The Gift of Charms Read online

  A queue was forming. The younglings were being organised into a long line by two Guard Dragons with Ayo watching over them all.

  ‘Ah, you must be Igorr,’ he remarked as the new arrival stomped over. ‘Take your place over there.’ He pointed to the back of the queue where the younglings were huddled together. Amlie nodded at Igorr as he moved behind her, but in return he just stared back meanly.

  ‘My elders say I should mix only with Alanas of my own breed,’ he snarled whilst looking around busily to where some other purple dragons were huddled. ‘You red Nephan dragons think you know it all!’

  ‘And you Alanas are always telling lies and causing bad business,’ shot back Amlie, glaring defiantly at Igorr.

  Igorr narrowed his eyes even more at Yoshiko who stood next in line. ‘Well, well, well! Look who it is!’ he exclaimed. ‘My elder told me all about you. You are Yoshiko. Yoshiko – the weirdo. The one who came from the strange egg that the Hudrah should have taken away in her black wicker basket.’

  The colour left Yoshiko’s face as he took in Igorr’s words. ‘What are you talking about?’

  Igorr was about to reply, but before he could make a retort the attention of all the younglings was drawn back to Ayo as he beat his wings together, causing the great torches to flare.

  ‘Welcome to Fire School!’ he announced.

  ‘All younglings will now be having lessons in how to breathe fire,’ Ayo went on. ‘But we must all take great heed, for fire can also destroy as much as it helps create. Misuse of your talent could burn down the forests, dragons can be badly injured or even killed. My job is to ensure that you younglings know how to use your fire properly.’ He gazed up and down the rows of dragons eyeing them intently, then continued. ‘Now, I know that many of you younglings have come here today excited at the prospect of making a flame or two, so as a special treat for today I shall allow you to do a little target play. But first, you must learn the basic theories from me. Now, take out your wooden boards and charcoal sticks.’

  Yoshiko took out the equipment from his bag and as he did so he glanced over to Igorr. He noticed that the purple dragon’s muzzle was twisted in confusion and that he was looking about him anxiously.

  ‘Have you not brought anything with you?’ said Amlie as she also noticed that Igorr didn’t have a net of his own.

  ‘How was I supposed to know?’ grumbled Igorr, looking distraught. All the other pupils had their wooden boards poised expectantly. ‘No one told me I needed to bring … whatever that is,’ and he gestured with uncertainty to the stick of charcoal.

  ‘Here, you can share mine,’ said Yoshiko, moving the board between them. Igorr looked up reluctantly, and then Ayo began to speak again.

  ‘This morning I will be covering the basics of fire-making, that being dragon-anatomy, fire-sense, fire-theory and the history of Surion. The more you pay attention the quicker we will get to the fun things.’

  He pointed the edge of his wing meaningfully around the circle of younglings. ‘Until I have finished I don’t want to see any of you practising. Do you understand? Until I say you can make fire, no dragon makes fire.’

  ‘What is the point of learning all this totally boring stuff if I can already breathe fire?’ Igorr muttered. ‘I can hit a target from twelve paces – this is all a complete waste of my time!’

  Ayo looked at Igorr sternly to silence him.

  ‘What is the most important part of fire-breathing?’ Ayo asked, staring around the whole group of younglings for an answer.

  ‘The fire-gases!’ a young voice shouted out.

  Ayo peered to where an orange dragon was sitting. ‘Good answer,’ he said. ‘That’s a very important part of making fire, and for those of you who don’t know, there are fire-gases being made in all your bellies as we speak.’

  He gestured to his stomach. ‘When a dragon enters his tenth winter his abdomen changes,’ he explained. ‘Two chambers are formed which create two different liquids. When these are mixed together they blend into a special flammable gas. Who can tell me what flammable means?’

  Another dragon spoke out. ‘It means you can set it on fire,’ she said.

  ‘Correct,’ said Ayo. ‘So, all of you have these pits in your stomach as we speak. That’s why you’ll have gone through metamorphosis.

  ‘Do you remember? When your stomach started to make noises of its own accord and you developed an embarrassing tendency to burp in public?’

  The younglings giggled. Most had gone through Metamorphosis with its commonly known side effects a few seasons ago but as if in response to Ayo a small blue dragon’s stomach growled noisily, followed by a really loud burp. The younglings near where he sat roared with laughter.

  ‘The second part of fire-making,’ continued Ayo. ‘The dragon tongue is vital in making flames.’

  He clicked his own tongue and a few sparks shot forth.

  ‘See these ridges here,’ he pointed to the drawing on his own board as he held it up. ‘The technical name for these is carbon-teeth.’ Several pupils scribbled this down and he pointed to the shape of the ridges, which were curved slightly like tiny claws.

  ‘These curved shapes are one half of what makes the sparks that ignite the flame,’ said Ayo. ‘Every dragon is born with these. Even tiny hatchlings have the little diamond-protrusions on their tongues,’ he paused. ‘And there is another important part of making fire.’ This time Ayo tapped the top of his mouth with a claw.

  ‘The flint bones,’ he said, ‘which harden around the top of the mouth and when they are properly set the tongue can be used to strike against them and make sparks.’

  He drew a mouth around the tongue on the board and tapped at it. ‘The basic technique is very simple,’ he said, ‘although it does not usually come naturally and has to be taught. Can anyone tell me a dragon for whom this method was a natural skill?’

  Now all the younglings flung their wings up, jostling to be chosen. Ayo pointed out an orange dragon.

  ‘Surion!’ he announced proudly.

  ‘That’s right,’ said Ayo. ‘And what was unusual about Surion?’

  ‘His egg,’ said Igorr loudly, glaring at Yoshiko. ‘Surion was a cursed dragon. He came from a strange-coloured egg!’

  Ayo shook his head. ‘Not many dragons think Surion was a curse, Igorr. Almost all in our land praise him as a great dragon and our hero. Do you all know much about the legend of Surion?’ he asked, addressing the younglings before him.

  Most of the dragons nodded their heads but some looked at him blankly, so Ayo continued.

  ‘Surion is the most famous dragon in all our history because he was the first dragon to make flames. No creature before Surion could breathe fire. He taught other dragons to use fire to escape from being the slaves of humans. It enabled us to win our freedom. There was a mighty battle that we today know as the Battle of Surion, and since then all of us dragons have lived in our own secret land where no humans can find us. The Commandments of Goadah keep us safe and secret from capture.’ All the dragons were listening attentively except Igorr who was fidgeting impatiently.

  ‘As the lessons progress you will learn that the dragon’s fire is our greatest accomplishment. Each different dragon clan uses their fire for many different purposes. Some dragons make exquisite metalwork, others the most beautiful pots from the red clay of our hills.’ He waved his wings expansively. ‘Today I am not going to get into any further argument as to whether Surion from the red egg brought dragons freedom or cursed us to live in hiding,’ he said. ‘That is for your history teacher to debate with you. Our Council has enough challenges to deal with, doing all they can to protect us from external threats. It is important that we are united, talented and strong. In Fire School I need you all to get along.’ He looked out at them as if daring anyone to disagree.

  ‘So now I imagine all of you will want to make the biggest flames that you possibly can,’ he said.

  The younglings nodded enthusiastically.

  ‘
Well then,’ said Ayo. ‘Time to give it a try.’ He unfolded his wings to gesture them to move towards the fire targets.

  The younglings set their nets down to the floor and trooped closer to the crescent.

  Their elders were now directly above them watching from the viewing deck.

  Igorr’s face lit up suddenly.

  ‘There is my elder, Gandar!’ he cried, grabbing Yoshiko’s wing in his excitement. ‘Do you see him? Do you see him?’ Igorr started waving frantically.

  Yoshiko looked up into the viewing deck to see two large, grey, hooded eyes staring down at them.

  The older Alana nodded his snout slightly, but didn’t return his son’s wave. Then he looked up at the sun, as if calculating how much more time he would need to spend at the school.

  ‘Line up in groups of five in front of the targets!’ said Ayo. ‘Anyone who would like to give their turn a miss today please wait at the side over there and watch how the other younglings try.’

  Around a dozen yellow and orange dragons began to shuffle away over to the other side of the crescent and several of them looked very relieved.

  The first younglings then took their position in front of the targets and at Ayo’s command around half managed to produce a full flame that left their bodies, whilst the others made little jets of fire or sparks. None hit a target.

  Yoshiko watched with uncertainty, and then looked back to Amlie who was almost bursting with impatience to start.

  He watched Amlie step forward ready for her attempt. Igorr was busy warming himself up by strutting around and puffing out his chest whilst making loud grunts.

  Amlie stood directly in front of the target. She puffed her chest in and out three times and then unleashed a football-sized flame that fell within a few feet of the target. Applause fell from the observation deck.

  Yoshiko looked carefully down the line as the next younglings prepared to take aim. Igorr was next to step up, and was eyeing the target with an assured look. He balled up his chest, narrowed his eyes, and as Ayo gave the word let out an impressive column of flame which came close enough to nudge the edge of his target.

  Ayo beat his wings in applause, and Igorr looked overjoyed as he turned to look up to the viewing deck to see his elder’s reaction. The happiness dropped suddenly from him, and his wings collapsed despondently against his body.

  Yoshiko turned to see that Igorr’s elder was no longer watching from the viewing deck and had not stayed to see his son’s fire at all.

  Igorr stalked past the row of younglings, and as he did Yoshiko put out a friendly wing. ‘Why is your elder not here?’ he asked.

  Igorr turned on him furiously.

  ‘Why is my elder not here?’ he spat. ‘Why should anyone’s elder be here? I’m not a baby like you. I don’t need my elder looking on.’ He marched off towards some other purple dragons, and as he joined them he turned his full attention back to glare at Yoshiko.

  Feeling even more disconcerted by the angry gaze, Yoshiko stepped forward to the mark, and on Ayo’s command he puffed up his chest as much as he could. Keeping the target in sight, he raised his tongue to the back of his mouth, and as the command came made a loud whooshing sound. A stream of air flew from his belly, and he clicked his tongue as fast as he could. But nothing came out and he dropped his snout in embarrassment. A cry came suddenly from the sidelines.

  ‘Did you see that? Yoshiko tried to hit the target but he cannot even make a spark!’

  Yoshiko looked to the side to see that the jibe had come from Igorr, who was looking jubilant now and was nudging his new friends to enjoy the joke.

  ‘What is the point of having your elder here if you can’t even make a flame for him?’ Igorr continued. ‘What a waste of time it’s been for him.’

  Amlie came and stood by Yoshiko and that fuelled Igorr even more.

  ‘You are stupid, stupid in every way! Even your name. Yoshiko sounds like a girl’s name to me – probably because of those silly eyelashes and sissy green eyes that you have. And even your titchy girlfriend can make better fire than you! We shall have to call you Feddy from now on, after the dragon who couldn’t make flames!’

  Feddy was a storybook dragon considered useless because he was unable to breathe fire. He was instead appointed the job of collecting rubbish in the marketplace where flames weren’t needed. It was a popular story amongst young dragons, but no one wanted to be like Feddy.

  Yoshiko felt his scales turning darker in his embarrassment. ‘My mother told me she called me Yoshiko because she thinks it sounds powerful,’ he replied.

  ‘Powerful, ha-ha-ha!’ Igorr cackled. ‘Yeah, about as powerful as your puff!’ The other Alanas roared with laughter at Igorr’s joke, their loud sniggers could be heard across Fire School and Yoshiko hung his head in shame.

  ‘Other younglings can’t make fire!’ Amlie shouted. ‘At least Yoshiko was brave enough to try!’ But her small voice could barely be heard over the Alanas.

  Igorr turned his head to her mockingly.

  ‘My name for him is Feddy from now on.’ And there was something so nasty in his look that his group nodded in agreement rather than contradict him.

  The hours ahead that day brought nothing but heartache to Yoshiko. He did his best to ignore the taunts from Igorr and the other Alana dragons during the midday meal but by the afternoon all the purple dragons were calling him Feddy. As they trooped into the final class of the day Yoshiko realised that he had around him an entire gang of enemies.

  3

  The Ageless Ones

  Flares were released to signal the end of school and Ketu was already outside the Fire School entrance. He noticed Yoshiko’s sad face as he walked over to greet him.

  ‘I saw you today at the targets,’ he said. ‘You did really well going up there.’

  Yoshiko shook his head angrily. ‘It was a disaster. I should have stayed at home with the hatchlings who can’t make fire.’

  ‘Yoshiko, when I was at Fire School it wasn’t any different,’ Ketu replied. ‘Some dragons were very cruel then too. But I know now why they act this way!’

  Yoshiko looked intrigued. ‘Why?’ he asked.

  ‘They do it as they don’t want anyone noticing what they are bad at,’ he said. ‘They do it to take the attention off the important things that they can’t do.’

  Yoshiko looked unconvinced. ‘It’s called Fire School for a reason,’ he said. ‘Making fire is what we are there to do.’

  ‘Think about the different clans in our land,’ replied Ketu. ‘How many dragons spend all their days making fire?’

  ‘All dragons do,’ said Yoshiko. ‘Some use it to make books and papers. Others use it to make explosions when they build caves.’

  Ketu shook his head. ‘Not quite. Fire is only used for some of the most elaborate paperwork,’ he said. ‘A lot of the time dragons use charcoal sticks to write as it is quicker that way. And the dragons making our caves mainly use their horns. If they couldn’t make explosions with their fire in certain sections it would take them longer, but they could still make beautiful caves.’

  Yoshiko frowned. ‘But the best dragons, the Guard Dragons, they use fire most of all.’

  ‘The Guards are trained so they don’t have to use fire,’ replied Ketu. ‘The very best Guards train only for necessity should they fall under threat.’ He lowered himself so that Yoshiko could jump on board.

  ‘Come, let’s go.’

  Yoshiko nodded. ‘I just wanted you to see me make fire like the others did,’ he added with a sigh as he hopped on to his father’s back.

  Ketu took to the air and flew straight over the Great Waters.

  ‘Where are we going?’ said Yoshiko. ‘It’s the other way home.’

  ‘To the marketplace. I have something to pick up.’

  Yoshiko looked down as Ketu drew nearer to the flowery fields of the Mida clan, and finally settled in a large market square.

  Dragons of all different colours were walking about.
/>   Yoshiko’s eyes settled on two identical dragons. They appeared to be waiting for something and stood apart from all the others.

  ‘Who are they?’ asked Yoshiko, pointing towards them as he slid off Ketu’s back.

  The two dragonesses were the deep indigo blue of the Saiga clan, but had the most unusual faces that were almost perfectly smooth and expressionless with dull, colourless eyes. Hanging on chains around their necks were two large white stones.

  ‘Those are the Ageless Ones,’ said Ketu, nodding respectfully towards them. ‘The twin dragons of the Saiga clan.’

  Yoshiko had heard of the twins. They were often talked about with mystery by other young dragons.

  Nothing of their pasts was known, not even their age, which was why they were known as the Ageless Ones. Even more mysterious than this, any attempt to communicate with them was met either with silence, or by a strange sound uttered in duet. Certain questions, or the right time of year, could prompt them to take a deep breath in tandem, and then huff out a steady stream of ‘Yeeaa’.

  It was the only sound they made, and most dragons thought the Ageless Ones were simply witless.

  ‘Those stones around their necks are opals!’ Ketu inclined his head, but didn’t point. Yoshiko looked at the light-coloured gems. They seemed to swirl with mystical colours and patterns. ‘The Hudrah swear that the stones give out a magical energy,’ said Ketu, ‘and the Hudrahs, they know about such things.’

  It was the first time Yoshiko had heard Ketu mention the Hudrah of his own accord.

  Now that he was older he’d started to notice that both his elders steered the conversation to different topics when he tried to ask about the Nephan clan Hudrah.

  Yoshiko had seen black stones swinging from the necks of the Hudrahs when they were in the air.

  ‘Wait here,’ said Ketu. ‘I have to buy some fish from the market traders; they will bargain harder if they see I have a youngling with me.’

  Yoshiko nodded, and watched Ketu retreat towards the fishing stalls. It was the first time he had been left alone away from his own mountain area, and the view was fascinating.