Petra Price and the Last Dragon: Chapter 9
I got this chapter finished just in time! This story is also posted here on FictionPress.com.
Description: Petra Price was perfectly ordinary, until a world of dormant magic was revealed to her and she became a witch. Taken away from the life she's always known, she's faced with new friends and a new power to be harnessed. Someone's life may be at stake!
The forest that surrounded the portal from the school and separated it from immediate view of Cecelia's mansion seemed largely unchanged since the last time Petra had been there. She was glad she would be able to stay in the shelter of the trees, not having to venture anywhere near the strange girl's dwelling.
Petra was helping Mister Glover set up a dispensing unit for the toyffkins, along with Budgerigar's friend Ruby and a boy named Chip. It had a direct link with the school. When one of the little animals came up to it and pulled the lever on one side, it would drop tiny blocks onto the ground below that were transported directly from the academy. The blocks had soaked up just enough magical energy that the creatures would be able to mold them into nests.
Ruby and the other boy had been the first to finish their wands, so they had been allowed to help the teachers with this little project while the other students were still working on their own. Petra's wand wasn't quite finished, but they needed her along to keep the toyffkin from the school happy. Petra had dubbed her Margie and she was the only person the little creature was readily willing to communicate with. They needed Margie along to show the rest of her kind how to work the device that had been made for them.
Petra had had to do some coaxing to get her furry friend to make the journey with them. The young mother was reluctant to leave her children, though they were no longer babies. The toyffkin's progeny had started to venture from their nest now and then. They hadn't managed to get up to much trouble yet, other than making a mess in Mister Glover's office from time to time. Petra wondered if they would take up permanent residence at the school or if they might someday choose to return to their natural habitat.
Margie came scampering back just then to the place where the dispenser had been set up. A pair of her kinsfolk were on her tail. The new arrivals scampered around the dispenser in quick circles, climbing on it and memorizing its surface.
They went to Margie when she made a sound that called their attention. She reached out her paw to each in turn, and then one of them pulled the lever of the dispenser. It dropped a trio of cubes in front of the animals. The one who had pulled the lever made off with them before its friend mimicked it and did the same. Margie remained behind.
“I guess your job here is done,” Petra said, grinning down at the smallest of her acquaintances. By this point, she was fairly certain the animal could understand her when she spoke to it.
Mister Glover had gone on to Cecelia's. Ruby and Chip had already returned to the school. They had offered to stay with her, but Petra had told them she would be fine. She moved to go herself, Margie on her heels, when she saw something in the hollow of a tree catch the light.
Even though she closed the distance between herself and the tree and moved in close to try and get a glimpse of what it held within, the occasional reflection of the sunshine off of the object was still the only sign that it was there. Working up a bit of courage and sharing a momentary look with Margie, Petra stuck her hand into the hollow of the tree. She was half certain as she did so that it would be the last time she would ever see her hand intact, as it only then occurred to her that it might be some kind of trap. It could have been like those plants that eat bugs by drawing them in with their scent, or however that worked.
Much to her relief, her hand wrapped around something that felt cold and metallic to the touch. It was a little stuck in its place but Petra was able to free it after jiggling it one way and then the other for a little while. Once she was able to pull it out, she could see that it was some kind of bottle. The bottle shined like gold and was covered in gems that climbed in straight lines up the sides.
There was one small patch where no jewels had been set into the metal. There looked to be some kind of inscription but Petra couldn't make it out for smudges on the surface of the bottle. She tucked her hand into the cuff of her shirt and swiped it across the metal to try and clean it up.
Petra had no time to try and read the engraved words. The air around her seemed suddenly to be filled with pinpricks of sourceless light. Her head was spinning a little. Her grip on the bottle loosened and then slackened entirely. It fell to the ground and she with it. The ground was somehow further away than it should have been. Just as Petra was anticipating hitting her head against a rock, darkness closed around her.
The temptation to lose consciousness was great but Petra was able to fight it off. Nobody had been there to witness what had happened to her, so she was going to take it upon herself to be her own hero. It would be better to do that sooner rather than later, and she didn't fancy an undesired and uncomfortable nap on the ground.
That was the first problem Petra had to face. The forest floor, tightly packed earth covered in grass and fallen leaves, was no longer what she felt beneath her. Still in complete darkness and unable to see a thing, she crouched to try and feel what she was standing on. Her hand came in contact with soft, plush carpeting.
Something skittered across the back of Petra's hand and she was startled for a moment until she heard a squeak. It was only Margie, whom had apparently become Petra's fellow prisoner in this dark place.
Margie's small paws embraced one of Petra's fingers and part of the mystery was taken away. Through the power of Margie's ability to communicate through visual memory, Petra could see herself standing in the forest and holding the bottle. She shrank and shrank before Margie darted forward and grabbed her leg. At that moment, everything seemed to get bigger. Margie hadn't been as confused during that time as Petra had been. She had witnessed with perfect clarity the moment when the stopper came out of the top of the bottle and both of them were sucked into its depths.
“I wish there were some lights in here,” Petra mumbled. Margie squeaked an agreement.
Whether by command or coincidence, there was light. Petra wished it had been just a moment earlier, before she'd stumbled over something that turned out to be a small stool.
“I wish I wasn't trapped inside a magic bottle?” she tried. After holding her breath for a few moments, she let out a sigh, “It was worth a shot.”
Petra was surrounded by stools and cushions, everything looked very fancy though unused and a little dusty. The decorated boxes sitting here and there contained nothing and the one small cupboard that was somehow set into the wall was empty as well.
There was a panel near the cupboard that looked like it might be a door. Why a magic bottle would need to have a door in it, Petra didn't know, but at that moment it seemed like her best chance of escape.
It had no knob or handle. Petra traced her hands over its entire surface just to make sure, in case there was some invisible latch or knob. After that she tried to pry at the edges of the door. The consequences for this action were some very sore fingertips.
Margie made an excited sort of chirping sound to draw Petra's attention. Once she had it, the little animal climbed up the leg of a table and drew a key from the lock of a box. She waved it at the door emphatically.
It took Petra a moment to understand what Margie was on about, then she realized the animal was miming the casting of a spell. Petra didn't have a wand yet, but trying to magic the door or the stopper of the bottle seemed like it shouldn't be too hard. She felt a bit daft for not doing it first thing. She chalked it up to it being her first magical emergency and feeling a bit muddled.
She tried opening and unlocking spells on the door to no success. Any spell she sent towards the bottle's stopper fizzled out before it reached its destination.
“I hate to say it, Margie, but it looks as if someone's going to have to rescue us.” Petra allowed herself to wallow in the disappointment of not getting to be her own hero for only a moment.
“I think the best way to get someone to find you when they don't know exactly where to look is to make a great deal of noise,” Petra said aloud. She was glad to have Margie along with her, if only so she wouldn't have to talk to herself.
Margie nodded, or maybe she twitched. Either way it was enough encouragement for Petra. She started to pound on the door. On the big assumption that it was a magic portal to some other place, Petra held out hope that it was a place that had people in it or perhaps some kind of genie. That was the sort of creature you were supposed to find inside magic bottles. It was quite unfortunate for Petra that she ended up in a vacant one.
Petra kept on going until her arms were tired and then she banged some more. She was just about exhausted with the task when she thought she heard something. She ceased movement and pressed her ear to the door to listen.
“Hello?” a muffled voice called after a few moments of silence. Petra could have collapsed with the relief of finding a potential rescuer.
“Yes, hello!” she cried out to them, “Can you let me out of here?”
The door swung open towards Petra. She narrowly avoided having a run in with it. Just on the other side of the door way was a cloud of smoke. It hovered in the same spot for an impossibly long instant before forming the shape of a person. The person-shaped cloud then solidified into something identifiable and more easily interacted with.
“Petra Price, nice to meet you,” Petra introduced herself, sticking out a hand.
The boy fiddled nervously with the thick braid that hung over his shoulder, “It's a trick, you're going to pull me in!”
Petra lowered her hand when it became clear that the boy wasn't going to take it, “Why in the world would I want to do that?”
He gave a petulant pout, “So I'd have to grant you wishes!”
So he was a genie. That didn't come as a surprise.
“Oh, very well. If you won't come in here, can I at least come out there?”
The boy's face expressed surprise, as if this notion hadn't occurred to him. After considering it, he stepped aside to let her join him in whatever space lay beyond the lamp. Once she was out of the lamp the door closed behind her. With it shut safely, the boy offered Petra his hand.
“It's nice to meet you, Petra Price, and you're lucky I came along. You might have been trapped in there for ages if I hadn't been sneaking around.”
“You can believe me when I say I'm grateful.” Petra replied, taking survey of her surroundings. She and the young genie stood within a hall lined with doors.
“Oh!” Petra sounded. She spun on her heels and opened the door from which she had just emerged. The boy looked alarmed until Petra closed the door again. She had only wanted to let Margie out.
“I'm a bit unsure as to what I should do with you now. I suppose I should go ask the leaders for help, but I'll get in great trouble. Nobody's supposed to come down here, but since everybody else follows that order it's a good place to come and be alone.” The genie boy grinned sheepishly.
“I don't want to get you in trouble!” Petra frowned, “Can't I just tell them I got sucked in and wandered in on my own?”
“The lamps aren't supposed to open from the inside. Then again, they aren't supposed to suck people into them, either, so I guess you could chalk it up to malfunction. I'm sure they won't place any blame on you, as you can't help what's gone wrong. You'd really be helping me out.”
“It's the least I could do after you saved me.” Petra grinned, “Say, you never told me your name!”
“Just a moment!” he said quietly, pushing her lightly so her back was flush against the wall. She started to ask him what he thought he was doing when he put one hand over her mouth and gestured with the other.
There were two guards standing dutifully at a door just a few feet away. Petra and the genie boy were hidden from view by their rather small stature and the help of a large vase.
“This won't hurt a bit,” the boy whispered. Petra didn't bother to try and ask what he meant. She found out soon enough by practice rather than explanation.
For a stretch of time all Petra could see was a vivid tapestry of smoke and sparkles, now and then seeing a flash of color or light that she couldn't focus on. She was aware that she was still in the presence of the young genie and knew that Margie was there as well, even though she couldn't see them.
When everything went back to normal it took Petra a moment to get her bearings.
“It might have been better if you'd walked out by yourself, but then I wouldn't have been able to go with you. This way you'll have me as your escort to the temple instead of some stuffy old guard.” They rounded a corner. The guards they had seen were barely dots in the distance, standing outside a building, “We could have traveled all the way to the temple in my smoke form but you'd have gotten sick.”
“I'm sure that will be loads better, and I feel perfectly fine, thank you.” Petra smiled a little before growing self-conscious. Now that they were out in the open, they were attracting stares from the boy's people. Perhaps it would have been worth an upset stomach to avoid all the unnecessary attention.
“They've never seen anyone like you here in our realm. I don't know if it's something that's ever happened before.” The boy told her. They walked on in silence for a little while before he spoke again.
“I don't have a name, by the way. At least, not in the same way that you're used to. It's hard to explain it to an outsider, but how we refer to each other comes down to these markings we have on our bodies.” He stopped and undid the top buttons of his vest. He shrugged it off his shoulders and turned his back to her. A pattern of spots traveled from underneath his hairline and down his neck onto his back where they disappeared behind his clothing. Petra could only assume they went all the way down.
“The last master I had, she picked out a name for me and I got kind of used to it. So, Petra Price, you can call me Martin. That is, if you'd like to.”
“I think that would be easier on my brain, yes.” Petra giggled, glad to have had a distraction during their little journey. It wasn't long after he had done his vest back up and they had started walking again that they came to a staircase.
“Here we are.”
Petra sighed as they mounted the stairs. When she got back to the school, she intended not to leave it until the holidays came. She would also be content to keep her hands to herself. It would be fine by her if this genie temple was the last new place she saw for a while. All the excitement was starting to get to her.
Description: Petra Price was perfectly ordinary, until a world of dormant magic was revealed to her and she became a witch. Taken away from the life she's always known, she's faced with new friends and a new power to be harnessed. Someone's life may be at stake!
The forest that surrounded the portal from the school and separated it from immediate view of Cecelia's mansion seemed largely unchanged since the last time Petra had been there. She was glad she would be able to stay in the shelter of the trees, not having to venture anywhere near the strange girl's dwelling.
Petra was helping Mister Glover set up a dispensing unit for the toyffkins, along with Budgerigar's friend Ruby and a boy named Chip. It had a direct link with the school. When one of the little animals came up to it and pulled the lever on one side, it would drop tiny blocks onto the ground below that were transported directly from the academy. The blocks had soaked up just enough magical energy that the creatures would be able to mold them into nests.
Ruby and the other boy had been the first to finish their wands, so they had been allowed to help the teachers with this little project while the other students were still working on their own. Petra's wand wasn't quite finished, but they needed her along to keep the toyffkin from the school happy. Petra had dubbed her Margie and she was the only person the little creature was readily willing to communicate with. They needed Margie along to show the rest of her kind how to work the device that had been made for them.
Petra had had to do some coaxing to get her furry friend to make the journey with them. The young mother was reluctant to leave her children, though they were no longer babies. The toyffkin's progeny had started to venture from their nest now and then. They hadn't managed to get up to much trouble yet, other than making a mess in Mister Glover's office from time to time. Petra wondered if they would take up permanent residence at the school or if they might someday choose to return to their natural habitat.
Margie came scampering back just then to the place where the dispenser had been set up. A pair of her kinsfolk were on her tail. The new arrivals scampered around the dispenser in quick circles, climbing on it and memorizing its surface.
They went to Margie when she made a sound that called their attention. She reached out her paw to each in turn, and then one of them pulled the lever of the dispenser. It dropped a trio of cubes in front of the animals. The one who had pulled the lever made off with them before its friend mimicked it and did the same. Margie remained behind.
“I guess your job here is done,” Petra said, grinning down at the smallest of her acquaintances. By this point, she was fairly certain the animal could understand her when she spoke to it.
Mister Glover had gone on to Cecelia's. Ruby and Chip had already returned to the school. They had offered to stay with her, but Petra had told them she would be fine. She moved to go herself, Margie on her heels, when she saw something in the hollow of a tree catch the light.
Even though she closed the distance between herself and the tree and moved in close to try and get a glimpse of what it held within, the occasional reflection of the sunshine off of the object was still the only sign that it was there. Working up a bit of courage and sharing a momentary look with Margie, Petra stuck her hand into the hollow of the tree. She was half certain as she did so that it would be the last time she would ever see her hand intact, as it only then occurred to her that it might be some kind of trap. It could have been like those plants that eat bugs by drawing them in with their scent, or however that worked.
Much to her relief, her hand wrapped around something that felt cold and metallic to the touch. It was a little stuck in its place but Petra was able to free it after jiggling it one way and then the other for a little while. Once she was able to pull it out, she could see that it was some kind of bottle. The bottle shined like gold and was covered in gems that climbed in straight lines up the sides.
There was one small patch where no jewels had been set into the metal. There looked to be some kind of inscription but Petra couldn't make it out for smudges on the surface of the bottle. She tucked her hand into the cuff of her shirt and swiped it across the metal to try and clean it up.
Petra had no time to try and read the engraved words. The air around her seemed suddenly to be filled with pinpricks of sourceless light. Her head was spinning a little. Her grip on the bottle loosened and then slackened entirely. It fell to the ground and she with it. The ground was somehow further away than it should have been. Just as Petra was anticipating hitting her head against a rock, darkness closed around her.
The temptation to lose consciousness was great but Petra was able to fight it off. Nobody had been there to witness what had happened to her, so she was going to take it upon herself to be her own hero. It would be better to do that sooner rather than later, and she didn't fancy an undesired and uncomfortable nap on the ground.
That was the first problem Petra had to face. The forest floor, tightly packed earth covered in grass and fallen leaves, was no longer what she felt beneath her. Still in complete darkness and unable to see a thing, she crouched to try and feel what she was standing on. Her hand came in contact with soft, plush carpeting.
Something skittered across the back of Petra's hand and she was startled for a moment until she heard a squeak. It was only Margie, whom had apparently become Petra's fellow prisoner in this dark place.
Margie's small paws embraced one of Petra's fingers and part of the mystery was taken away. Through the power of Margie's ability to communicate through visual memory, Petra could see herself standing in the forest and holding the bottle. She shrank and shrank before Margie darted forward and grabbed her leg. At that moment, everything seemed to get bigger. Margie hadn't been as confused during that time as Petra had been. She had witnessed with perfect clarity the moment when the stopper came out of the top of the bottle and both of them were sucked into its depths.
“I wish there were some lights in here,” Petra mumbled. Margie squeaked an agreement.
Whether by command or coincidence, there was light. Petra wished it had been just a moment earlier, before she'd stumbled over something that turned out to be a small stool.
“I wish I wasn't trapped inside a magic bottle?” she tried. After holding her breath for a few moments, she let out a sigh, “It was worth a shot.”
Petra was surrounded by stools and cushions, everything looked very fancy though unused and a little dusty. The decorated boxes sitting here and there contained nothing and the one small cupboard that was somehow set into the wall was empty as well.
There was a panel near the cupboard that looked like it might be a door. Why a magic bottle would need to have a door in it, Petra didn't know, but at that moment it seemed like her best chance of escape.
It had no knob or handle. Petra traced her hands over its entire surface just to make sure, in case there was some invisible latch or knob. After that she tried to pry at the edges of the door. The consequences for this action were some very sore fingertips.
Margie made an excited sort of chirping sound to draw Petra's attention. Once she had it, the little animal climbed up the leg of a table and drew a key from the lock of a box. She waved it at the door emphatically.
It took Petra a moment to understand what Margie was on about, then she realized the animal was miming the casting of a spell. Petra didn't have a wand yet, but trying to magic the door or the stopper of the bottle seemed like it shouldn't be too hard. She felt a bit daft for not doing it first thing. She chalked it up to it being her first magical emergency and feeling a bit muddled.
She tried opening and unlocking spells on the door to no success. Any spell she sent towards the bottle's stopper fizzled out before it reached its destination.
“I hate to say it, Margie, but it looks as if someone's going to have to rescue us.” Petra allowed herself to wallow in the disappointment of not getting to be her own hero for only a moment.
“I think the best way to get someone to find you when they don't know exactly where to look is to make a great deal of noise,” Petra said aloud. She was glad to have Margie along with her, if only so she wouldn't have to talk to herself.
Margie nodded, or maybe she twitched. Either way it was enough encouragement for Petra. She started to pound on the door. On the big assumption that it was a magic portal to some other place, Petra held out hope that it was a place that had people in it or perhaps some kind of genie. That was the sort of creature you were supposed to find inside magic bottles. It was quite unfortunate for Petra that she ended up in a vacant one.
Petra kept on going until her arms were tired and then she banged some more. She was just about exhausted with the task when she thought she heard something. She ceased movement and pressed her ear to the door to listen.
“Hello?” a muffled voice called after a few moments of silence. Petra could have collapsed with the relief of finding a potential rescuer.
“Yes, hello!” she cried out to them, “Can you let me out of here?”
The door swung open towards Petra. She narrowly avoided having a run in with it. Just on the other side of the door way was a cloud of smoke. It hovered in the same spot for an impossibly long instant before forming the shape of a person. The person-shaped cloud then solidified into something identifiable and more easily interacted with.
“Petra Price, nice to meet you,” Petra introduced herself, sticking out a hand.
The boy fiddled nervously with the thick braid that hung over his shoulder, “It's a trick, you're going to pull me in!”
Petra lowered her hand when it became clear that the boy wasn't going to take it, “Why in the world would I want to do that?”
He gave a petulant pout, “So I'd have to grant you wishes!”
So he was a genie. That didn't come as a surprise.
“Oh, very well. If you won't come in here, can I at least come out there?”
The boy's face expressed surprise, as if this notion hadn't occurred to him. After considering it, he stepped aside to let her join him in whatever space lay beyond the lamp. Once she was out of the lamp the door closed behind her. With it shut safely, the boy offered Petra his hand.
“It's nice to meet you, Petra Price, and you're lucky I came along. You might have been trapped in there for ages if I hadn't been sneaking around.”
“You can believe me when I say I'm grateful.” Petra replied, taking survey of her surroundings. She and the young genie stood within a hall lined with doors.
“Oh!” Petra sounded. She spun on her heels and opened the door from which she had just emerged. The boy looked alarmed until Petra closed the door again. She had only wanted to let Margie out.
“I'm a bit unsure as to what I should do with you now. I suppose I should go ask the leaders for help, but I'll get in great trouble. Nobody's supposed to come down here, but since everybody else follows that order it's a good place to come and be alone.” The genie boy grinned sheepishly.
“I don't want to get you in trouble!” Petra frowned, “Can't I just tell them I got sucked in and wandered in on my own?”
“The lamps aren't supposed to open from the inside. Then again, they aren't supposed to suck people into them, either, so I guess you could chalk it up to malfunction. I'm sure they won't place any blame on you, as you can't help what's gone wrong. You'd really be helping me out.”
“It's the least I could do after you saved me.” Petra grinned, “Say, you never told me your name!”
“Just a moment!” he said quietly, pushing her lightly so her back was flush against the wall. She started to ask him what he thought he was doing when he put one hand over her mouth and gestured with the other.
There were two guards standing dutifully at a door just a few feet away. Petra and the genie boy were hidden from view by their rather small stature and the help of a large vase.
“This won't hurt a bit,” the boy whispered. Petra didn't bother to try and ask what he meant. She found out soon enough by practice rather than explanation.
For a stretch of time all Petra could see was a vivid tapestry of smoke and sparkles, now and then seeing a flash of color or light that she couldn't focus on. She was aware that she was still in the presence of the young genie and knew that Margie was there as well, even though she couldn't see them.
When everything went back to normal it took Petra a moment to get her bearings.
“It might have been better if you'd walked out by yourself, but then I wouldn't have been able to go with you. This way you'll have me as your escort to the temple instead of some stuffy old guard.” They rounded a corner. The guards they had seen were barely dots in the distance, standing outside a building, “We could have traveled all the way to the temple in my smoke form but you'd have gotten sick.”
“I'm sure that will be loads better, and I feel perfectly fine, thank you.” Petra smiled a little before growing self-conscious. Now that they were out in the open, they were attracting stares from the boy's people. Perhaps it would have been worth an upset stomach to avoid all the unnecessary attention.
“They've never seen anyone like you here in our realm. I don't know if it's something that's ever happened before.” The boy told her. They walked on in silence for a little while before he spoke again.
“I don't have a name, by the way. At least, not in the same way that you're used to. It's hard to explain it to an outsider, but how we refer to each other comes down to these markings we have on our bodies.” He stopped and undid the top buttons of his vest. He shrugged it off his shoulders and turned his back to her. A pattern of spots traveled from underneath his hairline and down his neck onto his back where they disappeared behind his clothing. Petra could only assume they went all the way down.
“The last master I had, she picked out a name for me and I got kind of used to it. So, Petra Price, you can call me Martin. That is, if you'd like to.”
“I think that would be easier on my brain, yes.” Petra giggled, glad to have had a distraction during their little journey. It wasn't long after he had done his vest back up and they had started walking again that they came to a staircase.
“Here we are.”
Petra sighed as they mounted the stairs. When she got back to the school, she intended not to leave it until the holidays came. She would also be content to keep her hands to herself. It would be fine by her if this genie temple was the last new place she saw for a while. All the excitement was starting to get to her.