The Adventurer's Guide to Dragons (and Why They Keep Biting Me)

by Wade Albert White

  “It’s hot,” she said.

  Penelope gave the gates a kick, but they didn’t open. “Welded shut.”

  As the knights tromped past the study tables, they halted next to Rokk’s prone form, and one of them stepped out of line and knelt beside him. Anne couldn’t see clearly, but it looked as though the knight was doing something to the robot’s head.

  “Hey!” Anne shouted. “That’s my friend! You leave him alone!”

  The knight ignored her and continued what it was doing. Then it stood and rejoined its companions.

  The boy appeared alongside the knights and knelt as well, and at first Anne thought he too was going to do something to Rokk. When he stood, however, he was holding a plaque—the award plaque for Saint Lupin’s. As Anne watched, the boy pried the bronze medallion from the plaque and tried to attach it to the gauntlet. The medallion didn’t seem to be sticking, however, and the boy grew increasingly frustrated. Finally, he threw the medallion and the plaque to the floor.

  Then, one of the Copper Knights did something Anne didn’t think knights were capable of: It spoke to the boy. The iron knights at Saint Lupin’s had never spoken a single word to anyone, not even the Matron when she had run the orphanage. Anne couldn’t hear what the knight said, but it didn’t go over well. The boy shook his head vigorously.

  “No, it has to be here,” he shouted. “Now spread out and find it.”

  The Copper Knights hesitated, just for a second, but the boy noticed and pointed the gauntlet at them, yelling, “I said, Find it!”

  The Copper Knights moved off, disappearing among the library’s bookshelves. The boy glared at Anne for a moment, and then he too walked out of sight.

  By this point, the audience members had broken off into smaller groups and started arguing about who should take charge of the situation. Several people pulled out cards that they claimed granted them temporary authority, but since there was more than one card, this soon devolved into a shouting match between different factions. The person who had won the award for Most Sneezes During a Quest stepped forward and tried to rally the crowd but soon fell into a sneezing fit and had to be led to the side.

  Hiro walked over to one of the groups, chatted briefly with someone, and returned. “They’ve sent word to the royal guards, but apparently the guards are still spread out all over the city looking for your gauntlet.”

  Anne frowned. “I bet that’s exactly what he was hoping for.”

  “What who was hoping for?” said Penelope.

  “The thief. If all he wanted was the gauntlet, he could have waited until we were back at Saint Lupin’s to take it when no one was looking. Instead, he stole it here, knowing the theft would keep the guards distracted, all so that he could obtain what he really came for: a specific quest medallion.”

  “In the middle of the ceremony?” Penelope asked.

  “That’s the only time they’re out in the open,” said Hiro. “The rest of the time they’re kept under lock and key.”

  Anne nodded. “Hiro, you said my gauntlet is famous now. The thief probably knew he could use it to control those Copper Knights.”

  “But why?” asked Penelope. “Isn’t the medallion a fake?”

  “Yes, but maybe the thief didn’t know that till now.” Anne turned to Hiro. “You said the awards are copies. What are they copies of?”

  “Famous historical quests,” said Hiro.

  “And where do they store the real ones?”

  Hiro shrugged. “They’re kept in various collections all over the Hierarchy. Palaces, museums—”

  “Libraries?”

  “I suppose. But they’re all quests that have been completed already. There would be no point in trying to steal one, other than for a souvenir.”

  Anne looked back at the stage, and a sense of calm settled over her. “I have a plan.”

  Hiro muttered under his breath. “Please let her plan not involve me casting magick. Please let her plan not involve me casting magick. Please let her plan not involve—”

  “Relax, it doesn’t involve you casting magick,” said Anne. Using magick always cost its user something, and in Hiro’s case each spell he cast also had an unintended consequence, usually nothing good. “Or at least not yet, anyway,” she continued. “If I can get my gauntlet back, I’ll be the one controlling those iron knights, or Copper Knights, or whatever they are. Then we would only have the thief to deal with.”

  “So what’s the plan?” asked Penelope, rubbing her hands together.

  Anne pointed to the top of the metal security gate, where the arch of the corridor created a small gap. “I think I can fit through there. I just need a way up.”

  Penelope studied the gap. “I could try throwing you.”

  Anne rolled her eyes. “Why does that suggestion not surprise me?”

  “If Penelope and I lock arms, we could make a bridge for you to stand on,” suggested Hiro.

  “Brilliant,” said Anne.

  After several tries, Penelope and Hiro managed to create a stable platform. They squatted so Anne could climb on. Once she had her feet firmly planted on both sets of arms, they lifted her into the air.

  Penelope grunted. “You know, for a small person, you’re surprisingly heavy.”

  “Gee, thanks,” said Anne.

  Anne stretched her arms as high as she could. Her fingers barely grazed the top of the gate.

  “I can’t quite reach,” said Anne. “I hate to say it, but I think you actually might have to throw me.”

  “On the count of three, then,” said Penelope. “One, two…” and on three, she and Hiro launched Anne into the air. Anne grabbed the top of the gate and swung one leg over. From there it was easy to lever her body through the gap and drop down to the other side. The rattle of the gate echoed loudly across the library, but neither the Copper Knights nor the boy came to investigate.

  “Wait here,” Anne whispered.

  Anne crept between the study tables, her eyes scanning continuously and her ears straining for any sound whatsoever that indicated someone was nearby. If only one Copper Knight saw her, they’d all come running and she’d be caught. She moved past Rokk without stopping. As much as she wanted to make sure he was okay, she had to deal first with those knights. She scurried quietly down the center aisle and onto the stage. Strangely, the bodies of the committee members, as well as Jocelyn, had all been moved and neatly placed in a row. Had the knights done that?

  At the sound of approaching footsteps, Anne quickly lay down alongside Jocelyn. The boy reappeared from behind a bookshelf and walked onto the stage. He was so focused on examining another award plaque that he failed to notice the extra body.

  After he walked past, Anne rose silently, slipping the rapier from Jocelyn’s sheath as she did so, and then cleared her throat. The boy whirled around and froze. The rapier was pointed at his chest.

  “No talking,” Anne said in a low voice.

  The boy nodded.

  “Good,” said Anne. “Now set the gauntlet down and move back.”

  The boy took off the gauntlet and placed it on the stage. Then he took several steps back. If anything, he looked scared, which surprised Anne. She had expected him to be defiant. Her heart leaping for joy, she stepped forward and picked up the gauntlet.

  One of the Copper Knights reappeared.

  “Stop her!” the boy yelled.

  The knight surged forward. Wasting no time, Anne shoved her left hand into the gauntlet and held it up, willing the knight to stop. To her shock, the knight kept coming. Anne backed away, still holding out the gauntlet. She had been so certain she could gain control of the knights that she hadn’t formulated a backup plan.

  The knight raised its staff.

  “No!” said the boy. “You might damage the gauntlet.” He held out his hand to Anne. “Give it back, and I’ll order the knights to let you go.”

  “The gauntlet is mine,” Anne said firmly. “But if you explain what you’re looking for instead of threaten
ing and scaring people, I might actually be willing to—”

  She didn’t get to finish the sentence. The gauntlet suddenly jerked her arm around and began pulling her in the other direction. She tried to slide her hand out, but the gauntlet formed itself into a fist so that she couldn’t uncurl her fingers. She stumbled off the edge of the stage and fell to the floor. The knight lunged for her, but missed.

  The gauntlet dragged Anne along the floor. It turned sharply down an aisle between two rows of bookcases, aiming for one of the glass display cases in the alcove at the other end. Anne noticed the case was vibrating violently. Moreover, an ancient-looking plaque containing an equally ancient-looking medallion was rattling against the front.

  The gauntlet didn’t slow down, slamming Anne into the glass display case. Despite her small stature, her momentum was strong enough to tip the case over and send it crashing to the floor. The glass shattered into a million tiny pieces, with Anne landing in the midst of it.

  Anne remained very still. She was now lying in the shattered remains of the display case, but somehow the broken glass had transformed into small round beads, as if by magick, which explained why she wasn’t covered in lacerations. The ancient plaque lay beside her, but its small copper medallion had broken free and lay next to it. Before Anne could register what was happening, the medallion leapt off the floor and clicked into the slot on the gauntlet’s cuff.

  Anne’s arm spasmed, and she rolled to her knees. She tried desperately to pull the gauntlet off, even though she knew it was too late. The medallion glowed and the gauntlet grew hot. She screamed as her entire arm throbbed in pain. She heard footsteps approaching but paid them little mind, focusing all her concentration on not passing out. Gradually, the heat subsided. Anne crawled away from the broken display case and collapsed on the cool tile. When she finally looked up, she saw the boy and the seven Copper Knights standing over her.

  “It has begun,” said the boy.

  Behind him, the Copper Knights struck their chests with their staffs.

  “It has begun,” they echoed in unison.

  “Kill the queen,” said the boy.

  “Kill the queen,” the knights repeated.

  One of the knights stepped toward Anne. “Give us the medallion.”

  Anne instinctively hugged her gauntlet-hand to her chest.

  “Leave her alone,” said the boy. “It’s too late anyway.”

  The knight ignored him. It reached for Anne—

  —only to be knocked backward as a large dark blur dropped from above and slammed it to the ground. Nana had arrived. The knight struggled to rise, but the dragon smacked it again with her tail, driving it into the floor. The force of the impact sent glass beads spraying in all directions, and an odd-shaped one even bounced off Anne’s forehead. The knight didn’t move again, and Nana perched on top of it and let out a low growl.

  The boy turned to the six remaining knights.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  One of the knights hoisted the boy onto its shoulders. Then the knights ran down the aisle and with incredible power leapt through the circular dragon hole high on the wall and disappeared from sight.

  As Anne lay on the floor, trying to absorb what had just happened, there was a sudden burst of light and a little rainbow-colored sparrow appeared in the air above the gauntlet.

  “Wow, that was quick,” said the sparrow. “Is it time for another quest already?”

  THE ROYAL LIBRARIAN’S OFFICIAL OATH OF OFFICE:

  Neither loud talking nor earmarked pages nor unpaid late fines nor the gloom of low lantern light in the back corner of the library where it’s really scary nor even high-level magickal security glass shall keep me from the swift retrieval of requested materials.

  The Copper Medallion

  The sparrow’s name was Jeffery. He was the GPS (that is, General Pathfinder Sparrow) who lived inside the gauntlet and could only appear once a quest had been activated. Usually he had to be activated with the command “Activate GPS,” but sometimes he seemed to have a mind of his own. Regardless, his appearance now confirmed the sinking feeling in the pit of Anne’s stomach:

  The medallion was indeed real.

  Which meant she had just activated another quest.

  Anne stared at the medallion. The only discernible differences between this one and the medallion from her first quest were that this one was copper instead of silver and there was no scratch across the surface. Otherwise, each medallion had the same dragon image on its face—the Sign of Zarala.

  Nana crouched next to Anne. “Are you injured?”

  Anne checked herself over. “I don’t think so.”

  There was a crash of metal, and moments later Penelope came sprinting down the aisle. She fell to her knees beside Anne, scattering glass beads in every direction.

  “What’s going on?” asked Anne.

  “Captain Copperhelm just arrived and broke open the gates,” said Penelope. “He sent the royal guards after the knights, but I doubt the guards will catch them. Those knights are superfast.” Penelope nudged the knight on the floor with her foot. “How did you defeat this one?”

  “Nana stopped it,” said Anne. She looked up at the dragon. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

  Nana grunted. “No one attacks the students from my academy while I’m around.”

  This warmed Anne’s heart. Despite Nana’s sometimes gruff personality, Anne knew the dragon was fiercely loyal.

  Hiro ran down the aisle and joined them. “Thank goodness you’re all right. We tried to figure out a way to get the gate open sooner, but we didn’t want to make too much noise and draw any unwanted attention your way.”

  Penelope snorted. “I told him magick was quiet, but he kept going on about unintended consequences.”

  Hiro raised his chin. “It’s a legitimate concern. Someone could get hurt. And who knows what forms of punishment they have here at the palace for spells gone wrong.”

  “I suspect we’re all about to receive plenty of punishment,” said Anne, and she showed them the medallion.

  “Uh, does that mean what I think it means?” asked Penelope.

  Jeffery landed on Anne’s knee and waved. “Hi there.”

  “What… when… where… why?” stammered Hiro.

  “That covers four of the five W questions,” said Jeffery. “The one you’re missing is who, but the answer to that one should be obvious.”

  Hiro grabbed Anne’s arm, nearly wrenching it out of its socket. “Where did you get this medallion?”

  Anne yanked her arm back. “Hey, take it easy. The medallion was attached to the plaque in that display case.”

  Hiro knelt down and examined the plaque. “This one doesn’t look like a replica. I think it’s authentic.”

  “I know,” Anne said, and her sinking feeling sank even further. How much trouble was she going to be in for activating another quest? “Before he left, that boy said something about killing the queen. We’d better go inform the royal guard.”

  “Whoa,” said Penelope. “Jeffery, what kind of quest is this?”

  “It’s a Dragon Slayer quest,” said Jeffery.

  “What?” Anne, Penelope, and Hiro said in unison, while Nana growled, “I beg your pardon?”

  “A Dragon Slayer quest,” Jeffery repeated. “That is, a quest whereby you slay a dragon. As in kill it. Specifically, in this case, the dragon queen.”

  Nana pointedly cleared her throat.

  Anne felt her cheeks grow warm. “Nana, I had no idea that a quest like this even existed. I mean, I didn’t even know the medallion was here. I would never have—”

  “It’s okay,” said Nana. “I know this isn’t your fault. Nevertheless, it presents a problem.”

  “I’m not going to kill the dragon queen or any other dragons, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Anne said with determination. “I’ll purposely fail the quest if I have to.”

  “I’m not worried about you,” Nana said, “but you heard th
e boy and those Copper Knights. They’re going to try to kill the queen, even if you don’t. And dead is dead.”

  “But it’s not their quest.”

  “It might not be that simple. Even if they don’t kill her, the simple fact that such a quest has been activated could start a war between the dragons and the Hierarchy. One way or another, I’m afraid this quest is going to cause trouble.”

  “Truer words were never spoken,” said a deep voice behind them.

  They turned to find a tall man standing in the aisle. He had white tanned skin, dark hair that was graying at the temples, and a firm square jaw. His charcoal jacket was crisply pressed, and his black leather boots gleamed. A crow perched on his shoulder. With him were the six members of the awards committee and Jocelyn.

  Anne and Penelope stood.

  “L-Lord Greystone,” said Hiro.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Penelope.

  A brief shadow of annoyance flickered across Greystone’s face. “It’s the Quest Academy Awards. I’m the Minister of Questing. Where else would I be?”

  Jocelyn seemed to be staring off into empty space, and Anne walked over to her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, dear,” Jocelyn said absently as she continued gazing at nothing.

  Before Anne could inquire further, Hiro interrupted. “We need to send word to the dragons,” he said. “To let them know what’s happened.”

  “No one is sending word to anyone,” said Greystone. “I’ve ordered the capital locked down. Nothing in, nothing out, until we catch the culprits responsible for this unprovoked attack.”

  “But a Dragon Slayer quest has been activated,” said Anne.

  Greystone smiled. “Which is why I’m also placing the three of you under arrest.”

  Anne frowned. “Arrest?”

  “Dragon slaying is illegal,” Hiro explained. “The Hierarchy has a treaty with the dragons, and activating a Dragon Slayer quest is a direct violation of that agreement.”

  “Oh.”

  “‘Oh’ is right,” said Greystone.

  “But we need to stop the Copper Knights,” said Anne. She looked pleadingly to Jocelyn, who continued to remain uncharacteristically silent. “Jocelyn, tell him to let us go.”