The True Dragon

by Andy Holland

  Jerome gave him a withering look. "After your antics at Castlebridge? Of course not. The twins are lucky they're being allowed to stay in Furnace at all: they'd have no chance of being allowed to travel outside of the city, other than to fly back to the West. Seth might be allowed to go, his family appear indifferent to his safety, but he is a follower and will do what the others will do. Jenna is a coward, and although she's fond of John, much as she hides it, she wouldn't put herself in danger for his sake. John thinks that he is leaving them all behind and travelling with just one other Golden Dragon, but Crystal is going to go as well. She can't keep up with him so is going to go ahead of him and meet him nearer the Circle. She has arranged it some stupid Golden Dragon who is going with John."

  "So just the three of them?" Perak asked. "The Circle is pretty big. It might be hard to find them."

  "It might," Jerome replied. "If you didn't know where they were going. But I do. That stupid Golden Dragon asked me to pass on a map to Crystal, and I made a copy."

  He handed Perak a rolled parchment, the smug smile still on his face. Normally, Perak would have said something to wipe it off his face, but he was too excited about this revelation. Jerome really had done his work very thoroughly. Perak unrolled the parchment, which was a map of the Circle and the surrounding area.

  "The star is where they will be headed," Jerome told him, pointing to a black star that had been drawn in the middle of the map. "The blue circles are entrances to tunnels, in case you need to take cover from one of the True Dragons. This point here is where Crystal will meet them outside the Circle. Of course, I couldn't say exactly when they will arrive, but if you don't mind waiting, you could get there before they do and ambush them."

  "I will," Perak replied, still studying the map. "I will go immediately. Just three of them shouldn't present much of a challenge, but I will take a number of my men with me. He shall not escape me this time." He turned to Jerome and frowned at him. He had done well, but it wouldn’t do to let it go to his head. This sort of thing should be the norm, not seen as exceptional. "Is there anything else?"

  Jerome's face flushed with anger; clearly, he was expecting to be praised for this success. But he regained his composure quickly and shook his head. "Nothing else. Have a good trip, Perak."

  His expression suggested that he hoped that Perak had anything but a good trip, but Perak couldn't care less. "Goodbye, Jerome. Wait for a while after I leave before leaving yourself. We wouldn't want anyone realising what our connection is, would we?"

  Jerome glowered but said nothing and Perak left without saying another word. However much Jerome may dislike him, he was completely in his power and could never betray him without risking his own exposure. And if Perak ever saw that smug smile again, he would make sure Jerome was reminded of that fact.

  Chapter 12: The Lost City

  Crystal set off early in the morning, telling her mother that she was going to a party after school and wouldn't be back till tomorrow morning. Her mother would interpret that as tomorrow afternoon and would only worry if she was not back by nightfall, which hopefully she would be. She gave a note to Janet, their maid, with instructions to give it to her mother only if she wasn't back by tomorrow evening.

  Despite her appalling grasp of geography, she had flown along this route a number of times and didn't get too lost, only having to ask for directions twice. Her destination was a new village in the seized territories, land that was held by the Greens Dragons before the Blue Dragons and now ceded to the Reds in the peace treaty. It was dangerously near to the Circle, but the land was very fertile, and there were always going to be people who couldn't refuse the excellent terms the government had offered, even though it might cost them their lives. She reached the village by early afternoon and decided to remain in the air. A powerful up draught allowed her to effortlessly glide in circles and staying here meant she wouldn't have to explain to anyone why she was in the village. The village didn't look all that interesting anyway, with just a handful of completed buildings and the rest in the early stages of construction. To her relief, she didn't have to wait long until John and Natan arrived.

  Crystal, fancy meeting you here, Natan called in mock surprise as he drew near. What a coincidence!

  Natan, John,–

  Save it, John cut in coldly. So this is why you weren't at school today. I should have guessed.

  We're almost at the Circle, Crystal pointed out, feeling very pleased with herself. You couldn't lose me if you tried. I'm going to help you whether you like it or not.

  John hadn't even slowed down, continuing as if Crystal wasn't there, but fortunately, he was going slowly enough that she could just keep up. I suppose you both think you've been very clever, don't you? John told them. Well, you haven't. You've been incredibly stupid. I don't think you realise how dangerous this place is.

  Come on, John, Natan urged. Crystal might be very useful. You're going to need all the help you can get.

  Natan was keeping pace with John, the two of them now surging ahead of Crystal. Please, John replied, still refusing to look at either of them. That's not why you agreed to let her come along. What was it that you said? Oh yes, that Crystal has got great legs, don't you think? Do you think she likes me, John? Do you think she'd let me teach her how to transform, John?

  Shut up, John, Natan urged, glancing guiltily at Crystal.

  No, I won't shut up. I can't defend her and neither can you. You should persuade her to turn around as obviously she's going to pay no attention to me.

  Hey, what about me? Crystal asked. Doesn't it matter what I think?

  No, it doesn't, John replied. It matters if you die, though. Have you no idea how dangerous this place is?

  I know, Crystal replied, feeling a little annoyed that John was ticking her off, especially as she was trying to help him. I've been here before, remember? But I've studied the maps, and we can get across it quite easily without ever being that far from a tunnel to hide in. Your people have even brought in Red Dragons safely. I should be perfectly safe.

  You may as well be a Red Dragon, John pointed out. I don't care if theoretically you can change into a Golden Dragon, you've never actually done it. You're as slow as them, and they never went into the middle of the Circle. There may be tunnels there, but we don't know where they are yet.

  Come on, John, Natan pleaded. She's here now. Can't you just accept it? We've planned a good route in, so even a dragon as slow as her shouldn't have a problem.

  Thanks! Crystal replied, now annoyed with both of them. I'm not that slow!

  Really? John replied, turning and fixing her with his cold, golden eyes. Keep up then.

  He put on such a burst of speed that made Crystal gasp. Even for a Golden Dragon John was fast and if he wanted he could leave her behind with ease. But it didn't matter. She knew where he was going and how to get there. There was no way she was going to give up.

  He likes to show off, doesn't he? Natan remarked. Don't worry, I'll stay with you. You'll be safe with me.

  Crystal sped up, determined to demonstrate that she didn't need looking after. She was a lot faster than most Red Dragons now, but Natan hardly noticed, prattling on as they flew. He didn't even notice when they reached the boundary of the Circle.

  We're here, John said, appearing out of nowhere. He must have been above them. Those posts mark the boundary of the Circle. Do exactly what I tell you if you want to survive. Both of you.

  Ah, John, you're back, Natan replied, sounding a little disappointed. Have you calmed down now? I don't know why you're worrying, I could have looked after her for you.

  A loud roar echoed across the Circle. All three dragons looked around uneasily as they flew, trying to see where the sound came from. For the first time, Crystal questioned whether she was doing the right thing.

  It isn't near, John said, his voice calm and any hint of anger having vanished. But there are at least two. The black one is in the Circle as well as green one. Keep alert. And say
nothing unless essential. We all need to be focussed. I will lead the way, just follow me and keep your eyes open.

  Natan wisely remained quiet and sped up a little, belying his nervousness. John led them in a zigzag route across the Circle, and despite hearing the True Dragons roar twice more, they never saw them. John pushed them to fly as fast as possible along the last stretch towards the middle of the Circle and Crystal was quite relieved when they finally landed and transformed as she could now rest.

  "What is this place?" Natan asked. "Is this their lost city? Because if it is it doesn't look that impressive."

  Crystal hadn't noticed on their approach, but they were standing in an extensive set of badly preserved ruins. She had been too focussed on not getting eaten.

  "No," John replied quietly, "and keep it down. Their hearing is very powerful, and we have no tunnels to hide in, yet. No, these ruins aren't from buildings made by Worm Dragons. These would have been made for their paying guests. The entrance will be around here, somewhere. We just need to find it before the True Dragons find us."

  "Very reassuring," Natan replied sarcastically. "Don't worry, we will do our best not to die. Where shall we start?"

  John explained how they were going to search and they began to systematically check every building. The buildings were quite modest at the edge but became bigger and more impressive as they worked their way through, at least Crystal assumed that they had been, as now there wasn't that much of them left. It took longer than Crystal had expected and before long it started to get too dark to see.

  "Now what?" Natan asked. "It'll be pitch black here soon. Can we light torches? Or will those things see us?"

  "See and smell us," John replied. "But this is a Worm Dragon city. At least one of the larger buildings up ahead will have deep tunnels underneath. Let's leave these smaller buildings for now and find somewhere we can take shelter if we need to, then we can light torches and continue our search."

  Sure enough, John was right, and Crystal found some tunnels underneath what had been a large house or hotel. They just led to some underground storerooms. She was a little disappointed at first, having thought they might be the entrance to the underground city, but she was cheered up by John's enthusiastic praise.

  "Well done, Crystal! A few minutes longer and we would have had to abandon our search until morning. Even then I wouldn't have been too happy without somewhere to hide from the True Dragons. Natan, light torches. Make sure you always know where this building is and can get back to it quickly. If you see or hear anything, run first and then find out what it is, not the other way around."

  But no True Dragon appeared, and they were able to continue their search in peace. They agreed to forget about going back to the smaller buildings they had skipped past as they were very unlikely to house the entrance. The more likely candidates were the larger buildings in the centre. Crystal went to the biggest building she could find but was disappointed when she realised it had been just a marketplace. Still, her curiosity got the better of her, and she spent a few minutes longer than necessary examining what remained of the building, struck by how similar it was to some of the ruins she had seen in the Red Dragon's Northern Principality. Could they have been Worm Dragon ruins as well? Red Dragon historical records were woeful, and the truth could have been forgotten or even deliberately rewritten. She intended to ask John about it, but a new discovery distracted her.

  "I think I've found it," Natan called from outside. "This has to be the entrance."

  Crystal left the ruins of the marketplace and ran over to where Natan and John were standing, in front of a large opening where a wide door had once stood. She could see the semi-circular scrapes on the stone from the door opening and closing. Inside, steps disappeared down into the ground. Crystal held her torch out in front of her to light up the steps, but couldn't see the bottom. It had to be the way in.

  "I guess we should go in," Natan said, sounding a little unsure of himself.

  "These buildings are pretty old," Crystal commented. "You don't think they could collapse and trap us in there, do you?"

  John shook his head. "None are that near to this opening. And they would have collapsed already if that was going to happen. This has been here for hundreds of years."

  "What about in those tunnels?" Natan asked. "One of those could collapse and trap us in there."

  "I can transform into a Worm Dragon," John pointed out. "If necessary, I could dig us out, so it should be safe enough. But I don't mind if you want to wait up here."

  "No, we'll come," Crystal replied quickly. She had forced her way onto this trip and didn't want to miss out on the finale.

  "Well, what are we waiting for then?" Natan asked, starting down the steps. Crystal glanced at her torch, hoping that it would keep burning long enough. The Worm Dragon tunnels were well built and looked sturdy, but she wasn't comfortable descending into the ground like this.

  "How far to the bottom?" she asked. "Can you see the end?"

  "Yes," John replied, walking just in front of her. "Not much further."

  Crystal ran her hand along the walls of the tunnel. To her surprise, it was very smooth, and under the dust it was shiny and black.

  "I was wrong about being able to dig us out if the tunnel collapsed," John said, noticing what she was doing. "The walls are coated in Dragon Glass. There's no digging through that. But it won't collapse either."

  "What's Dragon Glass?" Crystal asked.

  "Worm Dragon secret," Natan replied. "It's not actually glass, but that's what everyone calls it as it's transparent. Only they know how to make it. You could spend a day hitting it with a hammer and you wouldn't make a dent. A Rhino Dragon could blow flames at it until it ran out of fire and it wouldn't melt."

  "Many of their cities have the entrance tunnels coated in it," John added. "Worm Dragon teeth are incredibly strong but they can't cut through this. It stops their enemies being able to tunnel in. Remember, there were many races of Worm Dragons and they were often at war. It's a good sign, as we're almost certainly in the right place. Ah, here's the bottom."

  The steps led into a wide hall with a high ceiling. John and Natan stopped in front of her, holding their torches high to illuminate the way ahead. The walls of the hall were covered with elaborate decorations, carvings made into the stone depicting Worm Dragons. At the far end of the hall stood two oversized statues of Worm Dragons, far larger than they would have been in real life. Between them was the entrance to a short corridor, the only way out of the hall and presumably the entrance to the hidden city. To the left and right of the door were two large carvings which looked like mazes. There was some writing above the door but it was faded and hard to read.

  "Only one way to go," John said, stating the obvious. He marched across the hall, Natan and Crystal following behind him. The statues glared down at them imposingly and Crystal shivered involuntarily as she passed by them. Beyond the short corridor was the city itself, a vast chamber that reached as far as she could see in the torchlight. The ceiling was high above them, maybe fifty metres or more, supported by rows and rows of sturdy stone columns. They were on a raised platform and could see over some of the smaller buildings but the chamber was vast and the torchlight only reached so far. But just in the area of the city that was illuminated, she could see many narrow streets and passageways and hundreds of buildings.

  "Wow!" Crystal said in amazement. "I never thought it would be like this. This is huge!"

  "Hard to believe that it has been abandoned," Natan agreed. "Look at this entrance. This lever here allows defenders to collapse the tunnel here. This would be so easy to defend against enemies. And you could store enough food in here to keep your people alive for years."

  "This was the pinnacle of their civilisation," John told them, taking a spare torch from his back, lighting it with the flame from his own torch and putting it in a holder on the wall. He lit a second on the other side of the entrance. "At one point, they were the largest race by populat
ion and the most advanced, yet most of the dragons above the surface were hardly aware of them. This was the largest and most prestigious of their cities. Sadly they have slowly faded away since they left this place. They've even forgotten its name."

  "They should use this instead of building those new cities," Natan said. "Why build a new city when you have one ready made here?"

  John shook his head. "It might be fine for Worm Dragons, but lack of sun isn't good for us. We need it to transform."

  Crystal was growing impatient. She didn't really like being underground. "This is all very well, but how are we going to find the Dragon Stone? This place is huge."

  "A map!" Natan said excitedly. "I was wondering what those carvings were in the entrance hall. I think they were maps of the city. Come on, John!" He pulled Crystal's arm, tugging her back into the corridor and towards the hall they had just come from.

  Just then Crystal froze. From the shadows emerged a tall figure, his features hidden in a dark cloak. He had been standing against the wall but she had assumed he was just another statue.

  "John," the man said. "I've been expecting you."

  He stopped, standing a few metres away from John, and pulled back his hood to reveal the unmistakable features of a Blue Dragon. He was older than them but still quite young, perhaps in his mid-twenties. There was a cruel look on his face and he was smiling maliciously at John. Crystal and Natan shrunk back into the corridor.

  "John…" Crystal began, beckoning to him.

  "I wouldn't bother running," the man said dismissively. "Catching you would be all too easy. Surely you would prefer to die with some dignity."

  He removed his cloak, which dropped to the ground behind him, revealing a dark leather scabbard. He was carrying a sword!

  "Who are you?" Crystal asked, her voice trembling. "And why are you here, we're at peace…"