Authors: Andy Holland
"Well, well," her father commented. "Aren't you going to say hello, Crystal?"
Crystal snapped out of her stupor and took John's hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said formally, without a trace of warmth. His hand was cold and clammy and repelled her. She shuddered as she pulled away.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you," John added. "I've heard a lot about you."
Crystal bridled at this comment. What could he possibly know about her? "What have you heard then?" She glared at him angrily.
John hesitated, not expecting this coldness. "A conversation for another time, perhaps. Please, enjoy your party. I need to speak to your mother." With that, John turned around and left the room.
Crystal was furious. How dare he refuse to answer his question, and what business did he have with her mother? She started to follow him, but her father placed one hand on her shoulder to restrain her and took her to the side to speak to her.
"Why are you so angry, Crystal? I thought you'd be pleased to meet him."
"Because he has my hair colour?" she whispered the question to him, but her voice was angry. "That means nothing to me. It shouldn't mean anything to anyone. And what's he speaking to mother for?"
"I couldn't tell you," her father replied. "He didn't mention to me that he wanted to speak to her."
"Well he shouldn't! I don't know him, and he means nothing to me. He shouldn't presume that we have any link."
Her father sighed. "I invited him because he will be in your class and because he's new to Furnace and doesn't know anyone, which is what you two have in common, well, other than you knowing your cousin. I really don't know why he annoyed you so much, but I'm sorry if I've spoiled your party. Please, go back to your friends. Jenna will cheer you up. Next time I'll ask before inviting people to your party."
Crystal nodded and walked back to join the others. She knew that she had overreacted to John, but didn't really believe her father; she was sure that he had assumed that she would want to meet this boy because of his hair. As if she wanted to be reminded that she was different.
When she reached Jenna, she found that her cousin was flirting shamelessly with Prince Arthur as his sister was talking with her Uncle. It occurred to her that transforming into a dragon probably affected Jenna's thinking more than most, seeing how obsessed she was with boys. She didn't see John again at the party and quickly put him out of her mind, hoping that she wouldn't have to see him at school and could forget him completely.
Perak stood up and turned to face his men. Two of them were sat leaning against tree trunks, their legs sprawled in front of them staring into space. The other four all sat along a fallen branch, looking tired but alert. He knew the names of just two of them, Ivan and Eric, and didn't care to know the names of the others. Ivan and Eric were the veterans of the group, experienced Flight Leaders who were likely to return, but the others... well, if he lost one it would spoil his record but he wouldn't lose any sleep over it. His superiors would consider it a success if he returned with three, but he couldn't treat their lives with the same disregard that the other officers did. Not because he had any affection for them, but as they were valuable resources; highly trained Blue Dragon warriors, vital in their fight against the Reds.
The men all looked up at him, waiting for his command, but had the sense to remain silent until he was ready for them to leave. He nodded, and they all rose to their feet quickly and lined up in front of him for his inspection.
"You," he hissed quietly at the nearest man, "fix your hat." A lock of blue hair was poking out, and the young man mumbled an apology as he fumbled with his hat, trying to push the offending hairs back underneath.
"Silence!" Perak spat. "I care nothing for your apologies. Do it properly." He snatched the hat off the young soldier, revealing long curly hair that tumbled to the man's shoulders. The man quickly tied up his hair before replacing his hat and standing to attention.
"That's your first warning," Perak growled at him. "The next time it happens
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for any of you," he added for the benefit of the others, "I'll shave your head. Using my sword." He turned to the blushing offender and said, "Your hair is too long. Next break, trim it. Your vanity is putting us all at risk."
He glared at the men, and then nodded again before turning towards the path and starting a slow jog. His men fell in behind him, moving noiselessly through the forest. This route was a reliable one, and they were unlikely to meet anyone, but Perak didn't like taking chances and forbid any talking while they ran. He encouraged them to concentrate on pacing lightly, so even their footsteps were hard to hear.
It was their fifth and final day of travelling by foot
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something he hated
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but he had no one but himself to blame for this. The operation, and the approach taken by this operation and all the previous operations this year, were being run according to a proposal he himself had put forward. Two years ago, General Zygar had selected him as part of an elite group tasked with thinking of innovative ways to attack their enemies, the Red and Brown Dragons. This had been his suggestion, which was instrumental in his fast progression up the ranks. But the jogging didn't bother Perak. He was tall and athletically built, and could maintain this pace all day. If his men found the pace challenging, they knew better than to show it. Perak had made it very clear what he thought of those who showed any weakness.
Their target was a small village with twenty or thirty inhabitants, probably all associated with the lumber trade. Perak had selected the village himself, having carefully made this journey alone just three weeks ago, and had spent two days carefully observing the village. No other squadron commander invested as much effort in researching their missions as he did, which explained both why so few enjoyed as much success as he did, and why he had such a promising career ahead of him.
The path opened into a sunny clearing, and too late to stop, Perak found himself face to face with three men that were sat down on a log, finishing their lunch. They looked as surprised to see the seven joggers as Perak was to see the three men.
"Why, hello," the nearer of the three men said. "What are you all doing out here?"
For a second, Perak froze, staring at the man in shock. The one who had addressed him looked quite old, probably fifty or sixty years old at least. The other two men were much younger, and judging by their facial features, could have been his children. All three had bright red hair.
"Um, well, what are you doing out here?" one of the two younger men asked, repeating the older man's question.
Perak shook himself, remembering that his men wouldn't say anything unless instructed to by him. He prayed that he could pull off the accent.
"Sorry," he said, "just trying to catch my breath." He smiled. "We're just passing through. We've been camping, in the valleys to the south."
The men exchanged glances. "Can't say we get many people camping around here," the third man in the group observed.
"You'd think there would be more," the older man countered proudly. "Most beautiful place in the kingdom," he claimed. "Our little secret," he added with a smile.
"It is beautiful," Perak agreed. "The last valley, with the small lake, that was truly something."
"Ah, that's my favourite," the older man exclaimed. "If you'd visited earlier in the year, you would have been amazed by the flowers that grow there."
The second man who had spoken frowned. "But why are you walking? It must have taken two days to get here on foot."
"Not so long," Perak replied. "It's good for you to travel by foot sometimes. You'll live longer."
"Say, if you don't mind me observing, you have an unusual accent. Where did you say you came from?"
Perak hesitated; he was hoping to avoid this subject. "I didn't, and that would be a hard question to answer, as I have moved around a lot."
"Your friends don't talk much," the third man observed. "Are you their spokesman?"
"Now, now," the older man objected, "don't pry." He turned to Perak. "Well, we're about finished here, so we should get back to work..." his voice trailed off, and he was staring hard at one of Perak's men. Perak turned to see what he was looking at, and he froze when he saw that the same idiot he had warned before had given them away. A lock of blue hair had fallen from his hat, and was dangling against his cheek. How had he not felt it there and concealed it? Perak turned back to the old man, whose face had turned white.
"What is it, Uncle?" one of the two younger men asked. Perak saw his uncle turn to him and mouth the words "blue hair" before he ripped off his shirt and began to transform, with his nephew following closely behind.
"Change!" Perak ordered, before quickly drawing a knife and throwing it at the nearest young man. The knife struck his neck, sinking deep into his throat, and the man fell to the ground, clutching the knife and blood pouring from the wound. Perak's second knife hit the neck of the third man, but was deflected by the thick scales that had already formed. He dropped the third knife he had already drawn, and began his own transformation, shifting shape as fast he could. He was fast, and was safely transformed before - the first burst of flames struck, causing some pain
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as the Reds had hotter flames than they did
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but no real damage. Two Red Dragons now stood opposite them, glaring at them with hatred. Perak cursed his luck; they should have been able to avoid any confrontation in these uninhabited forests.
Eric, Ivan!
he commanded, silently communicating his thoughts telepathically.
Form two groups and try and split them up.
Before Ivan and Eric could react, one of the youngsters in his group decided to take the initiative and charged, screaming like a fool. The lad sent a fireball at the Red Dragon to the left, which Perak assumed was the nephew, before springing to attack him. The Red Dragon appeared to be unfazed by the fireball, and swung a massive claw at the youngster's head as he neared. The young Blue Dragon was fast, and managed to duck underneath the attack, swiping back as he passed by his opponent and raking the Red Dragon's shoulder with his own claws. The scratches drew blood, but the Red Dragon hardly noticed, the thick scales on his shoulder preventing any real damage. The young Blue Dragon was fast and skilful, but he was playing a deadly game. The Red Dragon turned and lunged at him, slashing again with his claws, and yet again the young Blue dodged and managed to land a blow on the Red Dragon's other shoulder. He danced around him, growing in confidence as he continued to evade the stronger, but slower dragon's attacks. The Red Dragon lunged at him yet again, determined to catch him with his powerful claws and once more he dodged, but instead of retreating he then leapt forwards, jaws aimed at the Red Dragon's throat, moving for a swift kill. He was so focused on the first dragon that he never saw the attack coming from the second. The second Red Dragon had been hanging back and carefully studying the young Blue's movements, and when he saw him moving in for the kill, struck with jaw agape, seizing him by the throat. Perak had seen comrades caught in the jaws of Red Dragons once before, and knew the outcome immediately. The Red Dragon pulled his long neck and head back and upwards, lifting the young Blue Dragon clear from the ground before shaking his head violently from side to side and then tossing him forwards to land between the two groups of dragons, where he landed sprawled on his back, motionless. The younger Red Dragon stepped forwards and slashed his razor sharp claws along his exposed belly, opening a terrible wound, but it was a futile move, as the young Blue was already dead, his throat wide open and gushing bright red blood.
Perak cursed the youngster's stupidity. The Red Dragons were outnumbered and had already lost one of their number but they were larger and stronger than they were and could only be defeated safely if they worked together. They had long necks and powerful jaws and should never be underestimated.
Eric, left. Ivan, right,
he commanded. Ivan took one Blue Dragon and moved towards the younger Red Dragon, and Eric and the two other warriors approached the older dragon. Perak approached from the centre, aiming to distract them. He sent a fireball towards the head of the older dragon, knowing that it would cause no damage, but would blind him for a second. He found himself bathed in flames a moment later, and sprang to the side as the younger dragon charged at him. A moment of luck; the younger Red Dragon was as headstrong and careless as his fallen comrade, and had become over confident after killing the youngster. Perak slashed at him and danced backwards, seeming to expose his left side to the Red Dragon, who lunged forwards again. Perak dodged to the young Red Dragon's left, and shot fire at the older dragon again. It had taken just a second to separate the two dragons and the older dragon had already realised the danger but it was now too late. The other five Blue Dragons converged on the older dragon, preparing to attack him while Perak continued to distract the younger one. They attacked the older dragon simultaneously, one distracting him with another fireball and the other four all slashing at his sides with their sharp claws, tearing great gashes in his flanks and belly. He howled in pain as he turned to one side to strike at his nearest tormentor, but as he did so one of the Blues struck at his throat with his claws, opening up a terrible wound that signalled the end of the fight. The Red Dragon dropped to his knees, defeated, blood streaming from the open wound. His troops then turned their attention to the younger Red, who was still being kept occupied by Perak. Facing away from the five dragons, they slashed at his back legs before dancing out of reach as he tried to turn to attack them. His back legs collapsed under him and Perak leapt in to deliver a fatal strike on the side of his neck, killing him instantly.
He turned to the older dragon, who was struggling to move, weak from blood loss but still alive. Perak nodded at Eric, who moved forwards to dispatch the dying Red Dragon. Perak transformed back to human form, and surveyed the messy scene. As the other five Blues transformed back, he realised that the young blue who had fallen was the one who had given them away.
"He's paid the price for his mistake," Perak observed dismissively. "Learn from this. Fools do not live long in this business."
"What shall we do with him?" Ivan asked.
"Same as the others. Hide their bodies. We don't have time to give him a proper burial. Dig shallow graves, just deep enough to make them hard to find."
Perak shook his head in disappointment as his five remaining men transformed back into dragons. He watched them shift the soft earth quickly with their powerful claws. Losing one before they had even reached their target was a bad omen, and made the job even harder than it should have been. If the choice had been truly his, he would have been tempted to call off the mission and return in a week's time with a full team, but that would have spelled the end of his career. His superiors were far too keen to waste men, and would never have understood his reasoning, putting it down to cowardice. One day, he thought, he will have enough influence to make a difference. Until then…
His men finished burying the bodies and transformed back. Each of them took care to ensure that their hats hid their hair, and then they moved on, continuing their long jog. Perak set a tougher pace than before, determined to make up for lost time, and his men knew not to complain at the hardship. Six more hours at this pace before they could make their camp. Then one more day of travel, then the day after tomorrow they would take the village.