Free The Last Dragon Chronicles: Dark Fire by Chris D'Lacey

Zanna stretched her arm and let David clasp her fingers. “There’s one thing you haven’t told me,” she said. She waited until she

    had eye contact with him. “Why are the dragons coming back at all?”
    “Later,” he said. “Hold tight.” He raised the hand containing the tusk and shook it three times.
    In an instant they had all disappearedand peace had returned to Farlowe Island. The sun broke through the low-lyingcloud. An easterly breeze blew in off thesea, sweeping anonymously across thestone circle, stirring and layering theharmless ashes.
    But in the field where the party ofravens had landed, all was not well. Theywere staggering through the grasses as ifthey’d been drugged.
    The first bird to change was thedominant male. He  was tossing his head

    back and forth when, suddenly, his skull swelled to twice its size and ears
    appeared where ears had never been before. His beak collapsed into a sawn off nose, complete with flared and dribbling nostrils. At the same time his striking blue-black wings shortened dramatically and thickened at the shoulder. Next to go were his spindling legs, replaced by muscle and bulleted claws.
    The raven had become a tiny monster.
    Leader of a flock of eleven semi-
    darklings.

    Catching up
    David and Zanna arrived back in the
    garden, near to the rockery. They were still holding hands. Zanna immediately cast his aside and stalked towards the
    house with her arms tightly folded. She was met by Liz, back from Cambridge, who stopped her on the porch with a horrified gasp.
    “My goodness! What happened to
    you ?”
    “Ask him,” said Zanna. “I need a bath.”
    Liz’s gaze lingered over David for a moment. The son she’d never had, returned to her. “No wait,” she said, calling Zanna back. “There’s something I need to tell you – both of you.”

    “What’s the matter?” David said. In a
    couple of strides he was at Liz’s shoulder.
    Tears had dried in runs on her cheeks.
    “While you were gone, Henry had a
    stroke.”
    “What?” Zanna said.
    David’s eyes fell shut. When he openedthem again he let his gaze rise over thegarden fence and settle kindly on the housenext door, the scene of so many domesticadventures.
    Zanna   shook   her   head,   looking
    confused. “Is he OK?”
    “He was taken to hospital about half an hour ago. It doesn’t look good, I’m sorry. Alexa seems fine about it.”
    “Alexa?”   said   Zanna.   “I   don’t
    understand?”

    “She was with him when it happened,” Liz said. “They were feeding Henry’s fish when he sat down and went ‘a bit wuzzly’, apparently. She held his hand until she heard us come home. She sang dragon lullabies to him. Rather touching, really.”
    Zanna’s dark eyes drilled into David’s. “You left her with   Henry ? He’s not been
    well for weeks!”
    David spread his hands. “How was I toknow? Anyway, I thought it was importantto come after you.”
    “Some father   you   are!”
    “I saved your life,” he reminded her,calmly.
    But Zanna just glared at him and swept
    away.
    “Oh, dear,” sighed Liz. “That’s not a

    good start.” She looked him up and down, then stepped forward and draped her arms around his neck. “I don’t want to know
    how you were able to come back or how any of this is possible, I just want to know that you’ll stay with us – please?”
    He hugged her sweetly. “For as long as I can. It’s so good to see you again.”
    She pulled away, lightly stroking his chest. “Alexa said something about you going to find Gwilanna?”
    “Yes. I managed to retrieve this.” He lifted the obsidian out of his pocket. “Be careful, it’s fragile.” He handed it over.
    Turning it like a kaleidoscope, Liz said, “Is this light inside it really Gwillan’s tear?”
    David shook his head. “The complete

    antithesis. What you have in there is pure
    evil.”
    “But it came from one of my dragons.
    From