Dragon Masters #3: Secret of the Water Dragon (A Branches Book) Read online

  Bo’s eyes. “We can help you, Bo,” he said. “But

  you must tell us why you tried to steal the

  stone.”

  Bo sighed. “It began when King Roland’s

  soldiers came to my kingdom. They went to

  see Emperor Song.”

  “What did they want?” Drake asked.

  “They wanted

  me

  ,” Bo replied. “The soldiers

  told the emperor that King Roland wanted me

  for an important project. At first, Emperor Song

  did not agree to send me off. He was worried

  that I would not be safe. But my parents said

  it would be an honor to our kingdom. So he

  agreed.”

  Drake nodded. “Emperor Song sounds very

  kind.”

  “He is — or at least, he used to be,” Bo said.

  “Last night, I found a black feather on my

  pillow. There was a note with it that I did not

  show Drake.”

  He took a piece of paper from his pocket

  and gave it to Griffith.

  “It says —” His voice choked. “It says that

  Emperor Song has put my family in prison. To

  save them, I must steal the Dragon Stone and

  bring it to him right away. And I must not tell

  anyone.” His eyes filled with tears.

  Griffith put a hand

  on his shoulder. “I

  understand.”

  “But you said he

  was a kind emperor,

  Bo,” Drake said. “Why

  would he do this?”

  “I do not know,” Bo replied.“I fear that some

  evil has come over him.”

  “I fear you are right,” said the wizard. “And

  we must help your emperor. But first, we have

  a problem closer to home. The black feather

  is a symbol of the Raven Guard.”

  Bo nodded. “Yes. You have heard of them?”

  “I have heard stories,” Griffith said. “The

  Raven Guard is a group of skilled fighters who

  serve the emperor. They are very dangerous.”

  Drake turned pale. “So if the feather is in

  the castle . ..”

  “Then one of the Raven Guards is here,

  too!” said Bo.

  W

  hat do you know about the Raven Guards,

  Bo?” asked Griffith.

  “They dress all in black,” said Bo. “They can

  move silently without being seen.”

  “They

  must

  be sneaky,” said Drake. “How

  else could one of them get that feather on

  your pillow?”

  Bo nodded. “They are very skilled at spying.”

  THe raVeN GuArd

  Just then, Drake’s Dragon Stone felt warm

  on his skin. He looked down. It was glowing!

  Then he heard Worm’s voice inside his head.

  Danger outside!

  “Rori and Ana!” Drake cried. “They went

  outside by themselves!”

  Griffith frowned. “We must find them.” He

  stomped into the hallway and yelled to the

  guard by the Training Room door. “Simon,

  please watch my workshop! Make sure no

  one enters!”

  Simon grunted in reply, and the three of

  them rushed out of the workshop. They raced

  through the long tunnel that led to the Valley

  of Clouds.

  When they got outside, Rori and Ana ran

  up to them. They both started talking quickly.

  “The thief was here! He was dressed in

  black!” cried Ana.

  “He had a red crystal! And he shone it in

  our eyes,” Rori said.

  “Then he started asking us stuff! And we

  gave him answers!” Ana said. “Somehow he

  made

  us tell the truth, even though we did

  not want to. I think the crystal was —”

  “Magic!”Rori added.“And then he was gone!

  He moved so fast!”

  “He is a skilled and dangerous spy,”said

  Griffith. “The red crystal he used sounds like

  dark magic. Now, tell me: What questions did

  he ask?”

  “He wanted to know where the Dragon

  Stone was,” Ana replied. “And if it was guarded

  by anything.”

  “

  Ana

  told him about the magic charms!”Rori

  said.

  “And

  you

  told him Griffith had left the castle,”

  Ana said.

  “Wait a minute, Griffith. What are you doing

  here?” Rori asked.

  “Never mind that,” Griffith said. “I am here

  now. And the spy may be on his way to steal

  the Dragon Stone.We must get to my workshop.

  Hurry!”

  They all raced back through the tunnel. Drake’s

  heart pounded.

  When they got to Griffith’s office, Simon

  the guard was conked out on the floor! And

  the workshop door was wide open!

  G

  riffith ran to the box that held the Dragon

  Stone. He opened the lid.

  “The Dragon Stone is gone!” he cried.

  “The Raven Guard must have come right

  for it,” Bo said.

  “Raven Guard? What do you mean, Bo?”

  Rori asked, her green eyes flashing. “What is

  going on?”

  Bo told Rori and Ana everything — about the

  feather, the Raven Guard, and Emperor Song.

  tHe CHaSe

  “So

  you

  tried to steal the stone last night?”

  Ana asked Bo.“And that spy came from

  your

  kingdom?”

  Bo nodded.

  “Now ,Dragon Masters, we must act quickly,”

  Griffith said. He picked up a small box and

  opened it. A green feather floated in the air.

  “I put a magic Finding Charm on the Dragon

  Stone,” he said.“This feather will lead us to it.

  But we must hurry!”

  Bo nodded. “The Raven Guard moves swiftly.”

  “We will use our two fastest dragons — and

  their new saddles,” Griffith said. “Rori, you

  and I will take Vulcan. Ana, you and Drake

  take Kepri.”

  “What about me?” asked Bo.

  “You will stay here,” said Griffith. “Make

  sure Simon is all right.”

  Bo nodded. “Yes, Griffith.”

  Drake and the others raced to the dragon

  caves. He and Ana quickly saddled Kepri and

  climbed on her back. Rori and Griffith climbed

  on Vulcan.

  “Feather,find the stone!”Griffith commanded.

  The feather zipped toward the tunnels.

  Vulcan took off after the feather like a shot.

  Kepri was on his tail. When the feather left the

  tunnels, the dragons took to the air. They flew

  across the Valley of Clouds.

  Drake looked down. His stomach flipped.

  “We’re so high up!” he yelled to Ana.

  “Isn’t it amazing?!” she yelled back.

  Wind brushed Drake’s cheeks as the dragons

  flew across the Valley of Clouds. They flew

  over the hills, to the deep, wide forest beyond.

  Drake kept his eyes on the feather. Up ahead,

  he could see something moving across the

  treetops: the Raven Guard! The small, black

&
nbsp; figure moved like the wind from one tree to

  the next.

  Griffith saw him, too. So he plucked the

  Finding Feather from the air. He pointed down.

  Vulcan dove through the trees.

  Drake’s stomach flipped as Kepri followed.

  The two dragons glided side by side over the

  treetops.

  “We’re catching up to him!” Ana shouted,

  her dark eyes gleaming.

  Vulcan was closest to the guard. The dragon

  opened his mouth wide.

  “No, Vulcan!” Griffith yelled. “No fire! It’s

  too dangerous! Ana, pull ahead with Kepri!

  Block the guard, and I will use a spell on him!”

  “Faster, Kepri!” Ana told her dragon. “Get in

  front of that guy!”

  Kepri picked up speed. She flew past the

  quickly moving guard. Then she turned around,

  blocking his path.

  Drake saw that the guard wore all black.

  Only his eyes were showing. The guard

  reached into a pocket. He pulled out a handful

  of glittering, red dust.

  Red: the color of

  dark magic. The color

  of the crystal that the

  guard had used to make

  Rori and Ana answer him.

  The same color as

  the ball of light that

  Maldred had sent into

  the castle weeks ago.

  The dust must be

  dark magic, too

  , Drake

  guessed.

  “Ana! Turn Kepri back NOW!” he yelled.

  “It’s dark magic!”

  Dark magic makes

  Sun Dragons sick.

  Drake knew they

  had to get Kepri

  away from here

  before the red

  dust came near her.

  Ana quickly steered Kepri away from the

  guard. Drake looked back at Griffith. The

  wizard’s finger was pointed at the guard. He

  was starting to say a spell.

  That’s when Drake noticed the bag in the

  guard’s hand.

  The Dragon Stone must be in that bag!

  he

  thought.

  “Rori! Grab the bag!” Drake yelled.

  The guard quickly sprinkled red powder

  on himself.

  Then everything happened at once.

  Vulcan charged at the guard from behind.

  Rori reached out and yanked the bag out of

  the guard’s hand. His eyes widened.

  The red dust sparkled. Vulcan roared

  loudly.He blasted a stream of fire as the guard

  disappeared.

  “Vulcan, no!”Rori cried.

  The treetops burst into flame!

  H

  igher! Fly above the smoke!” Griffith

  yelled over the roar of the flames.

  Vulcan and Kepri flew above the fire. Then

  a blue streak darted out in front of them.

  It was Bo, riding his dragon!

  But Bo isn’t

  supposed to be outside!

  thought Drake.

  A powerful wave of water streamed out of

  Shu’s mouth. The fire sizzled, then went out.

  SHu tO tHe ResCue

  “I am sorry I did not stay behind,” Bo told

  Griffith. “But when I looked outside and saw

  the smoke, Shu and I just had to help.”

  “You did well,” Griffith told him. Bo smiled

  proudly.

  “Rori, do you have the stone?” Griffith

  called out.

  Rori opened the bag.

  The big, green Dragon

  Stone glittered inside.

  “Got it!” she yelled

  back.

  “Then to the castle!

  Hurry!” the wizard

  ordered.

  They quickly flew

  back to the caves and

  climbed off the dragons.

  “Bo, that was awesome!”said Ana.“Shu did

  a great job putting out that fire. And, Rori, you

  did a great job getting back the Dragon Stone.”

  “Thanks,” Rori said.“Drake is the one who

  spotted it.”

  “So, how did that Raven guy just vanish?”

  Ana asked.

  “He used the red dust to get away,” Griffith

  said. “But he will not get far. He is using

  borrowed magic. It is not very strong.”

  “I am glad the Dragon Stone is safe,” said Bo.

  “And I know we can’t give it to Emperor Song.

  But I do not know what to do. He will keep

  my family in prison if we do not give the stone

  to him.” He looked like he was about to cry.

  Then Drake saw something. Bo’s Dragon

  Stone was glowing!

  “Bo, look!” he said, pointing.

  Bo looked down. His eyes grew wide. He

  was quiet for a moment. Then a huge grin

  spread across his face.

  “It’s happening!” he cried. “Shu is speaking

  to me — inside my head!”

  B

  o closed his eyes, listening to his dragon.

  “What is Shu saying?” Rori whispered.

  “That there is a dark cloud over the emperor,”

  Bo said, opening his eyes. “A darkness that is

  not his own.”

  gRiffith'S pLaN

  “Could it be Maldred?” Drake asked, thinking

  of the dark wizard.

  Griffith nodded. “The dust the guard used

  looks like Maldred’s dark magic. Maldred may

  be using the emperor to get to the dragons.”

  “Can Shu help?” Ana asked.

  “She says that she can,” Bo replied, “but that

  she needs to see the emperor in person.” He

  looked at Griffith. “May I bring her to him?”

  “I do not know all the secrets a Water Dragon

  holds,” Griffith said.“If Shu says she can help,

  then I trust her.”

  “We should go to your kingdom right now,

  Bo!” Drake said. “I’ll get Worm.”

  “Let us think this through, Drake,” Griffith

  said. “I trust you and Bo to go on your own.

  I must stay here to protect the Dragon Stone.

  Ana and Rori can assist me. But we will need

  the help of my friend, Diego, too.”

  Griffith snapped his fingers.

  POOF!

  Drake

  jumped. A cloud of smoke filled the room.

  When it cleared, a short, fat wizard was

  standing there.

  “Griffith! What’s wrong?” Diego asked.

  “Maldred is trying to steal the Dragon Stone,”

  Griffith explained. “You and I must strengthen

  the charms that protect it.”

  Diego nodded. “I will do whatever you

  need, my friend.”

  Griffith turned to Bo and Drake. “Be careful.

  Let Shu try to remove the dark cloud from

  Emperor Song. Make sure Bo’s family is safe.

  Then come right back.”

  “We will do our best,”

  Bo said.

  Drake had a scary

  thought.

  I know Bo feels

  bad about trying to steal

  the Dragon Stone. But

  what if the emperor

  tells Bo to do something

  else? Like turn over our

  dragons? Would he do it

  to save his family?

  Drake wasn’t sure what to think. But right

  now, he had to trust his friend.

  “There is n
o time to waste!” said Griffith.

  “Drake, put a saddle on Worm.”

  “I’ll be fast!” Drake promised, and he ran to

  Worm’s cave.

  Worm, I need your help,” Drake said. “We

  must go to the kingdom of Emperor Song. It

  might be dangerous, but we have to help the

  emperor and save Bo’s family. Will you take us?”

  Worm nodded. Drake quickly put his saddle

  on him. Then Bo rushed into the cave, riding

  Shu.

  ACRoSS the

  wORld

  “Now, Drake, we just touch Worm for his

  power to work. Right?” Bo asked.

  Drake nodded.

  Bo touched Worm, and Shu touched Worm

  with her tail.

  “Ready!” Bo said.

  Drake took a deep breath. “Okay, Worm.

  Please take us to the kingdom of Emperor Song.”

  Worm’s body started to glow. Green light

  filled the room. It grew brighter and brighter.

  Drake’s heart raced.

  The green light exploded.

  Drake felt weird. His

  stomach flip-flopped.

  Then the light

  faded. He blinked.

  A moon shone in

  the sky above.

  “We are here,” said Bo.

  “You did it, Worm!”Drake cheered.

  He looked around. It was nighttime in the

  kingdom. A towering building rose up in front

  of them. Moonlight shone on a big, round pond

  in front of the building. Cherry trees lined the

  walkway around the pond.

  Drake and Bo climbed down from their

  dragons.

  “That is Emperor Song’s palace,” Bo said.

  “We must bring Shu to him right away,”

  Drake said.

  “Yes. But he will be angry when he sees

  that I do not have the Dragon Stone,” Bo said.

  Drake shook his head. “I still don’t get it,

  Bo,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me what

  the feather meant? And about the note?”