Legend of the Realm

by Alexandra Ott

  “Don’t touch it,” Ari calls, approaching from behind me. “You never know what the Vondur magic might do.”

  “What do we do with it, then?” I ask.

  “The potion!” Runa calls, running up to us. “Try pouring some of the potion onto it, and we’ll see what happens.”

  “Will that work?” Ari asks skeptically.

  Runa shrugs. “If this is the origin of the plague and the potion cures the plague… I don’t know, seems worth a try.”

  “Let’s do it,” I say. “Runa, you have the bottle?”

  Runa passes the potion to me. I crouch down and peer into the gap, trying to pinpoint the widest part of the mystery object. It’s slender and slightly curved, and I’m afraid I’ll throw away the last of our potion on the rocks instead if I don’t aim just right.

  We all hold our breath as I extend my arm, keep the bottle steady, and slowly tilt it, letting a few drops of the potion spill out. They land on the mystery object, and a golden light suddenly fills the space. I close my eyes and pour more of the potion out, just to make sure—

  “Think you got it, Bryn,” Ari says. “Something’s happening!”

  Hastily, I withdraw my arm and scramble away from the rocks. The gap between them is filled with a golden glow. The light lasts for a minute, maybe two, before suddenly winking out again. The gap between the rocks is completely dark.

  “Did it work?” Runa whispers.

  “Only one way to find out,” I say. I let my gift flow, seeking the strange object. This time there’s a strong magical sensation coming from between the rocks—but it isn’t dark like Vondur magic. It feels like… a dragon.

  “I think it worked,” I whisper. I move forward and slowly stick my hand between the rocks again.

  “Careful,” Ari says, sounding worried.

  “It’s okay. I know what it is.”

  I pull the object from the rocks and hold it up to show him.

  Ari exhales. “A dragon’s claw?”

  “Yep,” I say. The claw rests easily in my hand, long and curved. Gold dust clings to its black surface. I surround it with my gift, but there’s no trace of Vondur magic anywhere.

  “It’s really small,” Runa remarks. “Did it actually come from a dragon?”

  “It must have been Vin’s, or the green dragon’s,” Ari says. “The Vondur had them when they were only babies.”

  “Vin’s not missing a claw, so it must be from the green one,” I say. “They used its magic to cast some sort of spell. That’s what created the plague.”

  Runa’s forehead creases. “But why was it planted here instead of in the water?”

  “It’s light enough to float,” I say, weighing it in my palm. “If they put it directly into the water, it would just get swept away, and they might have lost it. By hiding it here, they always knew where it was, and there was little chance we’d find it. I guess it doesn’t have to be directly in the water for the spell to work. It just had to be in proximity to the glacier.”

  “Like an anchor,” Ari says suddenly. “We use anchors for our gifts all the time. Their spells must be similar.”

  “Makes sense. They’re using Realm magic too.” I hold up the claw. “They got all their power from this.”

  “So did this really stop the plague? Is the water clean now?” Runa asks.

  “I guess we’ll know soon,” Ari says.

  Together, we walk back to the glacier. When it comes into view, Runa gasps, and my eyes widen. Where the blackness of the Vondur magic sat before, now there is a warm, golden light filling the space. It flows into the water, too, and the stream runs gold as it travels deeper into the Realm.

  “We did it,” Ari says slowly. “It actually worked!”

  “Let’s see how far it travels,” I say. “Come on!”

  Together, we run back to where Lilja is waiting for us. She’s very disgruntled at being woken from her nap and doesn’t at all share our excitement—until we bring out the bilberries, that is.

  Once we’re in the air, Ari and I guide her to just above Dragon’s Point, where we have an amazing view of the Realm spread out below us.

  “Look, you can see it,” Runa says, and she’s right. The golden light beams up at us, running straight through the Realm. Even as we watch, the light spreads, until it fills the horizon, reaching the farthest points of the Realm.

  “And look over there!” Ari shouts, pointing. I follow his gaze to a bright halo of gold shining up from the center of the Valley of Ash.

  “Seeker Larus must’ve put the potion in the water there, too,” I say. “It worked!”

  “Hear that?” Ari asks. “It sounds like…”

  “Phoenixes!” I say. The soft, lulling melody fills the air around us. “They must be coming back to their nests.”

  “What’s that?” Runa asks, pointing in the opposite direction, toward the southern cliffs. As we watch, another bright light shimmers in the air. But this one is violet, the color of a defender gift.

  “It’s Seeker Ludvik,” I say. “He’s removing the boundary spells. The quarantine is gone.”

  Ari smiles. “Guess we don’t need it anymore. You did it, Bryn. You cured the plague!”

  “We did it,” I say. “As a team.”

  Together, flying on my favorite dragon, the three of us watch the golden light spread out below as the sun rises on the Realm.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  When I first began to write a book about a plague, I had no idea that the real world would soon reflect my fictional one. Many people worked incredibly hard to create this book despite the unprecedented challenges we’ve all faced in 2020, and I am endlessly thankful for their support.

  First, I am so grateful for my editor, Alyson Heller, who knew exactly how to develop this story and gave me the guidance I needed. I am honored to have worked with her for four books in a row.

  Huge thanks to Cathleen McAllister, who created the gorgeous cover artwork, and to the entire team at Aladdin for all of their hard work.

  As always, I am indebted to my agent, Victoria Doherty Munro, for all of her guidance, hard work, and support. Many thanks are also due to the foreign rights team at Writers House and to Berni Barta at CAA for their efforts on behalf of this series.

  Thank you to Alexandrina Brant, who read an early draft and provided feedback and insight. I am also grateful to Rachel Done and Allison Pauli for their support and encouragement.

  Many, many thanks to the amazing librarians, educators, booksellers, bloggers, and readers who have supported me and my books. Thank you for sharing Bryn’s story.

  Thank you to Ellie, who was my constant companion as I wrote this book. I probably could have written it faster without the puppy paws on the keyboard, but I would have enjoyed it less.

  Last but never least, thank you to my family: Mom, Dad, and Katie. I love you.

  More from this Series

  Seekers of the Wild…

  Book 1

  More from the Author

  The Shadow Thieves

  Rules for Thieves

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY D. YOUNG

  ALEXANDRA OTT writes fiction for young readers, including her debut fantasy novel, Rules for Thieves, and its sequel, The Shadow Thieves. She graduated from the University of Tulsa and is now a freelance editor. In her spare time, she eats a lot of chocolate and reads just about everything. She currently lives in Oklahoma with her tiny canine overlord. Visit her online at alexandraott.com.

  Aladdin

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  alexandraott.com

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

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  ALSO BY ALEXANDRA OTT

  Rules for Thieves

  The Shadow Thieves

  Seekers of the Wild Realm

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, chara
cters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

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  First Aladdin hardcover edition June 2021

  Text copyright © 2021 by Alexandra Ott

  Jacket illustration copyright © 2021 by Cathleen McAllister

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  Jacket designed by Heather Palisi

  Jacket illustration copyright © 2021 by Cathleen McAllister

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Ott, Alexandra, author.

  Title: Legend of the Realm / by Alexandra Ott.

  Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2021. |

  Series: Seekers of the Wild Realm | Audience: Ages 8–12. |

  Summary: Bryn, Ari, and their dragon Lilja discover a sick baby gyrpuff

  and join the rest of the Seekers in trying to determine if

  a dreadful plague has returned—and if human forces brought it back.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020049089 |

  ISBN 9781534438613 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534438637 (ebook)

  Subjects: CYAC: Dragons—Fiction. | Magic—Fiction. | Plague—Fiction. |

  Sex role—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | Fantasy.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.O88 Leg 2021 | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020049089