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THE DRAGON KING MUST DIE  Synopsis

CHAPTER 1

In between a large castle that belonged to the Dragon King and a wood inhabited by stick-like creatures called Tree Dwellers, nestled the village of Castle Wood. It was a nice and peaceful place to live, well for the moment. The village was surrounded by a giant fence made of whole trees which were sunk into the ground to a depth of about five feet; above ground the fence reached twenty-five feet high and each log was as wide as a man, making it virtually inpregnable to most enemies or raiders.

In the middle of the village stood a large building, the focus point and heart of the community. It was the meeting hall where all the villagers could meet and have their say or just talk and relax. The hall was about fifty feet long and twenty feet wide and the walls were covered with the shields of every warrior from Castle Wood, past and present. Tables and benches filled the room. When in use the hall was full of the sounds of people laughing and talking. Even when there was a serious matter to be discussed, some comedian would stand up and say something ridiculous and have everyone rolling round in laughter. So on the whole it was a nice place, filled with peace, love and warmth even in the bad times.

All around the hall nestled the village huts, all exactly the same round shape with thatched roofs, apart from one which was square and painted red. This building belonged to the leader of the village and stood out nearly as much as the meeting hall. Then, as the people of Castle Wood were horse traders, there were corrals full of horses and a large fenced area where the horses were broken ready for selling. Giant barns for storing hay and food for the animals towered above the huts. The only thing in the village taller than them was the watchtower which stood about forty feet high and was manned at all times day and night.

The leader of the village was a man named Fox. People of his time and place took their names from animals or objects such as trees, grasses, flowers and so on, just like the American indians. It was easy to see why Fox got his name. He was now in his forties which for the time made him an old man. He had been fighting battles on and off for twenty-four years, since he was sixteen years old. He had long red hair which he wore in a pony tail and the underneath part was white and bushy like a fox's tail. He was slim and quick and pretty tricky - he had to be to come through so many battles with his life. He wore a white breastplate with a fox emblem on it. Looking at him, he appeared worn and carried many scars on his arms, chest and face. He was a loving and gentle man to his family and friends, loyal and true to the end. With Fox by his side, no man ever fought alone. But most of all he adored his five children above everything else. After his wife had walked out they became his world and he would lay down his life for them. By his side as always was his dog. Patch was brown and white and resembled a Border Collie. But he was a very special kind of dog called an energy mutator which means the dog would live as long as his master. However, the two had to bond together, which was not always so, but Fox and Patch were like a pair of gloves made for each other.

Today was the day that all the warriors of the village took out their armour. swords, battle axes and whatever else they happened to fight with. It was the beginning of a three-day festival, a chance for the warriors to prove their valour on the battlefield. And of course a good enough reason to eat, drink and be merry - even if the men lost, it would not end the festivities. As well as watching the warriors in combat, the women and children had the time of their lives eating and drinking and playing.

So the place was a hive of industry, with men carrying tables and benches outside the village. Because there was not room inside, the field of honour was outside the confines of Castle Wood. The field was bristing with activity, with children dancing round a maypole, bobbing for apples and playing chase. There seemed to be people everywhere. The smell of cooking filled the air from a whole bullock being cooked over an open fire. There was food everywhere you looked - fruit cakes and bread and wine. Couples were dancing, laughing, having fun; everyone was having the time of their lives.

Then the sound of a trumpet brought everything to a standstill. The people gathered round the strip of field called the Field of Falls where the jousting took place and many a warrior would take a fall this day. The gates opened and two horses galloped out, passing the little white tents dotted all round the field.

The first onto the field of combat was a man called Eagle Eyes. He sat astride a white horse. His armour was made of tiny pieces of metal cut in the shape of feathers which gave the impression that you were fighting a giant bird. His helmet had a beak-like visor. The armour on his legs went down like birds' legs, ridges all the way down to his boots which were just like a pair of talons. His shield was star-shaped. He was about twenty years old, with ginger hair, black eyes and a baby face. He was very broad and short and he thought he was the best fighter in the village. Now he had to back up his boastfulness on the field of honour.

Then his challenger took the field. It was a women named Pacer. She was on a white dapple horse. She had long blonde hair, beautiful dark blue eyes, a slim figure and was gentle and kind. She wore just chainmail and carried an old round wooden shield. It turns out they belonged to her father who had died in the battle that they commemorated every year. Pacer had been only a year old when her father had been lost in battle. Bandits had been raiding villages around Castle Wood. Some women and children had been killed and the bandits were now heading towards Castle Wood, but this time they had bitten off more than they could chew. Even though there were over a hundred bandits, the villagers were ready for them and put an end to their rampage of death and destruction. They lost a lot of good warriors that day. Unfortunately Pacer's father was one of them.

Wild applause filled the air as the two warriors met in the middle of the battlefield. A trumpet sounded, then a man walked towards the pair and shouted: "Choose your weapons". Eagle Eyes picked a chain and mace and galloped to one end of the field. Pacer chose a battle axe and rode to the opposite end of the field. Then the trumpet sounded for the second time and each of the riders charged towards the other at a furious pace. Eagle Eyes hit Pacer's shield, knocking her backwards. but she managed to stay on her horse. When she reached the other end they were both still moving very fast. As they turned, the horses slipped, spraying clods over the crowd. Then the two warriors rode off again in a cloud of dust, hurtling down the field towards each other. Eagle Eyes swung his chain and mace round his head and made a connection. It wrapped itself round Pacer's arm and no matter how hard she struggled she could not free herself from this vice-like grip. Eagle Eyes saw the look of panic and frustration on her face.

"I've got you this time," Eagle Eyes laughed.

"That's what you think," snarled Pacer.

She then began to lash out with her battle axe. Again and again her blows battered at his shield, crash bang. But she could not seem to penetrate his defences till finally Eagle Eyes' shield could no longer stand the pressure. As she brought her battle axe round for the last time it sliced straight through his shield cutting his arm to the bone. As luck would have it, to add insult to injury, both horses reared up.

He was taken aback that she had got the better of him. When he thought he had it all sewn up he lost his concentration, then his balance and ultimately the battle. Then with an almighty crash of armour hitting the ground, it was all over for Eagle Eyes.

The crowd roared with approval. Pacer was a favourite with them, and a lot of people wanted Eagle Eyes taken down a peg or two because he was such a bighead. Eagle Eyes just sat where he had landed, blood pouring from his wound. He was so shocked he just kept saying over and over again: "I had her. I had her. What went wrong? I can't believe it." Two of the stewards had to remove him from the field. He was so shocked and dazed he couldn't move. They finally got him off the field and he just sat nodding his head in disbelief.

Fox was next up. He was facing a man named Crusher. Fox was soon to discover why. The trumpet sounded once again. The two of them charged down the field. Fox swung his sword catching Crusher's shield. He in return swung his battle axe round hitting Fox's shoulder. Luckily as the blade hit it turned side-on, so it didn't cut him. Then they turned for another encounter. They raced up to the centre of the field and the horses clashed together. Crusher brought his battle axe down towards his opponent's head but Fox managed to bring his shield up in time to block what possibly could have been a fatal blow. Fox thought to himself: "This nutter is serious. Perhaps he quite likes the idea of being Leader of Castle Wood which he will be if he kills me in combat. I think it's time to stop playing".

So Fox hit Crusher round the head with the side of his sword, knocking him senseless. Then, bending down, Fox cut the strap holding his opponent's saddle on. Crusher began to fall but to Fox's surprise Crusher grabbed hold of him pulling him off his horse and pulling over his own horse too. Both men landed with a crash on the ground. Crusher's helmet fell off and rolled across the field. Fox lay there with the wind knocked out of him. Crusher took full advantage of the situation. He picked Fox up, grabbed him by the waist and showed Fox why his name was Crusher. Fox just sort of hung like a rag doll. His body was in an S shape, his head and shoulders leaning back, his arms limp at his sides with his sword still in his hand. His feet were just touching the ground by the toes of his boots.

Then Pacer shouted: "Come on, Fox, snap out of it", and the crowd started to chant "Come on, Fox; come on, Fox".

Fox came round. "This man is trying to kill me," he thought. He summoned all his strength, pulled his arms above his head and smashed the man in the face. Crusher's nose just seemed to explode and blood poured down his face. He released his grip on Fox and fell to the ground, but quickly got up and kicked his opponent in between the legs. Fox screamed in pain. Fox had had enough and despatched the man without delay. He hit him over the head as hard as he could with his shield and Crusher fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Fox rolled the man over, put his sword to his throat and said: "Surrender or as the gods are my witness I will run you through here and now".

"I give," shouted the man.

Fox walked off the field towards the crowds and to rapturous applause walked over to his sister Elk who was standing in the crowd. She was tall and thin with jet black hair and blue eyes. As she saw Fox her face lit with a big smile. In her arms she had her son Mole. All round her stood Fox's children. "Hello my little ones," said Fox. His children all ran towards him at once, clamouring for his attention. "Hold on, I've only got two arms". The girls cuddled their father from the front and the boys jumped on his back. "You won, Dad," said the boys.

"Yes, only just. This is the last year I'm entering before I end up making a total fool of myself."

"That will never happen, Fox," said Elk.

"I'm getting too old for this game. Come on, children, I'll buy you some sweets." So Fox wandered off with five little people in tow. The six of them set off for food and fun. They had strawberries and cream, home-made biscuits and cakes, and they played and ran off all their energy. Then Fox's name was shouted, so he took his tired but full children back to Elk.

Fox fought and won his next battle. The contestants kept taking to the field and slowly they were whittled down to four warriors. Pacer was one. She had fought hard for her place in the finals and hopefully at the end of the day she would be the victor. But first she had to beat a man called Growler. He was nearly twice her weight which gave him some advantage but that didn't overly concern her. Fox was matched against a man called Puma.

Pacer took the field and once again chose battle axe. Her opponent had his own weapon. It was lethal-looking. It had a handle with a blade coming out of the middle and three metal heads with spikes on chains. The sight of this evil-looking device sent shivers down her spine. It was time to begin. Pacer sat astride her horse, placed her hands together and whispered: "Father, help me win and prove my valour again". The trumpet sounded and her heart raced as she galloped down the field. Growler came in hard and fast. He wasted no time in attacking. She was given no quarter by her attacker. He swung his chain and mace around catching Pacer on the back and winding her. Then the blows rained down on her time and again, hitting her legs, arms and chest. She struggled to get her shield up to protect her head. From the crowd came "Oh's" and "Ah's" as the strikes kept hitting home. With each blow she swayed from one side to the other.

Pacer and everybody else thought she was going to fall until Growler hit her father's shield so hard it just disintegrated into hundreds of pieces. Bits flew everywhere and the crowds were showered with splinters of wood.

"That was enough, you stupid thickheaded fat lump. Now you've asked for it." Pacer brought her battle axe round, striking Growler's chest. This knocked him off balance. Pacer became like a woman possessed. She struck again and again and her blows were so strong that Growler was knocked clear off his horse. As he landed on the ground, Pacer jumped off her horse straight onto him. Then started a frenzied attack. First she kept hitting him about the head. Fox and others ran across and took the battle axe away from her. So she just kept punching him in the face. It took six men to get her off her poor unfortunate victim. When they had dragged her to the side of the field Fox threw a bucket of water over her. She screamed, then shook, then burst into tears. Fox knelt down and cuddled her. "Are you all right now, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Hold me, please." Fox squeezed her tightly.

Pacer said: "Thank you. I feel safe in your arms".

"That's all right. You don't have to go on with the tournament if you don't want to. No-one will think any the less of you," said Fox.

"Oh no, you don't get out of it that easily. I'm going to fight you for the title of best warrior of Castle Wood".

"How do you know I'm going to win against Puma?" asked Fox.

"Because ever since I was a little girl you've won every year easily," said Pacer.

"Well, we all have to lose eventually - perhaps this is the year. I must go and get ready. See you later."

Fox mounted up and rode to the Field of Honour, possibly for the last time. Puma was about the same build as Fox but fifteen years younger.

"Well," Fox thought, "this will be hard work."

The trumpet sounded. Puma charged down the field at a hell of a pace but just to confuse his challenger Fox's horse just slowly trotted down the field. Puma raced past Fox and swung his mace at him. Fox ducked and it missed; he then sat up and hit Puma across the back. Puma rode off looking very bewildered by the whole situation, then he turned. Fox was still standing in the middle of the field. He seemed to be waiting for him so Puma charged again, hit Fox on the shield, but Fox just sat there motionless. He seemed to be in some sort of a trance. Puma spun round very sharply to attack again. Once more he struck Fox on the shield. Then Fox suddenly retaliated, swinging up with his sword and knocking Puma's shield from his hand. Then he struck out again, smashing Puma across the arm, slicing the strap that held the armour covering his arm which left a clear shoot for Fox to aim at. But instead of cutting him, Fox jolted forward, smashing Puma in the face with his shield, knocking him out of his saddle and sending him head over heels off the back of his horse. As he hit the ground Puma's own horse kicked out catching him a glancing blow to the side of the head which left him rather dazed to say the least.

Fox jumped off his horse and took out his dagger. He put it to Puma's throat and said: "Do you yield?"

"Yes, I yield," said Puma.

By now the sweat was running down Fox's face. He wiped it off and swept his hair back into his long red ponytail before replacing his white helmet with its red plumes. He dusted down his white breast plate, pulling bits of grass out of the red fox emblem. Then he mounted his red chestnut mare for the final challenge to his title of unbeaten warrior of Castle Wood.

This last battle was to be fought with lances. The two riders rode to opposite ends of the field. Both were ready and eager to start. The trumpet sounded for the final time. Fox charged down the field towards Pacer. There was a crash as the lances came into contact with the riders' shields. Fox was knocked backwards but managed to stay on his mount. Pacer was smiling; she thought she had beaten Fox, but as they turned at the end Pacer was very surprised to see that Fox was still very much in the saddle. So both set off down the field again. This time Fox placed his lance straight into Pacer's right shoulder. The blow took her clean off her horse and she landed with a thud on the ground.

Fox stood victorious, then he rode over to Pacer. "You shouldn't have borrowed a loser's shield - it's bad luck. Well done, you fought well."

"Thanks a lot. Now you tell me. I knew you would win," said Pacer.

Fox limped off the field. His neck was bleeding from where the lance had slipped up when it hit.

"I'm going to tend to my wound," he shouted to Elk.

"Want a hand?" she called back.

"No thanks, I can manage," replied Fox and he wandered off with five children running alongside his horse.

After the dust had settled, Pacer saw Fox's sister walking towards the refreshment tent. Pacer shouted: "Elk, wait for me, I want to talk to you."

"All right, come and have a drink with me and we will have a chat." So the two of them sat down.

"You know, I thought you had my brother for a moment."

"So did I," replied Pacer. "So tell me, why is your brother named Fox?"

Elk set about explaining the whole story. "Firstly because of his long dark red hair. And, if you look closely underneath, it's quite white and bushy, just like a fox's tail. It's been that way since he was a child and never changed. Although he has a slim build, his upper body has the strength of two men his own size. And he has the skill and craftiness to outwit most folks around here including me, his own sister. No-one will every know how his mind works, not even his own family. Even as children Fox was the only one of the six of us who could outwit our parents. He also ran rings round Old Grey Bear his older brother and Wolf his younger brother.

"My father taught two of my brothers many things but gave up on Fox as he could teach him very little. Fox only had to see something done once and he could then do it for himself, and his mind and wit was much quicker and sharper than any of us. So what more can I tell you? Except that he is a loving man if you can get close enough, which isn't easy, as he does not trust anyone well unless he thinks you're all right. When he first meets you he likes to think he's a good judge of character, so if you see a sparkle in his eyes when he talks to you or if he can't do enough for you, then you know he thinks you're all right.

"But never. never cross him because he has a lust for revenge. And running will do you no good because he can run in a chase for many miles and cannot be shaken off. He sticks on your trail like hounds after their quarry," Elk concluded.

"High praise indeed," said Pacer.

"No, I speak only the truth," replied Elk.

"Well, thank you for filling me in," Pacer said.

"You would not happen to be interested in him, would you?" asked Elk.

"I might be. Why do you ask?" replied Pacer.

"He has had nothing to do with women since his wife broke his heart and walked out on him, leaving him with the five children. That was many years ago. He has not been able to bring himself to love anyone else. He has not laid eyes on her from that day to this. If she and her new man were to turn up, there would be hell to pay." Elk finally finished speaking.

Pacer said: "I must go now," and walked away. She went to find Fox. As she walked through the crowds she saw Fox surrounded by his children. Sunny his eldest daughter was unbuckling his breast plate. Her long blonde hair hung over her father's shoulder and her big blue eyes were filled with tears which made her normally pretty, happy face look very sad and down. She was tall and thin, a proper little lady, whereas her sister Badger, who was undoing the straps on the opposite side of the breast plate, was the complete reverse. She was a tomboy already wearing armour and battling with her brothers and anyone else daft enough to start a fight. Her mousey brown hair reached down to the small of her back and her blue eyes sparkled with a zest for life. When she smiled, the whole of her pretty, round face lit up.

By this time, Fox's boys had got the armour off his legs. Jage the eldest boy jumped to his feet. "I'm going to take Dad's shield back home." He was very slight of build with mousey brown hair and black eyes which were a throw-back from Fox's father. Wild Cat shouted: "I'm going to carry the sword, then." He was the second eldest and although he was the smallest he was not one to be picked on as he was the bravest and strongest of the three boys. Even Badger thought twice about starting on Wild Cat. He had red hair like his father, blue eyes and was very broad and muscular.

Then there was Sky - blonde hair, slim build but strong with it. He was very placid. "What can I take, Dad?" The boy was very upset.

"You take my bow and arrow back home, there's a good boy." With this Sky cheered up and trotted off after his brothers.

Fox took his knife and stuck it in the fire. Beside him, Sunny looked at her father. The blood was running down his shirt.

"Dad, why is it bleeding so badly?"

"It must have cut a main artery. Don't worry, it will seal once the blade is hot enough. You go and look after your brothers. Badger will stay with me."

Pacer had been watching and listening intently. "You'll never close that with the blade. If you've cut an artery, let me stitch it."

Fox by now was too weak from loss of blood to argue, so he sat back and let Pacer do the job.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me," said Pacer.

"Nothing to forgive. You enter, you take your chances. Just luck of the draw."

"Perhaps I'll beat you next year without killing you," Pacer laughed.

"I won't be entering next year. I'm getting too old and slow to take to the field of honour," said Fox.

"Rubbish, you could whip anyone," said Pacer. She finished stitching, took Fox's hot knife from the fire and said: "Brace yourself, this is going to be painful." She placed the hot blade on the wound, then sizzle and the air was filled with the smell of burning flesh. Fox clenched his fists tightly, grimaced and arched his back. Then it was all over.

"Well, at least when you were sewing me up I was drowsy."

"When I cauterized the wound I thought you were going to pass out, Fox, but you managed to hang on."

"Badger, let me lean on you till we get home."

"I'll help," said Pacer. "After all, I'm responsible for your being in this situation."

So Badger and Pacer took Fox to his house. They put him in his bed. The other children came running to his side.

"Are you all right, Dad?"

"Yes, I'm fine. All I need is rest.

Pacer told the children to leave their father to sleep and said she would return later to make sure he was all right.

Chapter 2

The next morning Fox woke up feeling very rough. There wasn't a part of his body that didn't ache. His legs hurt when he moved, so he hobbled out of bed and went outside his house and sat down. "That's enough exercise for today." Fox sat and watched the villagers. He had never looked at the village from this point of view before. There was a hustle and bustle of everyday life going on all around him. His children were playing happily. It was a sunny, peaceful day. It seemed the whole world was content. But that was not quite so.

Castle Wood people were peaceful and as a rule avoided trouble if at all possible. Unfortunately they were too proud and fearless on the battlefield and would not walk away when threatened. The village was steeped in folklore of defeated invaders, triumphs on the battlefield, whole armies being wiped out and not a single defeat. Two things Castle Wood was famous for - the bravery of its warriors and tactical leaders and its horses. And Fox's generation had lived up to their ancestors' reputation: no village would cross swords with them or even try to cheat them. But they hadn't the faintest idea that someone would risk all for what he considered the greatest treasure of all time, or in his case a necessity. So, unknown to Fox, his village was about to be invaded by dragons.

"Why?" I hear you ask. That's a simple question to answer. The dragons had discovered a large deposit of rare stone called cadadite which the dragons needed because as everybody knows dragons have pilot lights that are situated in the roof of their mouths and as the creatures expel gases from their stomachs the pilot automatically ignites the gases and turns the dragons into walking flame throwers. The flames have a reach of about twenty feet which gives them a hell of an advantage because they don't have to get too close to their enemies to disarm them. They make the gases inside by fermenting certain plants that they eat in vast quantities such as death weed, sleep rash and burning nettles which are extremely toxic to most living things. Example: if a full-grown horse were to eat a spoonful of death weed it would be dead in under a minute. However, dragons get round this problem due to the fact that they have two stomachs so the poisonous mixture never gets into the creatures' bloodstream.

The dragons stand about eight feet tall and they walk upright not on all fours like many other breeds of dragon. They are mainly green with big red blotches, looking almost as if they have caught some dreadful disease. Their stomachs look as if they have swallowed a beer barrel which means they store enough gases for two to three days' worth of fighting. The other unique feature is that you can smell dragons a long time before you see them. They are continuously wet and slimy and covered in all sorts of bacteria so just by touching them you could become violently ill. They have tiny eyes, a massive single horn on their noses and small rounded ears.

The cadadite was found by a race called Burrowers. It was common knowledge that under everyone's feet these giant mole-like creatures lived and played, coming to the surface only to trade with what they had found in their tunnels. When standing on their hind legs they were about five feet tall. They had long snouts, very small eyes with limited vision, thick black fur and whiskers about two feet long to enable them to find their way through the dark tunnels. They were fairly comfortable around other races but were still very cautious. Unfortuntely for Castle Wood. they informed the Dragon King of the large deposits of cadadite under their village. The burrowers were hoping that he would ask them to get at the precious stones in exchange for goods, but it was not to be. There was bad blood between Fox and the Dragon King. He was not in favour of the easy way out, of course. The Dragon King couldn't ask the people of Castle Wood to move because if they refused and he threatened them, they would be alerted and on their guard, which could have involved other villages joining forces and given rise to a mass battle with massive losses on both sides. Their lives without pride would not be worth living. There was no chance of his getting his own way without someone getting hurt or even worse defeated which means he would have to relinquish his reign of death and destruction.

So the Dragon King decided to mount a surprise attack. He would flatten the village, murder all the men and take the women and children for two reasons: firstly as slaves and secondly as protection, just in case anyone was intending to attack, when he could use them as a bargaining chip.

In the Courtyard the dragon army was beginning to assemble. There were one hundred and fifty foot soldiers and fifty flying dragons. The courtyard was now full of dragons. All stood and faced the west tower to listen to their King giving them their orders. The King stepped forward to the window, a loud cheer went out and there was a lot of roaring and banging of shields and chants for a speech from their leader.

"Well, men, this is a most important day for us. We must take Castle Wood or we will lose the cadadite which we need so badly. I'm sure you are going to make me very proud. When I look out of the west tower tomorrow, I don't want to see Castle Wood anywhere or a single trace of it. And remember, there must be no males left alive or women warriors. They also must be eliminated. To victory!" said the King. Then all the men shouted "To victory! Hooray, hooray!"

Then the officer in charged shouted: "Squad, squad, 'shun." The soldiers all came to attention. "Squad, right turn. Then by the right quick march." As the first soldiers passed the west tower the officer shouted: "Eyes right" and they gave a salute. Then the two hundred strong marched out through the castle gate on a rampage of death and destruction.

Meanwhile, Castle Wood and its inhabitants were sleeping peacefully, and why not? They had no idea that there was an army of dragons heading their way bent on destroying them. Everyone felt the whole village was surrounded by massive tree trunks sunk into the ground four feet deep so no worries of anyone or any thing pulling them out of the ground.

The sun began to rise and everything seemed to come alive all at once as if someone had flipped a switch on. The cockerels started to crow and the animals started to get restless looking for food.

The man Eagle Eyes was on guard duty in the tower high above the village, even though it was a peaceful time. Fox insisted there be a guard every night. Most of the people thought it was a waste of time, but Fox said: "It's better to be safe than sorry," and was most insistent about this rule. He would not back down no matter what anyone said. Thank goodness he did. Eagle Eyes shouted down: "I can see columns of dust heading this way."

Fox shouted up: "What is it?"

"I don't know yet," came the reply.

"Could it be a herd of wild horses?" asked Fox.

"Possibly," said Eagle Eyes, "hang on." He continued: "No, it can't be. There's something flying over them - it's too big for any bird."

"Then what in hell's name is it?" asked Fox.

"Well," said Eagle Eyes, "they are storm-makers."

Now a storm-maker is a cross between an elephant and a rhinoceros. It has two horns on its forehead, a trunk, four tusks, big ears, no tail and worst of all is twice the size of an African elephant and weighs about ten tons.

"What do you mean, storm-makers? The only storm-makers around here belong to the dragons," said Fox.

"Yes, but that explains the things flying around in the air above them," said Eagle Eyes.

"Well, what are they doing coming this way?" asked Fox.

"Hang on a minute. The only time they take them anywhere is when they are going to attack a village. Are you sure they are heading this way?"

"Yes, no doubt about it," answered Eagle Eyes.

"Quick, sound the alarm," commanded Fox. So Eagle Eyes took the hunting horn from the side of the tower and blew for all he was worth. The villagers all ran out of their huts. One women yelled at Fox: "I hope this is not one of your little jokes, because if so it is not one of your better ones."

"No, it is not. Grab your weapons and defend yourselves."

The dragons heard the alarm and started to bear down on the village. The officer sent in the flying dragons ahead to keep the people busy, but they were armed when the fifty flying dragons arrived overhead. Firstly they swooped on the tower. One attacked Eagle Eyes and he stabbed a spear at it. The creature backed away but not for long. One caught his attention by blowing flame at him, then a second one lunged at him, grabbed him by the shoulders and flew upwards still hanging on to him. The two worked as a team; while one held him fast the other blew flames at him. By now Eagle Eyes was screaming in pain. The archers below took aim and fired a volley of arrows bringing both dragons down along with Eagle Eyes. He smashed through the roof of a hut automatically setting fire to it. A child and her mother came out screaming. The mother was on fire and a man named Puma threw water over her to put out the flames.

Then a man named Horse Breaker rushed into the burning hut and pulled Eagle Eyes out. His clothes were still smouldering and his face was unrecognizable even as a human being. Horse Breaker was bending over Eagle Eyes trying to comfort him and ease his pain when from behind him came a snorting sound. He spun round, looked up and there was a dragon. It lunged forward. With his pike Horse Breaker picked up an old table. The pike got stuck in it. He grabbed a heavy saucepan and smashed the dragon round the face, breaking the creature's jaw. It fell to the ground frothing at the mouth a mixture of green blood and saliva. The creature rolled around on the floor in agony until Horse Breaker said: "Sod it, how can I concentrate with this noise going on?" So he picked up the dragon's pike and stuck it straight through the creature's throat, silencing it immediately. "There, that's better. Now I can hear myself think." He went back to tending Eagle Eyes' wounds, then thud Horse Breaker fell to his knees, his mouth opened but no sound came out, just blood. It poured all over Eagle Eyes. He was trying to breathe but choking on Horse Breaker's blood. Then he heard the most awful cracking and tearing. It was the dragon pulling his pike out of Horse Breaker. As he did, it was breaking the bone and ripping the muscle. Eagle Eyes looked up and could see straight through Horse Breaker's chest where the creature had hit so hard. Eagle Eyes could see the dragon and unfortunately the dragon saw that Eagle Eyes was still alive. The pike finally slipped out with a squelch and Horse Breaker's body fell forward crashing on top of Eagle Eyes. He let out a blood-curdling scream. The pain was so unbearable he began to lose consciousness. He heard the dragon say: "Don't worry, little man, I won't leave you suffering. I'm not that evil, despite our reputation." Then the creature raised his pike above his head and rammed his weapon straight through Horse Breaker's limp and lifeless form into Eagle Eyes' body. He gasped as he looked into the dragon's eye and said: "Thank you". The creature wandered off.

The whole village was full of fighting men's and dragons' blood with carnage everywhere. The flying dragons were swooping on the men. Fox slashed at one of the creatures, snuffing it out with one blow. The other men were attacking with great ferocity, wielding axes and swords, slicing and hacking at the dragons. By this time they had halved the number of flying dragons. Suddenly they withdrew as quickly as they had attached. "Hooray, they're defeated and running away!" the men shouted. Everything became quiet and still. The villagers sighed with relief and wiped the sweat from their faces. But the peace was not to last long. The silence was broken by an almightly crash and the outer walls shook.

Fox shouted: "Step back from the walls," but his warning came too late for some. The walls came crashing down on top of the warriors crushing them and smashing their bodies like egg shells. As the defences fell the storm-makers charged through those who were not killed instantly. They let out screams of agony. But they were soon to be silenced for ever as the storm-makers tramped across the logs which were once the barricades to keep intruders out.

The air was filled with the sound of breaking logs and the crushing of bodies snuffing the life out of the warriors that were still alive. All the villagers rushed to defend the outer perimeter. Of course it was hopeless: the storm-makers just kept moving forward, stamping on anyone who got in the way, impaling the warriors on their horns and picking them up with their trunks and launching them into the air to send them flying across the village.

Then the foot soldiers moved in, slicing and killing the brave fighters. There were skirmishes all over the village. It seemed as if one dragon was killed only for three more to take its place. The warriors were despatching dragons right, left and centre all to no avail - they seemed almost to have multiplied every time they turned round.

The girl Pacer was fighting with two dragons. One attacked. He thrust a spear towards her. She hit it so hard that the end snapped off. The sword carried on round and sliced his arm. He made the mistake of taking his eyes off her to look at his wound. She grasped the opportunity with both hands and brought her sword up, taking the creature's head clean off. Then the second dragon charged towards her with steam pouring out of his nose. She stuck her foot out, tripping him up, and thumped him over the head with her shield. Then she followed home by pushing her sword in between his shoulder blades and right through and out of his chest.

Just as she thought it was over a flying dragon swooped down, snatched her up into the air to about sixty feet and just let her fall to the ground, leaving gravity to do the damage, which it did. She came down on the logs that used to be the wall going round Castle Wood. As she hit, her feet slipped away from under her, then her back came into contact with such a force that it just broke in two. Fox heard her bones snap from a few hundred yards away. As her life force was crushed from her body by the force of the impact Fox shouted to the archers: "shoot that evil sod down". They fired and down it came, crashing to the ground. It gave Fox a feeling of satisfaction, as he was fond of Pacer in his own way. Fox stopped fighting and ran towards where she was lying. He scooped her smashed and broken body up into his strong arms. She lay as limp as a ragdoll. He looked into her eyes.

"I'm finished, aren't I?" she asked.

He looked at her face. It was such a waste of a life. He felt a tear roll down his face. He knew he could not lie to her however much he wanted to. She had the right of honour to speak her dying words knowing that they were the last she would ever utter. Pacer gasped for breath and coughed. Then blood poured from her mouth down her chin, onto her neck and down to her breast.

Pacer looked at Fox. "I did well, did I not?"

"Yes, very well. You were the best and most formidable warrior on the battlefield," Fox told her.

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you." Pacer then asked Fox: "Am I allowed a last request?"

"Of course. It's your right as a warrior. What is it?"

"I have spent so much time being a warrior that I haven't had time to be a woman. I have never been kissed and no man has ever told me he loved me. Will you wipe my face and kiss me and tell me you love me? It would make me very happy and dying wouldn't be so bad. I wouldn't feel alone and unloved. You know of course I've always had a crush on you."

"No, I did not know," replied Fox. So he did as he was asked and wiped her face. Then he took her in his arms and held her tightly. He looked into her eyes and said: "I love you more than life itself." Then he kissed her long and passionately.

Pacer looked at him, smiled and said: "I've always loved you with a burning passion." A tear came into the girl's eye. "I just wish I had had the courage to tell you before today." She was only eighteen years old. Fox did not like telling lies to anyone, but it made Pacer happy. What else could he do under those circumstances? Besides, he was genuinely fond of her. She looked up and said: "Hold me tight one more time - I'm feeling cold." She shivered, then passed away in his arms. Fox gently laid her body down on the ground, covered her up with a cloak and went back to the matter in hand. As he walked away, he said: "See you on the next battlefield, my battling beauty."

Sword in hand, he went back to the fray. He ran to what had become the front line. It was now a case of turn the battle their way or face defeat. Fox tried to rally his army by shouting: "Let's push them back and put a stop to this invasion. Kill - kill them!" The people were fighting hard and just about holding their own. Fox was standing next to a man called Crusher. They had just despatched a dragon apiece and Fox turned to say: "A nice one" when Crusher suddenly jolted backwards. There was Crusher nailed to a hut door by a dragon's pike. It went straight through his stomach. He screamed: "Help me, Fox". The man looked down at his insides hanging out. He placed his hands on the wound with an amazed look on his face. "Fox, look at me, I'm nailed to this door like a picture on a wall."

"Do you want me to get you down?" Fox asked.

"No. I have something to say. Getting me off this door will probably kill me. I'm sorry I got so nasty on the field of honour. I wanted to prove my valour and if I had beaten you there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that I was worthy to call myself a warrior of Castle Wood like you. I have not proved what I'm made of on the battlefield - I'm sorry."

Fox looked at the young man hanging on the door. "You've nothing to apologise for. I would have done the same if I were in the same situation."

"Thanks." Then Crusher twitched and the top half of his body slumped forward. Fox took hold of the pike and pulled it out of Crusher's body. He fell forward. Fox just managed to catch him. The body was limp and floppy. He laid it on the ground. "See you on the next great battlefield".

Then Fox gave the order to fall back and they took up new defensive positions. Flying dragons swooped in for the attack on the watch tower again, setting light to it. The man in the tower jumped for his life and landed on the roof of a hut, smashing through it. The door swung open and chickens and a woman with her children ran out. Surprisingly enough, the man who had just jumped from a forty foot high watch tower did not have even a scratch on him. His luck didn't last long, though. As he came out of the hut, a smile on his face, a battle axe flew through the air hitting him in the chest and knocking him straight back into the hut, dead on arrival.

Flying dragons began to dive at the people, swooping time and again, tearing at their flesh. Men were bleeding from arm and chest wounds. One man was swinging an axe at the creatures. Suddenly one dived and grabbed the axe, taking bits of flesh with it. The man in question looked up and shouted: "You miserable overgrown housefly!" While he was looking up, another dragon swooped down and ripped his throat out. The man placed his hands on his throat, fell to his knees then flat on his face in the mixture of blood and mud.

Fox had seen enough. He watched as time and again his men were lifted into the air and simply released, so that they fell to the ground. So Fox commanded the archers: "Light your arrows and aim for the left-hand side of the stomach." So they did and to their amazement the creatures exploded into hundreds of pieces, raining flames down on the people and on the huts, unfortunately setting them on fire. Now it seemed like the whole world was on fire.

"Keep hitting his left-hand side of the stomach - it's where they store the gases," shouted Fox. More arrows went up; more creatures exploded. The sky was filled with burning flesh falling to the ground. It was like a giant firework party. As before, the flying dragons withdrew and once again the foot soldiers moved in, pikes down, making an impenetrable fence as they marched forward. The razor-sharp points were cutting into the villagers' flesh. Fox stopped one by knocking it down and thrashing upwards with his sword, slicing the dragon's face. Then Fox slipped. The line just continued to move over him. A dragon spotted him on the ground. Fox pushed his sword upwards catching the creature in the stomach, then scrambled backwards to his own lines.

Warriors were being pushed back into burning huts screaming in pain but their own people could do nothing to help. The poor souls were like lambs to the slaughter. Not being able to see, they ran straight onto the dragons' lines, impaling themselves on the creatures' pikes. The final blow came when they moved the storm-makers back in and used them to trample the warriors into the dust under their mighty feet. One by one the men of Castle Wood fell to the overwhelming odds. The village was being smashed right in front of Fox's eyes and he could not stop the carnage. The warriors were now in a corner and surrounded. There were only a dozen or so left. The situation was impossible.

But still they continued to fight to the last man or woman. In front of Fox stood two men. Then a dragon lopped off both of their heads as simply as picking heads off flowers and showed as much emotion. The blood sprayed all over the men standing directly behind them. It had turned into a wholesale bloodbath. The crashing of swords and the crushing of bones filled the village, along with screams of women and children crying as their husbands and fathers were cut down and killed in front of their very eyes. Smoke now filled the air - there were burning huts everywhere. The smell of burning bodies and the stench of death lingered through the village.

Finally the remaining warriors were overrun by the overwhelming odds. Even though they faced certain death not one man could bring himself to surrender. The humiliation would be more than they could bear. Fox was struck on the back of the neck and fell to the ground. In the same instant his dog Patch fell to the ground.

Now the crashing of swords and the yells of warriors and the sound of men in pain was no more. Silence fell over the village. The only sounds were fires burning, women weeping and dragons snorting as they scuttled past Fox's five children gathered around him. His daughter Sunny held her father's head in her lap, kissed him on the forehead and said: "Please don't leave us. We love you and need you."

"Yes," the boys chipped in, "we love you. Please don't give up the fight. You've never run away from a fight before. If you live, I promise I will never ask you for anything again."

Badger just stood watching the blood slowly pumping from his father's head and chest. She looked at her sister and asked: "Is he going to survive?"

"I don't know. I hope so," Sunny replied. "Dad, speak to me," Sunny said, but Fox only murmured something they couldn't understand.

Then one of the dragons came up and kicked Fox's body, knocking it off Sunny's lap. Fox's body lay face down in the mud. His sons jumped up. "You will pay for that, you evil green lump." Then Jage picked up a battle axe. The soldier just laughed and slapped the boy round the side of the head with his giant hand, knocking him onto his father's body. Sky and Wildcat jumped the guard by his leg. He laughed again until both boys sunk their teeth deep into his leg. He let out a yell of pain. Another dragon came to his rescue. He hit the boys so hard they went flying head over heels. The boys were then manhandled to one of the carts and unceremoniously thrown in the back, followed very closely by their sisters.

There on the cart was their Aunty Elk. She was holding her son Mole. He was bleeding from a chest wound. He had been cut by a flying dragon whose claws are highly infectious. If claw wounds are not treated immediately they will give rise to a high temperature and eventually death.

"Where's your father?" asked their Aunty.

"He's dead." Sunny burst into tears.

"I don't believe it, not Fox. That means we are stuck - no rescue. I can't bring myself to face it. Dead - Fox - no way."

"It's true, Aunty. All true, I promise. We saw him," said the children together.

Fox's youngest daughter found all the talk of death too much to handle. Badger then jumped onto a dragon's back and bit his ear. But the creature just grabbed the girl from his back and threw her straight back into the cart.

Jage asked: "Why did the dragons explode when the men shot them with burning arrows?"

"Well, you see, dragons store gases in their stomachs and when the archers hit the left-hand sides they split the stomachs and the gas all escaped at once and the flame from the arrow ignited it, which caused it to explode," said their aunty.

The children watched in horror as the dragons collected war trophies, cutting off fingers, ears, noses and even scalps. One dragon even took a man's head. Then the officer in charge walked over to Fox's body.

"Can we at least bury Dad?" the children asked their aunt.

"No, they won't let you."

The commanded started to unstrap Fox's armour. "Please, Aunty, stop him. Please, please," the children pleaded.

"I can only try." So she got down from the cart. The dragon guarding them said: "Where in hell's name do you think your're going?"

"Please let me talk to that officer," said Elk as she pointed to the dragon standing by Fox's body.

So he shouted: "Sir, this woman wants to talk to you."

"Send her over."

So Elk walked over to the commander. "Well, what do you want? I haven't got all day, you know," snapped the dragons' commander.

"Well," started Elk, " please don't take my brother's armour. Leave him in death with some dignity. Please, please. On my knees, I beg you, leave his armour. You have his life and many other trophies."

"Why worry? He's dead," said the officer.

"I know that, but in life he saved me many times and helped me when he could. At least I can try to help him in death. It would mean a lot. Please show some compassion. I will gladly give anything I own." By now Elk was in tears.

"All right, I will leave him some dignity. Men, leave this body. I have given my word. If anyone touches this warrior I will run them through personally. Is that clear?" shouted the commander.

"Yes, sir," all his troops replied.

"Oh thank you, thank you very much," said Elk.

As the people were horse traders there were horses everywhere. The dragons rounded them up and strung them together. "This little lot will fetch a nice price, a nice bounty for us." Dragons were checking huts for valuables. Then they went on to check dead bodies, going through pockets, taking boots off, picking up undamaged clothes and throwing them all into a wagon which like everything else they had commandeered. Then they started to collect weapons that were scattered all round the village. Swords, battle axes, chains and maces, daggers, shields, all sorts of weapons were picked up and placed in yet another wagon. Jage saw his father's sword and shield on the ground by one of the huts. He was just about of jump out of the cart when Sunny said: "No, don't go. Stay here with me."

"No, they're not getting my dad's shield and sword."

He took no notice of Sunny, jumped off the cart and scuttled to where his father's shield and sword were lying. He picked them up and ran to his home. Under the floor was a secret compartment. Jage lifted the lid and placed the precious items inside for safe keeping. Then he shut the lid down and ran back to his brothers and sisters, jumped onto the cart and sat down.

"Well?" Badger asked. "Did you get them?"

"Of course. One day I'll return and get them and revenge dad's death, no matter how long it takes."

Sunny piped up: "Leave it, Jage. Dad's dead. It's over - finished."

"It might be for you, but not for me," said Jage.

"Nor us," said Wildcat and Sky together.

"That goes for me double," said Badger.

The dragons were tearing everything apart. They were emptying the storehouse of the sacks of grain and barley and loading them on wagons. Then they set fire to all the buildings - huts, storehouses, meeting hall - and the crops left in the fields. The trees that had surrounded Castle Wood were thrown into a big pile and burnt. The village had virtually disappeared under a veil of smoke. Everybody was coughing and spluttering. You couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. The children kept low in the carts. "I hope we are leaving soon - this smoke is horrible," they said.

Then the commanding officer shouted: "Gather up your spoils of war, and let's move out." So the dragons hastily gathered together anything of value they could lay their hands on and formed ranks. They were loaded down with goodies. By the time they had finished, some of them could hardly move, they were carrying so many trophies. The Storm-makers moved out first, crushing things as they went - it was easy to see why they got their name. Dust flew everywhere and the sound of their feet crashing on the ground sounded just like thunder. Next the foot soldiers moved out, then a massive string of horses. They would sell well at market. Then the captives all tied together by the neck, warriors that had not been killed, their bodies cut and bleeding. They would be lucky if they made it to their destination. Women, old men, all were forced into slavery. A bleak future lay ahead of them.

A column of carts was assembled. The first cart passed what used to be the village gates. It was filled with weapons; something else the dragons didn't need but could sell. Next the one filled with clothes and boots - more money when sold. Third was jewels, money and gold. It looked like the Dragon King was going to make a tidy profit out of this little escapade. Then, fourth, barley; fifth, oats; then last but not least the sixth and final cart containing Fox's children and many others including their aunty and cousin. Fox's children sat right at the back waving goodbye to their village. And a last farewell to a loving father they had left behind in the village of death. Because that's all it now contained. There was no sign of life anywhere; even the birds had become silent as if out of respect for the dead. There was just the sound of crackling wood as the village burned.

The children's eyes were full of tears. They felt as if their hearts were going to break. The boys stood up and Jage shouted: "We will see you on the next great battlefield, Fox! Your sons love you more than life itself and this much I promise you on my life and honour: we your sons will revenge your death some day, no matter how long it takes. Bye Father dear."

The column moved off further and further from Castle Wood till nothing could be seen but a small cloud of dust. The warriors in the line were finding it hard going. Many were still bleeding badly. The line of slaves came to an abrupt halt as three of the warriors dropped to the ground from sheer exhaustion. The children watched as the men on the ground were cut from the bondages that bound them to the others.

"Look, Aunty, they're setting them free," Badger said.

"No, my dear, I don't think so somehow." Just as she finished speaking, the guards looked towards their commanding officer. He drew his thumb across his throat, then the guards swung their battle axes down across the warriors' backs with a thud. The children winced and looked away. The column then moved on again. The carts just ran over the bodies. Jage looked down. The men's backs had been split open to expose the backbone. "Oh, my God," said Jage, "I feel sick."

"You shouldn't have looked, sweetheart. Haven't you seen enough blood today?" asked his aunty.

"Why but why did they have to kill them? Why not just leave them?" asked Jage.

"I'm not sure, but I think it's that they don't want any warriors from Castle Wood wandering around causing trouble for the dragons."

"I'm glad in one way dad died in the village. I would hate to see him being treated like these warriors. Don't get me wrong, I love dad and wish he was still alive, as long as he didn't have to be a slave - it would be too degrading for him to lose his honour in this way," said Sunny.

All the children turned to the front. "Look, there's our destination - the Dragon King's castle." It was scary even from a distance. As they moved closer they began to see more detail.

Surrounding the castle was a great moat but instead of water it was filled with sharp spikes and an evil-smelling green slime that covered half the stakes. As they got within feet of the castle the drawbridge came down, across the moat. The column came to a standstill. The children looked in amazement at the giant walls. They were wet with a gooey substance trickling down similar to the disgusting mess in the moat. It was still light but the castle looked so dark. The Gatehouse was built to resemble a giant dragon's head. The two towers on either side of the portcullis were enormous arms with claws hanging over the tops of the towers. The head sat in the middle complete with ears, horns and evil red eyes. The portcullis itself so terrified the children that they screamed and hid their faces in their hands. Even some of the adults screamed with fear.

The bottom jaw was another bridge with the front teeth missing so carts and storm-makers could go through. As the commander went in, the top jaw came down slotting together like a real jaw. The teeth on top had no gaps and were painted red. Wildcat thought to himself: "I hope that is paint and not blood. I would hate to get caught in that." If he didn't know better he would have said the castle had eaten the storm-makers. Then the gates opened up again and guards came out and beckoned the column to move forward into the castle.

Inside it was more horrific than the outside. There were men chained to walls being flogged. They were screaming in pain. One man's back was just a mass of red lines. There were men from Water Down, some Hillanders and even some men they knew from Castle Wood. Also there were skeletons hanging on the walls. By the time they had finished whipping the flesh off the men's backs, the walls were covered in blood. It's not a sight anyone should have to witness, let alone children. The reason the children knew which villages the men belonged to was down to their father. He had taught them all about coats of arms. They had just looked at the pile of shields in a corner. Then came the sound of chains rattling and wood creaking as the portcullis came down behind them with a crash. Then another bang and the children gathered the drawbridge had also been shut. Looking forward once more they saw the Dragon King's lair, the Castle Keep - the heart of the castle where the throne room was located. More horrors were to come once they stepped through the twenty-foot doors.

The children huddled together in fear of the unknown yet to come. The carts were driven into the keep. The King had a big smile on his face. "Oh, you have done well, my brave warriors. What a lovely haul you have brought back for me and of course you will have your share of the booty."

"What's going to happen to us, Aunty Elk?" asked the children.

"I don't know - I wish I did. I also wish Oak or your father were here," she replied.

The King was for the moment distracted looking at the gold and jewels. Then he looked into the wagon full of weapons. "These will fetch a nice price at market." Next clothes and boots. He looked disappointed. "My lord," the general said quickly, "they are of the finest quality. These humans will always need clothing to protect them from the elements. It will make a tidy profit, I promise you."

"Well, perhaps you're right." Then to the fourth, barley: "Good, no trouble selling this. And grain, good, good. Ah - my slaves." The line of slaves was then brought in. "Kneel to your King."

"He's not our King!" shouted one man. The guard whipped the man in question then the others repeatedly until they gave in and were on their knees. Blood was pouring from the mouth of the man who had questioned an order. The King turned to the guard. "This one's a trouble-maker. Put him to death." So he was run through with a sword. The children watched as the man slumped to the floor. "Quick, guards, the thing is bleeding over my nice marble floor. Remove the carcass now."

"Now we could use them to dig up their own village to get at all that lovely cadadite. Wouldn't that be ironic? Or we could just get the burrowers to mine under the village without even disturbing the ground. Ha, ha!", laughed the Dragon King. As he did, the whole court laughed as well.

"Look at them - pathetic. So these are the so-called warriors pf Castle Wood. I thought they were supposed to be fearless. What kind of honour do you call this, cringing on the floor like frightened little rabbits? Is there anybody here related to the so-called great leader of Castle Wood?"

"Yes, my lord."

Then Fox's children were unceremoniously thrown from the back of the cart and sent sliding across the floor to the King's feet. The King grabbed one of the boys by the ear and pulled him to his feet. "So who are you, little man?"

"I'm Jage, Fox's eldest son."

The King then put his giant wet slimy hand round the boy's face. He squeezed the little face so hard that it became distorted. "So, little boy, where's your brave father now?" taunted the King. He watched the boy's face and took great pleasure in seeing the pain on it at these contemptuous remarks about his father's honour. Jage just could not stand it any longer and burst into tears and shouted: "You had him killed, as well you know. But at least my dad was there and died fighting, unlike you. My dad's no coward." This remark from a little boy infuriated the King. He squeezed the boy's face so hard that the others thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

"Leave our brother alone, you're hurting him. Haven't you done enough by killing our father and making us into slaves? Don't you think you've hurt us enough? You're just a big coward, picking on little boys and not having the courage to face my father," said Badger.

"Yea," said Jage, and then spat at the King.

"You little animal!" Then he launched Jage across the hall and landing. Jage slid across the shiny floor, finally coming to a stop when his head hit the pillar supporting the roof. The boy lay still, completely motionless, not even a twitch. Sunny screamed and ran over to where her brother lay.

"Jage, please don't die! Wake up, please!" She held his limp little body in her arms and rocked backwards and forwards, weeping.

"To answer your question, no I haven't done nearly enough to your father. He and your people drove me out," replied the Dragon King.

"Yes, because you're evil and have to destroy everything you touch. You enjoy hurting people for no reason - you get some perverted thrill. You're twisted and hateful and you make others feel the same way. You're just a disease that needs destroying."

"Oh, is that so? And who in hell's name are you?" demanded the King.

"I'm Elk, Fox's sister, you evil green lump of slime. I know why you killed my brother. It's because you're scared of him."

The Dragon King snorted and swung his arm round, catching Elk across the side of the face, knocking her to the floor. She raised her head and spat a mouthful of blood on the dragon's foot.

"I'm not going to beg you for my life. You don't scare me. I'm not a child. I'm prepared for death."

So he turned his attention to Elk's son Mole. "So who does this belong to?" he asked with an evil grin on his face.

"You damn well know he's mine," said Elk.

The King started to squeeze the baby's arm. It let out a squeal then burst into tears.

"You sadistic bully. That's it, pick on a child."

"I should be very careful what you say to me, and it would be a good idea if your attitude changed towards me as well," said the Dragon King.

"So what do you want of me - to humble myself before you on my knees?"

"That will do for starters," laughed the King.

Elk's tone changed immediately. "Please don't hurt him," she begged. "I will do anything you ask of me, but don't injure him."

"Anything?" said the King, as the smile returned to his face.

"Yes, what do you require of me?" she replied.

"Take my dagger and kill the little blonde boy," said the King.

"No, you can't kill Sky. He loves you and trusts you. Please don't," Sunny begged her aunty.

Sky meanwhile stood there absolutely oblivious to everything going on around him. He was still in shock from seeing his father die.

"I can't kill him, he's my brother's son - family. I love him. You ask too much. I just can't. I could not live with myself," said Elk.

"Is your son not your own flesh? Does he not mean more than Fox's children?" said the King.

"You will have to kill me instead, because I just can't do what you ask of me."

"Then go, you have sealed your fate. You will die in my dungeons or in my slave gangs. Now go. Take these so-called proud people out of my sight. I don't want to see their sad pathetic faces before me again."

So all the prisoners were taken away. Sunny picked Jage up. He had still not regained consciousness. They were marched off to the depths of the castle. Then they were pushed into the dungeons and the door slammed shut after them.

"Well, children, this is a fine mess to be in. No chance of reprieve or escape from this situation and, to make it worse, no help from the outside. Well, sit down, make yourselves at home because this is it from now on."

Then Jage came round. "Where am I? Oh yes, I remember now. I was hoping it was all a bad dream but I'm awake and its not. Oh, rats."

"Plenty of them, my dear," said their aunty.

Then another crash and the bolt slammed across the door. The children huddled together to stave off the coldness of the cell.

Meanwhile, back in the great hall an officer was giving a glowing report of how the dragons had smashed any and all resistance to the onslaught. The King could be heard laughing all over the castle as he was told of the total annihilation of Castle Wood and its people. The King was full of praise for his brave and fearless soldiers. Then he turned to his general and asked: "Are all the men of Castle Wood dead?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Does that include female warriors?" enquired the King.

"Yes, everything and every one in the village are dead. The only ones still alive are in your dungeons below our feet now. You have my word on it," said the general.

"I'll have your word or your life, that's a guaranteed certainty."

"But why should it worry my lord so much if one of these insignificant warriors has survived our attack? They are nothing, just bugs under my lord's feet to be squashed, as simple as that. You know no fear. So why in the name of the gods do you bother to worry about something so trivial?" The general finished talking.

"Because, you idiotic gormless lump, one man won't make any difference, but it won't stay at one man. He could persuade others to join. There's nothing gets this lot of ignorant peasants going quicker than the thought of an injustice done and they will absolutely see what happened this morning as a revenge attack. And of course they will be right, won't they? That's why it's so important. I don't need anyone to start a revolt and bring my rule finally to an abrupt ending."

"Yes, my lord, I see."

THE DRAGON KING MUST DIE  Synopsis