4 Chapter 4

4 "Azmina, pluck the apple from my branch," said the Tree Queen. Azmina did as she was told. At

“阿兹米娜，把苹果从我的树枝上摘下来，”树女王说。 阿兹米娜照吩咐做了。 在

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.

苹果的顶部只有一片叶子。 “把叶子扭起来。”树后指示道。 用爪子做这件事很棘手，但阿兹米娜最终做到了。 顷刻间，苹果裂开了，完美地分成两半。 里面是空心的，像一只金碗一样闪闪发光。 “有一种古老的药水可以阻止暗影精灵窃取阳光，”树后解释道。 “当你收集材料的时候，把它们放进这个神奇的苹果里。 但是要小心，龙女们!配料很强大，而且很难找到。” “嗯，有没有人注意到天越来越黑越来越冷了?”娜奥米突然说。 “你说得对!”阿兹米娜环顾四周说。 天空显然更灰暗了。 “天黑了吗?”“没有。 是暗影精灵干的。 “看这个苹果。”树后说。

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."

阿兹米娜把苹果的两半连在一起，一个形象又出现了。 这次是魔法森林的金色太阳。 但有些地方不对劲!一丝阳光也没有照耀。 “这不可能是好事，”娜奥米喃喃地说。 “不幸的是，你是对的。”树后说。 “如果你不及时找到魔药的配料，恐怕太阳就再也不会照耀了。”

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

龙女们惊恐地盯着她。 “我们不会让这种事发生的!”阿兹米娜激烈地说。 她刚刚发现了魔法森林。 她不可能让它这么快就被夺走!“你一定要小心，”树后警告说。 “暗影精灵很狡猾。 他们会尽一切可能阻止你。” 就在这时，阿兹米娜觉得她看到了力场的另一边有什么东西在动。 那是一个在树林里滑过的形状吗? 但当她再看的时候，什么也没有。 森林里开始起风了。 树木像窗户上的树枝一样拂过力场。 “一刻也不能耽搁了，龙姑娘们!”树后催促道。 “你越早拿到原料，就能越早制成魔药。” 王后的叶子沙沙作响，阿兹米娜看到有什么东西升起，在空中旋转，落在她的脚边。 阿兹米娜弯腰把它捡起来。 这是一种

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

用一种奇怪的材料制成的袋子，摸起来既柔软又结实。 “这是给你拿苹果的，阿兹米娜，”树后解释说。 威拉和娜奥米帮她把书包背在肩上，绕在身上。 包包平躺在她的胸前，与她闪闪发光的皮肤的金色色调完美地融合在一起。 当她把苹果放进去的时候，它几乎没有鼓起来。 显然，这是一个非常特别的包!阿兹米娜拍打着翅膀，在空中飞舞着闪光。 她迫不及待地要出发了。 当然，这是有点可怕，特别是有暗影精灵潜伏在周围。 但也很令人兴奋。“配料是什么?”阿兹米娜急切地问。 “你需要收集三样东西，所以仔细听着。”树后回答说。 龙女们倾身向前，以便更清楚地听到树后的低语。 “首先，你需要金色的向日葵

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 …"

秘密谷的种子 你必须把它们磨成粉末。” Azmina点点头。葵花籽听起来并不难收集。 这药水易如反掌!“第二种成分是来自Orb城发光蜜蜂的蜂蜜，”女王继续说。 阿兹米娜对这种配料不太有信心。 发光的蜜蜂吗?Orb城市吗?她根本不知道那些东西是什么意思!但她觉得薇拉和娜奥米会知道的。 林间空地外，微风变成了狂风。 “最后也是最难的一种配料，”树后在风的声音中说道，“是一种——”但是风在林中空地的力场中呼啸而过，淹没了树后剩下的句子。 阿兹米娜认为她听到了火花这个词，但她不完全确定。 “对不起，你是说……”