War of Dragons (42 page)

"We've had Blue Dragons pass over twice," she replied. "I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my life. I think you could have probably heard my heart beating. There weren't many, I don't think, although it was hard to tell from down here."

"How long ago was that?" John asked anxiously, wondering whether he should take off to alert the others.

Daphne shrugged. "The second time was about an hour ago. But we're going now, aren't we? If they come back, we won't be here."

John shook his head. "Some of you will be. Not all will be able to fly back yet. Look, I'll explain later. I will take you now."

Natan had landed nearby and was talking to one of the girls. "Hey, Natan, make sure you leave last. Before you go, explain to those left behind what's happening and that we will coming back for them very soon."

"Thanks, John," Natan replied sarcastically. "They'll love that message."

"You're welcome, deputy," John replied with a smile. "See you back at the camp."

John transformed and clutching Daphne close to his body, he took to the air, flying south again. Many of the Brown Dragons were already in the air, having scarcely touched the ground when picking up their passengers, anxious to be on their way. John had to fly hard to catch up with the dragons at the front. The Browns all looked tired and there was little said in response when he told them that they would only fly for an hour before returning for the rest. Perhaps they were resigned to hearing bad news. John flew alone, thirty or forty metres ahead of the pack, debating with himself as to how far to travel before landing. He chose a spot where there was a small clearing they could land in, and leaving Natan to lead one hundred of them home, he guided the rest down into the forest where they deposited their surprised-looking passengers before taking off again. Now that the group was only four hundred dragons, the exercise was much quicker. The girls encircled John, being the only one who had transformed.

"What's happening?" asked a tall, dark-haired girl suspiciously. "Why have we been left here again? I thought we were going straight back this time."

"I hope you realise we have no food," a Red Dragon girl said, glaring at John angrily. "You do realise many of us are pregnant?"

"We came back early because we met a group of dragons who took half of our passengers," John explained. "But only half, so half of our number had to fly on with them and the rest of us returned for you. That meant we didn't have enough to take you all in one go. The others have all gone back to get the rest. You'll all be picked up when the ones who are flying up from the border get here."

"
If
they get here," a Brown Dragon girl pointed out. "There will be lots of Blue Dragons in the air now. Suppose they get attacked on the way here. They might not make it."

John reflected that that was far more likely to happen while weighed down with these girls, but decided not to mention it. "You're right, there are lots of Blue Dragons in the air. That's why you all need to keep hidden until the others get here to rescue you."

"Some rescue," one girl complained. "We have no water here; if the Blue Dragons don't get us we'll probably all die of thirst."

John shrugged. "I'm sorry that you'd prefer to be back in the prison. That's not an option now though, so I suggest you all just hide and remain quiet. I'll be up in the trees watching out for trouble."

John transformed into a tiny, colourful dragon and took off, amused by the surprised gasps of the girls. The form he took was that of one of the races from the Forbidden Quarter and the girls had probably never encountered one before. The Forbidden Quarter was a mystery to him and he hoped to learn more about it once he finally returned home. He flew up to the top of the canopy and perched on the thin branches. He could see dragons in the distance to both the north and south, those going home led by Natan and the others that were going to collect the remaining prisoners. He wondered who he would see first: those from the north coming back or those coming to collect the girls he was guarding. A thought struck him; suppose that girl was right and no one was coming. They didn't have water here, and no one had eaten for over a day. It was far too far to walk, especially with no provisions and the Blues would be hunting them. The two groups of dragons were both out of sight, so changing the approach was no longer an option. Perhaps he should have discussed it further; he could have asked Natan to just fly for half an hour and then return for some of these girls, although that would have meant splitting the group even more.

John's thoughts were rudely interrupted by the chilling, soul-piercing shrieks of Blue Dragons. He lifted his head cautiously; the sounds were distant and no dragons were in sight, but he had too much to lose to allow him to be anything other than cautious. His first thoughts were of Natan, Reuben and the dragons with them, but he then realised that the sound came from the east, not the north or south. He fixed his gaze on the east, straining to see movement, but all was still. Then just over the horizon, he saw tiny movements; the distant flapping of wings. Sure enough, Blue Dragons were approaching, still quite far away but definitely headed this way.

John dropped from his perch to warn the girls, unsure whether they would have heard the sound. The Blue Dragons didn't use the shrieks to communicate; they were to terrify their enemies and were horribly effective.

As soon as he landed he could tell the girls had heard the shrieks, the fear written all over their faces. He transformed in order to talk to them.

"They're still some distance away," he told them in a low voice, "but they are coming this way. Everyone must hide, keep still and not make a sound. If you hear them shriek, remember it doesn't mean they've found you. They're trying to get you to panic and give away your location. Now, quickly, get yourselves hidden. Whatever happens, don't move while they're flying overhead."

John transformed back into the little dragon and flew back into the tree canopy where he settled on a branch, his mottled green, blue and red colouring blending into the foliage. The Blue Dragons were a lot closer and would be flying over them very soon. They were spread out, clearly searching the forest, flying slowly over the trees. They let forth their chilling cries again and John closed his eyes in dread, worrying what the girls below might do. The sound reverberated through the forest and all around birds and beasts squawked in alarm. But down below him nothing happened; no one broke down or cried out and the forest immediately around him remained still and silent. As the Blues approached, spread out over the forest, John realised they wouldn't actually fly directly over them, the nearest dragon passing about one hundred metres away. John watched them as they approached, flying in tight disciplined formations, their beastly eyes carefully searching the forest. There were over a thousand of them and they formed a formidable force that they couldn't have fought if all nine hundred of them had been together—not without losing all of the girls and probably most of their fighters. Hiding had always been their only realistic option. John watched as they slowly flew into the distance, waiting till they were out of sight before dropping back to the forest floor to see the girls. Everyone was still frozen, clinging to trees and hiding under bushes, none moving even when John transformed.

"They're gone," he said quietly, and added with a smile, "you can all breathe again."

Daphne was the first to move, walking out from where she was hiding in a split tree trunk, and approaching John cautiously.

"How do you know they won't come back? Is it really safe?"

John shook his head. "I don't, but it's safe for the moment. I'll go back up there and keep watch again and I'll stay there until I see dragons—either ours or theirs. I just thought you'd all like to know that they've gone and that we've survived this one."

Daphne gave a weary smile. "How many more can we survive though? How much longer till we get out of here?"

John shrugged, wondering the same thing himself.

An hour later, John was lying on a branch high above the ground, watching over the girls below him and keeping an eye on the skies for any approaching dragons. He guessed that Reuben and the others should be on their way back, on their final run home. They should make it back before nightfall comfortably as long as they didn't meet any Blues. So far they had been very lucky, but maybe that wasn't so surprising. For the rescuers, the timing of this rescue couldn't have been better, with the Blue Dragons all drawn to the western border with the Red Dragons. For the Red Dragons' sake, starting the rescue slightly earlier would have been far better. He worried how they might be doing, although at the back of his mind was the thought that the people he really cared about he had taken away from the danger zone.

He lay motionless on his slender branch for another hour before he saw signs of life; to his relief it was Reuben and the others who were coming back from the north-east. He looked to the south-west, but still could see no one. Reuben would fly over in a few minutes, so he decided to fly up to join him and see how it had all gone.

Hello, John!
Reuben hailed.
Almost didn't see you there. That's a form I don't see very often. Very few of us learn it.

Being inconspicuous was my aim,
John replied.
How has it all gone?

All fine,
Reuben replied.
Although apparently we just missed a big group of Brown Dragons who passed just before we got back. The girls were too scared to call out to them.

You missed a group here as well,
John replied, before telling him about the Blues that had passed over.

Hmmm, they might not be looking for us,
Reuben mused.
Both groups were headed west, so they might have been just going to the border to fight back.

No, Reuben, they were definitely looking through the forest. If the group I saw swing back to the south before sweeping the forest again you might meet them. Just be careful.

Noted,
Reuben replied.
Although you might not have noticed, but everyone is exhausted. Outflying Blues might not be possible.

I know,
John replied.
Carrying passengers continuously is too tiring over these long distances. Good luck on your return journey.

Same to you,
Reuben replied, leaving John to descend back to the girls on the forest floor.

"I don't know if you saw," he told them as he landed. "But the rest of your group just passed over. They're on their way home."

"What about us?" a girl asked. "When do we get to go home? Are they coming back for us?"

John shrugged. "I hope so, as it's a pretty long walk back."

"We have no water here," another pointed out. "How long should we wait before walking? If they don't come today we need to find water."

John nodded. "Wait another couple of hours. If they don't come by then, then yes, we should try and find water. But I would prefer to wait until then, as you'll make a lot of noise walking, and leave tracks. It's the last resort. And I would want to look for water first. No point walking blindly."

"Two hours," one of the girls said, nodding. "But no longer."

John nodded before transforming and heading back to his perch. Reuben and his group were out of sight already and once again the forest was peaceful. His eyes were now firmly fixed on the horizon to the south. The girls were all still and quiet and needed no warning of the arrival of any Blue Dragons to stay that way.

A movement in the distance caught his eye; was that a bird or a dragon he could see? He strained his eyes trying to make it out before deciding that it was definitely a dragon; flying alone, so if it was a Blue then it carried no significant threat. Its scales caught the sunlight and John realised it was golden! He took off, transforming once he was high enough above the trees, adopting his natural form and flying swiftly towards the approaching dragon. As he neared he could see the Brown Dragons flying some way behind.

John, is that you?
It was one of the Daves.

Of course it is,
John replied.
Who else is it going to be?

Very true,
Dave replied.
How far are the prisoners?

Former prisoners,
John replied,
and they're not far at all.

Good,
Dave replied.
Show me where your former prisoners are and I'll direct the others to you.

John led Dave over the spot where the girls were waiting and then flew down to join them. The girls were ecstatic when he told them and he had to appeal for calm, reminding them of the superb hearing of Blue Dragons. Within moments, dragons began to land. This group was made up entirely of Brown Dragons, who took the opportunity to take a break from flying and fraternise with the girls, who were all excited at the prospect of finally getting out of here.

"Have they all landed, Dave?"

Dave nodded. "That's all of them. I think they've had a long enough break now, I'll get them organised. Don't worry, you relax for a moment. I know the captains; I'll take care of this."

John felt uneasy letting someone else coordinate the two groups, but Dave was right, he did know the captains now and seemed to get them organised quickly. After a few minutes he approached John.

"Right, John, we're not going to leave anyone behind, don't you worry about that. You and I won't be carrying anyone either. We'll make sure the way ahead is clear. We should take off now; we need to be ahead of these lot and they're almost ready to go."

"Won't you be carrying me, John?" Daphne asked, appearing from behind a tree and looking up at him. Dave looked him questioningly.

John blushed slightly. "No, Daphne, I'll be going ahead to make sure everything is safe. You'll be carried by one of these Brown Dragons. You'll be flying faster now as these dragons won't be so tired. Don't worry, they won't leave anyone behind. Come on, Dave. As you said, we need to go."