, and the two of them started walking slowly down a path.

  As Jack and Annie followed the royal couple through the shifting shadows of the forest, silver leaves on the interlacing tree branches rustled in the wind. Jack smelled wood smoke. Soon they crossed a sagging footbridge over a stream and came to a clearing with a small stone hut. A fence of woven sticks ringed the yard. Chimney smoke swirled through the afternoon air.

  The queen opened the gate, and she and Arthur crossed to the hut. Guinevere knocked on the door.

  A moment later, an old woman wrapped in a shawl stood in the doorway. She had a long white braid and luminous skin worn smooth by weather and time, like an ancient stone. The woman’s eyes were closed. With a start, Jack realized Cafelle was blind. At her side was a tall white dog with light blue eyes.

  Oki didn’t bark or whine. The peaceful gaze of the white dog seemed to keep him calm.

  “Greetings, Cafelle. We have come to—to seek your help,” rasped King Arthur.

  Cafelle bowed her head. “Welcome, Your Majesty,” she said. “And the queen has come with you this time, yes?”

  “Yes, Cafelle.” Guinevere touched the blind woman’s arm.

  “Welcome, dear lady,” said Cafelle. “And there are others with you as well. Children?”

  “Yes. Jack and Annie,” said the queen.

  “Annie.” The seer reached out, and Annie took her hand. “I see you well, Annie,” Cafelle said with her eyes still closed. “You love all animals. You speak your mind and are quick and courageous. Sometimes, though, you move too swiftly. You lack patience.”

  “That’s right, that’s me,” Annie said with a smile.

  “And Jack?” Cafelle said, turning to him.

  Jack took the seer’s hand.

  “You are very thoughtful and intelligent, Jack,” she said. “You love books and knowledge. Sometimes, though, you worry too much and you do not act quickly enough.”

  “Yes, that’s me,” said Jack.

  Oki barked. “And this is our dog, Oki,” said Annie. She held out the puppy, and the blind woman patted his head.

  “Oki, you are a very happy and lively dog! Very curious and willful,” the seer said with a smile. She pointed to the blue-eyed dog at her side. “And this is my Kee. She is old, like me. She cannot hear, and I cannot see. So we must rely on one another.”

  “Cool,” said Annie.

  Cafelle then held both her hands out to King Arthur, and he took them in his. “Come inside, my lord,” she said. “You have been wounded.”

  “Yes…I have,” the king said.

  Cafelle and Kee stepped back into the stone hut. The others followed, stepping onto a worn wooden floor.

  Inside, Jack could barely see anything. There were no windows and no lanterns. After Cafelle closed the door, the fire from the hearth and two candles were all that illuminated the one-room hut. Once Jack got used to the dim light, he was amazed at how easily Cafelle moved about with Kee at her side. The blind woman pulled a wooden bench close to the hearth, added kindling and logs to the fire, and poked it with a stick until flames shot into the air.

  “Pray, sit down,” Cafelle said, turning back to her visitors.

  Jack and Annie joined Arthur and Guinevere on the bench, and Cafelle sat on a low stool near the blazing fire. Kee sat beside her.

  “Tell me, what do you seek to know, my lord?” Cafelle asked King Arthur.

  The king leaned forward into the half circle of firelight. “The ninth dragon…was stolen…from Morgan’s garden,” he said.

  “Oh,” Cafelle said. “I understand. You need the ninth dragon, my lord, to cross to Avalon.”

  “I do indeed, wise friend,” he said.

  Cafelle nodded. Without another word, she stood up and opened the door. Kee joined her at the threshold, and the two stood together, facing the woods outside. Kee’s silky white fur glistened in the silver light as the dog looked deep into the forest.

  “Write down what she says,” Annie whispered.

  Jack reached under his cloak and took off his backpack. He pulled out his pencil and notebook and opened to a blank page, ready to write down the seer’s prophecy.

  For a long moment, all was quiet except for the gentle rustling of the trees. Gradually, though, the sounds of leaves and wind grew louder and louder until it seemed as if all the forest was shouting its secrets to the blind woman.

  Then the force of the wind lessened…the whispering and rustling grew softer and softer…until a hush fell over the forest.

  No one moved as they waited for Cafelle to tell them what the leaves had said.

  Cafelle turned to face the king. She began to speak in a clear voice:

  “Moon so bright.

  Munith Mor night.

  Curtain of white.

  Hides from sight.

  Magic for flight.

  Before dawn’s light.

  Or lose the fight.”

  Jack wrote down her words a
s fast as he could. When Cafelle finished, she and her dog both stood silent and still in the doorway again.

  “Thank you, Cafelle,” said the king.

  The seer turned to him. “What did I say?” she whispered. She seemed to be in a daze.

  Jack read Cafelle’s riddle aloud: “Moon so bright. Munith Mor night. Curtain of white. Hides from sight. Magic for flight. Before dawn’s light. Or lose the fight.”

  “Oh…I see…,” said Cafelle. She looked troubled.

  Jack was troubled, too. What did the last two lines mean?

  “Munith Mor is the highest mountain in the west,” said Guinevere. “It seems we should go there first?”

  “Yes,” said Cafelle. “ ’Tis not far from the sea. You can see it from the cart path. Continue on your way and journey over the moorlands.”

  “Good,” said Guinevere. “Jack and Annie, you will decipher the rest of the riddle as we travel.” The queen stood and helped the king rise. Jack and Annie and Oki stood up, too. “We must leave at once, Cafelle,” said Guinevere. “Not only must we travel to Munith Mor to look for the gold dragon, but we must then take it back to the castle garden in order for its magic to work.”

  “But, Your Majesty…,” said Jack.

  “Yes, Jack?” said the queen.

  “The last two lines…,” he said. The others looked at him as he read the last two lines again: “Before dawn’s light. Or lose the fight.”

  “Ah,” the queen said. “That seems to say we will lose the fight if we do not arrive in Avalon before dawn.” Guinevere took a deep breath. “So we will do all we need to do by dawn tomorrow—travel to Munith Mor, find the gold dragon, and return it to the castle garden. Thank you for your help, Cafelle.” She reached out and took the blind woman’s hands.

  “My lady, you are trembling,” Cafelle said.

  “I am fine,” said Guinevere. Her voice wavered, but she stood tall.

  Is she worried we don’t have enough time? Jack thought.

  “Thank you, and farewell,” said Guinevere. Then she helped the king toward the door. “Come, Jack and Annie.”

  “Thank you, Cafelle,” said Annie.

  Jack put away his notebook and picked up his backpack. Then he, Annie, and Oki followed the king and queen outside into the cool, windy air. Arthur held on to Guinevere’s arm as they walked away from the stone hut and through the gate. Oki scampered ahead of them, yapping at windblown leaves.

  Jack glanced back at Cafelle and Kee standing in the doorway of the hut. The dog could not hear and the woman could not see, but together the pair seemed to hear and see more than others could, Jack thought. He raised his hand in farewell, and Kee whined good-bye.

  “Wait! Children!” called Cafelle.

  Jack and Annie hurried back to her. The seer reached into the pocket of her dress. “Take this,” she said, and she handed them each a small red stone.

  “What is it?” asked Jack.

  “Rocks from the mountains of fire before time,” said the blind woman.

  “Lava rocks? Like from volcanoes?” Jack wondered aloud. He rubbed his fingers over his stone. “What do we do with them?”

  “Use them to save the king,” said the blind woman.

  “Use them how?” asked Jack.

  “With hope and courage,” said Cafelle.

  “And…?” said Jack.

  “With imagination,” said the seer.

  “Got it! Thanks!” said Annie.

  Jack didn’t understand. “But what do we do with—”

  “Annie? Jack?” Guinevere called from the forest.

  “Coming, Your Majesty!” Annie called back.

  “Please hurry!” the queen called.

  “Go now,” said Cafelle.

  “We have to go, Jack!” said Annie. She grabbed him and pulled him away. “Bye! Thank you, Cafelle! Thanks, Kee!” she called back to them. “Thanks for everything!”

  “But I don’t understand,” Jack said to Annie. “What do we do with these stones?”

  “Use our imaginations!” said Annie.

  “But how, exactly?” said Jack.

  “Don’t worry! We’ll figure it out. We have to hurry! Come on!” said Annie. And she took off running through the forest.

  Jack looked back at the hut. Cafelle and Kee had gone inside.

  “Hurry, Jack!” called Annie.

  “Darn,” said Jack, annoyed. He crammed his stone into a pocket of his jeans and ran after the others.

  Jack caught up with everyone at the footbridge. Annie picked up Oki and carried him across the stream. The queen helped Arthur into the back of the cart. The king trembled as he drank deeply from the leather flask. Again, Jack worried about running out of the healing water.

  When he finished drinking, Arthur lay back on the hay and closed his eyes.

  “We must hurry,” Guinevere said quietly to Jack and Annie, “or all will be lost.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” said Jack.

  “Keep him warm,” Annie whispered to Oki. She put the puppy next to Arthur, and the little dog cuddled against the king again.

  “On to Munith Mor,” the queen said. Then she hoisted herself into the back of the cart.

  Jack and Annie climbed onto the drivers’ bench. Annie picked up the reins.

  “Hike!” she said.

  In the failing light, the yoked oxen began lumbering up the road toward the distant mountain peaks.

  “Hurry!” Annie said, shaking the reins.

  But the oxen kept their slow pace as the cart creaked and bumped over the rough ground. How will we ever make it to the mountain, find the gold dragon, and return to the castle before dawn? Jack wondered. And what does Cafelle expect us to do with the red stones?

  “We need more information,” he said to Annie. “We should have learned more about the stones.”

  “We had to hurry,” said Annie.

  “I know, but you lack patience,” said Jack, quoting Cafelle.

  “Well, you don’t act quickly enough,” said Annie. “And you worry too much.”

  Both of them were silent for a moment.

  “Read the riddle again,” said Annie.

  Jack pulled out his notebook and read: “Moon so bright.” He stopped.

  “Keep going,” said Annie.

  Jack read the next line: “Munith Mor night.” He paused again.

  “Keep going, keep going!” said Annie.

  “No! Let’s discuss each line,” said Jack.

  “But we know what those lines mean,” said Annie. “Plus we need to think about the whole riddle.”

  “The way to figure out the whole riddle is piece by piece, line by line,” said Jack. He looked back at his notebook. “Moon so—”

  Jack’s reading was interrupted by a gasp from Annie. He looked up. “What?”

  “Wolf pack!” she whispered.

  In the distance, three horsemen in black cloaks were riding across a burnt field, heading toward the road.

  “Oh, man.” Jack’s hands shook as he stuffed his notebook into his pack. He looked back at the queen. “Invaders ahead!” he said.

  Guinevere nodded and covered the king’s face with his ragged cloak. Then she slumped down in the hay beside him and tucked her golden hair under the hood of her own cloak.

  Jack could barely breathe as he and Annie watched the riders leave the field and start galloping down the road toward them.

  Oki barked furiously at the three men on horseback.

  “Oki! Quiet!” Jack commanded.

  “Tell them your sister and your parents have a disease,” said Annie.

  “What?” said Jack. He could barely hear Annie above Oki’s barks. “Quiet!” he said. But the puppy kept barking.

  “I have a terrible disease, Jack,” Annie said. “Here, take the reins.” She pushed them into Jack’s hands. Then she grabbed his backpack and started digging through it.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I have a disease,” Annie said, keeping
her head down.

  “What do you mean?” said Jack.

  Annie said something, but Jack couldn’t hear her.

  Oki barked louder as the riders galloped closer and closer. As they pulled up in front of the cart, Jack saw that the men had grimy faces, bristly beards, and knotted hair down to their shoulders.

  “Halt!” the biggest man ordered.

  Jack pulled on the reins to stop the oxen. Oki barked and growled from the cart.

  “Quiet!” Jack ordered the puppy. He was gripping the reins so tightly his knuckles were white.

  The huge rider glared at him with small, mean eyes. “Who are you?” he snarled.

  “I’m Jack and she’s my sister, Annie,” said Jack. He tried to keep his voice steady.

  Annie didn’t look up. She was still hunched over the backpack. Jack had no idea what she was doing.

  The rider glanced toward the back of the cart. “Who lies there?” he asked.

  “Tell them about our disease,” Annie said, keeping her head down.

  “Um…our mother and father…they’re sick,” said Jack. “And my sister—she’s sick, too.”

  “Bad disease!” hissed Annie.

  “They all have a bad disease!” Jack had to shout to be heard above Oki’s barking.

  “What disease?” growled the rider.

  “I’m sorry, what?” said Jack.

  “What is their bad disease?” the man said.

  “Well, it, uh…it’s—” Jack stammered.

  “Yellow fever!” Annie shouted. She threw off her hood and looked up at the men. “Run for your lives!”

  Jack nearly fell off the cart. Annie looked terrible! Her face was covered with bright yellow spots!

  The men pulled back. Grunting and growling, they spurred their horses past the cart. The horses broke into a gallop, and the thieves thundered away.

  “Well, how rude was that?” said Annie, laughing.

  “What happened to you?” cried Jack, staring at her.

  Annie held up the yellow marker from Jack’s backpack, the one he’d used to highlight the puppy book.