The Beginning Chapter 6

Chapter Six.

 

The Dragon Boxes.

 

“We are happy to have been of help,” said the Fire Demon. “But this part of the world is far too cold for me. I must return to my own lands. Call on me if you need help again. Now, please use your magic and send me home.”

Alphaz did as he asked.

The Ice Queen watched him vanish. ‘Uncomfortable fellow,’ she said. ‘But he is right, it is far too warm here. Do not hesitate to call on me if you need my help again.’

Alphaz sent the Ice Queen home as well.

She returned to the Door. Zaleph was waiting, and told her how he had managed to lure his Evil Ones to the hole without assistance.

‘It was not easy,’ he admitted. ‘They were very strong.’

‘Your Evil Ones are still close by,’ said Alphaz. ‘They seem reluctant to leave.’

‘Yours are still here too,’ said Zaleph. ’We must do something about this Door, or they may find a way back to their own side.’

Alphaz nodded. ‘We need to hide the hole behind a proper door, with a lock.’

‘We could,’ said Zaleph. ‘And perhaps it would be safer still if trustworthy people lived beside it.’

After much discussion, they agreed. Each would build dwellings beside the Door. Alphaz used her power to create four cottages. In the one nearest the Door, she placed a bell and a speaking tube. Zaleph did the same on his side. Together they cast a spell linking the two: ringing the bell in Alphaz’s world would ring it in Zaleph’s, and either side could speak through the tube.

Alphaz found two families to live in her cottages. She gave them new names, Warder and Keeper, for that was what they were. She sent half of each family through the Door.

Zaleph found two families for his houses, the Turnkeys and the Custodians, and sent half of each to Alphaz’s cottages.

All four families were given strict instructions: keep the Door secure, and never tell anyone about it.

Satisfied, Alphaz and Zaleph returned to their usual work, potions and spells, hoping the Evil Ones were no longer a threat.”

“That is why Alphaz was so annoyed about the abandoned cottages,” said Calizone. “There is nothing in any of the diaries about them, so I never knew. Odd that none of the witches after her wrote about them.”

“It seems it was a very well‑kept secret,” said Emdan.

“The witch who came after Alphaz was not much of a diary‑keeper,” said Calizone. “She hardly wrote anything. The ones after her probably didn’t know why the cottages were there either. I’ll have to find out what happened to those families and deal with them.”

“The story is not over yet,” said Eldest, glaring at her.

“Sorry,” she said, without sounding sorry at all.

“Alphaz did not return to the Door for some time,” Eldest continued. “Her fame spread, and she enjoyed it. As I said, it did not stop her doing wicked things when people upset her.

“The Forest became known as the Dark Forest, for Alphaz allowed no one to touch any part of it. The road the Evil Ones had made was the only safe route. No one entered the rest unless they were very brave, very foolish, or hiding.

“Alphaz liked it that way. It meant that anyone who sought her help was truly desperate.

It might have continued like that, except that about a month after the Evil Ones were sent through the Door, Alphaz went to visit the families she had placed there.

She expected to find them working in their gardens. Instead, they were all huddled together inside one cottage, terrified.

‘There are evil things out there,’ whispered the head of the Warder family. ‘We dare not go outside. Whatever they are, they have killed everything in our gardens. We tried to leave to fetch you, but each time we step outside they attack.’

 ‘Attack? How? I saw nothing when I came here,’ said Alphaz, puzzled.

 ‘The spirits are probably afraid of you,’ said Mr Turnkey. ‘But when we go out, it is like stepping into freezing fog. The cold goes into your bones. It is hard to describe,  but you are overwhelmed with fear. So far we are safe indoors, but for how long?’

 ‘We used the speaking tube,’ said one of the women. ‘The families on the other side are having the same problem. They are trapped indoors too.’

Alphaz shook her head. ‘I will have to look into this.’

She went outside. The gardens were dead. She picked up a handful of soil, it crumbled like dust. No life at all.

She listened. No insects. No birds. The leaves on the nearest trees looked burned. She plucked one, it disintegrated in her fingers.

“Then she felt a single icy tingle down her spine. She spun round. Nothing.

But she knew that touch. It was the touch of an Evil One.

She waited. Nothing attacked her. She walked around the cottages. Still nothing.

 ‘Odd,’ she murmured. ‘Last time they nearly destroyed me. Why not now?’

She returned inside. ‘There is definitely something out there,’ she said. ‘I must see if Zaleph knows what is happening.’

 ‘The people on the other side said they would try to get a message to him,’ said Mr Warder. ‘But we have heard nothing since.’

 ‘Have you checked the Door?’ asked Alphaz sharply.

“Mr Warder shook his head. ‘The closer we got, the worse the fear became. We could not even stand.’

Alphaz ran outside. To her relief, the Door covering the hole was still there, and closed.

But the icy feeling was stronger. She stood still and cast a protective spell. Then she realised something: the fear she felt was not hers. When she had been attacked in her old village, she had recognised the fear as part of herself. This was different.

She dropped the spell and waited. Nothing attacked her.

She smiled. ‘These Evil Ones are not mine. They have no power over me.’

She opened the Door and looked through.

The other world was as dead as hers.

 ‘I must speak to Zaleph,’ she thought.

She closed the Door carefully and returned to the cottage.

She rang the bell and picked up the speaking tube. It was answered at once.

 ‘I don’t care how terrified you are,’ she said. ‘One of you must fetch Zaleph and bring him to the Door.’

 ‘We have already sent word,’ came the reply. ‘He is on his way.’

Alphaz returned to the Door and opened it. She was relieved to see Zaleph’s familiar face on the other side.

‘Take care,” he warned. ‘The Evil Ones may try to get back to their own side. Though for the moment, I do not think they are strong enough.’

‘Do you know what is happening?’ asked Alphaz. ‘Why are the Evil Ones in this world suddenly growing stronger?’

‘The ones here have grown too,’ said Zaleph. ‘At first I thought they had managed to get through the Door, but I recognise these as yours.’

‘And the ones on this side are yours,’ said Alphaz.

Suddenly a wave of fear and hatred washed over her. She shuddered.

‘Did you feel that?’ shouted Zaleph. ‘I have just had the most awful sensation.’

‘They are definitely getting stronger,’ said Alphaz. ‘But why?’

‘I fear,” said Zaleph slowly, “that even though we sent them into opposite worlds, they can still feed on our feelings. They have not moved far from the Door, and every time we come near, they grow a little stronger.”

“I don’t think we need to be near the Door,” said Alphaz. “I haven’t been here for weeks. If they can feed on our old fear and hate, even from a distance, then before long they will be strong enough to use the Door to return.”

Zaleph nodded grimly. “I am going to try a spell to protect myself from them. You have one too. Cast yours at the same time.”

Alphaz cast her spell. The tingling in her spine vanished. She removed the spell.

“They stopped attacking me,” she said.

“Me too,” said Zaleph. “And the ones here have moved away from the Door.”

“It must be us they are feeding from,” said Alphaz. “Even though they are in different worlds. Since they began as part of us, there must still be a connection.”

“If that is true,” said Zaleph, “they will grow stronger and stronger until we can no longer keep them from returning.”

“They cannot sense us through a spell,” said Alphaz. “But I cannot keep it up for long. It drains too much power.”

“Nor can I,” said Zaleph. He sighed. “We must find a permanent way to hide from these creatures, one that does not require constant magic.”

“If they cannot sense us through a spell,” mused Alphaz, “then we need something permanently magical to hide behind.”

“Or inside,” said Zaleph.

“The only thing I know that is magic in that way is dragon,” said Alphaz. “But getting dragon skin will not be easy. Even with my power, I could not kill one.”

“She was correct,” said Eldest. “Magic does not work on us.”

“Fortunately for the world,” Eldest continued, “sad things were happening in a distant city.”

He shifted his weight in the sand.

“Not much more to tell now,” he said.

“Good,” muttered Calizone. “This is getting tedious.”

“In a faraway city, Arthur the Dragon was growing weaker. As you know, human flesh is poisonous to dragons. In his madness he had forgotten that. His flame was almost gone, and he was close to death. The humans did not know they only needed to wait a little longer.

“They found a soldier willing to fight the terrible beast. Arthur could not defend himself. The man’s spear pierced his heart.

“The people left Arthur’s body on the hillside while they celebrated.”

Back in the Dark Forest, Alphaz used all her power to search for news of the dragons. She soon learned of the death. She sped to the hillside.

She cast a spell so nothing could touch the body. She tried to remove some skin, but even dead, Arthur’s magic prevented her.

She wondered if the Ice Queen could help. She flew north and explained. The Queen shook her head. “I do not know if I can touch a dragon,” she said. “But I would like to see one.”

Together they returned. The body was still untouched. The townsfolk were still celebrating.

The Ice Queen made a knife of the hardest ice she could form. It melted instantly on Arthur’s skin.

“Too hot,” she said. “Even in death. Perhaps the Fire Demon can do it.”

Alphaz flew south and brought him back. He unsheathed one red‑hot claw and sliced through the skin with ease.

Even then Alphaz could not touch it.

The Ice Queen froze a layer of ice onto the back of the skin. Alphaz could touch that. Strangely, the ice was warm and did not melt.

Just in case, Alphaz invited both the Fire Demon and the Ice Queen to accompany her back to the Door.

Zaleph was waiting. “We must see if the dragon skin keeps its power in this world,” he said. “Wait while I find a piece of cloth the same size.”

They made the exchange. The Queen’s ice melted instantly. Zaleph dropped the skin.

“Ouch! That burns.”

“Good,” said Alphaz. “It still works. Let us see if it hides me from the Evil Ones.”

The Queen refroze the back. Alphaz wrapped herself in the skin.

Zaleph watched the Evil Ones on his side. They faded.

“They cannot sense you,” he called. “Let me try.”

The skin was passed back. Zaleph wrapped it in thick cloth so he could touch it.

The Evil Ones on Alphaz’s side faded too.

“The trouble is,” said Zaleph, “I cannot spend my life hiding under a magic cloak. And they would escape easily.”

“I could join the skin into boxes,” said Alphaz. “The Queen could line one with ice. You could line yours with cloth. We could either go inside the boxes, or put the Evil Ones in.”

“Once they die,” said Zaleph, “we can return to our lives.”

Alphaz, with the help of the Fire Demon and the Ice Queen, fashioned two identical boxes. Zaleph found a box on his side and exchanged it for a Dragon Box. He tried every spell he knew, but the Evil Ones would not go near the dragon skin.

Alphaz had no success either.

“It seems the only thing we can do,” she said sadly, “is go into the boxes ourselves. I have a spell that stops time. If I use it, we can remain inside the boxes until it is safe to come out and continue our lives.”

Zaleph nodded. “We would not need food or drink. I know that spell.”

“I will take Alphaz’s box and keep it safe,” offered the Ice Queen.

“I will ask one of my people to guard mine,” said Zaleph.

And so it was done.

Eldest paused. “I think you know the rest. The boxes were hidden until Princess Jasmine and Prince Emdan found Alphaz’s box.

“We found Arthur’s body on the hillside near the city and took it back to the Islands, where we had made our home.”

Calizone snapped, “There are still a great many unanswered questions. I wonder how long it took before a new Witch of the Dark Forest appeared after Alphaz vanished.”

“The new one arrived a few years later and moved into the Cottage,” said Eldest. “She read Alphaz’s notebook to me.”

“As I said,” muttered Calizone, “it is a pity she never mentioned the notebook in her diary. I have read everything she wrote, nothing about Alphaz, dragons, or boxes.”

“I know nothing about that,” said Eldest. “I have told you all I can. And now I have spent as much time away from the Islands as I can bear. Farewell. I will not return.”

He rose, launched himself into the air, circled the beach twice, and flew away.

“Typical!” Calizone huffed. “Leaves half the questions unanswered. I have a great deal of thinking to do. Do not call on me for a while.” And with that, she vanished.

Princess Jasmine and Prince Emdan slowly walked up the beach.

“If we tell my father that story,” said Jasmine, “he will realise we lied about me being kidnapped by a dragon. I am going to be in so much trouble for running away.”

“And he won’t be pleased with me either,” said Emdan.

“And you won’t be a hero anymore,” Jasmine giggled.

Emdan smiled. “True, not that I ever was one.”

“We could tell him the dragon was explaining why I was kidnapped,” suggested Jasmine. “Apologising for it. And thanking us for returning stolen property.”

“We were on the beach for a very long time,” said Emdan. “We could say we spent the time negotiating a treaty between Sealand and the dragons, so nothing like this ever happens again.”

“But treaties are usually written down and sealed,” said Jasmine.

“Ah,” said Emdan, “but this treaty was made with a dragon, and dragons do not read. There would be no need for anything to be signed, because dragons always keep their word.”