The Flight of Dragons by Vivian French

Author:Vivian French [French, Vivian]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5465-8
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2010-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

“It’s about the dragons of Niven’s Knowe,” Gracie began — but she got no further.

Great-Uncle Alvin began a furious muttering that Gracie could hardly understand; she caught the words “humiliated” and “disgraced” but little else. At last the muttering died away, leaving Alvin puffing and panting as if he’d flown an enormous distance.

“I’m so sorry,” Gracie said. “I really am. If I’d known I was going to upset you so much, I’d never have come. P’raps I’d better go. . . . I’m sure we can find out about the egg some other way.”

“What? What was that?” The bat sidled closer to Gracie’s ear. “Did you say . . . egg? Do you mean . . . a dragon’s egg?”

Gracie nodded. “That’s right. Professor Scallio thinks there’s a dragon’s egg hidden somewhere in Niven’s Knowe . . . And there are dragons flying around outside the borders — a golden one, a blue one, and a green one.”

“The dragons of Niven’s Knowe!” Great-Uncle Alvin’s voice trembled. He flew down to Gracie’s shoulder, and his soft fur tickled her cheek. “Lumiere, Indigo, and Luskentyre. They’ve come back. Come back at last, after all these years. And Lumiere is looking for her egg. . . . Of course she is.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a long, satisfied sigh. “So . . . I was right. They chucked me out, but I was right all the time. Ha! And HA! And ha-ha-HA!” Great-Uncle Alvin began to stamp a small triumphant march up and down by Gracie’s ear. “Where’s that horrible nephew of mine? Just wait till I tell him! Not that he’s his father, of course, but I can still tell him I was right! Come on, Trueheart! I’ve got a score to settle!”

Gracie, perplexed by the bat’s outburst but pleased he was so delighted, made her way to the cave entrance as quickly as she could and found herself blinking in the sunshine.

Alvin, still on her shoulder, raised himself to his full height and looked around for Marlon. “Where are you?” he squeaked. “Marlon Batster! Come here this minute!”

There was a flutter of wings, and Marlon and Alf appeared, closely followed by Marcus. “Did he . . . ?” Marcus asked, but Gracie put her finger to her lips.

“Listen to me!” The elderly bat spread his wings wide. “Listen to me! I was right! I was right! Driven out of the Five Kingdoms, taunted, told I was a fool — and all the time I was right!”

Marlon settled himself on a rock and stared at his great-uncle. “Old bat’s gone batty,” he observed in an undertone. “Lost it completely.”

Alf hopped up and down on one leg. “Batty batty.”

“Shh,” Marcus whispered. “Let him have his say.”

Great-Uncle Alvin glared at his relatives. “You, Marlon Batster and Alf Batster, don’t know anything. I was a respected bat once.” He gave Alf an especially chilly look, even though the little bat had not made a sound. “It’s true. The dragons of Niven’s Knowe trusted me.

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