Jonah and the Last Great Dragon by M.E. Holley Read Free Book Online Page A

Sam—‘will give the signal. All right?’
    The Great Dragon bellowed instructions to the other drakes. The troopers, grinning, all gave the thumbs-up and the dragons rumbled that they understood. Jonah pulled on Ffyrnig’s wing to tell him to lose height. He realised he was excited but somehow not scared any more. Yeah, the dragons would tackle any number of demons and the brilliant soldiers riding them would cope, whatever happened. This was going to work, he thought, as the dragons wheeled above the roofs. The dragons would sweep the Night Creatures back to their world and everything would go back to normal. Except for the dragons, of course.
    But people would love them! Maybe they could all live in a sanctuary in the Welsh mountains. Or in Scotland! His Dad had told him that someone had opened a lodge where you could stay and explore the country. The man owned a huge amount of land and was hoping to re-introduce the wild animals that had once roamed the Highlands. Moose and lynx, Dad said, and bears, and
wolves
.
    Yes, he particularly remembered his dad talking about wolves because, at the time, he had thought that if he ever stayed there, it would be really cool to see a wolf pack. Now he knew that he would never want to see a wolf close up again. Just in case it was not a real wolf but a demon. He shuddered, seeing again in his mind’s eye the terrible moments in the lane by Erin’s farm. The memory made him feel sick to his stomach. He did not want to think about the demon-wolf attack. The Scottish sanctuary soundedwonderful, though. Perhaps the owner would like some dragons nesting in his forests. Jonah chuckled at the picture forming in his mind and then, as Ffyrnig lost height, he came back to the present with a start. He shook himself. Right, now it was time to deal with the Night Creatures.
    And then he looked down.
    He leaned out of his webbing cage, staring down in bewilderment at the large building to his left.
    ‘Ffyrnig,’ he yelled. ‘I can’t see anything moving.
Sam, is
that St Paul’s down there?’
    ‘It is St Paul’s, yes, but you’re right. It looks very quiet. Shall we go a bit lower?’
    The dragons banked and wheeled round as they lost a little height, so that they could get a better view of the cathedral roof. Jonah ran his eyes over its length and scanned the open spaces and the surrounding area. Nothing was moving; there were no demons on the cathedral’s dome or its roofs, nothing moved in its courtyards or the streets nearby. There was neither a Night Creature nor a human being in sight.
    He scanned the London skyline. Ahead of him, he could see the building they called the Gherkin jutting above the spreading jumble of roofs. There were no birds flying around it and, more importantly, he couldn’t see any angels. Nothing moved in the air above the rest of the City, either. So where was Saint Michael?
    When the Archangel told Bryn that he would meet Jonah and the SAS in London, he had said that the Night Creatures were swarming towards St Paul’s. What had happened? Perhaps the angels had already dealt with them all. But in that case, why were the streets deserted? Where had all the people gone? Hanging on to his webbing cage, he turned to look back at the other dragons and theirriders. It was obvious they were as mystified as he was.
    Sam held up his hands in query. ‘Could they be inside?’ he yelled.
    Jonah shrugged and asked Ffyrnig to fly back over St Paul’s again. ‘Go as low as you dare, will you?’ Perhaps he had missed something when they had passed over the cathedral just now.
    He scanned the roofs and pinnacles but not a thing moved. Even the seagulls had gone. Maybe the demons
had
been here and had frightened all the birds away, and then moved on. But why? Why would the Night Creatures leave one of the greatest churches in Britain?

Chapter 10
JORMUNGANDR’S OFFSPRING
    There was a shout from behind. They turned to see Llandeilo flying a few feet below the