by Andy Holland
"You said that you felt better in the Circle," Pam replied. "That does suggest that it would work."
"Maybe it would and maybe it wouldn’t," Kal added. "But at what cost? I would prefer it if you destroyed the stone, for all the trouble that it has caused. It might cure you, yes, but it could also make you a lot worse. I'm not sure if I would risk it. In fact, I know I wouldn't. There’s more to the story…."
"There is only one way to find out," Pam added quickly. "We don’t know for certain if it is still there, but if it is, it might be your only chance to find a cure. If it is still there, you must return and let us know. But whatever you do, do not touch the stone. Terrible things happen when you do that."
"You have to try, John," Crystal urged. "You might not have long to live otherwise."
Jenna seemed unconvinced. "Wait a minute, if this stone has such amazing healing properties, why haven't we heard about it before?"
"I think you'll find a lot of gaps in our knowledge, Jenna," Seth pointed out. "I think John has already done a good job pointing that out."
Pam shook his head. "No, it is a good question. And the answer is because of the True Dragons. Since they appeared, none have been brave enough to search for the stone. It is in the centre of their territory, and indeed, we believe that the stone is what keeps them there."
"Since then, races have disappeared, and other races rose to prominence," Kal added. "The Green Dragons took over the whole area surrounding the Circle, and they feared the True Dragons so never ventured in. The legend of the Black Dragonstone has been forgotten by everyone except for our people. Fortunately."
"So, find the stone, but don't touch it," Seth repeated. "Is there anything more you can tell us about the location?"
"It had only one entrance," Pam replied. "And that is from above, not from underground, to prevent Worm Dragons accidentally entering. After it was abandoned by the original inhabitants, other dragons built a small settlement above ground, surrounding the entrance. Their ruins are almost certainly still there, and they are the only buildings that you can find in the Circle. It is a long time since anyone has been there though, so they may have been swallowed up by the forest by now. But find the centre of the Circle, and you should be able to find the ruins, and then you can find the entrance to the Lost City."
"Will it be hard to find the Black Stone?" Crystal asked.
"We couldn't tell you," Kal replied. "None of us here have ever been in the city. And I refuse to ever go. I advise you to do the same, but I can see that you’ll pay no attention to my warnings. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do."
"Aren't you going to do anything for John?" Jenna asked incredulously. "At least examine him."
"No," Pam replied. "There is nothing more we can do. Thank you, Kal, I will see you later." The tall, bald man rose and left the room without further ado.
"So what now?" Jenna asked. "What do we do?"
"Feel free to wait here," Pam replied kindly. "This is my office, and no one will trouble you here. I have already eaten, but I can send for some food for you if you like. Are you flying back this afternoon?"
"Yes, we will," John replied. "And food would be very welcome, thank you. Will you stay with us?"
Pam shook her head, standing up as if to leave. "No, I too have work to do. I will call on some of my patients, and I won’t see you again before you leave. Good luck, John, and be careful in the Circle. And remember, whatever you do, do not touch the stone."
Crystal was convinced that the True Dragons were far more of a worry than any Dragonstone, but to a Worm Dragon, a creature that never went above ground if it could avoid it, she could see how Kal and Pam might not realise how dangerous they were. Her own narrow escape from one was still fresh in her memory, and she wasn't going to underestimate them. Still, there was something about Kal’s warning that bothered her. Why was he so adamant that John shouldn’t go?
Another Worm Dragon guard delivered them some food a few minutes later and after they finished eating John suggested that she, Seth and Jenna began the flight back, instead of waiting for Arthur and Daisy. To her surprise, Jenna readily agreed, and a few minutes later they were in the air flying over the Valley, heading back to Furnace. They didn't see John and the twins till the evening when they arrived back at their palace.
"Cutting it fine, aren't you?" Jenna sniffed. "What took you so long?"
"Our host took a shine to Daisy," Arthur replied with a grin. "He insisted on showing us everything of interest in their city. And a few things that weren't so interesting."
"Oh, stop it," Daisy replied cheerfully. "He loved it really. How was your trip back? Did anything interesting happen?"
"No," Jenna replied. "So, what happens next, John? And before anyone says anything, I am not going to the Circle of Death. Never again."
"Oh yes, John," Daisy replied brightly. "Now you know how to get cured, when are we going to the Circle? Have you thought about how to get past the True Dragons?"
John sighed, looking a little uncomfortable. "Daisy, you won't be going to the Circle. None of you will be."
"What?" Daisy said in surprise. "You can't go alone. Suppose something happens to you."
"No, I won't be going alone. A friend is visiting Furnace and will come with me. A Golden Dragon called Natan."
"I thought you didn't know anyone from back home," Seth replied. "You pretty much grew up here, didn’t you?"
"I met him earlier in the year," John replied. "He helped me rescue those prisoners from the camp. I spoke to him yesterday, and he offered to go with me if I go back to the Circle. At that point, I had no intention of going back, but the offer was genuine."
"But just the two of you," Daisy replied. "Wouldn't it be safer with more? Don't you want the rest of us to come with you?"
"Of course he doesn't," Jenna replied. "He's risked his life enough times keeping us out of danger, he's hardly going to encourage us to go there, is he? Even if he was, there's no way you would get me going back there. The Valley was one thing, but the Circle is something else. Even John couldn't save us from those monsters."
"I like an adventure as much as the next man," Seth said. "But for once I'm with Jenna. There's no stopping those things."
"They're not in the Circle," Crystal pointed out. "They could attack us here."
"Unlikely," John replied. "They haven't ventured as far as Furnace yet. And there's only one outside the Circle, the other one went home ages ago."
"Which is why I won't be going there," Jenna replied. "Crystal, I know that there's another one which isn't in the Circle. Everyone knows that. It's all that anyone talks about. But the other one is back in the Circle which makes that place a lot more dangerous than anywhere else."
"Other two," Arthur pointed out. "That injured one walked home as well. Sure, everyone thinks it was dying, but no one ever found a body."
"Exactly," John replied. "Not that it matters. None of you will be going with me, and I'm not going to change my mind."
"When will you be going?" Crystal asked.
"Next weekend, after school," John replied. "We need to plan first. There's a Golden Dragon in Furnace that I need to speak to first. He's been posted to the Circle, one of those who is guarding the Blue Dragon prisoners. He comes here once a month to see your military council, and I'll take Natan to meet him tomorrow."
"Why do you need to see him?" Seth asked. "Do you need permission to go to the Circle?"
"No," John replied. "But he can help us. They've mapped the Circle thoroughly now, and it's riddled with tunnels. They use these to evade the True Dragons. They're very fast, but as long as you're near to a tunnel entrance, then you'll always be able to get to safety before they can reach you. With his help, we could plot a route that never strayed more than a minute's flight from a tunnel entrance. It'll be a longer, indirect route, but it should keep us safe."
"Sounds sensible," Arthur said. "If you can transform fast enough to get into one of these tunnels. Whi
ch you can, but we can't. When are you going?"
"Assuming Natan agrees," John said, "we'll fly down after school finishes at the end of the week."
Crystal said nothing, thinking it over. Plenty of Red Dragons had been into the Circle, accompanied by Golden Dragons of course, but they had navigated their way in the way that John had described. The True Dragons were incredibly fast and would catch up to you very quickly, but they were also huge, and if you stayed high enough, they wouldn't have a chance of surprising you. You could be into one of the tunnels before they would get anywhere near. And Arthur was right. He couldn't transform fast enough. But she could.
"Do you mind if I tag along when you meet up with the other Golden Dragons?" Crystal asked. "I don't know many, so it would be nice to spend some time with some more."
John looked at her suspiciously. "What about your cousin, you spend a lot of time with her, don't you?"
Crystal nodded. "Yes, but she can be a little hard to get on with at times. It would be nice to know some other Golden Dragons, especially ones my age."
John frowned at her suspiciously. He had reason to suspect her and if he had been a better judge of character, he should have refused. But he was an honest, logical person who foolishly and somewhat illogically expected people to think as he did. Leah was difficult to get on with, so her explanation, so obviously not true, would be plausible to him, and he would want to believe her.
"Fine," he replied after a long pause. "Come to the library after school. Natan will be meeting me there, at least, he said he would. He’s not always very reliable. It's late, now if you'll excuse me–"
"It's dark, John," Arthur pointed out. "You can't fly home, and it's too far to walk. Stay in one of the guest rooms. I insist." He rang a bell, and a servant appeared and spoke quietly with Arthur before leading John away. "You three are welcome to stay as well," Arthur added. "Daisy, come, we should write to mother and let her know that we are back."
After they had left the room, Jenna began interrogating Crystal. "What are you up to? You never bothered getting to know any of the Golden Dragons when they were all here after the war. The only ones you spoke to were the ones who escorted us back."
Crystal shrugged sheepishly. "Maybe it's time I did. Everyone knows what I am now, I might have to go and live there one day."
Jenna studied her, frowning and making her squirm. "No, I don't believe that. You're up to something. You might fool John, but you won't fool me. You're thinking about going with them, aren't you?"
"You wouldn't, would you?" Seth asked. "Suppose you got John killed, you'd feel terrible."
"Alright!" Crystal snapped. "I hear you. I won't go. I just want to meet this Golden Dragon."
"Hmm," Jenna replied, still eyeing her suspiciously. "You had better not. So, Seth, what's happening this weekend? Surely there must be something interesting happening, and if there isn’t we need to make something happen. The sooner we get things back to normal the better."
As Jenna and Seth discussed their tedious social plans, Crystal sat back and ignored them, her mind only focussed on one thing. Whatever she had told them, she was determined that when John went back to the Circle, she would be there to help him, whether he agreed or not.
Chapter 8: Attack
"Everything is in place, sir. The men are ready to attack upon your command."
Perak nodded, dismissing Eric with a wave of his hand. His protégé returned the curt nod, wheeling around and marching off to join the rest of the men without another word. If it weren't for his own personal interest in this mission, Perak would have no hesitation in assigning the command to Eric, who was as near to being a perfect soldier as you could be. If only all of the army had been as disciplined as Eric, they would have never lost the battle for Furnace, and the Reds would have already been destroyed. He would have been named Zygar's successor, and they would be jointly planning the destruction of both the Browns and the Golden Dragons. Instead, that fool Farak had failed to take Furnace, demonstrating shocking levels of incompetence only exceeded by his arrogance. His failure had led to the army retreating to a place that was far too near to the Circle, a risk that Zygar had dismissed all too readily. Of course, the risk had appeared to be minimal, the creatures seemingly contained by the boundary of the Circle, but then that accursed Golden Dragon had managed to lure one of the monsters out of the Circle and straight towards the army. Perak had nearly saved the day, downing that brown True Dragon in a feat of unparalleled bravery and skill, an act that should have made him an instant legend. Instead, the other two creatures had appeared, drawn by the dying screams of the first True Dragon. He had thought the brown one was bad enough, but nothing had prepared him for the destructive power of these two, and he was helpless to do anything other than watch as they tore through the army, relentlessly killing everyone they could. The green one was bigger than the brown one and was ferocious, but the black one was something else. He couldn't imagine a creature more powerful or dangerous. As much as he dreamt of killing it and avenging the fallen army he had to admit that it just couldn't be done. Not without a lot of other dragons to help, dragons who wouldn't survive the battle and who he couldn't afford to lose. He probably didn't have enough to start with.
Yet what he did have now was his chance to take revenge against the one who was truly responsible for the loss of the war: the young Golden Dragon called John, as well as almost everyone that John held dear to him. In a stroke of luck, John and his friends had decided to leave the safety of Furnace to travel to the new cities, travelling with the convoy that had come for the summit. He was seriously ill, having made the fatal error of transforming at night, and had come in search of a cure. Of course, this wasn't a stroke of luck, it was due to Perak's foresight and planning. Jerome, Perak's spy in Furnace, had been instructed to plant the idea in John's head and to use his simple-minded friends to persuade John of the benefits of going. It was pointless, of course. Even if Perak weren't waiting to kill him, John would have found no magical cure in the new cities. Transforming at night was a death sentence, and nothing anyone could do would change that, as Perak well knew. He could let time do his job for him, and much as his pride demanded vengeance he was pragmatic enough to have foregone that pleasure, but killing John himself was not only desirable but necessary. It would both bolster his support and undermine the peace treaty. Nothing could be more important.
Hence, Perak found himself hiding in a wood near a small town called Castlebridge, waiting for the right moment to attack. Castlebridge was on the edge of what had been the border between the Red and Blue Dragons' territory, and Jerome had correctly predicted that the convoy would stop here, allowing Perak and his dragons to arrive long before them. Being a border town it was far better fortified than most Red Dragon towns, but they had already become complacent and wouldn't stand a chance against Perak's dragons. His troops were experts in this sort of attack: attacking as men, at night when their enemies couldn't transform. Of course, Perak's dragons couldn't transform either and had to fight as men, but few other dragons trained with hand-held weapons and they would easily overcome any resistance.
The light was beginning to fade, and it wouldn't be long before they could attack. They didn't know exactly how many people were in the town, so Perak was going to exercise caution. His dragons would take out the town guards first and then capture someone from the convoy to interrogate. To ensure that he killed John, he needed to know exactly where he was staying. The convoy was a big group, and he had no way of knowing which was which and where each one had gone. Soon he would know.
Eventually, darkness fell, but Perak still waited. Just after sunset was a poor time to attack. Everyone was alert and a surprise attack would be hard. He would wait until they all settled down and relaxed just a bit too much. The sky grew darker and darker. It was a clear night and the moon was big and bright, which wouldn't help them but it didn't matter. Perak had absolute confidence in his plan and his dragons' ability to carry it out.
At last, when almost all of the lamps in the town had been extinguished, Perak gave the order to attack. His men, who knew better than to show any sign of impatience, were nonetheless desperate to attack and sprang into action, sprinting along the narrow path that led to the town. Perak held back, running behind the last of his troops; he would have preferred to lead the charge himself but he recognised that wasn't the action that a general should take and instead just took pleasure in admiring how efficiently his troops executed his orders. He took pride in his own ability to run for hours if required but noted just as proudly that his troops could run just as fast as him and even more importantly, could do so silently, giving their enemies no warning of their imminent arrival. Even Pan, his old friend who was rather too fond of good food and wine, was looking fit and lean and was having no problems keeping up. Perak’s insistence on a demanding training regime was paying dividends.
Perak heard a muffled groan from up ahead as his dragons silenced one of the town guards. He must have been on the path, which was unusual, but Perak had planned for such an eventuality and as expected, his dragons had dealt with the problem expertly. He nodded approvingly as he passed the corpse, noting how efficiently the guard’s throat had been slit. They really didn’t stand a chance.
The town was surrounded by a high wall which was just looming into view and it was here that Perak expected to encounter all of their guards. His men halted, each one dropping to the ground and listening carefully for clues to the whereabouts of the town's defenders. They weren't hard to find. On top of the wall, Perak could see the silhouettes of just two guards, walking side by side, their low voices clearly audible even from where he was crouched. Their conversation was interrupted by the soft thud of arrows, hitting them with satisfying accuracy. Both men collapsed immediately, one falling from the wall and as fortune would have it, landing outside the town where he couldn’t be seen. The other remained on top of the wall, where he might be seen by the town’s residents, but he would not remain there for long. Perak’s men surged forwards, the first four throwing grappling hooks over the edge of the wall and beginning to climb up. The first one to reach the top pushed the corpse over the edge, before disappearing along the wall. Moments later a heavy door in the wall was opened and the rest of his men crept through.