6 Poison!

CHAPTER 6 POISON! Everything happened at once. Queen Rose ran to King Roland's side. His skin was starting to turn green. "Somebody help him!" she cried. Petra's eyes were wide with shock. The villagers started to yell. "That beast hurt the king!" "Stop that dragon!"

The villagers tried to push past the guards. Drake looked at Worm. "Get the hydra inside, quick!" he said. Worm nodded. He touched the hydra with the end of his tail. Worm's body glowed green. Then Worm and the hydra disappeared. "Back to the Training Room! Hurry!" Griffith told the Dragon Masters. "I will see to the king." The Dragon Masters raced back to the caves with their dragons.

When the Dragon Masters reached the classroom, Rori marched up to Petra. "What did you do?" "I don't know!" Petra shouted. "We know that the hydra's poison is strong," said Bo. "The king must have breathed in the mist and it made him sick." "Is there a cure?" Rori asked Petra. "I... I don't know," Petra admitted. "But I thought you knew everything," Rori said, and Petra's face turned red.

"Can't Shu cure him—like she cured Emperor Song?" Ana asked. Bo shook his head. "Shu can only undo dark-magic spells. Not poison." "Maybe the answer is in a book," Drake guessed. Drake, Rori, Bo, and Ana ran to the bookshelf. "Look for books about hydras," Bo said, scanning the titles. "And Poison Dragons." Drake glanced behind him and saw Petra standing by the doorway. "Come help us," he said. "There are lots of books."

Petra joined them. The Dragon Masters each took a book. They were all reading when Griffith returned. "How is the king?" Bo asked. Griffith frowned. "Very ill, I'm afraid. He has a fever and has not woken up. We must find a cure for the hydra's poison." "I found something," Ana said, pointing to a page in her book. "It says here that the hydra can cure someone hurt by its own poison. Hmmm... But it does not say how." "Interesting," said Griffith. "Perhaps Petra can connect with the hydra to find the answer."

"But the hydra doesn't want to connect with me," Petra said. "Look what happened when I touched her!" "Petra, you must still try," said Griffith. "You are a Dragon Master now. The king needs you." Everyone looked at Petra. "I'll do it," she said quietly. Then her voice got louder, like she was trying hard to be brave. "I am a Dragon Master, just like all of you!"