4 The Manticora

Chapter 4 The Manticora Leo dashed to the library and fetched the book. Back in the garden, he opened it, the tiniest bit, to the page after the dragon page.

All he could see was the end of a word: cora. He had no idea what animal it could be, so he called for the Chancellor.

"What animal ends in cora?" Leo asked him. "The manticora," the Chancellor replied. "I wish we had one now. He's the sworn enemy of dragons." But the last manticora died years ago.

Leo raced to the book and threw open the manticora page. The beast took his time, but finally he crept from the book, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"I want you to fight a dragon!" ordered Leo. The manticora gave a squeal, ran away and hid.

The following day, the dragon found the manticora hiding in the Post Office. There was a scuffle and kerfuffle among the brown paper packages... then silence.