Grail of Stars (18 page)

D
ARK
D
RAGON

T
error gripped Mordred. His cousin had taken his mortal fist, and with it his last chance of remaining in the world of men.

“Mother!” he wailed, as his shadow body disintegrated and his spirit was sucked with the other ghosts towards the dark realm of Annwn. “Help me!”

But he had no way of reaching her. Rhianna had seen to that when she’d used Excalibur to separate his mortal fist from his shadow-body. It felt a bit like when the knights had burned his crippled body at Camelot. But this time there was no handy dragon for him to
spirit-ride to freedom, because the shadrake’s body was already occupied… by the druid.

Merlin had tricked him!

Fury overcame his terror, and he concentrated the last of his strength on the dragon. Darkness… a sickening lurch… then he too was inside the shadrake’s body, looking out through its eyes as it flapped over the water.

He saw the spiral path far below, sparkling in the mist. His cousin rode her fairy horse along it with Excalibur shining in her hand. On the ship, the Grail of Stars shone so brightly that Mordred could not see who was on board, though he had a fair idea.

The fairy prince, that idiot squire who carried the Lance of Truth, his mother’s ex-maid, and Arthur’s knights… he should
have killed the lot of them while he had the chance. His cousin would never have got this far without her friends.

Then Merlin noticed him, and the shadrake’s body shuddered as their spirits clashed.

“It’s too late, Mordred!” the druid growled. “There’s nowhere for you to go now, except the eternal darkness of Annwn. Get out of this body before I throw you out.”

“I’m not going to let you take the four Lights to Avalon and bring Arthur back,” Mordred said. “The throne of Camelot is
mine
!”

“Not for long. The way to Avalon is open.”

“It can easily be closed again,” Mordred hissed.

He used all the tricks his mother had
taught him, trying to turn the dragon. But Merlin fought him every wing beat of the way. The shadrake shrieked in protest as its body tried to fly in two directions at once. It twisted in the air and somersaulted, sending a few smaller pieces of treasure falling from its pouch into the sea.

Mordred forced the dragon’s claw towards its pouch, searching for the spiral pathfinder.

But Merlin’s spirit was too strong, and the claw slowly withdrew. The dragon swooped back up into the sky and turned another somersault. This time, its pouch stayed open and more treasure fell out in a sparkling rain. Mordred laughed in triumph when he saw the silver spiral follow the rest, glinting as it vanished into the mist far below.

“You’ve lost, Merlin!” he said. “Even if
they reach Avalon, my cousin Rhianna and her friends will never find their way back to the world of men without your druid charm.”

Merlin made a frustrated sound. “You forget the Wild Hunt can ride through these mists.”

“They can’t ride anywhere if the mists between worlds are closed to them by a greater power. If the Grail of Stars is on that ship, all I need to do is sink it. King Arthur will never return to Camelot, and his daughter will be trapped in Avalon for all time.”

Mordred felt the druid’s spirit waver, and made another attempt to take control of the dragon. This time it worked. He got the huge wings folded and then retreated into a dark corner of the shadrake’s mind.

Wind whistled past the creature’s scales as
it dived towards the ship far below. He sensed Merlin trying to make the shadrake unfold its wings and pull up. As he’d guessed, the druid was trying to save those on the ship, as well as the dragon’s body.

Mordred, on the other hand, did not care if they all died.

He kept his mind clamped tight shut and refused to think of what would happen to his spirit when the dragon drowned. If he ended up in Annwn, he’d take those on the ship and three of the Lights with him. A pity Rhianna wasn’t on board with the others. But Excalibur alone would do his cousin little good, even if she did make it through the mists alive.

“You might reach Avalon, cousin,” he whispered. “But you’ll never see your friends again.”

A
s they neared Avalon, Alba scented the Wild Hunt’s horses in the mist and neighed, fighting for her head. Rhianna wanted nothing more than to overtake the ship and gallop on ahead. But she held the mare on a tight rein, remembering how Morgan Le
Fay had ambushed them the last time they had come this way.

“No, my darling,” she whispered. “We have to stay and protect my mother and the others.”

She rode with her sword in her hand as half-seen shadows flickered around them. They had lost sight of their dragon guide some time ago, and Excalibur’s blade still gleamed faintly in warning. But she was no longer an untrained damsel. If Mordred’s witch-mother tried any tricks today, she’d be ready.

Something shiny splashed into the sea nearby, making the little mare snort and shake her mane. A few more glittering pieces splashed around them, like someone throwing stones.
It rains silver
, Alba said, sidestepping nervously.

Rhianna looked up with a frown. “Merlin?”
she called. “Are you still up there? Is everything all right?”

More glittering missiles hissed down, and some rattled on the deck of the ship. The knights looked up in alarm. Then the shadrake reappeared directly overhead with an angry screech. Green and purple sparks trailed from its wings as it somersaulted through the clouds. Lancelot’s men reached for their swords. Sir Lancelot pulled Guinevere’s hood back up to cover her bright hair and hurried the queen below.

“It’s all right!” Rhianna called, frowning at the dragon’s antics. “The shadrake’s on our side. It’s opening the spiral path for us—”

Bad thing will eat us
! Her mare said, misting suddenly from under her. Rhianna was holding Excalibur so she did not fall off, but she
couldn’t make the agitated Alba approach the ship. Evenstar seemed upset now too, misting in and out of view as he cantered around the ship in circles.

“What’s wrong, silly?” she said. “Merlin’s in control of the dragon now. I don’t know what he’s up to, but he won’t let it eat you.”

As she spoke, the shadrake plummeted out of the clouds, its wings folded and its red eye fixed firmly on the ship. Her unease returned as Excalibur blazed again. She’d just killed Merlin’s son… maybe Mordred was right, and blood did tell in the end? The druid might have lured them out here to kill them all.

“No!” she shouted.

Putting her heels into Alba’s sides, she urged the mare back across the water, determined not to let the shadrake sink the ship.

They were too far away. The dragon was falling like a black rock towards the deck, making no attempt to unfurl its wings.

Alba stubbornly dug her hooves into the water.
Want to follow Evenstar!
she neighed, trying to turn round again.

Rhianna gritted her teeth and raised the flat of her blade over the mare’s hindquarters. She had never hit Alba, and didn’t want to hurt the little horse. But she wouldn’t watch the shadrake drown her mother and her friends so close to the shore of Avalon and the end of her quest! Then she remembered she was a Pendragon. That meant she could talk to dragons even if Merlin’s spirit was no longer helping them. Maybe the creature’s own spirit was still in there somewhere.

She lowered Excalibur and took a deep
breath. “Shadrake!” she called in dragon-speech. “Can you hear me? You’re going to die if you don’t use your wings. Pull up!”

The dragon continued its suicidal dive.

On the ship, Arianrhod crouched protectively over the unconscious Elphin. Cai stood bravely beside them, the Lance of Truth aimed at the diving dragon. Sir Bors and Sir Lancelot were organising the men to brace their swords on the deck, blades pointing at the sky. The shadrake would meet a bloody end if it did not pull out of its dive, but the ship would still sink, with everyone she loved on board. She saw Sir Galahad and Sir Percival rippling around the tattered sails, trying to turn the vessel to avoid the crash.

“Shadrake!” she called again, wishing she still had the Crown of Dreams. “Lord Avallach
and his Wild Hunt will take your dragon-soul if you die out here. Fly back to Annwn where you’ll be safe!”

She had no idea if dragons had souls, but her words seemed to reach the creature. Its tail lashed, and one wing unfurled.

“That’s right!” she shouted in encouragement. “You can do it! You’re stronger than Merlin, if he’s making you do this.”

It made her furious to think her father’s druid had lured them onto the spiral path between worlds, just so that he could betray them at the last moment.

The shadrake twisted in midair and roared in amusement, “MERLIN IS NOT CONTROLLING THE BEAST NOW! DO YOU NOT RECOGNISE ME, COUSIN? YOU FORCED MY SPIRIT
INTO THIS BODY WHEN YOU DESTROYED MY SHADOW ONE. IT IS A BIT CROWDED IN HERE BUT I AM STRONGER THAN THE DRUID.”

“
Mordred
!” Rhianna whispered. Now she understood why the dragon had been acting so strangely. She wondered what had happened to Merlin’s spirit, and a chill went through her as she realised her cousin was back in control of the spiral path. But the dark knight had a weakness. She waved her sword to distract the creature and galloped Alba away from the ship, yelling, “Want the Sword of Light, do you cousin? Come and get it!”

The shadrake missed the shortened mast by a talon’s length and changed course to dive at Rhianna. It was working. She crouched over her horse’s neck. “Faster, Alba!”
she said, heading the mare into the mist.

Then Cai shouted behind her, “Look out!”

She glanced back over her shoulder, afraid the shadrake had decided to sink the ship first and come after Excalibur later. But the warning hadn’t been meant for her. She watched in horror as the water around the ship erupted with glittering fish-tails and green hair.

Fish-people!
her mare said.
They are angry with us for taking their shining cup
.

Distracted by the shadrake’s attack, no one had seen them coming. The fish-people pushed against the hull with their webbed hands, forcing the ship off its sparkling path, which was fading now that the shadrake had come after Rhianna. She saw the knights grab their swords and lean over the rail to fend off this new threat, while Cai jabbed at the green
heads with the Lance of Truth. Then a webbed hand caught the end of the Lance, and the boy vanished over the stern with a little scream.

“Cai!” Rhianna gasped, by now too far away to help her friends.

But Sir Lancelot had caught hold of the boy’s arm as he fell. Between the champion knight’s slashing blade and Cai’s kicking feet, the two of them made it back to the safety of the deck. Cai no longer had the Lance, and Rhianna’s heart sank when she saw it floating in the water among all the flashing fish-tails.

“Give that back!” she yelled, urging her mare towards the ship. She gripped Excalibur tightly in case the fish-people tried to take the Sword of Light, too.

She’d forgotten the shadrake. As she turned Alba, its jaws opened and ice crackled out in
a blue cloud, freezing the water around her mist horse’s hooves.

Rhianna raised her shield over her head, desperately hoping it would protect her mare.

Alba tried to mist out of the way but failed.
Help!
she whinnied.
I am stuck
.

“I know you are, my darling,” Rhianna said, pointing Excalibur at the dragon. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the beast hurt you.”

At least the ice meant the fish-people in the water couldn’t reach her mare’s legs. She put them out of her mind and braced herself as the shadrake swooped closer.

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her shield and shouted up at the creature in dragon-speech, “I know you carry the Crown of Dreams in your pouch! I don’t need it any more. You can keep the third Light and earn
freedom for dragons everywhere, if you’ll just carry Prince Mordred’s spirit into Annwn for me… And release Merlin, if he’s still spirit-riding you,” she added quickly.

The shadrake pulled out of its dive and shook its huge head as if it had a fly stuck in its ear.

“YOU CAN’T GIVE… IT… THE CROWN…, COUSIN!” Mordred’s voice spluttered.

“I’m not talking to
you
!” Rhianna shouted back. “I’m talking to the shadrake!”

More ice crackled from the shadrake’s mouth. But her Avalonian armour protected her from its deadly breath, and the plume of ice passed around her to freeze several more of the fish-people attacking the ship.

While the other fish-people swam to help
their trapped friends, Cai leaped off the ship and ran along the frozen path to retrieve the Lance of Truth. He slipped on the ice, regained his balance, and jabbed the glittering point at the shadrake.

“Yah!” he yelled. “Get away from Princess Rhianna, you beast!”

The shadrake snapped at the Lance, but missed. It turned another somersault as the rival spirits fought for control of its body, and smashed a hole in the ice with a huge claw, releasing Alba. The little mare cantered out of the way, shaking her head in relief.

Rhianna looked anxiously for Cai. But he had already run back across the cracking ice to the ship, where the knights helped him and the Lance back on board – only just in time. The final slab of ice slid under the keel and was crushed to pieces.

Cai grinned at her, swinging his lance at the escaping fish-people. “Don’t stand still, Damsel Rhianna!” he called. “Or you’ll get stuck again.”

Rhianna trotted Alba in circles. “Well?” she called to the shadrake, before Mordred could win back control of the beast. “Do we have a bargain?”

She held her breath.

“IT IS A GOOD BARGAIN, PENDRAGON MAID,” boomed the shadrake. “I SHALL TAKE THIS CROWN BACK TO MY LAIR SO DRAGONS EVERYWHERE CAN BE FREE. NO PUNY HUMAN SPIRIT CONTROLS
ME!
”

She let out her breath in relief as the creature splashed across the water, half swimming and half flying. Finally it gained height and flapped
away into the mist, icicles glittering from its tail. She just hoped it would remember to release Merlin’s spirit before it reached Annwn.

But the danger wasn’t over yet. Now that the dragon had gone, more slabs of ice were lifting from the water, pushed from underneath by the angry fish-people. Alba snorted at the ice, picking her hooves up high. Evenstar bucked and kicked as the webbed hands tried to catch his legs and tail.

I fight too
! Alba snorted, kicking at the green heads as they surfaced around her.

Rhianna recognised some of the fish-girls who had been sitting with Lady Nimue at the feast. She hauled on the reins. “No, Alba! Don’t fight – let me talk to them.”

She checked the deck to make sure Arianrhod and the Grail were safe. The maid
still crouched beside Elphin, clutching her pack and staring at the water in fear. The cup was glittering again. Rainbows spilled out between Arianrhod’s fingers, flashing from the knights’ armour and bathing Elphin’s sleeping face. The prince lay wrapped in Sir Bors’ cloak, as helpless as when they’d taken him on board. Rhianna tried not to think what would happen to her friends if Nimue’s people managed to sink the ship.

Some of the fish-people were now climbing the rails, hauling themselves up by their strong swimmers’ arms. The knights tried to push them back, but there were too many of them. As fast as one body flopped back into the water, ten more climbed up to replace it. Cai swung the Lance at their grasping hands, but although it sparkled fiercely its magic seemed
to have no effect on Nimue’s people. The fish-people’s tails flapped on deck as they tried to take the second Light from the boy. Arianrhod stared at Rhianna, wide-eyed, holding the cup they had stolen from the Grail Castle high as the webbed hands reached towards it.

“What shall I do, my lady?” she called.

Rhianna looked desperately at the magical path Merlin had opened for them through the mists. It was fading fast now the shadrake and the pathfinder had gone. But a familiar jetty sparkled in the haze ahead… the same jetty where she and Elphin had raced their mist horses while they were growing up, the furthest they had been able to ride without crossing the sea into the land of men.