by Andy Holland
Jenna took a more direct approach, studying John's progress charts on the wall. "Hey, John, is this correct?" she asked. "It looks like you've almost finished all of your work for this term!"
Crystal hurried over to the wall to look at the checklists and charts that John had up on the wall to measure his progress. It was typical of John to be this organised. He had a long list of tasks underneath the title "Term 1", and almost all of them were ticked off, even though they weren't even halfway through the term yet.
"Is this right?" Crystal asked. "You're so far ahead! Why are you working so hard?"
"It's all just first drafts this term," John replied, sounding a little defensive. "There's a teacher visiting from home who will have to review everything, and then the Headmaster has to read and approve everything and then someone from your government has to do the same…"
"Yes, yes," Jenna said, "but that still doesn't explain why you want to get so far ahead. The school won't expect you to complete everything this far in advance."
"I thought if I could finish ahead of time, you could start using the syllabus next term," John replied. "Otherwise you won't get to use it at all. You'll be stuck with the same nonsense you had last year."
The school had found a new history teacher, who was much better than Professor Newt, their teacher from last year who had taken a particular dislike to John, but the new teacher was forced to still use the same books as a new syllabus hadn't been approved. It was a reasonable explanation, but Jenna clearly wasn't convinced.
"I don't think so, John," Jenna said. "You can work yourself into the ground but no one else will. The syllabus still won't be approved in time for us to use it. No, you have some other reason. What is it?"
John hesitated, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for a reasonable answer. Lying was never going to be something that he would be good at.
"You're not sure if you're going to live through to the end of the year," Crystal said in horror. "That's why you're working so hard!"
"No, that's not it," John replied rather hastily. "Well, not the whole reason. As you know, I need to go back to the Circle, and I don't know how long I will be there, but it could take a while, days or weeks even. The Headmaster has placed his trust in me, and I don't want to let him down. So, I want to get everything in order before I leave."
"What about your flying lessons?" Jenna asked. "The school isn't paying you just to update the syllabus."
"I've arranged for someone to cover for me," John replied. "He'll join me for this week's lessons and then if I'm delayed in the Circle, he'll take the lessons until I'm back."
"If you come back," Jenna added charmlessly. "So who is your replacement?"
John sighed wearily. "I didn't have many options here, so he might not have been the best choice. He's a very good flier, and unlike most of the other Golden Dragons here in Furnace, he didn't have any other responsibilities–"
"Who?" Jenna interrupted rudely. "You haven't told us his name."
"Natan," John replied. "I met him when I went to rescue those prisoners. He was another volunteer."
"I remember," Crystal said, recalling John's brief telling of his adventures. "He's the one going to the Circle with you, isn't he? I don't remember you describing him that favourably."
"No," John replied miserably. "As I said, he might not be the best choice, but he was the only one. He's actually very good in the air, but I have no idea whether he'll be a good teacher. In fact, I rather doubt it."
"Couldn't her cousin have done it?" Jenna asked. "She's hardly that busy."
Leah wasn't that busy, even though the Golden Dragon government had assigned her more responsibilities recently in some junior role. Initially, her only job was to teach Crystal how to transform into a Golden Dragon, something that sadly she still hadn't managed to do. She'd managed to teach Crystal to fly pretty well though and had the potential to be a good teacher for their class.
"No," John replied. "She refused. She doesn't enjoy teaching and told me to find someone else."
"Delightful," Jenna remarked. "So Natan it is. Although if you’re delayed in the Circle, as you put it, then seeing as he’ll be with you, I can’t see how he’ll be able to cover for you at school. But anyway, this wasn't what we came here to discuss, was it, Crystal?"
"No," Crystal replied. "When are you going to the Circle, John? You've hidden yourself away since we got back and I know what you're like, you'd just disappear if you could."
John shrugged nonchalantly. "I haven't finalised my plans yet, that's all. I promise I won't leave without telling you first, alright? Look, I know you think this work is silly, but I do want to finish this. Do you mind if I get back to it?"
Jenna tutted loudly. "I think we know when we're not welcome. Come on, Crystal, let's leave him to it."
Crystal reluctantly allowed her cousin to tow her from the room. She didn't trust him not to leave without telling her, but there was little that she could do about it. Well, nothing she could think of yet.
The next morning was their flying lesson, which as it was last year, was the highlight of the week, especially now that Crystal had begun to outperform her classmates. John's tasks seemed easier and easier, and she found that she could do almost everything better than the rest of the class, well most of the students anyway. She would never boast, knowing that everyone would point out that she should be doing better, being a Golden Dragon, but she was very proud of her accomplishments.
This is Natan, John said to the class as they arrived from the changing rooms, nodding to the Golden Dragon next to him. Unlike John, who sat motionless like a golden statue, Natan was fidgeting and tapping the ground with one claw, looking around restlessly. Some of you may already be aware why he is joining us, but for the rest of you, I'll explain.
Allow me, Natan interrupted impatiently. John's asked me to help out with your flying lessons. He might need to take some time off, so I'll be here to cover for him when he does. Hopefully, we'll be able to find a way to stop you being so incredibly slow and clumsy in the air.
Crystal could feel the icy glares directed at Natan and thought she could see John cringing in embarrassment, although as a dragon expressions were almost impossible to read.
Yes, thank you, Natan, John added, although perhaps it might be best to see how they fly first, before making any judgements.
They're Red Dragons, Natan replied cheerfully. Surely I don't need to see them fly.
A few voices began to object before John cut them off. Right, everyone, let's start the lesson. We'll continue where we left off last week, flying upside down…
John had had the whole class flying in circles above the amphitheatre, taking it in turns to spin onto their backs for a second and pass a ball to another dragon flying above them. They would always start to drop immediately, but they started high enough, so there wasn't that much risk. Crystal had been practising during the week and hoped Natan would be impressed by her skills, but he didn't look that interested. As they went through their exercises, he lazily spun in the air, making what they were doing look trivial.
This should be easy for you, Crystal, he commented as whizzed past, taking the ball from her claws before Jenna could grasp it. You should have a natural instinct for it. He wheeled around and flew towards Jenna, spinning just before he reached her to pass the ball up to her. Don't overthink it, just do it. The more you think of it as a difficult task, the harder it will be.
My turn, Jenna said to her, paying no attention to Natan, who was now zigzagging across the sky above them. Jenna flew in a straight line as John had shown her, before rolling in the air and extending her leg to pass the ball up to Crystal, performing the task perfectly.
Very good, Natan said dully. But it shouldn't be that hard. You look like you're terrified to fly upside down. It should be fun. He flew upwards, climbing higher and higher before tipping his head backwards and flying upside down. As he started to fall, he gracefully moved into a diving position, hurl
ing towards them at a terrifying speed, before calmly pulling out of the dive and moving into a fast glide, circling around them again.
Thank you, Natan, John commented. When you're finished showing off to these two you can help me with some of the students who are struggling with this task.
As you wish, Natan replied in a bored tone. Remember, Crystal, enjoy it.
Natan had been showing off, but to her surprise, when she next did the task, she did find that it was a lot easier when she focussed on enjoying the activity, rather than just rigidly following the instructions John had given them. She flew faster and ascended more quickly towards Jenna, turning onto her back earlier and hanging upside down in the air for longer.
Hey, that's not what John told us to do, Jenna objected. You could have bumped into me!
But I didn't, Crystal replied. Your turn. You can do it that way if you like.
Jenna paid no attention and carried on as John had told her, but Crystal found that she enjoyed experimenting in the air and continued doing so for the rest of the lesson.
After she had transformed at the end of the lesson, she bumped into Natan, who was wandering back towards the school. To her surprise, he was quite tall and looked older than John had said he was. He looked at her with vague disinterest, before smiling politely.
"Hello, Crystal," he said. "Did you enjoy the lesson?"
"I did," she replied. "I think John's an excellent teacher, but–"
"His methods suit Red Dragons better than Golden Dragons," Natan said, finishing her sentence. "Why don't you just transform into a Golden Dragon? This would so much easier then."
"She can't," Jenna replied, having appeared from behind them with Seth, Daisy and Arthur. "Her cousin has been trying to teach her without any success."
"Really?" Natan asked. "How odd."
"Maybe being brought up as a Red Dragon was the problem," Seth suggested.
"Or starting too late," Daisy added. "You start transforming very young, don't you?"
"Maybe she'll never get it," Jenna commented.
"Yes, thank you," Crystal replied. "Very encouraging. I haven't given up yet."
"Didn't John try to teach you?" Natan asked. "I thought that's why he was sent here last year."
"No," Daisy said a little too quickly. "It wouldn't have been appropriate for a boy to have taught Crystal how to transform."
"Oh?" Natan said in surprise, looking at Crystal appraisingly. "I can't say I agree with that. I would be happy to help if you wish–"
"No, thank you," Crystal replied smartly. "My cousin will do fine. So what are you doing here in Furnace anyway?" She wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible.
"Oh, not a lot," Natan replied. "I was just here to deliver some messages and asked if I could stay on for a few days. I called in on John at the beginning of the week, and he told me about this teaching job and asked if I could stay. I've cleared it with the Department, and they're going to get me doing some other work when I'm not needed for teaching. Nothing fun, I'm afraid. Still, at least I'll get to go to the Circle with John tomorrow. That'll be exciting. Hopefully, we'll be there for a few days."
"What?" Daisy exclaimed. "He hasn't told us anything about that!" This was a surprise to Crystal, too, and a particularly annoying one considering their conversation yesterday, although Natan could easily be mistaken.
"Oh, hasn't he?" Natan replied, completely unconcerned that he had given John's secret away. "I expect he would have told you about it later today. Yes, he's had his flying class brought forward to the morning, and we'll leave after lunch. I'm quite looking forward to it. Dodging the True Dragons should be good fun."
"Right, where's John?" Daisy said irritably, running ahead of them back to school.
"What's she annoyed about?" Natan asked, looking after her.
"Oh, don't worry about her," Crystal replied quickly. "But it does sound like it should be fun. Tell me more about the trip."
"What are you up to?" Jenna asked suspiciously.
Crystal took Natan's arm and led him away from the others, ignoring her cousin. "What would make the trip more fun though, would be if it wasn't just you and John, don't you think?"
"I don't think John would be too keen on that," Natan replied doubtfully. "He was quite clear on that point."
"Probably not," Crystal agreed. "But fun has never been John's number one priority, has it? Me, on the other hand, I am a lot of fun. Perhaps if you don't mention anything to John, it could be a nice little surprise."
Natan laughed mischievously. "Yes, why not. But you couldn't keep up with us. You would have to fly ahead of us. I could tell you our route once John has made his mind up and we'd meet you near the Circle."
That was an excellent idea, and Crystal wondered why she hadn't thought of it first. She had been hoping to get Natan to persuade John to slow down instead. "Exactly what I was thinking," Crystal replied. "If you are leaving after lunch, I could leave some time in the morning."
Natan smirked. "Perhaps first thing in the morning might be better. I've seen how fast you can fly, remember?"
Crystal bit her tongue, remembering that she needed his help. "Fine, I will leave first thing in the morning. Go and find out what route you'll be taking and come and tell me. I’ll eat my lunch outside in the gardens, come and find me. Oh, and don't tell any of the others either. They might tell John."
"I won't say a word. I'll see if I can get him to tell me the route now." Natan continued to smirk as wandered off to look for John. He must have been mistaken about the time, as they only had one flying lesson a week. Crystal hoped he would manage to keep his mouth shut for that long.
"What was that about?" Jenna asked when Crystal rejoined the others. "What are you two plotting?"
"Nothing," Crystal replied. "By the way, when is John's next flying lesson? You haven’t heard anything about a change to the timetable, have you?"
"What? No, I haven’t heard anything. Our next lesson won’t be for a week, although it sounds like it might be with that idiot instead of John. He has the first year students tomorrow, of course. They have the same schedule as we had last year."
Of course, Crystal thought to herself. Natan must have been talking about that lesson, not her class's lesson. John really was planning to go tomorrow. She would have to ask her maid, Janet, to pack a few things for her, enough for a weekend. If she was quick, she could go home and come back in time to still meet Natan.
"Where are you going?" Jenna asked as Crystal absent-mindedly began to hurry away.
"Oh, never mind," Crystal replied. "I just remembered something I have to do at lunch. I had better go."
"Whatever," Jenna replied irritably. "See you this afternoon."
"Uh huh," Crystal replied, hurrying away. Leaving tomorrow was convenient, as she would only miss one day of school and then it was the weekend, and in all likelihood, she would stay for a couple of nights at most. She would get in trouble, but it wouldn’t be that bad, and if she explained that she was helping John, the headmaster would probably go easy on her. All she had to do now was think of a good story to tell her mother…
Chapter 11: Revenge
Perak paced back and forth in the cave, waiting for Jerome's arrival. He was furious with Jerome, but nonetheless, he was keen to know why he wanted to meet so soon. If anything, he had expected for Jerome to delay meeting with him for a while, in the vain hope that Perak's anger would dissipate over time. The fact that he had requested a meeting so soon suggested that he had something useful to pass on. Perhaps it would be worth seeing what he knew first, before venting his anger.
Perak heard the sound of beating wings outside, then shortly afterwards the sound of footsteps approaching the cave. He went out to meet him. Jerome looked flushed but serious, not anxious.
"Perak, you've come personally, that's fortunate," Jerome began.
"Is it?" Perak asked caustically. "I would have thought you would have wanted to avoid me, seeing how you failed me."
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Jerome looked at him coldly, as if slightly surprised at his tone. Perak has expected a guilty expression or one of indignation, but not disdain. "Please, Perak. I expected more of you. I manipulated them into looking outside Furnace for a cure and then told you where they were planning on going. That’s all they were, plans, and you should have taken into consideration the possibility that their plans might change. They did leave Furnace as planned but changed their destination at the last minute, and as soon as I learnt that they weren’t going to the New Cities, I sent a message. I haven't even come close to failing you."
Perak didn't reply. It was true that Jerome had been very careful to specify the limits of the information he provided. He never overstated the value of anything he reported. He would, of course, have known how Perak would have reacted to his announcement that the Golden Dragon girl, Crystal, had told him that she had convinced John and third friends to travel to the new cities with the convoy, seizing upon it as an opportunity for revenge. But he had been careful to avoid promising that John would be there.
Jerome smiled smugly. "Good, I see you have no more to say on that subject. Shall we move onto my news?"
"Assuming it's worth hearing," Perak replied irritably.
"If I didn't think it was I wouldn't have gone to the effort to set up this meeting," Jerome replied. "It’s a lot of work, and it’s risky. Anyway, my news. I met Crystal when she returned from her trip, and thanks to my charm and ability to manipulate her, she happily spilt her secrets. Apparently, John learnt something about the Circle while they were in this valley, some mystical place of healing which is supposed to be hidden there, and they think they know where it is. It sounds pretty dubious to me but John is now desperate enough to try anything, and they will definitely be going there to look for it. Tomorrow."
Perak was astounded. The Circle was incredibly dangerous, and even he would be cautious about going there, yet these youngsters were considering going for a second time. "What? All of them?"