Free The Palace Library by Steven Loveridge

said he would put all his fears into the box, along
with all his doubts and his lack of faith.  Then he would face the dragon
again and conquer him.
    “Now
the dwarf tried to persuade him otherwise, but George would not listen. 
In the end though, the dwarf persuaded him to carry a lance - a lance that had
been forged for a great king in the past at the foot of a volcano and with all
the magic that imparts. That lance was called Ascalon.”
    “Then
George went out and conquered the dragon.  Thereafter he married the Lord
of the Manor’s daughter and led a simple life of faith with her. 
    “The
dragon wasn’t conquered simply by the lance, but by George’s faith and
confidence.  The dragon wasn’t killed.  In spite of all the evil it
had committed, it was given mercy - in return for all dragons being banished
from England forever.  So now there are no dragons in England at
all.  Instead they were sent to the edge of Hell, never to be seen by man again.  They were imprisoned forever by the faith
of St George and also by their greed, as they took their stolen treasure with
them, since, as everyone knows, dragons are great hoarders.  Keeping that,
it seemed worthwhile to forego eating the sheep and the daughters of England,
even though such abstinence makes the dragons hungry and angry.
    “While
England is protected by the Sword of State and the power of Ascalon and the
faith of St George, its freedoms are protected and the dragons cannot return.”
    “So”,
said Harry, beginning to understand some of the Prophecy a little more, but
wishing he didn’t.  “We have to travel by sea as the dragons aren’t in
England.  And we must go to the edge of Hell.  To Hell’s Bay.”
    “Yes,”
said Edwin simply.  Then he added sarcastically, “That is all.”
    Then
they all stayed silent, nervous and apprehensive, except Grace, who suddenly
remembered where Hell’s Bay was.

 
12.  The Healer
     
    “What on earth are you
doing?  You’ll burn yourself,” said Master John, standing up and bumping
his head on a low wooden beam across the ceiling.
    Master
Edwin, the blacksmith and armourer, had sat back in his chair while they all
digested his story and Harry’s comments about going to the edge of Hell.
    “Relax,
Master John.  I’m used to the heat of the furnace.  As Anwen well
knows.  She treats enough of my burns.  The fire relaxes me and it
helps me think.”
    Edwin
pulled a small wooden bowl off the shelf.  It was attached to a narrow
tube, and he filled the bowl with herbs from a jar.  It was when he pulled
a burning ember from the fire and set fire to the herbs that John stood up and
questioned him.
    “It’s
just a pipe,” said Harry.  “I’ve seen Great Uncle Jasper with one before.”
    The
room filled with a cloudy smoke. It was a sweet smell with the herbs
burning.  It disguised the smell of the forge and the food they had eaten
for dinner.
    “Relax,
Master John,” said Anwen.  “It helps him think.”
    The
dwarf continued puffing on his pipe, pleased with his story.  Eleanor had
been learning about the discovery of America at school before and she whispered
to Grace, “I don’t think they’ve invented tobacco yet.  It’s not
surprising John is alarmed!”
    But
Grace was not listening. 
    “I
remember where Hell’s Bay is,” she said.  “We went there last summer for
our holidays.  It was when I first really got to know you both.”
    They
were all wide awake now.  Whether it was the excitement or Anwen’s potion,
they didn’t know; they didn’t care.
    “You
mean in Scotland?” asked Harry, remembering the fun time they had all had there
with his and Eleanor’s parents and friends.
    “No,
no, before that.  Don’t you remember? Before that.”
    Harry
and Eleanor looked at Grace as if she were simple, a younger cousin who didn’t
know much, but she had the better memory this time.
    “Come
on, we sat at the beach looking at the island opposite with the sun going