The Boy Who Sang with Dragons

by Andy Shepherd

  I pointed at Rosebud, who had curled up on Aura’s arm, her petal-like wings folded over and her head tucked inside.

  ‘She must trust you a lot to do that,’ I said, and then I added firmly, ‘and she’s right to.’

  Aura looked down at Rosebud and touched a wing with one fingertip. The petal opened and Rosebud’s little head peeked out and sniffed at Aura before going straight back to sleep. She smiled. ‘Thanks, Tomas.’

  Zing, who’d been happily charging himself up by rolling around in a nest of jumpers was flaring silver. As the door opened and Ted entered with a huge container of popcorn, the dragon disappeared in a zap and reappeared right in front of his face. Ted yelped in surprise and flung the popcorn in the air. It rained down on Liam, who’d stepped in behind him with a packet of jam tarts. These went flying too. Two splatted on the carpet, one landed on Ted’s upturned face and the other was intercepted by Zing.

  He darted away with the tart stuck fast, the little silver-foil case on his back like a turtle’s shell.

  ‘I know they’re not as good as your nana’s,’ Ted said, wiping the jam off his face and giving it a lick, ‘but they’re not too bad at all.’

  I started scraping up the sticky splats while Liam scooped up popcorn.

  ‘Thanks for that,’ I said, rolling my eyes at Zing. But he’d zipped away already and had appeared on the windowsill outside.

  He strutted up and down with the tin foil case on his back, his head tipping back every so often to nibble at the pastry.

  ‘I sometimes forget he doesn’t need a door or a window,’ Liam said.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘He’s lucky he can just zap in and out as he pleases.’

  And then Ted suddenly piped up. ‘Hang on – that’s it. We can send Zing in. He can find the seedlings.’

  ‘Of course!’ I said.

  Aura jumped up, a glittery ring of bee dragons circling her. ‘And then what if Zing showed this lot the way? We wouldn’t need to get ourselves in at all. They can do what bees do, buzzing from plant to plant, but rather than pollinating they’ll be fertilising them for us.’

  ‘Yes!’ Ted grinned. ‘With chocolate!’

  ‘That’s brilliant!’ I cried.

  Aura’s face broke into a huge grin. And suddenly it was like the sunflower had found the sunlight again.

  29

  Twirly Twirly

  I slept soundly, my dreams far more peaceful than they’d been for days. When I found myself in the cave again, staring down at Tinkle curled up, her wing still cradled by her side, I felt calmer. This time she seemed to see me. Her eyes stared into mine and her song, which had lost its sadness, filled the air. I sang with her. And in our song was all the brightness of the stars and the colours of the aurora and the magic of the dragons.

  Zing though had clearly not slept quite so well. I could tell this partly by the state of my room – the shredded comic, demolished Lego model, claw marks all over my desk and the huge heap of clothes he’d dragged under my bed. And partly by my hair, which was sticking out in every direction and thanks to all the static charge was refusing to be tamed. Maybe the bee dragons had got him all overexcited with their aerial antics.

  Whatever the reason, the last time Zing had revved up this much, most of the electrics in our house had blown. Since I could hear Dad’s music playing, I hoped we’d got away with it this time.

  But I didn’t fancy getting a shock turning on the light or the toaster, so I decided to play it safe and wear a pair of bright yellow washing-up gloves until my hair calmed down.

  I guess I must have looked a bit odd sitting at the breakfast table – what with the hair and the gloves. And especially as all the static meant I’d attracted a fair amount of fluff on my way.

  ‘You’re very hairy,’ Lolli said as she licked the honey and jam and hundreds and thousands off her bread.

  It was good to see her up and beetling about again, but I did wonder if Mum and Dad realised this was what she’d make when they said she could get herself some breakfast.

  ‘What’s with all the toilet roll?’ I asked. She must have used a whole roll at least, wrapping it round and round her arm and shoulder.

  ‘Poorly arm,’ she said, though quite happily waving it about.

  Mum wandered in then, carrying a towel, which she was inspecting. I noticed the black mark all across it. I guessed that Zing had got into the airing cupboard again. Mum glanced over and took in the scene: sticky-out hair, bright yellow gloves, unravelled toilet roll across the breakfast table.

  I decided the best course of action was distraction, so launched into a hundred mile an hour debrief of my latest spelling test.

  Mum waited for me to finish.

  ‘You’re ever so twirly, Tomas,’ she said.

  ‘Twirly, twirly, twirly,’ Lolli giggled, getting up and spinning round so that she made the toilet roll fly out around her.

  ‘Are you really OK?’ Mum asked me.

  ‘Absolutely,’ I said, although the squeak didn’t sound as reassuring as I’d hoped.

  Mum joined us at the table, pulling the toilet roll off a piece of jammy bread and eyeing my hairy clothes.

  ‘How’s that bird?’ she asked. ‘The one with the hurt wing.’

  I looked over at Lolli. She definitely seemed happier, even though she’d wrapped her arm in padding. I wasn’t sure Flicker would be able to do much about a damaged wing. But I hoped a happier Lolli – and my dream – meant that he’d at least found Tinkle.

  ‘We haven’t really done anything to fix it,’ I said. ‘But I think it’s perked up a bit. I hope so anyway.’

  ‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ Mum said. ‘Sometimes just being there and making the animal feel safe and comfortable can be all that’s needed. Gives the healing a helping hand.’

  I smiled. I liked that idea. And again I hoped that somewhere Flicker was tucked up next to Tinkle, helping her to feel better.

  ‘It definitely seemed to work with Lolli,’ Mum said, smiling. ‘Don’t think I didn’t notice you sneaking in to keep an eye on her.’

  Lolli flapped her way over to me and gave me a sticky kiss.

  ‘Funny thing though,’ Mum said, ‘Aura’s mum didn’t know anything about a friend with an injured bird when I asked her about it.’

  I took a massive bite of my toast and then motioned to show I couldn’t possibly talk through my full mouth. It gave me a few seconds to think. But when I couldn’t come up with anything to say, I just stuffed more toast in, until Dad arrived and told Mum it was time to leave for the radio station.

  30

  Giggling in the Garden

  For the rest of the day I watched the clock, counting down the minutes until the superhero squad arrived. All I could think about was the seedlings and how badly they needed us. It was our job to protect them as much as the dragons, and I just hoped we could do it. The weight of responsibility was starting to sit pretty heavily on me, leaving me feeling a bit like a squashed raisin on the bottom of a shoe.

  When the time finally came and we set off together, I felt their excited chatter pumping me up again, like air in a tyre. I’d had visions of us commando-crawling our way past the girl at the entrance kiosk, but actually we were in luck. A cluster of families were milling about chatting, while their kids rushed round playing tag. It was easy enough to blend in and then one by one make a dash, past the kiosk window and into the bushes.

  With the garden closing, we couldn’t just saunter along the main paths, so we threaded our way through the tall bamboo, jumped across the giant stepping stones on the pond and scrambled over the rocks with the heathers and moss.

  There was a tree with gnarly branches that draped over the rocks, and we scurried into its embrace, peeking out to check for any stragglers wandering to the exits.

  We crouched there, panting, grinning at each other, before we all jumped a mile in shock when a bell suddenly sounded just the other side of the tree.

  We froze as a man on a bike came in
to view, ringing a hand bell.

  ‘Garden’s closing,’ he hollered.

  The sudden yell startled Rosebud so much she farted, and for the next couple of minutes we desperately clamped our hands over our mouths to stop ourselves erupting into loud snorts of laughter.

  What made it worse was that the man got off his bike and started fiddling with his phone and headphones when he was only a metre away from us. Poor Ted’s eyes were streaming as he stifled his hysterics. I just hoped Zing, who was already revved up with excitement, didn’t start unleashing any lightning bolts!

  When the gas finally cleared, we still had trouble pulling ourselves together and it was pretty clear we were all a little tightly wound.

  ‘Let’s wait here a bit longer,’ Aura said. ‘Just in case people in the offices and labs are working late.’

  ‘Do you think they have security guards?’ Liam asked.

  ‘I doubt it,’ Ted said. ‘It’s not like it’s a bank or a shop. There’s nothing valuable here.’

  ‘Apart from the last remaining active dragon-fruit trees,’ I said ruefully.

  ‘Well, yeah, but luckily for us no one else knows that, do they?’ he said. ‘And I doubt anyone would bother breaking in to steal a few flowers.’

  ‘Maybe we should be trying to break the seedlings out of there,’ Liam suggested. ‘Rather than just trying to cover them in chocolate. I mean, if they really are being monitored that closely, what happens if they start glowing? That’s going to raise some eyebrows, isn’t it?’

  ‘We’ve been over this,’ Aura said quickly. ‘We don’t want to leave them here any longer than we have to. But stage one is just to get them healthy again. And tiny bee dragons are going to have a much easier time sneaking in than us lot. Then we can move to stage two, convincing Chouko we really do know what they need and insisting she find a way to take them back into her care.’

  ‘There are too many for us to carry off anyway,’ I said. ‘There were trays and trays of them in her greenhouse, and who knows how many more she found since then. We need an insider’s help. Aura’s right,’ I added. ‘For now we have to find out where they are and get that chocolate on them.’

  ‘OK,’ Liam said. ‘Looks like we’d better get Zing zapping then!’

  ‘Hey, Ted,’ Aura sniggered. ‘You know we’re supposed to be covering the seedlings in chocolate, not ourselves.’

  Ted, who had been happily munching his way through a gigantic bar of chocolate, grinned sheepishly.

  31

  Zing Gets Zapping

  ‘This place is huge,’ Ted whispered as we huddled in the bushes across the path from the main building. ‘I thought gardeners had little sheds and greenhouses, not great big office blocks.’

  ‘Chouko said she’s been here since she was a student. I think they have a teaching bit and a research bit and, I don’t know, an officey bit, I suppose.’

  The truth was, I was just as surprised as the rest of them at exactly how big the building was. I’d only ever been into the cafe that was tucked in at the front of it. And I’d always been too focused on their home-made ice cream and giant scones to take much notice of the boring-looking offices behind.

  There were still a few lights on, and we could see shapes moving in one of the rooms.

  ‘Don’t these people have homes to go to?’ Liam huffed. ‘It’s the weekend after all.’ We hung back in the shadows and waited. Eventually the lights went out and a few minutes later a group of students left through the side door, locking it behind them.

  ‘OK,’ I whispered to Zing, who was clinging to my back. ‘It’s time.’

  I felt his claws dig in as he clambered up a little higher. He leaned out over my shoulder and rubbed his scaly head against my cheek. He’d been swishing his tail back and forth across my jumper for a while, and I could already see the silver threads flaring brightly. I took a handful of batteries out of my pocket and immediately felt his excitement buzzing through me.

  ‘We’d better get you charged up,’ I said, placing them on the ground. ‘I don’t know how many rooms you’ll have to zap in and out before you find them.’

  He fluttered down onto the batteries and his sapphire eye sparkled as the batteries gave up their energy. Then his cloudy eye began to swirl and we all stepped back. The next second there was a flash of light, a metallic tang in the air and the little dragon had disappeared.

  ‘Wish he could teleport one of us like that,’ Liam said with a laugh.

  ‘I just hope he doesn’t run out of charge and get stuck in there,’ I said quietly.

  For the next ten minutes we stood, eyes fixed on the building. But there was no sign of Zing. Another ten minutes passed, and when he still hadn’t reappeared I started to fear the worst.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Ted hissed. ‘We can’t leave him in there.’

  ‘Maybe he just got bored and zapped off somewhere else?’ Liam suggested.

  I shook my head. I knew Zing wouldn’t stop until he found the seedlings, and if he hadn’t reappeared to show the bee dragons the way, then something was definitely wrong.

  ‘I’m going to look for a way in,’ I said. I went right up to the building and on tiptoe I peered in through one of the windows on the ground floor. It just looked like an office and I moved along to the next window. This looked more like a science lab, with microscopes on long counters and glass dishes and rows of plants lined up against the wall. But these plants had big round glossy leaves and delicate pink flowers.

  As I peered into the last window the others joined me.

  ‘I need to get up there and look in,’ I said, pointing to the first floor. ‘Maybe he’s just lost his bearings.’

  ‘I know I’ve had a growth spurt,’ Ted said, ‘but I don’t think even I could give you a leg up that high.’

  And then a blinding flash of light came from inside one of the windows further along and there was Zing above our heads. Sparks crackled from his silver scales, his tail thrashed from side to side and his eyes stared down at us, fiercely bright.

  ‘What is it?’ I cried. ‘What’s wrong?’

  He shot down and grabbed onto my sweatshirt and I jumped at the electric shock that shot through me. But he didn’t let go. In fact, his claws tightened on me.

  ‘Ow!’ I yelped. And then I watched as Aura’s eyes grew wide.

  ‘Tomas . . .’ she began.

  But I didn’t hear the rest, because the next second it felt as if all the atoms of my body had exploded.

  When I opened my eyes it was pitch dark. I stumbled forward and crashed into what felt like metal shelving. Something heavy landed on my foot, making me cry out. And then Zing’s claws dug in tight again and my atoms exploded once more.

  This time I couldn’t tell if it was light or dark. Because I was too busy whimpering and clenching my eyes shut. Whatever this was, I didn’t like it one little bit. I could feel my heart hammering away in my chest, and when I tried to say something the words just dribbled out my mouth like runny jelly.

  ‘Whadajushappa,’ I blubbered.

  Slowly I opened my eyes. Zing had let go of my back and was hovering in front of me, his eyes scanning my face. Like he was checking everything was where it should be.

  I patted myself down and reassured myself that, yes, my nose was in its proper place.

  ‘Did you just zap me in here with you?’ I stammered, looking around.

  Zing ignored the question and flew off to the other side of the room.

  I followed, my legs not really working properly so I had to stagger along, propping myself up on the countertops.

  When I reached him I juddered to a stop. I stared at the sight in front of me, clamping a hand to my mouth in horror.

  Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

  32

  Under Observation

  Along the counter there were ordered rows of dragon-fruit seedlings in their little pots. Chouko was right, they didn’t look healthy any more. But however sad they
looked, it was nothing compared to what lay in front of them.

  A handful of seedlings had been pinned out on boards. Their straggly roots and tender shoots were gripped tight by metal pins, like when you see beautiful butterflies pinned out on display in those glass cases in museums. A white-hot anger rocketed through me, and I clenched my fists as if that could stop me from blasting off in fury.

  ‘What are they doing to you?’ I said.

  I quickly yanked out the pins, freeing the seedlings from their tiny chains. Then I grabbed some empty pots, scooping handfuls of soil in before gently replanting each tiny seedling in the soft earth.

  ‘You hang in there,’ I whispered to them. I thought of the cacao in Aura’s bag and wished I had it with me. I rootled in my pocket and found the remains of some that I’d used on the seedling at home. I sprinkled it on the soil. It wasn’t much but it was all I had, and I just hoped it would buy us some time.

  I spotted a pile of papers and flicked through, my eyes scanning the information. It was clear the seedlings were being closely monitored. One note mentioned ‘a strange previously undocumented bioluminescence’. Whoever had been studying them was trying to find out what made them glow.

  ‘We need to get them out of here,’ I said to Zing desperately.

  Zing’s scales had returned to their usual light blue and the silver threads were faint now. I didn’t exactly fancy another atom-busting zap out of the building, but I had survived the first time and I couldn’t get myself through locked doors any other way.

  I looked around the room for something we could use to charge Zing up and spotted the overhead strip lighting. That ought to do it. I pointed to it and Zing fluttered over and tapped the bulb with his tail. The light flared into life and his silver threads flared along with it. I watched him getting brighter and brighter and then braced myself as he flew down towards me.