Azmina the Gold Glitter Dragon Page 2

  Azmina gasped in horror. “We have to stop them!”

  “Absolutely!” agreed Willa.

  “No way are we letting those sprites wreck the Magic Forest,” declared Naomi.

  “I am very happy to hear that,” said the Tree Queen.

  Her branches began to wave and her leaves rustled, as if blown by a strong wind. Azmina watched her, not sure what was going on. Finally, the queen’s movements slowed and she held out one of her long arms. Dangling there was a huge, shiny golden apple.

  “Look into the magic apple, Dragon Girls,” she instructed.

  Azmina, Willa, and Naomi leaned forward, peering at the giant apple. At first Azmina could see nothing but their own dragon-y faces in the apple’s shiny surface. But slowly, shapes began to form. It was like looking into a crystal ball.

  The Magic Forest came into view. Azmina saw ancient trees, glittering lakes, fields of mysterious flowers. Everything was bathed in golden sunshine.

  But then she noticed something strange. It was all fading to a dull gray, like someone was turning down the color! In horror, she watched as the trees and flowers began to wither.

  Azmina looked at the others with alarm.

  “This must be the Shadow Sprites at work!” said Naomi.

  “It’s like they’re stealing the sunshine,” said Willa, her wide eyes fixed on the magic apple.

  The Tree Queen nodded wisely. “Sunlight, moonlight—they want to take all happiness, and every shade of color. They want to make the forest a place of endless grayness. Then they will have more power. I fear they won’t stop until every last glittering thing is gone and the Shadow Queen can rule again.”

  Azmina gave her wings a little flap and was relieved to see golden glitter swirl into the air.

  The Tree Queen smiled. “Don’t worry, Azmina. Here in the glade we’re safe. My magic force field is too strong for the Shadow Sprites. For now, at least. But the Magic Forest is huge, and my powers only stretch so far.” The Tree Queen’s branches swayed. “I cannot battle the Shadow Sprites alone.”

  “I’ll help you!” The words burst out of Azmina. “And I bet Willa and Naomi will, too.”

  Willa and Naomi nodded and gave her big smiles. “Of course we will,” said Willa. “We’re a team. The Glitter Dragon Girl team.”

  A warm glow spread through Azmina. It felt good to be part of a team.

  “Thank you, Dragon Girls,” said the Tree Queen, her wise face serious. “But I must warn you. This quest will be dangerous. And you three don’t know one another very well yet. Will you be able to work together?”

  Azmina hesitated. Willa and Naomi were already friends. They were sure to work well together. But would she fit in? Azmina met first Willa’s eyes, and then Naomi’s. Were they thinking the same thing?

  Naomi’s expression immediately broke into a smile, and Azmina smiled back, feeling a surge of confidence. “We can do this.”

  The queen nodded, her eyes sparkling. “I believe you can.”

  “Azmina, pluck the apple from my branch,” said the Tree Queen. Azmina did as she was told. At the top of the apple was a single leaf. “Twist the leaf,” the Tree Queen instructed.

  It was tricky to do this with claws, but Azmina managed it in the end. Instantly, the apple opened into two perfect halves. The inside was hollow and shiny like a golden bowl.

  “There is an ancient potion that will stop the Shadow Sprites from stealing the sunshine,” explained the Tree Queen. “As you collect the ingredients, place them into this magic apple. But take heed, Dragon Girls! The ingredients are powerful, and very difficult to find.”

  “Umm, has anyone noticed that it’s getting darker and colder?” said Naomi suddenly.

  “You’re right!” said Azmina, looking around. The sky was definitely grayer. “Is night falling already?”

  “No. It’s the work of the Shadow Sprites. Look at the apple,” said the Tree Queen.

  Azmina joined the two halves of the apple and an image reappeared. This time it was of the Magic Forest’s golden sun. But something was wrong! A sliver of the sun was not shining.

  “That can’t be good,” muttered Naomi.

  “Unfortunately, you’re correct,” said the Tree Queen. “If you don’t find the ingredients for the potion in time, I am afraid the sun may never shine again.”

  The Dragon Girls stared at her in horror.

  “We won’t let that happen!” said Azmina fiercely. She’d only just discovered the Magic Forest. There was no way she was going to let it be taken away from her so soon!

  “You’ll have to be careful,” warned the Tree Queen. “The Shadow Sprites are tricky. They will do anything they can to stop you.”

  Just then, Azmina thought she saw something move on the other side of the force field. Was it a shape, slipping through the trees? But when she looked again, there was nothing there.

  A breeze had started to blow in the forest. Trees brushed against the force field like branches on a window.

  “There is not a moment to lose, Dragon Girls!” urged the Tree Queen. “The sooner you get the ingredients, the sooner the potion can be made.”

  The queen’s leaves rustled and Azmina saw something lift, whirl through the air, and land at her feet. Azmina bent to pick it up. It was a kind of bag, made of a strange material that felt both soft and sturdy.

  “This is for you to carry the apple in, Azmina,” explained the Tree Queen.

  Willa and Naomi helped her strap the bag over one shoulder and around her body. The bag sat flat against her chest, blending in perfectly with the golden tones of her glittery skin. And when she put the apple in, it barely made a bulge. Clearly, this was a very special bag!

  Azmina flapped her wings, sending glitter dancing through the air. She couldn’t wait to head off. Sure, it was a bit scary, especially with the Shadow Sprites lurking around. But it was exciting, too.

  “What are the ingredients?” Azmina asked eagerly.

  “You need to collect three things, so listen closely,” replied the Tree Queen. The Dragon Girls leaned in to better hear the Tree Queen’s whispery voice. “First, you need golden sunflower seeds from the Secret Valley. You must grind them into a powder.”

  Azmina nodded. Sunflower seeds didn’t sound difficult to collect. This potion would be a cinch!

  “The second ingredient is honey from the glow bees of Orb City,” continued the queen.

  Azmina felt a little less confident about this ingredient. Glow bees? Orb City? She had no idea what those things even meant! But she figured Willa and Naomi would know.

  Outside the glade, the breeze had turned into a strong wind.

  “The final and most difficult ingredient,” said the Tree Queen above the noise of the wind, “is a—”

  But the wind whipped against the glade’s force field, drowning out the rest of the queen’s sentence.

  Azmina thought she heard the word spark but she wasn’t completely sure. “Excuse me, did you say …”

  But it was too late. The Tree Queen had already begun transforming back into her tree form. Her dress, her face, her strong brown arms had soon all turned back into solid wood.

  Azmina turned to the others. “Did you hear that last thing? It was ‘spark,’ right?”

  Willa shrugged. “Sorry. I totally missed it.”

  “I’m pretty sure she said ‘bark,’ ” declared Naomi. “Yesterday when we were practicing flying, I saw a super sparkly tree. I bet we need to collect some bark from it.”

  “I really heard ‘spark,’ ” said Azmina.

  Naomi scrunched up her snout. “Hmm. I’m positive I heard ‘bark.’ ”

  Willa flapped her wings a little and rose up off the ground. “Let’s not worry about it now,” she said. “The first ingredient was sunflower seeds from the Secret Valley, right?” Azmina and Naomi nodded. “Well, let’s go there, then.”

  “Do you know the way?” asked Azmina.

  Naomi and Willa shook their heads.

  Just then, Azmina felt a gentle pressure at her neck. “Buttercub!” she cried, snuggling into him. “Where did you come from?”

  “I’ll always appear when you need me. Let’s go,” he said in his warm, purring voice.

  The golden cub flapped his butterfly wings and soared into the air.

  Azmina had no time to worry about her flying skills. She had to stay close behind! “Come on!” she roared to Willa and Naomi down below. “This little guy is leading the way!”

  They flew up and over the treetops. It was amazing! In fact, it was so much fun that Azmina almost forgot they were on an important quest. Almost, but not quite. The farther they flew, the more the sunlight faded. But this wasn’t the beautiful dimming of a sunset. This was something much stranger and more terrible.

  Azmina clenched her jaw. She was NOT going to let the Shadow Sprites steal all the sunlight and moonlight. This place was too glittering and wonderful!

  Flying was fun, but it was also hard work, especially as they were heading directly into the wind. All the same, as she got more and more confident, Azmina couldn’t resist trying out some of the midair moves she’d seen Buttercub doing.

  “Cool!” said Naomi, flying up beside her. “Hey, try this!”

  Naomi then did a series of very slick moves. She swooped to the left, then quickly flipped back to the right. Then she showed the others how to flip over and fly facing up to the sky. It wasn’t as easy as it looked! Finally Naomi did a very fast, downward torpedo roll.

  Willa and Azmina tried to follow along. And they did pretty well … right until the final bit, when their tails nearly got tangled!

  “We need to work on that one!” Azmina chuckled as they flew back up to Naomi.

  “Fine by me!” Willa grinned. “Flying
is one thing I’ll never get sick of practicing.”

  Just then, Naomi gave a shout. “Look!”

  Below was a field of sunflowers, hidden between two tall mountains topped with snow that was ever so slightly purple. The sunflowers looked like ones Azmina had seen back in the normal world, except for one important difference. Their centers shone brightly, as if lit from within. Strangely, the delicious smell of fresh buttered popcorn wafted up from the field.

  “Time to land!” called Azmina as Buttercub began to swoop toward the flowers. Azmina flew after him at top speed.

  “These flowers are so cool!” cried Willa, landing nearby.

  She was right. Now that they’d landed, Azmina saw that the seeds in the center of each bloom looked like little golden light bulbs! But not all of them seemed to be working properly. Some were flickering on and off. Others had lost their brightness.

  Azmina’s stomach did a weird loop. Were the Shadow Sprites somewhere nearby, stealing the light from these flowers? She glanced around. She couldn’t see anything, but she had an eerie feeling the sprites were close by, watching.

  Clearly, there was no time to lose. Azmina wrapped a paw around the stem of the brightest flower she could see and gave it a gentle shake.

  Seeds tumbled out from the flower and scattered on the ground. As Willa and Naomi hurried over, Azmina picked one up. It felt warm and smooth.

  “The Tree Queen said we need to grind them into a powder,” Azmina remembered. “How, I wonder?”

  “Maybe we stomp on them?” suggested Willa.

  Azmina grinned as she jumped up and down on the seeds. To her surprise, the seeds crumbled to fine powder. She had always been pretty strong, but now she was dragon strong!

  She pulled the apple out from her bag and twisted the top leaf around. Magically, the apple separated into two, and Azmina carefully sprinkled the glittering sunflower seed powder inside. The powder fizzed slightly as it settled in the bottom, sending up a tiny, sweet-smelling puff of steam.

  The three Dragon Girls grinned at one another.

  “That wasn’t too hard!” said Naomi.

  “Way easier than I expected,” agreed Willa. “Do you think the next two ingredients will be as easy?”

  Buttercub rose into the air, clearly eager to get going.

  “There’s only one way to find out!” said Azmina. “Come on. Let’s go!”

  The more Azmina flew, the faster and more agile she got. She longed to practice some of the moves Naomi had shown her, but she knew they had to stay focused on their quest. She flapped her powerful wings and felt the air glide across her glimmering body. She felt strong and sure. She and the other Glitter Dragons would fix this problem, she just knew it.

  Buttercub flew higher and higher, and the others followed until the forest looked like a mossy green carpet far below.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” called Willa, flying up beside her.

  Azmina nodded, golden glitter spiraling out behind her.

  “It is beautiful,” agreed Naomi, joining them. “But have you noticed how much darker it is now?”

  Naomi was right. It felt like night had started to fall.

  Up ahead, Buttercub began to descend, leading the Dragon Girls back down toward the treetops. As they got lower, Azmina noticed a strange light coming from between the trees. What could it be?

  Then she spotted the source of the light. Brightly glowing spheres hung from branches all around them. “Are those things lanterns?” she wondered out loud.

  “They’re beehives!” exclaimed Willa.

  Little bright dots flew in and around the beehives, like tiny twinkle lights.

  “But bees don’t shine like that,” mused Naomi. “They must be fireflies.”

  Then all three Dragon Girls realized what they were. “Glow bees!” they cried in unison.

  Azmina grinned. The second ingredient was glow honey. It looked like collecting glow honey was going to be just as easy as getting the sunflower seeds!

  Together, they swooped down toward the orbs. But as they got closer, Buttercub spoke. “Careful,” he said softly. “Glow bees are very touchy. You can’t just rush up to them.”

  The Dragon Girls stopped, hovering in midair. Azmina could hear the glow bees buzzing. They sounded louder than normal bees, and a little bit electric, too.

  “Maybe one of us should go and ask them politely for some honey?” Azmina suggested.

  They all looked at one another. “You should do it, Azmina,” said Willa.

  Naomi nodded. “I agree.”

  “Me? Why me?” spluttered Azmina, surprised.

  “Because you’re friendly and funny and good at talking,” said Willa. “I would have no idea what to say.”

  “Well, okay,” Azmina said.

  It was nice that the others thought she’d be good at talking to the bees. She wasn’t so sure herself, though!

  Willa smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll stay close by.”

  Azmina nodded, hoping she looked braver than she felt. The three Dragon Girls flew closer to the orbs, being careful not to brush against any of the bees with their wings. The last thing they needed was to make them angry. Azmina gulped. The bees looked a lot bigger up close!

  At first the glow bees just ignored Azmina, flying around her as if she were nothing more than a weirdly-shaped golden flying tree. She coughed some glittery sparks to try to get their attention, and one of the bees stopped mid-flight.

  “Do you mind not doing that? It’s very distracting!” it buzzed irritably.

  “Sorry,” said Azmina politely. “We were just wondering if you could do something for us. We’d bee so grateful.”

  Another bee stopped. “Glow bees don’t do favors!”

  “And we hate bee jokes!” said the first bee.

  “But if you don’t help us, the whole forest could lose its sparkle!” called Naomi from where she was hovering.

  “Shhh!” whispered Willa.

  Naomi made a sorry face and shrugged.

  “I’m sorry about the bee joke. It’s just, this is really important,” said Azmina hastily. “Could we possibly talk to your queen?”

  Now a whole group of bees flew up, buzzing angrily. “Glow bees do NOT have a queen! We have a democratically elected president. You clearly know nothing about us!”

  Oh boy! This is NOT going well, thought Azmina. But she needed to make this work somehow. “You make the best honey in the Magic Forest,” Azmina said, using her Can I have another scoop of ice-cream? voice. It sometimes worked on her mom. The bees buzzed again, but in a proud kind of way. “And only your special honey can help the Magic Forest right now,” Azmina added quickly.

  “Help? What kind of help does it need?” asked a new bee. The other bees parted to let her through. “I’m President Bee. What exactly is the problem?”

  “Well, have you noticed that the sun isn’t shining brightly today?” asked Azmina.

  There was a buzz of agreement. “All the flowers have already started to close, but it isn’t even late afternoon!” called one bee.

  “It’s because of the Shadow Sprites,” Naomi cried.

  The buzzing grew loud and angry again.

  “Don’t worry!” Azmina said. “We are working on a special potion to stop them. We already have one ingredient. But now we need some of your special glow honey.”

  She smiled at the bees. Surely they would agree. If there were no sunshine, there would be no flowers. And if there were no flowers, there would be no honey!

  The bees’ buzzing grew so loud that little sparks of light shot into the air.

  “Absolutely not,” cried one bee.

  “Glow bees do NOT give away their honey,” buzzed another. “We work very hard to make it. Why should we let you have it for nothing?”

  “But we’re trying to help the forest!” erupted Naomi. “You bees are—”

  “Making a good point!” interrupted Azmina before Naomi could finish. The glow bees had long, gleaming stingers. She did not want to find out exactly how sharp they were!

  “We don’t expect you to simply give us your honey,” said Azmina, thinking fast. “We could exchange it for something! Like, some glitter?” she said hopefully. “Glittery honey would be pretty amazing.”