Chapter Ten: The Firebrand
Glass consists mainly of silica (sand) the temperature must reach approximately 3,600°F (1,982°C) to melt the sand so it can be poured, blown, pressed or molded. Because of the presence of iron in sand, glass with a greenish color mostly results; sand of exceptional purity, white sand, is sought for high quality glass.
"Why did you want a sail anyway?" Gunther asked finally, as he folded the heavy cloth into a more manageable shape to hold on his lap as they flew.
"Dragon said I could remodel the cave, remember?" Drake gave the apprentice knight a playful smile.
"If you plan on making curtains…I do not know what I will do." Gunther shook his head in disbelief.
"Nothing so common elf-boy" Drake sniffed rolling his eyes in mock distain. "I will need you to get a piece of chalk too."
Gunther's eyebrow quirked in disbelief, "Chalk?" he asked.
"Yes chalk, you have that here do you not?" Drake huffed, pointing his nose in the air and exhaling a thin tendril of smoke.
What use a dragon could possibly have for chalk mystified him but Gunther figured he would never find out standing here debating with the big lizard so he simply shrugged, and went to procure a piece from Dame Salter. The young squire knew Pepper's mother, like most of the other village fishwives, used chalk to keep a tally on a piece of slate to record how many racks of fish each had drying by the shore and how many were salted and packed away to be smoked later. The young squire easily obtained what the big dragon had requested.
Drake flew with Gunther back to the small stretch of beach where they had spent the night. Together they stretched the sail out on the shore and the black dragon used his tail to sweep a large pile of fine white sand onto the sail. Once the squire was once more situated betwixt his wings, Drake gathered up the corners of the sail in his talons and flew the bundle back to his chosen lair in Dragon Mountain.
The black dragon was painting heavily from exertion once he reached the cave mouth and several of the holes in his wings had begun bleeding again. A fact, for which, Gunther berated him soundly. "This had better be worth it." The young squire growled irritably as he daubed the angry wounds with his handkerchief.
The raw edges were unbelievably tender. Drake had all he could do to keep from flinching away from the boy's well meaning ministrations. "You... fuss… like… a… hen." The dragon gasped, through pain-grit teeth. Even so, he was touched anew by the boy's concern. The throbbing eased some once he had rested.
Next Drake arranged himself on the floor of the cave off to one side of the entrance and instructed the young squire to use the chalk to trace a generous ring around him on the cave floor. Gunther obeyed without a word, completely clueless as to what the dragon was about. Drake paced around the circle motioning for gunther to correct it here and there till it was more kidney-bean shaped than oval. Then he dragged the cloth full of sand to a place just behind the outline and dumped it there letting a small coating of sand fall into the marked area but not enough to obscure the line.
"Like the dune from last night." Gunther nodded believing he had solved the mystery at last. "You are making a bed."
"I am," Drake confirmed, "but not exactly like last night." the black dragon handed the sail to Gunther and told him to stand back. The squire moved a little way back, but not far enough for Drake's liking. "Over there, by the entrance," the large beast specified.
Gunther obeyed… then watched in awe as the great black dragon reared back his head and let loose his flame. The knight's apprentice had seen Jane's Dragon breath flame before and thought that golden jet was quite impressive. After all, it was no small feat to render a field of weeds to ash in a matter of moments…but that was nothing compared to what Drake generated.
The black dragon directed his white hot flame first to the area inside the chalk circle heating the stone until it blazed red like iron in Smithies furnace. Every so often, the dragon back-winged sending a shower of fine sand from the back of the pile cascading forward onto the super-heated ground till the dune began to look a bit like the crest of a wave; the surface began to hiss and crackle sending off thick black smoke.
Jane and Dragon saw smoke billowing from the cave and came to find out what was going on. "Stay back!" Gunther called somewhat startled by the sudden arrival of the other two. Drake must have anticipated their appearance however, because he used the opportunity to alter his flame. The temperature spiked and the blaze shown blue-white and so hot Gunther's breath was almost painful in his lungs and he felt the need to shield his eyes from the blast.
The stone within the chalk line began to crumble and fall away and the sand pile began to melt the outside of the dune developing a glassy sheen coating the dune now it ran sheet like across the bank and ditch Drake had made smoothing out the rough edges. Drake repositioned himself only once to blast from behind so both edges were melted evenly and coated with glass. When Drake was finished and the whole has cooled sufficiently there was a gently contoured crystalline resting place, a secure redoubt, for the now utterly exhausted dragon.
"What was THAT!" the green dragon gaped Goggle-eyed.
"Gyfu Magic's gift sustains the dragons' light; Cen is the second fire that burns so bright" Gunther said recalling the line from the rune song. Drake shot him an appreciative smile not trusting his voice not to crack from exertion. Gunther smiled back but it was a tired smile. For some reason it seemed his strength, much like Drake's, had drained away with the fire. He leaned his back against the wall of the cave and breathed in the fresh outside air.
The black dragon had come to know his limits well over the years and was very aware how close he had come to exhausting himself completely. It battle such a thing could prove deadly, he rarely used so much power in one concentrated blast and the other occasions had been in a last ditch attempt to save his hide… but here Drake felt reasonably safe…this time he had done it for what? Simply to show off for an under-sized green and a couple of ground-pounders…It felt wonderful to be so…blatantly frivolous. But had they been sufficiently impressed?
The look in the green dragon's eyes seemed to imply that it had been. "I can not do that." the smaller green shook his head in complete wonder.
Drake sat back and clasped his forearms across his chest and could not help looking a bit smug. "You could…If you knew how." The black dragon whispered hoarsely, "I will help you if I can… a kindling quest is a personal thing. But it is the only way to ignite the magic lying dormant within you."
"Dormant magic? What do you mean? What is this about a quest?" Jane asked confused.
"The magic is a dragon's birthright…But it is something each must discover for themself. Having never had someone to guide him, dragon has yet to explore that aspect of himself." Then turning his attention to the green Drake explained, "I am sure your flame is impressive Dragon, but without the magic there can be no control. You need to kindle the magic in order to master the flame. But once you have done it…you will be amazed at what you can achieve. I found the key to my magic even before the soldiers came to Inf wīdre gwindan and it grew within me in the battle pit till I achieved my second flame. You can do the same…It will just take a bit of time."
Now, Gunther understood what the black dragon had meant the night before when he said he needed to find a way to showing dragon the possibilities. He had done that and more. The young squire could see both Dragon and Jane were eager to learn everything Drake wished show them.
Dragon found it difficult to believe that Drake's ability to fly and flame was rooted in his control of the magic. "It is all about gas!" the green insisted letting out a rather dramatic belch to emphasize the point. "If you burn up the gas then you can not fly, it is as simple as that."
"But I CAN fly." The black dragon said and proved it by hovering a few feet off the ground.
Drake was capable yes; but given the condition of his wings, and knowing they did not have more of smithy's salve to ease the pain, the dragon straining to stay aloft made Gunther feel faint. "Stop it!" the boy called frantically positioning his body in such a way that the war-dragon could not stir from the lair. It was getting late and they would have to be getting back to the castle soon but the dark haired apprentice did not want to risk further harm to his friend.
Drake eyed the boy critically, not understanding his objection. He had been a slave far too long not to bristle at the tone of command. Now that the big dragon had tasted freedom, it would not do to allow oneself to be bossed about by a human…even one he was rather fond of.
Gunther recognized the danger glimmering in those golden-eyes and realized the impossibility of his situation. In a heartbeat he changed tack and appealed to the Green for support, "Please Dragon." the young squire entreated, "Drake really should not be flying till we can get more salve for his wings. I know it, you know it…How difficult would it be for you to bring him something to eat and stay with him until tomorrow?"
'How difficult could it be?' Jane suspected Gunther had no idea the Dragon's fascination for cows, was because he liked their singing. She suspected the black dragon had substantially... different tastes. Well, perhaps Drake had never tried Bog Myrtle. For all she knew Drake may like it as much as Dragon did. At any rate that was for the two big lizards to work out on their own. Jane had never seen the Gunther quite so earnest about anything; the boy almost looked a bit ill over the issue. She felt sorry for him and added her voice to his in persuading the green to spend the night in the lair rather than the turret above her apartment at the castle. "Just think," The apprentice knight told her dragon, "You and Drake can talk the night away without having any 'short-lives' to pester you."
"I suppose THAT would be nice." The green sniffed with a feigned air of superiority. "Dragons' night…sounds like fun actually." Dragon, of course, intended on interrogating the black dragon, as congenially as possible, about every aspect of fire-magic and how HE could go about achieving some measure of the control Drake exhibited.
It was the wrenching pain that finally settled the matter for Drake. With a defeated look the big lizard settled on the ground once more. "Fine." The black dragon snorted and let out a tremendous sigh.
Gunther bit his lip hesitantly and rubbed the dragon's flank with a tentative hand. He hoped the beast was not truly cross with him. "I will see Smithy about getting you more salve just as soon as a get back to the castle," the boy promised. "Please rest your wings and take it easy." then turning to the red-head the squire said, "It is a long walk back to the castle, we best be getting home, yes?" Jane had to agree.
"You will be careful? You are sure?" Drake called after the two humans. This also served to reassure Gunther that all was well between them.
"Of course!" the dark haired squire called back and waved, "See you tomorrow."
"I will be here." Drake promised, but he could not help but feel uneasy at the departure of 'his elf-boy'. He had rather enjoyed having the youth by his side the night before and would miss having him near. The black dragon stretched his lean form out on the ledge and watched for quite a while as the two figures picked their way down the nearly invisible trail winding its way down the side of the mountain.