overtax his immature strength. Finally, as both Farn and Tika felt engulfed by her affection and concern, she was lifting, rising to the peaks with her other four children close beside her.
Jeela flew last, turning again and again to see them, her mind calling farewell.
Shar too called ‘Safe travelling!’
Farn’s father Jorab had gone in the night, to rejoin a group of males heading north towards the desert lands edging the Ancient Mountains. Seti merely told them to remember their lessons and they would do well, then she too was gone. And so, suddenly, the central Gathering Place was empty, seeming bigger than ever with just the four of them, Fenj, Kadi, Farn and Tika.
‘These are the last things,’ said Fenj. ‘The Lady has told me you must take two things particularly from our collection.’
He looked at Kadi then both huge Dragons turned towards the gleaming black circle set high in the rock face. Tika was aware of Fenj and Kadi’s minds working together. She concentrated hard to see exactly what they were doing. It felt as though they were unravelling a piece of woven cloth, threads being slid free of other threads. As Tika strove to follow the pattern of what they did, the black circle split down the centre and folded silently back, revealing a cave behind. ‘Come.’ Fenj rose and flew smoothly to the cave with Kadi a second behind him.
‘Come on,’ said Farn excitedly, urging Tika to climb on his back and lifting rapidly to follow his elders.
This cave, like Kija’s nesting cave, had a kind of entrance place then a short tunnel twisted away concealing another cave from first glance.
Tika heard Farn’s squeak of gleeful astonishment as she entered the second cave behind the others. She stared, amazed, at the great jumbled heap in front of them. Farn immediately started nosing amongst the glittering pile while Kadi watched. Fenj told Tika: ‘Dragons love sparkling things – drops of water, snowflakes, stars in the sky, shining stones. And a thousand Seasons past, we would collect any such things we found. The best we brought here for all to enjoy at the Gathering times. Most of us have small collections of our own hidden away.’
‘A real Dragon’s hoard of treasure,’ Tika whispered, watching jewelled coronets and scabbards, necklaces and brooches slipping down the pile as Farn poked through it all.
‘What?’ Fenj asked in some surprise.
‘There are stories about Dragons having these great hoards of treasure,’ Tika explained.
‘Stories? Two-legs tell stories of us?’ Fenj sounded dubious as well as faintly shocked. ‘What are these stories?’
‘Usually of Dragons capturing beautiful princesses and bearing them off to hidden places where they live on top of heaps of jewels.’ Tika paused, belatedly remembering how most of such stories ended.
Fenj asked, ‘Whatever does the Dragon do with a two-legs princess?’
Tika gulped. ‘Well, sometimes he eats her, but more often a handsome prince turns up, battles and kills the Dragon and takes the princess home to marry.’
Grey eyes and blue whirred rapidly and Tika suddenly had that turned inside out sensation again.
‘I do wish you wouldn’t do that,’ she complained. ‘It makes me feel really sick.’ She felt Kadi and Fenj withdraw from her mind extremely rapidly. ‘That’s better,’ she said graciously.
Kadi apologised first. ‘Please forgive us Tika. We are unused to communicating with your kind. The few two legs we have attempted contact with, do not seem to be at all aware of our attempts.’
Fenj rumbled in agreement.
‘Look!’ cried Farn. He had a golden coronet afire with sapphires and bloodstones. He twirled it on one extended talon. ‘Sparkles!’
‘Yes, yes,’ said Fenj, ‘but there are two things the Lady said you must take with you Tika. Look in my mind and you will be able to recognise them.’
Tika slid into Fenj’s thoughts and saw a piece of amber embedded in gold, hanging from a thin golden
Jeela flew last, turning again and again to see them, her mind calling farewell.
Shar too called ‘Safe travelling!’
Farn’s father Jorab had gone in the night, to rejoin a group of males heading north towards the desert lands edging the Ancient Mountains. Seti merely told them to remember their lessons and they would do well, then she too was gone. And so, suddenly, the central Gathering Place was empty, seeming bigger than ever with just the four of them, Fenj, Kadi, Farn and Tika.
‘These are the last things,’ said Fenj. ‘The Lady has told me you must take two things particularly from our collection.’
He looked at Kadi then both huge Dragons turned towards the gleaming black circle set high in the rock face. Tika was aware of Fenj and Kadi’s minds working together. She concentrated hard to see exactly what they were doing. It felt as though they were unravelling a piece of woven cloth, threads being slid free of other threads. As Tika strove to follow the pattern of what they did, the black circle split down the centre and folded silently back, revealing a cave behind. ‘Come.’ Fenj rose and flew smoothly to the cave with Kadi a second behind him.
‘Come on,’ said Farn excitedly, urging Tika to climb on his back and lifting rapidly to follow his elders.
This cave, like Kija’s nesting cave, had a kind of entrance place then a short tunnel twisted away concealing another cave from first glance.
Tika heard Farn’s squeak of gleeful astonishment as she entered the second cave behind the others. She stared, amazed, at the great jumbled heap in front of them. Farn immediately started nosing amongst the glittering pile while Kadi watched. Fenj told Tika: ‘Dragons love sparkling things – drops of water, snowflakes, stars in the sky, shining stones. And a thousand Seasons past, we would collect any such things we found. The best we brought here for all to enjoy at the Gathering times. Most of us have small collections of our own hidden away.’
‘A real Dragon’s hoard of treasure,’ Tika whispered, watching jewelled coronets and scabbards, necklaces and brooches slipping down the pile as Farn poked through it all.
‘What?’ Fenj asked in some surprise.
‘There are stories about Dragons having these great hoards of treasure,’ Tika explained.
‘Stories? Two-legs tell stories of us?’ Fenj sounded dubious as well as faintly shocked. ‘What are these stories?’
‘Usually of Dragons capturing beautiful princesses and bearing them off to hidden places where they live on top of heaps of jewels.’ Tika paused, belatedly remembering how most of such stories ended.
Fenj asked, ‘Whatever does the Dragon do with a two-legs princess?’
Tika gulped. ‘Well, sometimes he eats her, but more often a handsome prince turns up, battles and kills the Dragon and takes the princess home to marry.’
Grey eyes and blue whirred rapidly and Tika suddenly had that turned inside out sensation again.
‘I do wish you wouldn’t do that,’ she complained. ‘It makes me feel really sick.’ She felt Kadi and Fenj withdraw from her mind extremely rapidly. ‘That’s better,’ she said graciously.
Kadi apologised first. ‘Please forgive us Tika. We are unused to communicating with your kind. The few two legs we have attempted contact with, do not seem to be at all aware of our attempts.’
Fenj rumbled in agreement.
‘Look!’ cried Farn. He had a golden coronet afire with sapphires and bloodstones. He twirled it on one extended talon. ‘Sparkles!’
‘Yes, yes,’ said Fenj, ‘but there are two things the Lady said you must take with you Tika. Look in my mind and you will be able to recognise them.’
Tika slid into Fenj’s thoughts and saw a piece of amber embedded in gold, hanging from a thin golden
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