by Tracey West
Bo’s eyes. “We can help you, Bo,” he said. “But
you must tell us why you tried to steal the
stone.”
Bo sighed. “It began when King Roland’s
soldiers came to my kingdom. They went to
see Emperor Song.”
“What did they want?” Drake asked.
“They wanted
me
,” Bo replied. “The soldiers
told the emperor that King Roland wanted me
for an important project. At first, Emperor Song
did not agree to send me off. He was worried
that I would not be safe. But my parents said
it would be an honor to our kingdom. So he
agreed.”
Drake nodded. “Emperor Song sounds very
kind.”
“He is — or at least, he used to be,” Bo said.
“Last night, I found a black feather on my
pillow. There was a note with it that I did not
show Drake.”
He took a piece of paper from his pocket
and gave it to Griffith.
“It says —” His voice choked. “It says that
Emperor Song has put my family in prison. To
save them, I must steal the Dragon Stone and
bring it to him right away. And I must not tell
anyone.” His eyes filled with tears.
Griffith put a hand
on his shoulder. “I
understand.”
“But you said he
was a kind emperor,
Bo,” Drake said. “Why
would he do this?”
“I do not know,” Bo replied.“I fear that some
evil has come over him.”
“I fear you are right,” said the wizard. “And
we must help your emperor. But first, we have
a problem closer to home. The black feather
is a symbol of the Raven Guard.”
Bo nodded. “Yes. You have heard of them?”
“I have heard stories,” Griffith said. “The
Raven Guard is a group of skilled fighters who
serve the emperor. They are very dangerous.”
Drake turned pale. “So if the feather is in
the castle . ..”
“Then one of the Raven Guards is here,
too!” said Bo.
W
hat do you know about the Raven Guards,
Bo?” asked Griffith.
“They dress all in black,” said Bo. “They can
move silently without being seen.”
“They
must
be sneaky,” said Drake. “How
else could one of them get that feather on
your pillow?”
Bo nodded. “They are very skilled at spying.”
THe raVeN GuArd
Just then, Drake’s Dragon Stone felt warm
on his skin. He looked down. It was glowing!
Then he heard Worm’s voice inside his head.
Danger outside!
“Rori and Ana!” Drake cried. “They went
outside by themselves!”
Griffith frowned. “We must find them.” He
stomped into the hallway and yelled to the
guard by the Training Room door. “Simon,
please watch my workshop! Make sure no
one enters!”
Simon grunted in reply, and the three of
them rushed out of the workshop. They raced
through the long tunnel that led to the Valley
of Clouds.
When they got outside, Rori and Ana ran
up to them. They both started talking quickly.
“The thief was here! He was dressed in
black!” cried Ana.
“He had a red crystal! And he shone it in
our eyes,” Rori said.
“Then he started asking us stuff! And we
gave him answers!” Ana said. “Somehow he
made
us tell the truth, even though we did
not want to. I think the crystal was —”
“Magic!”Rori added.“And then he was gone!
He moved so fast!”
“He is a skilled and dangerous spy,”said
Griffith. “The red crystal he used sounds like
dark magic. Now, tell me: What questions did
he ask?”
“He wanted to know where the Dragon
Stone was,” Ana replied. “And if it was guarded
by anything.”
“
Ana
told him about the magic charms!”Rori
said.
“And
you
told him Griffith had left the castle,”
Ana said.
“Wait a minute, Griffith. What are you doing
here?” Rori asked.
“Never mind that,” Griffith said. “I am here
now. And the spy may be on his way to steal
the Dragon Stone.We must get to my workshop.
Hurry!”
They all raced back through the tunnel. Drake’s
heart pounded.
When they got to Griffith’s office, Simon
the guard was conked out on the floor! And
the workshop door was wide open!
G
riffith ran to the box that held the Dragon
Stone. He opened the lid.
“The Dragon Stone is gone!” he cried.
“The Raven Guard must have come right
for it,” Bo said.
“Raven Guard? What do you mean, Bo?”
Rori asked, her green eyes flashing. “What is
going on?”
Bo told Rori and Ana everything — about the
feather, the Raven Guard, and Emperor Song.
tHe CHaSe
“So
you
tried to steal the stone last night?”
Ana asked Bo.“And that spy came from
your
kingdom?”
Bo nodded.
“Now ,Dragon Masters, we must act quickly,”
Griffith said. He picked up a small box and
opened it. A green feather floated in the air.
“I put a magic Finding Charm on the Dragon
Stone,” he said.“This feather will lead us to it.
But we must hurry!”
Bo nodded. “The Raven Guard moves swiftly.”
“We will use our two fastest dragons — and
their new saddles,” Griffith said. “Rori, you
and I will take Vulcan. Ana, you and Drake
take Kepri.”
“What about me?” asked Bo.
“You will stay here,” said Griffith. “Make
sure Simon is all right.”
Bo nodded. “Yes, Griffith.”
Drake and the others raced to the dragon
caves. He and Ana quickly saddled Kepri and
climbed on her back. Rori and Griffith climbed
on Vulcan.
“Feather,find the stone!”Griffith commanded.
The feather zipped toward the tunnels.
Vulcan took off after the feather like a shot.
Kepri was on his tail. When the feather left the
tunnels, the dragons took to the air. They flew
across the Valley of Clouds.
Drake looked down. His stomach flipped.
“We’re so high up!” he yelled to Ana.
“Isn’t it amazing?!” she yelled back.
Wind brushed Drake’s cheeks as the dragons
flew across the Valley of Clouds. They flew
over the hills, to the deep, wide forest beyond.
Drake kept his eyes on the feather. Up ahead,
he could see something moving across the
treetops: the Raven Guard! The small, black
&
nbsp; figure moved like the wind from one tree to
the next.
Griffith saw him, too. So he plucked the
Finding Feather from the air. He pointed down.
Vulcan dove through the trees.
Drake’s stomach flipped as Kepri followed.
The two dragons glided side by side over the
treetops.
“We’re catching up to him!” Ana shouted,
her dark eyes gleaming.
Vulcan was closest to the guard. The dragon
opened his mouth wide.
“No, Vulcan!” Griffith yelled. “No fire! It’s
too dangerous! Ana, pull ahead with Kepri!
Block the guard, and I will use a spell on him!”
“Faster, Kepri!” Ana told her dragon. “Get in
front of that guy!”
Kepri picked up speed. She flew past the
quickly moving guard. Then she turned around,
blocking his path.
Drake saw that the guard wore all black.
Only his eyes were showing. The guard
reached into a pocket. He pulled out a handful
of glittering, red dust.
Red: the color of
dark magic. The color
of the crystal that the
guard had used to make
Rori and Ana answer him.
The same color as
the ball of light that
Maldred had sent into
the castle weeks ago.
The dust must be
dark magic, too
, Drake
guessed.
“Ana! Turn Kepri back NOW!” he yelled.
“It’s dark magic!”
Dark magic makes
Sun Dragons sick.
Drake knew they
had to get Kepri
away from here
before the red
dust came near her.
Ana quickly steered Kepri away from the
guard. Drake looked back at Griffith. The
wizard’s finger was pointed at the guard. He
was starting to say a spell.
That’s when Drake noticed the bag in the
guard’s hand.
The Dragon Stone must be in that bag!
he
thought.
“Rori! Grab the bag!” Drake yelled.
The guard quickly sprinkled red powder
on himself.
Then everything happened at once.
Vulcan charged at the guard from behind.
Rori reached out and yanked the bag out of
the guard’s hand. His eyes widened.
The red dust sparkled. Vulcan roared
loudly.He blasted a stream of fire as the guard
disappeared.
“Vulcan, no!”Rori cried.
The treetops burst into flame!
H
igher! Fly above the smoke!” Griffith
yelled over the roar of the flames.
Vulcan and Kepri flew above the fire. Then
a blue streak darted out in front of them.
It was Bo, riding his dragon!
But Bo isn’t
supposed to be outside!
thought Drake.
A powerful wave of water streamed out of
Shu’s mouth. The fire sizzled, then went out.
SHu tO tHe ResCue
“I am sorry I did not stay behind,” Bo told
Griffith. “But when I looked outside and saw
the smoke, Shu and I just had to help.”
“You did well,” Griffith told him. Bo smiled
proudly.
“Rori, do you have the stone?” Griffith
called out.
Rori opened the bag.
The big, green Dragon
Stone glittered inside.
“Got it!” she yelled
back.
“Then to the castle!
Hurry!” the wizard
ordered.
They quickly flew
back to the caves and
climbed off the dragons.
“Bo, that was awesome!”said Ana.“Shu did
a great job putting out that fire. And, Rori, you
did a great job getting back the Dragon Stone.”
“Thanks,” Rori said.“Drake is the one who
spotted it.”
“So, how did that Raven guy just vanish?”
Ana asked.
“He used the red dust to get away,” Griffith
said. “But he will not get far. He is using
borrowed magic. It is not very strong.”
“I am glad the Dragon Stone is safe,” said Bo.
“And I know we can’t give it to Emperor Song.
But I do not know what to do. He will keep
my family in prison if we do not give the stone
to him.” He looked like he was about to cry.
Then Drake saw something. Bo’s Dragon
Stone was glowing!
“Bo, look!” he said, pointing.
Bo looked down. His eyes grew wide. He
was quiet for a moment. Then a huge grin
spread across his face.
“It’s happening!” he cried. “Shu is speaking
to me — inside my head!”
B
o closed his eyes, listening to his dragon.
“What is Shu saying?” Rori whispered.
“That there is a dark cloud over the emperor,”
Bo said, opening his eyes. “A darkness that is
not his own.”
gRiffith'S pLaN
“Could it be Maldred?” Drake asked, thinking
of the dark wizard.
Griffith nodded. “The dust the guard used
looks like Maldred’s dark magic. Maldred may
be using the emperor to get to the dragons.”
“Can Shu help?” Ana asked.
“She says that she can,” Bo replied, “but that
she needs to see the emperor in person.” He
looked at Griffith. “May I bring her to him?”
“I do not know all the secrets a Water Dragon
holds,” Griffith said.“If Shu says she can help,
then I trust her.”
“We should go to your kingdom right now,
Bo!” Drake said. “I’ll get Worm.”
“Let us think this through, Drake,” Griffith
said. “I trust you and Bo to go on your own.
I must stay here to protect the Dragon Stone.
Ana and Rori can assist me. But we will need
the help of my friend, Diego, too.”
Griffith snapped his fingers.
POOF!
Drake
jumped. A cloud of smoke filled the room.
When it cleared, a short, fat wizard was
standing there.
“Griffith! What’s wrong?” Diego asked.
“Maldred is trying to steal the Dragon Stone,”
Griffith explained. “You and I must strengthen
the charms that protect it.”
Diego nodded. “I will do whatever you
need, my friend.”
Griffith turned to Bo and Drake. “Be careful.
Let Shu try to remove the dark cloud from
Emperor Song. Make sure Bo’s family is safe.
Then come right back.”
“We will do our best,”
Bo said.
Drake had a scary
thought.
I know Bo feels
bad about trying to steal
the Dragon Stone. But
what if the emperor
tells Bo to do something
else? Like turn over our
dragons? Would he do it
to save his family?
Drake wasn’t sure what to think. But right
now, he had to trust his friend.
“There is n
o time to waste!” said Griffith.
“Drake, put a saddle on Worm.”
“I’ll be fast!” Drake promised, and he ran to
Worm’s cave.
Worm, I need your help,” Drake said. “We
must go to the kingdom of Emperor Song. It
might be dangerous, but we have to help the
emperor and save Bo’s family. Will you take us?”
Worm nodded. Drake quickly put his saddle
on him. Then Bo rushed into the cave, riding
Shu.
ACRoSS the
wORld
“Now, Drake, we just touch Worm for his
power to work. Right?” Bo asked.
Drake nodded.
Bo touched Worm, and Shu touched Worm
with her tail.
“Ready!” Bo said.
Drake took a deep breath. “Okay, Worm.
Please take us to the kingdom of Emperor Song.”
Worm’s body started to glow. Green light
filled the room. It grew brighter and brighter.
Drake’s heart raced.
The green light exploded.
Drake felt weird. His
stomach flip-flopped.
Then the light
faded. He blinked.
A moon shone in
the sky above.
“We are here,” said Bo.
“You did it, Worm!”Drake cheered.
He looked around. It was nighttime in the
kingdom. A towering building rose up in front
of them. Moonlight shone on a big, round pond
in front of the building. Cherry trees lined the
walkway around the pond.
Drake and Bo climbed down from their
dragons.
“That is Emperor Song’s palace,” Bo said.
“We must bring Shu to him right away,”
Drake said.
“Yes. But he will be angry when he sees
that I do not have the Dragon Stone,” Bo said.
Drake shook his head. “I still don’t get it,
Bo,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me what
the feather meant? And about the note?”
