Ana stood up. “Well, my book has a potion
in it called Wicked-Away,” she said. “It heals
creatures harmed by dark magic.”
She brought the book to Griffith. His eyes
lit up.
“This might do it! It’s
not just for Sun Dragons
so I’m not sure if it will
work. But it’s worth a try,”
he said. “Drake and Bo, go
to my workshop. Bring
back a jar of moonbeams
and a sack of sunflower
seeds. Hurry!”
The boys raced into
the hall to Griffith’s workshop. The workshop
was filled with bottles and jars. The bottles
and jars were stuffed with strange plants and
filled with potions.
Drake walked to the left side of the room,
and Bo took the right side. Drake picked up a
jar with purple liquid inside.
“Lily dew,” he read out loud. He checked
a few more jars—and then saw something
glowing on the top shelf. Standing on his toes,
he grabbed it.
A pale blue light shimmered inside the jar.
Drake read the label.
“Moonbeams! I’ve got them!” he shouted.
“And I’ve got the seeds,” Bo said. “Let’s go!”
When they got back to the classroom, Rori
was stirring liquid in a black metal pot. Ana
was reading directions aloud from her book.
Griffith clapped his hands when he saw the
two boys.
“That was fast! Now, let’s make this healing
potion,” said Griffith. “Drake, empty the jar
into the pot. Bo, add three seeds, please.”
Drake carefully opened the jar lid. The
moonbeams slid out like water. Then Bo
dropped in three black seeds.
“Keep stirring, Rori,” Griffith said.
Rori stirred.
The liquid turned blue and
started to shine. A soft light came from the
pot. Griffith scooped up some liquid with a
ladle and put it in a clean jar.
“Will this potion make Kepri feel better?”
Bo asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Griffith
said.
They all walked to Kepri’s cave. Her eyes
were closed, and her yellow scales had lost
their shine.
Griffith handed the
jar to Ana. “You are her
Dragon Master. She will
listen to you. She must
drink this,” he said.
Ana nodded. She
walked up to Kepri.
“I have something for
you,” she said softly.
Kepri opened her eyes. She smiled when
she saw Ana. “We made it for you—to make
you well again,” Ana said, holding up the jar.
Kepri opened her mouth. Ana slowly poured
the potion inside.
“This has got to work,” she whispered.
T
he Dragon Masters crowded around Kepri.
“Feel better?” Ana asked her dragon. But
Kepri just closed her eyes again.
Bo looked at Griffith. “Will the potion work
right away?”
“I do not know,”Griffith said. “We must wait
and see. You all should head to dinner while I
stay with Kepri.”
“I’m not leaving her,” Ana said firmly.
aNa'S StORy
Griffith put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Ana, you must take care of yourself,” he said.
“You must stay strong for Kepri. I will send for
you if anything changes.”
The Dragon Masters left the cave, leaving a
worried wizard and a sick dragon behind them.
Up in the dining room, they all picked at
their dinner. Ana only ate a few bites of food.
Drake ate some carrots and chicken—but only
about half as much as usual. Bo stared at his
plate. Even Rori was quiet for a change.
Then the door at the end of the room banged
open. One of the king’s soldiers walked in.
“Do you have news about Kepri?” Ana asked.
The soldier walked over to Drake without
piece of paper.
Drake opened it. “It’s a letter from my mom!”
Drake felt tears sting his eyes. He knew he
was doing important work for the king, but
he still missed his mom.
“I wish I could tell my family about the
dragons,” Drake said.
“They have to be kept a secret,” Rori warned.
“I wish my father would write to me
more often,” Ana said. “I’d like to hear about
his adventures.”
“What kind of adventures?” Bo asked.
“My father sells beautiful fabrics,” she said.
“He travels all over far-away lands selling them.
And we lived near the pyramids, so I often
went there with him.”
“What’s a pyramid?” Rori asked.
“It holds a king’s body after he dies. It’s sort
of shaped like this.” Ana made a triangle shape
with her hands. “The pyramids are bigger than
anything you’ve ever seen.”
“Your dad's adventures sound amazing,”
said Drake.
“They are.” Ana sighed. “But they’re also
dangerous. There are many robbers on the
roads. The robbers steal from people who
have goods to sell—like our fabrics. And they
often steal gold and other treasures from the
pyramids. That is why my father did not
argue when King Roland’s men came for me.
He knew I would be safer elsewhere.”
Ana looked sad. Bo was quiet.
I guess everyone else is just as homesick as
I am
, Drake thought.
After dinner, Drake and Bo went to the
room that they shared. Drake climbed into
bed and fell asleep right away. He dreamed
of rivers and big tombs shaped like triangles.
Then the desert sky turned green ... bright
green. Drake woke up.
The green Dragon Stone around his neck
was glowing brightly.
Worm needs me!
Drake thought.
Then he heard Worm’s voice inside his mind.
Come now!
D
rake jumped out of bed. He shook Bo
awake.
“Worm needs us!” Drake cried.
That was all Bo needed to hear. The boys
raced downstairs to the door that led to the
dragon training area. Drake tried to open it.
“It’s locked!” Drake cried.
“Good thing I have a key,” said a voice.
WorM CAllS
Drake and Bo turned around. Rori and Ana
were standing there. Rori held up a key.
“Where did you get that?” Drake asked.
“I swiped it from one of the castle guards
when I first got here,” Rori said. “It’s a skeleton
key. It opens up
all
the locks in the castle.”
“We came running as soon as we heard you
two stomping down the hall!” Ana added.
“We figured something was up.”
“I’m glad you came. But please hurry!
”
Drake said.
Rori opened the door.
When they got to Kepri’s cave, Worm was
in front of it.
How did Worm get out of his cave?
Drake
wondered.
“Worm, what’s wrong?” he asked.
Worm nodded toward Kepri. The gate to
her cave was open and the Dragon Masters
stepped inside. Griffith was asleep in the corner.
Books were piled around him.
Kepri was asleep, too—but she looked sicker
than before. Her scales looked dull. She looked
thin and pale.Her breathing was loud and heavy.
The Dragon Masters were stunned.
“She wasn’t this sick earlier,” Rori said.“Did
the potion make her worse?”
“Maybe it just didn't work,” Bo said.
“We have to
do something
!
”
Ana cried.
Drake looked at Worm.
“Isn't there anything we can do?” Drake
whispered.
Worm’s body began to glow. Drake wasn’t
sure why, but he knew just what to do. He
put one hand on Worm’s snout and one hand
on Kepri’s tail.
“Everybody, touch Worm! Now!” he yelled.
Startled, his friends obeyed. They all laid
their hands on Worm.
Griffith’s eyes snapped open.
“What is going on?” the wizard asked.
But before Drake could answer, green light
exploded in the room, blinding them.
D
rake felt weird. He couldn’t feel the ground
under his feet. But he could still feel his hand
on Worm. His stomach did a flip-flop.
Then the green light faded. Drake blinked.
His feet landed on sand, and he could feel cool
air on his face.
faR-aWay LaNdS
Worm, Kepri, and the Dragon Masters were
standing on a pathway. A white stone wall
lined one side of the path. On the other side
of them was a tall, strangely shaped building.
Griffith was not with them.
Worm, why did you bring us here?
Drake
wondered.
Drake looked up at the big building. Each
of the building’s four sides was shaped like
a triangle. The pointy top was capped with
shining gold.
Ana’s eyes got wide. “A pyramid!” she cried.
“Drake, what have you done? Where are
we?” Rori asked. She sounded scared.
Ana turned to her. “I think we are in my
homeland.”
“But how . . . ?” Drake started to say. Then
he looked at Worm. The dragon’s green eyes
were shining. “Worm must have used his mind
powers to bring us here!”
“That’s impossible!” said Rori. “Dragons
can’t travel halfway across the world using
their minds.”
“Look around you, Rori,” Bo said. “It must
be possible. We are no longer in the Kingdom
of Bracken.”
“But why didn’t Worm bring Vulcan and
Shu with us?” Rori asked.
Drake thought back to Kepri’s cave. “We were
all touching Worm. And I was touching Kepri.
But the other dragons were still in their caves.”
“And now we are here, in the land where
Kepri and I were born,” said Ana.
“Wait! Remember what I read in Griffith’s
book—about Sun Dragon twins?” Rori asked,
her voice getting excited. “It said that every
Sun Dragon has a Moon Dragon twin that
can heal it.”
“So Kepri’s twin might be here!” said Bo.
“Do you think that’s why Worm brought
us here?” asked Drake.
Suddenly, they heard loud voices. The
voices came from the other side of the stone
wall. Drake didn’t understand the language.
But Ana did. “Oh, no! Robbers! They often
come to the pyramids to steal things. That
must be why they are here! We cannot let
anyone see us—or our dragons!”
“But there’s nowhere to hide!” said Bo.
Just then, a boy stepped out from the
shadows. He had golden-brown skin and
black hair, like Ana.
“Follow me!” he said.
R
ori stepped closer to the boy. “Why should
we follow you?” she asked. “We don’t even
know you!”
“Trust me,” the boy said, just as the robbers’
voices grew louder.“I am surprised to see that
you have dragons. But I know how to keep
them safe. Come on!”
“We must hurry!” Ana said.
A StRanGe bOy
They had no choice. The boy waved for
them to follow him. He touched the pyramid.
One of the big stones pushed in, revealing an
opening.
A secret door!
Drake thought.
“Inside, quick!” the boy said. “Dragons first.”
He stepped aside to let them in. Kepri was
weak, but Worm nudged her gently with his
nose. She stepped through the door. As Drake
walked past the boy, he saw a cord around the
boy’s neck. Something green and sparkling
was dangling from the cord.
A Dragon Stone!
The boy slipped in behind Drake and the
secret door closed. They were inside a dark
tunnel. Flaming torches lined the walls.
Drake turned to the boy.
“Who are you? Are you a Dragon Master,
too?” He pointed to the green stone around
the boy’s neck. Ana, Rori, and Bo gasped when
they saw it.
The boy smiled. “My name is Heru,” he said.
“I do not know what a Dragon Master is. My
father gave me this stone.”
“King Roland calls us Dragon Masters,” Drake
explained.“We were chosen by the Dragon
Stone to work with dragons.”
“I have not heard of King Roland. Are you
from far away?” Heru asked.
Bo nodded. “Very far.”
Heru frowned. “How strange. Can you tell
me why Wati brought me here tonight?”
Ana was stroking Kepri’s neck. The dragon’s
eyes seemed brighter now that she was inside
the pyramid.
“Who’s Wati?” Drake asked.
Heru grinned. “He is my dragon.”
By now they had left the tunnel. They
were inside a dark room. Drake looked up. The
ceiling was so far above that he couldn’t see
it. Then something appeared out of the
darkness. A huge, black dragon flew
down from the ceiling. His eyes
glowed bright yellow.
“Aaaiieeeee!”
With a loud cry, the
dragon flew down,
charging right at
them!
G
et down, everyone!” Drake yelled. The
Dragon Masters all ducked. But the dragon
was not after them.
He came to a stop right next to Kepri. The
dragon wrapped his wings around her and
made a happy, purring sound.
KepRi and WaTi
“It looks like they know eac
h other,” Drake
said, pointing to the two dragons.
Wati was gently stroking Kepri’s back with
one of his wings. Her eyes were closed, and
her head was drooping. Wati had black scales,
and Kepri had white scales. But they had the
same graceful bodies and yellow-tipped wings.
“They look a lot alike,” said Bo.
“Yes, except that Kepri has light scales and
Wati has dark scales,” added Drake. “Light and
dark—”
“Like the sun and the moon!” Rori yelled.
Ana’s mouth dropped open. “This is what
we’d been hoping for!”
Heru looked thrilled. “Wati is a Moon
Dragon. My father taught me that all Moon
Dragons have a twin—a Sun Dragon,” he said.
“Wati must have known that Kepri would
be in this pyramid tonight. That explains
why he suddenly flew off earlier. I am glad
that I followed him here.”
Drake was starting to figure it out. “So,
Kepri must have known that Wati could heal
her,” he said. “And she must have told Worm
about her twin. That’s how Worm knew to
bring her here!”
“Is Worm an Earth Dragon?” Heru asked.
Drake nodded.
“They have amazing powers,” said Heru.
“Worm did the right thing when he brought
Kepri here.”
Rori gave Drake a high five.
Ana hugged Worm. “Thank
you, Worm!”
Then Bo looked nervously
at Kepri and Wati. “Look!”
Wati was standing up
on his hind legs with
his wings spread out
wide.
“Everyone, step back,
quick!” Heru yelled.
They moved away just as Wati opened his
mouth. A ribbon of dark colors streamed out.
It looks almost like a rainbow,