Dragon Rider (37 page)

Firedrake bent down his neck to the little rat and gently nuzzled her fat hindquarters. “We say
thank you
. And we’d be
even more grateful to you and your uncle if such a map were widely distributed.”

“Oh, it will be,” replied Lola. “You bet it will. Uncle Gilbert has a very select circle of customers and a large extended family.”

“That’s wonderful!” With a sigh, Firedrake straightened up again. “Then may I invite the smallest monks to go for a farewell flight on my back? Will you come, too, Maia?”

“Of course,” replied the she-dragon. “I’ll even carry some of the older ones, if they like.”

And so it was that the farmers down by the river, walking through their fields in the dusk, saw two dragons circling above the mountains. On their spiny crested backs, laughing like little children, sat the monks of the monastery, even the very oldest of them.

57. Good News

 

 

T
wo months later, the Greenblooms were having breakfast. Ben had just helped himself to a second roll when Barnabas suddenly spoke up from behind his newspaper.

“Good heavens!”

“Really?” said Twigleg who, as usual, was sitting on the table next to Ben’s plate. “You mean the forecast promises nice weather?”

“No, no!” cried the professor, lowering his newspaper. “I didn’t mean the weather, my dear Twigleg. There’s a news story here that ought to interest you all.”

“About Pegasus, perhaps?” asked his wife, stirring milk into her coffee.

Barnabas Greenbloom shook his head.

“Some fairies have got another bulldozer stuck in the mud?” suggested Guinevere, licking marmalade off her fingers.

“Wrong again,” replied her father.

“Oh, come on, Barnabas, don’t keep us in suspense,” said Vita. “What is it?”

Ben looked intently at the professor. “Something about the dragons?”

“Ex-act-ly!” cried Barnabas Greenbloom. “The boy’s hit the nail on the head again. Listen to this!” And he read aloud:

“A
strange phenomenon was observed two days ago in the night sky over a Scottish valley. A large flock of gigantic birds, or some have described them as creatures resembling giant bats, rose into the sky and flew south in the light of the full moon. Unfortunately all trace of them was lost over the open sea, but scientists are still trying to identify the species of bird concerned.”

 

Guinevere and Ben looked at each other.

“That was them,” murmured Ben. “Firedrake really did manage to convince the others.”

He looked out the window, where there was nothing to be seen but empty gray sky.

“You miss them, don’t you?” Vita leaned over the table and took his hand.

Ben nodded.

“Well,” said Barnabas Greenbloom, pouring himself more coffee, “the school vacation begins in eight weeks’ time, and we’ll be setting out in search of Pegasus. I’ve found an interesting clue near the ancient city of Persepolis. And it’s not too
far from there to the village where Zubeida lives. I assume that if all goes well, Firedrake and the other dragons will reach the Himalayas within a month. Why don’t we ask our good friend Lola Graytail to carry news to the Rim of Heaven, asking if he can meet us at Zubeida’s in two months’ time?” The professor turned to Ben. “You know his traveling speed — do you think he’ll do it?”

“Perhaps.” In his excitement, Ben had almost spilled his cocoa. “Yes, probably! Hear that, Twigleg? We may be seeing Firedrake again in a couple of months.”

“That’s good,” replied the homunculus, sipping tea from his thimble mug. “But I’m afraid it means seeing Sorrel, too, and she’ll start needling me horribly again.”

“Oh, we’ll tell her not to,” said Guinevere, giving him a fragment of biscuit. “The moment she starts winding you up, we’ll take away the mushrooms we’ve been collecting for her.”

Ben went to the window and looked up at the sky.

Two months. He might be riding on Firedrake’s back again in just two months.

He sighed.

Two months can be a long time. A very long time.

“Come on,” said Guinevere, leaning against him on the window seat. “Let’s go out and look for fairy tracks, okay?”

Ben tore himself away from the sight of the empty sky and nodded. “I saw some down by the pond yesterday,” he said.

“Good.” Guinevere led the way to the garden gate. “We’ll try there first, then.”

“Dress warm,” Vita Greenbloom called after them. “There’s a smell of autumn in the air this morning.”

“Wait a minute, I’m coming, too!” cried Twigleg, scrambling hastily down the table leg.

“But this time, you must translate everything they say to us,” said Guinevere, putting his knitted jacket on him. “Promise?”

“Even if those fairies just talk more nonsense?” snapped Twigleg.

“Yes, even then,” replied Guinevere. “I want to hear their nonsense, too.”

Ben grinned. Then he picked up Twigleg and followed her outside.

Yes, two months could be a long time. But not with a sister like Guinevere.

 

Also by Cornelia Funke

 

The Thief Lord

 

Inkheart

 

Inkspell

 

Inkdeath

 

When Santa Fell to Earth

 

Praise for
Dragon
Rider

 

“Exciting adventures abound….
This book delivers.” —
The Horn Book

 

“Readers will delight in the creatures that turn up in this quest.
Lively characters, hilarious banter.” —
Publishers Weekly

 

“Funke knows how to tickle the imagination…. A good,
old-fashioned ensemble cast quest.” —
Booklist

 

“Will thoroughly satisfy Funke fans.
Engaging and suspenseful.” —
VOYA

 

“A warm-hearted dream of a book.” —
The Guardian
UK

 

Letter from the Author

 

Who’s Who in
Dragon Rider

 

Dragon Tales

 

Sorrel’s Story

 

Visit www.CorneliaFunkeFans.com

 

Letter from the Author

 

Dear Readers,

How
Dragon Rider
came to be is quite a crooked story!

It all began with my very first book. Like this one, it was about a dragon, only it was much shorter! Some years later, a television producer approached me looking for an idea for a cartoon show. “I like the dragon story,” he said, “but we’ll need much more. Can’t you stretch it a bit?”

But you can’t just stretch a story, as I explained to him. I was also sure I would be awfully bored just adding things. So I decided to write a brand-new dragon adventure, and for the first time I planned a really long book. Luckily my publisher in Germany encouraged me, and since my other books were doing well, I knew that my family wouldn’t starve!

So I wrote and wrote for a whole year—but when I had finished, I decided I didn’t want it to become a cartoon show.

Dragon Rider
made me realize that I was born to write, and that there is nothing in the world I love doing more. Only by writing such a big book did I learn that your characters can develop a life of their own—and that a truly adventurous writer lets them show you the way.

Dragon Rider
is dedicated to my German publisher, who sadly died before it was published. He kept telling me to be brave and write a long book—and this is my way of saying thank you.

Best wishes,

Who’s Who in
Dragon Rider

 

FABULOUS CREATURES

 

Brownies

Burr-Burr-Chan –
a Dubidai, or mountain brownie. Male, four arms.

Sorrel –
a young forest brownie girl. Two arms, grumpy, loves mushrooms.

Djinns

Asif –
the Djinn with the thousand eyes. Lives in a large wrecked car and materializes from blue smoke. Tells Ben a riddle that reveals where the Rim of Heaven lies.

Dragons

Firedrake –
a brave young silver dragon and hero of this story.

Maia –
a she-dragon, the first to be woken from stone in the Rim of Heaven.

(Sometimes called Maia the Reckless or Moonstruck Maia.)

Nettlebrand –
the Golden One: an evil, gigantic, golden-armored monster disguised as a dragon.

Shimmertail –
the second dragon to be roused from stone.

Slatebeard –
a wise old dragon living in the Valley of the Dragons.

Dwarves

Graniteface, Leadengleam, Stonebeard –
all dwarves’ scalps prickle when other fabulous creatures are nearby.

Gravelbeard –
a mountain dwarf. Loves gold, jewels, and large hats. Spies for Nettlebrand. Good at polishing.

Homunculi

Twigleg –
a spindly little manikin, and slave to Nettlebrand, who has eaten all of Twigleg’s relatives. (Prefers being with Ben, Sorrel, and Firedrake.)

Rats

Gilbert Graytail
–
a white, former seasick ship’s rat, now a mapmaker, lives in a human city.

Lola Graytail
–fat gray rat; daredevil pilot, cartographer, and tour guide. Niece of Gilbert.

Rosa Graytail
–
gray rat and cousin of Gilbert; warns the dragons about humans.

Sea Serpents
–
twin serpents who reign in the realm of salt water. One carries Firedrake, Ben, and Sorrel across the sea and tells them the truth about Nettlebrand.

HUMAN BEINGS

 

Ben
–
a homeless young boy who flies with Firedrake and Sorrel to find the Rim of Heaven. Also known as the Dragon Rider.

Professor Barnabas Greenbloom
–
professor of archaeology, doctor of history and ancient languages. Becomes a good friend to Sorrel, Ben, and Firedrake.

Guinevere Greenbloom
–
the professor’s clever daughter, about the same age as Ben.

Vita Greenbloom
–
the professor’s wife and Guinevere’s mother. An expert on ancient tombs and paintings.

Zubeida Ghalib
–
an expert dracologist. Tells Ben the story of the legendary Dragon Rider.

The Lama
–
the highest-ranking monk in the monastery of the moonstones.

Plus a supporting cast of villagers, monks, fairies, sandmen, basilisks, giant rocs, ravens, and other fabulous creatures!