I had visited the Purple Mountains twice before. The first time, Ralf had taken Eadric and me to see his grandfather Gargle Snort, the king of the fire-breathing dragons. The second time we had gone to the heart of the mountain to see the Dragon Olympics. That was over a year ago. The Olympics were held once a year, but we hadn’t gone to this year’s games.
We were flying toward the mountains when the wind carried the scent of boiled cabbage our way. “Do you smell that?” I asked Eadric. “That means someone is practicing.”
Eadric nodded. We had learned that the fiery breath of dragons was real fire that smelled like boiled cabbage. The smoke that their fire created formed pink clouds that the wind could carry for miles. The smell was an especially good way to tell if a dragon was real or a magic-created illusion. If you saw a flaming dragon but couldn’t smell boiled cabbage, some magic-wielder was probably trying to trick you. Smelling cabbage near the Purple Mountains meant that someone was practicing their flaming for the next Olympics. According to my dragon friends, contestants practiced there all year long.
Turning the carpet into a narrow valley rich with caves on either side, I spotted the one I wanted and landed in front of it. It was a large cave, but I knew that it narrowed in back to form a tunnel that led into the mountain. The tunnel could take you many places, one of which was King Gargle Snort’s lair. Eadric knew what lay beyond, but I didn’t know if the fairies did. I wasn’t about to tell them, either. Ralf had shown great trust by taking us to his grandfather’s lair. I wasn’t about to betray that trust to anyone.
As I got off the carpet, I reached into my pocket and took out Adara the mouse. She squeaked in surprise but looked pleased when I handed her to Eadric. “I’ll be going in alone and I can’t take her with me,” I said.
“Be careful,” Eadric said, and leaned toward me for a kiss.
Nightshade had been peering into the cave. “What is this place?” he asked. “I thought we were going to the dragon’s arena.”
“This is one of the ways in,” I told him. “We can’t fly there. The heat from the volcano makes it too turbulent for my carpet and might singe your wings. Even if we could fly in, a racing dragon might run into us or someone’s flame might cook us. Only dragons can safely enter the arena from above. This way is much safer, although it gets very hot at the end, and it would be easy to get lost.” If one stayed in the tunnel long enough, taking the turns that Ralf had shown us, it was possible to reach the arena.
“I don’t like this,” said Oleander. “This place reeks of dragon.”
“We should all go with you,” Nightshade told me. “It’s dangerous in there.”
“I’ll be fine,” I replied, and turned toward the cave.
“I know you said that you’re the Green Witch,” said Acorn. “But dragon fire can hurt witches, too.”
I paused long enough to say, “It won’t hurt me. I’m not just an ordinary witch. Wait here. This may take a while.”
I had started into the cave when I heard the fairies talking to Eadric. “How can you let her go like that?” Acorn asked him. “Aren’t you worried about her safety?”
“She’s the only one who would be safe in there,” Eadric told them. “Emma knows what she’s doing.”
“She must have some powerful magic,” said Nightshade.
“Oh, she does. Believe me!” Eadric exclaimed.
If I’d known when we started out that morning that I’d be visiting the Purple Mountains, I would have brought the fire- and heat-proofing salve that Ralf had given me. Without it, there was only one way I could enter the arena or see the king without getting cooked. I would have to go in as a dragon.
It was common knowledge that fairies were afraid of dragons. Perhaps it was because fairies feared that they would get cooked or eaten or stomped on. Or perhaps it was because it was rumored that fairy magic didn’t work on dragons. Whatever the reason, I hadn’t wanted to change in front of them. It was true that they might have heard that the Green Witch could turn into a dragon, but on the off chance that they hadn’t, I didn’t want to frighten them.
There was more than one tunnel leading from the back of the cave, but I found the one I wanted easily enough. It was one of the biggest tunnels and the smoothest. For centuries, enormous dragons had passed this way. Scales on their feet and bodies had rubbed the bumps and uneven edges off the stone walls, floor, and ceiling over the years.
My footsteps echoed as I walked through darkness so complete that I couldn’t see my hands in front of my face. Even so, I walked far enough that I could no longer hear Eadric and the fairies before I started the transition. I stood still with my eyes closed while the change came over me. Turning into a dragon no longer hurt, nor did it take as long as it once did. If I tried to hurry it, however, the pain felt like it would rip me apart. When I finally opened my eyes, the tunnel didn’t seem quite so dark or so big. I was now three times longer than my human height, and my senses were more acute.
I continued on, passing openings that would lead me in the wrong direction. Eventually, I noticed a glow up ahead. Phosphorescent lichen grew in parts of the tunnel, making it easier to see. I entered a huge cavern where crystalline flowers grew all around me and columns of multicolored rock rose from floor to ceiling. “I wish Eadric could see this!” I murmured as I paused to look around. We had been there once before, but we had been frogs then and saw things very differently.
I walked on, my head turning from side to side as I took in my surroundings. Soon I entered another tunnel, and another after that, taking different branches and offshoots, until I finally found the one that led me to a large chamber well lit with lichen.
Although the cavern was just as rich with color as some of the others I’d passed through, it wasn’t from stone columns or crystalline flowers. Instead, huge piles of different-colored objects covered the floor, leaving just enough space for an enormous dragon to pass between. As I stepped into the cavern, my foot touched a golden chalice that had fallen from the nearby gold pile. The chalice spun to the side, clinking across the floor.
“Who’s there!” roared a voice. What I’d thought was part of the gold pile stood up. King Gargle Snort stared in my direction, his rheumy eyes not quite focusing on me. His golden scales glittered as he took a step toward me, smoke escaping from his nostrils as his anger grew.
“It’s me, Emma!” I told him. “Remember me? I’m Ralf’s friend. I became a Dragon Friend at the last Olympics.”
“Why would you be a Dragon Friend if you’re a dragon?” he asked as smoke billowed around him.
“I can turn into a dragon now. I think it’s because I am a Dragon Friend. My magic became stronger when I breathed in your concentrated smoke.”
“I remember now!” the king said. “And you’re a green dragon! I didn’t know green dragons existed. My grandson had a friend who was looking for one once. His friend was a frog, if I recall. Turned out to be human. A good sort, even so.”
I smiled. I was the one who had been looking for a green dragon to help end Haywood’s otter spell. It was the reason Ralf had brought me to see his grandfather in the first place.
“You’re here just in time,” Gargle Snort announced. “My talons are too big and clumsy to pick up some of the more delicate things. I was going to ask Ralf to come by, but you’ll do just fine. Here, put these parchments in that pile, then come see me. I have lots for you to do.”
Ralf had told Eadric and me that his grandfather sorted his collections in various ways. Apparently he was still sorting them by color. I didn’t mind helping him for a little while if he could answer some of my questions.
“I wanted to ask you something,” I said as I picked up the parchments as carefully as I could. The parchments were old and crumbly and I didn’t like moving them, but it was better than leaving them on the ground to be stepped on.
“Hmm,” he said. “What’s that?”
“Did you invite the Fairy Queen, Willow, to the Dragon Olympics?”
“Yes, I did,” Gargle Snort replied. “Lovely woman, for a fairy. Very nice and thoughtful, too. Gave me a gift when she arrived. Now, where did I put that? It should be right over here! Tell me if you see a blue bottle of mermaid’s tears lying around. Ah, here’s the ruby necklace I found yesterday. Put it in that red pile, please.”
As soon as I was finished with the necklace, the king had me take a pair of tiny silk slippers with tassels on the toes to the green pile. I was setting them down when I found a cluster of seemingly freshly picked green leaves tied together with a cord bearing the label LEAVES FROM THE TREE OF LIFE. I was examining them when Gargle Snort called to me again.
“These three phoenix feathers got stuck between my toes when I was working on the gold pile. Would you mind taking them back there for me?” he asked.
“I’d be happy to. You were telling me about the Fairy Queen?” I prompted.
“Ah, yes,” said Gargle Snort as he set a feathered headdress on a multicolored pile. “I like her. She’s not as scatterbrained as some fairies. I thought she was having a great time. Then I got called away for a few minutes. When I came back, she was gone. As soon as you’ve finished putting the feathers in the gold pile, take this crystal rose to the white pile.”
“Did the queen say anything about where she was going next?” I asked.
“No, why would she? I thought she was spending the whole day here. Why are you holding those feathers? Don’t they go in the gold pile?”
I nodded and hurried off. It looked as if I wasn’t going to learn any more from the king. After setting the feathers down, I took the crystal rose to the white pile, placing it on a lustrous white fur beside a pearl as large as a melon. The king was muttering to himself when I sidled to the cavern entrance.
“I have to go now,” I told him. “It was good seeing you again.”
The king looked at me and blinked. “Who are you? What are you doing here? I didn’t say you could come in!”
“Oh, sorry! Then I’ll be going,” I said, and hurried down the tunnel.
Finding a route to the arena was easy from the lair of the Dragon King. All I had to do was find an opening where the air was hot enough to blister human skin. Although it felt comfortable to my scales, the tunnel was too hot for the lichen to grow, so I was walking in the dark once again. The air grew even hotter as I approached the opening to the arena.
Eager to learn something useful, I entered the enormous, bowl-shaped arena and stopped, my gaze drawn to the sky overhead. At least twenty dragons were flying above me, performing loops and spirals as they practiced their synchronized flying routine. Another group was flying just below them, racing around and around in a big circle as a dragon on the ground kept track of their time. None of the dragons looked familiar to me.
It wasn’t until I glanced down that I finally saw someone I knew. Ralf’s mother, Flame Snorter, was practicing her flaming. I walked to the distance-marked lane, as much to watch as to get her attention. A beautiful and delicate-looking red dragon, she was most well-known for her ability to flame. It looked as if her flames were even longer now than they had been at the Dragon Olympics the year before.
She had just finished her set and was talking to another dragon when she saw me and turned my way. “I’m Emma, Ralf’s friend,” I began. “I can turn myself into a dragon now and—”
“I know!” cried Flame Snorter. “I heard what happened at that tournament. Congratulations! I think it’s wonderful!”
“Did Grumble Belly tell you?” I asked. “I ran into him and Ralf earlier today and they didn’t believe me at first.”
Flame Snorter laughed and shook her head. “I haven’t seen him since this morning. I told him about it ages ago, but he probably wasn’t listening. I meant to come see you once I got a break in my training schedule. I’m so glad you came to visit!”
“Actually, I was hoping someone could answer some questions for me,” I said. “Did you happen to see the Fairy Queen when she was here during the Olympics?”
“I saw her, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to her. There was so much going on that day! You know, I do remember that the queen was talking to young Sky Runner over there when he was between races,” she said, pointing toward the center of the arena where dragons were swimming laps in the pool of bubbling lava. “He’s the blue dragon with the lighter blue crest. You might want to talk to him.”
“I will,” I told the dragoness. “Thank you so much! I’ll see you again soon.”
Flame Snorter was still waving good-bye when I started toward the lava. The last time I was there, I had stayed as far from the lava as possible. But then, the last time I was there, I’d been walking around as a frog and wasn’t sure how long Ralf’s special salve would hold out. This time the lava seemed enticing. Even if Flame Snorter hadn’t suggested it, I probably would have gone over for a closer look.
The lava pool was nearly half the diameter of the arena. It was the reason that the Olympics were held in the Purple Mountains. Dragons loved lava and held as many events in the pool as possible. One of the most popular events was lava swimming, so Sky Runner wasn’t the only one doing laps in the pool.
Floating rocks had been used to divide the pool into lanes, most of which were occupied. Few of the swimming dragons noticed me as I walked around the pool to stand at the end of Sky Runner’s lane. It took him three more laps before he looked up and saw me standing there. When he did, he scowled and said, “What do you want?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to ask a few questions,” I told him.
“Why should I talk to you? I don’t even know you!” he said, glancing from me to the bubbling lava as if he couldn’t wait to get back to it.
“I’m a friend of King Gargle Snort and his family,” I said, hoping that would lend some weight to my request.
Sky Runner sighed. “Oh, all right,” he replied, and turned to point at the empty lane next to him. “If you want to talk to me, you have to keep up. I’m here for practice, not conversation.”
The dragon didn’t wait for me to get in but started swimming down the lane again. Although the dragon part of me was excited about getting in the lava, the rest of me was terrified. Certain that I was about to feel searing pain, I tentatively dipped one foot into the lava. To my surprise, the heat felt wonderful. I slowly started to lower myself into the pool then, but my dragon side took over when I was up to my knees, and I slid in the rest of the way.
I sighed as the heat of the lava surrounded me. It was like coming in from a cold day to sit in front of a roaring fire with a hot cup of mulled wine. The lava warmed me inside and out, making me so comfortable that I sighed with relief. Closing my second set of eyelids, I sank beneath the surface and floated, reveling in the sensation.
I stayed submerged in the lava until I felt the pressure change as if someone was approaching. Raising my head just enough to see who it was, I started swimming when I saw that it was Sky Runner. He was coming back down the lane and would pass me by if I didn’t try to catch up. We were swimming side by side when I was finally able to ask him a question.
“I heard you talked to the Fairy Queen when she was here for the Olympics,” I began. “Do you remember what she said?”
“Sure! It’s not often that I get to talk to fairy royalty,” Sky Runner replied.
“What did you talk about?” I asked.
“Mostly the games,” said Sky Runner. “What events I was in. What I do to get ready. You know, that kind of thing.”
“How did the queen seem? Was she happy? Was she having fun?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Sky Runner told me. “At least at the beginning. But then we were watching a young dragon named Tory in his first race. His parents were rooting him on, and suddenly the queen started looking sad. She didn’t say much for a while, then she said good-bye and left.”
“Did she mention where she was going?” I asked.
“Not that I can recall. Well, that’s it,” he said, stopping against the side of the pool. “I’m going to fly around the arena a few dozen times before I head for home. It’ll be dark soon and I have to be back here early in the morning to start practicing again. Did you have any more questions?”
“No, that should do it. Thank you for your help,” I told him, and heaved myself out of the pool.
Although the lava had relaxed me, it left me sluggish and tired when I got out. I didn’t feel like finding my way all the way back through the tunnels, so I took to the air and flew past the dragons that were still practicing. The updraft from the heat of the lava nearly flipped me over, but I was able to climb above the jagged edges of the arena and head toward the valley where Eadric and the fairies were waiting. When I thought I was close, but not too close, I landed and turned back into my human self.
The sun was setting when I found Eadric asleep on the magic carpet. Adara was curled up into a tiny ball on his chest, and she lifted her head when she saw me approach.
“That took you long enough,” she said accusingly.
“I’m sorry, but it had to be done,” I told her even as I looked around. I spotted Acorn resting on a boulder just a short distance away, but I didn’t see Nightshade or his friends. “Where are the others?”
“Shh!” Adara told me. “Don’t wake Eadric! He needs his rest.”
“Don’t we all,” I replied, yawning.
Eadric stirred and looked up at me.
“Do you know where Nightshade and his friends went?” I asked him.
“They left right after you did,” he said, and sat up to look around. “Aren’t they back yet? Look, there they are, just coming up the pass.”
Three tiny lights flew through the gloom cast by the mountain, landing beside the carpet. Acorn got up to join us as the tiny fairies grew big again.
“You’re back!” Nightshade said to me. “Any luck?”
“Not really,” I replied, shaking my head. “I spoke to three different dragons. The Fairy Queen was here last month during the most recent Olympics, but she left early. Something happened that upset her, although no one knew what it was or where she went when she left.”
“Then I learned more than you did,” said Nightshade. “My friends and I went exploring and talked to some of the area residents. It seems that a local fairy talked to the queen after the Dragon Olympics. The queen told her that she was going to the border between Greater Greensward and Soggy Molvinia, although she didn’t say why.”
“Really?” I said. “Then that’s where we’ll go next. How fortunate that you met that fairy.”
“Wasn’t it, though?” Acorn said, giving Nightshade an odd look.