Fighting with fire

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The dragon seemed to forget about the trout for a short time after it emerged from the mine. It had not, after all, seen the sun or breathed fresh air for over a hundred years. With some of its youth now restored, it was enjoying its freedom more than ever and soared joyously out over the desert below.

This did get slightly worrying for a while. Especially when the dragon began to climb steadily higher towards the clouds with no sign of turning back any time soon. But, by waving the trout around particularly energetically, Lex managed to get the dragon’s attention back again. He used the fishing line to dangle the fish lower than the dragon’s snout and soon they were heading back down towards the ground. The dragon spread its wings just in time, and they came to land outside the mine with a thump that made the ground shake.

The Gods were already there, along with the sprite, who perched on top of a nearby cactus, looking despondent.

‘That,’ raged Kala as soon as the dragon touched down and instantly devoured the trout (and half the fishing line), ‘was the most astonishingly poor show I have ever witnessed!’ Pointing at Lex, she went on, ‘You deliberately saved that thing’s life and didn’t even try to kill it! If I were your Goddess, I would turn you into a wooden chessman right here and now!’

‘Whatever for?’ Lex asked. ‘I won, didn’t I?’

The Gods stared at him for a moment before Kala found her tongue and gasped, ‘Won? Won? You were supposed to slay the dragon!’

‘That’s not what I heard,’ Lex replied blithely? but not too blithely, for he was talking to a God, after all.

Lex did not give up a win easily and, during that brief flight on the dragon’s back, a plan had formed itself in his mind.

‘Lady Luck said that the first person to drive a blade into the dragon’s heart, wins,’ he said. ‘Well, I was the first person to drive a blade into its heart.’

There was silence for a moment before Kala raged, ‘You were supposed to slay the beast and you know it!’

‘But she never said that specifically, my Lady,’ Lex said, trying to sound respectful. ‘She said that the person who managed to slay a dragon would be talked about for years and years, but she never actually said that was what we were supposed to do. All she specifically said was “blade in the heart”.’

‘He’s right,’ Thaddeus growled, after another brief silence. ‘Technically speaking, he’s won.’

‘I ought to be awarded some hero points, too,’ Lex said. ‘For saving him.’

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards Jeremiah, who was still clinging to the dragon’s back and looking rather sick.

‘Oh, hero points or no hero points, what does it matter?’ Lady Luck beamed. ‘You’ve won, Lex! And you’ve rescued that dear, sweet dragon!’

Lex had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at yet another demonstration of Lady Luck’s utter fickleness. An hour ago, she had been ordering them to kill the beast, now she was all eager to pet and coo over it.

Jeremiah chose that moment to slide off the dragon’s back, land with a thump on the ground and be noisily sick. Which was good because, when the dragon spread its wings in a most impressive way just a moment later, Lex and Jesse were the only two on its back and that final image would be the perfect one to show in the Gaming stadiums before Lady Luck passed Lex yet another trophy and the Binding Bracelets fell from their wrists, marking the end of the Game.

The celebratory dinner that took place in the Wither City after the Game was over, was a very different affair from the one that had taken place before it. No one was laughing at Lex, for one thing. In fact, many people were grovelling all over him, whilst Jeremiah sat at a table by himself, looking forlorn. Lex revelled in the victory. Towards the end of the evening, of course, he was getting rather fed up with people toadying all over him. He decided to call it a night and quit whilst he was ahead.

When he got back to the harbour, he saw that Jeremiah must have been thinking along the same lines, for he was there about to embark on his own ship.

‘Hey,’ Lex called across the dark pier. ‘Wait up.’

The nobleman stopped reluctantly and watched Lex approach, with a suspicious expression on his face.

‘You’ve come to gloat, I suppose!’ he said peevishly when Lex stopped in front of him.

‘Not at all,’ Lex said. ‘I’ve come to shake your hand.’

Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. ‘Why?’

‘To show there’s no hard feelings.’

Jeremiah stared at him. ‘Well, why should you have any hard feelings, after all?’ he snapped. ‘You stole my sister’s Dragon and my uncle’s sword and you think you got away with it! Well, you haven’t! I’ll tell you what I’m going to do, Trent? I’m going to-’

‘Oh, save it,’ Lex said mildly. ‘I’ve come here to give you back those things.’ As Jeremiah watched in astonishment, Lex swung the bag off his back, rummaged through it and then straightened up with the Sword of Life and the blue Dragon of Desareth in his hand. ‘Here,’ he said, holding them out to Jeremiah. ‘It was wrong of me to take them. I’m very sorry.’

‘You’re giving them back… just like that?’ Jeremiah asked. ‘No tricks?’

‘No tricks,’ Lex replied. ‘The Game’s over now and these things are of no use to me. Especially the sword now that the life that was stored up in the blue blade has all been used up. Better that you have it back and slaughter a few peasants with it. Or a few armies. Perhaps I’ll steal it back from you in twenty years or so when it’s useful to me again.’

‘Well,’ Jeremiah said finally. ‘Thank you. And… thank you also for… you know… taking me with you from the mine and not leaving me behind to get eaten by the rabbits.’

Lex shuddered. ‘No man should get eaten by rabbits. No matter how much of a stuck-up toff he is. Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to give you this back, too.’ And from his pocket he produced the purse he’d stolen from Mrs East at the teashop.

‘What is-’ Jeremiah began.

‘Your mother’s purse,’ Lex replied. ‘I pinched it, back at the Sea Volcanoes.’

Jeremiah stared at him, speechless for a moment, before putting the purse in his pocket. ‘The next time I play against you, Lex,’ the nobleman said quietly, ‘I will win.’

‘Well, I doubt that very much,’ Lex replied airily, ‘but dream about it, if you like. Let’s not spoil the moment by arguing. I don’t much like you, Jeremiah, and I daresay the feeling’s mutual. But for the sake of our grandfathers? who were both fine men? let’s try to part on good terms.’

Jeremiah looked suitably serious at the mention of their grandfathers and nodded. ‘Agreed,’ he said pompously. ‘For their sake, if not for ours.’

Lex smiled. Moulding people was so easy that, really, it was like they were made of clay half the time. When Lex stepped forwards to embrace Jeremiah, the nobleman looked taken aback and not best pleased, but he allowed it for a brief moment? clapping Lex awkwardly on the back before hurriedly releasing him. But that was all the time Lex needed. He said goodnight and goodbye to Jeremiah and then walked back to his own ship with the nobleman’s white Dragon of Desareth nestled securely in his own pocket. After looking it up in Erasmus Grey’s book, Lex had found out that the white Dragon could transport the wisher back to his home instantly? no matter how far away he happened to be from it at the time. Lex couldn’t very well allow Jeremiah to walk off with something so useful. The opportunity to pinch it was just too good to pass up.

All in all, it had been a profoundly satisfying victory. Lex set sail that very night and, by the time Jeremiah noticed his Dragon was missing, Lex was far, far away. The only thing that marred his pleasure was Jesse? the dratted cowboy had done a runner. And he had taken Lex’s book about Desareth’s Wishing Creatures with him.

Lady Luck had presented the cowboy with the grey pearls as soon as they got back to the Wither City but he had declined to go to the celebratory feast under the guise that he’d had enough of the Game by then, and was glad to be done with it. But when Lex got back to the ship, Rusty was gone and so was Jesse. Lex was only mildly miffed about this at first. After all, if another Game were to arise then he could always track the cowboy down and invite him along, but the speed and stealth with which the cowboy had left alerted Lex to the fact that something was most definitely up. So he carefully combed through the ship until he found the thing that was missing.

The Wishing Creatures of Desareth, by Erasmus Grey, had been securely tucked away in the safe Lex had had installed in his bedroom on the ship. But when he opened it, all that remained was a note from Jesse that read:

Howdy, partner,

Here’s a piece of friendly advice, kid: you need a better safe. This one is pathetic.

Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the book. Seems only fair, seeing as you have four of the Wishing Creatures of Desareth, and I ain’t got none.

Thanks for all the fun and, hopefully, we’ll see each other again sometime (but not too soon, eh?). Give my love to the griffins.

Your friend and mentor,

Jesse Layton.

Lex stared down at the letter in his hand. ‘Friend and mentor, my foot!’ he muttered darkly to himself.

He stood there a moment longer, waiting for the hot, horrible anger to sweep over him at the fact that someone had stolen from him for a change. But it never came. Instead, all he got was a strange feeling of thrilling excitement. What Jesse didn’t know was that Lex had an almost photographic memory and could therefore remember practically everything he’d read in the book. He also had the black Swann of Desareth, with which he should be able to track Jesse down. He would find the cowboy eventually and get his book back. After that

… if Jesse wanted to compete against Lex for the other Wishing Creatures out there, well… the cowboy would certainly be a worthy adversary, and Lex was in permanently short supply of those.

He read through the letter one more time, his smile growing wider at every word.

‘Perfect,’ Lex said gleefully as he put the letter in the safe and slammed the door shut. ‘Just what I always wanted: a brand new challenge. And with a half-decent opponent, too. Bring it on, Jesse. I’ll be ready for you.’