3 Ch3-Don't Touch the Thorns!

CHAPTER 3 DON'T TOUCH THE THORNS! Drake dived and touched Worm's tail with his free hand. "To Bracken, Worm!" Drake yelled. Whoosh! Worm transported them away. Drake blinked. He and Worm were back in the underground Training Room in Bracken Castle.

"You shouldn't have gone to the fortress by yourself, Drake," scolded Griffith. The white-haired wizard trained Drake and all of King Roland's Dragon Masters. "Astrid could have done something terrible to you," said Jayana.

Dragon Masters Rori, Ana, and Bo ran up to Drake. Eko the Dragon Mage followed them. Behind them stood the new Dragon Master, Opeli, with her Lava Dragon, Ka. Opeli's eyes were wide. Ana hugged Drake. "I'm so glad you're safe!" "Wow, Drake, you didn't listen to Griffith," Rori said "That's something I would do." "I wanted to stop Astrid from casting the spell," he told everyone. "Worm and I transported right into the fortress. I tried to steal the spell ingredients. But all I got was this." He held up the branch from the shadow bush, which was dotted with sharp thorns.

"Be careful with that, Drake!" Jayana warned. "Don't prick yourself." "What would happen?" Bo asked. "If you prick yourself with a thorn, you become a shadow," she explained. "That is why it's called a shadow bush." "And unless you prick yourself a second time within the hour," Griffith added, "you will stay a shadow forever."

"I'll be careful," Drake promised. "Can Astrid cast the spell without the branch?" Griffith stroked his beard. "No. She needs all five ingredients." Drake sighed with relief. "Then I'm glad Worm and I went to the fortress," he said. "Maybe it was wrong. But at least we stopped her!" "Can't she get another branch?" Eko asked. "The branch must be taken on the night of a full moon," Jayana replied. "That is more than two weeks away." "That's good news," Drake said. "Two weeks gives us plenty of time to find a Sea Dragon and a Wind Dragon." Ana had found a way to reverse the False Life spell. The powers of three special dragons were needed to break the spell.

Drake and Ana had already found the first dragon: a Lava Dragon. Now the Dragon Masters needed to find a Sea Dragon and a Wind Dragon. "Think, Drake," Griffith said. "Does Astrid know where you transported to?" "I don't —" Drake began, but then he stopped. His mind replayed his escape from the fortress. "To Bracken, Worm/" he had yelled. "I think she knows," Drake admitted. Griffith frowned. "Then we must prepare," he said. "Astrid will not wait two weeks. She will come here soon, looking for that!" He pointed to the branch in Drake's hand.