‘It makes sense,’ said Ling-Fei. ‘You tell good stories. Charm would come naturally to you.’
‘It’s an awesome power,’ said Billy. ‘I wonder if it works on dragons.’
‘I hope so,’ said Dylan. ‘I’m just glad it worked on Old Gold and JJ.’
‘So am I,’ said Charlotte. ‘But, Dylan? If you ever try that on me, I will use my own power to pound you into the ground. Got it?’
Dylan gulped. ‘Got it.’
The Lightning Pearl
They made a plan to meet at midnight outside Old Gold’s office.
‘What if Old Gold doesn’t leave his door unlocked after all?’ said Dylan as they left the canteen.
‘He will,’ said Charlotte.
‘And, if he doesn’t, we’ll have to break in the old-fashioned way,’ said Billy. ‘Through a window or something.’
‘Or I can bust the door down,’ said Charlotte.
‘I think we should avoid that if possible,’ said Ling-Fei. She paused. ‘And I think we should leave Old Gold a note. So he doesn’t worry.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ said Dylan. He swallowed. ‘I want to write a note for my family too. Just in case… we don’t come back.’
They all looked at each other, suddenly aware that not returning home was a very real possibility.
Charlotte broke the silence. ‘Well, aren’t you a bunch of pessimistic possums?’ she said, tossing her hair. ‘Obviously we’re coming back. Just after we defeat the Dragon of Death and save the world. Easy-peasy.’
It was unclear if she was kidding or not. Charlotte sighed. ‘But if y’all are leaving notes for your families, I’ll do the same. Just so my daddy doesn’t panic when the camp calls to say we’ve run off.’
‘Ling-Fei,’ said Billy slowly. ‘You can’t tell Old Gold in the note where we’ve gone or what we’re doing.’
‘I won’t,’ she said. ‘I’ll just say we’ve gone…’
‘On an adventure,’ said Charlotte firmly. ‘And we’ll be back soon.’
Back in his cabin, Billy sat down at his small desk. Dylan sat next to him and passed him a piece of paper.
‘I’m not exactly sure what to write,’ Dylan admitted, pushing his glasses up on his nose. ‘We can’t explain much, can we?’
Billy shook his head. ‘I guess not.’
He looked down at his paper and started writing.
Dear Mom, Dad and Eddie,
He paused. His stomach was starting to hurt. What if he never saw his parents again? Or his brother? He couldn’t imagine it.
‘Hey, Dylan,’ he said quietly.
Dylan looked up. ‘Yeah?’
‘Are you scared?’
Dylan laughed a little. ‘Petrified,’ he said. ‘But… I still think we should go. And what are our other options? Pretend we never discovered dragons? Talking dragons? Just go back to life as normal, even though we know that the Dragon of Death is coming?’
Billy nodded. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘I just hope we can go home at the end of it all.’
‘Me too,’ said Dylan. ‘But, Billy?’
‘What?’
‘I really do think everything will be okay. I’ve got to think that, otherwise I’d never be able to go into something like this. And we’ll all be together. With dragons!’
‘You’re right,’ said Billy. He took a deep breath and thought about Spark. Deep inside himself, he could have sworn he felt an answering tug, like an invisible tether running back to the mountain – back to Spark. It made him feel calm and strong.
He looked back at his paper. He knew what to say.
Everything at camp is great. Mom and Dad, you were right. I’m glad I came. I just wanted to tell you guys that I love you. And I hope I can make you proud.
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
They had dinner with the other campers, avoiding Old Gold and JJ. Afterwards, when they were all sitting by the campfire, Ling-Fei asked Old Gold to retell the legend of Dragon Mountain.
And then, despite all the excitement, Billy slept until his alarm went off at midnight. He sat bolt upright. It was time.
The door to Old Gold’s office was unlocked.
Dylan heaved a huge sigh of relief. ‘I guess my power really does work,’ he said, his hand on the pearl around his neck.
‘Stop congratulating yourself and get looking for the pearl,’ said Charlotte, slipping inside the office.
Without the moon and stars overhead, darkness hung heavy in the office, and Billy let his eyes adjust, trying to make out the shapes.
Charlotte turned on a torch. ‘Thought this might be useful,’ she said.
‘Careful,’ said Dylan, eyeing the windows. ‘We don’t want anyone to see we’re in here.’
Charlotte nodded and pointed the light down towards the ground.
‘Where do we start?’ said Dylan. ‘Billy, do you remember where anything was?’
Billy shook his head, feeling a bit useless. ‘It was really rainy,’ he said. ‘All I saw was the light flashing and the blue glow.’
‘Ah. A blue glow,’ said Dylan, glancing doubtfully round the decidedly normal-looking office.
‘Wait,’ said Ling-Fei. ‘I can sense something.’ She went to a cupboard and opened it, her hands trembling. Then she gasped.
‘What is it?’ asked Billy. ‘Have you found the pearl?’ He desperately hoped she had. He had been so sure the Lightning Pearl was here. He didn’t want to let the dragons down, and he didn’t want to be the only one without a pearl. He’d thought it would be obvious, but if the pearl was here he couldn’t see it.
Ling-Fei held out her hands. In them were what looked like pieces of oblong ivory.
‘These are oracle bones,’ breathed Ling-Fei.
‘What’s an oracle bone?’ asked Dylan, leaving the desk drawer he was rummaging through to inspect Ling-Fei’s discovery.
‘They’re ancient fortune-telling devices,’ said Ling-Fei, turning the bones over in her hand. ‘I knew Old Gold collected ancient artefacts, but these… these are priceless and incredibly rare.’
‘As rare as a magic pearl?’ said Billy with a wry grin.
‘No, but they are very rare. And useful. I think we should show these to
