by Matt Phelan
“Magdalena, sire. Daughter of Robert the Blacksmith.”
Arthur considered this for a moment.
“Very well, Black Knight.”
Everyone exhaled.
“Join us for a feast, brave knights. Tell your tale. Teach the minstrels some new songs,” said Arthur. “For all our sakes.”
“Gladly, sire,” said Erec. “But first—”
He glanced at Magdalena. She grinned. Magdalena tossed something into the air, and Erec caught it without looking.
“My queen, we have brought a trophy for you and our king.”
Erec held up an enormous tooth, a souvenir from the great Tyrannosaurus rex.
Guinevere took the tooth. Merlin’s eyebrows rose with interest.
“Well, well done, brave Knights,” said Guinevere. “A most terrible lizard indeed.”
Erec bowed low.
The formalities completed, the hall once again filled with chatter, music, and excitement. Bors and Hector held various knights spellbound. Lancelot engaged in his first conversation with the Black Knight, who in truth, he had long admired. Even Mel was surrounded by the other squires in the antechamber of the great hall.
Minstrels were summoned, and they began to compose new and exciting songs.
Sir Erec, however, took his leave quietly and walked alone to the great door of the hall. His tunic was slightly scratchy. He was very tired.
The adventure was over, and his bed awaited.
Chapter Fourteen
Band of Siblings
Erec slept deeply and soundly and free of dreams. He awoke to a breeze wafting into his bedchamber. A few songbirds twittered pleasantly nearby. He yawned. He was content.
Then the clatter of fallen armor rang through the outer rooms. After a timid knock the door opened a crack. Derek the squire poked his long nose into the chamber.
“Sir Erec?” he whispered.
“What is it, Derek? It had better be eggs and bacon.”
“Um, not quite, my lord.”
“Come in, squire.”
The squire entered, holding a scroll of parchment.
“This arrived early this morning, Sir Erec, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Hand it here.”
Derek did so and stood at attention.
Erec read silently. He rolled the parchment up.
He sighed.
“It seems,” he said, getting out of bed, “that King Arthur has been so inspired by our magnificent adventure that he has proposed a new quest to all of the Knights of the Round Table.”
He brushed Derek aside, grabbed some clothes, and swept through the door. Derek scurried after him.
“He wants us to search for the Holy Grail.”
Erec put on his chain mail shirt and tunic.
“What on earth is the Holy Grail you may be wondering, my dear squire. Well, I’ll tell you.” He continued in a louder, slightly annoyed voice.
“It is a legendary item, lost for centuries, quite possibly not even in existence.”
He fastened his belt and stepped into his boots.
“No clues, no leads. All of the earth to cover”—he threw open the front door—“in a search that is sure to be time-consuming and exceedingly dangerous.”
There in the courtyard awaited Sir Hector, Sir Bors, and the Black Knight, all suited and ready, magnificent in their clawed and bitten armor and sitting on their finest horses. Mel was there, too, dressed smartly in black, riding a white horse behind the Black Knight. She held a new banner that showed a field of red with the silhouette of a terrible lizard at the center, surrounded by four swords. The same symbol decorated the shield of each knight.
“What an absolutely splendid idea.” Sir Erec smiled.
A Note from Merlin
Many of the terrible lizards (otherwise known as dinosaurs) in this tale did not truly walk the earth during the same eras or in the same regions. But didn’t our heroes deserve the most epic battles? I thought that a more generous sampling of creatures from the ages might be more illuminating and entertaining for the knights.
Here are a few interesting facts about some of the dinosaurs in this book:
SPINOSAURUS
The Spinosaurus lived in the Cretaceous period, between 112 million and 97 million years ago. It was a carnivore, which means it ate meat. It had long spines forming a sail along its back. It was the biggest of all carnivorous dinosaurs and lived on both land and water, much like a modern-day crocodile.
TRICERATOPS
The Triceratops lived during the end of the Cretaceous period, about 68 million to 66 million years ago. It was an herbivore, which means it ate plants. The triceratops had three big horns on its skull and was about the size of an African elephant.
ANKYLOSAURUS
The Ankylosaurus lived during the end of the Cretaceous period as well, about 70 million to 66 million years ago. It was an herbivore. It is known as one of the most heavily armored lizards because of the hard knobs and oval plates of bone that formed within its skin, such as what’s found on crocodiles, armadillos, and modern lizards. It had a large club at the end of its tail thought to be used for self-defense.
BRACHIOSAURUS
The Brachiosaurus lived during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous periods, about 150 million to 130 million years ago. It was an herbivore. Its long neck allowed it to reach tall trees and vegetation not available to other animals. The Brachiosaurus could reach vegetation up to 39 feet off the ground and could eat up to 600 pounds of plant matter a day.
ELASMOSAURUS PLATYURUS
The Elasmosaurus platyurus lived during the Cretaceous period, about 80 million years ago. It was a carnivore. The Elasmosaurus platyurus was a marine reptile, with four long, paddle-like flippers that it used to swim slowly, similarly to turtles. It had a short tail, but a very long neck, with as many as 75 vertebrae in its neck alone.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
Tyrannosaurus rex lived during the late Cretaceous period, between 68 million and 66 million years ago. It was a carnivore, and ate mostly herbivorous dinosaurs. The Tyrannosaurus rex had a massive jaw and a strong bite—stronger than any other land animal that has ever lived. The largest Tyrannosaurus rex tooth ever recorded was twelve inches long.
About the Author
MATT PHELAN is the award-winning creator of the graphic novels The Storm in the Barn; Around the World; Bluffton; and the New York Times bestseller Snow White. He has been fascinated with knights and dinosaurs since he was a kid, but it took a few years for him to put the two together. He lives with his family in Pennsylvania.
www.mattphelan.com
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used to advance the fictional narrative. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
KNIGHTS VS. DINOSAURS. Text and illustrations copyright © 2018 by Matt Phelan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Cover art © 2018 by Matt Phelan
Cover design by Sylvie Le Floc’h
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
Digital Edition OCTOBER 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-268625-1
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-268623-7 (hardcover)
1819202122PC/LSC
H10987654321
FIRST EDITION
Greenwillow Books
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