Chapter 3

3 Even though they were deep in the forest, the wind still whipped through the trees. Instead of fighting it, Zoe used the gusts to lift her closer to the glade's force field. It was like surfing in midair! Hovering, Zoe turned to the little penguin. "Thank you for leading me here," she said. "Will we meet again?" Splashi zoomed closer and gave Zoe a peck on the cheek. "Of course we will! You have a big quest ahead of you. I will be there the moment you need me."

尽管他们在森林深处，风仍然在树林间疾驰。 佐伊没有与之抗争，而是利用风把她提升到离林中空地力场更近的地方。 就像在半空中冲浪一样!佐伊盘旋着，转向小企鹅。 “谢谢你带我来这里，”她说。 “我们还会再见吗?”斯泼西凑了过来，在佐伊的脸颊上亲了一下。 “我们当然会!”你的任务很艰巨。 当你需要我的时候，我就在你身边。”

The little creature did a final loop and then flew off into the forest in her funny, waddly way. Another gust of wind rushed through. Zoe rode the wind all the way around the outside of the glade. She could see the faint outline of a huge tree through the shimmery air. The Tree Queen, Zoe thought. Then she saw two other shapes flying inside. One was coral-colored. The other was aqua. Zoe smiled. Grace and Sofia were already here! Tipping her wings, Zoe skimmed the force field. Then, as if she was ducking through a wave, she pushed through the warm fuzzy air and into the glade. Instantly, the scent of fruit and flowers became stronger. Like the last time Zoe had visited, the glade's air was warm and calm, and the birdsong more melodious. An excited cry went up. "Zoe is here!" A moment later, Zoe was caught up in a midair wing-hug. "We're Sea Dragons again!" whooped Grace, the aqua-colored dragon.

这个小动物做了最后一个圈，然后以她滑稽、摇摇晃晃的方式飞进了森林。 又一阵风刮了过来。 佐伊一路顺风绕着空地跑了一圈。 她可以透过闪烁的空气看到一棵大树的模糊轮廓。 是树后，佐伊想。 然后她看到另外两个人影在里面飞。 一个是珊瑚色的。另一种是水。 佐伊笑了。格蕾丝和索菲亚已经来了!佐伊翘起翅膀，掠过了力场。 然后，她仿佛在躲避海浪，穿过温暖而模糊的空气，进入了林间空地。 顷刻间，水果和鲜花的香味变得更浓了。 和上次佐伊来的时候一样，林间空地的空气温暖而平静，鸟鸣也更加悦耳。 一阵激动的喊叫响起。“佐伊来了!”片刻之后，佐伊被一个空中的翅膀拥抱了起来。 “我们又是海龙了!”那只水色的龙格蕾丝叫道。

"And we're about to start another quest!" added Sofia, the coral-colored dragon. "Look! The Tree Queen is appearing." The huge tree at the center of the glade had begun to sway. Its branches were laden with fruits that looked like peaches. But as the tree moved, the scent of strawberries filled the air. Zoe smiled. The Magic Forest was truly a remarkable place. Soon, the tree's trunk became a regal-looking woman wearing a mossy-green gown. The Tree Queen smiled kindly at the group. "My dear Sea Dragons! Thank you for returning to the Magic Forest so quickly," she said in her warm voice.

“我们要开始另一项任务了!”珊瑚色的龙索非亚补充道。 “看!树女王来了。” 林间空地中央的那棵大树开始摇晃起来。 它的树枝上挂满了看起来像桃子的果实。 但随着树的移动，空气中弥漫着草莓的香味。 佐伊笑了。魔法森林真是一个了不起的地方。 很快，树干变成了一个穿着苔绿色长袍的女王。 树后对大家和蔼地笑了笑。 “我亲爱的海龙!”谢谢你这么快就回到了魔法森林。”她用温暖的声音说。

Zoe, Sofia, and Grace moved closer until they hovered in the air before the queen. "I am so glad to see you three again," the queen continued. "As you know, the Fire Queen captured the three Sea Keepers. You have already rescued the dolphin leader, and we are very grateful." Zoe and her friends exchanged a proud look. On their last trip to the Magic Forest, they had met the Diamond Dolphins of Dolphin Cove. They had also had tea with some Shiver Sharks, who turned out to be more scared than scary. And they had

佐伊、索菲亚和格蕾丝靠得更近了，最后在王后面前盘旋。 “我很高兴再次见到你们三个，”王后继续说。 “你也知道，火太后抓了三个守海人。 你们已经救出了海豚首领，我们非常感激。” 佐伊和她的朋友们交换了一个自豪的眼神。 在他们最后一次去魔法森林的旅行中，他们遇到了海豚湾的钻石海豚。 他们还和一些颤抖的鲨鱼一起喝茶，结果发现它们更害怕而不是可怕。 他们有

roared away the Fire Sparks. It had been an amazing adventure. What lay ahead of them this time? "But there are still two Sea Keepers missing," continued the Tree Queen, her leaves rustling. "This time, I'd like you to find the second Sea Keeper. She is the turtle leader." "We'll find the turtle," Sofia said firmly. Zoe smiled at her friend. She had not known Sofia very long, but she already knew that when Sofia said she'd do something, she really meant it. "I know you will do your very best," the Tree Queen said. Then her broad smile faded just a little. "But this quest will be harder than the last, I am afraid. Time is running out. Literally! The Sea Keepers meet in the Undersea Garden every full moon. As I have explained, once a year on the full moon, they must wind up the Water Watch. And that moment is fast approaching." Zoe opened her mouth to ask a question. But the Tree Queen already seemed to know what she was going to ask!

火苗咆哮着走开了。 这是一次奇妙的冒险。 这次摆在他们面前的是什么? “但是还有两个海洋守护者不见了。”树后继续说，她的叶子沙沙作响。 “这一次，我要你去找第二位海洋守护者。 她是海龟的首领。” “我们会找到乌龟的。”索菲亚坚定地说。 佐伊对她的朋友微笑。她认识索菲亚的时间不长，但她已经知道，当索菲亚说她要做某事时，她是认真的。 “我知道你会尽力的。”树后说。 然后她那灿烂的笑容稍稍消失了。 “但我担心这次的探索将比上一次更难。 时间不多了。字面上!每个月圆之夜，海洋守护者都会在海底花园聚会。 我已经解释过，每年满月之日，他们必须给守水人上发条。 而这一时刻正在迅速逼近。” 佐伊张开嘴想问一个问题。 但是树后似乎已经知道她要问什么了!

"The Water Watch is an ancient object," she explained. "It keeps the tides flowing as they should. And it makes sure that the seas are at the right level." Zoe gave her sandy-colored tail a swish. "What happens if the Water Watch doesn't get wound on time?" she asked. The Tree Queen frowned. "I am afraid chaos will strike our seas, and the Fire Queen will…" She trailed off. "What would she do?" Sofia asked, her voice a whisper. "We do not know for certain," said the Tree Queen, "but as I said last time you were here, we strongly suspect that the Fire Queen is planning to drain the seas." The three Sea Dragons were silent. Zoe had loved the ocean her entire life. She adored surfing it, of course. But that was only one part of it. She loved how the water changed constantly throughout the day—and from one day to the next. She loved the salty smell and feel of it. And there

“水表是一件古老的物品，”她解释说。 “它使潮汐保持应有的流动。 它能确保海平面处于合适的高度。” 佐伊甩了甩她那沙黄色的尾巴。 “如果水巡不能按时上弦怎么办?”她问。 树后皱起眉头。“恐怕我们的海域会陷入混乱，烈火女王会……”她压低声音说。 “她会怎么做?”索菲亚问道，她的声音像耳语。 “我们也不知道，”树后说，“但正如上次你们来这里时我所说的，我们强烈怀疑火后正在计划抽干海洋。” 三只海龙沉默了。 佐伊一生都热爱海洋。 当然，她喜欢在那里冲浪。 但这只是其中的一部分。 她喜欢水每天都在变化，而且每天都在变化。 她喜欢咸味和咸味的感觉。 还有