War of Dragons (48 page)

What trickery is this
? the captain cried out.
What manner of monster are you?

Golden Dragons,
Noah replied calmly.
Although I think you'll find we're the only ones in the air that shouldn't be referred to as monsters.

The Blue Dragons now found their numbers cut in half and the Golden Dragons made short work of them. Attacked from above by Joseph, Mark, Levi and Ezra, and from below and the sides by the ones that had just appeared, the battle lasted just a few seconds with no Blue Dragon spared. The Golden Dragons wheeled about and flew back towards the group.

Prince Arthur, how can you allow these dangerous creatures to enter our land?
the captain asked angrily.
Do you approve of this trickery? What else can they do? Can they mimic us as well? What's to stop them attacking us?

Nothing,
Noah admitted,
although that has always been true and yet we have never attacked you.

They've brought us here safely,
Arthur replied flatly,
and have lost a few of their number in doing so. I will vouch for them. You've already agreed to allow them to enter and help us. Are you really going to go back on your word?

Well, your Highness, that was before I knew what they could do—

Before they saved you,
Daisy interrupted.
Captain, we're going to Furnace. I see no reason to discuss this any further with you. You couldn't stop them anyway. They're our escort and that's the end to it. Come with us, or don't come with us, I don't really care, but enough with this discussion.

Your Highness, really, I must protest—

My sister is right,
Arthur replied coldly, not looking at him as he flew.
You don't have the authority to deprive us of our escort anyway. I have no idea where you get this ridiculous notion that my words carry no authority here, but not only are you wrong but you will answer for your impudence when we arrive in the capital. You've demonstrated that you aren't capable of protecting us and the Golden Dragons have demonstrated yet again that they are more than capable of doing so. We need to be in Furnace by nightfall. I suggest you delay us no longer and follow behind.

The captain looked down, crestfallen.
As you wish, your Highness.
He ordered his troops to fall behind and they followed some distance behind the group.

A little harsh, don't you think?
Mark commented.

Not at all,
Jenna replied.
Who did he think he was, speaking to Arthur like that? I hope you carry out your threat and report him, Arthur.

Arthur paused.
I doubt I'll give him a second thought. You were right to expect hostility, Noah.

Indeed. Do you wish to reconsider the plan to have us arrive as Golden Dragons?

Arthur considered this for a moment.
No, it shall be alright. There will be more questions and probably some more hostility, but they need to get used to you soon enough. Seeing you flying with us is a good way to start.

That captain might be of use after all,
Crystal commented.
Tell him and the others to fly ahead of us and clear the way.

Good idea,
Arthur replied.
Noah, can you send someone back to speak to the captain?

Noah nodded at Ezra, who peeled away from the group and joined the Red Dragons flying behind.

I recognise where we are,
Seth said, changing the subject.

Really?
Crystal asked.
How far is it to Furnace?

Not that far,
Seth replied.
A couple of hours of flying maybe. They've taken over a lot of our land.

Crystal and the others fell silent as the realisation sunk in. Thoughts of what and who she would return to—thoughts that had been temporarily banished while they faced the immediate dangers of the terrible True Dragon and the Blue Dragons—now returned to her mind. Her thoughts were private but the Golden Dragons realised what she and her friends were thinking about.

You're not home yet,
Noah told them.
Concentrate on getting there, not on what your enemies may have done.

You've been resting for most of the day,
Mark pointed out to the five.
Surely you can fly faster than this.

We're just a little out of practice,
Jenna pointed out.

Perhaps I could fly behind you and give you a push,
Mark suggested, slowing to fly behind her.
Would that help?

Don't you dare!
Jenna exclaimed indignantly, before flapping her wings frantically to speed up.

Everyone laughed and the group flew a little faster to stay together. They didn't have to fly for long before they met more Red Dragons, patrolling the ground and air for Blue Dragons who might slip in unnoticed to spring another surprise attack. These dragons were from the West though and rather than confronting the group they were overjoyed at the return of the Prince and Princess and accepted the Golden Dragon escort very willingly. Keen to ensure that the youngsters returned safely they joined the group, as did other groups they met on their way, till they were accompanied by several hundred dragons.

Eventually the peaks of the extinct volcanoes surrounding Furnace rose up in front of them, illuminated by the golden rays of the setting sun. Some of the swifter members of their Red Dragon escort volunteered to go ahead and announce their arrival and when they arrived it was to the sound of cheering crowds, brought out of their hiding to welcome home the children that were thought to be lost. The crowds gasped at the sight of the Golden Dragons mingled in with the Red Dragons, but the fear turned to curiosity after they transformed and they saw what looked so similar to themselves, other than the hair colour. Crystal noticed people staring at her in recognition and then turning to the blonde-haired people around her, looks of shock and realisation on their faces.

Prince Gerald was one of the first faces they recognised to push through the crowd to greet them. He was dressed formally, wearing his crown, so at first only the twins recognised him.

"Gerald!" Daisy squealed in delight, rushing over to embrace him. He lifted his younger sister from the ground with ease, twirling her around him.

"Daisy! Welcome back! I'm so glad to see you!" He put her down and looked at her shining face. "Mother and Father are going to kill you when they see you. And John. Where is he?"

Daisy's face fell. "Somewhere in the Blue Dragon territory. He's trying to rescue some Brown Dragon prisoners in return for them agreeing to attack the Blue Dragons."

Gerald nodded. "I guess they won't need to kill him after all then," he commented, prompting Daisy to punch his arm. "Hey! Calm down! Arthur, how are you, little brother? "

Arthur gripped his outstretched hand. "Doing better than this place, from what I can see. How is everyone? Is everyone in the family, well, you know…."

"Alive?" Gerald finished his sentence. "Yes, another advantage of being from the West. No one in the family has been in any of the cities that have been taken. Mother and Father are both back at home and would rather I was there as well, but as I pointed out to them, if this place falls, we'll be next."

"What about my family?" Crystal asked, dreading the answer.

"Hello, Crystal," Gerald replied. "I don't know all of your family of course, but I know that your parents are fine, as are yours, Jenna. Your father was in Black Rock when it fell, Crystal, but they had a well-organised escape plan and he and many others made it out safely."

"So the South has fallen?" Jenna asked sadly.

Gerald nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. "The South, the East and large parts of the North. Believe it or not, but your warning did help, but the attack was so well-organised and the numbers they attacked with were so large that there was little that we could do. I was in Furnace when they attacked, so I wasn't involved in the fighting, but it sounds like they paid a high cost for the capture of these cities. It's not over yet."

"Hopefully we can help change the course of the war," Mark ventured, joining the conversation.

Gerald looked him up and down, sizing him up. "I'm guessing that you're a relation of John's," he commented. "Not just the hair of course, but your face and voice."

Mark nodded. "I'm his older brother Mark. Pleased to meet you."

Gerald took his hand and shook it. "Prince Gerald, Daisy and Arthur's older brother. I take it that John left out a lot about the nature of his family. So what are you, his half-brother?"

Mark shook his head, smiling. "John is a Golden Dragon, just the same as I am."

Gerald frowned. "That can't be. I saw him change into a Red Dragon many times."

Daisy took her brother's arm. "Perhaps we should tell you a bit about Golden Dragons, Gerald."

"You should see them, Gerald," Seth added. "The Blue Dragons won't know what hit them.

Gerald shrugged. "Fine, although unless there are more coming, I can't see what difference a hundred dragons will make. I know one saved you from those Blue Dragons, Seth, before you all ran away, but that was just a handful of Blue Dragons. I don’t think you understand the size of the forces we're up against."

"A demonstration might be useful, Mark," Daisy suggested. "Show Gerald what you are."

Gerald nodded. "We have a few more minutes of light. What can you show us, Mark?"

Noah turned to the other Golden Dragons. "Give Mark some space. Form a circle around him."

The young men and women formed a circle around Mark and pushed the crowd back, giving him space.

Noah turned towards him. "Keep it simple at first, Mark. Show them a few different colours. Just not blue."

Mark nodded and somersaulted backwards, landing as a Golden Dragon in the centre of the circle. There was a polite clap from the crowd that had gathered, mainly due to the elegance and speed of the transformation.

"Very good," Gerald commented politely. "I can see the family resemblance."

"Wait, Gerald," Daisy said. "Wait and watch."

Mark transformed back and then quickly transformed again, this time landing as a Red Dragon. This time his transformation was rewarded with astonished gasps rather than applause.

"What!" Gerald exclaimed. "How is that possible?"

Daisy laughed with glee. "You look just like Arthur did!"

Mark transformed back and took a bow before the crowd, who clapped nervously.

"Something more dramatic, perhaps," Noah suggested.

Mark nodded and began a new transformation, slowly changing into the giant form of the Teradon. The blonde-haired youths surrounding him spread out, giving him more room as he rapidly grew. The transformation was slower, but still completed within a few seconds, and when he stood up, he towered above most of their buildings. Noah transformed into a Red Dragon and flew up to sit on his head, drawing gasps of astonishment.

Daisy turned to her brother. "What do you think, Gerald? Can you see how one hundred of them will make a difference now?"

Gerald's eyes were wide with astonishment and for a moment he was speechless. Mark lowered his head and Noah hopped off onto the ground before changing back.

"You can change into any dragon?" Gerald asked, astonished.

"Prince Gerald," Noah said. "I am the leader of this group. From what your siblings have told me, you know nothing of us, our abilities, our customs or laws. I think this demonstration will have helped you see a little better what we are capable of, but it doesn't tell you anything about who we are and I think we need to understand each other better before we can truly help you. I know what you have seen might make you afraid of us, but I assure you, we are here to help."

Gerald nodded. "Look, the fact that my twins brought you here says a lot to me. I'm willing to trust Arthur and Daisy's judgement of your character, although others may not so quickly, but you have come just at the right time. We know an attack is coming soon and judging by the first attack, they're going to try and crush us with superior numbers. Our people are not ones to welcome outsiders—even those from my region, where we pride ourselves on our open-minded outlook. But right now, I suspect people may be desperate enough to give you a chance."

Mark had transformed back and approached Gerald. "Let us hope so. We flew through the army of the Blue Dragons and it was formidable. You are going to need our help to stand a chance and I'm afraid that if I'm honest, our help still might not be enough."

"You flew through their army? How did you manage that?"

Noah smiled. "We can assume many forms, Prince. Blue Dragons don't generally attack each other."

Gerald's eyes widened in realisation. "I'm glad you didn’t take that form in your demonstration. The crowd might have turned on you."

Noah nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Gerald," Daisy began. "We've been travelling for days now. Are you really going to make everyone wait around in this square all day?"

Gerald laughed. "Not at all, little sister." He clapped his hands and two servants ran up to him. "Arrange accommodation for our guests; and refreshments. Make sure they are kept safe and if anyone questions their being here, ensure it is understood that they are under my protection. Have my brother and sisters' things taken to my home and a meal prepared for them."

Noah frowned. "Your hospitality is very welcome, but shouldn't we be concentrating on planning the defence of your city? An attack could happen at any moment."

Gerald shook his head. "Not at night, but you are right, it is our priority." He turned to a tall young man behind him. "Captain, alert the members of the Council. Let them know that my brother and sister have arrived with their guests and news of the Browns, and intelligence on the army of the Blue Dragons."

"Of course, your Highness. It will be done at once." The young man bowed before scurrying away.