the grass with heaving sides, as Ffyrnigstood looking at him with concern.
Mordiford turned slowly to look at his side. ‘It’s not as bad as it looks, Wales. That blighter just knocked the stuffing out of me, that’s all. Look, I’m hardly bleeding at all now. That’ll soon heal.’ He turned to grin back at Sam, who had removed his safety helmet and was mopping his face and neck with a bandana. He smiled weakly at the dragons and at Jonah, who was looking down anxiously from Ffyrnig’s back.
‘Don’t worry. I just got winded when the serpent slammed us against the wall. No great harm done.’ He replaced his helmet. ‘Well, shall we get back to the fight?’
The air reverberated with the shrieks of the other drakes as they wheeled around the theatre, taking turns to dive down and attack the monster. Ffyrnig suddenly swung round, his eyes half closed, as he inclined his head in the direction of the theatre.
‘What’s he doing?’ Sam asked Jonah.
They all stared up at the sky, watching as, one by one, a dragon would hover above the Globe and then hurtle down again. The hubbub was deafening. Above the roars of the drakes, there was the piercing whistling hiss of Jormungandr’s Child. Ffyrnig and Mordiford were listening intently.
‘There!’ Mordiford rumbled. ‘Hear that, Wales? Is that what I think it is?’
Ffyrnig nodded his great red head in excitement. ‘I think so. Yes.’
‘What? What?’ Jonah was bouncing with suspense.
Sam screwed up his forehead, as he stared from one to the other. ‘Jonah, what’s exciting them?’
Ffyrnig raised a foreleg. ‘Jonah, listen. Can you hear that?’
There was a shuffling, scraping sound, as if huge sackswere being dragged slowly across tarmac. Jonah turned to Sam and began to grin.
‘I think they’ve done it! The hatchling is on the move.’ He scrabbled round and stared up at the sky, watching the drakes flying low towards the river and back to the theatre again. ‘Yeah, that’s what it is! Let’s go and help,’ he said to Ffyrnig. ‘Mordiford, are you staying here? Have a bit of a rest, eh? You’ve done your bit.’
Mordiford nodded slowly, his yellow eyes half closed. ‘I think I will,’ he said. ‘I shall be in the way if I can’t manoeuvre quickly enough.’
‘Sam,’ Jonah said, ‘Mordiford’s going to rest for a while. Do you want to ride with Ffyrnig?’
The captain looked eagerly at the Great Dragon but then shook his head. ‘I’ll stay with Mordiford,’ he said and gave the wyvern’s shoulder a sympathetic rub. ‘Let us know when it’s all over.’
Quickly, Jonah scrambled up Ffyrnig’s foreleg and buckled himself into the cage. Ffyrnig, tail held as high as possible, backed across the gardens as far as he could go.
‘I don’t like this, Jonah. There’s not much room for takeoff. Oh, well, Here goes!’ He filled his enormous lungs with air, raised his body and tensed his legs. Then, with a thunderous sound that made Jonah’s head ring, he plunged across the grass towards the river, ploughing through the trees and straight across the road that divided the gardens. Jonah ducked and pulled down his visor, as branches slashed at his head. For one heart-stopping moment, he thought the Great Dragon would not get airborne, but then he felt Ffyrnig leap and he gasped as the cold rush of air blew round his neck. The tremendous wings beat above his head, he saw water rippling just below Ffyrnig’s body and then they were out over the Thames. Ffyrnig turned to the east, beating his wings withall his might and slowly, laboriously, they rose into the air. Jonah felt Ffyrnig’s side heave and then there was a loud rumbling as the Great Dragon began to laugh with relief.
‘Yes!’ Jonah looked down towards Shakespeare’s Globe and shouted with excitement, as he saw that the other dragons really had driven Jormungandr’s Child closer to the railings in front of the theatre. As he peered this way and that between the
Mordiford turned slowly to look at his side. ‘It’s not as bad as it looks, Wales. That blighter just knocked the stuffing out of me, that’s all. Look, I’m hardly bleeding at all now. That’ll soon heal.’ He turned to grin back at Sam, who had removed his safety helmet and was mopping his face and neck with a bandana. He smiled weakly at the dragons and at Jonah, who was looking down anxiously from Ffyrnig’s back.
‘Don’t worry. I just got winded when the serpent slammed us against the wall. No great harm done.’ He replaced his helmet. ‘Well, shall we get back to the fight?’
The air reverberated with the shrieks of the other drakes as they wheeled around the theatre, taking turns to dive down and attack the monster. Ffyrnig suddenly swung round, his eyes half closed, as he inclined his head in the direction of the theatre.
‘What’s he doing?’ Sam asked Jonah.
They all stared up at the sky, watching as, one by one, a dragon would hover above the Globe and then hurtle down again. The hubbub was deafening. Above the roars of the drakes, there was the piercing whistling hiss of Jormungandr’s Child. Ffyrnig and Mordiford were listening intently.
‘There!’ Mordiford rumbled. ‘Hear that, Wales? Is that what I think it is?’
Ffyrnig nodded his great red head in excitement. ‘I think so. Yes.’
‘What? What?’ Jonah was bouncing with suspense.
Sam screwed up his forehead, as he stared from one to the other. ‘Jonah, what’s exciting them?’
Ffyrnig raised a foreleg. ‘Jonah, listen. Can you hear that?’
There was a shuffling, scraping sound, as if huge sackswere being dragged slowly across tarmac. Jonah turned to Sam and began to grin.
‘I think they’ve done it! The hatchling is on the move.’ He scrabbled round and stared up at the sky, watching the drakes flying low towards the river and back to the theatre again. ‘Yeah, that’s what it is! Let’s go and help,’ he said to Ffyrnig. ‘Mordiford, are you staying here? Have a bit of a rest, eh? You’ve done your bit.’
Mordiford nodded slowly, his yellow eyes half closed. ‘I think I will,’ he said. ‘I shall be in the way if I can’t manoeuvre quickly enough.’
‘Sam,’ Jonah said, ‘Mordiford’s going to rest for a while. Do you want to ride with Ffyrnig?’
The captain looked eagerly at the Great Dragon but then shook his head. ‘I’ll stay with Mordiford,’ he said and gave the wyvern’s shoulder a sympathetic rub. ‘Let us know when it’s all over.’
Quickly, Jonah scrambled up Ffyrnig’s foreleg and buckled himself into the cage. Ffyrnig, tail held as high as possible, backed across the gardens as far as he could go.
‘I don’t like this, Jonah. There’s not much room for takeoff. Oh, well, Here goes!’ He filled his enormous lungs with air, raised his body and tensed his legs. Then, with a thunderous sound that made Jonah’s head ring, he plunged across the grass towards the river, ploughing through the trees and straight across the road that divided the gardens. Jonah ducked and pulled down his visor, as branches slashed at his head. For one heart-stopping moment, he thought the Great Dragon would not get airborne, but then he felt Ffyrnig leap and he gasped as the cold rush of air blew round his neck. The tremendous wings beat above his head, he saw water rippling just below Ffyrnig’s body and then they were out over the Thames. Ffyrnig turned to the east, beating his wings withall his might and slowly, laboriously, they rose into the air. Jonah felt Ffyrnig’s side heave and then there was a loud rumbling as the Great Dragon began to laugh with relief.
‘Yes!’ Jonah looked down towards Shakespeare’s Globe and shouted with excitement, as he saw that the other dragons really had driven Jormungandr’s Child closer to the railings in front of the theatre. As he peered this way and that between the
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