The True Dragon

by Andy Holland

  "Of course," the young lady replied, before transforming again and taking off with Crystal. They flew into the cave that the flames had come from, then just a minute later Crystal ran out to meet them, dressed in a long cloak. Her face was a picture of anxiety.

  "Mark, is he alright? What's wrong with him?"

  "He'll be fine," Gabriel replied dismissively. "But can you tell us what happened? Where are these stones you spoke of?"

  Crystal recounted her story, starting with the realisation that John was the new True Dragon and describing her journey to the Circle and her encounters with the green and brown True Dragons, finishing with the destruction of the Dragonstones.

  "I can't help thinking you've left something out," Gabriel commented. "But I think that perhaps you've earned that right. So the brown True Dragon wasn't dead after all. That puts our failures into perspective. Maybe those things just couldn't be killed the way we thought."

  "The boy is waking," Ana commented. Everyone turned to look at John, who had been temporarily forgotten. Mark and Crystal crouched down to look at him.

  "John, John, can you hear us? Are you alright?" Crystal asked.

  "You scared us all, John," Mark told him. "How are you feeling?"

  "Very small," John replied weakly, earning him a few laughs. "Where are the other True Dragons?"

  "Dead," Jude replied. "Crystal killed them all."

  "Crystal?" John asked, noticing her for the first time and sitting up in surprise. "What are you doing here? And how did you kill them all?"

  "Same way she saved you," Mark answered. "She destroyed the Dragonstones. The others died on the spot. It's a good thing she did, as they were about to finish us."

  "Something they would have done already if you hadn't been helping us," Gabriel added. "I'm sorry we didn't realise who you are. I thought you were just another one of them and gave the order to kill you as well. I'm very glad we failed."

  John shrugged. "I wasn't really in any danger from you. You saw how fast I could move, didn't you?"

  Again everyone laughed, and Mark wondered if his brother had finally developed a sense of humour. "John, how are you feeling? Up to flying? It's a bit late to get all the way to Furnace today, but we could make a start. Anywhere would be better than staying in this place."

  "Don't you have to go back to the new cities?" John asked. "Won't you be expected there?"

  Even Jude laughed at this. "No one expected any of us to come back. They didn’t really have that much faith that we would succeed."

  "You included," Mark pointed out. "I will go back eventually, but I think I have earned a few days off. And I would love to see Daisy's face when you return."

  "You don't have to wait until you get to Furnace for that," Crystal piped up. "She was heading towards Obud to try to get a message to you in case I failed. She's probably there now, if not even closer."

  "Obud isn't too far," John mused. "But we would have to hurry. Crystal, sorry, but we can't fly slowly."

  Crystal beamed with pride. "No need to apologise, John. But you won't have to wait for me. I have something else to show you."

  Crystal stood back and quickly transformed in a flash of golden scales to stand proudly in front of them. John clapped his hands enthusiastically, beaming with pride.

  "I am impressed. Although I knew that you would get there eventually. Mark, shall we?"

  Mark looked at Gabriel quizzically. There was a lot of work to do, starting with searching for the wounded. The creatures had been merciless and would have left no one alive intentionally, but some dragons would have been downed but not killed.

  “Go,” Gabriel told him. “You’ve done enough here. I think we can spare you. Thank you. And good luck.”

  He extended his hand, smiling. It was a genuine gesture, so Mark took his hand and shook it. “Thanks, Captain Gabriel, same to you.”

  “I’ll take care of your unit,” Jude told him, nodding grimly. His unit was all dead, which meant that someone had to tell their families and Mark couldn’t be more grateful that he didn’t have to do it.

  “Thank you,” Mark began, but Jude cut him off before he could say another word.

  “Don’t mention it. Go on, get going, or you won’t reach Obud before nightfall.”

  John was eager to get going, so they didn’t linger any longer. Just moments later, the three of them were back in the air with John showing no signs of ill health as a dragon. If anything, he had become a lot faster than when Mark had last flown with him. Mark let John and Crystal do most of the talking, catching up on the events of the last few weeks. It was nice to hear his brother being so talkative, excitedly telling them both about his experience. He was also pleased to see that Crystal flew well, not as fast as John or Mark, but well enough and she certainly wasn't going to slow them down.

  Shortly after leaving the Circle they met a Golden Dragon coming from the north towards them. He told them that he had been sent by Daisy and Arthur from a small town near the old border, Castlebridge, the same town Mark had stopped in when Perak and his men had attacked. They had found no one at Obud and had carried on until they had reached the border. This was good news as Castlebridge was even nearer to them than Obud and they would arrive there well before sunset. After telling him what had happened in the Circle, they carried on towards Castlebridge.

  Buoyed by the news that they had an even shorter journey than expected, the three Golden Dragons flew swiftly, John still babbling excitedly for the whole trip, something that was completely out of character for him, but then he had spent the last few weeks as a mute, so maybe this was understandable.

  That's the town up ahead, Mark told them both as Castlebridge loomed into sight. If they're staying there, they'll be in the northwest corner. It's where Gerald stayed when we were here.

  Go ahead, Crystal said to John. I can see you're dying to rush ahead. Don't worry, we'll be just behind you.

  If Mark had any doubts regarding John's health, they were quickly dispelled as John put on an astounding burst of speed to leave Mark and Crystal behind.

  Wow! Crystal gasped. I thought I was almost as fast as you two. I guess I still have a long way to go.

  But even Mark was surprised by John's turn of pace. I don't think you'll ever be that fast. He's faster than I am now.

  Really? Crystal asked. He told me that he wasn't as fast as you before. Do you think some of his abilities have carried across from when he was a True Dragon? Is that even possible?

  Who knows? Mark replied. No one has ever done what you did today. John is the first to come back. Come on, let's see how fast you can fly. Surely you want to make an entrance as well?

  Crystal could fly quickly, at least for the few minutes that it took to reach Castlebridge. Not that keeping up with her presented a challenge to Mark, but she performed admirably for someone who had just learnt the form.

  Over there, Mark told her, noticing an excited group outside one of the buildings in the northwest corner of the town. That's them.

  Crystal flew even faster, stooping towards the ground and squawking triumphantly as she approached. She flapped her wings furiously to come to an abrupt halt just beside the five youngsters, before expertly transforming and dressing. Such was the commotion in response that they didn't even notice Mark joining them.

  "Crystal! You're a Golden Dragon!" Daisy shrieked in delight and excitement.

  "We always knew you could do it," Seth said enthusiastically, slapping her on the shoulder.

  "I'm impressed," Jenna admitted. "And you managed to avoid flashing the boys when you transformed. I'm not sure which is the more surprising."

  "Hey!" Crystal objected. "My transformations are outstanding and have been for ages. Did you see how fast I flew?"

  "Very fast," Daisy replied with a smile. "When did you learn how to do it? You must tell us everything."

  As Crystal began telling her story, John, who had moments before been the centre of attention, was momentarily forgotten and stood
apart from the group. Mark approached him and clasped his shoulder.

  "So, what now, little brother? I take it that you're fully better?"

  John nodded. "I appear to be so, yes. I don't think I need to worry about my heart anymore, or anything, really. It's a strange feeling. I’ve always had something that I was meant to be doing, something to be worrying about, first Crystal, then the invasion, then the prison camp and then my heart and the True Dragons. Now there’s nothing."

  "Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find your next crisis soon enough,” Mark told him with a laugh. “Seriously though, I know it’s early in your school year, but have you given any thought to what you'll do afterwards? I assumed you were only there to stay close to this lot.”

  John laughed. "I didn't think I was going to get an 'afterwards' so I hadn't given it any thought. I still have over six months though, so I’ll have time to work it out. What about you? Back to Sanctuary?"

  "At first, yes," Mark replied enthusiastically, realising how bright the city’s prospects were now. "Work will start in earnest now. We will get each government to commit as many resources as we can get away with and we must make the most of the next few weeks while they're all excited about the death of the True Dragons. They'll forget quickly enough, but hopefully, by then we'll have enough resources assigned to us to get the job done. Construction will never really finish, but I wouldn't be surprised if the bulk of the work were complete before you finish school."

  John whistled. "That would be an achievement. Then you'll stay there? Work in the new city?"

  Mark shrugged. "I hope so. It should be an interesting place to work for years to come. You should think about working there. Have you ever considered that sort of work?"

  John shook his head. "As I said, I haven't given it any thought. But what I do will depend almost entirely on that young lady there. And her grandfather."

  Mark glanced at Daisy, who was listening intently to Crystal's story. She looked over at John and smiled very warmly, but carried on listening to Crystal. "Go and see him now,” he told his younger brother. “Daisy's grandfather. Just after the news breaks that the True Dragons have gone. If he's ever going to agree to let his granddaughter marry a foreigner, it's going to be now."

  "Do you think so?" John asked, looking uncertain.

  "Of course! Yesterday they thought she was dead. When they learn that you saved her, how grateful will they be?"

  "I did carry her off and make everyone think she was dead," John pointed out.

  "After you saved us from the black True Dragon. Crystal may have destroyed the Dragonstones, but she wouldn't have been alive to do so if you hadn't arrived to attack that thing."

  John nodded reluctantly. "Not that I could do much. That thing was so strong! I know it was bigger than me, but I should have been able to have damaged it more than I did. But it was just indestructible."

  "I think it wasn't completely indestructible," Crystal pointed out, having overheard his remark.

  "Yes, not completely indestructible," Mark agreed with a laugh. "So, looking forward to being famous, Crystal? Everyone will know your name by the end of the week."

  "See how that worked out for John," Jenna pointed out. "It didn't take long for them to turn on him."

  "Oh, ignore her," Daisy scolded. "That won't happen. You'll have scores of admirers, just you watch."

  "I could handle that," Crystal replied, smirking at Jenna.

  "What about you, John?" Seth asked. "Ready to be centre of attention again? John the True Dragon. Lots of people will want to hear about that."

  "They'll think he's a monster," Jenna replied, shuddering. "They ate dragons, remember?"

  "John didn't," Daisy objected indignantly. "He saved us from the black one. They won't see him as a monster."

  "He saved many dragons today," Mark added. "None of us would have survived without his help. Everyone will soon know that. He'll be fine."

  "No, he won't," Jenna snapped. "That's not how it works. People will be scared that he could turn into one again. John, you can see that, can't you? I'm not trying to be mean, I swear it, but you won't be safe in Furnace. Not when people see you as a threat."

  To Mark's surprise, John nodded his agreement. "Jenna's right. I won't be able to stay in Furnace, not now. It could never have been home for me anyway, not after everyone found out what I was."

  "The West will be better," Daisy insisted. "We've always been more tolerant, more relaxed, more liberal. And you'd be with me. No one would ever harm you."

  Mark knew she believed every word she was saying, but he couldn't agree with her. If her family saw John as a threat, they would behave exactly as anyone else would. It might even be the same back home.

  "Maybe," Arthur replied diplomatically. "Although, if you're wrong and something does happen to John, how would you feel?"

  Daisy grabbed John's arm, tears welling up in her eyes. John put his arm around her to comfort her. "That's not going to happen, so there's no need to get upset. We won't go back to Furnace or the West. Well, not for long anyway. Just long enough to convince your family to let you leave."

  "What?" Arthur asked sharply. "Go to the Golden Dragon kingdom? Mother will never allow that."

  "Grandfather would," Daisy replied. "He liked John. And it's not a kingdom."

  "You could all go," Mark suggested, the embryo of an idea coming to him. "All six of you. It could be the start of a regular program, to build up a stronger relationship between our two nations. You could learn more about our culture, and our people could learn more about you. I know plenty of people in our government who would jump at this opportunity. And your family wouldn't hesitate to let you go, Crystal. Your father would be no further away from you than he is now."

  "My parents wouldn't mind me going," Seth added. "They might not even notice. Come on, Arthur, you know Daisy will find a way to go eventually. Why not help her out? If you both want to go, it'll make it easier to convince your family."

  "What about you, Jenna?" Crystal asked. "Would you go? You're the one trying to persuade John to leave."

  Jenna smiled sweetly back at Crystal. "How could I miss the opportunity to go shopping in their capital again? If Arthur goes, I would happily go."

  "But what about you, Crystal?" the prince asked. "You don't sound like you are that keen. You've never been keen before."

  "Because I couldn't transform into one of them," Crystal replied. "I felt like a fake. And I'd miss all of you. But if you were coming as well, then I would love to go. Maybe not for ever, but a year or two would be good."

  Arthur was defeated, and he knew it. He turned to face Mark. "Fine. Speak to your people and make it happen. I hope I won't regret this."

  "You won't," Mark replied. Arthur was so unlike his older brother, if it weren't for the striking resemblance, Mark would have found it hard to believe that they were brothers. Gerald would have jumped at this sort of opportunity without a second thought. "John can speak to your school headmaster, I'm sure he will help. And I will speak to Crystal's father, he will help get things going."

  "It'll be another adventure," Crystal said excitedly, taking her cousin's arm. Jenna responded by rolling her eyes.

  "I think I've had more than enough adventures for one lifetime, thank you. I'm hoping this will be more relaxing than exciting. I'm sure John has had enough of rescuing us."

  "Crystal rescued me, this time," John pointed out. "But I agree with you, Jenna. I'm hoping for a very long break from the sort of excitement we've experienced over the last year. Finally, I have nothing to worry about. You're all safe, Crystal is finally a Golden Dragon, and I'm healthy. I feel as if I could retire."

  Everyone laughed, and Mark could see how he would feel that. However, one look at Crystal told him that as pleased as she was for his brother, she had the opposite feelings. For her, the adventures had just begun. She was finally a Golden Dragon.

  Chapter 38: Epilogue

  The new island was never going to be
completed. Bren knew this, as did the other two Sea Dragons working with him, but it didn't dishearten any of them in the slightest. It would be continuously improved till well past their deaths, but Bren would always be able to say that he had worked on it from when it first emerged above the waves, from the foundation day.

  Of course, that wasn't when the work had begun. That had started much earlier. The leader of the team, Sol, had been there, choosing the sites with the help of their Golden Dragon allies, cutting and transporting the first rocks from the deep sea trenches to lay them down as the first foundations in this area of shallow water. It was an ambitious project, giving their people a third island to live on, providing further insurance against being wiped out should disaster strike, in the form of a natural disaster or, as had happened so many years ago, being attacked by a murderous enemy. Five years had passed since then, and during that time Sol and many other Sea Dragons had carried millions of rectangularly cut rocks to this place, till that momentous occasion just three weeks ago when they had finally broken the surface of the ocean. To anyone else it would have merely been a dull rock protruding from the waves, but to the Sea Dragons it was a promise of so much and the occasion had triggered a week of celebrations on their two home islands, a time that Bren remembered fondly, especially as it gave him an extra week's break from the work.

  There had been no slackening of the pace since the celebrations, on the contrary, their efforts had redoubled. Within a week, one rock had become a thousand, and there was sufficient space above water to establish the first temporary settlement on the island. For the moment, it was solely for the use of the Sea Dragons stationed here to work on constructing the island, but before long it would be large enough to allow the Golden Dragons to visit and use the island as a hub to explore the surrounding waters in their never-ending quest to find new lands.

  The teams working on the island followed a simple routine, consisting of five days of working underwater, carefully arranging the foundations of the island and just one day working above the surface, hauling rocks from the sea and laying them in place. Other Sea Dragons brought the rocks to a spot not far from the island, and their job was to carefully put them in place and where required, melt the rock to fuse it together. Each of them preferred working on land: although it was much harder work moving the blocks, they could immediately see the fruits of their labour as the island took shape.