Tears streamed down her face, and Trenton put an arm around her shoulders. “It feels like a lifetime ago that Angus accused me of being an inventor. At the time, we both believed that creativity was bad. Since that time, I’ve wondered if maybe that is true, at least a little.” He glanced down at his mother.
Kallista stepped forward.
“Technology can be a terrible thing. Weapons and machines can replace love and human kindness. It is because of technology that millions of people have died. But it can also be a wonderful thing. It can save lives, feed the hungry, and it can even bring new life into the world.”
She stepped back, and Trenton took a deep breath.
“Creativity isn’t just machines, though. It isn’t just inventing. It’s painting and sculpting, writing and music. Creativity is imagining, dreaming about a better world—a world where we can stop fighting and start working together.
“Angus once told me that he admired me for trying to do the right thing. He said he wished he could be more like that. Well, when it counted the most, he did exactly the right thing.” He glanced at Simoni, who looked toward Angus’s family.
“Right before . . .” Her voice trembled, and she wiped her eyes. “Before Angus saved my life by pushing me off the dragon, he said to me, ‘Tell my father I’ve learned that protecting people is about who you help, not who you hurt.’” She turned and hugged Trenton.
Trenton took a deep breath. “In honor of our good friend, Angus Darrow, who wanted to help people, we have something to donate to the city. Something we hope will bring you joy. I think that if Angus were here today, he’d agree that creativity is a good thing. It can bring joy, and maybe, just maybe, creativity can change the world—for the better.”
Together, all five of them reached up and pulled a thick golden rope. The tent fell, revealing a huge, circular, mechanical swing. A much bigger version of the swing Trenton had once built back in the city of Cove to impress Simoni. Only instead of seats, each swing was either a mechanical dragon or a representation of a real one. Flying together, side by side.
Trenton pulled a switch, and the machine started up. Music composed by Plucky’s friend Talysa filled the air as the dragons whirled higher and higher. There was an audible gasp from the people watching, then every kid in the audience crowded forward for a chance to ride a dragon.
Trenton looked down to see a girl no older than six with long red hair stare longingly up at the swings. A bigger kid started to push her out of the way, but a muscular boy stepped in, put an arm around her and escorted her to the front of the line.
He glanced at Simoni, who smiled back at him. Together she, Trenton, and Kallista helped the boy and the girl take the first seats on the ride.
Maybe creativity really could change the world.
Four years ago, I had lunch with Chris Schoebinger of Shadow Mountain and said, “I have this idea for a book about a boy and a girl who live in a city under a mountain where creativity is against the law. They end up building a giant steam-powered dragon.” Chris’s eyes lit up, and this series began. I don’t remember what we had for lunch, or even where we ate, but I remember how excited we were about the story and the way it would play out.
Since that time, I’ve been amazed by how many other people have fallen in love with the combination of steampunk and dragons. I’ve received drawings, book trailers, dragons of all shapes and sizes, and tons of cool steampunk gifts from my readers. But even more than that, I’ve received so many wonderful messages about my books. It thrills me when I think about all the new friends I’ve made through this series and all the old friends who started reading my earlier books and came with me on this journey. I hope you’ll stay with me wherever the next idea takes us.
I’d also like to recognize some real people who allowed me to use their names for characters in this book. Talysa Sainz was the high bidder in a charity auction that helped raise money to buy books for needy students. Hallie Meredith, Michael Whitlock, and Joey Moore were entered into a contest by their parents. Alex Vaughn is a good friend and fine actor whose plays I have enjoyed, and Graysen, Lizzy, Jack, Asher, and Cameron are my own grandkids, who I stuck in the Runt Patrol because I could.
Special thanks to Cori Bailie, Jackson Porter, and Matt Hayes for their amazing and helpful feedback on the story.
I also want to say thanks to the teachers, the librarians, the bookstore staff members, my friends, my publisher, my agent, my incredibly supportive family, and especially all of you amazing people who put down the remote, turn off the phone, ignore the chores, errands, and all the other things the world has to offer in order to dive into the pages of books. You are the people who change the world.
1.At the end of Embers of Destruction, the dragons and humans work to establish a peace treaty. Divide your class, friends, or family into two groups. Half of you will be dragons, and half of you will be humans. See if you can negotiate a set of laws that both groups can agree on.
2.Trenton and Kallista discover that the different species of dragons got their powers from the animal DNA that was used to create them. List three different kinds of animals, like insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, or others. If you combined those three animals into a single dragon, what powers might it have?
3.Angus was known as a bully. Take three examples from this book of his bullying and discuss how he could have handled those situations better. Try role-playing your version with a friend.
4.Kallista, Trenton, and the Runt Patrol try to come up with a plan to stop the dragons. If the Runt Patrol came to you for a plan, what would you do?
1.Simoni tells Trenton he should stop trying to be the best at everything. Do you think that was good advice? Why can trying to be the best at something be good? How can it be bad?
2.The people of San Francisco have enough to eat and houses to live in. To earn this security, they must give up their freedom by serving the dragons. If you had to choose between security or freedom, which would you pick? Why?
3.Simoni says that leaders make those around them better. Can you think of a leader you know who has done this? Are there leaders who did not make those around them better? What did they do differently from each other and how did their leadership end?
4.The people who founded Discovery didn’t bring pets (like cats or dogs) into the mountain with them because they only wanted animals that could be used for food. Do you think that was a good or bad decision? Why?
5.Kallista believes her father is right about everything. When he says something she disagrees with, she struggles to decide whether to believe him or not. Has an adult ever said something that you thought was wrong? How did you respond to it?
6.In Fires of Invention and Gears of Revolution, Trenton and Kallista choose to protect their home and family. In Embers of Destruction, they decide to fight for the people of San Francisco. Do you think this is a good or bad decision? Why?
Embers of Destruction Page 29