Sir Dar took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it. “Wulder is wise.”
“Did you come for my birthday party?” asked Penn.
“Yes.” Toopka beamed at him.
“Here.” Penn thrust out his hand, offering a daggart with the top licked and one bite gone. “For you. You had a hard time getting here.”
Toopka pulled him into her arms and squeezed him. “We all have a hard time on our journey, Penn. But Wulder gets us to the destination.”
“Is He coming too?” He looked over his shoulder at the banquet table. “Does He eat a lot? You said He was big.”
“He gives more than He takes. It’s the way He is.”
Coming Summer 2009 from Donita K. Paul
A fantastical new tale set in the world of the DragonKeeper chronicles
—a different continent and a different time—
featuring a cast of characters whose adventures will touch your life.
To get a sneak peek, visit www.dragonkeeper.us!
GLOSSARY
Amara (ä´-mä-rä)
Continent surrounded by ocean on three sides.
anvilhead snake
A long, thin snake whose outsized head is supported by thick neck muscles.
bisonbecks (b´-sen-beks)
Most intelligent of the seven low races. They comprise most of Risto’s army.
bobbin bird
A small thrush.
bridesbark
The dried root of a deciduous tree with aromatic bark.
buzz-stinger
Similar to our bumblebee.
chukkajoop (chuk´-kuh-joop)
A favorite o’rant stew made from beets, onions, and carrots.
cinamacress
A perennial water plant with peppery-flavored leaves and stems.
daggarts (dag´-garts)
A baked treat, a small crunch cake.
doneels (dō´-neelz)
One of the seven high races. These people are furry with bulging eyes, thin black lips, and ears at the top and front of their skulls. A flap of skin covers the ears and twitches, responding to the doneel’s mood. They are small in stature, rarely over three feet tall. Generally are musical and given to wearing flamboyant clothing.
dryfus tree
A small spiny tree.
echo
A leader in the Follower movement.
emerlindians (´-mer-lin´-dee-inz)
One of the seven high races, emerlindians are born pale with white hair and pale gray eyes. As they age, they darken. One group of emerlindians are slight in stature, the tallest being five feet. Another distinct group are between six and six and a half feet tall.
Followers
A sect of people purporting to follow Wulder more closely than the average citizen.
forms
A regimented set of exercises.
giddinfish
A freshwater food and game fish; usually has a streamlined, speckled body with small scales.
glommytucks (glm´-me-tks)
Large aquatic birds with a long slender neck and shorter, rounder bills than ducks. Lay large clutches of eggs and are wonderful birds for roasting.
gotza fruit
Edible fruit from a spiny-stemmed cactus.
granny emerlindian
Grannies are male or female, said to be five hundred years old or older, and have darkened to a brown complexion with dark brown hair and eyes.
grawligs (graw´-ligz)
One of seven low races, mountain ogres.
heatherhens
Chickenlike birds having brown plumage with speckled breasts and short tails.
jimmin (jm-mn)
Any young animal used for meat. We would say veal, lamb, or spring chicken.
kimens (km´-enz)
The smallest of the seven high races. Kimens are elusive, tiny, and fast. Under two feet tall.
kindias (kin´-dee-uhz)
Large land mammals noted for speed, strength, and endurance. Kindias are exceptionally adapted to traveling long distances with great efficiency and to surviving on a diet of nutrient-poor, high-fiber grasses. The shoulders are a foot or more taller than the hindquarters, giving the animal a slanted back.
kitawahdo
Tumanhofer bean soup.
lightrocks
Any of the quartzlike rocks giving off a glow.
listener
One of the levels of the Followers.
mariones (mer´--ownz)
One of the seven high races. Mariones are excellent farmers and warriors. They are short and broad, usually muscle-bound rather than corpulent.
meech dragon
The most intelligent of the dragons, capable of speech.
minnekens
A small, mysterious race living in isolation on the Isle of Kye.
moonbeam plant
A three-to four-foot plant having large shiny leaves and round flowers resembling a full moon. The stems are fibrous and used for making invisible cloth.
mumfers
Flowers with small, densely clustered petals.
mullins (ml´-linz)
Fried doughnut sticks.
o’rants
One of the high races. Five to six feet tall.
parnot (pâr´-nt)
Green fruit like a pear.
peggle-pins
Targets in the game peggledy pin.
pnard potatoes (puh-nard´)
Starchy, edible tuber with pale pink flesh.
pricklebarrel
A large fruit with juicy yellow flesh, a thick prickly brown skin, and a sprout of tough pointed leaves at the top.
razterberry (ras´-ter-bâr-ee)
Small red berries that grow in clusters somewhat like grapes on the sides of mountains. The vines are useful for climbing.
repeat
One of the levels of the Followers.
ribbets (rib´-bits)
Ball game played between two teams, similar to soccer.
schop
A casserole made from pricklebarrel fruit and cheese.
seeker
One of the levels of the Followers.
Sellaran
An extinct bird that legend says was instrumental in the rebellion of Pretender.
stakes
A disease that leaves the victim stiff for weeks after the fever has passed and can recur when the patient becomes overtired. For children, the symptoms pass. In adults, the side effects can last ten to twenty years.
trang-a-nog tree (trăng´-uh-ng)
A tree with smooth, olive green bark.
tumanhofers (too´-mun-hoff-erz)
One of the seven high races. Short, squat, powerful fighters, though for the most part, they prefer to use their great intellect.
tumport
An infusion of root herbs served hot.
tundra pear tree
An odd tree whose fruit is juicy considering the arid land it grows on.
urohms (ū-rōmz´)
Largest of the seven high races. Gentle giants, well proportioned and very intelligent.
watch
A unit of dragons (like gaggle of geese).
wild yellow dropsies
A wildflower. The stem is long, the flower heavy, and therefore the blossom bows.
Praise for
DragonLight
“Engaging characters, enchanting locales, and perilous creatures await the brave soul who enters the realm of Amara. Donita K. Paul’s DragonKeeper chronicles will surely delight fantasy readers with the kind of story that allows a reader to escape into it, but its powerful message lingers long after the final page is turned.”
—WAYNE THOMAS BATSON, author of The Door Within Trilogy
“Donita K. Paul is amazing! DragonLight has the allegorical depth to satisfy the most discerning adult seeking spiritual depth, yet it is fun enough to fascinate a child. This book will enthrall, uplift, and, if allowed, change lives—as we are gently drawn to realize that each of us is flawed
and must have patience with other flawed believers.”
—HANNAH ALEXANDER, author of Double Blind
“DragonLight is a delight, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from the marvelous Donita K. Paul. I heartily recommend her books to all ages who love inspirational fantasy and wonderful creatures. Ms. Paul not only supplies imagination and talent, she provides heart and soul. Another winner!”
—KATHRYN MACKEL, author of Boost
“Humans and dragons join forces in a quest that leads to a final confrontation with ultimate evil. This is rich, exciting, mythic adventure, told as only Donita K. Paul can tell it. I predict that DragonLight will be your favorite book in the DragonKeeper chronicles!”
—JIM DENNEY, author of Battle Before Time and Lost in Cydonia
“C. S. Lewis once said, ‘A strict allegory is like a puzzle with a solution. A great romance is like a flower whose smell reminds you of something you can’t quite place. I think the “something” is the whole quality of life as we actually experience it.’ In DragonLight, Donita K. Paul captures the haunting fragrance that reminds us of a place we think we’ve visited—or did we only dream it? This book will transport you to a world that captures the whole quality of life, whether it’s the delight of a tiny dragon’s hiccups or the very portal through which we meet the one, true, living God.”
—WENDY LAWTON, author of the Daughters of the Faith series
“Donita K. Paul’s vivid imagery and startling plot twists will delight fans, as Kale and Bardon unravel the mysteries behind eerie unmapped villages, a hidden colony of meech dragons, and a dark presence threatening the land of Amara.”
—KACY BARNETT-GRAMCKOW, author of The Genesis Trilogy
DRAGONLIGHT
PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
A division of Random House Inc.
All Scripture paraphrases are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Donita K. Paul
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, www.alivecommunications.com.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of The Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
WATERBROOK and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Paul, Donita K.
Dragonlight : a novel / Donita K. Paul. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Dragons—Fiction. 2. Religious fiction. I. Title.
PS3616.A94D726 2008
813'.6—dc22
2008006374
www.waterbrookpress.com
eISBN: 978-0-307-44625-1
v3.0
DragonLight Page 39
