7 A FRIEND

CHAPTER 7 A FRIEND Worm, transport!" Drake yelled, but there was no time. The zebra and the lion raced right into Worm's tail... and passed through the Earth Dragon's body as though he weren't there! Worm shivered. That tickled, he told Drake. "No dream creatures can hurt Worm," Kishar reminded them. "Now let's see where Zoltan's trail leads us."

The dragons moved across the field. Mamu followed the trail of sparkling particles. Drake kept an eye out for the evil wizard and for more animals. He saw a strange bird with a long, long neck. A sheep with bright pink fur munched on flowers. He saw another dog and cat, but this time, the cat chased the dog. Mamu stopped at a pond, where a chicken was happily swimming. The dragon looked up at the sky. "Zoltan stopped here, but he left," Kishar said. "Let's keep following his trail."

Drake felt a little sad to leave that interesting land. But the next land they touched down on did not disappoint him. Everywhere he looked, he saw food. Yummy, colorful food. One bush grew strawberries as big as his fist. Another grew cookies! A small waterfall bubbled nearby, and the water looked yellow and thick. Curious, Drake stuck his finger in and tasted it. "Mmm. Melted cheese!" he said. "And look, there's a bush growing loaves of bread." "This is the Land of Endless Treats," Kishar informed him.

"Drake? Is that you?" Startled, Drake turned around. A Dragon Master in a wheelchair wheeled toward him. He shimmered, just like the dream animals. "Llew! How—" Then Drake remembered. "You once told me that as a storyteller, you could explore the Dream World Is that what you are doing now?" "Yes, my body is sleeping back in my room in Greenshire, but I often visit these lands in my dreams," Llew replied. "This is one of my favorites."

"It is good to see you, Llew," Kishar said, climbing off Mamu. "Where is your dragon today?" "Belydor must not be asleep and dreaming yet," Llew replied. "I wish he was with me, because I just had an encounter with a wizard in a solid body!" "The wizard's name is Zoltan! The four of us are trying to stop him from carrying out an evil plan," Drake explained. "When did you see him?" "A few minutes ago," Llew replied. "I could tell he was up to no good when he asked if I knew where the Dream Fountain was. So, I tried to trick him. I told him to go to the Land of the Lost. I thought he might get stuck there until I could find you, Kishar."

"Good thinking, Llew," Kishar said. "But I have some bad news." "Uh-oh. What is it?" Drake asked. "Mamu and I almost never go to the Land of the Lost," Kishar said. "It is the one land in the Dream World that is dangerous for us."