Atherton #3: The Dark Planet (No. 3) (29 page)

"I don't know who it is, and I don't care," said Vasher, who

banged his hand against the glass nervously as he moved.

A little farther on he came to another metal door. This one didn't

have a combination lock and was, in fact, rather ancient in its

design. It had a regular knob along with a long row of bolt locks

that could be turned. There was a gold plate on the door with

black letters: THE YARDS.

"Now all we have to do is wait for Hope," said Edgar.

They all looked back at the open door to Dr. Harding's

laboratory and Teagan said what they were all thinking.

"She'd better get here soon."

CHAPTER 23ON GOSSAMER'S

WINGS

"We'd better move to the side," said Samuel. "We don't want to

get clobbered when Gossamer comes through."

But Isabel felt differently about how to respond as the dragon

approached, and she started back in the direction from which

they'd come.

"Isabel! Get back here!" Samuel called as she disappeared up

the narrow way toward the sound of breaking rocks. "He'll

smash you to bits if you're not careful."

Gossamer had already broken through the better part of the way

to the ledge. Isabel was close enough that she was at risk of

being hit by a flying boulder.

"Gossamer! Stop!" she shouted.

The pounding abated and rocks tumbled to the ground until all

was still, like a storm coming quickly to its end. Gossamer's

head and long neck emerged through the opening. On seeing

Isabel he bellowed warmly and Isabel felt his hot breath push

her hair back.

"Isabel? Are you all right?" asked Samuel, who had come up

close behind her. The light in the narrow way glowed orange

from behind them, dancing on Gossamer's black horn and

scales. He was the most powerful thing they'd ever seen. Was

there anything that could stop him?

Gossamer shook his head and growled, pulling one front claw

forward and ripping stones back. He was careful not to blast

through and send a shower of boulders over Isabel or Samuel.

Gossamer's other front claw came next, and soon he was back

at it, pounding his huge claws into the rock wal s and blowing

them apart behind him.

"Take it easy," said Isabel, backing up toward the edge.

Gossamer stopped once more and seemed to listen, tilting his

head to the side and raising one pointed ear. "There's an edge

here. You don't want to fall off."

Gossamer couldn't have understood them--or could he? His

head went up and down and he breathed little bolts of fire from

his nose.

"I love this creature," said Samuel, smiling at the thought of a

beast this big he could call his friend.

Gossamer cut his way through what remained of the tunnel.

When he emerged into the open and stood on the ledge with

Isabel and Samuel, they were struck by how large he was. They

now realized that he'd been crouching all the while, never really

standing at full size. And he had been muted in shadows until

they were able to see him in the full light.

"He's huge," said Isabel, her voice shaking as she took in the

view of the magnificent and frightening creature standing at full

height in front of her.

"Let's make sure to keep him on our side," said Samuel. "I don't

want him turning on us."

"He would never do that," said Isabel. Something about the way

his neck craned low and his face came near, sniffing and

carefully nudging her with the side of his nose, told her that

Gossamer would never stop trying to protect them.

"What do we do now?" asked Samuel, looking across the

steaming river of fire.

"I wonder..." said Isabel. She held out a shiny black fig and

Gossamer took an immediate interest in it. He sniffed it, almost

sucking the dried fig right into his nose, then tentatively put his

tongue out and touched it. It was a tiny treat, but a treat

nonetheless, and he rolled it around on his tongue as if it were

a candy. The hard, dry fig dissolved as if burned by acid until it

was gone.

Gossamer raised his head and turned away. It was a good thing

he did, because the next moment he sneezed. It was a firefilled

roar of air that shot down through the open space. He coughed

briefly, wisps of black smoke exiting his nose.

"I think he liked that," said Samuel, for Gossamer appeared to

be smiling as he turned to Isabel and sniffed for more.

Isabel took out her sling and loaded a second dried fig from her

pouch.

"Back up a little," said Isabel, and Gossamer obeyed.

Isabel put the dried fig into her sling and began twirling it over

her head. Gossamer's black eyes watched carefully as the fig

went round and round.

"You're not going to do what I think you are?" asked Samuel.

He'd sat on the wings and knew they were small and frail. He

knew Dr. Harding hated flying things. Samuel had assumed... "I

don't think he can fly," said Samuel. "What if he jumps out over

the ledge and we lose him?"

"He can fly," said Isabel, swinging the fig faster and faster. "But

how do you know? Dr. Harding hated flying things. What if he

made Gossamer so he couldn't fly?"

"He made the Nubian. They can fly."

Samuel had to admit this was true, but he was afraid for

Gossamer. He could imagine the black dragon jumping for the

fig and falling, clawing his way along the rocks as he fell to his

death.

"I don't think you should do it, Isabel," said Samuel. "I have a

bad feeling about it."

But Isabel was completely convinced. She imagined Dr.

Harding making this glorious creature and how he would have

wanted
to make it flightless. But he would see how it was made

to fly and wouldn't be able to stop himself. The temptation of

seeing it floating on air would have been too much.

"He can fly," said Isabel, and she let the fig go.

SNAP! FOOSH!

The fig sailed through the open air. Gossamer leaped after it,

but no wings emerged from his sides. The wings Isabel and

Samuel had ridden on didn't appear at all. Instead, the great

black beast dropped like a rock, pointing its horned head down

into the wide river of fire.

"You've killed him!" he cried. "I told you not to do it, but you

wouldn't listen!"

Isabel and Samuel dashed to the edge. The fig sailed fast and

true toward the other side where the raised stone platform sat

waiting. They both watched Gossamer. He kept falling, and

Isabel began to doubt. Could she have been wrong? A panic

rose in her throat as she thought of what she'd done. She would

never forgive herself.

But then, the wings unfurled like a fan and the children saw that

there was more to these wings than they'd originally thought.

They had only seen one of the many folds in Gossamer's

hidden wings back in the yards. Now they snapped all the way

open.

"He's beautiful," said Isabel, so pleased that she had been right.

Gossamer sailed through a foggy layer of firebugs--which didn't

affect him in the least--and then gracefully turned and started

back up the ravine. He rose even faster than he'd fallen,

flapping his long wings and crying into the open air.

"I can't see the fig, can you?" said Samuel, searching for any

sign of movement.

"That's because he just ate it," said Isabel. Gossamer had

turned and was now coming toward them. Samuel couldn't help

backing up toward the tunnel.

"Come on, Isabel. Let him land without having to worry about

knocking us down."

Isabel agreed this was probably a good idea. The wind alone

might sweep her off her feet. She darted back into the tunnel as

Gossamer landed. He appeared to be very pleased with himself

as he spread his black lips. The fig rolled on his tongue, where

it sizzled and steamed.

"Well done!" said Isabel. Gossamer responded by rocking his

head up and down happily, bumping it on the ceiling of the

tunnel without seeming to notice.

"Better wait here while he sneezes," said Samuel. And sure

enough, a moment later, Gossamer leaned out over the edge

and sneezed even more powerfully than the previous time.

"How many more of those do you have?" asked Samuel. "He

really likes them."

Isabel fished around in her pouch and pulled out a dried fig.

"This is the last one."

Gossamer was back, sniffing at Isabel's hand as she looked at

Samuel.

"Do you want to finish what we started?" asked Isabel. "Are you

asking me to ride a black dragon across a river of fire?"

Isabel nodded and smiled. It sounded ridiculous when he said it

that way, but it was precisely what she was thinking. Samuel

didn't answer so much as give her a look that said,
If you're

crazy enough to do it, so am I.
He half expected her to lose her

nerve, but if she didn't, how could he give up the chance to

finish such a marvelous adventure?

"I need you to wait this time," Isabel said as she brushed past

Gossamer's head on her way back to the ledge. "Can you do

that for me?" She hoped he would let the fig sail all the way

across this time before trying to retrieve it. "And there's

something else," she continued, pulling the sling from her belt

and placing the fig inside. "Can you take us with you?"

Gossamer turned his head as if he was trying to understand.

Samuel stepped closer and pointed to Gossamer's folded wing,

then to himself and Isabel.

"Can we ride across with you?" he asked.

Gossamer seemed to weigh what had been asked of him. He

looked out over the flaming river and the distance across,

sniffing instinctively. As he did this Isabel started swinging the

sling until it was humming in a fast, wide circle. She watched

the stone platform on the other side with great intensity as

Samuel motioned Gossamer to wait.

"Stay, Gossamer. Don't go anywhere yet."

SNAP! FOOSH!

The fig was gone and Gossamer almost couldn't stop himself. If

not for Isabel's cry of "Wait!" the black dragon might have gone

without them, but as it was he watched intently until the fig

reached its target, bounced along the surface of the pillar of

stone, and disappeared on the other side.

"You really are an amazing shot with that thing," said Samuel.

"Thank you," said Isabel. She liked the way it felt to impress him

as she stood in front of Gossamer's shaking legs. He was so

eager to go it was all he could do to stay put. Gossamer took

one last look back into the tunnel and down at Isabel.

"I don't want to go that way," she said. Then she pointed toward

the pillar on the other side. "I want to go over there."

Gossamer crouched on the ledge and laid out the first fold of his

wings as he'd done for them before. Samuel climbed on one

side and Isabel on the other, each lying on the soft, leathery fold

of a wing.

"What do we hold on to?" asked Samuel, groping for a hold.

Isabel called back: "The top edge doesn't have any thorns. Can

you shimmy up and grab hold?"

Samuel got up on his knees and crawled forward until he

reached the top edge of the wing. He found it was sticky and

sandpapery, thick like the growing limb of a tree.

"I've got it!" he said, lying flat and feeling more secure.

Gossamer glanced over each shoulder to be sure they were

holding on tight. If he was going to have riders, they would need

to be on tight or risk being thrown off as he flapped and flew.

Looking out over the deep chasm, Gossamer roared and blew a

stream of red fire and black smoke.

"Here we go!" said Isabel.

Gossamer jumped, but this time he didn't wait to unfold the rest

of his wings. The moment he was away from the ledge the full

length of his wings were out and they glided smoothly through

the air.

"Woooooohooooooo!" yelled Samuel as he heard Isabel's

uncontained laughter.

They sailed through warm air and, halfway there, Gossamer

turned down enough for both of them to see the mist of blue

firebugs and the raging red river below. As they gained speed

Samuel began to wonder if he could hold on, but then

Gossamer leveled off and turned to the right. Samuel and Isabel

slid along the wings until they leveled off once more.

Riding on Gossamer's wings was the most exhilarating thing

either of them had ever done and they wished it would never

end. But when the wings tipped back they both realized at once

that they would soon be landing. This would be the most

dangerous part, because Gossamer couldn't avoid a certain

amount of flapping as he tried to slow down. The wings tipped

even more and the quick flapping began. One of Isabel's hands

lost its grip and she let go, spinning wildly on Gossamer's wing

as he touched down and came to an abrupt stop.

"You did it, Gossamer! You did it!" said Samuel. He couldn't

bring himself to climb out of the cozy space. Neither could

Isabel. The memory of flying was so near it made them both

want to hold on to the moment forever.