Keeper of the Phoenix (8 page)

“Oh, aren’t they
adorable
,” Taine mimicked his sister as he batted at the flames shot at him by the baby dragons. “Uh-oh.” He pointed outside.

The mother dragon was awake! Peering inside the cave, she spotted the intruders and roared furiously.

Ash could feel his terror rising, but he knew he had to get Gwaam and the others to safety. He held his hands over his ears. “Follow me,” he cried, ducking down low and weaving between the dragon’s legs before racing outside.

Taine, Rhyll and Trip followed closely after him.

The mother dragon turned sharply and stood up on her back legs, towering over Ash and his companions. Her talons were poised like butcher’s knives. Behind them, hundreds of baby dragons hurried closer, pushing the friends towards the ravine.

“We’re surrounded,” Rhyll gasped.

Ash threw the basket containing Gwaam to her. “Whatever happens, protect Gwaam and find the wizard. Don’t stop for me. Promise?”

“Promise,” Taine said.

“Good. I’ve got a plan to distract the dragon and it involves her babies. I’m sure she’ll protect them at all costs. Rhyll, you take Gwaam and Trip and get out of here with Taine. Got it?”

Rhyll and Taine both nodded.

“I can’t go without my Keeper,” Gwaam protested.

“Taine and Rhyll will look after you,” Ash said. “Now, go!”

Ash ran back into the cave. Dodging the flames of the baby dragons, he snatched two unhatched eggs. As he bolted back outside, he screamed at the others to get going. Rhyll called Trip, but the dog wouldn’t leave Ash.

Taine and Rhyll ran up the path away from the dragon’s lair, taking Gwaam with them.

“Here!” Ash threaded through the dragon’s legs once more and ran towards the ravine ledge. Trip followed, yapping loudly. “You want your babies? Go get them.”

Ash hurled the eggs over the edge, one after the other. The dragon shrieked with rage then threw herself off the cliff after them.

I knew she wouldn’t let anything happen to her babies, Ash thought.

But as the mother dived into the ravine, she clipped Ash with her tail and sent him flying dangerously close to the edge where he landed with a thud.

Taine raced back down the mountain. He waded through the baby dragons to help Ash up, pushing them out of the way with his feet.

“You broke your promise,” Ash said, although he was secretly glad he hadn’t been left behind.

“You didn’t really think we’d leave, did you? Don’t worry Rhyll has Gwaam.”

The boys broke through the teeming mass of baby dragons, using their arms to protect their faces from the shooting flames. They sprinted for the path with Trip bringing up the rear. The baby dragons clambered after them, but they were unable to gain a foothold on the steep slope and soon fell behind, scrabbling and fighting noisily among themselves.

The mother dragon swooped up out of the ravine, eggs clutched in her strong talons. She deposited her eggs inside the cave then wheeled towards Ash with a furious roar. Taine picked up a rock and hurled it down at the dragon. She barely noticed it glance off her shoulder. Taine threw another rock. This one hit the dragon square on the nose. She shrieked in pain then recoiled, ready to leap up to attack Taine.

“Quick, up the path!” Ash said.

Clambering higher up the mountain, they soon found themselves on top of a narrow ridge flanked on both sides by scrubby bushes and rock that fell away to nothing.

“Keep going along the ridge,” Ash shouted, taking the basket from Rhyll.

Rhyll and Taine took off with Ash and Trip close behind. They heard a shriek from above. As one, they gazed up and saw the dragon hovering over them. It roared as it swooped downwards. Far below, a dark ribbon of water glinted.

“We’ll have to jump,” Ash puffed.

“I can’t swim,” Taine said.

“Never mind swimming,” Rhyll said. “The fall will kill us.”

Before Ash could reply, the dragon pounced.

She snatched Ash and Taine in one claw and Rhyll and Trip in the other.

“Woah!” Ash shouted as the dragon launched off into space. He grasped the basket to his chest, hoping Gwaam was all right inside.

“Put me down!” Taine cried, struggling against the dragon’s vice-like grip. “Put me down.”

It was no use. They were trapped. Soon the dragon was flying low over the valley, carrying them with her.

“Hold on, boys,” Rhyll shouted from the dragon’s other claw. “I have an idea.”

Ash and Taine watched as Rhyll writhed with all her might until her arms were freed from the dragon’s grasp. She tugged her bow from its holster then an arrow.

Ash held his breath as Rhyll drew the arrow back and fired it into the dragon’s skin. The dragon shrieked in pain and opened her claws, sending Ash and his friends plummeting into the river.

Ash woke to the sound of Trip growling. Ash lay halfway up the rocky shoreline, just out of reach of the water that lapped the river’s edge. He was soaked through, but the afternoon sunshine on his back felt deliciously warm. Ash lifted his face from the pebbles, opening one eye slowly. His head hurt, his side ached and he had no idea where he was.

“What’s up, Trip?” he groaned.

Beside him, Rhyll and Taine stirred.

Ash laid his head down again, willing himself to go back to sleep.

“Ah, Ash,” Rhyll’s voice came to him through the haze inside his head. “I think you should see this.”

“Rhyll?” Ash said groggily. “What are you doing here?”

He forced himself to open his eyes once more. The sight of his bedraggled companions brought everything rushing back. The dragon. Their fall. Swimming to land, Rhyll helping Taine while Ash swam in circles, searching for the precious basket. Where was Gwaam?

“Ash!” Rhyll called again.

He scrambled to his feet, slipping and scrabbling over the wet pebbles. Taine and Rhyll drew closer, as if bunching together gave them greater protection from what stood before them.

“Who are you?” Ash asked.

“I am Garamel.”

“You’re a unicorn,” Rhyll said.

The unicorn bent his head. “Correct.”

“Believe Mother’s book now?” Rhyll asked her brother.

“Yes, well, the evidence is certainly mounting.” Taine shook his head. “This would never happen in Icamore.”

Rhyll groaned. “Would you stop saying that? I think we already know we’ve left safe old Icamore way behind.”

“Worse luck,” Taine grumbled.

Ash couldn’t stop staring at the black shaggy creature with its blood red eyes and shining ruby-like horn, tangled beard and spiked mane. “I don’t think there’s much point arguing about what is or isn’t in that book any more,” he said. “We need to forget everything we’ve ever been told.”

“I’m assuming you children don’t get out much,” Garamel said, with a bemused tone, glancing from Ash to Taine to Rhyll and back again.

“Er, no.” Ash soon recovered enough to introduce himself and the others. From the corner of his eye he spied Trip jogging along the shore towards them. In the dog’s mouth was the basket.

“Thank heavens you’re all right.” Ash bent down to pat Trip. When he saw Gwaam tucked up safely in the basket he breathed a sigh of relief. “Good dog.” He took the basket from Trip and motioned for Gwaam to stay silent, unsure whether he could trust the unicorn.

“You are in our realm without permission and cannot stay here,” Garamel said. “However, we are more than happy to offer you safe passage through Alizarn. Come, you may meet my companions.”

“I thought unicorns didn’t like human company,” Rhyll said. “At least that’s what I’ve read.”

“What you say is true,” Garamel agreed. “You are the first humans seen here for some time so you will be a curiosity. Any more questions before we go?”

Taine raised his hand. “I have one.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t unicorns meant to be white?”

Garamel gave a low chuckle. “How many unicorns have you seen before?”

“Ah, you’d be the first,” Taine replied.

“Then how do you know what unicorns look like?”

Taine frowned. “Good point.”

“Very well, let’s be off then.” Garamel herded the friends up the beach, his hooves clip-clopping noisily on the smooth rocks beside the shoreline.

Moments later they stepped into the dense forest that grew alongside the river. Ash smelled the scent of pine needles. It was dark and musty in the forest and very cool. He shivered and rubbed his arms to warm himself. Very little sunlight reached through the thick branches overhead. Their footsteps were muffled by the carpet of dead pine needles lying on the forest floor. Ash couldn’t help noticing how quiet it was. He thought it was strange that there were no bird calls. No sign of any animal life.

“It’s so quiet here,” Rhyll said, as if reading Ash’s thoughts. “Perhaps too quiet.”

“That’s the way we like it,” Garamel replied. “The peace and silence offers us opportunity for reflective thoughts.”

Taine leaned close to Ash. “Do you think he’s strange?” he whispered.

“What, a talking unicorn, strange?” Ash put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud. Somehow it didn’t seem right to laugh in such a serious, silent place.

“No, I mean there’s something about him,” Taine said. “He’s so stiff and formal, don’t you think?”

“How do you expect a unicorn to be?” Ash asked.

“I don’t know, as loose as a goose maybe? I mean, he’s a unicorn. What’s he got to be all uppity about?”

Ash shook his head. “You’re an idiot.”

The boys’ conversation was interrupted by the appearance of four more unicorns. They were all different shades of grey and black, with the same red horns and eyes as Garamel.

“I thought unicorns lived alone,” Rhyll said.

“More book knowledge, is it?” Garamel said. His voice sounded mildly teasing, but his expression held no sign of amusement.

Rhyll nodded, looking a little unsure.

“I can see you’re a clever girl,” Garamel said. “However, books can’t teach you everything. Things have changed these last few years. Once, we did live alone. But now my companions and I have found strength and safety in numbers. We have often been hunted, you see, so we discovered the best way to protect ourselves is to stick together. That is why we flourish here in Alizarn.”

“Why were you hunted?” Taine asked.

Garamel turned to look at him. “You
are
uninitiated, aren’t you, boy?” He shook his shaggy head. “We unicorns are capable of great magic. Humans like yourselves fancy they can steal that magic. There is one such human who has tried to steal what is rightfully ours. He has a far greater hold on us than we would like.”

“Who?” Ash asked. “Are you in danger?”

“Are
we
in danger would be more to the point,” Taine muttered.

Ash shushed him.

“Never mind,” Garamel replied. “I have said too much.”

Before Ash could question Garamel further, a dappled grey unicorn stepped forwards.

“I’m Tibor,” he said, before snatching Gwaam’s basket in his teeth and trotting off.

“Wait!” cried Ash, fearful of letting Gwaam out of his sight. “That’s mine.”

Garamel blocked his way. “Don’t worry, the bird is safe with Tibor. Now, please, come.”

Ash felt uneasy and helpless, but he knew he would be better off if he kept a cool head. He let Garamel march them through the cool, silent forest until they came to a clearing where more unicorns greeted them. Here the pine trees gave way to a small circular field and sunlight splashed across long grass and bell flowers. Ash counted twelve unicorns in all.

Beside him, he saw Rhyll’s mouth drop open. “This isn’t mentioned in any of Mother’s books,” she said. “Something is definitely wrong here.”

“The dog goes in there.” Garamel nodded towards a cage nearby.

“He’s not used to being locked up. He won’t like it at all,” Ash said, becoming more suspicious by the minute.

“Nevertheless, he must go in the cage,” Garamel insisted.

“I thought you were going to allow us safe passage through the forest?” Taine asked. “Can’t we just keep going?”

“Of course, that won’t be a problem at all,” Garamel said smoothly. “But first, we must have a celebration. We don’t want your pet running about or getting hurt. Please do what I say and put the dog in there.”

Despite Garamel’s apparent friendliness, Ash sensed a threat from him. He didn’t feel like he could argue though. Not when the unicorns had whisked Gwaam away somewhere. Until he found out where Gwaam was he had to cooperate so he did as he was told.

When Ash shut the cage behind him, Trip whined miserably.

“Stay,” Ash said. “Good boy.”

“Humans, please, take a seat,” Tibor said. He indicated a gnarled, mossy log nearby.

Ash, Taine and Rhyll sat down. Garamel touched the ground with his horn. Three ruby-encrusted golden goblets appeared.

Taine picked up one of the goblets and sniffed the red liquid it contained. “Oh, I’m so thirsty. What is this?”

“Drink and you shall see.”

Taine tipped the goblet up, draining its contents.

“Delicious. Tastes like turkey. May I have another?”

“Turkey?” Ash glanced at Rhyll.

Garamel nodded. Taine’s goblet was refilled. The other unicorns stared at Ash and Rhyll until they also drank.

“Mine is chocolate,” Rhyll said.

“Mine is rhubarb pie,” Ash said, amazed.

Garamel fixed Ash with a steady gaze.

Ash began to feel light-headed. “I think … we should … go …”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Garamel said.

The world spun before Ash. Then everything went black.