The Dragon's Eye (13 page)

A terrible sight awaited us when we got to Dr. Drake's house. The front door had been wrenched off its hinges, and as we ran up the hall towards Dr. Drake's study, I saw that the parlour had been rifled and that the picture frames were all hanging at odd angles, as though someone had been looking behind them.

But things were even worse in Dr. Drake's study. For there, everything had been turned upside down. Papers lay everywhere, pots of ink were spilt on the floor, books had been thrown off shelves, and every drawer and cupboard had been opened, and their contents pulled out. Whatever had happened, it had certainly happened in a hurry.

“Have they taken anything valuable?” exclaimed Beatrice as we stood staring at the sight of Dr. Drake dismally surveying the wreckage.

“Yes,” said Dr. Drake. “I am afraid to say that they have taken the most valuable thing I owned. My dragon diary is missing.”

 

I do not think I have ever seen Dr. Drake angrier than at that moment. His dragon diary contained all of the records that he had made during his entire life. For many people, these records would have seemed to be nothing more than fantastical ramblings, but for someone who was interested in dragons, they were a priceless resource.

“Don't you have a copy?” I asked.

“A copy?” he said. “I'm afraid not. I only wish that I had taken the trouble to hide my dragon diary more securely, but it is difficult. I refer to it on a daily basis.”

Suddenly, Dr. Drake broke off. He glanced out the window.

Beatrice and I had the same thought.

“Scorcher!” we cried.

We followed Dr. Drake as he ran outside to the coal shed. But it too had been broken into. The baby dragon was gone.

Dr. Drake hung his head.

“I have failed him,” he said.

As we arrived back at the house, he bent down and picked up a letter that had been left on the mat. There was another letter propped up on a chair outside Dr. Drake's study.

Dr. Drake opened the first letter. After reading it he said, “It is from your uncle Algernon,” he said. “It seems that Ignatius Crook has written to him, explaining that he ought to know who is looking after you both. Apparently your parents do not know the whole truth about me, which is why Ignatius has written to your uncle to warn him that I am a monster who teaches children dangerous nonsense about dragons. Algernon says that he is coming to pick you both up the day after tomorrow and that he will come back with a policeman if I do not give you up immediately.”

“Why would Uncle Algernon believe Ignatius Crook?” I asked. I couldn't imagine anything worse than going to stay with Uncle Algernon now that we had learned so much dragonology.

“Your uncle will not have needed much persuading,” said Dr. Drake. “Your parents are sure to have talked to him about me, and I am sure that he thinks I am a dangerous lunatic. In some ways, I am surprised he has not tried to come and rescue you before.”

“What about the other letter?” asked Beatrice.

“Ah, yes,” said Dr. Drake. “The other letter.”

Surprisingly, Dr. Drake gave it to us so that we could read it for ourselves.

“Can't you just take this to the police?” asked Beatrice when she had finished reading it.

“Dear me, no,” said Dr. Drake. “Can you imagine my explaining Scorcher to them? Or the fact that I am a dragonologist?”

“But why is Ignatius bothered about us?” I asked.

“I am afraid,” said Dr. Drake, “that it is time I told you a few things that have an important bearing on your lives. As you know, Ignatius's father was Ebenezer Crook. He was the last Dragon Master, and he died seven years ago. Before he died, he decided that he could trust no one to look after the ancient treasures of the Secret and Ancient Society. He had come to believe that dragons should be left alone and that no good would come of people interfering with them. So he placed the treasures in the hands of the Society of Dragons for safekeeping, refusing to tell anyone where they were hidden or which dragons were looking after them. As the position of Dragon Master had been in the Crook family for so long, Ignatius seemed to think that the position had become hereditary and that his father had somehow disinherited him. Although I was wary of Ignatius, I felt that our world, with all its science and discoveries, had changed, and I did not agree with my old tutor on the subject of dragon science. Indeed, I firmly believed then as I believe now that a proper understanding of dragonology is the only way for us to ensure that dragons and humans are able to live side by side. I continued to teach a class at my little shop near the Seven Dials. Ignatius came to me, asking to be taught, and for the sake of his father, I took him on.

“Of course, I did not know where the treasures had been hidden, but over the course of a few years, as I have made contact with a good many dragons — particularly in the British Isles — I began to form an idea of how they might be found. I respected Ebenezer's wishes enough to leave them where they were, but I did make a record of my findings, I am afraid to say, in my dragon diary.

“Shortly after Ebenezer's death, in fact, only about a week after his funeral, I was called to investigate a dragon sighting in West Chiltington. While I was away, your father found Ignatius Crook in my office. He had made a copy of my keys and was busy writing out portions of my dragon diary. At first, Ignatius was very nice to him, promising him great things if he would help him to become Dragon Master. But your father refused all of Ignatius's offers and told me immediately what had happened. Ignatius was furious and vowed revenge. Shortly after that, your father fell sick with a mysterious illness that the doctors said was due to some kind of food poisoning.”

“Poisoning!” exclaimed Beatrice. “Couldn't you help him?”

“Indeed I could. That was when I came to stay with you. With the proper care from my own doctor, he recovered entirely. I nearly managed to catch up with Ignatius Crook in Scotland. He had managed to upset one dragon pretty badly, and the creature was causing considerable devastation. It took me ages to calm it down. But before I could find Ignatius, he disappeared abroad. You see it was then that he stole the treasure he refers to in his letter. He is in possession of Saint Gilbert's horn. The next treasure that he will seek out is the box of dragon dust. Combined with Saint Gilbert's horn, Ignatius will find that he can bend even the mightiest dragons to his will. If he manages to find the Dragon's Eye, he will then have the fire he needs in order to fix his reflection in it and become, to all intents and purposes, the Dragon Master.”

“But why hasn't Ignatius tried to steal your diary before now?” I asked.

“His understanding of dragonology was always rather superficial. I am sure that he went abroad to try and recruit some help. I wonder if it will be the sort of help that he was expecting.”

“And what about our parents?” asked Beatrice. “Why did they go to India?”

“Your parents are dragonologists,” replied Dr. Drake. “As such, they are sworn to conserve and protect dragons wherever they may be, even if it means they must send their children to boarding school. Before he died, Ebenezer Crook received a communication from the Maharawal of Jaisalmer, in northern India. In it, the Maharawal asked for help investigating a strange sickness that had begun to afflict a kind of dragon called a naga in the Thar Desert. Although by now he was reluctant to interfere with dragon affairs, Ebenezer owed the Maharawal a favour, and so he gave this mission to your parents on the condition that they wait until you were old enough to go to school.”

“But weren't they in danger from Ignatius?” said Beatrice.

“No,” said Dr. Drake. “In fact Ignatius did turn up in Jaisalmer, but the Maharawal is a good friend of mine, and his soldiers soon made it clear that it would be too dangerous for him to stay there. I have a feeling that it must have been shortly after that that he met Alexandra Gorynytchka. She is a Russian dragonologist. Her reputation is excellent. She must have agreed to help teach Ignatius the things that he needed to know. But why she has come here and why the concerns of British dragonologists have anything to do with her, I do not know.”

Beatrice thought for a moment.

“It seems that the key to all of this is the Dragon's Eye,” she said. “Do you have any idea at all where it might be?”

“Well, my diary does contain a note about it from Ebenezer. I only kept the note in case there was some sort of clue on it. But I am sure there wasn't, because I tried everything — invisible ink, codes, ciphers, and all to no avail.”

“What did the note say?” I asked.

“Nothing much. It is easy to remember. It said:

“Oh,” said Beatrice. “And do you know where his grave is, then?”

By now I could hear the sounds of the others returning. There were exclamations of shock and surprise as they beheld the damage.

Dr. Drake looked very serious as he explained the situation to them. “The Secret and Ancient Society of Dragonologists is facing a very great threat,” he said.

He mopped his brow before continuing.

“Billy and Alicia, tomorrow morning I must send you home to your father with Mademoiselle Gamay. I am going to let you have a letter for Lord Chiddingfold, and I would be grateful if you could give it to him directly, rather than through Mr. Tibbs. Emery, I would like you and Darcy to stay here. There are repairs that must be made to the house, and I need you to keep an eye on Jamal. As for Daniel and Beatrice, I have decided that it is too dangerous for them to stay with their uncle Algernon. Therefore I am going to ask them to come with me.”