Erhalten Sie Zugang zu diesem und mehr als 300000 Büchern ab EUR 5,99 monatlich.
- Herausgeber: Nosy Crow
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Serie: Dragon Storm
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
The seventh book in a thrilling, magical, and action-packed new fantasy series, illustrated throughout and perfect for 7-9 year olds! In the land of Draconis, there are no dragons. Once, there were. Once, humans and dragons were friends, and created the great city of Rivven together. But then came the Dragon Storm, and the dragons retreated from the world of humans. To the men and women of Draconis, they became legends and myth. When dragonseer, Connor, and his dragon, Lightspirit, solve an impossible puzzle, they are taken immediately to the palace. There they meet someone who needs their help to stop the Dragon Storm, and save Draconis from a terrible war! But something isn't adding up ... and not everyone can be trusted. Can Connor and Lightspirit work out who's really behind the Dragon Storm before it's too late? An exciting new fantasy series from the highly acclaimed author of Orion Lost, brilliantly illustrated throughout, and perfect for fans of Beast Quest and Dragon Mountain.
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 70
Das E-Book (TTS) können Sie hören im Abo „Legimi Premium” in Legimi-Apps auf:
Sammlungen
Ähnliche
In the land of Draconis, there are no dragons.
Once, there were. Once, humans and dragons were friends, and guarded the land. They were wise, and strong, and created the great city of Rivven together.
But then came the Dragon Storm, and the dragons retreated from the world of humans. To the men and women of Draconis, they became legends and myth.
And so, these days, in the land of Draconis, there are no dragons…
…Or so people thought.
LIGHTSPIRIT
From where he stood, Connor could see the universe.
It was night, and freezing cold; the sky above him was clear and the air sparkled with frost. The moon was a thin, faint crescent. Far below him, the city of Rivven was dark; most people were asleep, and only a few torches flickered.
Connor was standing on the roof of a small building at the edge of the Royal Palace grounds, which sat upon a huge rock that 2towered over the city. He could see all of Rivven, and the hills beyond it, and the sea, sparkling silver in the darkness. There was no sun, hardly any moon, no other lights. There were only the stars … and the stars were glorious.
They glowed and shimmered so thickly they were like a cloud across the sky. The building 3he was standing on was Observer’s Point, the home of the Royal Astronomer. Connor peered through the eyepiece of a huge beautiful brass telescope, and the stars gazed back at him so brightly he felt he could reach out and touch them.
The biggest star was the planet Talis, which looked like a huge pale circle, or a silver coin. Connor thought that sometimes he could even make out faint patterns across it. Some people believed Talis was a goddess. Others said it was a wandering star. But Connor had different ideas. He wondered what their own world would look like from so far away. Would it look like this, like a coin shining in the dark? Could Talis be a world like theirs? 4
It was almost midnight and, peering through the telescope again, Connor saw what he’d been waiting for – a tiny mark, like a fly on the lens, creeping over the surface of the planet. It was hardly a speck, but Connor thought he knew what it was. He wrote some notes in his book, and then checked again.
Connor loved this. He loved peering through the telescope and making his careful observations, and thinking his thoughts. 5Above all, he loved having the rooftop to himself. He wasn’t lonely. In fact, at times, surrounded by just the night and the stars, he almost felt like someone was with him, watching with him. Sometimes he almost thought he could see something, like a shape in his mind, two circles – no, more like…
Connor frowned. The image of Talis had blurred. Carefully he reached out and turned the small brass screw to adjust the focus…
And a face appeared at the end of the telescope. A face that was as big as the planet!
“Argh!” Connor leapt away from the eyepiece and stared up. There was nothing there. He blinked, then looked once more…
The face was there again! Not human 6but not an animal either. It was green and purple, with a long slender snout, pointy ears and thick eye ridges. Green eyes looked back at him. It was like nothing he’d ever seen before! And yet…
Slowly Connor looked away from the eyepiece and stared upwards. There was something there – a half-shape in the darkness, peering down 7into the lens. It glanced up and saw him and, with a quick movement like a cat, it looped twice round the huge telescope and came down to the rooftop.
It was much bigger than a cat – bigger than Connor even. It had four paws, and was long, like a snake, but thicker. It tipped its head to one side and examined Connor, and he stared back, open-mouthed. 8
They watched each other for a few seconds. Then the creature pointed a claw towards the sky and said, “What do you think it is?” Its voice was curious and precise.
You can talk! Connor thought. He stammered and finally answered, “Talis. It’s a planet—”
“Yes, yes,” said the creature, nodding impatiently. “Talis, second-brightest planet in the night sky. I know that. But what do you think the dot is?”
Connor shook his head. “I, ah … I thought it might be…”
“I think it’s a moon,” said the creature.
Connor gaped. “Yes!” he exclaimed. “Yes, I do too! Because it passes over the surface—” 9
“And you think it’s casting a shadow, yes? Well, if it is a moon, it must be, oh, let’s see, about a tenth of the size of Talis perhaps?”
“Well,” Connor found himself saying, “well, it depends on its orbit, of course.”
“Oh, of course!” the creature agreed, nodding. “But if it’s the same as our moon—”
“Excuse me,” interrupted Connor.
The creature stopped. “Yes?”
“Um… What are you?” Connor blushed. “I mean, sorry, that’s rude. I mean—”
“Good question!” said the creature. “Well, the evidence indicates that I’m… Hmm. Do you know, I rather think I’m a dragon.”
It looked down at itself as if for the first time. “Yes,” it murmured. “I’m a dragon. And 10logic suggests that I am your dragon, or, rather, you are my human? Yes! How intriguing!”
“But dragons don’t exist,” said Connor, trying to sound sensible.
“Really?” said the creature, in an interested voice. “Fascinating! You have proof?”
“Um…” Connor stopped. “Well, no. But dragons are a myth. Nobody’s seen one for a thousand years. The stories say they left…”
“Ah…” The creature thought for a moment. It looked up at the stars. “My name,” it said, “is … Lightspirit. And if your stories say that the dragons left –” it grinned – “then it seems we’re coming back.”
CONNOR
“Checkmate!” said Connor, moving his knight across with a sharp click, and he sat back.
“Oh, well done!” said Lightspirit.
His friend Mira gasped, staring at the chessboard in shock. “What? No way, I was about to win!”
Connor grinned. “It was a trap!”
Beside Mira sat a creature not much bigger than her. His body was angular, with strange brown and bronze markings, as if he was made 12of metal and wood. His front paws were crossed, and he was glaring at the board. His name was Flameteller, and he was a dragon.
It had been eight months since that evening on the roof of the Observatory, but sometimes it felt like yesterday. Connor could still remember it and Lightspirit’s delight at everything. 13
(“Wings!” she’d exclaimed, flapping two rather small, stubby wings on her back. “Wonderful!”)
That evening they’d learned that she could fade out of this world but still stay connected as a voice in Connor’s head. Their bond seemed to break when Connor slept, although he found it easy to connect again. Two days later, a man named Malik had come to visit Connor’s parents. Connor’s school grades were excellent, he told them. The king’s clerks were looking for a new apprentice. A smart lad could advance from there to a great career in the diplomatic service – would Connor be interested…? 14
But when Connor joined, he’d discovered far more. Malik was the king’s clerk, but not just that. There were others like Connor: children who had found dragons. People like Malik had devoted their lives to finding them, and bringing them here – to the Guild Hall, the heart of the Dragonseer Guild.
Watching Connor play chess was his friend Tom, with Ironskin, a large creature, red like glowing iron in a forge. Beside him sat Erin, with the enormous and fierce-looking Rockhammer. Kai and Ellis chatted over a map of the city. Kai’s dragon, Boneshadow, had white skin and a deep red mark on her chest. Ellis loved exploring and his dragon, Pathseeker, was like him – sturdy and 15practical and often gazing into the distance, wondering what was over the next hill…
“Your bishop move was a mistake,” said Cara, next to Connor.
Cara was slim and quiet, and her dragon, Silverthief, was the same, with mottled skin almost like camouflage. “If Mira had brought her rook up, you’d have been in trouble.”
