Dragon Gold (5 page)

CHAPTER NINE

The boys all flung themselves down on the floor, but Sarah just smiled up at the dragon and said, ‘Well, all little girls are princesses, aren't they?'

The dragon hissed. Sparks shot past them. Everyone's hair blew back, and the pink eiderdown fluttered madly. Ben took a deep breath and pulled out his magic wand. ‘Leave us alone, else I'll . . . I'll turn you into a cane toad!'

The dragon laughed and waved one claw. The wand in Ben's hand burst into flame. Ben shrieked and dropped it. To his dismay it fell away in a shower of ashes. He looked back up at the dragon and waited to be fried.

The dragon did not flame him, though. It said, quite nicely, ‘Silly little boy. I've eaten the most powerful wizards that ever existed. If you weren't so skinny, I'd probably eat you too.'

For the first time ever, Ben was glad he was skinny.

‘Why have you disturbed my sleep?' the dragon roared.

‘We had to come and get Sarah back,' Ben said.

‘Her mum is so upset. And it's all my fault. Because I said the spell wrong. We never meant for you to come and take her.'

‘I suppose you wanted to steal my treasure?' the dragon said angrily. With each great gusting breath, flames spurted from its mouth so that shadows leapt and gibbered all round the huge cave. Tim pressed closer to Ben.

‘Well, yes,' Ben said. ‘But only because I wanted to have enough money to buy a big house with a big garden so I can have a dog. I wasn't going to take much.'

‘That's what they all say,' the dragon complained.

Ben stared at it suspiciously.

‘Stealing my treasure is all anyone ever wants. No-one ever comes to visit
me.
I'm a perfectly respectable dragon. I really only eat humans occasionally. Contrary to what you imagine, humans are not very tasty. Give me a nice fat elephant any day. Why, you little puny things are just a crunch and a swallow, and then you're gone. Hardly worth the effort.'

‘I'm sorry,' Ben said, not sure what else to say.

‘It's not your fault,' the dragon said quite kindly. ‘You can't help being so scrawny. At least you can talk. I get so bored here, guarding my treasure, day after day, century after century. There's not much to amuse a dragon these days, you know. No dragon slayers to fight with or maidens to steal, no villages to burn. If I get out for a bit of a joy-flight, people just think I'm some kind of new jet fighter and hardly pay me any attention at all.'

‘I can see how boring that would be,' Ben said politely.

‘Absolutely dreary,' the dragon said. ‘It has been so pleasant having Princess Sarah here to stay. I really do not think I can allow you to take her.'

‘Except that she's not really a princess,' Ben said. ‘She's just a little girl. And her mum and dad really miss her.'

‘I'd miss her too if she wasn't around, I suppose,' James said. ‘She's not so bad, for a little sister.'

‘Thanks a lot,' said Sarah, putting her nose in the air. ‘I wish I could say the same about you.'

‘You would all be welcome to stay,' the dragon said eagerly. ‘I'm sure I would find the four of you quite entertaining, for a while at least. A wizard, a knight, a pirate and a princess should make for some interesting and bloody battles.'

‘Thank you, but we really can't stay,' Ben said nervously. ‘It's a school day tomorrow.'

The dragon sighed. The gust of hot smoky air made them all cough and wipe their eyes. ‘Don't worry about me,' it said unhappily. ‘I'll just stay here, all by myself, with no-one to talk to. I'll be fine.' It lifted one claw and wiped its eyes.

‘Oh, you poor thing,' Sarah said, reaching up her hand to pat the dragon's snout. ‘I wish I could stay a little while longer but my mum and dad must be so worried. They won't know that you're really a nice dragon, who doesn't like eating little girls.'

The dragon looked miserable. ‘Well, go on then,' it said. ‘Go home. Don't give me a thought. I guess I'll just have to pretend the pirates are still alive.'

It waved its claw. All the skeletons sitting round the table got up and began to dance a lively hornpipe, jaws clacking. Round and round the skeletons danced, kicking out their white shinbones, snapping their bony fingers, grinning horribly.

Then the dragon waved its claw again, and the skeletons all collapsed back into their chairs.

‘Boring,' the dragon said. ‘Really, I don't know why I ever brought them here. All they did was eat and drink and squabble over my treasure. And I got so tired of conjuring roast beef and beer. In the end I simply had to sizzle them where they sat, just to get some peace. What I wouldn't give for someone intelligent to talk to!'

Ben suddenly had an idea. ‘Hey, can you conjure up
any
food? Any food at all?'

‘Of course,' the dragon said. ‘Why, are you hungry? What would you like? A baked swan?'

‘How about some chips and lollies?' James asked eagerly. He'd been rather disappointed with Ben's midnight feast.

‘How about pilchards and cream?' Ben asked.

CHAPTER TEN

‘Yuk!' said James and Sarah and Tim.

‘Certainly I can,' the dragon said, looking astonished. ‘Is that what small boys like to eat these days? Times undoubtedly have changed.'

‘Not
that
much,' James said.

Ben ignored them all, clearly excited by his idea. ‘If I find someone to stay and keep you company, will you give me some of your treasure? Please? I don't want much, just enough to buy a big house with a big garden and a dog.'

‘Certainly not,' the dragon said. ‘Surely Princess Sarah is treasure enough?'

Sarah smirked at the boys, but then turned and looked up at the dragon imploringly, clasping both her hands together. ‘Please? Really, they've been very brave, don't you think?'

The dragon hesitated.

‘Please?' Ben asked.

‘Please?' James asked.

‘Peas?' said Tim.

The dragon shook its huge, horned head, sending a halo of smoke billowing out. The children all coughed and waved the smoke away from their faces.

‘You may take your princess,' the dragon said. ‘I will not stop you. But a dragon never allows a treasure-seeker to get away with a single coin or jewel. It is against every known dragon principle.'

‘We wouldn't tell anyone,' Ben said. ‘We'd pretend we found it.'

The dragon snorted, sending out a great gust of smoke and cinders.

‘You said . . . you'd give . . . anything . . . for someone intelligent . . . to talk to,' Ben said through his coughs and wheezes.

‘Well, yes, but. . .'

‘You wouldn't be lonely any more,' Ben said. ‘My friend is not interested in treasure. As long as he gets pilchards and cream every day, I'm sure he'll be happy to keep you company. And he likes to talk. He talks an awful lot.'

‘Really?' the dragon asked.

‘Really,' Ben said.

‘Very well then,' the dragon said grandly. ‘You may take as much as you can carry.'

‘Yippee!' Ben shouted.

‘Me too?' Tim asked.

‘And me?' James said.

‘And me?' Sarah said.

The dragon hissed out a long spray of sparks. ‘See? It's always the same. Only ever interested in my treasure.'

‘Please,' Sarah asked winningly, fluttering her eyelashes. ‘To remind me of you.'

The dragon sighed and smiled, and shrugged its gaunt golden shoulders. ‘Very well. I cannot withstand Princess Sarah's smile. You three may each choose one thing, and one thing only, as a memento of me.'

Sarah jumped up and down with excitement. ‘I'll keep my diamond tiara,' she said. ‘Can I have the bracelets too?'

The dragon hissed at her, and the bed, the dresses and the dolls all disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Only the diamond tiara was left, rather askew on Sarah's head.

‘I guess not,' she said.

James and Tim both grabbed golden swords with jewels in their hilts, and began to whack at each other. Ben stared round at the treasure, feeling rather overwhelmed. He wished his pyjamas had pockets, or that his hands were bigger.

‘Tie the corners of your cloak together to make a sack,' Sarah suggested. ‘And pile it up on your flying carpet. I'm sure the dragon won't mind carrying us home.' She smiled up at the dragon, who was blowing smoke rings and pretending not to see what the boys were doing. ‘You don't mind, do you?'

‘Not at all, Princess Sarah,' the dragon answered politely. ‘It would be my pleasure to serve you. Besides, I quite enjoy a nice joy-flight.'

So Ben made a treasure sack out of his cloak, and piled jewels and golden cups and candelabras on the flying carpet. By the time he finished, his arms were aching. He scrummaged around until he had found another golden sword and thrust that through his sash, then filled up his wizard's hat with golden coins.

‘Don't forget our bet,' James whispered. ‘Some of this treasure is mine.'

‘Some of it,' Ben whispered back. ‘One handful.'

‘Two handfuls, and all my pockets.'

‘OK,' Ben said, too happy to argue.