Myvanwy and the House of Dragon Read online

  The pickings were slimmer along their chosen path. Clare harvested the heads of some wild oats to husk later, while Josh settled on a mixture of green-leafed grasses for a garnish and to aid in digestion. They came back via the lighthouse along the same stretch of beach as the day before, but this time Josh searched for sea sponge.

  ‘Why sponge?’ Clare asked.

  ‘As a cleaning aid, but mainly for teeth.’

  They came across various types along the way, stopping to try each until they found some they were satisfied with. Other than that there was only the odd bit of rope or line that caught their eye.

  After the walk they had breakfast and then retrieved the repair kit from the wicker basket. Myvanwy and Sweet Pea were still eating and watched as they returned to their quarters.

  Forewarned

  Clare opened the repair kit and pulled out a large square nylon patch. She studied it for the best way to cut, while Josh sat in the sand and sharpened a knife on a stone.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

  ‘Making a spear.’

  ‘What in heavens name for?’

  ‘Just in case we’re attacked again.’

  He looked over to the square of cloth she held.

  ‘You should get two pairs out of that, at least.’

  ‘Yes, but how to go about it, that’s the problem.’

  He studied it a moment longer, ‘Maybe cut four triangles and join two in the middle.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  He drew a diagram in the sand.

  ‘Although the back would have to be bigger than the front. You can cut more from the envelope if you want.’

  Clare held the cloth up to her waist for a moment.

  ‘Way too much work,’ she said, and then looked over at the growing collection of flotsam.

  ‘There is another way, you know. I was thinking of what you said last night, about using tape. Why not use a small diameter rope with a piece of cloth in-between?’

  Josh whistled at her audacity.

  ‘You’re not going native, are you?’

  ‘Perhaps,’ she said, defending the idea.

  ‘That is if you can help me join some rope.’

  Clare went over to the flotsam and sorted through the different types of rope they had found.

  She finally decided on a light flax fibre length and put it around her waist to show Josh what she wanted.

  Josh studied the problem anew, ‘Or perhaps you could leave it unjoined, similar to a belt,’ he offered.

  ‘How do you mean?’

  He put a small loop at one end of the rope and then fastened it around her waist with a weaver’s knot.

  ‘Something like that. Only I can splice the ends for you.’

  ‘Perfect,’ she said, impressed with the simplicity of the solution.

  ‘Do you want a pair as well?’

  ‘No thanks, I can live without them. I’ll use this pair for swimming and Sundays.’

  ‘I think I’ll do the same with my bra.’

  They both sat working industriously until Myvanwy poked her head into their quarters.

  ‘My, my, what is going on here?’ she said, looking at Josh as he bound the sharpened knife to his walking stick.

  ‘Going to slay some dragons, are we?’

  ‘Why do you bother asking, Myvanwy. You know the answer. Besides, anyone who can kiss as good as you, is pretty safe.’

  ‘Do you think so or are you just pulling my leg?’

  Josh stopped what he was doing and walked over to her, smiling as they made eye contact, then put a hand on her neck before kissing her cheek again

  ‘You’d better look out, Sister. You’ve got some serious competition,’ Myvanwy told Clare.

  She turned to go, ‘The news is on in five minutes.’

  ‘Goodness, look at the time. Maybe I’ll take this with me and do some sewing while the movie is on,’ Clare said, as she gathered up her work.

  ‘Good idea,’ Josh said, picking up the flax fibre rope and half-finished spear.

  Sweet Pea lay curled-up in the sand in front of the television set.

  ‘Been busy have we?’ he said.

  All eyes swung to watch as the news began, but there was no mention of the two missing teenagers.

  The afternoon movie showed next. It was Herman Melville’s classic tale of Moby Dick, and Sweet Pea sat glued to the set. Even Josh paid attention as it appealed to his adventurous nature, while Clare applied herself to her sewing and only looked up occasionally.

  During the ads Sweet Pea regaled them with tales of tall ships that had plied the waters around them and of the whales that once abounded. He eagerly absorbed each movie character’s persona and readily identified with Moby Dick, cheering at the end upon Ahab’s demise.

  Josh realised that Baal and Myvanwy would have indeed been around before white men came to these parts. They would have witnessed the passing of countless species over the years and no doubt passed such knowledge on. Both Sweet Pea and Josh agreed on the classic status of the film before Josh gave his apologies and went to gather the lines to go fishing.

  Clare went also, but was content to put the finishing touches to her sewing job. She sat on the rock ledge and made full use of the thimble and dolly provided in the seaman’s housewife.

  Josh looked at the water while he fished, and sensed a change in the weather. Instead of the usual gentle lap of the water, it was now more agitated and slapped the rocks instead. The colour had changed also, maybe because of being stirred or just reflecting the greying skies. It didn’t stop the fish from biting, they liked the offal served up to them. The only trouble was keeping it on the hook.

  Later the storm hit with a fury. Rain lashed down and lightning flashed across the night sky as the teenagers prepared tea. Josh cooked the fish while Clare prepared the rest of the food. She chopped the garnish and then husked the oats before pounding and putting them in a pan of water to soak, before cooking them briefly after the fish had been done. They ate while listening to the storm as it raged outside and then took the leftover fish to the dragons in the main cavern when finished.

  ‘Mm, yummy,’ said Sweet Pea.

  ‘How is everything going with you two? Is there anything you need?’ Myvanwy asked.

  ‘Could use some soap,’ Josh volunteered.

  ‘Any particular brand?’

  ‘Plain bars of laundry soap will do fine.’

  ‘And what about you?’ Myvanwy asked Clare, who went over beside her and whispered in her ear.

  ‘Oh! I’ll see what I can do,’ she told her, ‘but definitely not tonight, it’s not flying weather at all, I’m afraid.’

  The two bid the dragons’ goodnight and retired to their quarters. Josh was first into bed and Clare lingered a little longer. She tried on her handiwork and asked Josh for his opinion.

  ‘Well, what do you think?’

  She stood in the candlelight wearing only the track-suit top along with the sash and flax fibre on her bare hips. Josh’s mouth went dry and he was momentarily speechless. She turned around to complete the picture before pulling on the rest of her night attire.

  Finally he got his voice back, ‘You’re a good seamstress and an even better model,’ he said, reaching for her. He kissed her passionately, only stopping when the wind picked up and howled only metres away outside the cave.

  ‘Have you ever had a girlfriend, Josh?’

  ‘Not really, maybe a crush on someone a long time ago. Why, does it show?’ he asked, but her face was in shadow and unfathomable. ‘You’ll have to instruct me in the art of being a boyfriend, I’m afraid.’

  She climbed in beside him and held his hand as they both drifted off to sleep.

  In the morning the storm had cleared, leaving small grey clouds scattered across the sky and the air decidedly fresher. Josh woke first. He looked down on Clare’s sleeping face and kissed her awake. She stretched and hugged him, then disentangled herself before leaving the bed to start the
new day.

  Clare was first down to the beach and stood shivering with one toe in the water. She watched as Josh walked up with his spear.

  ‘Aren’t you going in?’ he asked.

  ‘Brrr … it’s too cold. I might just have a quick wash. Besides, the clothes will never dry in this weather.’

  Josh stripped down to his briefs and entered the water, opting to plunge under the waves to sluice himself off. On rising again he splashed Clare. She squealed and chased him in an effort to get even. The two finally fell together, holding and kissing each other when they re-emerged, oblivious of the cold wind and water about them. They parted reluctantly and made their way back to the beach to towel off and dress before going in search of more food.

  The teenagers crested the hill—Josh determined to see if the next island was visible from there. He could just make it out on the horizon. Evidently it wasn’t as high as theirs.

  Afterwards they gathered some dock and dandelion leaf for greens that night, along with some more mushrooms. Josh was aware that they would have to find a substitute for them when the season ended. He made a mental note to ask Myvanwy what it was that Reggie and the others had existed on.

  ‘It should be good pickings on the beach today,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t know—we’ve been over it a few times now.’

  ‘Yes, but last night’s storm would have dumped a week’s worth of flotsam ashore.’

  As soon as they hit the beach they could see the evidence of his words—the sea divesting itself of all manner of debris in its fury. It had pushed it up to the high-tide line amongst the seagrass already there. They shopped selectively, occasionally scoring fishing line or floats as well as an odd pair of thongs from amongst the paper, bottles, plastic bags and rope.

  The beachcombers finally came within sight of the cave and looked up to see a huge sea creature as it sniffed cautiously around the entrance before going in. They were amazed. This monster was huge—much bigger than the last one, and Josh wondered if Myvanwy could survive such an attack or if she was even awake.

  He turned to Clare and said, ‘Shall we?’

  She nodded and they ran toward the cave entrance while shouting out a warning to the dragons inside.

  Josh attacked the exposed half of the Sea Creature with his spear as the sound of battle erupted from inside when Myvanwy entered the fight. Clare sheltered to one side, unable to help anymore—the creature’s tail thrashing about furiously as Josh cut and sliced at its body.

  ‘Better run for it Clare, this thing’s going to come out angrier than all hell!’

  He ran the blade of his spear along its flank to open up a gaping wound and then probed deeper into the flesh to infuriate it until finally the creature backed out to confront him. Myvanwy followed and kept the fight up to the creature. Josh saw that it could go either way, so he ran past them and into the cave. He went as far as the balloon basket and grabbed one of the spare gas bottles before racing back out again. The sea creature was gaining the upper hand, so Josh hovered as close to the conflict as he could, while waiting for the right moment. When it came, he opened the valve on the gas cylinder and then threw it past the sea creature’s razor sharp teeth, and into its cavernous mouth.

  ‘Breathe fire Myvanwy, breathe fire!’

  The creature was angered by the new attack. It bit down hard to crush and puncture the aluminium cylinder it held it in its vice-like jaws, and shook its head about in a fit of rage. Myvanwy poured an extended fiery breath that ignited the cloud of escaping gas, and exploded the ruptured cylinder. The resulting shrapnel took most of the creature’s head along with it—leaving pieces of jawbone strewn over the surrounding area, and a bloodied gaping maw in its place.

  The fight was over as suddenly as it had started. The sea creature dropped lifeless to the sand, leaving the surviving combatants numbed by the ferocity of the fight. They stood and gazed at their dead foe in the silence.

  Clare ran down from her vantage point and Sweet Pea emerged from the cave to view the carnage. No one spoke as they took in the scene. Finally Josh turned to Myvanwy and saw how much the fight had taken out of her.

  ‘Are you alright?’ he asked.

  ‘I am now, thanks to you,’ she said, and then looked up at the gulls circling overhead.

  ‘Tell me—was the fishing boat at anchor on the lee side today?’

  Josh shook his head.

  ‘Good. Then it will be safe to leave this mess here until tonight,’ she said, and then turned and limped back into the cave. Sweet Pea took another look around at the carnage before following his mother inside.

  Clare and Josh retrieved the bags of flotsam and food before retiring to their own quarters to rest quietly—somewhat dazed by the recent events. Finally Josh glanced at his watch and rose to eat breakfast. They washed and ate in silence before going to refill the water bottles. The teenagers took extra bottles with them and went out into the main cavern, only to find it empty.

  They found Myvanwy licking her wounds in the Temple of Baal, with Sweet Pea curled up beside her.

  ‘Just getting some water,’ Josh explained, as they continued on to the Well of Content.

  They filled the bottles and then drank heartily from one to slake their thirst before refilling it again. Josh viewed the well-trodden path in the half light that streamed through the cracks and fissures in the ceiling. It reflected off the surface of the water to partially illuminate the area about them.

  ‘Dragons must have been drinking at this pool for hundreds of years, maybe more,’ he said. Both of them paused a few minutes longer to absorb its serenity before making their way back.

  Myvanwy and Sweet Pea were still in the centre of the Temple, so Josh stopped to ask, ‘Is Sweet Pea watching the movie today?’

  ‘He will be along shortly, you two start without him.’

  ‘But Mum …’

  ‘Also I wish to speak to both of you after the film. I’ll be waiting here.’

  Josh and Clare took the water back to their quarters and then returned to sit in front of the television. The news highlighted road traffic conditions and a story on a banker’s greed, followed by another on a drug bust. The broadcast ended with a good luck story of siblings reuniting after fifty years. The stories drifted in and out of their ears before going on to the weather. Josh finally turned away and gave Clare his undivided attention, the two kissing playfully as they lay in front of the set.

  ‘What’s on?’ Sweet Pea asked, on his arrival.

  Both turned to look at him and shrugged.

  ‘Oh…’ he said, and leaned forward in an effort to decipher the film.

  ‘Say, Mum thinks it’s incredible what you did for us today, and so do I.’

  ‘Were you up, did you see it coming?’ Josh asked.

  ‘No, that’s the thing. We were still asleep. You two had already engaged the sea creature by the time we woke,’ Sweet Pea informed them.

  Josh nodded and finally turned his attention to the film. It was an old one full of mystery and intrigue, which for some reason held all three captive until it ended.

  When it did, Josh got to his feet and said, ‘We’d better go.’

  Clare joined him, ‘Catch you later, Sweet Pea.’

  They made their way back to the Temple of Baal where Myvanwy waited. She raised her head from the floor of the cave where it had been resting, to bid them welcome.

  ‘I want to thank you both again for what you did today.’

  Josh waved his hand expansively, ‘It was nothing. You would have done the same for us.’

  ‘Maybe—I’m not as young and devil-may-care as you. I’ve also got a lot more to lose as well,’ she confessed. ‘Besides, I’ve never in all my years seen a sea creature as big as that—it must have been the granddaddy of them all. In years gone by we had Baal here to protect us—he was Lord and Master of all he surveyed. Now sadly, it’s just Sweet Pea and myself. This is the second time you’ve come to our rescue and it shouldn’t go
unrewarded. Even before this I was thinking of a way that we might still work together while giving you your freedom, although there is still one test of loyalty left.’

  Josh and Clare looked at each other, horrified.

  ‘But what if we don’t want to go back just yet?’ said Clare.

  A smile came to Myvanwy’s face, ‘You two lovebirds, really!’

  The two teenagers relaxed visibly and started to breathe again.

  ‘No, I was thinking that maybe the two of you could become agents of ours in the outside world. Keep us up-to-date with changing technology and maybe do some investing on our behalf. You don’t have to of course, but if you agree we could discuss the prospect over the next few weeks, prior to your going home.’

  ‘And if we do agree, does that mean we can come back and visit?’ Josh queried.

  ‘Yes, of course. How else are we going to strategise? Besides, it will give you more time with Sweet Pea. I’m sure he’d like that, I know I will.’

  ‘Perhaps you could come and visit us also. That is, when Sweet Pea can fly again,’ Clare added.

  ‘There, you see! Now that’s what I call forward thinking,’ Myvanwy exclaimed.

  Clare and Josh looked at each other, the possibilities jumping out at them. They turned as one, ‘Yes, we’d like that very much.’

  ‘There is a price to pay, you know.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘There is a blood oath involved, which is passed on to future generations of direct lineage,’ she informed them.

  ‘Why?’ Clare asked.

  ‘Because as you know, dragons live a lot longer than humans, so once things are put in place they need to be maintained. You may want to think about it a while.’

  The young couple looked into each other’s eyes for a moment more.

  ‘We agree,’ said Clare.

  ‘Good, then it’s settled. We’ll start your training tomorrow, but tonight we’re going on a little trip, so be prepared. Now go.’

  The teenagers went back to collect the fishing line, Josh taking one of the tangled finds to unravel and use as well. They walked past the carcass of the sea creature, now covered with a cloud of squabbling gulls and carrion-eating birds of every kind. Once at the waters edge Clare sat on the ledge and fished, while Josh slowly untangled the knotted mess and wound the freed nylon onto a stick. Each of them lost in thought.