3. OUEEN SOFIA

CHAPTER 3 QUEEN SOFIA Carlos's Dragon Stone glowed. "Lalo, cough!" The dragon coughed, and the orange popped out of his mouth and landed in the sand. Diego pointed his magic wand at the fruit. "Orange, orange you must stay. No more moving around today!" he chanted The orange stayed put. "Wonderful!" Diego said. "Let us be on our way!"

Everyone made sure they were linked to Worm. The Earth Dragon glowed green. A bright light flashed, and the whole group transported in an instant. "Whoa! That was fast!" the soldier said. "Follow me, everyone!" They had landed outside Queen Sofia's castle in the royal city of Ursa. The castle's white towers gleamed brightly in the sunlight. Blue-gray roof tiles topped the towers.

The soldier climbed down from her horse and led them through the main entrance into the Great Hall. A long table stretched from one end of the room to the other.

Queen Sofia stood at the head of the table. She wore a blue-and-red gown with gold trim. A white scarf covered her head, topped by a golden crown. "Diego, my royal wizard! Thank you for coming so quickly," the queen said. "And I see you've brought helpers."

The wizard bowed, and so did Drake, Carlos, and Val. Worm lowered his head, and Lalo followed Worm's lead. Then Diego introduced everyone. "We hear you've found a nest of Invisible Dragons, Your Majesty," he said. "Babies." "Indeed we have," the queen replied. "They are cute when I can see them, but they are causing too much trouble. Now please, sit and eat. Believe me, you will need the energy!"

They sat at the big table. Queen Sofia clapped her hands and servants appeared, carrying bowls of food. Drake's mouth watered as they filled his plate with fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and bread. "It's a feast!" Val said. On Drake's other side, Carlos giggled. "This is definitely better than the magical mystery mush that Diego makes every day." As they ate, Queen Sofia explained the problem...