Jonah and the Last Great Dragon (12 page)

‘What shall I ask him to do?'

‘Oh, just tell him to stand up and walk round the field with you. That will be enough to show everyone you're in charge.'

Jonah scrambled over the gate into the meadow and the angel, alighting on the grass beside him, looked deeply into his eyes. ‘He must feel your truth and goodness, Jonah. It is through you that Ffyrnig will learn to tell good deeds from bad ones. That is why you must never lie to him and you must never, never tell him to do anything you know to be wrong. For if you do, you will unleash a terrible evil on the world, and your power over the dragon will weaken.'

Jonah gazed up at the Archangel. As he looked into Michael's eyes, he felt as if golden light was running through his veins. Suddenly, he felt excited and proud and ready for any challenge. ‘I will do my best,' he said. ‘I promise.'

CHAPTER 18

The Great Dragon opened its eyes and squinted as Jonah walked out into the meadow. Everyone was tense with apprehension. Jonah stared up at the dragon's huge frame and the dragon looked back at him expectantly. Jonah turned to Michael, who was still standing by the hedge. The Archangel nodded reassuringly and Jonah, aware of all the eyes focused on him, held his head high and walked forward another few steps. His legs began to feel horribly wobbly and his mouth was dry. He stopped a few yards away, hoping that he could dodge backwards if the beast blew flames at him.

‘You need not be afraid of my breath, Master,' said Ffyrnig mildly. ‘I only breathe out fire when I need to.'

‘I didn't say anything!' Jonah stuttered.

‘Your eyes did,' remarked the dragon. His own eyes were twinkling with humour. He settled more comfortably on the grass and folded his enormous, bat-like wings over his body. There was a long sigh from the watching crowd.

Jonah's eyes had widened with surprise but he felt amused, as well. ‘I can see I shan't be able to tell you any porkies.'

The dragon's eyes snapped open and he turned his great head expectantly. ‘Pork? On the contrary, I should love you to talk about it. Have they brought me some?'

‘Oh, not yet.' Jonah groaned and banged his forehead. ‘I need to get you some meat, don't I? I should have asked someone.'

The dragon blew out a little smoke. ‘I could murder a cow,' he said.

Jonah shot him a glance and drew himself up. He tried to speak firmly. ‘My name is Jonah Drake,' he began, trying to sound confident. ‘Saint Michael says that I am a Dragoneer. He would like you to walk across the field with me. Just for a moment or two, and then we'll get you something to eat.'

The dragon looked doubtful.

He's going to refuse, Jonah thought, beginning to feel panicky. Then an idea, as if someone had switched on a light bulb, popped into his head. ‘Just to show all the people how magnificent you are,' he coaxed.

The dragon sighed deeply and rose majestically to his feet. Excited gasps and low cheers came from the churchyard. The dragon squeezed his eyes together in a way that seemed to show he was pleased. As they walked across the meadow, Jonah looked up at the scaly head, high above his own, and thought how magnificent the dragon really was. Tentatively, he put his hand against the warm, shining scales on the dragon's side. He found it hard to believe that he was walking beside a real, live dragon. He didn't want the moment to end.

But Ffyrnig needed feeding. Jonah stopped and looked up. ‘If you wait here in the field, I'll go and ask my uncle to bring you some meat.'

‘Yes, Master,' rumbled the dragon. ‘Will it take long? I am ravenous.'

Jonah bit his lip, acutely aware that he had to be absolutely truthful. ‘I honestly don't know. Someone has to go to the butcher's shop in Knighton and I'm not sure what time it opens. But they will be as quick as they can. Look, I'll go and see if my aunt has any meat in the freezer.' He looked searchingly at the dragon, who had sunk on to the grass with a dejected expression. ‘You could just nibble on whatever we can find, till your real meal arrives. OK?'

Ffyrnig brightened. ‘Thank you. I'm afraid I shouldn't have flown up and down the valley, so soon after waking up. I feel quite weak.'

Which was a good thing, Jonah thought, as he ran back to Michael. ‘He needs a meal quickly,' he said. ‘I think Claire has some chops and things in the freezer that Ffyrnig could eat, while someone goes to the butcher. Shall I go and sort it out?'

The Archangel nodded and then he smiled. ‘I should leave you now. We are needed in Hereford. There seems to be trouble there, too. '

Jonah immediately felt anxious. ‘Do you have to go? What about the wolves?'

‘Yes, the wolves—' Saint Michael began and then checked himself, looking gravely at Jonah. ‘Well, we must talk about them when there is more time. For now, the people in the Forest need not worry too much about them. Demons fear the power of those dragons that serve man. They know the dragons' breath can wipe them from your world. If they come up through the fissure in the woods again, tell Ffyrnig to drive them back to the Underworld.'

‘Will he really do that, if I ask?'

Michael nodded. ‘Of course. Trust your power, Jonah, and don't look so worried. Ffyrnig recognised what you are straightaway. Otherwise, he wouldn't be lying there so quietly, I can tell you!'

Jonah still felt a bit doubtful.

‘Hereford's not very far, is it?'

Michael laughed. ‘No, it's not many miles away. It looks as if the Night Creatures may be starting to gather around the cathedral.'

‘More of them? Is it because of Ffyrnig?'

‘Maybe. The heat he generated may have roused more demons. Anyway, it seems that some strange creatures have been seen in Cathedral Green, and the local people are frightened. Be brave, Jonah. My fellows and I must go now.'

Jonah looked up at the great Archangel and, for a moment, their eyes met. Again he had the sensation of golden light running through his veins and instantly felt happy again, and confident and brave. Then the light around Michael grew so bright that Jonah had to cover his eyes, and when he could open them again, the angels had gone. He climbed over the gate into the lane and ran back to the crowded churchyard. Claire rushed up to hug him, and a crowd of people immediately surrounded him, but quietly, in case they disturbed the dragon. Everyone spoke in low voices, asking if he was all right and wanting to know where the angels were.

‘OK. OK.' He was laughing and breathless, as everybody crowded round to hear what he had to say.

Rhodri put his arm round Jonah. ‘Make way, everyone, please. Let the boy have some room. Here, stand on this.' He swung Jonah up on to a flat tombstone and looked round for the Reverend Vaughan. ‘No disrespect to the dead, Mr Vaughan, but I think everybody should hear what the boy has to say.'

‘Quite right,' said the vicar. ‘Can you be quiet, everyone, please? Let Jonah speak.'

The whispering died down. Jonah looked round at the crowd and grinned when he found Erin beaming up at him. ‘First,' he said, speaking as loudly as he could, ‘we should get some meat to the dragon. He hasn't eaten for so long that he's feeling weak.'

‘Good thing too,' shouted the old farmer, Harry. ‘We don't want to be feeding that thing up.'

There were cheers and cries of ‘Yeah, that's right. Good old Harry.' Then lots of hushing, and meaningful glances at the meadow.

‘No!' Jonah raised his voice again. ‘If we don't feed him, he'll find his own food.' He looked around, pleased. That had shut everyone up. He went on: ‘Saint Michael says the dragon will do what we want now and he will keep the demons away. He says the demons know that some dragons serve us humans, so the Night Creatures are frightened of them. With any luck, the wolves will stay out of the dragon's way, too.' He took a deep breath and looked around, as there was a buzz of relief. ‘So, the most important thing is to get him some food. Please, has anyone got some meat he could have, just until we can get him a real meal from the butcher? By the way, his name is Ffyrnig. I think that's F-f-y-r-n-i-g.'

Several people called out that they had meat at home they could bring.

‘It will take a few minutes to defrost, mind,' called one woman in the crowd.

‘I don't think that brute will worry about your chops being frozen, Joan,' chuckled Mr Morgan. ‘He's got a better built-in defroster than your microwave!'

There was a shout of laughter. A farmer, who turned out to be the chairman of the Parish Council, suggested that the parish could provide funding for a good feed for the dragon. As there were enough parish councillors in the churchyard to take a vote, they agreed, and the chairman offered to drive to the butcher's shop in Knighton. The Reverend Vaughan suggested that it was time for everyone to go home, but to take great care, just in case any of the wolves managed to slip past the dragon. Children must on no account be outside on their own, he said.

But now that the great danger had passed, everyone seemed reluctant to leave. People wanted to talk about the incredible things they had just seen. Who would have thought, they said to each other, that when they got out of bed this morning, on a perfectly ordinary summer's day, that by half-past-eight they would have seen demons and a dragon and shining angels? They couldn't wait to tell all their friends, when they could use their phones again.

CHAPTER 19

Nobody could take their eyes off Ffyrnig. They kept peering at him over the churchyard wall. When Claire and Gwen came running back up the lane, each carrying large bags of frozen meat, people started to trickle into the road, feeling brave enough now to come and gaze over the hedge into the meadow.

‘Here we are,' Gwen puffed. ‘Whew, that was heavy.'

Emlyn took her bags and then Claire's, heaving them over the wall, and Jonah tipped the frozen parcels of meat on to the grass. The dragon immediately rose to his feet and took a step nearer. Jonah turned round quickly.

‘Stay where you are, Ffyrnig. You'll frighten everybody. I'll bring your food over.' He started to unwrap a big pack of chops. Erin was with some of her school friends whom she hadn't seen since the end of term. They had come to hang over the gate and Jonah smiled up at them. Then he realised they were all giggling and he felt himself beginning to blush. He knew he must look funny, hissing at a dragon.

‘That's so weird,' said a girl who was leaning on the gate beside Erin. ‘Did you know your friend could do totally freaky things?'

Jonah's insides swelled with indignation. He wasn't some kind of sideshow! He turned away and pretended he had not heard. Perhaps he ought to be quiet and let Ffyrnig do whatever he wanted. If the dragon started chomping away on that girl and her friends, she would be begging Jonah to talk to him!

The girl's voice carried clearly. ‘How can he possibly understand what a dragon, an animal, is saying? It's not normal.' She lowered her voice but Jonah still heard her. ‘Maybe he's possessed! Like that Elizabeth Lloyd was.'

‘He is not!' Erin was furious.

‘Nonsense, Amy! Of course he's not,' said a man's voice loudly. Jonah looked up. Several older people had come to stand behind the children and a middle-aged man in a sports jacket was shaking his head at Erin's friend. ‘No, it's not freaky at all, as it happens. Didn't you listen to Saint Michael? You should be careful what you say. You can hurt people's feelings with comments like that.' He turned to the adults around him. ‘I've read a legend about the Heart Eaters. It's just brilliant that the stories about them turn out to be true, and even more wonderful that one of their descendants is here, just when we need him most.'

Jonah felt a lot better but he still couldn't help feeling self-conscious with everyone's attention focused just on him. All this fuss was making him feel as if he was stealing the spotlight. After all, he was merely a visitor. The Last Great Dragon was a Welsh dragon. It ought to be Erin or one of her friends who had inherited the Heart Eater's power. Impulsively, he ran up to the gate.

‘Do you want to help feed him?' he asked.

Gethin, with ‘Wow, yes thanks. Great!' was over the gate immediately. Jonah nodded encouragingly at Erin. She blushed scarlet, and he could see she was scared and would have rather stayed on the other side of the wall, but she set her jaw and began to climb the gate. There was a roar from the lane and her father pushed his way through the crowd.

‘Oh, no, you don't, my girl! Come back down here. It's not safe!'

‘It is now, Dad. You heard Saint Michael. Jonah can control the dragon.' Erin, astride the field gate, was looking obstinate.

‘Erin!' Her father bellowed, but she dropped into the field and turned to face him.

‘It's OK, Daddy, really,' she said sweetly. ‘It is safe, honestly.

And I won't go too near.'

Her father groaned. ‘Duw, where does she get it from?' he asked nobody in particular and laughed reluctantly when someone shouted, ‘From her Dad, Emlyn, isn't it?'

It was difficult pulling the freezer bags away from the frozen food. The plastic wrap stuck, and the children's fingers began to sting with the cold.

‘Hey,' said Gethin. ‘Wouldn't he be better at this?' And he nodded towards the dragon.

‘Oh, yeah. Good thinking.' Jonah picked up a couple of the frozen packets and took them over to Ffyrnig. He told the dragon to breathe gently over the frozen meat and beamed with satisfaction when he was able to peel the wrappings away easily. ‘There you go,' he said. ‘Just blow on it until it's nice to eat.'

Ffyrnig sniffed at the pile of chops and pieces of chicken on the grass and looked disdainful. ‘Why is it hard and cold?' he asked.

Jonah laughed. ‘It's a way of keeping meat fresh till we need it,' he explained.