By the time Archie hit the ground floor, he had his plan. Snapping the Journal closed, he set it on the stairs, grabbed the banister, and swung around to dash down the hallway. He burst into the kitchen only seconds after Grandpa.

“Hurry!” he said, grabbing Grandpa’s arm. “We can defeat it, but we have to go right now.”

Grandpa stared at him. “Defeat what?”

“The beast that stole everyone’s gold.” Archie moved toward the back door, pulling Grandpa along. “Every gold piece is a part of us. It’s like a memory. We have to get it all back, and only we can face that monster’s fire!”

“Fire?” Grandpa snapped to attention. “Where?”

“Follow me. I tracked it outside the town.”

“There’s a town here?”

Archie didn’t need to pull anymore. Grandpa followed him into the vast green backyard. Archie pointed toward the woods beyond.

“Yes, there’s a town on the other side of the forest. See the buildings, just above the trees?”

Grandpa followed his gesture, eyes sweeping over the tops of the trees. Archie waited, trying not to look anxious. Hoping Grandpa would catch on and join in. If this didn’t involve both of them together, Archie didn’t think it would work.

But there was no spark in Grandpa’s eyes, no recognition. He still looked like someone playing a game he didn’t know the rules to. He was trying, but ultimately still lost.

Archie suppressed a sigh. Maybe he could figure out another way, try again tomorrow or—

“That stone roof,” Grandpa said. “Is that . . . the duke’s manor?”

A thrill raced through Archie. “Yes! The one that’s all wacky angles. The duke who gave us this quest lives there.”

With a rumble in the distance, the top of a building appeared beyond the forest, rising up from the ground fully formed: gray stone blocks and a steep roof topped with dark slate tiles.

Grandpa stared at their creation, his confusion transforming into a smile of wonder. “I see it, Fletch.”

Archie felt like shouting in triumph. He forced himself to focus. These next steps would be crucial.

“Do you see the tower beyond it?” he said. “The one with the—”

“Huge bronze bell,” Grandpa finished. “I see it, and the city walls.”

“Yes!”

Another distant rumble and the tower appeared, its bronze bell gleaming in the sun. Massive city walls followed.

“They’re so tall,” Archie said. “Why would they have such tall walls? Maybe they had trouble with beasts before.”

“Yes,” Grandpa said. “Only this one is different because . . . because it can fly.”

“And breathe fire.”

“So it got past the wall, burned a few buildings . . .”

“. . . raided the treasury while the people put out the fires, then flew off.”

Smoke was rising in the distance now. Archie could smell it from where they stood.

“Which is why they sent for us,” Grandpa said solemnly.

Archie nodded. “Because we’re heroes. We eat danger for breakfast and look good doing it.”

“Right you are, Fletch. Nice gear, by the way. Especially the cloak.”

Archie glanced over his shoulder. His long cloak billowed in the wind. A soft gray accented by silver scrollwork, it perfectly complemented his leather armor and the ornate longbow slung across his back.

He nodded to Grandpa. “Same to you. No cloak, but that armor looks tough as nails.”

“Time to put it to the test.” Grandpa stalked forward like a hunter, heavy steel-plate armor clanking with every step. “We’ve tracked it across the farmland outside town.”

Archie walked by his side, eyes roving back and forth in search of their prey. “Then off the roads and through the woods. We crossed over that stream.”

The creek behind their house widened, crystal clear water rushing over river rock and under an ancient stone bridge.

“And then here,” Grandpa said. “Foothills and meadowland, far as the eye can see.”

Archie spun in a circle as they walked, appreciating the untamed beauty of the country that had sprung up around them. “It must’ve thought no one would be brave enough to chase it.”

“But it didn’t know about us.”

Rounding the curve of a foothill, Grandpa stopped and pointed. There, half-hidden behind brush, was an opening in the side of the hill. Beyond it was blackness.

“That cave,” he said.

“The beast is inside with the gold,” Archie said.

Grandpa nodded. “I can smell it.”

“If we move fast, maybe we can sneak by it and—”

Archie froze as a heavy thump shook the ground. Then another, louder this time, and the ground shook again.

Footsteps.

A beast the size of a sailing ship burst from the cave mouth. With an earsplitting roar, it spat a river of flame at the two adventurers.

“Dragon!” Archie shouted.

“Move!”

Grandpa shoved Archie one way and dove the other, barely saving them from being roasted. The dragon roared and stomped, great claws chewing furrows into the earth.

Archie hit the ground. In one smooth motion, he rolled back to his feet, longbow in hand. Drawing an arrow, he nocked it and pulled back the bowstring. He was just barely too slow.

“Watch out!” he called.

Grandpa spun in time to see the dragon dive straight at him. He drew a blade of shining steel and swung with all his might. The dragon screeched in agony as a cluster of its armored scales buckled. Then Grandpa’s blade shattered into glittering pieces.

Rising up, the dragon curled until its smoldering mouth pointed down at Grandpa. It sucked in a breath, preparing to reduce him to cinders.

No time to aim properly—Archie trusted his instincts and released the arrow. It struck the dragon’s flank and exploded in a plume of purple flames.

The dragon rocked to the side with a heavy grunt, then shot skyward, its massive wings beating the air. Soaring far out of their reach, it ascended until almost touching the clouds, then dove again. The wind screamed around its monstrous form as it hurtled like a missile . . . straight at them.

“That thing’s fast,” Grandpa said.

“We’ll be ready,” Archie replied.

Side by side they stood on the scorched earth left by the dragon, muscles tense as they watched the dragon’s approach. As they waited for the right moment.

Archie felt a tremor of fear and squashed it. No one could do this but them, so one way or another, they were going to try. Even though the beast was fifty times their size and breathed bone-melting fire. Even though flight gave it an advantage they could never match and—

Wait. That was the answer. Unslinging his quiver, Archie tossed the bow and arrows to Grandpa.

“I have an idea, but we need to trade weapons. My bow for Winterheart.”

Grandpa shot Archie an incredulous look.

“I know the sword is special to you,” Archie said. “I’ll look after it, I promise.”

“What are you planning?”

Archie summoned his best roguish smile. “To go for a ride.”

Grandpa nodded with approval and drew an object from a sheath at his waist. “Only press the jewel when you’re ready.”

He set the hilt of a sword in Archie’s hands. An oval-shaped blue jewel glittered in the cross guard. Strangely, this sword had no blade, but Archie knew that was the key.

He could hear the flapping of leathery wings now. The dragon roared, shaking the trees with the power of its voice.

Archie glanced up. “Almost there.”

Grandpa nodded. “Right. I’ll keep it busy.”

“Thanks.”

He exchanged a silent salute with Grandpa. Then they sprinted in opposite directions. Just as they parted, the ground where they’d been standing burned under a jet of searing flames.

Reaching under his cloak as he ran, Archie slid Winterheart into his belt. Then he pulled out a grappler attached to a chain that wrapped around his waist.

The dragon swooped down in the wake of its flames, skimming the ground. As it flew between the two heroes, a purple explosion rocked it from the opposite side. Grandpa had loosed his first arrow and scored a hit.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Archie reversed direction and dashed straight at the dragon. He flung the grappler and latched onto the tail just as the creature flew by.

The chain pulled taut with a metallic snap, and suddenly Archie was flying. The dragon angled skyward again with no idea what it was dragging.

Archie reached down to the little clockwork machine at his waist and smacked the button. With staccato clanks, the machine began to spin and retract the chain attached to the grappler. Bit by bit, he drew closer to the monster.

The wind whipped at his face as they flew. He blinked against it, trying to clear his vision, and caught his first sight of the ground below. Far below.

Fear flashed through him. He stomped it down, focusing on his task.

Archie stood now on the beast’s thick tail. Unhooking the grappler, he looped it back onto his belt and began climbing up the heavy spines along the dragon’s back.

The dragon brushed the bottom of a cloud. For an instant it paused, hovering at the apex of its flight before turning back toward the ground. For that glorious instant, Archie floated weightless. He savored the rush, the moment stretching on in his mind.

The dragon dove hard toward Grandpa, who faced the next attack alone. Archie barely held on, his stomach leaping into his throat as they careened toward the earth. He gritted his teeth and resumed climbing. Forward another step, past another spine. Then another. Then another.

The ground loomed closer.

Grandpa loosed arrow after arrow, their impact creating purple explosions that kept the dragon preoccupied.

Archie leapt with all his might. He flew forward, landing on the dragon’s neck.

One of the dragon’s huge eyes rotated and caught sight of him. It roared in rage.

Dropping to his knees, Archie drew the grappler, cocked back his arm, and let it fly. With a flick of his wrist, the chain wrapped around the dragon’s neck and swung back around to Archie. He snatched the grappler from the air and hooked it to his belt.

Now the dragon was bridled like a horse. With an angry bellow, it twisted into a barrel roll, spinning until Archie couldn’t see straight. Only the grappler chain kept him from flying off.

They were seconds from colliding with the ground. Grandpa was counting on Archie to finish this.

Drawing Winterheart from his belt, Archie gripped it in both hands and pressed the blue jewel in the cross guard. The air around it hissed and swirled and condensed until a blade appeared where there was none before.

A blade of pure ice.

Summoning all his strength, he plunged the blade through the back of the dragon’s neck and into the base of its skull. The great monster shuddered and gasped, spitting a burst of flame. The flame turned to steam, and then to frost.

Steam jetted from the creases in the dragon’s scales. Its body went limp.

With bone-shaking force, it plunged headfirst into the hillside, carving a deep furrow in the earth. Archie felt an explosion rock the entire hill, as if triggered by the dragon’s demise. When the dust cleared, Archie looked up.

And grinned.

Gold coins fell from the sky, blown out of the dragon’s cave by the explosion. Like molten raindrops they hit the ground all around Grandpa. He had fallen onto his back, but he was laughing with pure joy and clutching fistfuls of treasure.

Laughing himself, Archie closed his eyes and kissed Winterheart in gratitude. Now that the treasure had been recovered, Grandpa could—

“What on earth is going on here?!”

The angry voice pierced the bubble, invading the fantasy Archie and Grandpa had built. The wild countryside suddenly unraveled to reveal the real world.

Archie sat on the peak of the utility shed’s roof—their “dragon.” The pointed stick that had been in his hands was now protruding from one of the roof’s broken shingles. Grandpa sat on the ground next to the shed, the grass around him littered with pocket change.

Mom was home early. She rushed toward them, glaring up at Archie as she knelt by Grandpa’s side.

“Come down this minute, Archie. What do you think you’re doing? Dad, are you okay?”

For an instant that felt like eternity, Grandpa gazed up at his daughter.

Please let it have worked. Please.

“Lighten up, Penelope.” Laughing, Grandpa climbed to his feet. “Fletch and I were just having an adventure.”

Archie breathed a sigh of relief. Grandpa’s eyes were clear and aware. Squeezing Mom’s hand in a conciliatory gesture, he looked up at Archie.

“You wanted to hear more about Schmitty and Cobb?”

Archie nodded eagerly.

“Climb down and we can talk over dinner.” Grandpa looked to Mom. “That okay with you?”

Mom tried to maintain her stern expression, but it couldn’t hold up against their joy.

“You two are total goofballs. You know that, right?” Shaking her head, she pointed at Archie. “You’re fixing that roof, young man.”

Archie nodded, grateful to have escaped real punishment. He climbed down and joined his family as they walked toward the house.

Where a man in a sport coat waited. “Um, everything okay, Penny?”

The three of them stopped.

“I totally forgot he was coming,” Mom whispered. “We’re supposed to go to dinner.”

Another new guy? Archie squashed that thought before it could find its way to his mouth.

“Sorry, James,” Mom called. “Just had to check on my guys. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

Archie tried, but he couldn’t resist. “Hey, James, want to try some dragon meat? It’s fresh!”

James eyed them all as if wondering what world he’d wandered into. “Um, maybe I’ll just wait in the car.”

As soon as he was gone, Archie and Grandpa burst into laughter. Mom tried again to be stern but wasn’t very convincing. “Oh, what am I going to do with you two?”

Archie wasn’t worried. Because for tonight, Grandpa was himself again.

His plan had worked.