She was used to avoiding human beings and hiding whenever she smelled or heard them. Her ears were twitching, and even nibbling a mushroom couldnt calm her down. Unsettled by all this, Sorrel had been watching the crowd of humans uneasily. The giggling children hid between his legs, and the bravest made their way up the spines of his tail to sit on his back.
Firedrake patiently put up with it and nuzzled them gently one by one. They clambered down from their parents arms, surrounded the dragon, and patted him.
Do you know, I imagined your eyes exactly as they are?" Tentatively she raised her hand to touch Firedrakes scales.Īt that the children lost the last of their fear. " Asdaha would be the word for you in our language. "I think so, Asdaha." Zubeida bowed, smiling. Zubeida Ghalib, the most famous dracologist in the world, who will help you to fly at the dark time of the moon."įiredrake turned his head to her. "The sight of you makes me almost as joyful today as it did when we first met.You will meet my wife later, but let me introduce my daughter, Guinevere. "My dear Firedrake," said Barnabas, bowing low. Firedrake walked over the flower petals and past the cats and the people until he saw Barnabas Greenbloom.When he stopped in front of the professor, the onlookers respectfully retreated a few steps. However, the village cats white, ginger, tabby, black-and-white, and tortoiseshell were all over the place: on rooftops, outside huts, in the branches of trees. He looked for the ravens, but there wasnt a bird in sight. Ben felt like a king sitting high above them on the dragons back. Paper kites flew above the roofs of the huts, and even the smallest children were wearing their best clothes. The beach had been sprinkled with flower petals. The villagers were waiting for him, standing outside their huts with children in their arms. Flocks of white seabirds circled above the dragon, announcing his arrival with excited cries. The sky was radiant in the mild morning light as Firedrake approached the village with Ben and Sorrel, and the sun was not yet too hot for comfort.