by Andy Holland
"You're absolutely right," Jerome replied, "but unfortunately not everyone saw the Blue Dragon army, and many now believe that we could have beaten them without John's help, so all they think he did was lumber us with this unnecessary peace treaty and drive these monsters from the Circle into our Kingdom."
"That's outrageous…," Crystal began, but Jerome cut her off.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought you ought to know what the mood was in the East. These aren't my sentiments at all; I'm grateful for what you Golden Dragons have done."
Crystal turned to John, who had remained silent throughout the whole exchange. "John, I don't care what he's heard. This can't be what people think."
John stared at his now empty plate. "Why not, it's not unreasonable. I did provoke the True Dragons…"
"Yes, but to save our army!" Crystal replied, amazed that John might pay attention to what Jerome was saying. "You had to do it! Everyone must know that."
"That's something that you understand because you saw the Blue Dragon army," John replied thoughtfully. "Jerome is right; not everyone saw the army. And I'm not one of you. People aren't going to be so generous in their thoughts towards a Golden Dragon."
Crystal gulped, realising that that logic applied to her as well. Could people start to see her in the same light?
"The common people don't matter," Jenna assured them both. "The army and the nobles were there, and they know what we faced."
"Some of them," John replied. "Very few of the nobility were there. And people have short memories. No, I think that this could become a problem for us, and for the peace treaty."
"I fear John is right," Jerome added. "The peace treaty will only work if people feel secure, otherwise what purpose does it serve? And regardless of what the elite in Furnace want to happen, can it really survive if the common people don't support it? After all, they're the ones who form the bulk of our army and our border guard."
"But what can be done?" Crystal asked. "Those things can't be stopped. We just have to wait until it returns home. The green one has stopped coming out."
"Well, one of the Blues did stop one of them," Jerome pointed out. "One of their Generals took it on single-handed and brought it down."
"Perak," Crystal added, shuddering. The rebel general was almost as terrifying as the True Dragon.
"What, do you expect John to try and kill that thing?" Seth asked with a laugh. "Even John's not that crazy."
"No, no," Jerome replied quickly. "John, I know how willing you are to take these sort of risks in order to protect your friends, but you shouldn't for a minute think that I was suggesting that you attack that thing. There are many, many other, more experienced dragons who can do that. Besides, Crystal is probably right. That thing might be unstoppable."
John stated at Jerome thoughtfully and for one minute Crystal dreaded that he might be contemplating going after the creature. It wouldn't have been out of character.
"Maybe there are more experienced dragons, maybe there aren't," John replied. "But that really doesn't matter. I know Perak did bring one of them down as I saw him do it. And I know that he was just a Blue Dragon, so you might think it would be easier for me, but you'd be wrong. The weapon he used was heavy, too heavy for me to fly with at speed. Even if I could, this task would still be beyond my capabilities. The one he took down was the smallest and slowest of the three. I managed to evade its attacks for quite some time, but only just. But the black one is something else. If I had nowhere to hide and it was after me, I doubt I'd last more than a minute. I do take risks, Jerome, but calculated risks. I have no intention of going after that creature. Not ever."
Chapter 2: The menace
It was also turning out to be a fine day in the new city of Sanctuary. Mark, John's older brother, had been up since before dawn, his work never ending, but had decided to take a well-earned break for lunch outside so he could enjoy the good weather. The peace treaty had stipulated that responsibility for building the three new cities was to be shared between the signatories but so far, the bulk of the work of building this city had been left to the Golden Dragons. That was only to be expected; as the only nation that acted as a host for refugees, they were the only ones who would benefit from the building of this city, other than the refugees themselves. Mark's responsibilities focused on planning and negotiations rather than the actual construction, but so far he had spent a lot more time helping build the city wall rather than doing his own job. He had no experience of construction, but that had not mattered as they needed all the help that they could get. And it helped him with the negotiations. The Reds had insisted on the wall being finished before they provided any workers, citing the need for night-time protection from the local fauna, so the sooner it was done, the better.
But now that the wall was almost complete, Mark was back to his own job, and despite the fact that the wall was almost complete, the Reds were still not ready to send workers. Neither were any of the other races. He almost wished that he could go back to carrying bricks. Each of the sets of representatives was as difficult as each other, arguing over the tiniest detail and objecting to any and every expense and he seemed to spend all his time writing pointless reports and writing long even more pointless letters. If the other two cities were progressing in the same manner, it would be decades before they would be complete.
"Mark, is that you? I thought I recognised you."
Mark turned towards the speaker, recognising the voice instantly.
"Prince Gerald!" he replied merrily, standing up and taking the outstretched hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "What are you doing in this part of the world? I thought you were back home in the West."
"No, no," Gerald replied. "I have been working on the building of the City of Assembly. And if I may say so, I think we're making a lot more progress that you are here. I mean, it is a nice wall, but that's all you appear to have so far, and even that isn't finished."
"I know," Mark replied sadly. "To be fair, we do seem to be a little short of workers. Especially those with red hair. Looking around, I can't see any at the moment."
Gerald raised his hands, conceding defeat. "You have me there. Although if I'm honest, there aren't a lot more in Assembly. But don't worry, it gets better once you have the walls up. Very few people were willing to camp in this region, so they were flying in and out of Assembly each day which wasted a lot of time. There are too many unpleasant creatures living near to the city. They're not a problem during the day while we're dragons but at night…"
"True, although that isn't the main thing people are scared of, is it, Gerald? Giant boars, venomous snakes, wild dogs, yes, they're a nuisance, but they're not what keeps people awake at night."
Gerald shook his head. "No, it isn't, and that's what I came to see you about. There are plenty of Golden Dragons in Assembly, but I trust you more than any of them. How bad is it out there? What do you know about the True Dragons? If I'm going to appeal to my government to start sending more workers, then I need to know the truth. Is it going to be safe for them to come here?"
Mark sighed. "It is probably easier if I show you rather than tell you. Are you up for a short flight?"
"Of course," Gerald replied. "As long as you're not actually going to be taking me to see one. Because if they are really that close, then I have my answer already."
Mark laughed. "No, I'm not taking us to our deaths. Come, join me in the air. We're going to meet another old friend."
Mark somersaulted backwards, landing as a Golden Dragon and quickly taking to the air. He found a thermal and used it to slowly ascend above the city. City! He could hardly call it that yet. A fat ring cut into the forest, with an incomplete wall running through it, and a few other clearings dotted around the outside and one large one where their team was housed. There were no roads leading to the city, and all construction materials had to be flown in, brick by brick. Assembly was already connected by road to border towns in the Blue and Brown Dragon l
ands so building materials could be brought in by great road trains each day, hundreds of wagons pulled by horses guided by teams of dragons. They could probably bring in more in one day than was flown into Sanctuary in a month.
Not much to look at yet, is she? Mark said to Gerald as the Prince caught up with him. If you were flying too quickly over this forest, you could miss it.
Maybe at the speed you fly, the Red Dragon prince replied. We Red Dragons fly a little slower. Where are you taking us? I take it you didn't want to just look at Sanctuary from the air.
No. I want to take us to the west. Do you mind flying a little higher? The wind is faster up there and it's currently flowing in the right direction. It'll save us some time.
The Prince agreed, a little reluctantly, and the two of them flew swiftly to the west. After flying for half an hour they spotted a single dragon flying high in the air ahead of them.
Looks like one of yours, the Prince commented. Do you recognise him?
Of course, Mark replied. And so should you. Greetings, Jude! How are you?
Mark? Is that you? And Prince Gerald? Jude replied, turning to fly towards them. What are you two doing here?
Looking for you, of course, Mark replied, turning to fly beside him. Jude was the Captain who had commanded the scouts that had accompanied Crystal and the other Red Dragons on their journey back to Furnace. Prince Gerald wanted to know more about what the True Dragons have been up to. I thought you could tell and show him far more than I could.
Yes, I suppose that is true. Although all that I could tell you will be in the report that I will be delivering in Assembly in a couple of days' time. I've been reporting all that I have seen without missing anything out.
The reports don't go directly to me or any of the other Red Dragons, Gerald replied. I mean no offence, but I never know whether everything in the weekly report actually gets to us.
Fair enough, Jude replied. Come, we will fly to the south. Not that fair to go from here. How much do you know about our operation here?
Not much, Gerald admitted. I've been told that you're watching out for them, so you can warn us if one is coming. But most of what I've read in the report is descriptions of villages and towns that have been attacked and from the sounds of things, they haven't been given much of a warning, so I'm not really sure what you're doing.
Jude turned his scaly face away, looking to the east, and for a moment, Mark thought that Gerald had offended him. But that was not the reason.
I thought I heard something, Jude explained. It was nothing, but you can't be too careful in this job. Follow me, I will explain when we get to the village.
Jude set off quickly, his pace belying his uneasiness. The taciturn scout constantly scanned the horizon, his anxiousness making Mark feel nervous. The air was very clear so they could see for miles in every direction and a surprise attack would be almost impossible. Why was Jude still so on edge? Distracted by Jude's restless searching, Mark hadn't noticed that Gerald was struggling to keep up with the Golden Dragon scout and had fallen some way behind. The young prince wouldn't complain though. Mark liked that about him. Fortunately, this high up he would be able to see them even if he fell a long way behind, so he couldn't lose them.
Eventually Jude started to descend, although Mark still couldn't see what they were heading towards. The land beneath was once held by the Green Dragons, then the Blue Dragons and now, presumably by the Brown Dragons, but it had never been well populated and there were no landmarks in the heavily forested terrain. He doubted many Browns had set up residence here yet. Those that had would be subsistence farmers mainly, people displaced by the war who were desperate enough to live anywhere. Ahead of them, Mark spied a clearing in the forest, quite a large one, too large to have just sprung up since the war. The Browns must have occupied a settlement abandoned by the Blues. This was clearly where Jude was taking them. He wasn't sure how he had missed it before but he could now see smoke rising from the clearing, thin threads climbing from multiple places. He had a bad feeling about what he was about to see.
Details of what happened here will appear in your next report, Jude told them as they neared. But it is one thing to read about it and another to see it.
The three dragons landed in the village, what was left of it. There wasn't a single building that hadn't been destroyed and whatever could burn had done so. Judging by the size, this place had probably had over a hundred inhabitants, but there were no signs of life now. Mark had expected to see a lot of damage but hadn't imagined anything on this scale.
What happened here, Jude, Gerald asked. Did anyone see it?
From a long way away, Jude replied. We weren't able to give them any warning, but then again we weren't expecting them to be in danger. We never thought it would come this far. All of the settlements that are nearer to the Circle have been prepared. We've dug deep tunnels for them to hide in should one of the True Dragons appear. It's the only thing that they can do. They're very fast, too fast for us to give much of a warning that one is coming, but they are also huge, so villagers often see them coming and the tunnels have saved many lives. But here none survived. The creature attacked them with such ferocity that none could have survived. It only lasted a couple of minutes, but look at what it has done.
Why did it attack? Gerald asked, staring at the ruins in disbelief. They couldn't have provoked it. And we're so far from the Circle here.
We don't know why, Jude replied. It was the black one. We don't think the other one has been seen outside of the Circle since the end of the war, but the black one is bad enough on its own. We've been instructed to keep a watch throughout the day and my dragons are spread out in a line between the Circle and the inhabited areas to the north, west and east. There are hundreds of us but there is too much land to watch and the creature moves too quickly for us to respond when it does appear. You are right, Prince, we do give no warning to anyone. We can only tell you where it has been and where it has attacked. It is a complete waste of time and we're achieving nothing.
Then why do this? Gerald asked. There must be something better you can do.
There is, Jude replied. I have put in a request to track the creature from above. It may be as fast as us, but it seems to share your dislike of flying high, so we may be safe if we remain far above it. Besides, we are quite small and don't present much of a meal. Nine Golden Dragons to track it, one flying directly above it, then one to the north, one to the north east, one to the east, the south east and so on, each just near enough to be able to communicate with the one flying above the creature. One will always be ahead of the creature and able to give a short warning to any settlements in its path; maybe it will be enough to allow them to evacuate to their tunnels.
Sounds risky, Mark said, remembering their encounter with the creatures in the Circle. But I guess it is worth a try. Do you need anything from us?
Gerald, you could speak to your people, Jude replied. Their support will help get this approved. Our leaders are being indecisive and every day delayed means more deaths.
Of course, I can do that, the Prince replied enthusiastically, clearly keen to help. Anything else?
And is there anything else you can tell us about their behaviour? Mark asked. We need these cities to be built if the peace treaty is going to be properly established. Fear of the True Dragons is being used as an excuse for holding up construction. Do you think it will turn back to the Circle soon? It's never spent this long outside of the Circle before. Surely it must be going to return sooner or later.
Jude hesitated, staring at Mark and Gerald with his golden eyes.
It does go back to the Circle, Mark. Frequently. But then it comes out again.
Mark took a moment to process this information. But I thought once it went back in it was going to stay there. That's what everyone has been waiting for, the creature to go home. That's what they've always done.
That's what the green one has done, Gerald pointed out. Why isn't the black one doing th
e same?
Jude flapped his wings briefly as he hopped on top of the remains of a stone building, looking intently into the distance. We don't know why it does what it does, Mark. We can't predict where it is going to go, or how far it will travel from the Circle. It travels further every time it leaves. We don't know if there is a limit to how far it can travel.
Mark snorted irritably, twin trails of smoke rising from his nostrils. So, what you're telling me is that the workers won't be safe working in the new cities. That's what you're going to put in your next report, right? We'll never finish construction at this rate.
Jude broke off his stare into space to meet Mark's eyes. You don't understand, Mark, Jude replied slowly, as if trying to explain something to a child. What I'm telling you is that they aren't safe anywhere. No one is. This thing could attack anywhere it likes, and there's nothing we could do to stop it. Nothing at all.
Chapter 3: Plotting Revenge
Perak arrived early at his chosen meeting place with Jerome. As usual, the spot he had chosen was secluded and was not one that they had used before, but this was more from habit than necessity. Border patrols had been relaxed on both sides of the border, and the Reds were focussed more on rebuilding than guarding against incursions from the Blues. How foolish, he thought to himself. They must know how fragile the peace treaty was, yet they had completely let their guard down. If only he were already in power, he would crush the Reds in a matter of days.
Jerome was late, something that irritated rather than worried Perak. The young Red Dragon had always been meticulously punctual but had been late for the last two meetings and hadn't even bothered to make an excuse. He never did anything without a reason, and Perak sensed that he was testing his limits. He would need to be brought back into line before his behaviour became a problem. Sloppiness should never be tolerated, let alone disrespect.