Authors: Mary Pope Osborne

Day of the Dragon King (6 page)

“Jack! Annie!” came a voice.

It was their mother calling them.

The spell was broken. The cricket stories were just plain old cricket sounds again.

“Coming!” Jack shouted.

Jack and Annie ran down their street and across their yard.

“Did you have a good time in China?” their mom asked.

“It was pretty scary,” said Annie.

“We got lost in a tomb,” said Jack. “But we were saved by an ancient book.”

Their mom smiled and shook her head. “My, books are wonderful, aren't they?” she said.

“Yep!” said Jack and Annie.

And they followed her inside.

MORE FACTS FOR YOU AND JACK

1. Chinese writing has over 50,000 characters. According to legend, the first characters were devised from the tracks of birds and animals.

2. In 221
B.C.
, China was divided into many kingdoms. Under the leadership of the first emperor, Shi Huangdi (who called himself the Dragon King), China became a united country. Afraid that Chinese scholars were a threat to his power, he ordered all their books burned.

3. Silk thread comes from the cocoon of the silkworm, which feeds on mulberry leaves. The art of making silk was kept a secret because the Chinese once depended on silk for foreign trade.

4. The first emperor built the Great Wall to protect his empire from northern invaders. According to Chinese legend, the wall is a dragon that has turned to stone.

5. Since the 1970s, archaeologists have been investigating the Dragon King's tomb and have unearthed over 50,000 artifacts.

6. The Chinese legend of the silk weaver and the cowherd is connected with the stars Vega and Altair. The two were married on earth. But when they returned to heaven, they were so happy that they refused to work. The king and queen of Heaven grew angry and separated them by the Milky Way. But once a year, they are together. On the seventh day of the seventh moon, magpies make a bridge between them.

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Excerpt copyright Â©
1998
by
Published by Random House Children's Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Jack opened his eyes.

A thin gray light came through his window. His clock read 5
A.M.
All was quiet.

Today we're going to ancient Ireland
, he thought,
back more than a thousand years
.

Morgan le Fay had told him that it was a very dangerous time, with Vikings raiding the coasts.

“You awake?” came a whisper.

Annie stood in his doorway. She was dressed and ready to go.

“Yeah, meet you outside,” said Jack as he climbed out of bed.

He pulled on his jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers. He put his secret library card into his backpack with his notebook and pencil. Then he hurried downstairs.

Annie was waiting for him in their yard.

The air was damp and misty.

“Ready?” she asked.

Jack took a deep breath.

“I guess,” he said. He was a little worried about the Vikings.

They walked silently over the dewy grass. Then they ran up their street and into the Frog Creek woods.

Mist clung to the trees as they walked through the dark woods.

“It's hard to see,” said Jack.

“Where's the tree house?” asked Annie.

“I have no idea,” said Jack.

Just then something fell in front of them.

“
Watch out!
” shouted Jack. He covered his head.

“The ladder!” cried Annie.

Jack opened his eyes.

The rope ladder from the magic tree house dangled in front of them.

Jack looked up. The tree house was hidden in the mist.

“Come on, let's go,” said Annie.

She grabbed the ladder and started up. Jack followed.

They climbed through the wet air and into the tree house.

“Hello,” said Morgan. “I'm glad to see you.”

She was sitting in the corner. At her feet were the scroll they'd brought back from Roman times and the bamboo book from ancient China.

“I'm so glad to see
you
,” said Jack.

“Me too,” said Annie.

“It's good that you both came early,” said Morgan.

She reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out a piece of paper.

“Here's the ancient story you must find today,” she said.

Morgan handed the paper to Jack. On it were the words:

The mysterious writing reminded Jack of the writing from their trip to the Roman town of Pompeii.

“That looks like Latin,” he said.

“Very good,” said Morgan. “It
is
Latin.”

“But I thought they spoke Latin in ancient Rome,” said Annie. “Aren't we going to Ireland?”

“You are,” said Morgan. “But during the Dark Ages in Europe, educated people wrote in Latin.”

“The
Dark
Ages?” said Jack.

“Yes,” said Morgan. “The time after the fall of the Roman Empire.”

“Why is it called
dark?
” said Jack.

“It was a difficult time,” said Morgan. “People had to work very hard just to feed and clothe themselves. There was not a lot of time for playing, learning, or making art and music.”

Morgan pulled a book from her robe.

“Your research,” she said, handing it to Annie. The title read:
Ireland Long Ago
.

“Remember,” said Morgan. “Your research book will guide you. But in your darkest hourâ”

“Only the ancient story can save us,” Jack and Annie said together.

“And remember this,” said Morgan. “It must be your
darkest
hour, when there is no hope left. If you ask for help too soon, it will not come.”

“And we have to find the story
first
,” said Annie.

“That is true,” said Morgan. “Do you have your secret library cards?”

Jack and Annie nodded.

“Show them to the wisest person you meet,” said Morgan.

“Don't worry,” said Annie. “I think we're ready now.”

Annie pointed at the cover of the Ireland book.

“I wish we could go there,” she said. She gave Morgan a little wave. “See you soon.”