Day of the Dragon King Read online

  “What should we do now?” said Jack.

  “We’d better keep going,” said Annie.

  “Yeah, we don’t have much choice,” said Jack.

  They started walking again. They rounded a corner and came to a door.

  “Oh, great!” said Annie.

  “Wait. We don’t know what’s on the other side,” said Jack. “Go slow. Be careful.”

  “Okay,” said Annie.

  Slowly and carefully, she opened the door.

  Then she peeked out.

  “Yippee,” she said softly.

  Annie stepped into the fading daylight. Jack stepped out after her.

  The sun had gone down.

  They were standing outside the gate of the Dragon King’s palace. They could see the market not far away. The stalls were closing for the day.

  “We’re safe!” said Annie.

  Jack breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  Just then, a gong sounded. It was coming from the tower of the city walls!

  “Oh, man! They’re going to close the gates!” said Jack.

  He clutched his sack as they took off. They charged up the street. They ran past the market. They ran past the rich houses … past the poor houses.

  Their straw shoes fell off. But Jack and Annie kept running barefoot.

  Just as the giant wooden gates started to close, they tore through them.

  They charged across the bridge and kept running up the dirt road, past the farmhouse, and through the field.

  By the time they reached their tree, Jack’s lungs ached. His heart pounded. His feet burned.

  He followed Annie up the rope ladder. When they got inside the tree house, Jack collapsed.

  “Let’s—go—home,” he said, out of breath.

  He reached for the Pennsylvania book.

  “Wait,” said Annie, looking out the window. “They found each other.”

  “Who—found—who?” said Jack, panting.

  He dragged himself to the window and looked out.

  Two figures embraced at the edge of the field.

  “The silk weaver and the man who takes care of the cows!” said Annie.

  “Oh, yeah,” said Jack.

  “Bye!” Annie called to them.

  The couple waved back.

  Annie sighed happily.

  “We can leave now,” she said.

  Jack opened the Pennsylvania book and pointed at the picture of the Frog Creek woods.

  “I wish we could go there,” he said.

  The wind started to blow.

  Jack looked out one last time at the Chinese couple. They seemed to be glowing like stars.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Jack opened his eyes. He was wearing his own clothes and his sneakers. The cloth sack had turned back into his backpack.

  “Welcome home, Master Librarians,” said Morgan.

  She stood in the tree house, smiling at them.

  “Hi!” said Annie.

  “We brought you the ancient legend,” said Jack.

  “Wonderful!” said Morgan.

  Jack reached into his pack. He took out the China book. Then he pulled out the bamboo book. He handed them to Morgan.

  “What’s the legend about?” said Annie.

  “It’s called The Silk Weaver and the Cowherd,” said Morgan. “It’s a very famous Chinese tale.”

  “Guess what, Morgan?” said Annie. “We actually met them! We helped them get together!”

  “Oh, did you?” said Morgan.

  “Yes!” said Jack. “The silk weaver’s ball of silk saved us!”

  “What does the legend say about them?” asked Annie.

  “It says that long ago they were heavenly beings who lived in the sky,” said Morgan. “When they came to earth, they fell in love.”

  “That’s when we met them!” said Annie.

  “Yes, I imagine so,” said Morgan. “The book you brought back tells about their happiness on earth. But I’m afraid a later legend tells us that when they returned to the sky, the king and queen of the skies separated them by a heavenly river called the Milky Way.”

  “Oh, no,” said Annie.

  “They get back together once a year,” said Morgan. “On that night, birds make a bridge in the sky over the Milky Way.”

  Jack and Annie gazed up at the bright summer sky.

  “Go home now,” said Morgan. “Come back two weeks from today. Next you’re going to find a book in the country of Ireland, over a thousand years ago.”

  “That sounds like fun,” said Annie.

  Morgan frowned.

  “I’m afraid it was a very dangerous time,” she said. “For Viking raiders often attacked the seacoasts.”

  “Vikings?” said Jack. He’d had enough danger to last a long time.

  “Don’t worry about it now,” said Morgan. “Just go home and rest.”

  Jack nodded.

  “I’ll try,” he said, pulling on his backpack.

  “Bye,” said Annie. “See you in two weeks.”

  “Thank you for your help,” said Morgan.

  “Anytime,” said Annie.

  They headed down the rope ladder.

  From the ground, they waved to Morgan. Then they started for home.

  As they got to the edge of the woods, Annie stopped.

  “Listen to the crickets,” she said.

  Jack listened. The cricket chirps sounded louder than usual.

  “Their ancestors lived in the time of the Dragon King,” said Annie.

  “Oh, brother,” said Jack.

  “Right now the grownups are telling the little crickets a legend,” said Annie.

  “Yeah, sure,” said Jack.

  “A legend passed down from their ancestors,” said Annie.

  Jack smiled. He didn’t want to admit it, but the cricket noise did sound like storytelling. He could almost hear them saying, Dragon King, Dragon King, Dragon King.

  “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 seven
th moon, magpies make a bridge between them.

  Here’s a special preview of

  Magic Tree House #15

  Viking Ships at Sunrise

  Available now!

  Excerpt copyright © 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 hour—”

  “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.”

  “Good luck!” said Morgan.

  The wind started to blow.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Are you a fan of the Magic Tree House® series?

  Visit our

  Web site

  at

  MagicTreeHouse.com

  Exciting sneak previews of the next book.

  Games, puzzles, and other fun activities.

  Contests with super prizes.

  And much more!

  Guess what?

  Jack and Annie have a musical CD!

  For more information about

  MAGIC TREE HOUSE: THE MUSICAL

  (including how to order the CD!),

  visit www.mthmusical.com.

  Discover the facts

  behind the fiction with the

  Magic Tree House® Books

  #1: DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

  #2: THE KNIGHT AT DAWN

  #3: MUMMIES IN THE MORNING

  #4: PIRATES PAST NOON

  #5: NIGHT OF THE NINJAS

  #6: AFTERNOON ON THE AMAZON

  #7: SUNSET OF THE SABERTOOTH

  #8: MIDNIGHT ON THE MOON

  #9: DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK

  #10: GHOST TOWN AT SUNDOWN

  #11: LIONS AT LUNCHTIME

  #12: POLAR BEARS PAST BEDTIME

  #13: VACATION UNDER THE VOLCANO

  #14: DAY OF THE DRAGON KING

  #15: VIKING SHIPS AT SUNRISE

  #16: HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS

  #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC

  #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST

  #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT

  #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME

  #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY

  #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY

  #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY

  #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING

  #25: STAGE FRIGHT ON A SUMMER NIGHT

  #26: GOOD MORNING, GORILLAS

  #27: THANKSGIVING ON THURSDAY

  #28: HIGH TIDE IN HAWAII

  Merlin Missions

  #29: CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT

  #30: HAUNTED CASTLE ON HALLOWS EVE

  #31: SUMMER OF THE SEA SERPENT

  #32: WINTER OF THE ICE WIZARD

  #33: CARNIVAL AT CANDLELIGHT

  #34: SEASON OF THE SANDSTORMS

  #35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS

  #36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON

  #37: DRAGON OF THE RED DAWN

  #38: MONDAY WITH A MAD GENIUS

  #39: DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA

  #40: EVE OF THE EMPEROR PENGUIN

  #41: MOONLIGHT ON THE MAGIC FLUTE

  #42: A GOOD NIGHT FOR GHOSTS

  #43: LEPRECHAUN IN LATE WINTER

  #44: A GHOST TALE FOR CHRISTMAS TIME

  Magic Tree House® Research Guides

  DINOSAURS

  KNIGHTS AND CASTLES

  MUMMIES AND PYRAMIDS

  PIRATES

  RAIN FORESTS

  SPACE

  TITANIC

  TWISTERS AND OTHER TERRIBLE STORMS

  DOLPHINS AND SHARKS

  ANCIENT GREECE AND THE OLYMPICS

  AMERICAN REVOLUTION

  SABERTOOTHS AND THE ICE AGE

  PILGRIMS

  ANCIENT ROME AND POMPEII

  TSUNAMIS AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS

  POLAR BEARS AND THE ARCTIC

  SEA MONSTERS

  PENGUINS AND ANTARCTICA
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  LEONARDO DA VINCI

  GHOSTS

  LEPRECHAUNS AND IRISH FOLKLORE

  RAGS AND RICHES: KIDS IN THE TIME OF CHARLES DICKENS

  More Magic Tree House®

  GAMES AND PUZZLES FROM THE TREE HOUSE

 

 

  Mary Pope Osborne, Day of the Dragon King

 

 

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