by RH Disney
“Everybody ready?” Tink called to the group. “Let’s keep going.”
The journeyers slowly picked themselves up and rose into the air. After several more minutes of flying, they arrived at the vertical wall of rock. Carefully, they made their way around the base of the mountain, past boulders and spiny shrubs. When they came to the rock Kate and her friends had hidden behind only days before, the group spread out. It was the queen’s idea that they should be less of a target in case Kyto flamed.
Kate crept up to the rock, bracing herself for another terrifying glimpse of the dragon.
But to her surprise, Kyto didn’t seem nearly as frightening as before. He lay on his belly with his head resting on one arm. Kate had the impression that he’d grown smaller.
No, she realized. That wasn’t it. It was his hoard that had diminished. The neat piles of treasure were now scattered all over, as if they’d been carelessly thrown about. Kyto had curled his body around it as best he could, but Kate could see gold coins strewn across the ground, out of his reach. Kate guessed almost half the hoard was gone.
The loss seemed to have affected the dragon physically. His skin looked dry. His eyes were dull and glazed.
“Kyto,” Myka said, approaching with Queen Clarion at her side.
Kyto didn’t even bother raising his head. “You’re back, I sssee.”
Queen Clarion cleared her throat. “We’ve seen the new dragon, Kyto, just this afternoon. We know now that you were telling the truth. We’ve come to ask for your help.”
Kyto looked up. A spark of interest came into his eyes. “You’re going to unchain me?”
There was a long pause. The queen and Myka exchanged worried glances. “No,” Queen Clarion said. “You know we can’t do that.”
Immediately Kyto’s eyes turned red. His lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl. He’s going to flame! Kate thought. She prepared to duck.
But the dragon only turned away. “Then we have nothing more to talk about.”
The fairies seemed flustered. Kate could tell they were all thinking the same thing. What do we do now?
Queen Clarion fluttered a few inches closer and tried again. “Kyto,” she said, “it was wrong of us not to believe you. But there must be a way for us to strike a deal. If you can tell us how to defeat the new dragon, we will give you something in return. An item for your hoard—anything you want.”
“My hoard?” Kyto snorted, and two little clouds of white smoke steamed up from his nostrils. “My hoard? Do you ssssee what has become of my hoard, thankssss to you?” he screeched.
The queen flinched, but she held her ground. “If you help us, we will make sure that every item of your hoard is returned,” she told him. “And we will bring you something new, anything you—”
“QUEEN CLARION!” Myka shouted suddenly. “LOOK OUT!”
A flame screamed through the sky, charring the rocks where the queen had been hovering just seconds before. The girls and the fairies ducked behind their rocks. Circling their heads was the new dragon.
“I’m back for more treasure,” the new dragon bellowed. “And I see some little scavengers have followed me here. Perhaps I’m not the only one who’s interested in your hoard, Kyto.”
Kyto reared up on his hind legs and shot a ball of flame into the sky. “Tyras! Only a coward would steal from another dragon’s hoard!”
Tyras? Kate was surprised that Kyto knew the other dragon’s name. Why hadn’t he told Spring and Myka before?
Tyras swooped down, aiming for a pile of gemstones. Kyto whipped his tail around just in time, smacking the new dragon out of the way.
The fairies scattered. Some hid behind spiny, cactus-like bushes or in patches of scratch grass. Others flew into crevices in the side of the mountain or cowered beneath boulders.
Kate pressed her back flat against the rock she was hiding behind. She looked over at her friends. Lainey had her arms over her head. Mia held Gabby tight against her. Gabby’s eyes were squeezed shut and her hands were covering her ears.
A fearsome screech echoed off the rock walls. Kate peeked around the edge of the rock again. She couldn’t help it. She just had to look.
Flapping his wings, Tyras tucked her talons to her body and dove headfirst at Kyto’s pile. Kyto swiped the air wildly in defense, landing a blow across the other dragon’s neck. As the dragons clashed, Kate realized that Tyras was even bigger than Kyto. Her scales were a grayish purple. Her head was more angular, and her teeth were a disgusting yellowish brown. Tyras’s heavy tail was lined with sharp, bony plates, which she swung at Kyto.
Kyto was doing his best to defend himself and his hoard, but the chain held him back. For the first time, Kate felt almost sorry for him. When he landed a blow that knocked Tyras sideways, Kate found herself silently rooting for him.
As the battle continued, something glinting on the ground caught Kate’s eye. With a jolt of horror, she saw that it was Queen Clarion. The queen was cowering beneath a spindly plant as the battle raged over her. She had been trapped there when Tyras dove, and now she was afraid to move. Kate realized that if the queen didn’t get away, she’d surely be struck.
When Kyto drove Tyras back for a moment, the queen took her chance. She darted away from the plant, heading for a tall crop of boulders. Her crown flashed in the sunlight.
Tyras’s head swung around. When she saw the queen’s shiny crown, her eyes turned red. She let out a screech and lunged at her.
“No!” Kate screamed.
But it was too late. In an instant, Tyras had snatched the queen in her claws. With a flap of her wings, the dragon rose into the air and was gone.
Silvermist watched in horror as the dragon flew away with Queen Clarion. She let go of the rock she’d been clinging to and floated down to the ground. One by one, the fairies and girls came out from their hiding spots and gathered together.
“We have to go after them!” Tink cried.
“And then what?” Vidia said. “Think, Tink darling. If we run after that dragon without a plan, we’ll be crisped faster than you can say flambé.”
“You’d rather leave the queen with that monster?” Tink exclaimed.
“I’d rather stay alive,” Vidia snapped.
“Stop it, you two,” Silvermist said. She rubbed her head. Their bickering was making it hard for her to think. “Vidia’s right. We need a plan.”
They looked at one another in silence.
“Someone must have an idea,” Silvermist said. “Anyone?”
“We could release Kyto,” Spring said.
“Another dragon?” Prilla whispered.
Everyone turned to look at the dragon. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing hard from the battle.
“No,” Tink whispered fiercely. “We agreed before that we wouldn’t release him. We don’t need two dragons on the loose.”
“There’s only one way to get your queen back, then,” Kyto hissed, as he’d been listening all along. “You’ll have to arrange a trade.”
“A trade?” Tink asked.
Kyto got heavily to his feet and began gathering up his treasure. Using his tail as a broom, he swept the precious items into a pile. “Sssomething valuable. Sssomething rare. Sssomething any dragon would covet even more than a fairy queen and her crown.”
Silvermist found herself staring at the dragon’s pile. Was there something in there they could use?
As if he’d read her mind, Kyto’s tail suddenly snapped forward, whiplike. The tip struck right in the center of the fairies. It caught a sparrow man named Orren across the back, sending him flying.
The fairies cried out and fluttered to him. Orren was sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
Kyto bared his teeth at them. “Touch my hoard, and that’ssss the least of what will happen. I’ve already helped more than you dessserve. You brought thisss on yourssselvesss.”
The fairies retreated. It was clear Kyto would be no more help to them. Tink threw her hands into the air in f
rustration. “We need to do something now! Spring, Myka, follow that dragon and track her whereabouts. Everyone else, think. What can we use for a trade?”
“I know of a rare flower, a silver violet, that only blooms once in a hundred years,” Rosetta said. “It grows on an island out in the Sea of Dreams.”
“How far away is it?” asked Tink.
“A day’s flight, maybe more,” Rosetta said.
Vidia shook her head. “Even I’m not that fast.”
“What about pearls?” Mia suggested. “We could ask the mermaids for one.”
“Too common,” Iridessa said. “And we don’t want to have to go to the mermaids. They might not help us.”
Other fairies suggested things—a rare butterfly, a golden fruit, a beautifully carved rock. But none of these things seemed precious enough to trade for their queen.
“I’ve got something,” Gabby said. She stepped forward and removed the costume fairy wings from her back. Silvermist had never seen Gabby without those wings. She knew they were her most prized possession. They were only made of fabric and wire and glue—not valuable enough to tempt a dragon. But Silvermist was touched, and she could tell the others were too.
“Keep your wings, Gabby. They’re worth more on you,” Kate said. Mia put an arm around Gabby’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
All this time, Silvermist had been racking her brain. There was something she was forgetting. Something extraordinary, something no one had ever seen before—what was it?
“I know!” she cried suddenly. “We need Necia!”
“You want to trade Necia?” Prilla looked scandalized.
“No, not trade,” Silvermist said. “I think she can help us!”
“How?” asked Fawn.
“Fire is a dragon’s greatest weapon,” Silvermist explained. “And Necia understands fire better than anyone. If we can’t find a way around Tyras, maybe Necia can.”
“She can,” Kate spoke up suddenly. “I’m sure of it.”
“How do you know?” asked Fawn.
“I—I can’t say,” Kate told her. “But believe me, there’s more to Necia than meets the eye.”
Silvermist took one look at Kate and knew her hunch had been right. “I think we’ve been wrong about Necia—I’ve been wrong,” Silvermist admitted. “We have to at least try.”
“Do you think she’ll come?” asked Tink.
Silvermist hesitated. After all, the fairies of Pixie Hollow hadn’t exactly welcomed Necia. Why would she help them now?
“There’s only one way to find out,” she said.
Kate sat on the ground, resting her back against a pine on the eastern shore of Never Land. A strong wind whipped her hair around her face as she gazed out at the water. Just offshore, she could see Skull Rock. The great skull-shaped rock jutted up from the waves like a giant rising from the sea. A cavern formed the skull’s mouth. When Kate squinted, she could see Tyras’s tail sticking out from it like a tongue.
It hadn’t taken Myka long to track Tyras and Queen Clarion to the cave. Kate thought it seemed like a fitting place for a dragon to make its lair. This wasn’t the first time Kate and her friends had been to Skull Rock. They’d been there once before. They had been looking for a missing fairy. Unfortunately, Skull Rock wasn’t any less creepy the second time around.
“What’s taking them so long?” asked Lainey, who was sitting next to her.
“Do you think Necia said no?” Mia asked.
“She’ll come,” Kate said. Still, she wished she’d gone with Silvermist and Vidia to bring Necia back. The fairies had said they could fly faster on their own, and speed was essential now. But Kate knew that Silvermist and the fire fairy weren’t exactly friends. What if she couldn’t convince her?
Tink flew over to them. She had dimmed her glow so it couldn’t be spotted from far away. In the gloom of the forest, she wasn’t much brighter than a firefly.
“Hold out your hands,” she told the girls.
They did as she asked. Tink placed a little leaf-pouch in each of their upturned palms.
“What’s this for?” Kate asked.
“More fairy dust. We weren’t expecting to fly so far today. You should all have a backup supply. You wouldn’t want to run out when you’re flying over the sea.”
Or inside Skull Rock with a dragon, Kate added to herself.
The girls tucked the extra fairy dust in their pockets. But Tink still hovered, tugging at her bangs. Kate had the feeling there was something she wanted to say.
“We should have believed Necia when she said she didn’t start that fire in the orchard,” Tink said.
Kate knew she’d struggled to find those words. Tink wasn’t always one to admit when she was wrong.
“There’ll be plenty of time to make it up to her,” Kate said. “First we need to save Queen Clarion.”
“Do you think Queen Clarion is safe?” Mia asked, looking out at the cave.
“Tyras must have wanted her for a reason,” Tink said. “She wanted her crown, no doubt. A fairy queen herself is rare. If Tyras thinks the queen valuable enough, she’ll do anything to protect her.”
“Do you think Tyras plans to stay on Never Land for good?” Mia asked.
“It certainly looks like it,” Tink said. “She’s built up quite a hoard.” Piles of treasure surrounded the mouth of the cave. Among the gold and gemstones, Kate saw things she hadn’t noticed before—a wooden ship wheel trimmed in gold, a marble statue, something that looked like a giant crystal egg. She wondered if they were all from Kyto’s hoard, or if Tyras had plundered other dragons’ hoards, too.
“Why do dragons have hoards, anyway?” Gabby asked.
“Because their minds are clever, but their hearts are empty,” Tink answered. “They can’t love. They have to have something else to live for.”
“Do you think there are nice dragons somewhere?” Lainey wondered.
“Maybe,” said Tink. “But not that I’ve met.”
The wind was still blowing from offshore, bowing the treetops and rustling the leaves. Faintly, Kate heard a bell-like sound. She jumped to her feet.
Her friends were up, too. “Do you hear that?” Lainey said.
Just then, they glimpsed three spots of light coming through the trees. Vidia and Silvermist were returning—with Necia!
“We’re back,” Silvermist said. Next to her, Necia nodded, looking determined. “And, Gabby,” Silvermist added, “we’re going to need those wings of yours after all.”
The flight across the sea to Skull Rock was gusty and turbulent. The girls and their fairy friends struggled through the wind, which seemed to come at them from all sides. It didn’t help that they had to travel the long route, flying around the island to approach from behind the cave. It was the only way to stay hidden from the dragon’s view.
By the time Kate touched down, she was shaking. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. The girls and fairies fanned out around Skull Rock, each taking their positions. Kate, Gabby, Necia, and the light fairy Iridessa found a hiding spot behind a rock near the mouth of the cave.
“Do you see Queen Clarion?” Iridessa whispered.
“No,” Kate whispered back. “Tyras is in the way.” The dragon’s huge body lay across the entrance.
Kate glanced across the spit of sand to where Mia and Lainey were hiding behind a jagged boulder. Could they see any better? If they could, they gave no sign.
“She must be somewhere inside the cave. We’ll have to keep Tyras distracted long enough to go in and search for her,” Necia whispered.
Kate nodded. They’d hoped they’d be able to spot the queen right away. It would have made rescuing her much easier.
Then again, she thought, no one said this would be easy.
Kate pulled a handful of damp pine needles from her pocket and placed them on the ground. Gabby removed her fairy wings.
Now they had to wait for their cue.
It came a moment later. Out in the wate
r, just beyond the edge of Skull Rock, they saw a tiny light flash—once, twice. It might have been the glimmer of fading sunlight on a wet rock. But Kate knew it was Silvermist winking her glow to let them know everyone was in place.
This is it. Necia snapped her fingers to make a spark, then carefully lit the pine needles. Kate took a deep breath, then blew a stream of air at the smoldering pine needles. The flames jumped higher. Plumes of smoke drifted toward the mouth of the cave.
Tyras’s head whipped around when she smelled the smoke. She grunted and got heavily to her feet. She took a few curious steps toward the mouth of the cave.
“Your turn,” Kate whispered to Gabby.
Gabby held her wings up to the fire and began to flap them slowly, casting a shadow on the dark cavern wall. Now it was Iridessa’s turn. She began to shape the shadow, moving the light so that it grew bigger and more frightening. Together, the little girl and the fairy were making a perfect shadow puppet. With the help of Iridessa’s light magic, the shadow of Gabby’s fairy wings looked exactly like dragon wings.
Good girl, Gabby! Kate thought. Why had she ever doubted bringing Gabby along? The six-year-old was as brave as any of them!
When she saw the shadow, Tyras’s eyes glowed red. “Kyto! Is that you?”
It’s working! Kate cheered silently.
Kate added more damp pine needles to the fire, sending up more smoke. She just needed to keep Tyras distracted a little bit longer.
When Tyras’s head was turned, Necia darted from their hiding spot and sprinted across the sand toward the cave. At that moment, Kate noticed Mia gesturing wildly from her hiding spot.