Myvanwy and the House of Dragon Read online

‘Never! All you have to do is embrace it and use it to your advantage,’ Clare argued.

  ‘Yes, but what good would such knowledge be to a dragon?’

  ‘It could open the world back up for you, keep you abreast of the technology used against you and effectively give you the cheat codes to get around them.’

  ‘Hmmm, interesting terminologies,’ Myvanwy surmised.

  ‘Yes, this electronic age creates its own language and alters ours I’m afraid.’

  ‘I guess you’re right,’ Myvanwy agreed.

  ‘Don’t worry—my father is in the same boat. His father rode a horse, Dad drives a car and in my time people will be touring outer space. The truth is that all of the technology on the market today will soon be obsolete. By the time we get it, new stuff is already on the drawing board,’ Clare informed her.

  Myvanwy shook her head on hearing the explanation.

  ‘It looks like Sweet Pea is already a convert.’

  Myvanwy looked over to where her son was bent low over the laptop, while bombarding Josh with questions.

  ‘Are you alright with tonight’s plan?’

  ‘Totally.’

  Myvanwy nodded thoughtfully to herself as if coming to some conclusion.

  ‘Very well, we must be off and let you two get some sleep.’

  Sweet Pea looked up from what he was doing, annoyed at the interruption. He dutifully joined his mother as she headed for the barn door. Josh turned the lights off before he opened it, and then followed the dragons out, while carrying the sports bag and another hessian bag that held the battery.

  ‘Will you be alright with these?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll take them,’ said Myvanwy, ‘Sweet Pea can do the honours tonight.’

  Clare pointed out the paddock that held the wethers and they watched on as Sweet Pea lifted into the air and dove on two unsuspecting sheep before rising again, without missing a beat. The moon disappeared behind a cloud and the dragons were gone.

  ‘He’s certainly recovered well,’ said Josh.

  ‘So it would seem.’

  They re-entered the shed to recover the laptop and printer before returning to the house and bed, quite pleased with the night’s events.

  On Wednesday the time dragged slowly for Clare. She opted to practise on Toby in the morning and did a few household chores in the afternoon. The night however was very different. When they were together, nothing else mattered. Thursday was the same—there was still no movement from Ullric or Sehloho.

  In the evening Josh attended his Venturer unit for the last time. Clare accompanied him and sat on the sidelines. She talked to Janice and a few of the others until the parade at the end, where Josh said goodbye to the unit. He resisted all entreaties to continue on in the movement and told them he had cherished his time spent with them.

  He caught up with Andy afterwards.

  ‘How did the footage of the wedding turn out?’

  ‘Fantastic, although I haven’t finished editing it yet.’

  ‘There’s plenty of time. They won’t be back for another week.’

  When they returned home to the farm Josh and Clare lay together peacefully while expecting the worst, but it never came. Myvanwy reported that their foe hadn’t so much as packed a bag.

  Maybe we were wrong, said Josh.

  I don’t think so, are you packed?

  Ready and waiting, Clare replied.

  Good, we’ll see what tomorrow brings, Myvanwy said, and was gone.

  Show Time

  The sun streamed through the window on Friday morning to rouse Clare from her slumber. She shook off the lethargy of the last few days and left the bed, leaving Josh to snooze fitfully while she went to prepare breakfast. When it was ready she woke him and they ate together. Then afterwards he showered and dressed before leaving for work.

  Clare was more focussed throughout the day and by contrast the time passed much quicker. She was out from under a cloud and refused to have her life dictated by the likes of Ullric.

  The morning was spent wandering over the farm to ensure the stock had ample feed. She put extra out for Toby and filled the self-feeder in the chook-house before collecting the eggs and then caught up with the housework afterwards, in preparation for their trip away.

  It was the same for Josh. The looming clash was foremost on his mind and made the day seem surreal. He went over every aspect of his plan, but couldn’t fault it, so ceased to worry. After work he fed Molly as usual before going next door to arrange for the neighbour to look after her until Monday.

  The meal that night was a simple stew, washed down with red wine. They did the dishes afterwards and then silently went about the business of checking their backpacks and laying out the clothes they would wear if called. When finished, they sought the comfort of bed to wait and then moments before sleep overtook them, the message they had been waiting for came.

  Rise and shine Little Ones, the game’s on. We’ll be there within the hour.

  Josh went to leave the bed, but Clare pulled him back.

  ‘What’s the rush?’

  They scrambled from bed a little later to shower before climbing into their clothes, reaching the barn minutes before the dragons touched down.

  ‘Where are they?’ Josh asked Myvanwy.

  ‘They’re about two hours behind us and should reach the island by dawn,’ she said, handing him the saddle.

  Clare saddled Myvanwy while Josh secured the backpacks, and they were airborne soon after. Sweet Pea followed, with two sheep held firmly in his claws. They flew in a south-easterly direction, skimming beneath the darkened clouds—the fading beacon below a reminder of their first fateful crossing. When it was no longer visible, they panned forward eagerly to search for the light on their island retreat. Clare saw it first and pointed, both looking on fondly as they approached.

  Myvanwy landed on the ground outside the cave and then waited for the saddle to be removed. When it had, the teenagers followed her inside as she lit the torches along the way until reaching her alcove, where the sports bag lay. Sweet Pea left the sheep carcasses at the mouth of the cave and joined them.

  ‘What now?’ Myvanwy asked.

  ‘That depends. Have you given any thought on who the two teams are yet?’ Josh asked.

  Myvanwy squirmed under his gaze. She knew the validity of what he was saying, but it would be the first time she had relinquished the welfare of her son to another, and in such dire circumstance. Her head sank to her chest as she pondered the question further.

  Josh had proven himself very useful in battle against much larger foe—well both had really, and now he was willing to fight apart from his soul mate. Then there was the question of Ullric and Sandor—she would dearly love to be in on the kill…

  ‘Well?’ Josh prompted.

  Myvanwy hesitated a moment longer before saying, ‘You and Sweet Pea.’

  ‘All right!’ Sweet Pea said, and gave Josh a high five.

  Myvanwy lowered her head and Clare went over to comfort her, knowing the inner turmoil she would be feeling.

  Josh glanced reassuringly at the balloon basket, still stowed in the corner. He drew a quick plan of the cave system in the sand and went over the roles of each team again.

  ‘We have a few hours up our sleeve, so we can pick our ground and set our defences before taking a break.’

  He took two torches from the bag and gave Clare one before leading the way to the bat end of the Cathedral, where he shone the light out into the cave. It was empty, the bats having left earlier to forage for food. Together they identified the best position for the shotgun, with Myvanwy off to one side to operate the spotlight when needed. Josh also explained the necessity of stringing a trip-rope adorned with cans across the cave as an early warning device. Satisfied there was plenty of cover should they need to retreat, he left them to prepare their ground and went with Sweet Pea to prepare their own.

  Josh stood in front of the television alcove. He hung fishing line over the torc
h bracket nearest them and weighted one end with a heavy sinker, while tying the free end off out of sight inside the alcove. Sweet Pea’s curiosity soared as Josh filled four balloons with propane and fixed them at intervals along the line.

  ‘What are they for?’

  ‘This is our distraction,’ Josh explained.

  Then when finished, he experimented with the shadows cast upon the wall.

  Sweet Pea was still puzzled, so he explained that it was crucial in determining the enemy’s proximity in order to detonate the balloons for the greatest effect.

  ‘When they’re close enough, I’ll let go this end. The sinker should fall to the floor and pull the balloons through the flame to explode them and stun Ullric and Sandor or at least disorientate them.’

  ‘And then what?’

  ‘Then I shoot them.’

  Sweet Pea was horrified at the suggestion, ‘You will leave some for me, won’t you?’

  ‘Don’t worry, if all goes to plan, you’ll be the one who delivers the final blow to those who make it off the island,’ Josh assured him.

  Clare and Myvanwy put in an appearance, ‘We just came for the spotlight.’

  ‘You’ll have to use the new battery.’

  ‘That’s okay, I haven’t hooked it up to the television yet,’ Sweet Pea informed them.

  Josh rummaged through the sports bag for the spotlight.

  ‘Leave the firepower under cover until last. I’m sure Ullric will reconnoitre before morning. When you’re setup we’ll take a break.’

  After Myvanwy and Clare had left Josh returned to the balloon basket and pulled the gas hose free before connecting it to the fullest bottle. He attached the eye bolts temporarily by means of a spring-loaded safety shackle and then demonstrated again what Sweet Pea needed to do, while stipulating the danger of working so close to the propeller.

  ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll be alright,’ Sweet Pea assured him.

  Josh selected a length of bright orange nylon cord from amongst the collection of flotsam and made a lanyard of it to attach the hand-drill to the bottle. The others reappeared just as he finished.

  ‘I guess we’ll take a break. You must be hungry by now,’ he said.

  The two dragons ambled towards the cave entrance as Clare joined him. He pulled a cardboard sign from the bag and hung it on the cave wall, between the balloons and the entrance.

  It read, ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!’

  ‘There now, what do you think?’

  ‘I only hope it works,’ Clare replied.

  The teenagers picked up their packs and took them to their quarters. Josh lit the candle and they looked around. Not much had changed. They spread the waiting bales of straw on the ledge before covering it with the blankets and rolling out their sleeping bags. When finished, they lay down for a few minutes respite.

  ‘How are your preparations going?’ Josh asked.

  ‘Great. We’ve got the cans strung across the cave. If anyone sets them off they’ll have nowhere to go.’

  ‘Just remember to keep your head low.’

  They kissed and lay back to rest as the two dragons chomped their way through their evening meal only metres away at the mouth of the cave. The candle flickered and a blast of cold air made them shiver and pull the covers about them. It was gone just as quickly and the candle burnt brightly once more.

  ‘I think Ullric was just here,’ Josh whispered.

  ‘Little good it will do him, he won’t learn a thing,’ Clare replied.

  Outside Myvanwy looked sideways at her son. She viewed him in a different light and wondered what the morning would bring.

  * * *

  Sandor reclined in his seat on the airbus, a blanket over him and a travel magazine half-read on his lap. He glanced out of the window at the broad expanse of wing that hid the turbines beneath. A cloud engulfed them and the wing was eerily lost from sight until they were through to the other side and bathed in moonlight once more. Ullric lay sleeping in the seat beside him as he was apt to, more and more it seemed these days.

  Things should be different soon enough, he mused. Together they would make themselves drunk on the blood of a dragon or two—and not just any old dragon. It would be Myvanwy and hopefully her son, sired by Baal himself. Now that would be a drop worth drinking.

  The pilot announced their impending arrival and Sandor woke Ullric as the lights of Melbourne came into view. They buckled up as the plane descended to touch down on the wet tarmac and come to a screeching halt before taxiing to the terminal. Ullric stood and stretched as he retrieved his hand luggage, then led the way off the plane and through to customs. Sehloho had already arrived and was waiting for them. When finally cleared, they retrieved the rest of their luggage and sought directions to the shuttle bus that would take them to the City by the Bay.

  Ullric was in a foul mood. He had been woken from a fitful sleep to disembark in some godforsaken place and then catch a shuttle bus without so much as a comfort stop or chance to splash some water on his face. He looked across to Sehloho, who by contrast was relaxed and refreshed. His plane had landed hours earlier, so that he was now wined, dined and smiling back at him.

  ‘I trust that we will have a good outcome after so much trouble?’ Sehloho said.

  Ullric scowled and didn’t bother to answer. Neither he nor Sandor had gone anywhere near the Hall of Records—perhaps they should have. There were only two dragons in the immediate vicinity, and if they weren’t home… He refused to dwell on the subject and sent a telepathic message to the driver instead, telling him to pull over at the first open road-house for a comfort stop. The driver didn’t understand how or who, but obliged anyway, just to gain peace and control of his mind once again.

  When back on the highway, Ullric made contact with the Master of the junk and found everything was going according to plan. There would be no time to search for the troublesome youngsters, if they weren’t with Myvanwy he would deal with them later.

  Sehloho smiled to himself. He gazed out of the window as the outer suburbs rushed by, to be replaced with endless wire fencing and the dark outline of trees along the highway. Quite different to the vast open expanse he was used to. The cold night air bit into him. It was nearly as cold and frosty as their fellow passengers, who thankfully now slept as their heads rolled about in an effort to compensate for the bus’s suspension.

  Stupid people really! Just like Ullric and Sandor who thought they could use him whenever they wanted. If they didn’t find dragons this time, they would be of no further use. But if they did, and there really was treasure to be found… he smiled a wicked grin.

  Ullric and Sandor exchanged glances in the moonlight. Assuming the venture before them went as planned, Sehloho would share the dragons’ fate.

  The bus reached the city just after midnight. It let them off in the city centre, where they hailed a cab and gave it directions to the nearby fishing village and jetty at the entrance of the bay. By contrast the cab was warm and the seats more comfortable as they sped down the peninsular highway. They paid the fare on arrival at their destination and retrieved their luggage from the cab’s boot as the junk came into view.

  The jetty was deserted as the three travellers walked its length and descended to the small landing at the end to wait.

  The junk came alongside, the dwindling supply of diesel fuel in 44 gallon drums lashed midship. A crewman slipped a rope over a bollard and held the vessel long enough for them to jump aboard, and then let it drift away again, so it could turn and steam back out through the heads.

  The crewman picked up the luggage and led the way to their cabin. Once there, Ullric was relieved to find everything as they had left it—the junk’s Master had followed his instructions well. Ullric rummaged through his luggage until he found the whisky and some glasses.

  ‘The things we do,’ he said, and Sandor joined him as he drank.

  ‘Make sure the junk’s Master has the correct bearings for the island and see that I’m not dis
turbed,’ Ullric said. Afterward he lay back on his bunk and projected into the astral, then headed straight for the caves to reconnoitre, while Sandor went about his errand.

  On reaching the island Ullric was relieved to find the dragons at home. He stopped to admire both as they busily chomped their way through a sheep carcass each—blissfully unaware they were being watched.

  He found the teenagers inside on the bed. They were a bonus, a gift, and he would kill them without compunction rather than risk letting them fall into Sehloho’s hands. A pity, such talent! In other circumstances they may have been turned and become allies instead.

  A quick inspection of the caves revealed balloons and a sign—a birthday party, how nice. Then over in a corner of the main cavern sat the remnants of a hot air balloon—the catalyst that had brought about such an unlikely alliance in the first place. There was nothing to suggest awareness of their impending peril—certainly no evidence of arming or resistance. He lingered in the treasure room to gaze upon the green, red and blue gems that sparkled throughout the piles of gold, visible in the half-light. Ullric dragged himself away and returned to the junk to report his findings.

  Sandor watched as he stirred on his bunk and sat upright.

  ‘Well, are they there?’

  ‘Go, summon Sehloho,’ Ullric replied, and then poured another whisky while he waited for Sandor to return.

  Sehloho arrived a little later.

  ‘Well Gentlemen, I hope good news is in order.’

  ‘As a matter of fact it is,’ Ullric informed him.

  ‘Both dragons are home along with the two youngsters. There seems to be no sign of movement or defence and the treasure room is intact. I’d say our plan has succeeded beyond our wildest expectations.’

  He filled three glasses and they toasted the venture before consulting a map of the island to co-ordinate the attack. Sehloho’s face was deadpan, but inside he was jubilant that the gamble had seemingly paid off. He listened attentively as the plan unfolded and then afterwards took the map and hurried out.

  He descended into the cramped quarters in the foc’sle and found his men seated on bunks either side, oiling their weapons in readiness. The smell of gun oil mingled with the odour of sweat and dampness to assail his nostrils as the six dark faces turned expectantly towards him, the whites of their eyes and teeth just visible in the shadow of the one weak yellow light that hung above.