Dragon Dreams (7 page)

I’ve done my homework, and know exactly what to get:

Dragon Field Guide
Binoculars
Flashlight
Rope

…and a backpack to carry it all!

When I come out of the shop, I hear something.

“Psst. Emma!” A girl in a cape is trying to get my attention. “Emma!”

She knows my name!?

“Rapunzel, is that you?” I say, finally realizing.
“Why are you being so mysterious and what are you doing under a cape?”

“Well,” she says… and pushes back the cape. I just about drop all my packages.

“Oh, my, Rapunzel, you have very short and very pink hair!”

“I know,” she says, and sighs.

Aunt Rachel and I take Rapunzel to Sweets, Treats, and Fairy Eats, our favorite
dessert shop, to cheer her up. Rapunzel and I share the fizzing ice-cream soda with rainbow POP ice-cream and two giant swirly straws. (Nobody can be sad eating a fizzing ice-cream soda!)

That night, at a family dinner, I tell my parents about my plan to figure out what’s hurting the dragons and show them my dragon kit. My cousin Ben and his family are there too.

Ben teases, “So you haven’t given up on the Royal Dragon Guard, huh, Emma?”

He doesn’t mean to hurt my feelings, but he kind of does. I can tell he still thinks it’s funny that I would want to fly dragons, even though I’m not five years old anymore. He thinks it’s impossible that I’d ever truly be a dragon rider.

My father thinks that figuring out what’s wrong with the dragons may be too much for a princess. My uncle Alan tells me that even the Royal Council hasn’t been able to figure out what’s causing the problem. When I tuck Lola and Harold in for the night, I’m still determined to try.

Chapter 10

Yay!
It’s time to board the carriages. I’ve got my notebook and my dragon kit, and I’m all ready. Rapunzel and I sit together. Everyone has noticed her hair, but Rapunzel is trying to make the best of it. I’m glad the field trip will help take her mind off it.

The carriages are pulling up at the
entrance to the caverns. The gnomes who are waiting for us sure look grumpy. I think they make even Lady Mary a little nervous. She clears her throat twice before reminding us of the rules for the field trip.

“Now girls, remember to stay with your partners. Pay close attention to our guides,
and
don’t
wander off in any of the cavern tunnels.”

We set off. The tunnels twist and turn. Lanterns on the wall light the way, but it’s pretty dark in some of the passageways.

Alex is right ahead of me. She whispers, “I would hate to be lost in here!”

“I know,” I answer. But inside, I can’t wait to see the dragons.

Our first stop is the hatchery. Even though dragon fire has singed some spots, I’m surprised to see how leafy the trees are and how lush the moss and ferns are here. The hatchery feels like a giant green pillow for dragon eggs. It turns out heat helps the eggs hatch. I make some notes and draw a picture of the hatchery in my dragon field guide.

As the gnomes lead us farther into the caverns, it starts to get cooler. You can barely see the rock ceilings, they’re so far overhead. All of a sudden we come out into an open area surrounded by cliffs. I can see baby dragons peeking out of nests tucked into nooks. Bigger dragons fly overhead.

I wonder how Lola and Harold would get along with a baby dragon. Or how Mom and Dad would. I pull the binoculars out of my backpack to get a closer look. But when I look through them, I see something I didn’t notice at first. The dragons actually look a little tired and faded—not bright and sparkly like they should.

I want to watch for longer, but the gnomes start to lead us back into another tunnel. By the time I put my binoculars away, my group—Rapunzel, Moriah, Alex, and I—is the last in line. “Come on!” Rapunzel says. “We need to keep up.”

My mind is busy. How am I going to figure out what the problem is? I need some clues. I’m so deep in thought, I must have stopped without knowing, because Rapunzel
bumps into me. Moriah stumbles into her. Alex crashes into all of us, and my back-pack flies off and bangs against the lantern on the wall.

CRASH!