The Dragon's Apprentice

by Linda McNabb

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  A PRESENT FOR THE KING

  “There’s no chance of getting them tonight now,” Toby said apologetically as they walked back to the wagon. Snow was falling lightly and it was getting very cold.

  “We’ll get them, don’t worry,” Sanelle told him comfortingly.

  “Was that your mother?” Kaylene asked quietly.

  “No, I never knew my mother,” Toby told her. “Aggie raised me from a baby.”

  “And you can never go back because you set Klel free?” Kaylene seemed disturbed.

  “No, I can’t,” Toby replied shortly. “You accusing me of following you didn’t help either.”

  “Oh!” Kaylene looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Forget it,” Toby muttered. “Things sure would have been easier if you hadn’t come to the castle.”

  They backed the wagon off behind a small hill and Toby set about lighting a fire to keep them warm. It took ages to get the cold, damp wood to light and he spent the time thinking. He realised that if Kaylene hadn’t come to the castle there wouldn’t have been any gems to help restore Klel’s magic and if he hadn’t been thrown out of the castle they would never have found out about the plans to steal Klel. Toby jumped to his feet, looking around for Kaylene, he had to apologise.

  “Sanelle, have you seen Kay?” Toby asked when he couldn’t find her.

  “Not for a while,” Sanelle said as she pulled her attention sadly away from the moon, which was peeping between the clouds, and cast up a sphere of light.

  “I think we should go and look for her,” Toby suggested and lit one himself.

  They could see her footprints in the snow, leading away from the camp and they started to follow them. A high pitched shriek, from a short way off, told them that Kaylene was in trouble.

  “Kay!” Toby shouted as he hurried off with Sanelle following

  “Stop!” Sanelle called out and grabbed hold of him, just preventing him from running straight off a small cliff.

  “Help. Down here!” Kaylene called pitifully from down the cliff. Sanelle sent her light floating down the cliff and Toby felt his heart race when he saw she was clinging to a small tree half way down. “Hurry, it’s breaking!”

  Before he or Sanelle could do anything the branch snapped.

  “Kay!” Toby watched helplessly as she fell. Then there was a whoosh of air above him and Klel was nose-diving down the cliff. Toby barely had time to take a breath before Klel dipped under Kaylene and caught her just a few feet from the ground. Klel flew back up slowly and looked about to collapse when he landed on the cold snow.

  “Kay, are you alright?” Toby asked as he helped her off Klel’s back.

  “Yes,” Kaylene replied with a shaky voice. “Is Klel okay?”

  “He’ll need a long sleep after that effort,” Sanelle told her. “I’ll go and get the wagon since I doubt he has the strength to fly back.”

  “Where were you going, Kay?” Toby asked gently as he took off his coat and put it around the shivering girl’s shoulders.

  “You said it would have been better if I had never come to the castle so I figured you’d be better off if I left.” Kaylene was trying to put on a princess-like air of self-sacrifice but Toby could tell she was upset.

  “I shouldn’t have said that,” Toby admitted.

  Sanelle arrived back with the wagon and they helped Klel into it.

  “Why would he use the last of his strength to save me?” Kaylene asked as Toby walked her slowly back to their camp, following in the wagon’s tracks to stop their feet freezing on the snow.

  “He knows, just as I do, that if you hadn’t come to the castle he would have died already. If it wasn’t for your necklace, or getting me kicked out of the castle, we wouldn’t even be here trying to get his band. Without you he didn’t have a chance. I’m sorry.” Toby didn’t look at Kaylene as he spoke.

  “You took my necklace?” Kaylene asked in surprise. “It helped Klel?”

  Toby nodded and Kaylene looked pleased. They finished their walk back in silence.

  They pulled into a village several hours after noon the next day; an hour after King Herat had gone through.

  “I wouldn’t even stop here if we didn’t need more supplies,” Sanelle muttered as she drove the wagon into a small side street. “We need to catch up with King Herat before nightfall.”

  “Can I come?” Kaylene asked hesitantly. “I won’t cause any trouble.”

  “I’ll stay with Klel,” Toby offered. He didn’t want to risk anyone looking inside the wagon and telling the next king who passed through the village. Sanelle and Kaylene went off for the supplies and Toby stayed near the wagon.

  Toby was at the entrance to the side street when he saw Sanelle and Kaylene on their way back. Kaylene was a few dozen steps behind Sanelle and had stopped to look in a shop window. He heard the sound of many horses and turned to see a dozen of King Robet’s guards.

  Kaylene looked surprised as she too noticed them. She dropped the bag she was carrying and looked about to make a run for it. But was she going to run to the guards or away from them?

  “What do we do?” Toby asked as Sanelle hurried around the corner to join him and they peered out into the street.

  “There’s King Robet!” Sanelle was frowning and Toby knew what she was thinking.

  Would Kaylene tell her father about them? Would she tell him about Klel? It would be one way to get in her father’s good books. King Robet saw his daughter standing by the road and almost leapt from his horse.

  “Kaylene!” King Robet hurried over to his daughter and glared angrily at her.

  Kaylene just stared at him mutely.

  “What are you doing out here in the countryside? Your mother will be sick with worry by now.”

  King Robet wasn’t allowing her a chance to speak, even if she wanted to, and he kept yelling at her for several minutes. Finally he fell silent, noticing her crumpled and dirty clothes.

  “I missed you father,” she said simply and King Robet looked surprised not to hear complaints and demands.

  “How did you get way out here?” he asked, looking around to see if there was anyone with her.

  “I got a lift with some travellers,” she replied vaguely and avoided looking towards the side street where Toby and Sanelle were hiding.

  Toby sighed with relief as it seemed she wasn’t going to tell her father about them after all. Sanelle looked surprised but didn’t comment.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” King Robet said as he put his arm around her and started walking towards the nearest Inn. “We can’t spare the time to take you back to your mother now so you’ll have to come on our quest.”

  Toby couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation as they had gone inside the Inn, but he was sure now that she wouldn’t tell her father about Klel. They waited until the main road was deserted and then slipped out of town, heading for the hills to the north.

  They stayed up on the hills for over an hour until King Robet’s procession left the village and disappeared into the distance before re-joining the road and following.

  “They’ll catch up to King Herat late today at that pace,” Sanelle commented. “It might give us the confusion we need to take both the neckband and the talisman.

  “Tonight it is then.” Toby flicked the reins as it was his turn to drive for a while and the horse stepped up the pace. Even with all the travelling they had done the horse looked far healthier and happier than when they took it.

  Dragon’s Ridge was in sight late that afternoon when they stopped again. King Robet had indeed caught up with King Herat and neither of them looked happy about it.

  Their camps were only a few hundred paces apart as they both camped near the only stream for miles around. Toby and Sanelle moved the wagon around to the north of both camps, on a slight rise, and watched through the eyeglass. It had snowed during the day but the clouds were gone now.

  Both kings were in King Robet’s camp, b
ellowing at each other. What for, Toby had no idea, but he guessed they were telling each other to leave.

  Without meaning to, Toby moved the eyeglass around King Robet’s camp until he saw Kaylene. The worst of the stains had gone from her dress she had washed her hair. It was piled elegantly on top of her head and she looked very regal but different to when he first met her. The sour expression had gone and she looked pretty.

  As he watched, Kaylene stood up and walked off towards the edge of the camp, constantly turning to see if anyone was watching her.

  “What’s Kay doing?” Toby exclaimed. “She looks to be running away again.”

  Sanelle took the eyeglass and confirmed what he thought.

  “But she’s not running this way. She’s running over to King Herat’s camp!” Sanelle added. “I think we should find out what she’s up to.”

  Toby agreed and they moved the wagon as close to the two camps as they dared. They left the wagon and crept closer to King Herat’s camp, keeping to the few shrubs that grew on the plain. Toby made them invisible and they walked into the camp.

  “There she is,” Sanelle whispered as the princess came into sight. She was standing at the back of a wagon, stamping her feet and demanding loudly that the guards open up.

  “Your Highness!” The back flap was lifted and one of the guards jumped down.

  “I need that box,” Kaylene demanded, pointing at the ornately jewelled box in the back of the wagon.

  “I can’t allow that, Your Highness. King Herat must give the order.” The guard looked apologetic.

  “King Herat sent me!” Kaylene said loudly. “Why else would I be here? He needs it… Now!”

  The guard looked unsure but he signalled his partner to lift the box down. “Where should we take it, Your Highness?”

  “I’ll take it to him,” Kaylene said but the guards refused to hand it over.

  “We’ll follow you, Your Highness.” The guard bowed respectfully but kept a firm hold on the box.

  “Hurry, King Herat is waiting,” she snapped in a very stern voice as she led them out of the camp and into the scattered shrubs.

  “Now it’s our turn,” Sanelle said with a smile.

  “Gee those guards look tired. You can have the one on the left,” Toby added and he heard Sanelle’s grunt of laughter. Both invoked their runes at the same time and the guards dropped to the ground and began snoring.

  Kaylene stopped when she heard the trunk hit the snow-covered ground. Toby cancelled his invisible spell and the princess rushed over to them.

  “It is what you wanted isn’t it?” Kaylene asked, looking immensely pleased with herself.

  “It sure is. Thanks, Kay.” Toby gave her hug. He was glad she turned out to be on their side.

  Sanelle broke the lock on the trunk, opened it and Toby stepped back as the music was just as strong as last time. She lifted the neckband out and held it up for the others to see. The gems were glowing brightly and they heard a faint howl from the direction of the wagon. Klel knew it was close.

  “It’s beautiful,” Kaylene gasped.

  “Come on let’s get this to Klel,” Toby urged as Sanelle put the neckband back and shut the lid.

  Just as they reached the wagon a voice came from nearby.

  “I think they went this way.”

  “We’ve got to hurry,” Sanelle said, with a hint of panic in her voice, as they heaved the trunk up into the back of the wagon with Klel.

  Klel howled again and Toby wished there was time to give him the band.

  Band, Klel muttered without raising his head and his voice was raspy. It looked as if Kaylene had brought the neckband just in time.

  “Thanks again, Kay,” Sanelle said and actually smiled at Kaylene, showing that she too, realised what a risk she had taken to help them.

  “You go. I’ll stall them so you can get away,” Kaylene suggested and gave Toby a push up onto the seat.

  “Kaylene! What are you doing way out here?” A deep voice from very close by made them all turn. King Robet, with a whole contingent of guards had approached without them even hearing.

  “Father!” Kaylene stared at her father in shock and Toby could tell she was desperately trying to come up with an explanation that would make her father go away.

  “Who are these lads?” he demanded and signalled the guards to surround the wagon. He stared hard at Toby for a second and then frowned. “This one looks familiar.”

  Lads? King Robet obviously assumed Sanelle was a boy by the way she was dressed. He lowered his head a little, just in case King Robet finally remembered where he had seen him. Toby’s heart sank as the guards moved to the back of the wagon and he realised that he hadn’t closed the back flap.

  “Your Majesty.” One guard went running towards King Robet. “There’s a dragon in the back, and a fancy trunk.”

  “A dragon?” King Robet turned to his daughter and smiled broadly. “You brought me a dragon? What is in the trunk, gold, jewels? I knew you were up to something when we found you in that village yesterday.”

  “I… I knew you wanted one…” Kaylene stuttered and looked helplessly at Toby, for once she was lost for words. “I was just trying to help.”

  King Robet gave Kaylene a big hug, and then at the sounds of approaching guards from the direction of King Herat’s camp he frowned.

  “Take the wagon into the camp, quickly!” he ordered and his guards obeyed instantly. Two of them pushed Toby and Sanelle off the seat and jumped up themselves.

  “Now is our chance to slip away,” Toby hissed, ready to make himself invisible. “We’ll have to come back for Klel and the neckband.”

  “And you two lads…” King Robet paused as he clamped his hands on both Toby and Sanelle’s shoulders. “…deserve some kind of reward for helping my daughter bring me a dragon. Come along Kaylene.”

  He kept hold of Toby and Sanelle as he led them into camp and into his private tent. The wagon stopped just outside the tent and the trunk was brought inside. Toby couldn’t help but worry how Klel was.

  “Bring the trunk over here,” King Robet ordered. He opened the trunk and the music filled Toby’s head.

  “Well, Kaylene. Most impressive… but what is it?” King Robet held up the neckband and eyed it critically as he tried to figure out what it was for. He held it around his waist, sucked in his stomach as it was a very tight fit, and clipped it firmly in place.

  “But it’s not…” Kaylene started to protest but he stopped her.

  “I knew they weren’t real, by the size of them, but they look impressive anyway. I like how they glow, even inside the tent where there is no sunlight to reflect off them. Thank you, daughter.” He closed the gap between them in two strides and gave her a firm hug.

  “Actually it goes on the dragon, Your Majesty,” Sanelle spoke up and Toby was no longer surprised by her bravery, he was used to it now.

  “On the dragon?” King Robet stared at Sanelle, frowned and then threw his head back in a roar of a laugh that would have shaken the walls if they weren’t in a tent. “Oh that’s a good one. I should keep you on as my jester.”

  “May I check on the dragon, Your Majesty?” Toby could not wait any longer to check on Klel.

  “Why don’t we all take a look at our new dragon?” King Robet smiled broadly then frowned as he readjusted the tight fitting ‘belt’ and led the way out of the tent. Toby followed, wondering how he was going to get the neckband back now.

  King Robet walked around the back of the wagon and looked inside. Toby was only a step behind and peered in at Klel, desperate to see if he was okay.

  “What’s the matter with it?” King Robet’s smile dropped to a frown as soon as he saw Klel. “It looks sick.”

  “It is, Your Majesty,” Toby answered with a sudden lump in his throat. Klel did indeed look sick. He was laying very still, eyes barely open, and his muddy brown colour had faded to almost white. He looked as if he were fading away before their eyes.

&nb
sp; “Where did you get this dragon?” King Robet looked suddenly suspicious and glared at the three youngsters.

  “Well, father…” Kaylene stepped forward. “We were just going along the road…”

  “You stole it from Herat, didn’t you?” King Robet asked and turned to Toby and Sanelle.

  “No, Your Majesty. We set him free to stop King Herat killing him,” Toby replied and was surprised by his own bravery at speaking out.

  “So it is Herat’s dragon,” King Robet said as he looked back at the dragon and then at Kaylene. “It doesn’t look like you gave it much more time by taking it. It looks about to die anyway.”

  “If we just gave him the…” Kaylene started to tell him but he held up his hand to silence her.

  “By rights we should return it to Herat,” King Robet said slowly and turned back to look at Klel once more, shaking his head at the sad sight before him.