Becoming a Dragon (31 page)

It was the last week of term and most of the students were heading home for the holidays, the exceptions being those students from the capital and the few whose parents were visiting them instead. All of them were going to be spending time with their parents—all except John.

But Crystal could tell that his last week at school was going to be much more enjoyable than the rest of the term had been. Although Daisy was not one to hide her feelings, she had heeded her brother's warnings, and was doing her best to hide the fact that she was with John; so far, only a handful of students knew. Despite their restraint, Jenna was finding her adoring glances at John nauseating.

"A little sickening, aren't they?" Jenna commented to Crystal as they watched them sitting closely together at break. "I'm surprised she's not sitting in his lap."

Crystal laughed. "Something you'd never do of course!"

"Nasty! It's not so nauseating when
I
flirt; besides, I only do it when I'm trying to win them in the first place, not afterwards. And I thought they were trying to keep it a secret. Look at her dopey face; she's completely oblivious to everyone around her. As always!"

"Just ignore her! She's not doing anything to you. You should be grateful to her. If she hadn't invited John you'd be dead."

"Yes, I know because you keep on reminding me. You'd be dead as well of course."

"Yes, I know but at least I've spoken to and thanked John. And agreed to talk to him more in the future."

"Hmmm, about that," Jenna commented, "how much time are you going to be wasting with him each week?"

Crystal shrugged. "I don't know. And it won't be wasted time if he tells me anything about my mother."

"If he knows anything, of course," Jenna countered. "He could be making it all up. I'm surprised Daisy is alright with all of this. Still, she's not too sharp, so she probably can't see what he's trying to do."

Crystal raised her eyes to the ceiling and tried to change the subject. "Looking forward to the holidays?"

Jenna sighed. "Not particularly. We're going to somewhere in the west to visit relatives, but it's not near to where Arthur lives, and when I asked if he wanted me to fly over and stay for a couple of days he told me not to bother, saying that he's going to be too busy with family."

Crystal nodded. "I suppose it is only two weeks. I don't think his parents have visited here even once."

"A lot can happen in two weeks," Jenna pointed out. "Arthur could meet someone else. He wouldn't be able to do that if I was there."

"Please, Arthur isn't like that; you were the one who did all the chasing, remember?"

"What are you two arguing about?" It was Jerome, who sauntered over and sat down in front of them. As usual, he was dressed immaculately, and Crystal wondered hopefully if that was for her benefit. He had been paying more attention to her again, although Jenna suspected he was seeing someone else as well.

"Just discussing the holidays," Crystal replied casually. "What have you got planned?"

Jerome shrugged. "I'll be heading back to my home in the East for some of it. I haven't decided what I'll do for all of it yet though. I like to keep my options open. What about you two? Anything exciting planned?"

"Jenna is going on holiday with her family, to the West, and I'm going back home to see my father," Crystal replied. "We have a house in the country as well, so we will probably stay there for some of the time."

Jerome nodded, not looking very interested. "And what about our class's newest couple? Do you know what they're up to?"

Jenna shrugged, feigning indifference and wondering how Jerome knew about them. "How should we know? Ask them."

Jerome didn't let that pass. "Come now, you're seeing her brother, and John has been pestering Crystal all term. You must have an idea."

"I think John is staying here," Crystal replied uncertainly. "Daisy is going home—I know that much. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. So John has to work through the holidays? Seems a little unreasonable."

Crystal shrugged, surprised that Jerome would show any sympathy for John. "I guess. I hadn't asked him about it." She suddenly felt a little bad for having taken so little interest in his life. Would it have hurt to have asked him just a little bit about himself? More importantly, could it have helped her learn anything about her own family? She looked over to where John was sat alone, Daisy having disappeared.

"What about you, Jerome?" Jenna asked.  "Have you got any brothers or sisters? You never mention them."

Jerome glanced up at Jenna, looking a little surprised. "Just one, an older brother. I don't see him often though."

"Oh, what's his name?" Jenna asked.

"Umm, Per, Perry," Jerome replied. "His name is Perry."

Crystal realised that she had never asked Jerome anything about his family while they were going out, but had just let him ask all of the questions about her instead. Was that why he had lost interest in her? Had she really shown so little interest in him? She looked over at John again, who was reading a book on his own.

"Hey, Jenna, Jerome, can you excuse me for a moment. We'll be leaving after this next lesson and I want to say goodbye to John."

Crystal didn't wait for the inevitable protests from Jenna, and marched over to John's desk. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Oh, hello, Crystal. Is there something I can help you with?"

She shook her head. "No, I just wanted to say goodbye before I left for the holidays. I hope you enjoy the break."

John looked even more confused than he had done before, but stammered a "Thank you." She smiled at him, and walked back to Jenna and Jerome.

"What was that about?" Jenna asked. "You're not starting to fancy him, are you?"

"Jenna, please. Of course not. But I've decided I may as well be nicer to him now. I don't understand him, but he's always tried with me, so I'll do the same."

Jenna shook her head in despair. "If you must. Just don't expect me to waste any of my time with him. Come on, lessons are about to restart. Let's head to the class…."

Much later that night, when the moon was high in the sky, Perak was wandering through a forest deep within Red Dragon territory. He found that he could see his way through the forest easily without the need for a torch. He would have had no fear of being discovered had he lit a torch, having chosen an isolated spot, but found there was no advantage in doing so. Up ahead, he could see a light flickering in the woods, and knew that the person he was due to meet had already arrived. Excellent, he thought to himself. Isolated as this place was, spending more time than necessary in Red Dragon territory was not something that he was particularly comfortable with.

"Perak," the young man said in greeting as he arrived, looking up from where he was sat near the fire. "Good journey here?" The young man was wearing a hooded cloak, and his face was barely visible.

Perak nodded curtly. "Their borders are poorly guarded. Slipping in unnoticed is almost too easy. What do you have for me?"

The young man reached for his bag, and pulled out a folder. "As requested, here's a map of Furnace, along with one of their Kingdom, and some basic ones of the other cities. These are all quite recent."

Perak sat down on a log and flicked through the maps. "The one of Furnace is good, and the one that shows the whole country, but the others are of little use and show little more than we already know. We'll need something better this. Is this all that you have brought me? What about the other documents that I requested?"

The young man frowned and shook his head. "The military library is easy enough to access, but it's hard to explain why I'd want the other documents. I hoped it would be quieter over the next couple of weeks, but it hasn't worked out that way."

"Think of a way," Perak told him simply, having little sympathy for his complaints. "They're of vital importance. I wouldn't have requested them otherwise. And I'll need you to start delivering this information soon."

"Soon?" The young man didn't hide his surprise. "But Perak, Furnace is not near the border; disappearing for a couple of days on a regular basis would raise suspicions. It's hard enough as it is explaining these disappearances."

Perak nodded. "I know. Which is why I'm glad you have given me this map of Furnace. Next time, we will come to you."

"What? You; come to Furnace? Are you mad? You'll be caught, or killed!"

Perak shook his head. "I doubt I will come personally. I will send someone else, someone I trust. Where would be a good place to meet?"

"Nowhere! How on earth could anyone fly into Furnace unnoticed? Whether it's you or someone else they'll still be caught! This is madness!"

Perak shrugged. "That's what we will have to work out. I was thinking of having them fly somewhere near to the capital, then hike in overnight to an agreed meeting point and then hike back before flying the next day. Is there really nowhere within a half day's walk where a Blue Dragon could land unnoticed?"

The hooded man rubbed his chin, thinking it through. "I still don't see how they can fly all day without being noticed. But, yes, I guess there a few spots which are isolated enough and not too far away from the capital. But how would they get there? That's a long way to fly without being noticed. There are a lot of towns and villages between here and the border."

Perak picked up the map of the country. "How up to date is this? You said it was a recent version."

The hooded man shrugged. "As up to date as you can get. There aren't any newer ones. What are you thinking?"

Perak studied the map carefully. "We could plot a route that weaves through these gaps where there are no communities. Fly low the whole time, skim over the trees and fields, and if we were to paint the messenger's scales green, he'd have a good chance of getting there unseen."

The young man bent down to study the map. "It could work. It probably won't, but it's plausible at least. I wouldn't want to risk it myself. When would they come?"

Perak shook his head. "That's still to be confirmed. I'd need you to be at the meeting place once a week, ready for when and if I send someone."

"Once a week! Are you sure that's needed? What's the sudden urgency?"

Perak nodded. "Quite sure. And I can't tell you why; not yet. Name the meeting place."

The hooded man looked at the map. "Here," he said, pointing to a spot to the east of the capital. "It's not too far from the city but you should be able to get there without being seen."

Perak studied the map before nodding approvingly. "Fine. It won't be me though. What day shall we say?"

The hooded man paused. "Can't say there is a good day. How about Sunday night? If I'm tired on the following morning I can blame it on partying over the weekend."

Perak's eyes narrowed. "Is that how you spend your time? Partying?"

The young man nodded, shrugging dismissively. "Of course. How else could I gain the trust of these people?"

Perak scowled and turned away. "Just remember why you're here, Malick. Here's a list of the information I need you to obtain.  Now go. Your camping trip is over."

"Comrades, I think you know why you have all been gathered. If you don't, then you don't belong here. You're the officers I believe will be the future leaders of this great nation, the generals of tomorrow."

A young Zygar was sat in the distinguished audience, listening to the great General Amok, the conquering hero who had just defeated one of their most hated enemies. Zygar wore the uniform of a Division Commander, a position he had held throughout the long campaign against the Green Dragons, and was surrounded by thirteen fellow veterans, who looked at Amok with genuine admiration and pride.

General Amok was the head of the army, and had masterminded the whole campaign. This moment was the result of twenty years of planning and hard work, and he had real reasons for being proud. This was a pivotal moment in their history; the defeat of the Green Dragons, something many had believed would never happen. Many had expected Amok to retire now that the war was over; to name himself as Prime Minister and hand over the leadership of the army and effective leadership of the country to his chosen successor. The problem was, there wasn't a chosen successor, an unusual situation in itself, and of the current generals none were obvious choices. Even more significantly, there were none in this room listening to this speech. Zygar felt honoured to be among this group nonetheless, made up of the most celebrated and able senior officers there were, a group made up of just Colonels and Division Commanders.

The General continued his speech. "We've defeated one of our oldest enemies. An enemy that, in the past, threatened our very existence. We've inflicted damaging defeats on them many times before, but they've always hit back at us just as hard. No matter how many we killed, there always seemed to be more to come. Many of us have questioned whether they could ever be truly defeated, and they'd be forgiven for thinking that.

But today we've proved how wrong those doubters were. The Greens are utterly destroyed and our whole nation is celebrating our great victory. Many would question why we're even meeting like this; surely this is a time to sit back and relax, to go home and celebrate with our families. Just as they were wrong to question whether we could crush the Greens, they are wrong in this matter too.

We have two more major enemies, who are waiting for us to make a mistake, to become weak, so that they may attack and destroy us. Do not make the mistake of thinking that because we are strong today that we are assured of being strong tomorrow. Weakness can creep in overnight, and then our ruin would quickly follow, as it has done for the Greens.

So, comrades, we look to you for building on this success and striving for our next great victory: defeating the Red Dragons. Our oldest and greatest enemy. This is the time. The signs are there; weakness is setting in, although little do they know it. Within a generation, we will be strong enough, and they will be weak enough, for us to destroy them.

Now, to achieve this, a few changes will be required. I know a lot of you have been expecting me to announce my retirement, having achieved that what I set out to achieve, but I do not believe that any of my generals are capable of assuming my role, nor will they ever be. Therefore, my first announcement is the immediate retirement of all of my generals. They have served me well, and have led you to a great victory, but now they deserve their rest. Expect to see their faces among the most senior of our civilian ministers."

This announcement was met with audible gasps, coming as a complete surprise to the audience. The generals were on the whole, well respected, if not universally liked, and it was assumed that his successor would be chosen from their ranks. A number of them were probably due for retirement, but not all of them, and there were several who would have been expected to serve for a number of years yet.

"Naturally, your first question is who will fill their positions, and I expect the more astute among you will have realised that there are six colonels among you, and eight Division Commanders. Correction, there are now seven generals and seven colonels.  Congratulations on your promotions!"

The room erupted into rapturous cheers and applause, and looking around the room, Zygar realised that not a single one of them expected this. He wondered who had been promoted from Division Commander straight to General, until he glanced at General Amok, who nodded at him with a smile.

"Thank you, thank you," Amok continued. "I can see that you all welcome that announcement. Moving on; we will need a change in direction now, and you are the ones to lead that. This will have to be a period of peace while we regrow; a time to reflect on how we fought the Greens and what we can learn from it and how we can best fight the Reds. I will welcome ideas from all of you. Starting today, we will be planning for the next great campaign."

"General, may I speak?"

Everyone turned to Zygar in surprise. Amok hadn't indicated that he had finished speaking, but if he was irritated at all, he didn't show it.

"Commander Zygar—or rather General Zygar—please speak your mind."

"Thank you, General. I whole heartedly believe that we can destroy the Red Dragons, and within the timescale that you speak of. But I think we need to employ some different methods, some of which I have already been investigating. I don't believe that any of you are familiar with my new programme."

"Which one, General Zygar?" asked Colonel Xanot. "I understand you have several?"

"Very true. But one is of particular interest. In addition to leading the captive breeding program, which continues to be a great success—"

"We will judge that when we see these so-called Purple soldiers fight. At the moment they're just children," General Pushak noted.

"Quite. But they will form an essential part of our force; the part that we send in first and that will bear the heaviest losses. The country will stomach losing them more easily than their own children."

"We've heard this before, Zygar," Amok interrupted. "Please, tell us about your new programme."

"Thank you, General. Yes, in addition to capturing red, green and brown females, I've also taken a number of their men captive—the reds and browns that is. We've left no Greens alive."

"Men? Whatever for? Their offspring won't be Blue Dragons," General Pushak pointed out.

"No, they won't. But their loyalty will be to their adopted nation. They will be brought up by Blue parents. When they are old enough, they will be sent back to their home countries as spies. We will fight the next war armed with real knowledge."

"Will they cooperate?" Pushak asked doubtfully. "These captives, are they actually breeding?"

"That has been surprisingly easy. We left them in isolation, sharing a cell with no interaction from any of us. Trapped together, you would be surprised how quickly they bonded. I personally caught a couple who took part in the disastrous attack on Issa town, and although we've had them less than two months, we already suspect that the female is pregnant."

There were gasps in the room and a few laughs. "Shameless, aren't they? Don't they have any sense of duty?" one of the colonels asked.

Zygar smiled smugly. "It's as if they forget where they are. I think they actually think we've forgotten about them. With this couple, that's our fifth potential spy."

"But Zygar, it will be years before any of these spies will be any use," General Pushak pointed out.

General Amok responded to this point. "It will be, but it will be years before we will need them. I'm putting a halt on all raids for the foreseeable future. As I explained, we will need to regrow first. The war cost us almost a third of our population. If our neighbours knew how weak we are they'd invade tomorrow. However, due to my foresight and policy of refusing to allow young females to fight in the war, virtually none of the losses were women of child bearing age. I know many of you opposed the move at the time to ban them from combat, but the idea has now shown its merit. We can not only regain our former strength within a generation, we will be much stronger. We share our neighbour's poor fertility, and our doctors are still unable to explain why we are unable to have more children, but unlike the case with previous conflicts we will not take forever to recover, and I forecast within twenty years our population would be fifty percent bigger than before the war. Large enough to fight the Reds and destroy them."

"How can that be? We have the women, but not the men," Colonel Xanot pointed out. "There aren't enough husbands for them all."

The General smiled and looked at them all. "Yes, that will be the second announcement I will be making. And one I expect most of you will like. Everyone who achieves the rank of captain will be authorised to take two wives. Our losses were heaviest in the junior ranks, so there are a disproportionate number of captains, as well as more senior officers. This move is essential if we are to replace our losses, and we have a larger territory now, so we will need to grow."

The officers gasped at this information, surprised at this revolutionary announcement. "But, General, that's been illegal for over a thousand years," Pushak objected.

"Yes, yes, I know. It will be a temporary measure. Once we are back to full strength we will be large enough to crush the reds, and still recover quickly. By the time your grandchildren are born, I believe we could have turned the whole map blue. Then we will begin a golden age of peace."

"When will you be making this announcement, sir?" one of the new Colonels asked.

The General laughed. "Keen to get started, Colonel?"

The Colonel started to mutter a denial, but the General cut him off.

"No, no; don't even think of apologising. I want you to openly support this measure. There will be some who oppose it, so the more among the senior ranks who take advantage of it, the better. I know a few if you don't even have one wife yet. See that you change that, and soon. If take up is poor, I may allow commanders to take three wives. I'll announce this in one month. Oh, and General Zygar. I want monthly reports on your young spies. Dismissed!"