The Dragons of Morad Page 9

  But this is only momentary comfort, you see, for she left her dear Arthur where he was, crouching beneath the belly of the dragon Zorag. He was safe for the time being, but what will happen once the king’s men are gone? What will the dragons do to Arthur?

  And what will she do without him?

  Maude turns away, herding the children as deep into the cave as they can possibly go. They should not look on the terror. But they have seen enough. They will remember it all their days, the way the dragons tore into the king’s men and left not one of them standing. Oh, yes. One does not easily forget a horror such as that.

  They will remember the voice of the massive dragon, rumbling over all the cracking and screaming and pounding: “You dare defy me. I will dare defy you.”

  They will remember the way it shook them in their deepest places and held them down in a cave dark and damp, damp enough to keep the fire that consumed all the land away from their bodies.

  Death moves over the wreckage on silent wings.

  The End

  Don’t miss out on the next Fairendale adventure!

  Will the dragons seek revenge for a broken treaty? Find out in Book 5: The Fiery Aftermath.

  Shape Shifters

  A Brief History

  BY L.R. PATTON

  Author

  Shape shifters have been around for hundreds of years. There are stories told about them in the ancient texts of other lands, and nearly every story book considered good education material for the children of Fairendale and the surrounding lands have stories about shape shifters.

  Shape shifting is a kind of magical transformation. Shape shifters are considered those who can change into different creatures or simply adjust their size. Sometimes the shape shifters can do both, though this is not often the case.

  In our earlier stories, we have established that there are six shape shifters in the land of Fairendale and those surrounding it. These six are shape shifters in the strictest definition of the term—those who can change their shape at will.

  However, the dragons of Eyre, which you will meet in Book 7 of our annals, are also considered shape shifters, which means there are, in actuality, hundreds more shape shifters that have not been counted in the aging census of the land. The people in our stories do not know much about dragons, so they do not know that the dragons of Eyre have the ability to shift both size and shape.

  Even later in our stories, we will meet an entire forest full of shape shifters—but these shape shifters are only permitted to change shape on a full moon. They are known as Were Creatures, and they become panthers, cougars, wolves, bears, coyotes, bats, snakes, and even creatures that have no name.

  There are many reasons that shape shifters use their gifts—some of them to escape danger, some to inflict punishment on those who have wronged them. The stories of shape shifters are as unique as their abilities.

  The guiding rules of shape shifters

  Traditional shape shifters—those who can only change their shape—abide by many different rules, some implicit, some explicit:

  The gift of shape shifting is given at birth, to a select few. It is unknown who gives this gift.

  A shape shifter can only shape shift into the animal skin she is given at birth. Meaning, if one is given the gift of shape shifting into a blackbird, as Cora has been given, one can only shift into a blackbird forevermore.

  A shape shifter retains her shape shifting magic even after she has borne a child. The gift of shape shifting is granted for life, though other magic, if a shape shifter possesses this gift, may fade. Or it may not.

  Shape shifting is not a gift passed from parent to child. It is randomly bestowed.

  A shape shifter might be a sorcerer, or he might be an ordinary person.

  If a shape shifter wears his animal skin for too long, he will become the animal rather than the person. Time limits are different for every shape shifter, which means a shape shifter must know his limits.

  Likewise, if a shape shifter has spent too much time between living as a human and shifting into an animal, she will lose the ability to shape shift. The gift must be practiced and used.

  If a shape shifter is killed in his shape shifting form, he will return, upon death, to his ordinary, human form.

  The only thing that can kill a shape shifter, if one desires to, is an arrow topped with an iron point.

  How to Know If You Are a Shape Shifter

  BY CORA OF FAIRENDALE

  Unofficial Leader of the People

  Being a shape shifter is a lonely occupation. I have always been a loner, however, so this was never a worry for me. I never took much interest in the goings-on or the people in the village of Fairendale. I learned early that there was a reason I did not feel a connection with any other person. Or most other people. One excepted.

  I was a shape shifter. One of the chosen.

  I still do not know entirely what it means. I know that I have been given a powerful gift. I know that many do not understand shape shifters, which means that many do not understand me. It does not bother me so much, though I would very much like to know why I have been given this gift.

  But the purpose of this writing is not to air my wonderings; it is to help you know if you might be a shape shifter.

  Here are some clues that shape shifting might be a gift you carry:

  1. You have very vivid dreams.

  There were many nights before I fully developed my ability to shape shift when I thought that I was flying in the sky. They were the most wonderful dreams, for what child does not want to fly? These dreams were different from other dreams in their vivid reality. I could not tell that they were dreams at all.

  2. You lose moments of time.

  Sometimes, when I was a young girl, I would find that I had been lost to the world for whole hours at a time. I could not remember a single thing that had happened during that time. I later learned that this was because my animal skin had crept up on me unexpectedly, and I had spent the last several hours as a blackbird, unbeknownst to me.

  3. Your limbs turn into random animal parts.

  There were strange and disturbing instances when I would be sweeping my father’s cottage and my fingers would suddenly become feathers. Sometimes my legs would shorten unexplainably. Other times my mouth would become a sharp and pointed beak. Sometimes, instead of singing while I completed all the chores, my voice would emerge as the squawk of a blackbird.

  I did not tell my father, for fear that he might believe me mad.

  The skill of shifting your skin must be meticulously developed over a number of years, so it is worthwhile to know if you are a shape shifter earlier rather than later. Perhaps these tips will help you determine whether you have this ability.

  And if you are a shape shifter, here is how to shift into your unique shape:

  Close your eyes and imagine that you are the animal you have been dreaming about. Open your eyes and enjoy.

  7 Ways Dragons Differ From Humans

  BY YOUR NARRATOR

  Storyteller

  In the land of Fairendale, dragons are largely unknown and misunderstood. The people of Fairendale know of them, of course, but they do not trust them, and this has kept them from discovering what is unique and amazing about dragons. Little is known about them, in fact.

  Most of the people in the Fairendale stories do not know, for example, that some of the dragons in their land can blend in with their surroundings, much like chameleons. These particular dragons also have a shape-shifting ability of sorts, though they never become anything less than a dragon. But they can shift from very small dragons to very large dragons. (You will meet these dragons in Book 7.)

  Some of the dragons in the realm form what looks like large mountains and breathe red-hot fire lava from their bellies, and people call them Fire Mountains, thinking that is what they are. It is not. The mountains are dragons, and they are very, very good at hiding. (You will meet these dragons in Book 12.)

  Some drago
ns roam the skies, luring their prey in with their beauty, while others prefer land, especially when food is plentiful. Some of them are quite content to live as far as possible from any humans, and some of them seek out humans for company—or food. Some of them are vicious, others docile.

  Dragons differ greatly from humans, of course. Here are seven of the many ways they are different:

  1. Dragons engage in a Long Sleep.

  Dragons enter what is called a Long Sleep when their inherent alert systems tell them that danger is not present. The closest thing the human and animal world has to the Long Sleep is hibernation. But during the Long Sleep, a dragon essentially fades from the land, becoming rocks or boulders or, yes, mountains. Their hearts only beat one time every day, which is why they can no longer be detected with a human eye.

  While one might argue that you would notice the thump of a dragon’s heart—for it shakes the whole ground—when a thousand of them are gathered together in the same land, it is also true that when many dragons enter the Long Sleep near each other, their bodies become nearly one. Their heartbeats become one. This means that only once per day does the land around them give a violent, shivering rumble. Many do not even know they live near a dragon at all because of this.

  A dragon easily enters the Long Sleep. He simply has to curl up and close his eyes. A dragon is also easily woken from the Long Sleep, for while his body shuts down, his senses remain ever alert. Dragons can feel the softest of footsteps, and they will shake him awake, possibly annoying him in the process.

  Some dragons sleep while they guard hordes of treasure, like those in Fairendale’s northernmost land, Guardia. Some sleep in deserted lands, like those in Ashvale, which is said to be a land of Fire Mountains (but we know is not). Some sleep because there is nothing else to do, as the dragons of Morad did for many years.

  If or when a dragon is woken from the Long Sleep, his heart begins to beat at a pace of about one thump every five minutes. If a human heart beat once every five minutes, that human would be dead. Or very nearly.

  2. Dragons walk on four feet and fly.

  This is a more obvious difference, of course. But I did not want to leave it out simply because it is obvious. I know some children who have tried to fly like dragons—some from rooftops, some from trampolines, some from the tops of their mother’s car, so I feel it important to underline: Humans have two legs and they cannot fly. Please stop trying.

  A dragon in flight is a majestic sight. One can watch it, mesmerized, for entire minutes before one realizes one should probably begin running for dear life, particularly from the Black Dragons of Daron Valley in the south, who are quite vicious to behold and the most dangerous of all the dragons, with the exception of their counterparts, the White Dragons of Werizod in the north.

  The Black Dragons of Daron Valley reside near the land of Lincastle and like nothing more than to find a single solitary figure on the beach, which they will then snap up into their powerful jaws and carry into the sky, never to be seen again. That is the only time a human will be able to fly, after which point he or she will die a gruesome death. I shall spare you the details.

  So if ever you are on a beach and see flying above you a dragon with black scales that shimmer and sparkle in the sun, turning every color of the rainbow, run as fast as you can.

  3. Dragons live for hundreds of years.

  Some dragons can live five hundred or six hundred years. In fact, a dragon of one hundred is considered a young dragon. Zorag, who rules the lands of Morad, is a dragon of one hundred forty-two years, which is still quite young by the standards of a dragon. Though he would say he has lived many lifetimes in his sorrow.

  A human, on the other hand, has, at most, a little more than one hundred years allotted them, if they care well for their mind, body, and spirit. Have you played outside today?

  4. Dragons breathe fire.

  It is true that some humans—such as parents—can breathe what seems like fire every now and again, but despite what their children may think, no human is able to breathe actual fire. Dragons, on the other hand, breathe fire hot enough to disintegrate any piece of a person who ventures too close.

  All the dragons in our story have a telltale sign that they are about to erupt with fire: their necks heat up to a beautiful glowing red color, and if one is not too enamored by the sparkle of it, one would do well to skedaddle so as not to melt upon contact with a dragon’s breath.

  5. Dragons use their tails for balance.

  Humans, of course, do not have tails. We use our big toes for balance.

  The tails of dragons, however, are not simply used for balance. They serve a variety of purposes. Dragons use their tails to eliminate their enemies, to steer them in flight (like a rudder of sorts), to curl around them while they sleep, to secure a human (much like a python snake), to knock their prey to the ground, to thump the ground in order to ensure silence, and to aid them in climbing tall cliffs and mountains.

  A tail can be used for many things. Sometimes I wish I had one.

  6. Dragons have more teeth than humans—and eat raw meat because of it.

  If we ate raw meat, we would quickly wish we had not. Humans who eat raw meat, especially the red kind, become sickened to a point where we might feel we are dying (we are likely not). Perhaps more notable, however, is the fact that we have only thirty-two teeth, and they are not the sort of teeth that can easily rip and chew raw meat. Dragons, on the other hand, have a whole mouth of one hundred twenty-six teeth, all of them razor sharp and ready to rip.

  (For the more curious among you, the teeth of dragons are not blackened on the side that cannot be seen by observers. They are golden. How is it I know, you ask? Well, in a moment of foolishness, I once placed by head in the mouth of a dragon so I could make my notes. You should never, ever try it yourself.)

  7. Dragons have scales.

  During the coldest days of winter, our skin might possibly contain patches that resemble scales, but I assure you, those patches are not scales. They are only bits of dead skin.

  Our skin does much of what a dragon’s scales do. A dragon’s scales encapsulate their body temperature, helping them regulate it through cold days and hot days alike. Dragons, of course, are cold blooded (which you might also note is a difference between humans and dragons—we are warm-blooded), and the scales are necessary for inner warmth.

  Scales also help dragons move on the ground. They slide back and forth when they are walking on four feet, almost like waddling reptiles. Can you imagine the sound a waddling dragon makes? It is something like a cross between your baby brother shaking a maraca and a thousand librarians shushing you.

  Dragons also use their scales for protection, water retention, and camouflage.

  Dragons are quite beautiful creatures, dangerous and mysterious. Great for observing from a distance. But beware, dear reader, of venturing too close.

  The Royal Family of Fairendale

  King Willis: The current king of Fairendale. Has a deep love for sweet rolls, and it shows in his, well, wideness.

  Queen Clarion: The current queen of Fairendale. Is underestimated by her husband, but we shall see just how powerful she is soon enough.

  Prince Virgil: Son of King Willis and Queen Clarion, best friend of Theo. Prefers rye bread with melted butter to sweet rolls, depending on the day.

  King Sebastien: Deceased king of Fairendale, exception to the line of boys who tried to steal thrones and were, upon failing at their quest, forever banished to sail the Violet Sea. Was killed by a blackbird.

  The Villagers of Fairendale

  Arthur: Village furniture maker and magic instructor to girls who possess the gift of magic. Is a bit reckless but always manages to come out on the other side—though one is not always assured it will be so.

  Maude: Arthur’s wife. Bakes spectacular pumpkin sugar cookies. Prefers caution to reckless abandon.

  Hazel: Daughter of Arthur and Maude, twin of Theo. Cares for the village sheep and can
even, amazingly, understand them.

  Theo: Son of Arthur and Maude, twin of Hazel. Finishes his chores early so he can sit in on magic lessons.

  Mercy: Daughter of Cora, best friend of Hazel. Prefers spectacular acts of magic to “boring” ones.

  Cora: Mother of Mercy, widow, shape shifter. A woman who moves.

  Garron: The town gardener. Talks to plants as though they can hear him. Has three sons: 12-year-old twins and a 13-year-old.

  Bertie: The town baker. Enjoys showing off his air-kneading skills for the children.

  Staff of Fairendale Castle

  Garth: Page for King Willis, the oldest of twelve children. Sometimes calls King Willis “Your Wideness.”

  Cook: One of the few shape shifters in the land. Shape shifts into a bear. Is highly annoyed by her assistant, Calvin.

  Calvin: An orphan who began working as Cook’s assistant instead of traveling to live with distant relatives in Ashvale—and so did not perish in the Fire Mountain that claimed the entire population of Ashvale many years ago. Tasked with feeding the prisoners in the dungeons beneath the dungeons.

  Sir Greyson: Captain of the king’s guard. Receives medicine, which keeps his mother alive, in exchange for his service to the king. Carries a magical sword that cannot be lifted by any but him.

  Sir Merrick: Second in command to Sir Greyson.

  Important Prophets

  ALEEN: A prophetess who is one hundred forty-two years old, from the kingdom of White Wind. Wears ebony skin and what appears to be a collection of snakes for hair (though it is not).