by Andy Holland
As soon as the Golden Dragons left, Jenna went back with Arthur to his palace. Her parents weren't expecting her back anyway, as she was meant to be in the West, but they would surely agree that Arthur needed her now. She had no idea where Seth was as he had just mumbled something that she couldn't understand before wandering off. He was probably in shock just like the rest of them. She was left to trudge home alone, trying not to think about John and Daisy and instead working out what to do next. Clearly, they couldn't stay in Furnace. They might have a few days, but eventually the True Dragons would be back. The problem was that it was also too dangerous to fly directly to the west, as the bronze True Dragon had been seen heading in that direction. They could fly north first and then travel west, which would be a much longer flight but at least they would be safe. At least she hoped that they would be. The one thing she had learnt from the last few weeks was that nowhere was truly safe any more.
She stopped halfway back to her house to sit down and think. Something was bothering her that had done so ever since she had seen that new True Dragon. How could that thing have remained hidden for so long? True, even the Golds had been ignorant about the fact that there were three in the Circle, but the Browns had known about them and had sworn that there had been three for as long as anyone could remember. How had they missed the bronze one? If they had missed one, could they have missed more? Mark and his group were planning on regrouping to try once more to kill those things, but suppose when they went to the Circle they found ten of those things rather than just four? The task was already incredibly difficult, but it would be suicide to attempt it if there were any more. Of course, they would already know all of this, and unless she could get more information, there was nothing she could tell them. But where could she get this information?
Then it came to her. The only people who could tell her anything about the True Dragons were those Worm Dragons that lived in the valley. They had lived in the Circle before the True Dragons settled there and should know more about them than anyone else. They weren’t in communication with the Golds or the Browns so anything she could find out would be new and potentially of use. They might even know how to survive them if defeating them wasn't an option. She glanced up at the sky. The sun was still quite high, and there was still time to fly to the Valley today. She could go and find one of the Golds to see if they would go with her, but it would delay her too much. Her mother wasn't expecting her so she wouldn't be missed if she just left now. It was possible that Jenna might call on her mother to enquire where she was, and then her mother would panic, but it couldn't be helped. She would never allow her to make this journey and with good reason. But now was probably the safest time to make the trip. The black one had flown south, probably going back to the Circle and the bronze one had flown west. In all likelihood, they were far away already.
Crystal took off and flew south, feeling very grateful to Leah for her tuition as without it, making it before nightfall wouldn't have been possible. She flew swiftly and steadily, confident that she could keep up this pace for the whole journey. She actually overtook two Red Dragons that were travelling in the same direction, passing them with ease. She was cutting it a little fine, but she would reach her destination before sunset. The shadows were already starting to grow long when she saw the valley up ahead, spurring her on to fly even harder. Her navigation was pretty poor, but she was able to find her way back to the place where John had taken them when they had last came here. She landed and transformed immediately, hoping that the Worm Dragons were watching the spot as she didn't know how to summon them.
"Hello!" she shouted. "Is anyone there?"
There was no reply. The tunnel entrances were well hidden and even if she found one it would probably be sealed from inside. She glanced at the setting sun, starting to feel a little anxious. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea after all.
"Hello! Is there anyone home? Please, I need your help!"
A low and unmistakable growl sounded from the nearby forest. Crystal turned around in alarm, looking for the Valley Cat. John wasn't here to save her this time, and although it was still light, she might not have enough time to transform before it attacked. Two big, orange eyes peered out from the undergrowth, and the huge feline head emerged, approaching her cautiously. She stepped back away from the cat. She had to act quickly. As soon as the sun set it would attack, if not before. Could she transform in time and get away?
The cat roared and sprang forwards, causing Crystal to scream in terror, but it stopped a few metres away from her, snarling angrily. Just beside her on the ground, the heavy head of a Worm Dragon had emerged from the ground, and smoke was rising from its nostrils. A second one appeared between her and the cat, and the cat sprang backwards, roaring angrily before running back into the forest.
"Crystal, isn't it?"
Crystal turned around to see who was addressing her and recognised one of the guards that had met her last time. He was standing at the entrance to a tunnel that had been invisible a few seconds ago. "Yes, it is. I'm very glad to see you, but I'm sorry, I can't remember what your name was."
The guard shook his head, clearly not at all interested in small talk. "You shouldn't have come, not at this hour. It's too dangerous outside. Why have you come?"
"I need your help," Crystal replied. "Urgently. Please, I wouldn't have come otherwise."
He frowned at her but beckoned for her to follow him into the hole, which another guard sealed behind them. He led her down the long tunnel until he reached a broad passageway, as before, but Crystal was sure it was not the same place they had gone to last time and everything looked unfamiliar.
"Wait here," he barked at her. He sounded irritated and didn't even look at her when he spoke, walking off with the other guard and muttering to him. The tunnel was empty, and the only light was the one that he had carried, so after he walked off, she was left in darkness. It was some time before he came back and she had started to wonder if he was going to return at all. The welcome was undoubtably proving to be a lot colder than last time.
"Come with me," he said. "Pam will see you." He turned abruptly and walked back the way he had come, not waiting to see what she would do. Crystal ran after him and followed meekly behind. He said nothing to her until they reached their destination, a bright blue door in the wall of the tunnel.
"Go in," he told her, still avoiding looking at her. "You are expected."
Without further ado he walked off, leaving her outside the blue door. Crystal took a deep breath and opened the door, nervous about what sort of reception might greet her. To her relief, it was a warm one. Pam was sitting in a chair in the corner of a comfortable little room, behind a small table laid with drinks and light refreshments.
"Come in, Crystal," Pam urged. "Sit down. My apologies for our guards. As you can understand, security is very important to us, and they are responsible for our safety. Sometimes it is hard to recognise who our friends are."
Crystal smiled back at her and took a chair opposite her. She was pleased Pam had referred to her as a friend.
"Thank you; I'm glad you let me in. I think that cat was planning on having me for dinner."
Pam frowned. "Yes, the cats are very dangerous. They are wary of us during the day, but they know that we can't harm them at night. You were foolish to have arrived at such a late hour. John would never have risked it. Why are you here, Crystal, and why isn't he with you?"
Tears immediately formed in Crystal's eyes. She had already told this painful story once today and couldn't bear going through it all again. Fortunately, Pam didn't need it to be spelt out.
"Ah, he wasn't successful, what a pity. We had hoped he would find his cure. I'm so sorry, my dear. He was a good boy, one of the best, and he was fond of you, despite everything."
Crystal didn't need to ask what she meant by that. John must have told them about their relationship last year and how unfriendly she had been. "I lost him in the city. It looks like one of the True Drago
ns got him. It was beneath that building with the domed roof."
Pam's eyes widened at this. "So you found the House of Healing? And it was still intact? What about the stone? Did you see it? Is it still there?"
Crystal nodded, a little confused. Pam had never mentioned the name of the building before. Last time they had spoken she had seemed a lot vaguer.
"And John, before the True Dragon killed him, had he been healed? Does the stone still work? Or did it do something else to him?"
Crystal's regarded her suspiciously. "What else could it have done to him?"
Pam laughed guiltily. "Oh, nothing, my dear, but it has been so long since anyone has been there. Who knows the Stone might do now?"
She was lying, Crystal was sure of it. The Dragonstone was important, somehow, and she had to know why. "Before you seemed certain that the only thing it might do is cure John. What haven't you told us?"
Pam smiled and shook her grey head. "Nothing but rumours, my dear. The accounts of the stone's healing powers are very well documented, but everything else is shrouded in mystery, most of it too hard to believe."
Crystal couldn't let it lie. "Tell me anyway. Why did your people abandon the city in the first place? Was it because the True Dragons came? Do you know how many there are?"
Pam smiled, showing her brilliant white teeth. How did she still have such perfect teeth at her age? "I know no more than you, my dear. There are three. It has been so for centuries. One black, one green and one brown. Unless the stories of that Blue Dragon killing the brown one are true."
"Four," Crystal replied. "You forgot the bronze one. It's only been seen very recently, but it's very real. I saw it attack the black True Dragon, right before it carried off one of my friends."
The doctor couldn't hide her amazement this time. "A new one! After all this time? Did you see it in the Circle?"
Crystal shook her head. "No, I didn't see it till later. I think it is the one that killed John." She told Pam the story Perak had told her. Pam mulled it over for a while before asking her another question.
"And your friend, did this new dragon actually kill him?"
"Her," Crystal replied coldly. "It was Daisy, John's girlfriend. We didn't see it kill her, but it carried her off. I guess it ate her."
Pam sighed and looked away. "So the stories are true. And I had hoped so much that they were lies."
"What stories?" Crystal asked. "Please, tell me the truth. The True Dragons have killed so many of us. We thought they'd stop and go back to the Circle, but they just keep attacking. I've lost two of my best friends already, and some of my other friends are among those who are going to try to stop them. Anything you can tell me might help them."
Pam laughed derisively. "Stop them? Don't be ridiculous! The black True Dragon is unstoppable. The green one is only marginally less powerful. And whatever anyone claims I doubt that brown one is really dead. No, there's no stopping them. But eventually, the Circle will pull them back in. It will all stop, but not because of anything you or your friends do."
So she did know more than she was letting on. "The Circle will pull them back? How does that work? Please, tell me everything."
Pam sighed, looking at her sadly. "I suppose I do owe you the whole truth. But before I begin, I want to assure you that we only told you what we thought would help you, but I admit that we weren't completely honest before. Let me correct that now.
Most of what we told you about the Rainbow Dragonstone was true. How it was made, what it could do and so on. It did heal people, and it allowed us to live well beyond our natural lifespan. Of course, it became a precious resource. The nearer you lived to the stone the greater the effect it would have on you. Fights occurred, and people were killed, but no one tried to destroy the stone. If only we had."
"Why?" Crystal asked. "If it heals people and lets you live longer, surely it was a good thing?"
"It was, at first," Pam replied. "It wasn’t unusual for people to live for over two hundred years and they lived very healthy lives. Back then, the Circle was ours, above and below ground. It was the peak of our civilisation, and no other dragon race could challenge us. You may reign supreme in the air, but to fight us you would have to enter our world, underground and there, no one was our equal. We were very numerous, and the Dragonstone strengthened us, not like the Red Dragon stones which only work when you're nearby, but they permanently strengthened us. We spread out and pushed back all of the other Worm Dragon races, covering a third of the map with our tunnels. We had the largest kingdom that the world has ever seen. It was a glorious time."
"How have I not read about this?" Crystal asked. "It's not in the Golden Dragon books." Although she hadn't been the most diligent student, she was sure she would have picked up something like this.
"Our Kingdom overlapped the territories of the other races. We had surface territories as well, but they were not continuous, and you Golds thought they were separate entities. You couldn't have been more wrong. Under the surface was an amazing labyrinth of tunnels that spanned from coast to coast. Our cities above ground were impressive, but the ones below ground were incredible.
Now, as I told you, it wasn't unusual to live past two hundred. Each Worm Dragon would spend at least a week each year living in the Circle, under the influence of the stone. This would be enough to extend their lives. The very rich and powerful would stay in the capital and would stay for longer than everyone else, and as you might expect, they would grow to become even stronger and live even longer lives than the rest, sometimes living for over three hundred years. How long they would stay depended on how wealthy they were as you had to pay for the privilege. Dragons from other races stayed as well, living in the cities above ground, but they paid even more. Generally, they just stayed long enough to be healed of whatever illness they might have.
But in addition to the visitors from other cities, some people lived permanently in the city, and of them, the most powerful lived near to the stone, including our king. Some were incredibly long-lived, living for over five hundred years. And then there was the King."
"How long did he live for?" Crystal asked. "Six hundred years? Eight hundred?"
“When the Kingdom collapsed, he would have been close to eight hundred,” Pam replied. “Pretty amazing, don’t you think? It was a glorious time, especially if you were a resident of the city. You didn't just live for a long time; you stayed looking as if you were young, you were strong, healthy and never fell sick. But although it seemed like no one was ageing, the stone itself was, and as it aged, it changed and not for the better.
Now, unlike normal Dragonstones, it didn't lose power as it aged, if anything, its power increased. People grew stronger and stronger, especially as dragons. No Dragon could have stood against us, and if it wasn't for the need to maintain the supply of feather scales from other races, we might have done what the Blues have tried to do and wiped you all from the map. As you know, we Worm Dragons aren't like you Golden Dragons. We can't choose the form we take. And we can't fly. Or at least, not normally. We have no wings, as you have seen. But according to the legends, the Royal Family started to develop them. Over time they had slowly morphed into larger and larger dragons and eventually wings begun to appear. The King himself was the largest dragon, a huge, black Worm Dragon over four times the size of an average Worm Dragon, with wings much like any other flying dragon. Still not very large compared to some dragons you will have encountered, but you'll agree that it was quite a change. The changes to the form they took should have given them a warning, but they paid no attention. If only they had, the Kingdom might have survived.”
“Why, what happened?” Crystal asked, intrigued. “Why did your Kingdom end?”
“There were three explanations given for the collapse of our Kingdom,” Pam replied. “Personally, I always thought that the official story, that the Dragonstone had poisoned everyone, was the most likely explanation. But, the other two stories were also recorded in our official records, alth
ough dismissed in those records as either fanciful or slanderous. You see, we were obliged to keep these records by the King and despite the collapse of the Kingdom, the practice never died.”
“What were the other stories?” Crystal asked. “And which one is the truth?”
“Well, most of my ancestors believed that the Dragonstone wasn’t corrupted, but destroyed accidentally, during a violent coup, and the Kingdom collapsed as a result of the ruthless power struggle within the Royal Family after the coup. The King had many sons, grandsons, great grandsons and so on. Normally, our Kings would only reign for twenty or thirty years, but this King reigned for over seven hundred years. That’s a very long time to wait if you’re next-in-line to the throne. Seeing how he wasn’t ageing, you can see how someone might want to hurry things along.”
“His son killed him?” Crystal asked in horror.
Pam shook her head. “The main suspect was his eldest grandson, who declared himself King shortly afterwards. Whatever happened in the Royal City, thousands died, including the King’s eldest son, the first-in-line to the throne. This complicated things. The second-in-line to the throne was his son, the King’s eldest grandson, who argued that if the King died first, then his father would automatically become King, and then upon his death, he would become King. He lived in one of the cities in the Circle and moved to consolidate his power quickly, but there were other, equally strong claims to the throne.”
“How could that be true?” Crystal asked. “If he was second-in-line…”
“The rules change if the heir dies,” Pam replied. “The King’s fourth son was the oldest surviving son, and he also claimed the throne, arguing that unless someone was officially crowned, they were never the King, and even if that wasn’t the case, there was no proof that his brother even outlived the King, in which case the laws of succession dictated that the throne would pass to his next oldest son. He had powerful backers, and the Kingdom split into two factions, behind each of the claimants. Neither side was willing to concede the throne, and after a few months, a short war was fought, with the grandson emerging as the winner, and his uncle was executed.”