War of Dragons Read online

  Arthur sighed loudly. "Alright, John, but can we discuss the plan first? The whole plan, not just the next day. I mean, we've been blindly following your lead so far and twenty minutes ago that didn't look like such a great approach, since we weren't sure if you were even going to wake up."

  John nodded. "Sure, why not? I'm not going anywhere. Gather around."

  He turned to his side so he could face them and he others sat around him on the cave floor, waiting for him to begin.

  "Now, I'd like a map to be able to show you, but I don't have one. The only maps I had were in a book I gave you, Crystal, and those are still at your house. But I know the maps very well, so it isn't a problem. I’ll try and draw the outline of the borders in the dust." He used his finger to draw a crude map on the floor. "This isn't great but it should give you a rough idea. Anyway, we started at the intersection of the Red, Blue and Rhino borders, here. From there we flew directly south till we reached this desert and then we turned east towards these caves. From here, I plan to continue taking us to the east—well, more to the south-east—flying over this uninhabited desert until we meet a mountain range which marks the edge of the border of a race of dragon that you haven't met, or probably even heard of."

  "Are they the Sandy Dragons?" Daisy asked.

  "Yes, that's right," John replied. "Well remembered."

  "Who are they?" Seth asked. "Friends or enemies?"

  "Let's come back to that. This side of the mountain range is still very dry, marking the edge of this desert, but there are a couple of streams where we will be able to find water, even in the driest months of the year. There are a couple of places we can choose from where we will be safe to stop for the night. The other side of the mountain has a very different climate, with lush green forests and countless rivers flowing through the land, but we won't be able to see them. Then on the following day we will fly south, along the mountain range, just staying out of their territory, following the mountains all the way as they eventually curve to the south-east. They meet a second mountain range there and they join to form a higher range that continues east. This is a spectacular mountain range, with some very high peaks, and although we're quite a way south, you'll see snow on top of many of these mountains. Sadly, we won't be able to fly up high enough to see them in all of their glory, as we'll need to remain concealed."

  "Staying concealed is fine with me," Jenna commented, shuddering visibly.

  "It's for the best. Anyway, again, this marks a border, with the dragons to the south, who are my neighbours. Peaceful neighbours, but they won't take kindly to your presence, so we'll have to follow their border until it reaches the Golden Dragon border, to my land."

  "How long, John?" Arthur asked, studying the map carefully. "From the first stop to your border; how long will it take?"

  "One day. A long day, but we can do it, and it should be safe. We will be leaving the border with the Blues behind us and the borders we will be following are more stable, if not completely friendly."

  "Can you tell us about the two races who live in these places?" Arthur asked. "You said that one of them were the Sandy Dragons?"

  John nodded. "That's right. They're both races of small dragons, about the same size as each other and a bit smaller than a Golden Dragon. All the dragons you'll meet further south are smaller than you; the larger dragons tended to live further north, where it is cooler and the smaller races further south. Not always true of course, and some have moved, but it's a good guide to work with. The first race we will encounter are the Sandy Dragons, as Daisy said. Like their name suggests, they're a sandy colour, a sort of dirty yellow, although as humans their hair is more like a light brown and their skin is similar to ours. As dragons, they're quite light, with a relatively frail-looking build, but that makes them fast and agile and they have a long tail with a sharp end; not just a point, but a section about a foot long with a sharp, cutting edge. Don’t be fooled by their size and build; they can whip that tail through the air very quickly and slice straight through your wing. They're quite lethal."

  "Nasty," Daisy commented.

  "If it wasn't for that tail, Daisy, we'd be meeting either the Blue or Dark Browns at that border. Their neighbours are very aggressive and have swallowed up the land of all of the other races that used to be their northern neighbours."

  "But if we met them, you could turn into one of them, couldn't you?" Seth asked. "Trick them, like you did the Rhino Dragons?"

  "No, not Sandy Dragons," John replied. "I can't transform into one of them."

  "Wait a minute. I thought you said you Golden Dragons can change into any dragon," Jenna recalled. "Were you exaggerating?"

  John shook his head. "No, but we have to learn each form first. No one learns every dragon—there's just too many. Many just learn three or four. Due to my assignment I had to learn more than that, but I didn't learn the forms of all of our neighbours."

  "And the race to the south, who are they?" Crystal asked.

  John smiled. "If our idiotic history teacher was to be believed, they are just Brown Dragons in war paint. But no, these are the Wasp Dragons, the southern nation. They're about the same size as the Light Brown Dragons, but a little smaller than the Dark Brown Dragons, who are the roughly the same size as Golden Dragons. However, these dragons are quite striking to look at, with their black and yellow scales and you wouldn't mistake them for anyone else. Their people are quite striking as well, so I'm told. Their kingdom used to be a long thin country, but was cut in two by the Green Dragons a long time ago and the southern group all migrated south to here. For a long time two groups existed, and they became independent from each other, with separate leaders and cultures which started to diverge. However, eventually the northern half was wiped out by your ancestors. Wiped out; every man, woman, child and even babies were killed. Not a trace was left behind."

  "I don't believe you!" Jenna cried in shock.

  "He's right," Crystal said quietly. "It wasn't that long ago and we have records of the battles in the library. John made me look them up. Details of what happened to the children are brief, but he's telling the truth."

  "Details are not brief in the history books of the Wasp Dragons," John added. "Despite the split, the two nations were still friendly with each other and the southerners sent units to help fight the invaders in the north. I call them invaders because that is what they were. Your records tell otherwise, claiming that it was a war started by them, but we had spies in both nations and know and recorded the truth. These brave fighters were all soundly defeated of course, but some returned with stories of the mass slaughter of their people, tales of children rounded up into barns and burnt alive, and much, much worse, if that could be believed. So, you'll understand when I tell you that you wouldn't be welcome."

  Arthur, Seth and Jenna were stunned into silence.

  "You spoke of spies," Crystal said, changing the subject. "Do you still have spies everywhere?"

  "You? We, Crystal. You didn't know it, but you are one of us. But yes, we do have spies almost everywhere. Everywhere except the Blues and the Reds, unless you count me and my job wasn't to spy—not yet anyway. Your parents were the last of us who spied on the Blues. The Blues know our abilities and how to detect us, so it's too dangerous now. There are a couple of nations who don't know about us, so spying on them is quite easy."

  "We know now though," Seth told him, "and you can't expect us to say nothing. Why did you let us know?"

  John paused, thinking about this. He had spent the whole year obediently following the orders given to him from his government, then at the last minute had decided to ignore the most important order, to only reveal who he was to Crystal. "I didn't really have permission to do that and it might not be taken well, but I did what I felt was right. I planned to tell Daisy eventually, as I knew she could be trusted and my plan was to stay in the Red Dragon kingdom as a spy for ever, so other than Daisy, I wouldn't have told anyone."

  "Except Crystal," Seth pointed ou
t.

  "Who is also a Golden Dragon and I had expected that she would also choose to stay as a spy, although I think she'd have struggled to do that effectively; she would be too loyal to you."

  Crystal didn't comment, just looked away in embarrassment.

  "But my hand was forced. An invasion is imminent—an invasion we knew nothing of because our spy network in the Blue Dragons lands has gone. You might not realise it, but we've prevented many invasions in your past. Subtly done of course, but you'll find lots of very fortunate coincidences in your history where military exercises were scheduled just as Blue Dragon invasions were going to take place."

  "And prevented us from doing the same to them?" Arthur asked coldly.

  "Where we could, yes, as it was the right thing to do, but we've failed many times. We did everything we could think of to stop you wiping out your neighbours, but it still happened anyway."

  "Everything?" Crystal asked.

  "No. I suppose not everything. There's one thing we didn't do. We didn't ever fight. We never took sides and defended anyone from your attacks. Our laws and traditions make it very hard to do. That would include fighting against the Blues."

  "So your people won't join us? There will be no alliance?" Arthur asked in disbelief.

  "No, not as a nation. They will facilitate an alliance with the Dark Browns, and I am going to try to persuade them to allow a volunteer army to be formed. But even if that is allowed, I do not expect many to volunteer. They see Reds and Blues as pretty much the same."

  "Then why are we even bothering?" Arthur asked angrily.

  "Because we have no other options available to us. Doing nothing would mean dooming you all, as you are too heavily outnumbered. An alliance with the Dark Browns is all that your King is expecting and is all that I promised to try and obtain. I never promised anything with regard to my nation— a few days ago you didn't know we existed.

  Before you judge us for not helping, you have to understand our position. Your history is one of killing every neighbour you've had and none are more familiar with that history than we are, having the most extensive library of historical records of any race and having witnessed and recorded most of your bloody, unprovoked wars with so many races that you can't even remember half of their names. My government would not want the Blues to win, or even want the war to be happening, but if we were to help, they would not trust you to not turn on us as soon as the Blues were defeated. Could any of you guarantee that wouldn't happen? If anyone had found out what I was when I arrived at your school do you think I would still be alive?"

  No one responded, knowing the answer. John decided not to push the point. "Don't worry, I'm sure some will want to help. Not everyone agrees with the official stance and there are those who will be willing to live with the risk of being killed in order to stop the Blues. Besides, getting the Dark Browns to help is the main thing. We don't really have the numbers to make much of a difference, but they do."

  "What about your land?" Daisy asked. "Can you tell us anything about it?"

  John smiled. "Where to begin? It's not a large territory, perhaps comparable in size to one of your Principalities, but with an even smaller population. The northern border is formed by a mountain range, the one we shall fly along, and this range continues almost until it reaches the sea. To the north of us we have the Sandy Dragons and Dark Browns as neighbours. To the east we have the sea and not far from our shores are islands where the Sea Dragons live, who are among our closest friends, although sadly I've never seen one. To the west we have a series of hills that form the border with the Wasp Dragons. The southern border is a mighty river and we have three races that border us to the south. Small races, both in number and the size of dragon, and although they are not on friendly terms with each other, we have cordial relationships with all three.

  We don't have many large cities and compared to your cities you could argue we have none. Our capital is in the north, and, well, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it's like no other city in this land. We're never at war, so it's very peaceful, but designed to be hard to attack."

  "Are you from the capital?" Daisy asked.

  "No," John replied. "I've only visited it once before I left, but I could never forget it. I'm from a place to the south-west—a place not far from the border. It's very green, and very pretty, although it rains quite a lot. I'll take you to see it one day."

  "Let's work on getting there first," Arthur reminded him. "It'll be getting light soon. What's the plan now?"

  "Help me up," John replied. "I need to transform as soon as it's light."

  "Wait," Daisy commanded firmly. "There are five of us. We can carry you. You might pass out again if you walk."

  "She's right, John; you've been unconscious for a long time," Arthur agreed. "Save your energy for transforming."

  John didn't bother arguing and just let them carry him to the cave entrance. It was a lot cooler here, but he could see the sun rising in the distance. As soon as the sun's rays hit him, he began transforming. It was much slower than normal and when he was done, he lay immobile on the sand, basking in the sun. After a while Daisy transformed as well and approached him.

  Are you alright, John? Are you conscious?

  I'm awake, he replied, still not moving. The wound in his side was very painful and he didn't want to make it worse. But that hurt a lot. If you look at my side you'll see that I have open wounds again now that I'm a dragon.

  Daisy moved closer and examined his side. Oh yes, that looks really nasty. I'm sorry I left you alone like that. I was just so mad with Jenna I needed to speak with Arthur.

  Forget it, John replied. You couldn't have helped me. You and Jenna seem to be alright now though.

  We are, Daisy replied. I think she finally respects me. Probably too late for Arthur though, unfortunately for her. I've forgiven her, but I don't think he's going to do so quite so easily. She seems genuinely sorry, but he says that it's all changed for him; he's lost that bond with her.

  Shame, John commented sadly. I suspect this trip will change her for the better. Look, I really am alright. I'm just going to lie here in the sun for a couple of hours and see how I heal. You'll be surprised how quickly it does heal, believe me. Just let everyone know that and make sure they're all ready.

  Alright, if you're sure.

  I am.

  Love you, Daisy said in leaving.

  Love you too, John replied, closing his eyes and returning to his rest.

  Chapter 4 - End of the Journey

  To Crystal's surprise, John's wounds closed up incredibly fast. They were clearly still causing him some pain, but by late morning he was ready to fly. He soared high above the desert, ensuring they were alone before giving them the signal to take off and follow him to the south-east. She could hear his thoughts, but could hardly see him; he flew so high above them.

  They took no breaks, flying continuously throughout the day. The desert below them appeared to be endless, an unchanging expanse of sand and rocks that spread in every direction. They didn't complain about not stopping, as none of them were keen to spend another night there—especially without a cave to provide shelter from the cold at night.

  The sun was low in the sky when they saw the mountains looming on the horizon. John had told them that this range was not particularly high, but after the continuous sea of flat sand and stone they looked impressive and were a welcome change of scenery. John appeared to know exactly where they were headed, flying in a straight path towards the mountains. Crystal certainly hoped he knew where they were going as the light was fading fast. He guided them to a tiny little stream—a mere trickle, which appeared to vanish further down the mountain.

  "How on earth did you find this place?" Crystal asked incredulously after transforming. "It all looks the same to me."

  John laughed. "My father made me rehearse this journey many times. Although that desert did seem to go on for longer than I expected. Perhaps we were flying slower than I planned."<
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  "You were cutting it a little fine," Arthur commented. "I'm very glad to be back on two feet."

  "Yes, none of us want to end up like you did in that valley," Crystal added. "You never told me, how did you survive that? I thought doing that was certain death."

  "Not on my own," John admitted. "I had some help. Without medical attention I would have been dead within a day."

  "Who helped you?" Daisy asked. "We left you alone in that valley. I didn't want to of course. That was Arthur. He tricked me." She glared at her brother, who looked away awkwardly.

  John paused, frowning as if irritated with himself. "That's a story for another day. But Arthur only did as I demanded. There was no help he could have given."

  "Come on, John. No more mysteries," Seth urged him. "Surely you've given us your biggest secret already. What could be bigger than the fact that you're a Golden Dragon? Tell us, who helped you?"

  "Maybe not a bigger secret, but my identity was my secret to give away. This one involves others, so it'll have to stay a secret for now. Anyway, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to put the tents up? Temperatures will plummet soon. We're quite high up here and there are no clouds above us."

  "We were waiting for you to tell us what to do," Jenna replied defensively. "We didn't know if it was safe."

  "It's safe," John told her. "We're over the border and it's night. Patrols only operate during the day here. It's a long desert border so it would be too much effort to guard it all the time."

  Crystal shivered a little; the air was already starting to cool. She opened her bag to unpack her tent, but Seth wasn't convinced.

  "And how do you know this?" Seth asked. "Have you ever actually been here before?"

  "Once with my father, a long time ago on the journey out."

  "So you can't be sure, can you? Things could have changed since then."