Chapter 3

3 The wind kept blowing as Hana flew between the treetops. It sounded like mean laughter. But even worse were the constant crashes of thunder. Every time the thunder sounded, leaves whirled into the air and branches fell from the trees. Hana noticed something. She'd heard lots of thunder, but she hadn't seen a single flash of lightning yet.

"This is all the Chaos Queen's work," Beebi growled into Hana's ear. "She's messing up the storm patterns. And right now, she's trying everything she can to stop us from getting to the glade." Hana had no idea who the Chaos Queen was. But she sounded like a bully, and Hana hated bullies. She put her head down and flapped her wings harder than ever, forcing her way through the headwind. Leaves, dust, and branches whirled all around. "Stop, Hana! We're at the glade!" Beebi called above the noise. But Hana didn't know HOW to stop yet. She stretched out her talons and grabbed on to a tree trunk. Around and around she whirled, Beebi clinging on tightly. Finally, Hana dropped to the ground and rolled onto a mound of fallen leaves. Beebi tumbled off her back like a furry ball. "Sorry about that! Are you okay?" Hana hoped she hadn't hurt her new little friend!

Beebi jumped to his paws, laughing a growly laugh. "I'm fine. You sure are a wild flyer! But you've landed in the perfect place. The force field protecting the glade is right there." Beebi pointed at a wall of twinkling air. "I can't go through with you," Beebi continued. "But don't worry, I won't be far away." The little bear pressed his nose against Hana's dragon snout, then scampered off into the forest. As thunder boomed, Hana turned to face the shimmering force field. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pressed through it, feeling a tingle against her scales. When she opened her eyes again, Hana was in a beautiful garden filled with trees, flowers, and lush grass. Birds sang and brightly colored butterflies fluttered around. Hana could still hear the thunder, but it sounded much softer in here. "Wow! This place is so—" Hana stopped. Padding toward her were two dragons!

Hana had never met a dragon before, yet somehow she felt like she knew these amazing creatures. One had a lightning bolt on its forehead, and was looking at Hana curiously. "Mina?" Hana blurted out. "Is that you?" The dragon leapt closer, her big eyes filled with wonder. "Hana! I thought I recognized you! Guess who this is!" The Mina dragon pointed a talon at the third dragon, who had a snowflake on her forehead. The dragon's head was tilted to one side. Her eyes were calm and friendly. "Zora!" Hana cried. The three dragon girls wrapped their wings around one another. The cousins had met up in different forms in a lot of online games. But this was something else.

"Where is the Tree Queen?" asked Hana. "I'm so curious to know who she is and why we're here." "We haven't seen her," Mina said, "but there's something special about that tree over there. I can't stop looking at it." Mina pointed to a majestic tree in the heart of the glade. It had bright green leaves and long,

graceful branches. The tree's leaves were rustling. But there was no breeze inside the protected glade. What was going on? The branches began to sway. As Hana watched, the tree transformed into an elegant woman. She had a wise and beautiful face, long flowing hair, and wore a mossy green dress. The figure smiled at the astonished group. "Welcome, Storm Dragons. I am the Tree Queen, ruler of the Magic Forest. I am so glad you are