Holly & The Mystery Of Dragon's Blood

Galdon

Malcolm rushed to the bedroom and woke Holly, startling her.

"He's here! You need to hide!" he shouted.

"Who's here?" Holly asked, confused and half asleep.

"Galdon! It's him!"

Malcolm was in a panic. He'd pulled Holly out of bed and was now heaving a large wooden chest away from the wall.

"There's a hatch under here," he huffed as he shoved it aside, "you need to hide."

"What about you?"

Malcolm looked to the window and saw that whoever was in the field appeared to be slowly floating toward the house. He turned to Holly, trying to hide his fear and panic.

"There's no time young' un. Get below, and I'll cover the hatch. Stay quiet ok? I'll be alright. Don't come out until I come and get you, understand?"

Holly looked at him, seeing the desperation in his face, nodded, and did as she was told. There were a few steps below the hatch, and before she could get to the bottom, she heard the door slam shut above her, and the sounds of the chest being moved again.

She looked around, trying to make out where she was in the darkness. She was under the house, in what looked like a storeroom. There were rusted tools propped against the wall underneath a small cobweb covered window, and crates that she guessed were used by Malcolm to load up his goods for market day.

Looking past the steps, she could see a faint glow coming from above. The storeroom must run under the whole length of the house, and the glow must be the fireplace she'd been sitting at earlier that night.

She slowly walked to the other end, there were scatterings of dry wheat stalks on the floor, so she was careful to avoid them and make any noise.

She reached the end and through a tiny gap in the floor above her, she could just make out Malcolm's feet. He looked to be standing still, facing the door, waiting for whatever was going to come through.

Holly felt the air around her get cold and shivered. She wished she'd had time to grab the blanket, but Malcolm had been so quick to get her down here, she'd hardly even had time to process what had happened. Did he say that Galdon was here? Even though they'd only briefly spoken of him earlier that night, the thought of Galdon being here, and the possibility of more Shadows coming with him terrified her.

She hoped Malcolm would be ok.

_____

Malcolm was shaking.

The cold was getting to him, but sweat covered his brow. He was scared, but he was determined to hold his ground. He waited, staring at the door, his knuckles white from clenching his fists tightly. He'd seen the shadowy figure gliding across his field, they should be bursting through his door at any moment.

There was a knock at the door. It was so unexpected, it caught Malcolm off guard, and he jumped. He had been expecting someone or something to come barging in. He was frozen on the spot, breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest.

After a brief pause, there was another knock. Malcolm slowly walked to the door. He unclenched his fist and slowly slid the rusted bolt to the side. The door creaked as he slowly opened it, afraid of what may be on the other side.

"Good evening, friend," the man said, a smile on his face.

Malcolm stood, lost for words, fear gripping him. Before him was Galdon, but he was nothing like Malcolm had expected. He appeared as a young man, much more youthful than Malcolm. His thick black hair seemed to move on its own, swaying gently from side to side as if in a breeze. His face was pale, except for around his eyes where there was just blackness. In the dim light, it appeared as if his bright eyes were separate from his face. He was wearing smart clothes like a nobleman would wear. Neat black trousers, shined leather shoes and dark blue tunic.