Page 46 - AK Book 1

up that light or you’ll be spotted!” Craig threw his coat over the lantern just as

a large owl ?ew above their tree. When it had passed, several other forest creatures,
including raccoons and hedgehogs, came out of hiding.

“The owl is a mean spy,” explained a handsome raccoon wearing a feathered
cap, “for the evil Sir Mord who lives in the castle beyond the swirled trees. He
doesn’t like strangers so watch out or he’ll lock you up in his dungeon forever!”

The kids were afraid of being locked up, but they needed to ?nd who had called
for help.

“Oh, that was the dragon,” said the fox. “She is a prisoner and kept
chained up in the lake. We’ve tried to free her, but the chain is protected by a
magic spell. Only Sir Mord knows the secret password to remove it. Come on,
we’ll show you.”

The woodland animals brought Claudia and Craig to the edge of the lake where
they watched in awe as the huge scarlet-scaled creature came up from underneath the
water. They could see the large silver chain wrapped around her back leg.

“Hello,” said the dragon. “Can you help me?”

Wanting to try, the kids set down their lantern and looked through the Magic
Travel Book. One passage said:

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