'Still,' she thought, 'I wonder where he is and what's happening?'
A large, powerful hand brushed her shoulder gently, startling her from all thoughts of her former, illicit boyfriend. Turning, she looked up into the friendly face of Tank.
"And how are you doing?" he whispered, plonking himself down on the floor beside her. On arriving at the nursery ring he'd transformed back into his human guise, much to some of the other dragons' surprise. Feeling that it was the right thing to do, for many reasons. Normally, he spent almost all his time in that form and having his human friends here, he hoped that by appearing as such, it might just put them a little more at ease, if that were at all possible. Given what they'd been through already today, they'd done remarkably well. And then there was Richie. Part of it was for her. She'd been amazing, despite having learned the truth about her past through some illegal and immoral action on Peter's behalf, with no doubt the sleeping shopkeeper having something to do with it... oh yes, he knew. Well, he didn't, but you didn't just stumble across a magical ring that could absorb and safely store a dragon's consciousness, not unless you were nearly five hundred years old and owned your own Mantra Emporium. They'd be having THAT conversation at some point, but only after they'd saved the world again, if indeed they could.
"Okay, I suppose," she replied softly.
"Really?" enquired Tank sceptically. "Not worried at all?"
"What you fail to understand, is that as leader of everything... I can delegate anything I like. Currently I have others worrying for me. You see... leadership... it's a piece of cake."
Tank chuckled quietly, so as not to disturb anyone.
"But really," he said more seriously, "are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"
Richie took stock of her thoughts. She hadn't quite made up her mind... well, not yet. But there was going to be something he'd have to do. And he really wouldn't like it. But that was for another time. Not here, not now.
"I don't think there's anything you can do at the moment," she replied thoughtfully. "We all just need to rest as much as we can... like the great dragon himself," she said, nodding in the direction of Gee Tee, who'd she'd just noticed was using his magical rucksack as some kind of pillow.
"Not only are his mantras legendary, but so is his snoring," added Tank, trying to lighten the mood. No easy task, given their current predicament.
Nodding in the direction of Janice, Richie said,
"Do you think she'll be alright?"
"She's worried about Peter... like the rest of us," replied Tank, looking deep into Richie's eyes, seeing there the fear he himself felt for his friend's safety. "But given her actions back at the square, I'd say she's every inch as tough as any dragon I've ever met. To think that I didn't approve of their relationship seems utterly ludicrous now."
"And not just theirs I might add."
"I know... and I'm truly sorry."
"It's alright... I understand. But one way or the other, the world as we knew it has already been turned totally on its head."
Tank muttered his agreement, as both friends snuggled up to each other, keen to gain as much rest as was possible in the dim light crackling forth from the fire in the centre of the courtyard.
Just then, two of the tors shepherded a group of youngsters into the area directly around the fire, the younglings keen to feel the warmth of its embrace.
"I think a little story might take the edge off everyone's nerves," announced the head tor to Richie as he strutted past. She nodded her agreement, hoping that he'd be as quiet as he could, allowing the others to sleep for as long as possible.
Almost as if reading her thoughts, and with the young dragons closed in all around him, his soft voice could just be heard over the crackle and hiss of the dying embers of the fire.
54
A Prize Fit For A...
Walking from the sink over to the wall with the lava running down it, holding her damp hands mere inches above the slow moving, molten rock, soaking up the heat, she decided that everybody in the world should dry their hands this way. Moving across to the bed, she lounged back, tired from lack of sleep. In a way, she didn't mind the waiting, but the worrying and not knowing how things were proceeding, now that was a different thing altogether. Slowly closing her eyes, her thoughts drifted off for the last time, back into the past.
'It was so easy,' thought Earth as she slipped unnoticed off the monorail, heading towards the secluded entrance to the human world above. Gnarled Wolf, her father's mission planner, had always had a soft spot for her. All it had taken was a flirty smile, the promise of a drink sometime and a tall tale about a family tragedy, to get him to reveal the details of her father Fredric's current operational deployment and exactly where they were in Germany. So easy. Smiling a sick, twisted kind of smile, pleased that she'd guessed right, she continued on her way. Of course Fredric hadn't told any of the other dragons about what had gone on between them, or most importantly about the events in Barcelona. Probably too ashamed, he was no doubt already planning her rescue from the clutches of the evil Nazis. If only he knew.
Slipping stealthily out into the moonlit forest, she followed the muddy tracks that she knew would lead her to the farmhouse headquarters. Once there, she would unveil her plan to capture the dragon agents without revealing the details about her father's identity and involvement. That she would save for later... personally presenting the dragon king's special envoy and head of the Crimson Guards, knowing this was her 'ticket' up the ladder. For some time now she'd been trying to get noticed by the hierarchy. This would be like a massive flare sailing up into the night sky, shattering the peace and quiet, lighting her up like a film star. They couldn't possibly fail to notice her after this. And best of all... she'd be rid of her interfering and do-gooding father, FOREVER!
Assigned half a dozen nagas to assist her, as well as having been warned in no uncertain terms that THIS was her last chance, and although not unexpected, the nagas had been a welcome addition. As for the warning... it had just made her laugh.
The group of three dragons led by her father stood no chance against her force, especially as they had no idea they'd been betrayed and that their little operation had been compromised.
Splitting the nagas up into three groups of two, each pair responsible for taking down one of the dragons, she was keen to assist with her father. Of course she could take him down alone; using her relationship with him could in itself be a very potent weapon, but she'd learned over the years not to underestimate him and for the sake of earning her freedom once and for all, she wasn't prepared to take any chances.
The teams had been on site for a week now, one posing as the manager of the hotel they were staying in, the rest disguised as either staff or guests. Being masters of concealment, the nagas had found it easy to blend in, especially given all the years of experience they'd had in the service of their new masters.
As the teams reported in, she marvelled at how professional, focused and ruthless they were. Nothing stood in their way, nothing was left to chance. She admired that a lot. Their mission so far had been a success. Two of the dragon agents had been assassinated, killed in cold blood, gunned down in a hail of machine gun fire, stuck fast in their human disguises, which was no way for a dragon to die. She knew they found it abhorrent, and knowing that they were missing out on a proper dragon burial was the icing on the cake for her and, in her opinion, nothing more than they deserved. Of course they could have been captured alive, but she'd ordered them to be killed, knowing that it would make the prize of her father all the more valuable.