by Jeff Norton
“Catch me up, buddy,” he said, patting the T-Rex fondly. “You guys ride to Brecklan, I’m going to fly after that air force.”
Zia launched herself into the sky. Henry grabbed hold of the Pterosaur as she swooped into the air, caught a current and rose high above the clouds.
* * *
Zia flew with incredible speed. Henry kept his head low, gripping on as hard as he could as the clouds scudded past. They swerved left and right, looking for the Pterosaurs until – there! The menacing black shapes of his enemies could be made out, their riders carrying spears or swords.
He couldn’t let them reach his beloved Brecklan.
Henry reached for Neville’s strange wooden instrument and blew into the mouthpiece as hard as he could. Hadn’t Neville used this to summon the Pterosaurs? Maybe Henry could do the same! The low sound filled the sky, and Henry hoped it would be enough to stop the attack.
But nothing happened.
“Get closer,” Henry urged. Zia dived underneath the flock and flew fast enough to get out in front of them. Henry urged her to turn and face them head on. Once again, he blew into the instrument.
But the attacking air force only flew closer, closing in around him. Henry could glimpse the evil that shone in the eyes of the armoured riders. He thought he heard one of them laugh.
“Why are they doing this?” he wondered. “They don’t have to listen to Neville. They could be free.”
Zia screeched, as if to answer.
And then one of the attacking beasts squawked back. And then another.
The flock of Pterosaurs were barrelling down on them, but suddenly stopped in the sky.
Zia opened her long beak and let out another high-pitched sound.
Understanding prickled beneath Henry’s skin. His arms tightened around his companion. “Are you talking to them?”
Each Pterosaur called back with its own reply, until the sky was filled with an overwhelming chorus of the strangest song Henry had ever heard. They didn’t sound angry or hostile, they sounded jubilant. Almost as though they were glad to taste the freedom Henry had taken for granted his entire life.
As the animals hovered in the air, the lead beast suddenly threw its rider from its back. The soldier fell through the air, crying out in horror, to plunge into the swamp and disappear beneath the mud. One by one, the other Pterosaurs followed suit. They each bucked their soldiers off until they were all free. Not a human was left in the sky – other than Henry.
“They’ve freed themselves,” he said, amazed at what had just happened, “because of you.” For some reason, his new companion had been able to break the spell, even when he could not.
Zia glanced back over her shoulder at Henry. The two of them gazed into each other’s eyes and for a moment it felt as though she could sense what he was telling her. Thank you.
As one, the flock banked to the east. Then they split up into smaller groups and separated off in different directions. Going to their natural homes, Henry guessed. Soon, it was just Zia and Henry.
Henry guided Zia north. Together, they flew over the southern border of Brecklan and soared above the forests until Henry spotted the familiar shape of Harding Manor.
“Can you set us down there?” Henry asked. Zia swooped low over the lawn that was now cleared of the tournament stands.
Henry’s herd of dinos was out grazing and he was happy to see Bounce with them.
“Hello, everybody!” Henry called from above.
The dinosaurs recoiled at the sight of the winged creature, but as Zia touched down Henry waved again and smiled, to show them they had nothing to fear.
Bounce approached and Henry gave his old friend a good scratch until Bounce chirped with delight.
Soon, Henry heard galloping behind him and turned to see the Dino Knights and Rex ran into the paddock. They were home! Sitting on Conker with Iyla was Lady Anwyn, and Lord Harding rode with Ellie on Kayla, the Styracosaurus. They all quickly dismounted and ran over to join Henry.
“How did you stop the air assault?” asked Torin.
“I’m not sure I did,” Henry said. “But I don’t think we have to worry about an attack from above any more.”
“We spotted Neville riding after us, just a few minutes behind. He should be here any minute,” said Ellie.
Galliard laughed. “I imagine he’s come to see how his invasion is going! He may be in for a surprise…”
They heard claws clattering and Sir Avingdon charged into the grounds of Harding Manor on an Albertasaurus. The dino was two-legged like Rex, but smaller.
“Impossible!” he yelled, glancing around. “Where’s the destruction? Why are you all still alive? I bred my Pterosaurs to be ruthless.”
Henry folded his arms. “Maybe you should have earned their trust instead.”
“Your plan has failed,” said Lord Harding. “Now get out of Brecklan. Crawl back to your swamp and never return.”
Neville turned his dinosaur around and galloped away, before Lord Harding had time to changed his mind about letting him go.
“We should capture him!” Ellie cried. “What if he tries to invade again?”
Lord Harding shook his head. “Leave him,” he said. “We are better than that. Avingdon is a proud man, and his shame at losing will keep him stewing in his swamp.”
“Where he belongs,” added Iyla.
Harding nodded. “Brecklan is safe, thanks to you knights.” He paused before reaching out a hand to Henry. “Thanks to you, young lad.”
Henry smiled and Lady Anwyn stepped forward to hug him.
“The boy we saved, and now you have saved Brecklan,” she whispered in his ear. When she pulled back to look into his face, tears glistened at her eyes. “Thank you.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
HENRY COULDN’T EAT another bite.
The feast had lasted for hours. All the people of Brecklan Town had come back out from hiding in their houses. They were safe again! Lord Harding and Lady Anwyn gave a toast to the knights and singled out Henry for his bravery. The attention made him blush, but he was happy that his team considered him to be one of them.
His team.
He finally felt part of something, but still, he was troubled by the fact that his ability – his gift with the dinosaurs – set him apart from his new friends. The dinosaurs listened to him in a way they didn’t with other humans. The past few days had proved that to be true. That made him different. Too different?
Lord Harding announced he was going to walk the perimeter of the castle grounds before bed. Henry had often spotted Harding walking the grounds of the estate late at night. Tonight, for the first time, he asked if he could join him.
“Do you know anything about my parents, my lord?” Henry blurted. The words were out the moment they stepped out of the manor house. He couldn’t hold them in any longer.
Lord Harding took a deep lungful of the cool night air. “I’m afraid not. You were found in the forest as a very young child, no more than two. You were brought to Brecklan Town for safety.”
Henry had no memory of this. “Was I all by myself?” That would explain the ache that still sat in his heart. Would it ever go away?
As they rounded the edge of the pasture, the moon shone bright above them. Lord Harding turned his face away, as though he didn’t want Henry to see his expression.
“Not exactly, Henry. Did you know the forest dwellers have a legend? They tell of a baby who was snatched at birth and dropped into a nest of dinosaur eggs. The eggs hatched and that human boy was raised as a dinosaur.”
Henry thought he understood what Lord Harding was trying to tell him. “Was that boy me?”
Lord Harding gave a noncommittal grunt. “We found you playing with a flock of Raptors. At first we thought you were in danger, but as we drew closer we realised that you were almost… How do I say this? One of them.”
Perhaps this explained Henry’s special connection with dinosaurs.
“It would certainly explain yo
ur gift,” said Lord Harding, as though he was reading Henry’s thoughts. “But be wary, Henry. You only lived in their nest as a baby, and time passes. This ability may wear off as you grow older.”
Henry had never thought of himself becoming older. In fact, he had no idea how old he was now! But Lord Harding was right. Henry shouldn’t take his gift for granted.
Lord Harding turned back towards the manor, his false leg shining in the moonlight. “I’ll leave you here,” he said, glancing up at the stars. “Good night.”
They’d arrived near the stables. Henry watched his leader walk away – the man who had rescued him and given him a home.
He heard the familiar grunting and snorting from the stables, the dinosaurs hoping for a Brecklan Berry. Henry didn’t have any of those, but the noises gave him an idea. He crept back into the dining hall and gathered as much leftover food as he could carry. Then he made his way back to the stable and parcelled out the food to the herd in their pens. They squealed and grunted with pleasure.
Henry knew he had a much nicer bed waiting for him in the knights’ quarters, with pillows and a soft mattress. He’d earned his right to sleep there. But for tonight, he wanted to be around old and trusted friends. Exhaustion suddenly overwhelmed him. He gave a wide yawn, slowly climbed the ladder, and threw his weary body down on the thin straw mattress.
He gazed down over the animals, including Bounce in the far stall. As he listened to their slow breathing, he knew that he would always be a stable boy. But as he reached to blow the candle out, there was one other thought that swirled around inside his mind: I’m also a Dino Knight.
He closed his eyes. He’d sleep well tonight – or, at least, he hoped so. Because somewhere out there was Neville. And Henry had a feeling their enemy hadn’t finished with them yet.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book comes from a very special place; play.
Torin, the real Torin, my son, was a young boy and was awake in the night and wanted to play. As we lay on our tummies playing with his toys, I placed one of his plastic knights atop a toy dinosaur. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the compelling visual of a valiant knight riding a toy T-Rex, but in that moment, Dino Knights was born. I drew a crude picture of the pairing and in the days that followed, composed the characters, story and story-world that would become the book you now hold in your hands.
Lots of people helped along the way. Dan Metcalf helped get the story started, Catherine Coe edited an early draft, Ingrid Selberg believed in the story enough to champion it to publication and editor Karen Ball pushed me creatively to make the story stronger. Matt Ralphs provided ninja swift copy-editing. Marg Hope is a genius art director and she found the incredibly talented George Ermos who created the inside chapter headings and the cover artwork, which I think is worthy of hanging on the wall!
I have to thank the team at Awesome Reads - Lou Brown in sales, Camilla Leask in publicity, Jo Hardacre in events and Krissy Mihaylova in the office – for rallying behind this project.
On the home front, I want to thank my wife Sidonie for her continued support and encouragement, Caden for showing me how much fun reading can be and Torin for being the unknowing inspiration for this series.
Lastly, I need to thank you, the reader. You have so many choices of books and other entertainment to choose from, it means the world to me that you decided to give Dino Knights a chance. I hope you enjoy it!
DINOSAUR SPOTTING IN PANTERRA
A PRACTICAL FIELD GUIDE
by Henry Fairchild
Stable Boy, Dino Knight
There are many types of dinosaurs to be found in Brecklan; and even more roaming across Panterra.
Some of them have names almost as big as the animals themselves. And some of those names are can be hard to say and even harder to spell. So, I’ve decided to create a field guide to the dinosaurs you are likely to see in Panterra, including help on how to pronounce their names.
Good luck dino-spotting!
Ankylosaur (Ank-ee-lo-sore).
The Ankylosaur is a low, solid animal covered in thick, spiky scales. The Ankylosaur has a deadly tail that can knock other dinosaurs sideways. Iyla’s dinosaur is of this kind, and her dino is called Conker.
Hypsilophodon (Hip-sill-oh-fo-don)
This dinosaur walks on two legs and has scales. The Hypsilophodon is a herbivore and likes to eat Brecklan Berries.
Nothronychus (Noth-ron-ee-chus)
Torin’s dino, called Haringey, stands on two legs and has feathers that look a bit like fur from a distance.
Ornithomimus (Orn-ith-oh-mim-us)
A fast, agile dinosaur that can gallop on two legs and looks a bit like an overgrown bird. Galliard calls his animal, Avin.
Parasaurolophus (Pair-a-sore-ol-oh-fuss)
This dinosaur walks on two legs and has a hollow horn atop its head that is used for making sounds. These are Lord Harding’s preferred animals for pulling his carriage because he likes the horn-sounds they make when they announce his arrival.
Pterosaur (Tear-oh-sore)
A winged creature, but not strictly a dinosaur. Sir Neville Avingdon is breeding an air force of these flying beasts.
Styracosaurus (Sty-rah-co-sore-us)
This dino has six spikes on its head. This is Ellie’s dino, called Kayla.
Triceratops (Try-ser-a-tops)
A lumbering herbivore (plant-eater) that has three horns on its head. Henry’s favourite Triceratops is called Tribus.
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Tie-ran-oh-sore-us Rex)
A large, fierce carnivore (meat-eater). T-Rexes are known to roam wild in Panterra, and nobody believed they could be tamed.
Utahraptor (You-tah-rap-tor)
This dinosaur is a raptor. Raptors are very intelligent and hunt in packs. They are the choice of the Royal Guardians of Volcanica.
DINO KNIGHTS
BOOK 2: FORGED IN BATTLE
Henry and the Dino Knights are back for more!
When they hear rumours of an attack mounting from the mountains, Lord Harding orders the Dino Knights to investigate. They sneak into the mountain realm where Henry discovers the evil Prince Pattik’s knight school, a cruel place that’s more like a jail than a school. But Henry is captured and “enrolled” in knight school.
Can Henry escape? And will the Dino Knights stop the invasion?