would try to make the serpent move its head. Making his hand signals as big and deliberate as he could, Jonah showed that Ffyrnig and Mordiford would attack next, going for the creature’s head, and that the rest of the dragons would slash at the monster’s body. They needed to force it towards the river. The soldiers all gave him a “thumbs up” sign. Toby and Jack, riding the gargouilles, were grinning. Jonah looked round the great circle wheeling in the London sky and then turned to Llandeilo.
‘Go,’ he roared and Llandeilo banked until he was over Millennium Bridge, hovered for a few seconds to assess his target and then hurtled down towards Jormungandr’s Child.
Chapter 11
NINE OVER THE GLOBE
Jonah looked round to catch Sam’s eye, mouthing ‘Ready?’ Then he shouted, ‘Llandeilo first. Ffyrnig, you and Mordiford to the head; everyone else on the body.’
The Great Dragon bellowed the instructions to the wheeling drakes while Jonah pulled himself to his feet, signalled to the dragon-riders and pointed at the terrible head of Jormungandr’s Child. Sam yelled, ‘Go, go, go!’
Llandeilo, shooting out his back legs as he swooped downwards, landed upright on the sea serpent with his talons outstretched. Jormungandr’s hatchling squirmed with shock as Llandeilo pranced swiftly along its fleshy coils, tense and ready to shoot away if the monster lunged. Jonah, looking down from his perch on Ffyrnig’s back, was open-mouthed at the gargouille’s daring.
A spasm ran the length of the monster’s looped body and the hatchling turned blindly this way and that, snuffing the air to search out its attacker. As soon as it turned its head towards him, Llandeilo leaped into the air and landed somewhere else on its body
With a speed that took Jonah’s breath away, Ffyrnig and Mordiford fell from the sky, their wings almost touching. With ear-splitting battle cries, the two dragons dropped until they were almost level with the roofs. Then they sped out over the river with Ffyrnig now in the lead, turned to line up with the serpent’s head and then streaked towards their target like guided missiles. Jonah, thrown back against the webbing by Ffyrnig’s wind-force, found himself yelling as if he were on a roller coaster, while he scrabbledto yank himself into a sitting position.
As Ffyrnig and Mordiford dived towards the serpent, Llandeilo flew up and perched on the roof of a building close by. Jack was rubbing the little dragon’s neck. Even from a distance, Jonah could see he was grinning with excitement.
Mouth open, Ffyrnig crashed against the hatchling’s leathery body and bit down on the side of its head. Jormungandr’s Child screamed with fury, while Mordiford fastened his fangs in the back of its neck. Beating their wings and scrabbling with their huge talons to keep a foothold, they clung on while the serpent writhed to dislodge them, desperately trying to scrape them against the Embankment’s rails. Dark, greenish blood was pouring from its head and neck, as the two dragons ripped at its flesh.
Suddenly, it threw up a great coil of its middle region, banging Mordiford against the steps up to the theatre, and knocking the breath out of his lungs. Sam, harnessed in the webbing cage, was thrown hard against the wall. Blood started running down Mordiford’s side from a long wound where the edge of a step had gashed him. He seemed stunned and was staggering about, as he tried to pull himself together. The monster’s head whipped round but before it could fasten its mouth on the wyvern, Llandeilo zoomed down and raked his talons across the serpent’s eyes.
As it shrieked and waved its head manically from side to side, Mordiford took a deep breath, pushed himself off the pavement and floundered up into the air above the Globe. Immediately, Ffyrnig, who had noticed a riverside park nearby, left the hatchling and flew slowly beside Mordiford, showing him where he could land. Mordiford sank heavily on to
‘Go,’ he roared and Llandeilo banked until he was over Millennium Bridge, hovered for a few seconds to assess his target and then hurtled down towards Jormungandr’s Child.
Chapter 11
NINE OVER THE GLOBE
Jonah looked round to catch Sam’s eye, mouthing ‘Ready?’ Then he shouted, ‘Llandeilo first. Ffyrnig, you and Mordiford to the head; everyone else on the body.’
The Great Dragon bellowed the instructions to the wheeling drakes while Jonah pulled himself to his feet, signalled to the dragon-riders and pointed at the terrible head of Jormungandr’s Child. Sam yelled, ‘Go, go, go!’
Llandeilo, shooting out his back legs as he swooped downwards, landed upright on the sea serpent with his talons outstretched. Jormungandr’s hatchling squirmed with shock as Llandeilo pranced swiftly along its fleshy coils, tense and ready to shoot away if the monster lunged. Jonah, looking down from his perch on Ffyrnig’s back, was open-mouthed at the gargouille’s daring.
A spasm ran the length of the monster’s looped body and the hatchling turned blindly this way and that, snuffing the air to search out its attacker. As soon as it turned its head towards him, Llandeilo leaped into the air and landed somewhere else on its body
With a speed that took Jonah’s breath away, Ffyrnig and Mordiford fell from the sky, their wings almost touching. With ear-splitting battle cries, the two dragons dropped until they were almost level with the roofs. Then they sped out over the river with Ffyrnig now in the lead, turned to line up with the serpent’s head and then streaked towards their target like guided missiles. Jonah, thrown back against the webbing by Ffyrnig’s wind-force, found himself yelling as if he were on a roller coaster, while he scrabbledto yank himself into a sitting position.
As Ffyrnig and Mordiford dived towards the serpent, Llandeilo flew up and perched on the roof of a building close by. Jack was rubbing the little dragon’s neck. Even from a distance, Jonah could see he was grinning with excitement.
Mouth open, Ffyrnig crashed against the hatchling’s leathery body and bit down on the side of its head. Jormungandr’s Child screamed with fury, while Mordiford fastened his fangs in the back of its neck. Beating their wings and scrabbling with their huge talons to keep a foothold, they clung on while the serpent writhed to dislodge them, desperately trying to scrape them against the Embankment’s rails. Dark, greenish blood was pouring from its head and neck, as the two dragons ripped at its flesh.
Suddenly, it threw up a great coil of its middle region, banging Mordiford against the steps up to the theatre, and knocking the breath out of his lungs. Sam, harnessed in the webbing cage, was thrown hard against the wall. Blood started running down Mordiford’s side from a long wound where the edge of a step had gashed him. He seemed stunned and was staggering about, as he tried to pull himself together. The monster’s head whipped round but before it could fasten its mouth on the wyvern, Llandeilo zoomed down and raked his talons across the serpent’s eyes.
As it shrieked and waved its head manically from side to side, Mordiford took a deep breath, pushed himself off the pavement and floundered up into the air above the Globe. Immediately, Ffyrnig, who had noticed a riverside park nearby, left the hatchling and flew slowly beside Mordiford, showing him where he could land. Mordiford sank heavily on to
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