and listen to Bella.
‘Are they really dragons? Really?’
Yes, child, yes!’ answered Bella excitedly. ‘Haven’t you seen them with your own eyes, touched one? These dragons are real enough, all right.’
‘I thought dragons were just make-believe, something you read about in fairy stories,’ murmured Mia. ‘I still can’t believe it. Dragons really exist!’
Bella laughed. ‘There have always been dragons, Mia. Humans have always feared them and fought them and tried to capture them. How do you think dragons found their way into so many stories and legends, only that people saw them and believed in them? Dragon lore passed from one generation to another, some written down, some just remembered.’
‘But how did the dragons get here? Here in Glenkilty? Where did you find them?’
‘In the wood.’ Bella pointed towards the window.
‘Glenkilty Wood!’ gasped Mia. ‘Our wood!’
‘Aye. It was terrible. Men came with their great yellow monsters of machines and attacked the wood. They tore down the trees, uprooted them, turning over the sacred soil. They broke the bones of old ones as they used giant, buzzing saw weapons to cut the trees down. I witnessed it with my own eyes. The dragons were no longer safe, the woods could no longer protect them from humans.’
‘They’re building the Glenkilty by-pass road, cutting through the edge of the wood,’ explained Mia.
‘It was Providence that I found these hatchlings, hidden for so long in a circle of stones. I saved them from the jaws of those great iron machines. They need protecting and minding, especially in this world of yours, until they are strong and fit enough to return with me to a world where they will be safe and free. I’ve been minding dragons ever since I was a young girl, Mia. Big ones, little ones, brave ones and, though it pains me to admit it, some pure evil ones. My job has always been to look after the dragons.’
‘I don’t understand,’ mumbled Mia, not managing to make any sense of what Bella was saying.
‘These dragonlings are perhaps the only dragons left in the world. They have survived for many years, centuries even. Do you realise how precious and rare they are, how important? Hunger and disease and the ravages of war and greed destroyed the rest of the dragons. They were hunted down until their species was almost entirely extinct.
‘Long, long ago, the Great Mage ordered that dragonkindwould remain hidden for a thousand years, until the coming of the next millennium and the new age of peace and magic. A new dawn. A new beginning. But humankind has forgotten all that was promised.’ The old woman shook her head sorrowfully . ‘I’m not sure if humankind will ever learn to live without the evils of war, but I have been entrusted with the care of these young dragons to ensure their survival.’
Mia tried to understand what the old woman was talking about as she rambled on about magicians, yellow monsters and dragons. She was still scared and longed to be back in her own home sitting in front of the fire with the television on.
Bella’s thin, bony hands reached out to her.
‘Time is running out, child. I’m old, too old. My time has nearly come. You are young, a magician’s daughter, no less. ’Tis destiny that led me here to the edge of this wood to find the dragons and to find you. Nothing happens by accident. A mage can always sense the presence of another close by. That is why I chose you, Mia. You must help. You will be my apprentice. You will help me with the dragons and learn the old ways, while there is still time for me to pass on the wisdom before I die!’
Mia was really frightened now. For the first time she noticed how the wrinkles on Bella’s face resembled a map, and the veins on her brow were shaped like a dragon’s wings.
‘I have to go home!’ Mia blurted out. ‘My Mum will be mad at me if I’m late for dinner, honest. She doesn’t even know I’m here.’
Bella Blackwell gave a