Myvanwy and the House of Dragon Page 11

  She led them down an aisle and finally stopped to explain, This first record is of an Austrian by the name of Ullric Wollfe. He is a determined enemy and not easily put off, so be very wary of him. The other man in the picture is Sandor, his Hungarian assistant—and just as dangerous.

  The teenagers took in the details of Ullric’s appearance, from his tall sinewy frame to the outwardly manicured façade before switching to Sandor—a slightly younger man still full of confidence, but lacking his partner’s refinement.

  These men are quite ruthless in their quest and enjoy all of the heightened senses that we do, to track and ensnare their victims. If you see them it means trouble, so beware. She moved on to the next record, but if you ever meet up with this fellow, then you’ll know you’re in trouble. His name is Robert Sehloho—a truly wicked man. He started out by hunting Wyvern for a medicine man on the African Continent, but once he got a taste of their blood and the powers it gave, he killed his employer and went into business for himself.

  Are these two groups aware of each other? Josh asked.

  Yes, I’m afraid so. In fact Ullric has been forced to use Sehloho in quieter times for the supply of freshly killed Knucker and Lindworm, which is what he hunts now. It must have hurt Ullric’s pride some, but these men will go to any lengths.

  What about Sehloho, is he aware of the true potential of the power he has?

  Fortunately not. He can read minds, but his telepathy and clairvoyance are limited—that’s why he indulges Ullric, in the hope that he will enlighten him further. Ullric knows this, but is not about to divulge that information. Ultimately what they are both after is to capture a live dragon and harness its power.

  Are there any others that we need to worry about? Clare asked.

  Apart from those you have seen, no. All the other notable ones have long since died—one way or another.

  Then why don’t the dragons band together and hunt these men down?

  I’m afraid the Great Council would never approve it. Besides, everyone is too busy protecting their own territory and treasure. Enough for tonight, let’s go back.

  The three returned to the physical world again. By now the youngsters were quite adept at the practice.

  ‘So what do you think of our situation now?’ Myvanwy asked.

  Josh’s mind had been working overtime.

  ‘Would they be aware of Clare and me?’

  ‘Ullric and Sandor would be, but not Sehloho.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter—we’ll have to study them all to pick up on their methods and prepare for them should they come this way.’

  Myvanwy nodded thoughtfully, ‘From now on you two be very careful.’

  ‘Don’t worry, we will. What about sea creatures, how often do they attack?’

  ‘Not as much as they used too, thank goodness. They’re in decline, like us. They’ll think twice about attacking us again, especially after the last one.’

  Clare and Josh retired to their own quarters, both deep in thought.

  ‘So what does all this mean for us?’ Clare asked.

  ‘It means trouble with a capital ‘T’. We’ll have to watch our backs and prepare contingency plans for attack as well as defence.’

  ‘But not tonight…’

  Something in her voice reminded Josh that it was a holiday after all, so he passed the problem over to his subconscious to deal with.

  ‘Why, are we going visiting?’

  ‘No, I thought we could send a message and then have an early night.’

  ‘That sounds fine by me,’ he said, smiling.

  They prepared for bed by candlelight and sent their messages, then kissed afterwards, the kiss stirring up the dragon’s blood within them as the sound of singing drifted up from the Cathedral. Myvanwy looked in on them much later and found them asleep, so she blew out the candle.

  The rest of their holiday flew by. They were honoured with a visit from Liu Fung and found her to be good-natured and tolerant of their younger years. Myvanwy arranged for them to meet in the astral at the Temple, and from there the teenagers took her over to the mainland to show her their respective houses for future meetings. While there, they found that Ben and Sally had become closer still—if that was at all possible, and wondered what to expect on their return.

  They explained the situation to Liu Fung, who smiled and asked, ‘Do they know about you two yet?’

  ‘Uh, uh,’ said Clare, shaking her head.

  ‘So far we haven’t given them a reason to suspect anything.’

  Once back at the Temple again the new friends parted, with Liu Fung promising to visit them on their return.

  Myvanwy insisted that one whole night be devoted to musical appreciation, so the couple retired early on the third last day and she channelled some of her wealth of musical knowledge into their minds while they slept. The next evening she invited them to the Cathedral to participate in a choral fest.

  At first Josh was hesitant about the whole idea, but once there and listening to the dragon’s lead, he found himself compelled to join in when they sang the score of Fiddler on the Roof. It was the same for Clare, both marvelling at the richness of the other voices that filled the Cathedral, and adding their own.

  The two dragons applauded them afterwards, ‘Bravo, bravo. Now you have no excuse not to join-in the next time you come.’

  ‘So how did you find it?’ Myvanwy asked.

  ‘It was quite exhilarating and physically exhausting,’ Josh told her, and Clare nodded her agreement.

  ‘Then perhaps we should call it a night—you’ve done well, both of you. It’s a pity you have to go back tomorrow.’

  ‘There’ll be plenty of other opportunities and we can practise at home as well,’ Josh offered.

  ‘Seeing tomorrow is our last night, perhaps we can have another BBQ?’ Clare suggested.

  ‘Sounds fine by me,’ Myvanwy said.

  ‘And me,’ offered Sweet Pea.

  ‘Those fish do make a nice entrée for the main course later on.’

  ‘That being the woolly one I suppose,’ Clare surmised, ‘that’s fine, go for it.’

  ‘Mmm, yummy.’

  The two walked back from the Cathedral and went straight to bed. They slept until late the next morning, but it didn’t matter, the day was pretty much their own. After breakfast they aired the bedding and started to pack everything away again before watching the movie, then went fishing in preparation for the feast later that night.

  In the evening they readied their backpacks before lighting the fire. Josh skewered the fish and handed Clare one to hold over the flames, the dragons joining them not long after—no doubt alerted by the smell of seared flesh. They sat and talked as the fish cooked.

  ‘When do you envisage starting this money-making venture of yours?’ Myvanwy asked.

  ‘Unfortunately the plan relies on us being trackside to monitor everyone, so it will have to wait until I get my licence and a set of wheels. I’ll also be old enough to bet then.’

  ‘And when might that be?’

  ‘Hopefully in April,’ Josh said, as he put the billy on to boil.

  ‘That’s right, your birthday is in March and Clare has one later this month. No matter, I’ll give you the money now and you can put it aside for then,’ Myvanwy said, and handed him a small cloth pouch. Josh put it in his pocket and gave her the stick with the now cooked fish on it and then skewered two more when Clare relinquished hers.

  ‘It’s going to be an incredibly busy time,’ he said.

  ‘How do you mean?’ asked Sweet Pea.

  ‘New job: new friends, new enemies, language, music and opera. The list goes on.’

  ‘I see what you mean. How do you intend to tackle it?’

  ‘I think I’ll give most of it to Clare to orchestrate and let her develop some of those secretarial skills, meanwhile I’ll study the issues at hand.’

  Myvanwy nodded knowingly, ‘And what are the plans for your future together?’

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p; ‘We intend to stay the way we are now for at least a couple of years before announcing anything official. I’ll finish school and get my own career on track first,’ Clare said, as she made the peppermint tea and handed it around.

  ‘Well when you do, don’t forget me, will you. When Baal was alive he used to officiate on special occasions, and until Sweet Pea comes of age, I guess that is one of my duties also. The Cathedral would be a perfect setting for such an event, don’t you think?’

  Clare’s mind raced ahead before answering, ‘Nothing too extravagant I hope, in fact the simpler the better.’

  ‘Whatever you wish—after all, it will be your big day.’

  ‘When will we see you again?’ asked Josh.

  ‘In the not too distant future, we’ll play it by ear.’

  ‘Thank you both for having us back over on such short notice. It’s been incredible as always and we really appreciate it.’

  ‘Contrary to popular belief, we always look forward to good company also,’ Myvanwy informed him, ‘now, are you ready for the trip home?’

  ‘As ready as we’ll ever be,’ said Clare, as she gathered up the cups.

  ‘See you later, Sweet Pea.’

  The teenagers washed and stowed the cups away before going outside to wait for Myvanwy. When she came they saddled and mounted her, then were swiftly airborne, leaving Sweet Pea to gaze longingly skyward.

  Cards in the Air

  Toby sensed Myvanwy’s presence, even though she landed some distance from the barn. He became agitated inside his stall, while the sheep in the adjacent paddocks milled around nervously.

  ‘Same paddock?’ Myvanwy asked.

  Clare tuned into the bleating mob as she removed the saddle and handed it to her, ‘Yes, have a good trip back.’

  ‘Bye,’ Josh called, as she rose back into the air. They could just make out her outline as she swooped and lifted again, with another two wethers in her clutches.

  When she had gone Josh and Clare followed the fence-line around to the front drive and walked back up it. They paused at the front door and then knocked before entering and yelling out the fact they were home.

  Ben and Sally appeared from the direction of the lounge room.

  ‘We didn’t see any car pull up,’ Ben complained.

  ‘Sorry, but we were dropped off further up at the main road,’ Clare countered.

  ‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ Sally said, and hurried away to the kitchen. She returned with a plate of sandwiches she had previously prepared and then went back to make the tea.

  Ben waited until Sally was seated again before asking Clare about the trip.

  ‘So how did it go? You look fit and tanned.’

  ‘Yes, the walking stages were short and there were no dramas.’

  ‘Tell me, did any other girls go along or just you?’

  ‘There were two others. Margaret, the woman that brought us home—she’s good value, and a Chinese girl, Liu. There was also an American named George, an English man named Cyril as well as Margaret’s son William,’ Clare informed him.

  ‘Then it sounds as if you had a whole lot of fun. I’m glad.’

  Ben called Sally over and held her hand as she sat beside him.

  ‘We’ve had a wonderful time also. In fact so much, that we don’t want it to end. At the moment we’re looking at marriage in the not too distant future,’ he said, looking over to Josh and Clare. Both had been caught off guard and were momentarily at a loss for words.

  Josh sat with a cup of tea still midair. He looked down at it and said, ‘Don’t you think we should celebrate with something a little stronger than tea?’

  A look of relief came over the waiting faces. Ben jumped up to fetch a bottle of champagne and the tension was broken shortly afterwards as the cork flew across the room.

  Josh proposed a toast, ‘To the O’Tooles and Browns—long may they be married.’ Clare hugged and kissed her father and then Sally, to welcome her into the family. Josh congratulated them also.

  ‘It looks like I’ve gained a son and you a daughter,’ Ben told Sally.

  ‘I hope you still think that way when I want to borrow your car,’ Josh said, laughing.

  ‘I’ll make an exception for you,’ Ben assured him.

  Clare approached Josh to welcome him into the family also and gave him two air kisses as their parents looked on. They laughed uncontrollably as Josh pulled back, surprised and embarrassed.

  ‘Perhaps it might be better if you stay here tonight and I’ll take you home tomorrow,’ Ben offered.

  Later, after all the excitement had died down and everyone had retired, Josh joined Clare in her room.

  ‘Those air kisses were a nice touch. Any suspicions they may have had about us would be long gone.’

  ‘So how does this affect our plans?’

  ‘We can only wait and see, but I can’t help thinking it will be to our advantage. Are you alright with their decision?’

  ‘Totally, I’m just surprised that it happened so soon. At least when our time comes I know that Dad will be looked after.’

  The next day Clare stayed at home and soaked in a hot fragrant bath so she could practise with Toby, while Ben took Sally and Josh home.

  The days afterward were busy for all, each making compromises where necessary to overcome obstacles as they plotted the future together.

  For Ben and Sally it was the problem of how and where to be married, followed by when. It was finally decided upon over tea at Sally’s place. Ben was a patient man. He had come to the conclusion that Sally found it hard to leave Josh, so he came up with an idea to help her along. Halfway through the meal he presented her with an envelope.

  ‘What is it?’ Sally asked, on accepting it.

  ‘Open it and find out.’

  When she did, a look of surprise came over her face, ‘It’s a travel brochure for a holiday in Fiji!’

  ‘There’s a departure date pencilled in. I didn’t want to seem too presumptuous, but they’ll need confirmation by Friday.’

  Sally looked at it again, ‘It’s in April.’ The look of surprise changed to that of a smile as she said, ‘A honeymoon in Fiji.’

  Suddenly her face froze and she looked over to her son.

  ‘Don’t worry about Josh, he can stay at the farm and help Clare while we’re away. We can sort everything else out when we come back. Is that all right with you, Josh?’

  He nodded his agreement, and with the last obstacle out of the way the date was set.

  After the meal Clare produced some CDs she had purchased. They were arias that Myvanwy had requested, plus an extra one of Bocelli. Josh suggested they go to his room to play them and invited Ben and Sally as well, but they declined.

  ‘I didn’t know you had a player in your room?’ Ben queried.

  ‘We play them through the computer.’

  ‘How come you two are into opera all of a sudden?’

  ‘Blame it on Margaret. She sang them all the time,’ Clare replied.

  ‘Then she certainly sounds like a good influence on you both,’ was all Ben could say.

  Once in the privacy of the bedroom the two kissed hungrily before breaking apart to play the arias. In-between scores they discussed the progress each had made in their various endeavours.

  ‘What about language?’ Clare asked.

  ‘I start work on Monday, so I’ll be able to contribute from then on. One of the first things I’ll do is buy a suitable language course. I’ll download it and bring it over to you. We can learn at our leisure, do it telepathically and converse with Liu Fung for some hands-on. Meanwhile we’ve got a lot of research to do in regards to Ullric and Sehloho, which takes priority I’m afraid.’

  Clare wondered how, if at all, did he expect to stop such determined people.

  ‘How about it, are you up to spending a few nights in the Hall of Records?’

  Clare nodded, knowing that while it wasn’t going to be pleasant, it was necessary if she was going to be of he
lp in any way. Another aria started as Ben came in to tell Clare it was time to go.

  On Monday morning Josh was up bright and early for his first day at work. He had visited both banks on his return and chosen the larger of the two, because of the harmony in the workplace. He was assigned a teller to assist and learn from, and despite the disquiet of the screaming minds that drifted through the bank all day, he enjoyed it. Clare went to town on some errands and they met down by the waterfront at lunchtime—the bay and seagulls reminding them of their island retreat as they ate.

  However the night-time was a different story. They met in the astral and went to the Hall of Records to look up Ullric Wollfe. What they found was a cold and calculating killer. They searched all of his records and watched as he stalked his victims in the very same halls. Sometimes he spent months gleaning details of his intended victims, to determine the layout of the den, treasure if any, and fighting strength. Ullric took note of other dragons in the vicinity that had visited as well, both physically and in the astral. He followed their every move and stored the information away for future kills.

  His method of attack was always the same. He waited until the victim was preoccupied, which allowed both Sandor and himself to get close without being detected. Then once in position they fired on the unsuspecting dragon with steel bolts from a crossbow—the death blow delivered by either lance or sword. A disturbing factor of late was that they had switched to exploding heads on the steel bolts.

  Just as disturbing was the fact that their killing didn’t end there. In-between hunting dragons, the two could usually be found on the African continent hunting wild game, which was where they were now. It seemed the thrill was in the hunt and it kept them sharp. At that point Josh called it quits for the night—there was something about what they had seen that he couldn’t explain. The teenagers returned to the physical in their respective homes to mull over the revelations so far and to sleep, if at all possible.

  The problem stayed with Josh throughout the next day and he had to force it to the back of his mind lest he end a promising career before it had started. The answer came to him while travelling home on the bus. The records they had viewed the previous night had spanned well over a hundred years. It was all about dragon’s blood after all, and the powers it gave. What had started out as a quest had now become a necessity for life.