Modern Magick

The Striding Spire: 8

'What?'

'How about we go in generally the same direction as the dragon?'

He turned around, scowling. 'I did ask you if you wanted to lead.'

I hopped off my boulder, electing to keep the pup in my arms rather than let her run, and beamed at him. 'Just helping out.'

'It's not the worst idea,' he conceded.

My smile widened.

'Fine. You're right, we'll go this way.'

The dragon had flown off inland, more or less in the direction Mabyn Redclover had been going herself. I judged it likely, therefore, that the dragon (Archibald?) had come from Dapplehaven, and had probably returned there with Mabyn. Why we had been left out of this kidnapping party, I had no idea, though I wasn't about to complain. If I am going to fly, I will do it by winged horse, thank you very much. Or chair. Or, I suppose, airplane. Those are the only three options.

My hypothesis seemed sound, for after a half-hour's wending our way across the uneven curves of a stony hillside feathered with bracken and heath, the walls of a little town came into view surmounting the very top of the peak. At least, it appeared to be of limited size at first, but as we drew nearer, it became clear that the settlement extended much farther back than had initially been apparent. The walls were taller than Jay, and built from a reddish-tan stone obviously hewn from the local hills. Those buildings we could see were mostly constructed from the same material, as well as sturdy oak and pine wood. To my eyes, they looked diminutive, being of course the homes of spriggans and other beings built along smaller lines than humans. But they did not lack vision. Neatly constructed from smooth bricks, with sloping, tiled roofs and mullioned windows, they towered over the town walls, most of them built at least four storeys high.

If this was Dapplehaven, it was a prosperous place despite its reclusive habits.

One particularly tall tower rose in the centre, a round-walled construct made from a much paler stone than the rest, and fitted with a variety of peculiar windows, every one of them a different shape. Its top was crowned with a huge nest made out of what looked like lengths of coloured cloth. It made a cheery sight, in spite of its probable purpose.

I pointed it out to Jay. 'Suppose that's Archibald's house?'

'Looks dragon-sized,' he agreed.

Gradually, I became aware of a problem. Walls there were, but it occurred to me that I had caught no glimpse whatsoever of a gate, or a door, or an archway, or even a window, through which Jay and I might enter the town. We walked on, following the curve of the walls around and around, but no sign of an entrance did we find.

At length, Jay stopped. 'We can't walk around the entire town. If there was going to be anything obvious like a gate, it would have been on the side we approached from — facing the entrance.'

'Are you sure? They stopped taking visitors from Cornwall many years ago.'

'And then moved the gate? Did you see anything on the walls that looked like a bricked-up doorway?'

'No,' I conceded.

'It's got to be a hidden entrance, like the door in the cliff face which only Mabyn could find.'

I heaved a sigh. 'Why do Dells always have to make things so difficult.'

'Because they hate you.'

'Thanks.'

'And me, and the entire unmagicked population of Britain especially.'

'Not altogether unreasonable of them,' I murmured, thinking of many instances of persecution, theft, abuse and other such joys the magicker populations of our country had previously endured. Not to mention that the threat of exposure held more perils now than it ever had before. Imagine what would happen if some well-meaning but excitable non-magicker person discovered somewhere like Dappledok Dell — and managed to prove its existence to the rest of the world. Okay, we're past the point where anybody would be likely to come down here with the torches and the pitchforks and burn the residents at the stake. Instead? Hordes of people would come down here with their Canon 70Ds and their camping gear and their Harry Potter t-shirts and the whole thing would become a theme park inside of about a week.