The Pearl Quest Read online

  To Elizabeth, my DragonDaughter.

  With many thanks to David Wheeler, the Swan Herd of

  Abbotsbury Swannery, for his invaluable help and advice.

  Any swan-related errors are entirely the author’s own.

  Contents

  Map

  The Story So Far…

  Chapter One: The Shadow Snake

  Chapter Two: The Swans of Holmurholt

  Chapter Three: Ondine

  Chapter Four: The Pearl

  Chapter Five: Storm

  Chapter Six: Mending and Unmending

  Chapter Seven: The Book of Shadows

  Chapter Eight: Dragon Spell

  Chapter Nine: Healing and Mending

  Chapter Ten: The Trickery of the High Witches

  Chapter Eleven: All the Jewels of Power

  Chapter Twelve: Return to Drakelow

  Map

  The Story So Far…

  The six High Witch sisters of Tulay stole the DragonQueen’s jewels of power. In revenge, a dragon kidnapped the youngest witch’s child, a girl called Tia. Raised by the dragons and tormented for being a witch-brat, Tia set out to steal back the jewels to prove herself a true DragonChild. She is helped in the quest by her DragonBrother, Finn, who has the gift of being able to blend invisibly into any background, and a jackdaw called Loki.

  Tia has recovered five jewels: the emerald, which grants the power to talk to animals, the opal, which lets its owner change shape, the topaz, which controls the weather, the sapphire which can transport the holder anywhere in the blink of an eye and the ruby which stops time. Finn safeguards the jewels, except for the emerald which Tia keeps with her so that she can talk to Loki.

  Now there is just one jewel left to steal: the pearl which heals and mends. But this gem is in the power of Tia’s own mother, the High Witch Ondine, who knows that the thief is coming for her pearl. Tia is in greater danger than at any time in her quest.

  Chapter One

  The Shadow Snake

  The spell against dragons wrapped itself like a great shadowy snake round the lands of Holmurholt. It whipped along the hills encircling the plain and the rivers below. The ghostly serpent’s head darted restlessly here and there, its eyes flickering, its tongue dabbing in and out. Tia shivered.

  Her DragonBrother, Finn, was looking down on Tulay’s five sparkling rivers flowing into a huge blue lake set in the middle of the plain. Dozens of small islands, crowded with buildings, dotted the water.

  ‘I’d love a swim,’ the little dragon said wistfully.

  Tia rounded fiercely on her DragonBrother. ‘You mustn’t even think of trying.’ Finn couldn’t see the spell and had no idea how powerful it was.

  ‘I could disguise myself. I’ve been in all the other lands and towns and never come to any harm.’

  ‘This is different,’ Tia insisted. ‘The High Witch must know that all the other jewels have been stolen and she’ll be protecting the pearl with her most powerful magic. The spell against dragons will be even stronger than the one that caught me in Stoplar when I changed into a dragon.’

  Loki the jackdaw was perching on the dragon’s shoulder. ‘Does Finn want to go into Holmurholt?’ he asked Tia.

  She nodded. ‘But I’m sure the High Witch has made the spell stronger than ever.’

  Loki hopped onto the grass. ‘I’ll try and keep him from going into Holmurholt, though it’s hard when I can’t speak to him.’

  Tia told Finn what the jackdaw had said to her. The little dragon puffed out a cloud of hot smoke over both of them. Loki squawked in protest and flew up into a tree.

  ‘I think you should give me the emerald to look after,’ Finn said to Tia.

  ‘Why?’ Tia said, surprised. ‘I know the other jewels are too strong for me to use but the emerald is safe.’

  ‘High Witch Hyldi almost snatched it from you when you were fighting her in Askarlend. This High Witch might do the same. She’d find a way to use it to work evil magic.’

  That was true. All the same, Tia didn’t want to surrender the emerald. ‘How will I talk to Loki?’

  ‘You won’t be able to.’ Finn said. This time he blew sweet-smelling smoke gently over Tia. ‘You’ll have to give up the emerald soon anyway and give it back to the DragonQueen.’

  Tia knew Finn was right. She unfastened the chain round her neck and slipped off the emerald ring she’d kept for so long. It lay in her palm, glinting in dozens of shades from the deep green of the ocean depths to the pale jade of a newly unfurled leaf.

  Reluctantly she thrust the ring at Finn. Now her chain only carried the locket with pictures of her lost parents in it.

  Finn delicately unpicked the emerald’s gold setting with his claws and freed the jewel. He tossed the ring away. ‘Put the emerald in the pouch.’

  Tia opened the pouch Finn wore round his neck and dropped the emerald inside where it lay with the opal, the topaz, the sapphire and the ruby.

  ‘You’d better leave your locket as well,’ Finn said. ‘She…you know, the High Witch…’ He meant Tia’s mother. ‘She might recognise it. She’d want to know how you got hold of it.’

  Tia opened the locket. She’d covered the picture of her mother but she took a last look at the portrait of her beloved father before she snapped it shut. She dropped the chain and locket into the pouch. ‘It feels strange without them.’

  Finn butted her shoulder gently with his nose. ‘Will you be all right when you see her?’

  ‘Yes. She stole the pearl and I’m going to get it back. I don’t care about anything else.’

  Tia hugged Finn’s muzzle, picked up her bag and walked down the hill towards Holmurholt.

  Tia made good progress down the grassy hillsides and past clumps of beech trees until she came to the snake spell. Even though it only attacked dragons Tia paused when she saw its ugly head and huge fangs close to.

  She waited for the head to slither past as the spell snake hurtled on its way around the border of Holmurholt.

  ‘Now!’ Tia told herself and plunged into the spell. It was hard to see inside the shadowy snake, and she stumbled and fell. Before she could scramble to her feet the snake was back, its gaping mouth heading straight for her. Tia closed her eyes as the gigantic jaws engulfed her.

  It can’t hurt me, she thought and threw herself down the hill. She rolled over, faster and faster, until she crashed into a tree and all the breath was knocked out of her in a whoosh.

  She lay for a while getting her breath back, then opened her eyes. The blue sky of early summer arced over her and beech leaves rustled in a breeze. She sat up. Above her the snake spell squirmed along the hilltops.

  ‘I’m glad that’s over,’ she said.

  She got to her feet and walked on towards the plain.

  Chapter Two

  The Swans of Holmurholt

  Swathes of reeds, lush green fields and groves of trees grew between the five rivers. Boats, large and small, plied up and down. When they reached the central lake they passed under bridges linking the small islands. Tall, stately buildings crowded the centre of each island, leaving a fringe of grass and reeds at their edges.

  Tia crossed from island to island, weaving through bustling streets, past houses, inns, workplaces and shops. She stopped and peered curiously into a shop selling feather goods. Plumes like cascades of white water sprang from hats and helmets. Snowy feathers trimmed the edges of garments. There was even a cloak made entirely of black and white plumage. There were smaller things too: long feathery scarves, fans and quill pens.

  Tia walked on until she was close to the centre of the lake where the largest island was. To her surprise, the palace there wasn’t as spectacular as those of the other High Witches. It was more like an imposing and elegan
t house. The small clusters of dwellings around it were also modest. They were built of wood with thatched or grass roofs. Most had pens with goats or pigs, and hens.

  But what surprised Tia most were the hundreds of swans floating on the broad stretch of lake that surrounded the island, cutting it off from the others. Even more swans were grazing on the grassy margins of the large island and the ones nearest to it. Others were foraging in rivulets and pools or sitting on reedy nests. It was late spring. The swans’ eggs would soon hatch.

  ‘Help!’

  Tia swung round. A nesting swan was puffing herself up and beating her wings at a fox. It darted to one side. The swan hissed, neck snaking out in attack. Tia saw another fox hanging onto the bird’s tail.

  She ran to help. Her boots sank into the boggy ground and she struggled to pull her feet free.

  ‘Help me!’ the swan called again. The fox in front of her caught her neck and bit down. The swan flung it off but the other fox dragged harder at her tail.

  Tia pulled her sling and two pebbles from her pocket. She quickly hurled one after the other. Both found their mark and the foxes leaped into the air.

  ‘Leave that bird alone!’ Tia shouted. With a heave she tore her feet free and squelched towards the foxes, her sling humming.

  ‘I warned you!’ She let fly and both foxes ran, the stone bouncing after them.

  Stuffing the sling away, Tia hurried to the swan. Her neck was bleeding and her tail was chewed and battered. She shuffled protectively over her nest and hissed at Tia.

  ‘I won’t hurt you,’ Tia said.

  ‘How can you understand me?’ the swan asked.

  Tia automatically touched the familiar space on her shirt but the bump of the emerald wasn’t there. Of course, she’d given it to Finn. She’d forgotten in all the excitement. ‘I don’t know,’ she said truthfully. ‘I want to help.’

  ‘Find Orn,’ the swan said.

  ‘Who’s Orn? Where is he?’

  ‘He’s the Swan Keeper of Holmurholt. He went that way.’ The swan pointed unsteadily with her beak. ‘He’s checking our nests.’

  ‘I’ll go as fast as I can,’ Tia promised.

  After a few steps she found herself on firmer ground and began to run. Halfway round the island she caught sight of a tall, skinny man.

  ‘Orn!’ Tia yelled, running faster and flailing her arms to attract his attention. ‘A swan’s been attacked by foxes. I think they were trying to get her eggs,’ she panted.

  ‘Show me,’ Orn said urgently.

  Tia led the way back to the swan. Another had joined her. ‘It’s her mate,’ Orn said.

  ‘We’ve come to help,’ Tia told the agitated birds. She turned to Orn. ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I’ll take her to the Lady Ondine. She’ll use her magic pearl to heal the swan.’

  Tia’s heart began to race. Perhaps she’d be able to see the High Witch and her pearl more quickly than she’d hoped.

  ‘Will it be all right if I come with you – to see the High Witch heal the swan?’ Tia asked.

  Orn’s face broke into a beaming smile. ‘Of course,’ he said heartily. Tia thought he sounded a bit relieved.

  As the Swan Keeper carefully wrapped the injured bird in his coat and lifted her up, the other swan settled on the nest. Orn strode off towards a boat beached in the reeds and placed the swan in the stern. He and Tia pushed the boat out. She scrambled in and the Swan Keeper took the oars. As he pulled away Tia realised that there was no bridge connecting the main island to the others. The only way onto it was by boat.

  As Orn rowed steadily, Tia trailed her hand in the water and tried to work out why she was still able to talk to animals. Orn said, ‘Tell me about yourself. Are you a Trader? You’re fairer than most.’

  Tia told him her invented story of being lost as a baby and taken in by Traders who brought her up as their own. The Swan Keeper listened carefully and asked her questions. Tia had to think quickly, making sure her made-up facts matched the rest of her story. She was relieved when the boat bumped into a small jetty and Orn lost interest in her tale.

  ‘Here we are.’ Orn moored the boat and lifted out the swan. ‘This way.’

  Tia took a deep breath and walked beside Orn to the palace. Soon she would see her mother again, for the first time in eight years.

  Chapter Three

  Ondine

  Orn and Tia hurried along a stone-flagged path winding through grass dotted with drifting white feathers. Swans grazed the grass, making tearing noises as they pulled at it with their beaks.

  When they reached the palace the Swan Keeper, with Tia close behind, strode up the stone steps and through the open door into a lofty hall.

  ‘What do you think you’re doing!’ a voice boomed. A tall man in black, carrying an ebony cane topped with a silver swan, strode towards them.

  ‘I’ve got an injured swan, Grimmar,’ Orn said. ‘You know how the Lady Ondine loves her swans – she’ll want to heal it as soon as she can.’

  Tia didn’t believe that for a moment. None of the High Witches loved anything except riches and power.

  ‘Very well,’ the man in black said. ‘Come with me.’

  As Tia took a step forward Grimmar held her back with his cane.

  ‘Who is this…’ he sniffed ‘…disreputable creature?’ He looked down his long nose at Tia.

  ‘I’m not disreputable!’ she protested.

  ‘Indeed?’ Grimmar looked Tia up and down from her tousled hair to her mud-caked boots.

  ‘She found the swan and helped me with it,’ Orn said, staring intently at Grimmar. ‘She’s a Trader child – she has a way with the birds.’

  Grimmar’s eyebrows rose. He lowered his cane. ‘Very well.’ He turned towards a flight of stairs spiralling dizzily upwards.

  Tia scampered after the two men. Why had it made a difference when Orn said she was a Trader? There hadn’t been any wanted notices with her picture on it in the town and no-one had taken any notice of her despite her Trader clothing. Perhaps it was nothing to do with being a Trader; perhaps Grimmar had been impressed by what Orn had said about her way with swans.

  Still, she was careful to note the way they were going in case she had to make a quick escape. And she felt in her pocket for the reassuring touch of her sling and pebbles.

  By the time they’d gone through wood-panelled corridors on the top floor and entered a spacious chamber, Tia was on her toes, all her senses alert for danger.

  ‘You may place the bird on that table,’ Grimmar said, pointing with his cane. ‘I shall inform the Lady Ondine you are here.’ He left, the sound of his cane tap-tapping down the corridor.

  Orn lowered the swan onto a large table in the centre of the room, unwrapped his coat and folded it around the swan like a nest. ‘She’s not doing well.’

  The bird’s long neck drooped till her beak touched the table top.

  ‘You’ll be all right,’ Tia reassured her. ‘I’m sure the Lady…’ She swallowed. It was hard to say her mother’s name. ‘…Ondine will be able to help you.’

  ‘She will,’ Orn said. ‘The High Witch treasures the swans.’

  ‘Indeed I do,’ a voice said.

  Tia turned slowly, making herself as small as she could beside the rangy Swan Keeper.

  And there was her mother.

  Ondine stood in the doorway. Her hair, exactly the same red-gold shade as Tia’s, was tied back and bound by a diadem. A lustrous pearl hung from the golden circlet and rested on Ondine’s forehead. Her expression was full of concern as she looked from Orn to the swan. She didn’t seem to notice Tia at all.

  But you’re my mother, Tia protested silently. Don’t you realize who I am?

  Feelings tumbled through Tia: longing for her mother to know her, yet fear she’d be recognised as the jewel thief; anger at her mother for betraying the dragons, yet yearning for Ondine to care about her.

  With the feelings clashing inside her, Tia watched Ondine examine the swan
with gentle hands. The High Witch closed her eyes and the pearl on her forehead began to glow. Gradually the wounds on the bird’s neck healed and her rump grew new, smooth feathers. She rose on steady feet, flapped her wings vigorously and honked.

  Ondine opened her eyes and laughed. The sheen on the pearl faded.

  ‘As you can see, the bird is healed, Master Orn,’ she said to the Swan Keeper. ‘Now, tell me, how did this happen?’

  Orn explained about the foxes and Tia’s part in driving them away. He pushed her forward. ‘I brought the girl to you. I thought you’d want to see her.’

  Tia stood with her head down.

  ‘You did well, Master Orn,’ Ondine said. ‘I’ll send a reward to your house. Now, take the swan back to her nest.’

  Tia wondered if the reward was for bringing the swan – or bringing her. Still keeping her head down, she went to help the Swan Keeper.

  ‘Wait, swan child.’

  Tia’s head flicked up. ‘I’m not a swan child.’ I’m a DragonChild, she thought defiantly. ‘I’m Patia,’ she said aloud, using yet another Trader name in case the High Witch had heard the names ‘Nadya’ and ‘Sura’ that she’d used before.

  Ondine nodded, her expression solemn. ‘How is it, Patia, that you have a Trader name yet look more like a Tulayan?’

  Tia repeated her tale.

  Ondine took Tia’s face in her hands and murmured, ‘You look so like me as a child.’ She dropped her hands. ‘I like you, Patia. You must stay with me. Come.’

  The High Witch took Tia to a set of modest chambers. She pulled on a plaited rope and a tall girl, a few years older than Tia, appeared almost at once. She stared at Tia with round, surprised eyes as she bobbed a curtsey to the High Witch.

  ‘Thora,’ the witch said, ‘this is Patia. She is to be my companion and you will be her maid. Find her suitable clothes and bring her to me in the white room tomorrow morning.’

  With that, Ondine left. Tia glared at Thora. Why did people always want to change the way she dressed? ‘I don’t want fancy skirts. I want a tunic and trousers.’