The Gift of Charms Read Free Page B

excitement. ‘Do you see him? Do you see him?’ Igorr started waving frantically.
    Yoshiko looked up into the viewing deck to see two large, grey, hooded eyes staring down at them.
    The older Alana nodded his snout slightly, but didn’t return his son’s wave. Then he looked up at the sun, as if calculating how much more time he would need to spend at the school.
    ‘Line up in groups of five in front of the targets!’ saidAyo. ‘Anyone who would like to give their turn a miss today please wait at the side over there and watch how the other younglings try.’
    Around a dozen yellow and orange dragons began to shuffle away over to the other side of the crescent and several of them looked very relieved.
    The first younglings then took their position in front of the targets and at Ayo’s command around half managed to produce a full flame that left their bodies, whilst the others made little jets of fire or sparks. None hit a target.
    Yoshiko watched with uncertainty, and then looked back to Amlie who was almost bursting with impatience to start.
    He watched Amlie step forward ready for her attempt. Igorr was busy warming himself up by strutting around and puffing out his chest whilst making loud grunts.
    Amlie stood directly in front of the target. She puffed her chest in and out three times and then unleashed a football-sized flame that fell within a few feet of the target. Applause fell from the observation deck.
    Yoshiko looked carefully down the line as the next younglings prepared to take aim. Igorr was next to step up, and was eyeing the target with an assured look. He balled up his chest, narrowed his eyes, and as Ayo gavethe word let out an impressive column of flame which came close enough to nudge the edge of his target.
    Ayo beat his wings in applause, and Igorr looked overjoyed as he turned to look up to the viewing deck to see his elder’s reaction. The happiness dropped suddenly from him, and his wings collapsed despondently against his body.
    Yoshiko turned to see that Igorr’s elder was no longer watching from the viewing deck and had not stayed to see his son’s fire at all.
    Igorr stalked past the row of younglings, and as he did Yoshiko put out a friendly wing. ‘Why is your elder not here?’ he asked.
    Igorr turned on him furiously.
    ‘Why is my elder not here?’ he spat. ‘Why should anyone’s elder be here? I’m not a baby like you. I don’t need my elder looking on.’ He marched off towards some other purple dragons, and as he joined them he turned his full attention back to glare at Yoshiko.
    Feeling even more disconcerted by the angry gaze, Yoshiko stepped forward to the mark, and on Ayo’s command he puffed up his chest as much as he could. Keeping the target in sight, he raised his tongue to the back of his mouth, and as the command came made aloud whooshing sound. A stream of air flew from his belly, and he clicked his tongue as fast as he could. But nothing came out and he dropped his snout in embarrassment. A cry came suddenly from the sidelines.
    ‘Did you see that? Yoshiko tried to hit the target but he cannot even make a spark!’
    Yoshiko looked to the side to see that the jibe had come from Igorr, who was looking jubilant now and was nudging his new friends to enjoy the joke.
    ‘What is the point of having your elder here if you can’t even make a flame for him?’ Igorr continued. ‘What a waste of time it’s been for him.’
    Amlie came and stood by Yoshiko and that fuelled Igorr even more.
    ‘You are stupid, stupid in every way! Even your name. Yoshiko sounds like a girl’s name to me – probably because of those silly eyelashes and sissy green eyes that you have. And even your titchy girlfriend can make better fire than you! We shall have to call you Feddy from now on, after the dragon who couldn’t make flames!’
    Feddy was a storybook dragon considered useless because he was unable to breathe fire. He was instead appointed the job of collecting rubbish in the