‘And I have the Gold Pearl for you,’ Tank said to Charlotte. ‘I have always carried a pearl.’
Billy looked expectantly at Spark. She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, Billy, I do not have a pearl for you. I once had the Lightning Pearl in my possession, but during our battle with the Dragon of Death it was lost.’
Disappointment washed over Billy like a wave, so strong it almost knocked him down. Would he be the only one without a magic pearl? Without a power to help defeat the Dragon of Death? Could he even survive in the Dragon Realm without one?
‘But,’ Spark quickly went on, ‘we believe the Lightning Pearl is close. I cannot bestow it on you, but you can retrieve it. And then your power will be unlocked.’
‘What?’ exclaimed Billy.
‘How do you know it’s close?’ said Charlotte.
‘Xing can sense magic, and because of that she can sense the pearls, the way an animal can track its prey,’ said Tank. ‘And she knows this pearl is nearby.’
‘It is in the Human Realm,’ said Xing. ‘I sensed it when you opened the mountain.’
‘I think I know where it is,’ said Billy slowly. A memory was tugging at him. A flashing orb. A storm.
‘Slow down,’ said Dylan. ‘We literally just learned about the existence of these apparently magical pearls and you somehow know where one is?’
Billy felt his ears get hot. ‘I might be wrong.’ Everyone stared at him. He took a deep breath. ‘The other night, during the storm, I had to go to the bathroom—’
‘How all great stories begin,’ said Charlotte.
‘Shh! Let him finish,’ said Ling-Fei. She nodded at Billy encouragingly.
‘And, when I was walking back, I saw something. Whatever it was, it was letting off its own light. And I thought I saw flashes of lightning around it.’
‘Billy, buddy, sounds as if it could have been a lot of things. A light bulb, a glow-in-the-dark toy, a lamp, a laptop…’ Dylan listed the items on his fingers as he went. ‘And where even was it?’
‘In the small cabin near the bathroom,’ said Billy.
‘That’s Old Gold’s office,’ said Ling-Fei.
‘Who is Old Gold?’ asked Xing.
‘He’s the closest thing I have to a yeye. He runs the camp we’re at.’ She paused. ‘He loves collecting old artefacts. He might have come across it and not known what it was. Like me with the Jade Pearl.’
‘Interesting,’ said Xing. She turned to Billy. ‘Did it light up like this?’ She tapped on the side of the Jade Pearl and, whereas the thing Billy had seen let out blue sparks of lightning, the Jade Pearl gave off a soft green glow. It was different in colour and form, but the effect was remarkably similar.
‘Yes!’ said Billy.
Ling-Fei stared open-mouthed at the glowing Jade Pearl. ‘How did you do that?’ she asked.
‘You will learn,’ said Xing.
‘It sounds as if what you saw might very well be the Lightning Pearl,’ Buttons said. ‘Do you think you can retrieve it?’
‘Definitely,’ said Billy with more confidence than he felt. ‘We’ll find the Lightning Pearl and then come back –’ he swallowed – ‘to join you against the Dragon of Death.’
‘A good plan,’ said Tank. ‘But, before you go, there is one thing we must do. It is time to unlock your powers.’
Hidden Powers
Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei stood in the centre of the cavern with their palms out.
Billy watched, hoping his jealousy wasn’t too obvious. Even though he knew he would be getting his own pearl soon, he wished he had it at the same time as his friends.
And a small doubt had planted itself in his head. What if he’d been wrong and it wasn’t the Lightning Pearl he’d seen? What if they couldn’t find the fourth pearl? What if his friends all got special powers and Billy didn’t? But it was more than that. Without the added protection of the pearl and its power, would he be able to survive in the Dragon Realm?
And there was something else. Something even bigger than his own survival. The dragons had made it clear they needed all four of the children, with the pearls, to have a shot at defeating the Dragon of Death.
So Billy really, really hoped they could find that fourth pearl.
Tank came forward, holding three shining pearls in his claws, all secured onto chain necklaces. ‘I am a bit of a jeweller,’ he said, and then glared at everyone as if daring them to contradict him. ‘And this way you can wear the pearls and keep them close.’
‘Remember,’ said Xing, ‘the pearls awaken an inherent power within you. Something that you are already good at or comes to you naturally will be amplified. But, if you are separated from the pearl, you will lose your power.’
She took the chain holding the Jade Pearl from Tank in her teeth, and dropped it over Ling-Fei’s head. ‘Keep a closer eye on it this time,’ she said. Ling-Fei gripped it in her fist.
‘I’ll never lose it again,’ she said fiercely.
Tank presented Charlotte with the Gold Pearl.
‘I have been saving this for a long time,’ he said. ‘The time is now. I hope you prove worthy of it.’
‘Of course I will,’ said Charlotte.
‘Your confidence will serve you well in the Dragon Realm,’ said Tank, sounding proud.
‘But do not let it be your downfall,’ warned Xing. ‘Listen to the others. Know your limitations.’
‘And for you, the Granite Pearl,’ Buttons said to Dylan, his voice low and sonorous, like a cello. ‘I do not know how your power will manifest itself, but I know it will be a great one. Do not doubt yourself.’
Dylan nodded and held his head a little higher.
‘Billy,’ Spark said gently, nudging him forward next to his friends, ‘as you know, I do not have a pearl for you, but I believe in you. You will find
