Suit Up

This time, the walk back to the mountain felt different. Purposeful. It was dark outside, but the Lightning Pearl lit up enough to show the path. They had decided to go straight to the mountain instead of waiting until morning. The sooner they returned to their dragons, the better. They marched in silence, excitement radiating off them like steam from a hot bowl of soup.

They found the dragons in the main cavern. As soon as Billy saw Spark, he was filled with that same sense of strength and calm he’d had when he thought about her earlier. But now it was magnified. He felt invincible.

‘You came back,’ said Tank.

‘Of course we did,’ said Charlotte.

‘Humans are fickle creatures,’ said Xing. But she was smiling. ‘I’m hoping you succeeded in what we asked of you.’

‘We found the Lightning Pearl,’ said Billy, reaching into his pocket and holding it out.

‘And?’ said Spark, giving Billy her sharp-toothed smile.

Billy leaped into the air and did two somersaults. ‘I think my power has something to do with balance and agility,’ he said, landing on silent feet.

‘My power showed itself too!’ said Dylan, telling them what had happened with Old Gold.

Buttons applauded. ‘A delightful power! And so useful too.’

‘Intriguing, that a human would have a pearl and oracle bones,’ said Xing, inspecting the oracle bone that Ling-Fei had brought back. ‘This one is about us, the return of the dragons.’

‘Do you think Old Gold has read it?’ asked Ling-Fei.

‘Humans rarely know how to read them properly. Even if he did, he wouldn’t know what it meant,’ said Xing dismissively.

‘And now… now do we go into the Dragon Realm?’ asked Billy.

Tank appraised them. ‘We will go soon. When we get there, the first thing we should do is find our old clan, alongside whom we battled the Dragon of Death and her nox-wings. Our old friend Dimitrius will have been in charge. And then we will find out why the Dragon of Death is growing in strength, even back in time when she should be unable to do anything.’

‘It has to be something to do with those wretched nox-wings,’ sniffed Buttons. ‘Odious creatures, really. Would do anything for a bit of ill-gotten power.’

‘Before we go, there’s one more thing,’ said Xing. ‘We need to get you properly clothed.’ She made a derisive sound. ‘Humans, with their soft skin and weak bones. Such a liability.’

‘I quite like my skin,’ said Dylan.

‘Then you probably want to keep it on your body,’ said Xing. ‘Now come with me!’

They followed Xing down the corridor to her hoard. She dived in, sniffing around, and then pushed out a jewelled trunk. She popped it open with her nose. Shining fabric spilled out.

‘Is that… living fabric?’ asked Ling-Fei, moving closer. ‘I can sense it.’

‘It’s magic, not living,’ said Xing. ‘But your power seems to already be growing.’ She shouted, ‘Spark! I need your help.’

Spark flew in on silent wings.

‘Use your… electricity thing,’ said Xing.

‘These bolts of fabric are incredibly rare, and very valuable,’ Spark explained. ‘They will be able to protect you from almost anything.’ She smiled. ‘It is the closest thing to dragon skin we can give you.’

‘You,’ said Xing, pointing her snout at Dylan. ‘We will start with you. Come here.’

A sheet of metallic green fabric rose up from the trunk, as if of its own accord, and swept over Dylan, covering him completely.

Xing focused on Dylan. Her eyes glowed and a light emanated from them. Spark made a low buzzing sound, and bolts of electricity zapped from her wings towards Dylan. He giggled as one hit him.

‘That tickles,’ he said, squirming.

‘Hold still,’ said Xing.

Billy stared in amazement as the fabric morphed round Dylan’s body, shaping itself to his figure. The neck hole stretched round his head, revealing Dylan’s shocked face. Then the two dragons exhaled. Dylan stood in front of them, wearing a full bodysuit of metallic green.

‘You look like a superhero!’ said Ling-Fei.

‘I feel like a superhero!’ said Dylan, stretching in it. He looked up at Xing and Spark. ‘Thank you!’

Xing snorted. ‘Thanks are not required,’ she said. ‘We’re taking necessary precautions.’ She looked over at Billy, Charlotte and Ling-Fei. ‘Who’s next?’

Charlotte leaped forward. ‘Can mine have a skirt on it? You know, just to be fashionable? Ooh, and pockets?’

Xing stared at Charlotte a long moment, and then grinned, showing her diamond teeth. ‘I understand wanting a bit of aesthetic appeal,’ she said.

‘And pockets are very useful,’ said Charlotte.

After Xing and Spark were done with Charlotte’s suit, it looked almost like Dylan’s, but in bright red and gold to match Tank’s scales and with a skirt over the trousers. And pockets. Charlotte twirled in delight, hands stuck deep in her pockets, and the skirt flared out.

Ling-Fei’s suit was shimmering silver and gold, with a high collar and a hood draped down her back. ‘I gave you pockets too,’ said Xing with a wink.

‘Now it’s your turn,’ Spark said to Billy.

Billy let himself be encased in blue shimmering fabric. It pinched a bit, and he felt small shocks as Spark’s electric power morphed the material round him. When his head emerged out of the top, he gasped.

His suit ran from his ankles to his wrists and, even though it was snug, he could still move freely in it. It was like the most amazing wetsuit he had ever dreamed of. A magical wetsuit.

‘We look amazing!’ cried Charlotte. ‘I feel ready for anything.’

‘Well, that is good,’ said Spark. ‘Because we need to be ready for anything.’

The joyful mood that had filled the cavern while they were being fitted for their clothes evaporated.

‘We will do everything we can to protect you, but we can’t deny how dangerous it will be,’ said Spark.

‘We know,’ said Billy.

Before yesterday he hadn’t even known dragons existed. And now he knew there was an entire world of them. A world at war. A world at war that needed their help.