White Horse Talisman (15 page)

If the dragon could find the red mare, why didn't the White Horse ask him to help? said a small voice at the back of his mind.

Adam groaned silently. There was his conscience again, making life difficult. Like Mr. Smythe, it kept telling him the dragon was bad news. He suppressed the annoying voice. The dragon was nice. He would help it, and it would help him. He just needed the half-talisman!

He crept to the bedroom door, checked who was asleep. The light was out in Holly's room. Auntie Lynne had gone to bed early and her room was dark. But he could hear the TV. Uncle Ron was still downstairs.

Adam returned to bed, his mind drifting back to the meeting with Mr. Smythe. Adam had never met an adult like him. A historian who believed in horse magic and dragon magic. Amazing!

Do you believe in magic? asked his conscience.

Adam stared at the shaft of moonlight banding the covers on his bunk. He considered the question and spoke softly to himself. “I guess I do now. I believe in horse magic and dragon magic.”

A feeling of warmth and friendship washed over him.

Hello, Adam,
said a kindly voice inside his head.
I knew
you would become a believer. I'm the White Horse. Now
you can call for me whenever you need me. Remember …
I am always here.

Adam froze, not daring to reply. This was too much … another voice. No way was he getting involved with that horse … it was hard enough dealing with the dragon. Terrified, he curled into a ball and waited and waited until the feeling of friendship faded away.

“The brother admits he believes in me!” rejoiced Equus. “The
others will follow, I know it. They believe in their hearts.
They just have to declare.”

CCC

“But the brother is still influenced by the dragon,” wor
–
ried Myrddin.

“He is, but have faith. If he chooses us of his own free
will, our magic will grow a hundredfold,” Equus replied.

Myrddin twitched his cloak. “The dragon offers power
and flattery.”

“The boy heard Equus. He is beginning to listen to his
heart,” Ava said.

Myrddin shook his head. “It seems so futile. Still only
two, at the most four, human children.”

Ava gave a ripple of laughter. “How soon you forget,
Myrddin. Remember watching helplessly from the stars?
That was futile. Now we have hope!”

She spread her wings and soared around her compan
–
ions. “Celebrate the hope. Hope the human children will
find the red mare. Hope they will restore the talisman. A
human shattered the talisman. If a human causes it to be
remade, Equus will be whole again.” Ava gave a shrill echo
–
ing call. “Myrddin, maybe the children will help you and
me. Celebrate the hope. Celebrate the hope!”

CCC

It was midnight. Adam lay rigid in his bunk. The White Horse had not spoken again. Maybe he had dreamed it. His conscience was quiet now too, and so was the dragon. The only sounds now were those of the old farmhouse settling for the night. His eyelids drooped for the hundredth time. He shook himself awake.

Uncle Ron finished watching TV. Adam heard his heavy footsteps creaking up the stairs and along the corridor. Adam checked his luminous watch dial. How long should he give Uncle Ron, ten minutes, half an hour, an hour? Not an hour.

He couldn't stay awake that long. He turned over and watched the chink of moonlight creep across the floorboards. He'd get up when it reached … His eyes closed again.

Adam pulled himself up with a start. If he was going to search Holly's room, it was now or never. He wriggled out of his bunk bed. One of Owen's arms hung loosely over the side, but Adam slipped past it. He tiptoed to the door. Owen stirred slightly. Adam stiffened, then relaxed. If anyone chal–lenged him, he was just going to the bathroom. He lifted the latch on the door and tiptoed into the corridor.

The boards under his feet squeaked and groaned no mat–ter how quiet he tried to be. He reached the bathroom door, opened it and flicked on the light. All was silent except for the beating of his heart and a faint rumble from his aunt and uncle's room. He grinned. Uncle Ron was snoring. Good.

Adam stepped across the corridor to the girls' room. The door squeaked as it opened, but again no one stirred. He slipped inside.

Using the beam of light spilling from the bathroom, Adam tried to find Holly's jeans in the piles of clothes scat–tered on the floor. First he found her T-shirt, then a sweater. Ah … his toes felt tough jean material. He squatted on the floor and felt up each leg and into every pocket. The talis–man wasn't there.

Adam groaned silently. He could guess where it was; Holly was sleeping with it. He peered through the dim light towards Holly's bed and realized only then that something was wrong. The room was too quiet. No one was breathing there but him.

He padded over to the bed and felt the covers.

The bed was empty. Holly wasn't there.

CCC

Owen woke up terrified. A hand was clamped over his mouth, and another hand shook his shoulder.

“Owen, wake up,” a voice whispered. “Wake up … but be quiet.”

The hand tightened over Owen's mouth as he groaned.

“It's me, Adam,” the whisper continued. “Nod your head if you're awake.”

Owen nodded frantically.

The hand removed itself from his mouth.

“Wha … what the heck?” Owen sputtered. “Idiot. You nearly smothered me.”

“Shhhhhh! I'm sorry. I was scared you'd yell and wake the whole house,” Adam whispered. “You've got to come with me. Holly's missing and I bet I know where she's gone
to Dragon Hill.”

“You're dreaming, Adam. Go back to bed.”

“I'm not, I'm not.” Adam shook Owen's shoulder again.

“The dragon took me there the night I slept with the talis–man. Now he's taken Holly.”

Owen stared blearily at Adam. “You met a dragon? You never said. When?”

Adam ignored the question. “Look, if you don't believe me, go and check Holly's room. She's not there. She's not in the house. I bet she fell asleep holding the talisman and the dragon took her to Dragon Hill. That's what happened to me. Come on, Owen! We've gotta follow her and see what she's up to. I've tried, but there's no way I can find my way to Dragon Hill in the dark.”

Still muddled with sleep, Owen swung himself out of bed, switched on the light and stared at his cousin. Adam was dressed in his jacket and boots. He was smeared with mud and looked exhausted.

“Why should I help you? You want to talk to a dragon in the middle of the night, go right ahead.” Owen turned to climb back into his bunk.

“I can't find my way in the dark,” cried Adam in frustra–tion. He thought fast. “What if Holly needs help? Mr. Smythe said dragons are trouble.”

“If this is for real, you've got some explaining to do, Adam Maxwell,” said Owen. He dressed silently.

CCC

The night was black. Clouds obscured the moon and stars. Owen knew the way well, but the darkened land looked unfamiliar. Tree branches grabbed the boys from above, and grasses and weeds snatched at their pant legs below.

Adam was scared, but anger drove him on. He would have done anything rather than wake Owen, but there was no other way of getting to Dragon Hill. His anger at Holly burned deep inside him and fueled his determination to find out what was going on. And now he couldn't even trust the dragon. How dare the dragon talk to Holly instead of him, Adam? He was the dragon's friend.

The boys stumbled across country to avoid going past prying eyes in the village. Eventually, scratched and winded, they reached the lane that wound towards Dragon Hill.

They stopped to catch their breath.

“We're going to look right idiots if she's not up there,” said Owen.

“She will be … I know it,” panted Adam. He peered through the night, trying to make out the top of Dragon Hill. “See … I'm right! There's a glow … on the top.”

Owen could see nothing.

“You owe me, Adam Maxwell,” Owen grumbled as he set off up the lane. “You owe me big time.”

They trudged on in silence until they came to the foot of Dragon Hill. Adam clutched Owen's arm and pointed again. This time the glow of light at the top of the hill was unmistakable, but what worried Adam was that unlike the soft glow from the talisman, this glow was blood red.

“Don't make a sound as we climb up,” Adam whispered.

“Crawl the last bit. Until we can see what's going on.”

Owen grunted agreement and they started the climb.

A rough stairway was gouged into the side of the hill. But the turf steps were damp and slippery. Both boys found it safer to half crawl. They clambered slowly and silently.

Nausea gripped Adam as he climbed upward. His head began to throb and the anger gnawed at his stomach. How dare Holly take his talisman and meet with the dragon? The dragon was his. He needed its power; Holly didn't. With each step upward, his emotions grew stronger, until Adam was trembling.

They heard voices.

“No!” Holly's clear tones carried though the night. “I won't say the words.”

Owen unexpectedly touched Adam's arm. Adam jumped and swung around, his fist clenched, ready to fight. Owen backed off, his face puzzled and uneasy in the red glow. “Is she talking to the dragon?” he whispered.

Adam dropped his fist and nodded. Both boys began to wriggle on their bellies up the last part of the slope.

“Say the words of power, and I'll fly you home,
”
they heard the dragon wheedle in a voice that dripped honey. “We could fly anywhere. What great wonders would you like to see?”

Adam was furious. The dragon was offering Holly the same things he'd offered Adam.

Holly's voice rang out, “Listen, bonehead, all I want to see is my bed.”

“Uh-oh,” whispered Owen. “She's furious. I wonder why she's not stomped off. That's what she usually does when she's mad.”

Adam barely heard. He concentrated on raising his head until he could see across the flat top of Dragon Hill. The small plateau was bathed in a red glow from what had been the bald spot on the ground. Now it was a pulsing, transparent membrane cover–ing a hole filled with fiery red light. Holly, in her pajamas, was standing on the far side, facing them. Her arms were folded defiantly across her chest, and her chin jutted.

“Why doesn't she run away?” Owen whispered. He shuddered.

Adam stared across at Holly. “Shut up and listen.”

“Don't you like power?” The dragon's voice oozed entic–ingly. “Think what you could do with the power, if you and I were partners.”

“Power! Is that what you offered Adam?” Holly blurted out. “He'd like that. He's feeling pretty awful right now with his mum and dad splitting up and Chantel in the hospital. You would! Just like the fairy stories. Find the weak person and offer them power. Huh!” She gave an angry laugh. “You got me instead!”

Adam drew in a sharp breath, as though he'd been kicked in the stomach. How could Holly say he was weak? How dare she talk about his parents divorcing? What did she know, anyway?

A scaly tail swirled under the surface of the membrane. “You're angry. That makes you more powerful,” hissed the dragon. “Though your anger is not as good as the boy's. His anger almost fills his being. When he held the talisman I could feel his rage. As it grew so did my power.” The dragon laughed, and the membrane glowed a deeper red. “I feel it even now. The boy's anger is so strong, it's as though he were right here.” The dragon laughed again. “He feeds me.”

Holly stamped the ground. “You make Adam angry so you can use him? That's horrible.”

At the rim of the plateau, Owen turned to stare at Adam.

Adam's face burned with humiliation. He felt betrayed.

The dragon wasn't his friend; he was using him.

“The boy was nothing, just a passing human whose anger helps me grow strong. But you … you're different. You are a very clever girl. Sometimes it's hard for clever girls to gain power.” The dragon's voice grew sweeter with every word. “But I could change all that. Imagine having all the power you need, everything you want within your grasp, everyone at your command. That's what you and I could achieve together. The talisman is the key. Now I am stronger, I need not wait for the other half. Hold it and say the words of power. And I will give you your heart's desire.”

Holly ignored him.

Adam stared through the dark, trying to read Holly's face. He knew what was happening. She was considering the dragon's offer. She was going to say the words of power. Once again, he would lose out! He could contain himself no longer. Erupting onto the plateau, he yelled at the top of his voice, “What about your promise to me, Worm? It's me who needs the power, so I can fix things! You promised!”