Dragonborn by Toby Forward Page B

directions.
    â€œWhat’s this?” said Khazib. “Did he double back? Go both ways?”
    Caleb ran along one path, then along the other, as far as the turn in each direction. “They go both ways for miles,” he said. “He couldn’t have doubled back, there wasn’t time.”
    Eloise looked long and hard at each trail.
    â€œI think this one,” she said, pointing left.
    Sandage put his hand on her arm. “Are you sure? Is there some magic we have not used?”
    â€œNo. I just think it,” she admitted. “It could be the other way.”
    Caleb smashed his staff against a tree. All the leaves instantly curled up and fell crackling to the ground, dead. Birds flew up from the branches, and a line of black beetles scrambled out from the roots and disappeared into the undergrowth.
    â€œHow is it done?” he shouted.
    â€œIf Eloise goes left, I’ll take the right,” said Axestone.
    â€œI’ll come with you,” said Khazib.
    â€œAnd I with Eloise,” said Sandage.
    â€œIt is not possible!” said Caleb. “The boy is no wizard, not even a proper apprentice. He can’t have done this.”
    â€œBut it is done, anyway,” said Axestone. “So we must do our best. With us, or Eloise?”
    â€œWith you,” said Caleb.
    â€œI thought so,” said Eloise, watching them set off. “Caleb will not follow a woman’s lead.”
    â€œThe more fool he,” said Sandage.
    At the next fork in each direction, the footsteps disappeared altogether. Instead of two trails, there were none. They doubled back and assembled again. Caleb raged; Sandage nodded his head slowly. “I begin to admire our young friend,” he said. Eloise silently chose the left fork again, leaving Sandage alone. Khazib pointed at the two clear paths.
    â€œThe boy is clever,” he said, and trudged on alone.
    â€œNot the boy,” Axestone whispered to himself. “This is dragon magic.”
    â€œI’ll beat him till his bones shake when I get hold of him,” said Caleb.
    Axestone walked steadily away. He left Caleb slumped at the base of an alder. “He may not be so easy to discipline,” he predicted. But anger had closed Caleb’s ears.
    When he was sure that the five were separated, Starback flew back to the clearing and was not at all happy when he saw the fire and the roffle and Sam half-awake and frightened. He hid above him in the beech tree and waited for morning. While he waited, the small shape of a black, broken dragon circled around, fell to earth behind Starback, found the rough bark of the tree, and began to climb. Not a leaf moved as the dragon rose ever higher. He rose through them like smoke. Then, when he had found a branch above Starback’s head, he shimmered, lost shape, and drifted down onto the Green and Blue and folded himself around Starback’s face. Starback blinked, shook his head, and shuddered as the smoke curled into his ears and disappeared.
    Â 
Pages from an apprentice’s notebook
    FINISHINGS. There is Up Top, and there is the Deep World. People live Up Top. Roffles live in the Deep World.
    Roffles are used to coming Up Top; it is easy for them. They are used to the way we do things here. Very few people have been to the Deep World, and those who do find it hard to get on there. Things are different in the Deep World.
    The first time that people go to the Deep World, they often get ill. The food there is delicious and different from food Up Top, and they eat too much too quickly, so they spend the next day alone in the bathroom and come out with sore bottoms. This is why when anyone has a runny tummy it is called “taking a roffle holiday”.
    Then there are the Solstucks. These are small, green, furry things. They can fly, but are not very good at it, so they wander around like bumblebees and crash into things a lot. Roffles are used to them, and they just laugh because