Tank felt thoroughly disgusted and ashamed at what he was seeing.
'This monster,' he thought, 'is not the dragon that I work and care for day in and day out. Why on earth is he doing this? Aside from the morality of helping a brave and badly wounded dragon which if you have the ability and power to help, you just should. This should have been Peter's day. None of this should be happening. What have we got ourselves into?'
The colour in the king's face started to return to normal, as the small group stood around the stone plinth watching Flash try and manage his pain with as much dignity as he could given the circumstances. Gee Tee and the king had clearly reached an impasse; how it was going to be resolved, nobody seemed to know.
"You would watch this dragon die, knowing that you can prevent it?" roared the king, his voice filled to the brim with passion. Clearly he was trying to contain his anger and temper.
"I've told you... it's your responsibility. You've done nothing for me after all I've done for you. It's time for a change. The cost of helping him, and you, is this scroll."
Shaking his head as beads of sweat glistened around the sides of his long, grey hair, the king was finding it hard not to lose control.
"YOU may be the only being on the planet with the ability to help him. Did you not hear everything that he's been through? Everything that he's given? Don't you think you should help him if you have the knowledge to do so?" stressed the king, trembling ever so slightly.
The old shopkeeper didn't answer, preferring instead to cross his wings stubbornly in front of him and gaze dead ahead.
'This is it,' thought Peter. 'We're all going to be sent to jail.'
"Don't you understand?" declared the king more forcefully this time. "That scroll is not mine to give you. If it were, I would hand it over to you in a heartbeat, not to save Flash's life, but because I believe after all you've been through that you should have it. But I cannot, not even to save this brave dragon's life. Whatever you say, however much you plead, I cannot let you have that scroll. I'm sorry."
Peter thought that this just might do the trick and persuade the stubborn old shopkeeper to change his mind. Tank, however, knew better. His boss was one of, if not the most, stubborn and pigheaded beings on the planet, and it wasn't in his nature to change his mind for anyone, not even the king.
'What is needed,' thought Tank, 'is another way, a third option, something for... everyone.'
As Gee Tee and the king stood glaring at each other, with Flash mumbling incoherently to himself on the plinth, inspiration suddenly struck Tank.
"What if you were to... loan the scroll to Gee Tee, Your Majesty?" Tank blurted out, suddenly.
Simultaneously, both the king and Gee Tee turned to gaze at Tank, making him feel about an inch tall under such scrutiny.
"It wouldn't work I'm afraid youngster. I don't believe for a second that I'd ever get it back again." The master mantra maker nodded in agreement. Clearly the king was right, and the old shopkeeper had no plans to return it. Sudden optimism provided by Tank's outburst regressed back to tension and silence, until a cunning smile snaked its way across Tank's misshapen face.
"How about loaning the scroll to me, Majesty? I would guarantee that you'd get it back, and could help Gee Tee work with it," offered Tank, knowing that it might just be enough to convince him.
Scratching his chin, the king thought about the proposal.
"Definitely not," raved Gee Tee.
Before the king could open his mouth to respond, Tank jumped in.
"It makes sense for everyone, and you know it. Clearly the king can't give you the scroll, otherwise he would. Can't you see how desperate he is to save that young dragon over there? You should be ashamed of yourself."
"Watch your tongue, apprentice," threatened the master mantra maker.
"No more watching tongues. I've had to do that for long enough," countered Tank, suddenly. "And we'll be having a little chat about the apprentice thing as well, quite soon, but back to the here and now. Clearly the only way you're going to get your talons on that scroll you so desperately want, is for the king to loan it to me, and for me to grant you access to it. What do you say?"
While Gee Tee considered Tank's question, Peter and Yoyo held their breath, whilst Tank turned to look at the king. Sighing, and with no other option available to him, the king nodded in response to Tank's question.
"So what will it be? Make up your mind now, for everyone's sake, but most of all for that brave dragon lying there, contorted with pain."
Tank wasn't one to blow his own trumpet. Of course there were things that he just excelled at, plant and animal physiology, rugby and mantras amongst them, but here and now he knew beyond a doubt that he'd achieved his goal, realising that the old shopkeeper would accede to the deal and would therefore help Flash. He was in fact just playing for time, trying to keep some sort of dignity intact.
With Peter and Yoyo still holding their breaths, Gee Tee threw the scroll to Tank, while at the same time saying,
"Agreed."
Releasing a long breath, Peter closed his eyes and thanked the heavens for his friend. If not for Tank, then he hated to even contemplate what might have happened. As he did so, the master mantra maker whirled into action, a mini tornado, completely unstoppable, with an unending supply of energy.
"There are some things I'm going to need," stated the old shopkeeper to no one in particular. "Firstly I need two clownfish... alive. Secondly, a large quantity of bark from a silver birch, dragon bone, sea salt and a large pestle and mortar." Pointing to the king's hand, Gee Tee made his final request.
"I'll also require that," he said nonchalantly.
Peter and Tank's eyes nearly popped out. Gee Tee had just told the king that he needed the unique magical ring that he wore, the one that held a limitless supply of mana, or magic if you like.
"I see," said the king gruffly. "Anything else?" he added sarcastically, before closing his eyes and telepathically sending the list of ingredients to the head of the guards on duty in the council building. "They know it's urgent, but it still may take a while. Is there anything we can do in the meantime?"
"Hmmm... I suppose we really need to make him more comfortable, as this could all take some time. Do you have anywhere that we can use?"
"There's a dragon sized sofa in the living room," replied the king.
"Good, good, we'll move him there if that's okay."
The king nodded in reply.
"Come on then you two. Make yourselves useful instead of just standing there gawping. Bring young Flash over to the living room," Gee Tee ordered Peter and Tank.
As carefully as possible, the two friends picked up the barely conscious Flash, with Tank taking his head, since he was by far the stronger, and Peter taking his legs. Following the king, Gee Tee and Yoyo into the living room, they carefully placed Flash down on a very bright red fabric sofa, pretty much the size of a tennis court, making sure he was as comfortable as possible.
'It's amazing,' Peter thought, gobsmacked by not only the size of the room, about half a football pitch by the look of things, but also by the style of it. Well stocked shelves full of human literature littered most of two walls, with photos of various places and people/dragons scattered in front of the books. Fantastic works of art, both dragon and human alike, adorned the other couple of walls, while ancient looking tapestries fluttered slightly in the very light breeze that ran throughout the room. Peter turned to see Tank and Yoyo as astonished as he was with Gee Tee stroking his huge prehistoric jaw as he took in the entire room.