Sunstone. The Boy and the Dragon Princess

By Robert Preston-Whyte

The imaginary island of Moight is home to a den of dragons, a community of giant, human-like Grylas and two human societies, the light-skinned Merridoc people and the dark-skinned Umwali people. The peace-loving dragons are invisible to the humans and Grylas because of mysterious rays emitted by the so-called Sunstone. They watch the warlike conduct of the Merridoc and Umwali people with contempt and disgust, until the theft of the Sunstone makes them visible to humans. Now they too must confront unfamiliar social and political behavior associated with powerlust, intolerance, fear and war.
Princess Alpha Pendragon, daughter of King Flamethrower Pendragon, takes on the task of recovering the Sunstone. Her first challenge is to learn how to deal with the fear, cruelty and abuse of power she finds amongst humans. She must also cope with discord within her own ranks of normally peace-loving dragons that, faced with the reality of war with humans, wrestle with moral issues concerning war and peace, defense and attack.
Alpha meets the challenge by forming an alliance with the youthful Will Button of the Merridoc people. The recovery of the Sunstone in the Gryla stronghold, takes place against a background of fierce confrontation between opposing forces. On one side, is the evil combination of Natas Ho, cruel leader of the Umwali people, Omega Pendragon, the dragon King's power-hungry son, and Malgat the Grylas leader. On the other side, is Alpha Pendragon, Will Button, Zoran Thunderdragon, Alpha's lieutenant and friend, and Gugu Ho, Natas Ho's daughter.
Kidnapping, attempted murder and corruption counterbalance acts of generosity, kindness and courage. With Will Button on her back, Alpha engages in a fierce and final aerial battle with Omega Pendragon and Natas Ho and defeats them. The recovery of the Sunstone makes possible the return of the dragons to their previous state of invisibility. However, lessons learnt by both dragons and humans in their brief contact with each other will live on.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Preston-Whyte
• Release date: Sep 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9780620514514

Robert Preston-Whyte

For many years, I was head of the Department of Geographical and Environmental Sciences and a faculty dean at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa. Now retired as Professor Emeritus, I have slipped into another life in the pastoral setting of our small farm in the often mist-shrouded midlands of KwaZulu-Natal.In many ways, this life parallels my previous existence as an academic. In those seemingly far-off day as a natural scientist, my teaching and research interests turned initially on atmospheric science and then on the broader issues relating to environmental management. 'The Weather and Climate of Southern Africa' (Oxford University Press) is a co-authored book that dates from this earlier period in my life. I also have numerous chapters in books and scientific journal papers that map my research interests at the time.I no longer view environmental and social issues from the detached viewpoint of the academic. Now I live them. Our horses need food, water, exercise and care. Our fields must be managed. Water is a scarce resource. Bushbuck, reedbuck and duiker are frequent visitors that cannot resist my roses. Monkeys raid the vegetable garden whenever our backs are turned. Caraculs (lynx family) are frequent visitors, and we think it was a passing leopard that spooked our horses so badly that they flattened a sturdy pole fence in their desperation to escape. Meanwhile the local council raids my bank account for politically-determined land taxes, exorbitant electricity charges underline the complex nature of energy issues, my landline telephone no longer works because of ongoing cable theft for the copper content, and the political debate grapples, often hopelessly it seems, with issues common to most developing countries. The sum total of this privileged existence is something I would not change for anything.My writing no longer targets academic journals. Part of a metamorphosed life is doing different things. Fiction writing falls into this category.'Return of the Leopard' and 'The Man Who Kept His Head' are set in the environment in which I live. The genre is mystery/thriller/romance. Hopefully they reflect the ambience and flavour of the area. 'Sunstone:The Boy and the Dragon Princess,' is written for young adults. It is fast-moving and exciting with a subtext that juxtaposes issues of conflict, intolerance, corruption and power-lust with generosity, courage, reconciliation and enlightenment. A sequel will appear soon. Naturally, I recommend them all.

Book preview

Chapter 1. A meeting in the dark

A shadow flitted across the face of the full moon. He shook his head and looked again. His mind refused to believe the momentary sighting of widespread wings, long neck and extended tail. He tensed, waiting. He had been warned that surprise awaited him. Even disbelief.

He prided himself on being fearless. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Anyone could be expected to be nervous of the unknown.

He felt a waft of air and sensed the passage of a body in the air above him. He heard a rattle of stones. Something large had settled on the ground.

He gripped the hilt of his sword. ‘Who's there?’

He heard a hoarse chuckle. Flame flared in the darkness. He saw the face of a monster. It had yellow eyes and a long pointed snout.

‘You sound anxious.’ The voice was deep and harsh. ‘I was led to believe that you're fearless. Is that not true?’

He smelt sulphurous smoke. There was another flash of flame. The monstrous head reappeared. Its mouth was open, as if laughing. It had teeth the length of his arm.

‘Who are you? What are you?’ For the first time in his life, he felt terror.

The harsh voice continued. ‘I am also informed that you are ambitious. You are the dictator who controls the Umwali people. You would like to extend your control over the Merridoc people. Am I right?’

He drew his sword. How could this creature know his thoughts? ‘Tell me what you are. Nothing frightens me.’ He was thankful for the darkness.

‘I can see in the dark,’ the voice growled. ‘You look fearful. I did warn you to be ready for the unexpected.’

‘How can I talk to something I cannot see?’

‘You will have to until I am able to trust you. I have watched you for years. I know you to be untrustworthy. You are not a human I would care to know, except…’

‘You want something from me,’ he said. ‘Is that what this is all about?’

‘Untrustworthy and astute.’

‘What is it you want?’

Flame flared again. In the brief moment, he saw that it came from the creature’s mouth. He also saw that it had moved closer to him.

‘I too am ambitious,’ the voice growled, ‘and untrustworthy. We should make a good team.’

He waited.

‘I have found a way in which our destinies can be enhanced – yours and mine,’ the voice continued.

‘How?’ He heard a croak in his voice.

‘We need allies,’ the hoarse voice growled. ‘I have established contact with the leader of the Grylas. He will…’

‘The Grylas!’ He felt shocked. First, a monster confronted him. Then he was told that the mythical Grylas would be involved in whatever the monster planned. He had never seen a Gryla. Nobody he knew had. But everyone knew that they were fearsome creatures that killed and ate their prey raw, human or animal.

‘You seem disturbed.’ The voice in the darkness sounded amused.

‘No, no.’

He was rewarded with a throaty chuckle. ‘The Gryla leader will look after something valuable for me – for us. When our goals are achieved, I will receive it back. Of course, he will want to be rewarded. We will discuss that later.’

‘Our goals? What are you talking about? What are you?’

‘I am a dragon,’ the voice said. ‘Surely you noticed.’

He did not want to believe the disembodied voice. It was impossible. Dragons no longer existed. Perhaps once…

‘You can see me when I breathe a little flame. Is that not true?’

‘Yes, I saw you.’ There was a quiver in his voice.

‘You never have before.’

‘No. I did not believe you existed. You are a creature of myth.’

‘There is a reason for my visibility,’ the harsh voice growled, ‘and therein lies my plan.’

‘I can’t wait to hear it,’ he said. He felt more confident now. If the creature wished to harm him it would have done so before.

‘Dragon invisibility to humans is about to change. There will be consequences. Humans will fear them, as you fear me. Is that not true?’

He nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘They will see dragons as an enemy to be fought and killed.’

‘I am sure of it.’

‘That is my intention. It is how I will achieve power – and you as well. Now I want you to come with me to meet the Gryla leader and to deliver a package. He is waiting by the Cliffs of Mortefall.’

‘Come with you? How?’

‘You will ride on my back. Are you afraid?’

He felt his legs turn to jelly. ‘What is it that you want to deliver,’ he cried. He needed time to think.

‘The Sunstone,’ the dragon said. ‘It is the reason why humans cannot see dragons.’

Chapter 2. An unwelcome arrow

Alpha Pendragon stretched out to enjoy the sun. The flat rock above the waterfall was her favourite place. She could watch the river as it slid towards the rim of the waterfall before falling with a thunderous roar into a deep pool. It had a calming influence despite the noise.

She saw two boys arrive. She recognised them from previous visits. The pool seemed to be their favourite fishing hole.

They came from the nearby town called Mountford. Both were barefoot and dressed in brown shirts and pants. There the similarity ended. One boy was tall and slim with fair, sun-browned skin. He was distinguished by a white streak in his tousled black hair. His friend was short and stout.

She had taken an interest in the tall boy and heard people call him Will Button. His father was George Button, the town Mayor. Will’s friend was called Max.

She knew that the local humans called themselves the Merridoc people. They had pale skins that differed from the dark skins of the Umwali people who inhabited the valleys to the north. Could that be the reason they appeared to dislike each other? She discarded the idea as ridiculous.

She watched with interest when Will Button hooked a fish. He appeared excited. The fish took all his attention. His rod bent almost to breaking point, the tip pulsating like a living creature as the fear and fury of the fish vibrated up the line.

Max’s piping voice reached her through the roar of the waterfall.

‘Don’t let it get away. Keep it away from those rocks. Keep your rod up. It must be a monster. Let it run for a while. Don’t break the line.’

Will ignored him. His narrow, sun-browned face and generous mouth contorted in an expression of fierce concentration as he followed the movement of the line cutting a zigzag path through the water.

But even the fish’s awesome defiance was limited. Will drew it closer and closer to the bank.

Alpha moved her golden-coloured body to a more comfortable position. She twitched her long, scaly tail, folded back her wings and yawned. Perhaps she should take a nap.

Then she noticed that Max appeared to be looking at her. Of course, that was impossible because she was invisible to them. He must be looking at something else.

Will glanced up at her following Max’s gaze. She chuckled when he took a backward step, tripped over a stone and fell on his back.

The fish took immediate advantage. It sped towards the surface and came out of the water with a flash of silver scales. It hung suspended for a moment, spat out the hook and fell back with a splash.

Her amusement changed to concern when Will clambered to his feet and fixed his eyes on her. Both of the boys were looking at her. How could that be possible? She knew they could not see her so what were they looking at?

Alpha watched the boys talking together. They never took their eyes off her.

Will turned and disappeared into the bushes that fringed the river. He reappeared with a bow in one hand and a quiver full of arrows in the other.

She watched them with growing concern. What could they be doing? Perhaps there is something behind me, she thought.

She turned to scrutinize the mountain landscape. Nothing appeared to be unusual. Then it must be below me. She craned her long neck over the waterfall to inspect the black rock and cascading water.

That was a mistake.

While she examined the rocks, she failed to see Will fit an arrow to his bow.

The next moment, it streaked past her snout.

Alpha sprang to her feet. Smoke poured from her nostrils. She saw Will fit another arrow to his bow. She jumped into the air, her powerful wings carrying her upwards.

The arrow streaked through the space she had occupied a moment before.

There was no longer any doubt. The boys could see her.

Chapter 3. A town full of fear

Alpha climbed higher. She could feel her heart beating and took several deep, calming breaths. The boys continued to look up at her as they tracked her path.

Her mind was in turmoil. Why could they see her? Had something happened to the Sunstone?

She remembered tales about the endless wars between humans and dragons. That was before the discovery of the Sunstone with its power to make dragons invisible to humans.

Now the humans fought each other. She thought back to the mindless brutality and ongoing war that raged between the Merridoc and Umwali people. If we become visible to them, they’ll want to attack us as they did before. Look at what has happened. They shot arrows at me! But how can they see me?

She flew in wide circles above the boys, wondering what to do next. She was high enough to see the nearby town. It was called Mountford.

I wonder if I’m visible to other humans, she thought, as she circled above the two boys. They were now running towards the road that led up to the town gate. Perhaps those boys have special powers that the others don’t possess.

She decided to test the idea and flew towards the town. Soon Mountford spread out like a map beneath her.

The Merridoc people had chosen the site to protect themselves from their enemies, the Umwali people. The town stood on top of a flat plateau surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffs. Not satisfied with the natural barrier, they had built walls that hugged the edge of the cliffs and enclosed the town. The only approach was by a path that wound its way up to a fortified gate.

The town looked cramped and complicated. The houses joined each other and faced on to similar buildings across narrow alleys that rambled without any apparent pattern. Her eyes fell on the square in the centre of the town where people walked or sat enjoying the sun.

I wonder if they can see me, she thought. I must make certain before I raise the alarm. She knew she would face disbelief and dismay if she returned to the dragon sanctuary they called Concord with the news that she was visible to humans.

She was overhead the square when a man looked up. Alpha could see his gaping mouth and staring eyes as he yelled his fear and surprise.

Other faces turned skywards. Soon the square was full of pale, upturned, screaming faces. She watched with a sinking feeling as the townspeople began fleeing for the safety of their houses. Soon the square was empty.

That answers my question, Alpha thought. I must fly home and tell father we have an emergency on our hands.

Instead, she found herself flying towards a favourite place on the mountainside where she always went when she wanted to think.

She landed on the hillside beside a rock that overlooked a waterfall. A thin mantle of snow covered the ground. Winter was waning and she was aware of life stirring beneath the snow.

She lowered herself to the ground and folding her legs beneath her body. She tried to understand what had happened. For a long time, she stared at the river as it flowed smoothly over the rim of the waterfall. She watched the water disintegrate into millions of droplets that plunged with a roar into the dark throat of the gorge.

No explanation offered itself.

She tried to soak up the energy she felt coming from the surrounding snow-covered mountains, the waterfall and the forest that hugged the steep sides of the valley on either side of the river. Usually, it had a calming effect.

Not today! Humans had attacked her. It was impossible, but it had happened.

The thought of living in a world in which she was visible to humans was too awful to contemplate. It was clear that they were intolerant creatures. They fought each other. They would certainly wish to kill us because we are large and shaped in a way that is quite unlike them.

She sighed. Why can’t they see past outward appearances and live in peace with each other and us?

She gazed at the spray that hung in the air over the waterfall until the magic of the place began to reach her. She felt calmer.

Something must be wrong with the Sunstone, she decided. There must be a logical explanation. Perhaps a dragon moved it and I didn’t pass through its rays when I left Concord. That must be it. She felt happier, certain she had solved the problem.

An unwelcome sound intruded on the roar of falling water. It came to her on the uneven sough of the wind in the valley. It was discordant, jarring and inharmonious in that tranquil place.

It was the sound of human voices.

Chapter 4. Wounded

A party of light-skinned men appeared in single file around the curve of the rocky hillside.'

They were hunters. Two of them carried a dead mountain goat tied to a pole. They were in good humour, satisfied with the result of their hunt and eager to return home. Tonight they would feast on the goat. Their families would be happy and they would bask in their admiration for them as great hunters.

The leader saw Alpha. His eyes bulged and his jaw dropped. He stopped so suddenly that the man behind collided with him and made an angry comment. Then he too saw Alpha.

Within seconds, the rest of the party stumbled to a halt, stunned by the sight of a large, golden-coloured dragon. They stood as if petrified and turned to stone.

Alpha heaved herself to her feet. She tried to look friendly. She saw the disbelief and horror etched on the hunter’s faces and imagined they were remembering frightening stories about dragons told to them by their fathers and mothers when they were children. No doubt, they told similar stories to frighten their own children. But here, without warning, a creature confronted them that looked very much like the dragon in their imagination.

The goat hanging on the pole dropped to the ground. The hunters recovered their ability to move and began to sidle backwards around the bend from which they had come. Their eyes remained fixed on Alpha.

There's no doubt they can see me, she thought. I wonder if they can hear me if I talk to them. Perhaps they will listen if I tell them that I mean them no harm. I only wish to be a friend. That would be a start. After all, I have learnt their language, and have often wished that I could talk to them and find out more about their ways. Now is a perfect opportunity.

She began moving towards the men, waving her head from side to side and making what she imagined to be a calming, whistling sound. A jet of dark smoke from her nostrils accompanied a banshee-like whistle.

It always happens when I get nervous, Alpha thought as she tried to stop the smoke. She watched the men howl with fear and disappear around the bend in the hillside, or take refuge behind large boulders.

Alpha shook her head. I can see this is not going to be easy. She followed the hunters.

‘I come in peace,’ she crooned in what she imagined to be a friendly tone. ‘I come in peace.’ More smoke poured from her nostrils.

She reached the bend in the hillside. There was nobody in sight.

‘I come in peace,’ she rumbled. ‘I come in peace.’

The hunter’s response was not peaceful. A man jumped up from behind a nearby boulder, an arrow fitted to his bow.

Alpha felt a sharp pain as the arrow buried its barbed head in her shoulder.

‘Ow!’ she roared. ‘Can’t you see I come in peace?’ More smoke, and this time some flames, jetted from her nostrils.

Almost immediately, another arrow planted itself in her hindquarters.

‘Ow!’ she roared again. ‘All I…’

She waited no longer, as more hunters appeared, arrows strung and ready to shoot.

She sprang into the air, her golden wings beating up and down.

She was barely in time. A chorus of shrill cries filled the air, accompanied by a volley of arrows that failed to reach her.

She circled above as the hunters formed a tight group, shouting and shaking their fists at her. It was clear that they were not going to change their aggressive attitude.

She set off towards Concord to break the news that dragons may be visible to humans. Pain wracked her body each time she flapped her wings. She remembered that hunters often used poison on their arrows. The thought made her quicken her wing beat. She had to get home before she collapsed.

At last, the soaring cliffs of black rock that was home to the dragons came into view. Soon the humans will know where we live, she thought, picturing the complicated network of tunnels behind the sheer rock walls. They will discover that what from the outside look like caves in the cliffs, are really windows and we will have no peace. Concord will be attacked and we will be driven out.

With these gloomy thoughts, she glided towards the rocky terrace that jutted out in front of the main tunnel opening.

At the last moment, she changed the pitch of her wings and, like a large bird, stalled onto the terrace.

Pain shot through her body as her feet touched the ground. She stumbled and almost collapsed.

Chapter 5. Bewilderment in Concord

A group of dragons lay stretched out on the terrace soaking up the spring sunshine and chatting. Amongst them, a large black dragon watched Alpha as she approached.

There was something odd about the way she beat her wings, an awkward movement that signalled something was wrong. In Zoran Thunderdragon’s eyes, Alpha was not only their future leader but also his childhood friend. When she stumbled on landing, he heaved himself to his feet alarmed.

Then he saw the arrows.

He dashed towards her, half flying, his long black tail waving behind.

‘Get Dr Herbdragon.’ he roared over his shoulder. ‘Those arrows may be poisoned.’

Arrows, he thought! But how could…?

One of the dragons broke away from the group and disappeared into the tunnel.

Zoran saw the pain in Alpha’s eyes when he reached her.