War of Dragons (3 page)

Do not be a fool, brother,
one called.
They are waiting for you to lower your guard then they will attack! See how they move to gain height! Prepare to defend yourself!

No, they will follow my instructions. Watch! Red Dragons, drop to fly beneath me! Stay just underneath me!

Arthur turned in the air and flew towards John, descending just below him and remaining within striking distance from John's giant form with the others flying close behind him.

See, brother? They have sacrificed advantageous position and put themselves at my mercy. Would they do that if they had ill-intent?

The three dragons had wheeled around and were flying parallel to John. The lead Rhino Dragon continued to address John, but Crystal could hear every word.
This is most irregular, brother. I do not like it. How did you come to be in this situation?

That is a long story, brother, but know that this is a unique situation. I would not normally trust Red Dragons, but I am assured of their peaceful intent.

Very well. We are convinced by your words and their actions. How far do you intend to fly with them?

They mean to fly east, but are afraid of the Blue Dragons. I mean to accompany them to the southern edge of the Blue border.

That is a long way, brother, but you must know your business. What is their purpose flying east?

They are children, flying to seek help from the Brown Dragons. The Blue Dragons are preparing for war. They mean to crush the Red Dragons.

Children? Why didn't you say so earlier? We will accompany you till we reach the next patrol. We will keep them safe from the Blue Dragons.

Much appreciated, brother. I saw a number of Blue Dragons not long ago.

There are many about, brother. We do not enter their territory, of course, but fight them wherever they cross the border. They are much worse than the Greens or Reds ever were, and attack us almost daily. However many we kill, they still send more.

What of the Red Dragons?
John asked.
Do they still attack? These children excepting.

Not for ten years. My brother was one of the last to be killed by them. They don't even fly close to the border now.

Ah, these five were very young then,
John informed them.
They would have had nothing to do with it.

But how do you know they're children, brother? They look like any other.

I saw them before they changed. They are just sixteen years old and are barely able to fly. They offer threat only to themselves.

You saw them! Tell me, how do they appear? Do they resemble us at all? I hear they walk on all fours.

No, brother. They are like us, and walk on two legs, but have red hair and pale skin.

But their red hair, does it completely cover their body? I have heard that they don’t bother to wear clothes. Tell us, is it even possible to tell male and females apart?

No, they wear clothes, and their hair is just on their heads. As to their females, the three I accompany are all exceptionally beautiful.

This is most strange, brother. I do not understand. If they look us and dress like us, why are they such savages? Why do they attack us?

I do not know, brother, but it is the same with the Blues.

No; that cannot be. Surely the Blues are more like wolves than people. I can't believe they're anything like us.

They are not like us, brother—not where it counts—but in appearance, they do look the same.

This is too much to believe. Red Dragons who obey meekly, and the idea that murderous red and blue resemble the noble grey. I do not question your honesty, brother, but surely you must have been mistaken.

John continued to converse with the Rhino Dragon for about an hour, and during that time only the one of them spoke and never asked any questions or made any responses that suggested he didn't trust John entirely. Eventually, the Rhino Dragon informed them that they were leaving the more populated areas and that their chances of meeting Blue Dragons were decreasing. John thanked them for their company and the three turned westward. As soon as they were out of sight, John transformed back into a Golden Dragon.

We're over halfway along this border,
John explained.
Unfortunately, we don't have time to reach the southern tip before sunset. I know it's early, but I will look for a safe spot to camp now. This area is probably the safest place to rest. Tomorrow we will leave at first light and hopefully we will leave the Blue border by early afternoon.

No one questioned him; they were all tired, having flown continuously for many hours. John flew ahead, scanning the ground for a suitable spot to land. It took a while before he signalled them to descend.

Go ahead. I will remain high until I am certain that we haven't been spotted.

In a flash of gold, he vanished to be replaced moments later and a few hundred metres lower by a very small dragon, which was green with blue and red stripes. He flew up to join them.
Although I'm very colourful now, I'm too small to draw the attention of any of the dragons around here. I could almost pass for a bird, if they notice me at all.

Incredible,
Seth said to Crystal.
Shall we?
He dropped into a slow dive, followed by Arthur and Daisy. Jenna and Crystal descended more slowly and she regretted having not yet mastered a dive. When they reached the ground, they hid behind a tree to transform.

"Do you see John?" Daisy asked Crystal, fixing her clothes as she emerged from behind a tree.

"Not yet," she replied. "He must still be up there."

Daisy nodded. "I was so scared when those three monsters came up to us. They were huge! I can't believe how calm John was speaking to them. I was trembling the whole time!"

Crystal smiled at her. She was so open and unguarded; it was infectious. "I must admit I was pretty terrified. I'm glad Arthur was leading, I don't think I could have followed John's instructions if he hadn't been leading."

"I know! When John asked us to fly under him, we were so close to the others. I knew he must have known what he was doing, but it was still very scary."

John landed near them, quickly transformed, and hurried towards the group.

"You're visible from the air. It's clear up there, but that might change at any moment. We need to keep hidden."

"What about our tents?" Jenna asked. "We are going to put them up in the light, aren't we?"

John gave her a withering look, but miraculously remained civil. "No, we won't be putting them up in the light. And move your pack out of the clearing. It stands out from the air."

"So what do we do now?" Seth asked. "It won't be dark for a few hours. Are we just going to sit here?"

John paused and stared at Seth for a while. There was an uncomfortable silence, during which no one was sure whether he would answer. Eventually he replied, speaking slowly and quietly. "I think I need to impress on you all the seriousness of our situation. We are between the borders of two nations that hate us. Well, you, anyway. They are barely aware of my race's existence. So if we need to just sit here, doing nothing, that's what we'll do."

He paused again to let this sink in. "First though, I want us to conceal ourselves better. Follow my instructions." John directed them to build a simple canopy using the large-leafed plants that were abundant where they were. It wouldn't keep them dry if it rained, but it hid them well from the air.

They sat down underneath the canopies and ate some of their provisions cold, John having forbidden a fire. Afterwards, John suggested that they all take a nap while he kept watch. Although it was early, they all dozed off very quickly.

Crystal woke at twilight and found that John was up and had put up the tents. Each tent had a number of the large leaves tied to it, camouflaging them effectively.

"Why didn't you wake me? I could have helped," she protested.

John shook his head. "If I could have carried you in without waking you I would have done so. You need your sleep, Crystal. You all do. None of you are well prepared for this journey. That was a long flight—far longer than any of you are used to. I don't know if you realised but you all slowed down a lot at the end. I doubt you could have even outflown a Rhino Dragon."

"What about you?" she asked. "Aren't you tired?"

John nodded. "Yes, I am, but I am more used to this than any of you are and I fly better than you, so it isn't as tiring. You will all get stronger though and after a couple of days this will get a lot easier. Come on, set up your blankets in the tent. I'll set up the others' blankets."

Crystal watched John carry both Jenna and Daisy to their beds, managing to do so without waking them—something the former would be irritated about when she woke. He was tempted to try the same with the others, but admitted this was beyond him and woke them to tell them to move before the temperature dropped. They sleepily relocated to the tents before drifting back to sleep.

John woke Crystal and the others before dawn, eager to start the journey again at first light. They packed up all the things quickly, ate a light breakfast to preserve their rations and set off as soon as it was light enough to transform. They continued their journey south, hardly talking as they travelled, all of them nervous about what they may meet on the way. However, the day passed with hardly an incident worth mentioning. John made them all land twice, remaining in the air as a tiny dragon to watch for when it was clear to travel again, and after the danger had passed they set off again. They didn’t stop for lunch, all agreeing that reaching the relative safety of the lands to the south of the Blue border was their priority.

We turn east here,
John told them in the middle of the afternoon as he descended to glide above them.
We've left the Blue border behind.

Who lives here then?
Crystal asked.
More dragons that hate us?

No one,
John replied.
It's a desert. Look beneath us.

They all looked down and saw that the land beneath them was just sand and rocks, with no water in sight as far as the eye could see.

How far does this extend?
Arthur asked.

Further than we can fly today,
John replied.
We'll be flying along this desert for a couple of days.

So how much longer will we fly today?
Jenna asked wearily
. I'm really tired.

I expect you all are,
John replied sympathetically.
I don't want to push you too hard. I think, but I admit I'm not completely sure, that if we fly for about another half an hour, we'll be able to stop at a spot in the desert where there is some water. It's nearer the Blue border, but should be in a place they don't really need to patrol.

Sounds good to me, John,
Seth said.
Although if it's less than half an hour, that would also be good.

I'll fly ahead a little,
John said.
I'll check I'm going the right way, to avoid making you fly further than you need to. Scream if you have any problems.

John sped up, effortlessly leaving them behind him. The others marvelled at his ability to do this, still not having adjusted to his new form. After about twenty minutes he rejoined them.

You're all in luck. It's not far at all. We just need to bear a bit more to the north than we are at the moment. Come on, follow me.

Within a few minutes, they were safely on the ground by a lush oasis in the middle of the desert. There was a beautiful pool, surrounded by strikingly green vegetation standing out against the dry, dead landscape all around. John actually allowed them to relax a little and to cool down they splashed about in the pool, although only for a short time and while he flew high above them as the tiny colourful dragon. Tents were still forbidden until nightfall and the day ended in almost exactly the same way as the previous day.

Chapter 2 - The Caves

As on the previous morning, Crystal and the others were woken by John before the sun rose so they could fly as soon as it was light.

"Today we will only reach as far as the Caves of Dust," John told them. "This whole desert is outside of the Blue territory of course, but they patrol here quite regularly and there aren't many places that offer any cover, so the Caves are the best place to stay."

"Wouldn't it be better to choose a place where they don't patrol?" Jenna asked as she helped Crystal pack away their tent. "Couldn't we just fly further south?"

"Unfortunately, no, we can't. To get out of their range, we would have to fly too far south, near to the Forbidden Quarter. Trust me, the land there is even more dangerous than here. After today though, we will be able to put some distance between us and them, and the journey will become a lot safer."

"You're in charge, John," Arthur told him, ignoring Jenna's grumbles. "Lead away. Just remember, we're not used to flying these sort of distances. It's getting tiring flying day after day and I don't feel as if I've recovered from yesterday yet."

"You'll surprise yourself," John assured him confidently. "You all did better yesterday than you did the day before, so you're getting stronger. But don't worry, I'm paying close attention to how you're all faring and won't push you beyond what you can manage. Just make sure you take plenty of water for tonight, as there will be none in the caves."

So they began their third day of flying in the same way as the second, with John flying high above them looking out for any potential trouble ahead. But unlike yesterday, which had been remarkably trouble free, this time trouble found them. It was late in the day when it happened and the five Red Dragons were already tired when John spotted the group of Blue Dragons ahead of them.