The Dragon Queen Read online

  “As far as secrets go, this is a pretty cool one!” Farran admitted, craning his neck to try to see everything.

  They were moving through a crowded alley when Flamy rushed by, sweeping his long tail against Azari’s feet.

  Azari was surprised to see him. “Flamy! Hey, little dude! Wait!”

  Emily strained to listen as the fire fox growled at Azari repeatedly while she nodded, frowning. Finally, she waved good-bye, and Flamy took off under a cart filled with fabulously colored fabric, buttons, and beads.

  “What did he say?” Emily asked as they followed the Sky Captain into a building. She led them down a hallway and through a door.

  “He’s on a mission to warn Elvendale’s animals,” Azari said with a long sigh. “We were right! The elf witch is using the fire dragon to burn the trees and force animals to leave the forest. She’s taking over everything!”

  “What if she goes after the water next?” Naida gasped. “She could force the dragon to pollute the rivers, make tsunamis, or destroy the sea life!”

  “Or what about the wind?” Aira said. “She’d have control of the weather!”

  “Oh no!” Farran said. “If she had an earth dragon …” He shook his head in a panic. “I can’t even think about it! That evil witch is going to destroy Elvendale.”

  “Not if we stop her first,” Emily said.

  Azari looked at the baby fire dragon and then raised her hands above her head and declared, “All right! Let’s get that book!”

  The Sky Captain took them into a building, through a maze of hallways, through several doors, and even through some sort of window. Finally, they found themselves in a library. The Sky Captain pushed aside some old books on an ordinary-looking shelf, revealing a hidden tree behind it. She motioned for Farran to join her, and together they used their earth powers to open the tree … revealing the book they’d come for.

  Emily was certain they never would have found it without the Sky Captain.

  “I used to come here as a kid,” the Sky Captain explained. “I know every book in the library!”

  “This place is amazing,” Naida told her. “I love stories. Are there any books here about mermaids, or tidal patterns, or dolphins?”

  “Yes to all,” the Sky Captain said.

  “Wow. I wish we had more time,” Naida said. She glanced at the hourglass, still trickling away, and sighed. “But we don’t.”

  The Sky Captain held the book gently. It looked old and fragile, and its cover was so gray and faded the text was illegible.

  “That’s it?” Azari asked. She flashed a glance to Emily. “Seriously? That tattered paperweight is going to help us? It just looks like one more thing we have to carry …”

  The Sky Captain blew off the dust. “This is the book the Dragon Trainer told you about. It’s loaded with info about dragons and black magic, and it will guide us through the Shadow Lands. So, I’d say it’s pretty valuable!” She handed the book to Emily.

  Whoosh! An owl swept through the library window and dropped a letter into the Sky Captain’s hands.

  “This is from the Dragon Trainer.” She read it quickly. “He needs me to meet him at the Dragon Sanctuary right now.”

  “What’s up?” Farran asked. “Can we help?”

  “You already have something important to do,” the Sky Captain said, hurrying to the door. “I’ve gotta go. You’ll have to head to the Shadow Lands on your own.”

  “No problemo!” Azari said. “We’ve got this.”

  “I’m sure you do!” the Sky Captain said. “But you’re about to face even higher mountains and narrower bridges than we already encountered, and more of those eggs are going to hatch. Stay safe, you guys.”

  Emily shouted, “Thanks!” as the Sky Captain disappeared from sight.

  “Anyone remember how we got in here?” Farran asked, clicking his tongue. “I don’t even know if I could make it out of the library, let alone out of the Secret Marketplace!”

  Emily didn’t have a clue. Had any of the other elves been paying better attention?

  “OOF!” Farran jumped back when a great gust of wind smashed the library window shut, nearly knocking him down. Emily and Aira rushed over to see what was going on. Prying the wooden window shutters open, they could see that the trees and tents throughout the market were swaying dangerously in the wind.

  “Don’t look at me,” Aira said, noticing everyone’s questioning stares. “It’s not my wind.”

  “Who’s is it, then?” Naida asked, squeezing next to Emily to peer outside. A green blur swept by the window. “Ohhh.”

  The earth dragon swooped down on the Secret Marketplace, overturning the cart of pumpkins they’d seen earlier. With a mighty roar, he ate them all in one bite.

  “Whoa!” Azari said. “I knew he was hungry! I told you so!”

  Then the dragon sat down, smashing a vegetable cart. Onions and carrots rolled out into the street. He licked at his paw with a long, flickering tongue.

  “You guys! This is the dragon I tried to help earlier!”

  “Can you try to help him again?” Emily asked. “I think he’s still got the splinter.”

  “It’s no use—I’m sure he won’t let me,” Farran replied.

  “But he just ate,” Azari said, giving Farran a little shove toward the door. “Maybe he’ll be more receptive with a full tummy.”

  Straightening his shoulders and standing tall, Farran strode confidently to the door (though Emily swore she heard him muttering about this being the last time he ever left the meadow).

  It wasn’t hard to reach the dragon—they just followed the sound of his roars.

  The deer that owned the vegetable cart was hiding behind a fruit stand.

  “Farran will help the dragon,” Emily told her.

  Farran took a breath and moved forward. The dragon raised his head and snorted. Farran stopped.

  “He’s probably just nervous, too!” Azari assured him.

  “Maybe …” he said, sounding uncertain. But he raised his arms and let earth energy flow through him, concentrating on making everything calm.

  Farran touched the dragon’s paw, but jumped away as the dragon let out a mighty roar.

  “Forget it!” Farran shook his head. “I can’t do this.”

  Emily touched Grandmother’s medallion, and said, “Imagine how terrible his foot feels. You’re the only one who can end his pain.”

  “You’re right,” Farran said with a sigh. He turned back to the dragon and tried again. This time, though, he used his earth magic to grow some gigantic flowers around the dragon’s head, distracting him. Then he managed to grab the splinter and very gently pull it out.

  The dragon exhaled a long, warm puff of steam over Farran. With a much less ferocious roar, he stretched his wings and took off into the air. The sound of a horn blasted in the distance.

  The girls rushed toward Farran, cheering and high-fiving.

  “You did it!” Aira gave Farran a big hug.

  “I was able to bond with him!” Farran cried, awed. “His name is Thorne.”

  Just then, an engine whirred above them. It was the Sky Captain soaring past in her airship!

  “The Shadow Lands are that-a-way! Get that witch!” she called, then flew off in the same direction as the earth dragon.

  The animals of the Secret Marketplace were grateful that the dragon was gone. Before Emily and the elves left, they were given fresh fruit, vegetables, and bread for the journey as a thank-you.

  Aira started reading the special book as they walked.

  Naida held up the hourglass. Half the sand was already gone. “I hope we can make it!”

  “Anything helpful in the book?” Emily asked Aira.

  “A few things … It says there’ll be a special visitor to help restore balance between dragons and elves. That must mean Emily,” she said, smiling at Emily. “There’s also a great map to the Shadow Lands.” Then she stopped and pointed toward a glowing volcano in the distance, capped
with white clouds.

  Aira flipped a page in the book, then studied the volcano more intently. “Very interesting.”

  Naida said, “I’ve seen pictures of that mountain before. What is it?”

  “It’s the Dragon Sanctuary,” Aira answered. “It’s a very special meeting place for the dragons—they gather there for important events and discussions. That’s where the Sky Captain was heading.”

  “Like a dragon vacation spot?” Azari asked. “It looks like there’s lots of plants and waterfalls on it.”

  “A vacation sounds great,” Farran said, sighing wistfully.

  Azari smirked. “First, we need to see an evil witch about some dragons …”

  “Darn,” Farran said. “It was worth a try!”

  Aira closed the book with a snap. “C’mon, let’s get these babies to their mom!”

  The bridge to the Shadow Lands was in worse shape than the bridge on the way to the Secret Marketplace, and it was even higher up. And yet, Emily was feeling brave. They’d gotten this far already. She would cross this bridge. As long as she didn’t look down, it was going to be fine. “You guys ready?”

  Naida peeked down. “I’ll be really happy once we don’t have to cross any more bridges!”

  They lined up single file to cross.

  The baby dragon choked and coughed, spewing a few weak sparks and some smoke.

  “We have to hurry!” Azari said anxiously.

  A gust of wind rattled the bridge. Aira said, “I wish I could make the breeze stop—it would make this much easier!”

  “Uh, guys,” Emily said, pointing in the direction they were going. Two huge dragons were heading right toward them! It was the wind dragon and the fire dragon—and they seemed to be fighting. The fire dragon had a helmet on her head.

  The two dragons shrieked, clawing at the air as they circled each other, blowing gusts of wind and fire.

  They separated, and the fire dragon flew upward, green eyes flashing anger. Then she turned suddenly, diving straight toward the bridge!

  “Where’d the wind dragon go?” Aira shouted, looking around frantically. Before they could locate her, the fire dragon slammed hard into the bridge.

  “Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!” they all screamed. The bridge shook violently … but didn’t break.

  Emily and the elves clung to one another, terrified and frozen in place.

  “Stay together, and don’t look down,” Emily said. “We have to get to the other side! Just one step at a time …”

  Naida was having trouble with the basket of eggs, which swung wildly in the breeze.

  “I’ll take an egg,” Aira told her.

  “Give me one, too,” Farran said.

  Azari took the hourglass and the book and put them in her pack. Emily had the baby fire dragon.

  They inched forward. The other side seemed impossibly far away.

  The fire dragon reappeared, looking dazed from her fall and holding her wing. She settled behind them on the bridge.

  “I’m going to try to mind-link with her,” Azari said.

  Naida argued, “Azari, no! She’s evil.”

  “I’m a fire elf, and she’s a fire dragon—and she’s not evil, she’s under an evil spell,” Azari insisted. “You guys can go on ahead if you want.” They all refused.

  “Please be careful, Azari!” Farran said.

  The huge dragon blew angry fire at Azari, but Azari used her magic, raising her hands and deflecting the flames.

  After another minute she turned back toward them. “It’s not working. I think that helmet is blocking my mind-link—it’s controlling the dragon somehow!”

  “Then let’s get out of here!” Farran cried. They all started moving as fast as they could toward the other side.

  The bridge was swinging violently. Aira lost her balance … and dropped the egg she was holding. It landed on a wooden slat, bounced, then went over the side, falling into the abyss below.

  Without hesitating, Aira leapt after the egg, soaring down into the clouds.

  “Aira, no!” Naida screamed. Her cry echoed through the valley.

  Emily leaned over, panicked. What had just happened?! Could Aira survive that leap? The baby fire dragon could tell something was wrong, and flailed in Emily’s arms, almost slipping out.

  “Aira! AIRAAAA!” Azari called out into the wind. There was no sound from below. “We have to go after her. We have to save her!”

  Everyone was in shock.

  But suddenly the fire dragon reared up and moved toward them, shooting flames.

  “She’s going to hurt us!” Naida screamed, hysterical.

  “We’ve got to move, or we’re gonna be toast!” Emily yelled. She leapt into action, barely thinking of the danger they were in before focusing on what she needed to do. She passed the baby dragon to Farran. “I have to get on the fire dragon!” she yelled. Her friends turned their full attention toward her.

  As the fire dragon came close, Farran used his magic to bind the dragon’s legs with roots; Azari used her magic to block the dragon’s flames, and Naida used her magic to create a protective water bubble around Emily. With all of that help, Emily had time to make a running leap—right onto the dragon’s back!

  “Aaaaaaahhh!” Emily struggled to pull herself up the dragon’s neck, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She grabbed the fire dragon’s evil helmet, tearing it off her head. The fire dragon slowed her movements, confused, and Emily jumped back onto the bridge.

  The dragon shook her head, realizing the helmet was gone. She blinked slowly and curled her lips.

  “Either she’s going to eat us or she’s smiling,” Farran said.

  “Smiling!” Azari was certain. “Emily! You freed her!”

  They were all rejoicing when a sudden crack ended the excitement.

  “The bridge!” Naida grabbed her basket and hurried toward the other side of the ravine. Farran and Azari were right behind her—but Emily’s foot got caught in a loose plank.

  “Emily!” Azari cried, turning back toward her. But before she could take a step, the fire dragon scooped Emily in her paw, then pushed the elves to safety with her tail just as the bridge collapsed.

  “That was way too close,” Naida said, taking big gulping breaths. Farran set his egg back in her basket with the other remaining egg.

  “We couldn’t have made it without the fire dragon,” Emily said, smiling up at her.

  “Look, look!” Azari cried, pointing at the eggs. One of them wiggled and cracked. A moment later, out popped a baby wind dragon.

  “Oh, my!” Naida exclaimed. “A wind dragon! She’s adorable!”

  The baby immediately started to howl. Naida tried to use some water magic to soothe it, by creating a little rain shower from a nearby puddle. But the baby dragon continued to whine.

  Farran brought over the baby fire dragon. “Look. Here’s your sister!”

  The wind dragon was still upset.

  “Let me try with my medallion,” Emily said. Thinking of her grandmother, Emily held the medallion over the baby dragon. It began to glow, and the baby reached toward it with a tiny claw. Emily was able to cuddle her close.

  Naida glanced at the hourglass. “That’s another one on the clock.”

  Azari held the baby fire dragon, who was weakening. She could barely raise her head. “We have to get to that castle soon!”

  “But what about Aira?” Farran asked, glancing down into the deep ravine. “Are we terrible friends for not jumping after her?”

  Emily felt sick to her stomach. How could they leave Aira behind? Was Aira okay? She hoped with all her might that she was. And they had to keep moving forward.

  Emily touched Farran’s hand. Putting on a brave face, she said, “We have to hope for the best. Aira is strong, she’s smart, and the clouds and wind are her allies. We wouldn’t have survived if we’d gone after her.” She thought about her parents back home, and how they would feel if she never returned. It was just one more reason they had to succee
d.

  With no time to rest, the group pressed on. But now, the great fire dragon led the way, though her wing was badly injured.

  They could finally see the silhouette of a castle looming in the distance.

  “That’s where we need to be,” Emily said. “We’ll stop the witch so she can no longer spread her evil through Elvendale!”

  Aira was lying on a ledge far below the bridge. When she’d leapt, she’d called up a soft wind to carry her down gently and give her a smooth landing in a soft, mossy patch. She sat up, checking herself and the egg for anything broken. They were both fine. The moss had made a nice cushion.

  But she was rattled and worried. There was no way to tell the others she was fine, and no easy way to get back up to them. She was going to have to go on alone. Aira didn’t mind being alone in her own workshop, but being alone here, wherever she was—with a dragon egg—was another story.

  A shadow appeared overhead. Aira slowly looked up … right into the wind dragon’s eyes.

  She gasped. She’d never be able to outrun a dragon—so she decided to try to mind-link with her. It was worth a try …

  “Hi there, beauty! I’m Aira, a wind elf, just like you’re a wind dragon! Together we can—”

  The dragon roared at Aira and swished her heavy tail around. Aira ducked her head just in time.

  “Whoa, hey, it’s okay—we can bond later. Take all the time you need.” Aira backed away slowly, taking deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.

  The dragon blew a light gust of wind at her, then moved closer.

  She didn’t seem dangerous. Aira took a few tiny steps forward. The dragon bent low, and—WHUMP—scooped Aira up with her tail, plopping her down on her back!

  “Whoa!” Aira tried to control her shock. “What is … okay. This will be okay.” She settled onto the dragon’s back and held on tight to her scales. “Let’s go find my friends,” she said.

  In the distance, a horn blared. The sound echoed through the canyon.

  The wind dragon flapped her huge wings and lifted into the air. But they weren’t flying back toward the bridge. The dragon was taking them in the direction of the horn blast.