Dragon Rider

At the bottom of the ravine, they find the abandoned car. As instructed, Ben honks the horn once and steps back to wait. Suddenly, blue smoke billows out of the car, and the djinn appears. His body is covered in eyes, each showing a different image. The djinn is surprised to see a dragon with a human companion. Ben asks: “Where does the Rim of Heaven lie?” (215).

The djinn asks if Ben wants to know for himself or for his friends. Ben says he is asking for Firedrake, and the djinn is delighted. Many have asked him for the location of the Rim of Heaven, but this is the first time someone has asked not out of greed but for someone else’s sake. He orders Ben to look into the eyes on his body. Ben sees a series of scenes: a river flowing through green mountains, a palace, a valley surrounded by nine snow-capped mountains, and a dragon inside a cave. The djinn tells him to follow the Indus River and search for these images. He then speaks in a riddle: “Enter the palace on the mountainside and break the moonlight on the stone dragon’s head. When that day comes, twenty fingers will point the way to the Rim of Heaven, and silver will be worth more than gold” (218).

The group finds a place farther down the ravine to rest. During their break, Ben studies the map. They must cross the sea to reach the Indus River, and he fears that there will be nowhere along the way for Firedrake to land. Nevertheless, they agree to search for Zubeida Ghalib on the way. She lives in a village at the mouth of the Indus River. Finally, everyone falls asleep, except Twigleg.

The raven approaches and reprimands Twigleg for not reporting to Nettlebrand; he threatens to contact Nettlebrand himself. Twigleg promises to report as soon as he sees Ben’s map. The raven flies away, and Twigleg searches the map for desert areas. He intends to send Nettlebrand to a place with no water, so that he cannot find them and eat Ben. Then, he sneaks away to report to Nettlebrand.

Three nights later, Firedrake stands on the shores of the Arabian sea. They are worried about the upcoming new moon, during which Firedrake will not be able to fly. Twigleg peeks out of Ben’s bag, sees the expanse of the sea, and hides again. He says that so much water makes him nervous as Firedrake takes off across the sea.

Just after midnight, Sorrel shouts that the moon is turning red. It is a lunar eclipse, and Firedrake’s power fades. They manage to land on a tiny island but soon realize that something is wrong. Suddenly, a sea serpent rises out of the water. Firedrake apologizes for the intrusion, but the sea serpent laughs. She is familiar with dragons and doesn’t mind. In fact, she came to the surface because her scales were itching, and she wanted to see what fabulous creature was approaching. Firedrake complains that this sensation has been a nuisance to them, but the sea serpent points out that it saved them from drowning.

The sea serpent has not seen dragons in 150 years. Back then, she and her sister witnessed a large golden dragon attack the silver dragons bathing in the sea. She and her sister helped the silver dragons escape. The group realizes that this must be the Golden One that Slatebeard warned Firedrake about, and the same creature that shed the golden scale the professor gave them. The sea serpent looks at the scale and confirms that it is from the same creature.

Firedrake says they are headed to the village where the sea serpent saw the dragons, so she offers them a ride.

The sea serpent carries the group across the sea. Twigleg stays hidden, afraid of the sea serpent and the water. He wonders if Nettlebrand went to the desert and how long he will be there before he finds water.

Sorrel notices a raven following them. She recalls Gilbert’s warning about ravens and fears the raven is a spy for the Golden One. Ben digs a stone out of his bag, but they’re not sure whether they need to scare the bird away. When it comes closer, Ben sees that it has red eyes, which is a sign of enchantment. Sorrel spits on the rock and throws it. The rock strikes the bird’s wing and sticks, weighing the raven down until it falls. Twigleg watches in fear, knowing that the raven can contact Nettlebrand through water just like he can.

Nettlebrand and Gravelbeard are lost among the dunes of the Great Desert. Nettlebrand wonders if the djinn lied or if Twigleg misunderstood its directions. Gravelbeard suggests that Twigleg betrayed them, but Nettlebrand dismisses the idea. He screams that he needs water, and a man riding a camel appears. He is translucent, as if made of sand. The rider says it is a sandman and can lead them to water for a price. Nettlebrand threatens to eat it, and more sandmen appear, raising a sandstorm that buries Nettlebrand. Gravelbeard breaks free and begins digging Nettlebrand out of the sand.

Finally, the sea serpent reaches the coast of Pakistan. She lets her passengers off near as village, and Ben offers to look for Zubeida while the others hide. Twigleg joins him while Firedrake and Sorrel hide among the reeds.

Ben and Twigleg wander into the village, but Ben does not speak the local language. To his surprise, Twigleg does, having studied in Nettlebrand’s library. Twigleg translates for Ben, and they ask for Zubeida. At first the villagers seem shocked, but then they laugh. One boy leads them to a building with blue flowers growing nearby. Overhead, Ben spots ravens, but they fly away.

To Ben’s surprise, Professor Greenbloom emerges with his daughter, Guinevere, saying that he came here to warn them about his encounter with Nettlebrand. Inside, Ben meets Dr. Zubeida Ghalib, an older woman with long gray hair wearing a sari. Zubeida assures Ben that Firedrake will be safe in this village, because the people view dragons as good fortune. She has much to tell them but would like to wait until everyone has gathered. Ben tells her the ravens are spies for Nettlebrand, and Zubeida sends her cats to keep the ravens away. Meanwhile, Ben leaves to bring Firedrake and Sorrel.

When Firedrake and the others enter the village, the villagers stand outside their homes, holding their children, and greet them with cheers and flowers. Professor Greenbloom introduces his daughter and Zubeida.

Children climb over Firedrake. One child asks what Sorrel is. When she answers, they are surprised because brownies in their region have four arms, not two.

The group moves somewhere quieter to talk while the villagers prepare a feast to celebrate the return of dragons and the mythic dragon rider. Confused, Ben asks what that means, and Zubeida promises to explain soon. They are first going to meet the professor’s wife, Vita, who is waiting for them. The professor discusses the possibilities of spies nearby, and they spot two more ravens watching them in the distance.