Dragonfire (13 page)

“Fish! We had fish mostly,” came the depressing answer. “She ate a lot of fish. In fact, she has such an appetite that it’s a wonder there are any fish left in Loch Ness.”

“Arthur,” said Archie diffidently. “When you left us on the bank of the loch, didn’t you hear me shout goodbye to you?”

“I did, Archie, but she told me to take no notice. We were together and that was all that mattered. I should have known then that it wouldn’t work, shouldn’t I? She’s changed so much!”

His voice tailed off sadly. “Don’t worry, Arthur,” Archie said consolingly. “It’s the fault of the water goblins, you know. They
enjoy making people as nasty and mean-spirited as they are themselves. Thank goodness you left and came back to us.”

“I’m sorry about so many things, Archie. About not saying goodbye to you and taking all Sir James’s whisky and blowing fire and …
Archie!
”

Archie jumped in fright! “What! What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I forgot to tell you! I can breathe fire on my own. Just watch!” He turned his head to one side and breathed a long stream of flames and sparks. “I’ve grown up, Archie! I’m a proper dragon now!”

He then regaled Archie with the story of the firework display at the castle and it was very late when they finally curled up and fell fast asleep.

Neil, Clara, Sir James and the Ranger also slept in the hill that night. Jaikie took them through tunnels to a part of the cavern that had escaped Arthur’s ravages. It was as though an old castle had been built within the hill, with paved floors and dusty, panelled walls. All the bedrooms were full of ancient furniture; carpets layered the floors and the walls were hung with old, threadbare tapestries depicting unicorns and ancient beasts. Each room had a curtained, four-poster bed made up with fine linen sheets and piled high with thick fur coverings. At the sight of them, they realized just how tired they were. It had been an exhausting and eventful day and long before the torches flickered and went out, they were fast asleep.

Next morning, in the depths of Arthur’s Seat, Sir James, the Ranger, Clara and Neil sat round an enormous table having breakfast with the MacArthur. The men were deep in discussion and, to Neil and Clara’s excitement, they had decided to use the magic carpets to fly to Jarishan.

“There’s no other way to move so many troops,” declared the MacArthur. “We must fly there by carpet.”

“What do you intend to do when you get there?” asked Sir James. “Do you have a plan?”

“I don’t know about a plan,” said the MacArthur, “but we’ve plenty of firestones! Dragons, you know, hardly ever cry but Arthur cried so much last night that the whole hill is full of them. We’re picking them up everywhere! I have enough to protect the hill while we are away and more than enough to counteract Rothlan’s worst spells.”

“MacArthur!” Jaikie burst into the room, flushed with excitement. “MacArthur! Thon man that we caught in Arthur’s cave … he’s here! He’s in the hill and asking to speak to you. And he kens you’re here too, Sir James, because he mentioned your name as well.”

They all looked at one another in consternation.

“Dougal MacLeod!” groaned Sir James. “It can only be him!”

The MacArthur looked at them appraisingly. “Well,” he asked, “will I ask Jaikie to bring him in?”

Sir James threw up his hands in resignation. “You may as well,” he said helplessly. “Dougal’s up to his eyes in this as much as we are! Let’s hear what he has to say!”

MacLeod followed Jaikie into the room a few minutes later, and apart from a plaster over one eyebrow, looked
none the worse for his adventure of the previous evening. They all rose to greet him as he bowed to the MacArthur and nodded to Sir James and the others. Although he looked surprised at seeing the Ranger and Neil, he recognized Clara and smiled at her thinly.

“Jaikie!” commanded the MacArthur, “have another place set for breakfast. Perhaps Mr MacLeod would like to join us?”

Dougal held up a hand. “First of all,” he said stiffly, “I would like to apologize for taking the dragon’s jewels. I don’t know why I did it. Something just came over me and I had to have them. I’m sorry I took them and caused you trouble.”

“Sit down, man. Sit down!” growled the MacArthur. “We accept your apology and if it’s any consolation to you, you may as well know that the firestones themselves are responsible for what you did.”

“Firestones? Is that what you call them? You mean they … the firestones …
wanted
me to take them?”

“Aye! They have their own magic, firestones!”

“That …” said Dougal, looking as though he were about to burst into tears, “is such a relief! I felt dreadful at taking them but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted them so much! I’d very much like to make up for what I did. I want to help you in any way I can; if you’ll have me, that is.”

“You are more than welcome, Mr MacLeod,” smiled the MacArthur. “At the moment we look like needing all the help we can get. Now sit yourself down and have a bite to eat.”

Another chair was brought and, as Dougal was introduced to Clara, Neil and the Ranger, Sir James made room for him.

“Well, MacLeod,” he said with a wry smile as Dougal settled himself and looked self-consciously round the table, “welcome to our little band! I’m not sure what you’d call us but believe me, a more motley crew of respectable scoundrels never walked the streets of Edinburgh! Am I not right?” He looked round for approval and there was laughter and a nodding of heads.

Clara had been watching Dougal carefully and sighed with
relief as he joined in. He looked at them all curiously. “There are so many questions I want to ask you all,” he ventured, a trifle ruefully, “but I hardly know where to begin!”

Sir James smiled. “It’s a long story,” he said, “but ask away and we’ll do our best to answer!”

“Well, first of all, who was the man on the esplanade? The one who disappeared with the girl? And those awful birds? One of them found out where I lived and tried to steal the firestones.”

It was the MacArthur who answered. “The man’s name,” he said, “is Lord Alasdair Rothlan and Amgarad, the bird, is his creature. The young lady is my daughter, Ellan. We’re just planning a trip to his castle to get her back!”

Clara couldn’t help herself. “We’re going to fly there on magic carpets!” she announced with a sunny smile that revealed her total satisfaction with this state of affairs.

Dougal’s eyes widened and he looked around doubtfully.

Sir James read the disbelief in his eyes and, hiding a smile, remarked casually that they were a very efficient means of travel.

“What
I
want to know,” broke in Neil, “is what happens if it rains? Does the magic keep the rain off or do we get wet?”

Everyone looked at the MacArthur for the answer to this question. “You get wet, I’m afraid,” was his smiling reply.

As Dougal helped himself to breakfast, Sir James told him the whole story from the beginning. Dougal was totally flabbergasted! Indeed, had he not been sitting having breakfast with faeries in the middle of Arthur’s Seat, he would never have believed the half of it. He shook his head wonderingly throughout Sir James’s tale.

“And if you think that’s fantastic just wait until you hear about Arthur’s adventures in Loch Ness!” Neil grinned.

Soon, everyone was chatting busily as Dougal relaxed and, to his own surprise as much as everyone else’s, proved an entertaining talker. In fact he kept the conversation going
with such ability that Sir James realized that he had grossly misjudged the man.

Jaikie, however, who was standing by the door to make sure that everyone had what they needed, was aware of what was happening and met the MacArthur’s eyes with a smile of understanding. For the MacArthur, looking at stiff, unhappy Dougal, had realized that not only was he lonely but was also intelligent enough to know that he made boring company. So, unbeknownst to all of them, a little magic had flickered across the table, transforming Dougal’s awkward shyness to sparkling wit. His success over breakfast left him more than somewhat bemused but by the time they rose to leave the table there was an unspoken understanding among them all that MacLeod was one of them.

Preparations for the journey had already begun and, after breakfast, the hill became a hive of activity. Neil and Clara were bursting with excitement at the thought of travelling such a long way on their carpets and were full of questions. How long would it take? Would they be invisible? Would they fly at night? The MacArthur seemed to have disappeared so they couldn’t ask him and as Hamish and Jaikie were busy with the men, they eventually decided to go to Arthur’s cave in search of Archie. As they entered the cavern, they saw Arthur rolling happily on his pile of treasure while Archie was wandering around, gathering firestones in a huge sack.

“Can we help you, Archie?” asked Clara. “Everyone is too busy to talk to us today and we’ve got loads of questions!”

“I was hoping that you’d be able to tell
me
what was happening! I haven’t been able to leave the cave. Arthur gets upset if I’m not around!”

“You’ll never guess!” said Clara. “The Excise man, Dougal MacLeod, came back into the hill to say he was sorry for taking the firestones!”

“Ach!” Archie muttered, “it was mair like the stones took him! The MacArthur would understand that! Powerful things firestones;
they probably had their reasons.”

“And,” said Neil, “we’re travelling to Jarishan on the magic carpets.”

“Hmm,” Archie murmured. “Better take some warm rugs with you then. It can be cold up there and you’ll be travelling at night.”

“At night?” Clara’s voice rang with disappointment. “I wanted to see the scenery. Why can’t we travel during the day? After all, we
are
invisible when we fly.”

“Arthur isn’t, though.”

“Arthur!” Clara turned to the dragon. “Are you coming too? Oh! I feel so much better! You’ll knock that horrid eagle bird out of the skies!”

Arthur rolled again in his treasure and clawed his way over the piles of gold towards them. Clara wasn’t at all afraid of him. Having seen Nessie’s sly, predatory look, she knew that for all his size, Arthur was a softie and would never hurt her. Putting a hand on his wing, as she had seen Archie do, she curled up against him and talked to him. Neil lay flat on the pile of treasure beside the dragon, idly letting gold coins trickle through his fingers as he listened.

“Was it very bad for you in Loch Ness?” Clara asked.

Arthur lowered his great head. “It was not nice at all. Cold and dark and wet! And no treasure to lie on and no friends to talk to. And the goblins had changed my Nessie …” his voice tailed off sadly.

“Water goblins,” remarked Archie in explanation. “Nasty things!”

“What on earth are water goblins like?” asked Neil.

“Mostly wet,” grinned Archie.

“And cold,” added Arthur, “and they smell; a horrid, musty smell. But to look at, they are small, grey and shiny black. Black, like their hearts. They are not like my MacArthurs at all.”

“Didn’t they talk to you and keep you company like Archie does?” asked Neil curiously.

“They did not! They hugged their secrets to themselves. It’s one of their pleasures to have secrets! They wouldn’t tell me anything. They spent most of their time at the bottom of the loch, sifting through the silt. I heard a whisper that Prince Kalman had asked them to search the loch for buried treasure but I didn’t believe it. Most likely they were looking for tasty worms. They wouldn’t tell me.”

“Prince Kalman?” Archie looked at him curiously. “Are you sure?”

Arthur nodded. “That’s what Nessie told me. Grechan, the chief of the water goblins, visited her a while back and she said that he’s been using his water goblins to search lots of the lochs round about.”

“The MacArthur will be interested to hear that,” frowned Archie. “He’s been wondering why Kalman hasn’t been in touch now that the shield around Jarishan’s been broken. I wonder what he’s up to. And using the water goblins to help him!”

“Horrible things!” shivered Arthur.

“Well, now that you’re back, Arthur, you need never think of them again,” Clara said, smiling happily. “You were really fab when you flew over the castle. Just like one of the fireworks!”

“Did you see me?” Arthur was pleased. “I swallowed so many fireworks that I can breathe fire on my own now! I’m a proper dragon at last!”

“Save your fire for Jarishan, Arthur!” advised Archie. “Remember, we have to get Lady Ellan back! No! No! Don’t cry again, for goodness sake!” Archie ran forward and hugged Arthur. “It’s just that I’ve picked up so many firestones this morning that my back is killing me!”

Jaikie came into the cavern and, picking up the odd firestone as he walked towards them, deposited them in Archie’s bag.

“Hello there, Arthur! Welcome back!” He put his arms around the dragon’s neck and hugged him. “The hill wasn’t the same without you!”

He glanced at Neil and Clara, grinning. “I thought I might
find the pair of you here,” he remarked. “The MacArthur has decided to wait until after midnight before we set off for Jarishan so your dad wants you to go home with him. He’s waiting for you in the main cavern so you’d better get a move on. Sir James has already left.”

By the time the MacLeans and Sir James returned to the hill, the MacArthur’s preparations were complete and his men were ready for battle. The huge cavern was filled with ranks of armed troops whose burnished helmets and gleaming breastplates glowed in the torchlight. Silver spears glittered above their heads and here and there a gleam of scarlet flashed brightly.

“Look at their shields,” whispered Neil, “a scarlet dragon on a black and gold background.”

“It’s on all the flags and pennants as well! No wonder Arthur is coming with us!” said Clara. “He’s their emblem.”

“Their armour is amazing!” whispered Neil. “It looks hundreds of years old!”

“They look wonderful,” whispered Clara, suddenly tearful at the seriousness of it all. “Neil, I …” she gulped, “I hope we win!”

“Of course we’ll win,” Neil stated confidently. “They look tough and there are hundreds of them!”

Clara touched his arm. “Look, over there. I can see dad and the others. I think they’re looking for us.”

They made their way cautiously round the edge of the troops to where their father stood with Sir James and MacLeod. There was a serious edge now to the conversation and even the MacArthur was more abrupt than usual.

“You two will stay out of mischief!” he ordered as they approached.

“We will,” answered Neil gravely.

“You understand that your carpets know what to do and where to go? You don’t have to do anything; they’ll take care of you.” A smile softened his face, however, as he looked at Clara. “Take care, young lady!”

At a given signal, the carpets were called and poured into the hall in a quivering, excited stream, each one seeking its master.

Clara was trembling with excitement as her carpet zoomed down and screeched to a halt in front of her. She looked at it doubtfully. None of the other carpets behaved like this. Neil’s arrived quite sedately by comparison. “Perhaps it’s a young carpet,” she thought, as she took a fur from a nearby pile and spread it over the carpet.

She was about to climb on, when Jaikie ran up. “Sorry,” he muttered. “You should put the first rug on the carpet with the fur-side down. Believe me, the carpet will really appreciate it. They get cold in the clouds and a carpet with a bout of the shivers can be a bit unnerving! And you’ll need a couple to wrap round you as well!”

“Thanks, Jaikie,” she said gratefully, pulling two more from the pile. As she spread her rug fur-side down, she felt a wave of pleasure ripple through the carpet and smiled as she climbed on. The magic carpets were more alive than she’d thought!

“Are you all right, Clara?” called her father.

“Fine,” she answered. Neil and Dougal MacLeod moved alongside with Sir James and her father in front. It seemed as though their carpets had been told to stick together for, as the MacArthur set off on the first carpet, all the other carpets followed in order. They flew upwards in single file and, as she ducked her head at the entrance to the tunnel, she remembered how afraid she had been the first time. “How strange,” she thought, “I must have got used to it for I’m not afraid of the dark at all now!” The journey to the surface was brief and she was only to catch a glimpse of Sir James before he disappeared and it was her turn.

Neil and her father called out to her from time to time to let her know that they were there, as did Dougal MacLeod, who had not at first believed in magic carpets. Soon they felt comfortable in the knowledge that they were travelling together and Clara amused herself by peering over the
edge of the carpet at the hills and rivers that lay in the dark landscape below. Slowly, however, she tired and gradually stretched out in her warm nest of fur to sleep until dawn.

Light was just streaking the eastern horizon when Clara woke with a start as a sudden jolt sent her rolling to the edge of the carpet. “I can’t fall off!” was the one thought in her mind as she felt herself tilt over the edge. “Lady Ellan said that I couldn’t fall off!” The reality, however, was that she was falling. She screamed in horror. It was impossible to get a grip on the smooth surface of the carpet but, as she slipped into the void, she managed to hook her fingers into its looped fringe. By performing a positive miracle of acrobatics in mid-air, her carpet slipped itself beneath her once more. Keeping her fingers firmly entwined in the fringe, she relaxed on its smooth length and lay panting with shock and exhaustion for a few minutes before inching fearfully to a sitting position. She was still shivering with fear when she heard Neil’s voice.

“Clara! Clara! Are you okay?”

“Yes, but I nearly fell off my carpet,” she called back.

“You sound as if you are going further away from me. Tell your carpet to stay close!”

“My carpet’s a bit of a rebel,” she called back and felt a ripple of laughter run through the carpet as it heard her words. “It knows what I’m saying,” she thought. “I didn’t really understand that before.”

A few minutes later she felt her carpet tilt downwards and realized that they were going to land. Sure enough, as she drew closer to the ground, she saw many of the MacArthurs standing beside their carpets, obviously waiting for the others to land. Clara’s carpet brought her to rest beside Sir James and Dougal MacLeod.

“Thank goodness you’re all right, my dear,” Sir James said. “I haven’t seen Neil or your father yet but I’m sure they’re fine.”

“Neil is, anyway,” replied Clara. “He called out to me after we were knocked off. Whatever happened?”

“The MacArthur said that the protective shield around Jarishan is back in place. Apparently we ran into it! He’s getting ready to use the firestones to break it by magic.”

“Here’s Dad now!” said Clara, running forward to hug him.

“Thank heavens you’re okay, Clara,” he said, holding her tightly. “Have you seen Neil?”

“No, but I know he’s fine. He spoke to me but I couldn’t see him.”

At that moment the MacArthur stomped up.

“Well, that’s that done!” he announced. “I’ve lifted the shield already. We’ll be able to get moving again once we sort ourselves out!”

“But where are Archie and Arthur?” Clara asked, looking around for them.

“Oh, they’ll be well on their way to Jarishan by this time,” the MacArthur smiled. “Protective shields are useless against dragons, their magic is so powerful.”