Dragon Rider

Twigleg waits for punishment. Instead, Ben stares at him with horror. Crying, Twigleg explains that the ravens are Nettlebrand’s eyes, but Twigleg is his ears. He has worked for Nettlebrand since he was made, hundreds of years ago, polishing Nettlebrand’s armor and keeping him entertained. He had 11 brothers and Nettlebrand ate them all, as well as the alchemist who created them. Sorrel prepares to attack him, but Ben stops her.

Twigleg reveals what he knows about Nettlebrand. Nettlebrand is not a real dragon, but a creature made with alchemy. He does not know what animal he was made from, but his armor is indestructible. The alchemist made Nettlebrand for the purpose of hunting silver dragons when he discovered that the key to making gold was powdered dragon horns. The only thing Nettlebrand cannot do is fly. Nettlebrand was too efficient at killing, however, and soon there were no dragons left to hunt, except those hiding in the Rim of Heaven. When Nettlebrand grew bored and filled with aimless rage, he ate the alchemist and the other homunculi. Now, he is waiting for Firedrake and the others to lead him to the Rim of Heaven so he can hunt dragons again.

Ben asks if Nettlebrand has followed them here, but Twigleg assures him that he is far away. He proudly states that he lied to Nettlebrand, sending him to the biggest desert he could find on the map because Nettlebrand controls water. Twigleg says that Nettlebrand can see and speak through it and move instantly from one place to another through bodies of water. Twigleg sent Nettlebrand to a place where he would not be able to find any water. He did this for Ben’s sake, because he did not want Nettlebrand to hurt the only person who was ever kind to him. Ben forgives Twigleg and says they can be friends.

Zubeida suggests that Twigleg can make up for his mistakes. He should contact Nettlebrand and find out where he is now and give him more false information. Twigleg is afraid that the ravens have already reported the truth and Nettlebrand will know he is lying. He suggests that Firedrake should return home, but Firedrake is determined to find the Rim of Heaven. Zubeida says there is more she needs to show them in the tomb.

Still lost in the desert, Nettlebrand and Gravelbeard take turns spitting to create a water pool large enough to communicate through. Finally, they contact the raven. The raven is shocked to learn that Nettlebrand is in a desert because he saw Twigleg and the silver dragon traveling across the sea before the brownie girl hit him with a rock. Nettlebrand concludes that the group is headed for the village where he attacked the dragons a century ago, and that Twigleg has betrayed him. He orders Gravelbeard to contact Twigleg and pretend that Nettlebrand died in the desert.

Deeper in the tomb, Zubeida shows the group ancient writing that she has recently deciphered. The writing is a prophecy that claims the dragon rider will return “in the shape of a boy with skin as pale as the full moon, coming to save his friends the dragons from a terrible enemy” (314). Sorrel laughs at the absurd idea that Ben might be the ancient dragon rider reborn, arguing that humans cannot “return from the World Beyond” (314). Firedrake says it does not matter if Ben is the original rider reborn or not, because he is the rider now.

Zubeida argues that these events were meant to happen. Firedrake has made many friends along the way without whom he could not succeed, but together she believes that they have a chance to banish Nettlebrand for good. Lastly, she shows the group the blue flowers she has been growing near her hut, which she calls dragon-flowers. She found the seeds in the tomb and discovered that the flowers only open under moonlight. They glow as they collect the moonlight on their petals like dew. She believes the seeds came from the Rim of Heaven, and the dew allows dragons to fly on moonless nights, at least for short periods. She gives Firedrake a full bottle of the moon-dew.

The group returns to the village for a large feast, where Firedrake allows children to climb him. Ben studies the map as the professor points out that the palace he saw in the djinn’s eye sounds like a monastery in the mountains near where the Indus River heads deeper into the Himalayas. They agree to head there next. Sorrel tells Twigleg to try contacting Nettlebrand to see what they can learn.

Twigleg does so but Gravelbeard responds, claiming that Nettlebrand was buried during a sandstorm and died. Twigleg is unsure if he believes the story. He tells Gravelbeard that he and the group only escaped the desert themselves, claiming that the djinn must have lied.

Ben, listening nearby, cheers that Nettlebrand is dead, and they are safe. Twigleg says he is not certain he believes the story. It is too good to be true.

Nettlebrand praises Gravelbeard, certain that Twigleg fell for their lies. Once again, Gravelbeard begs for a gold scale as a reward and Nettlebrand ignores him. He swims through the river, listening to the party in the village nearby. Hiding among the reeds, he watches Sorrel and Ben climb aboard Firedrake’s back and take off. Nettlebrand orders Gravelbeard to climb into his mouth, and then Nettlebrand dives into the water. Though he cannot see Firedrake, he can follow his scent along the river.

The group flies for two nights. At sunrise, Firedrake lands among the rocks to sleep. Ben and Twigleg wander off to search for water. Suddenly, an enormous bird swoops down and plucks Ben off the rocks, carrying him away. Frantic, Twigleg runs back to the others, shouting for help. Firedrake wakes but cannot fly during the day. Remembering the bottle of moon-dew, Sorrel pours a tiny drop in Firedrake’s mouth, and he takes off. As they fly in the direction Twigleg last saw the bird, he says he read about such a bird in Ben’s book. It is a giant roc, likely attracted by the same tingling sensation other fabulous creatures feel around Firedrake.

The giant bird carries Ben deeper into the mountains until it reaches a huge nest among the peaks. It drops Ben in beside a chick and flies away again. Ben tries to run. The nest is so large that he can dive in among the branches and the chick’s beak cannot reach him. Every time the bird starts to tear away at the nest, Ben scrambles to a different section.

Then Ben hears Sorrel calling for him. He looks out and sees Firedrake flying toward him. Ben is shocked to realize that Firedrake is barely bigger than the chick. The mother bird is much larger than him. Firedrake lands long enough for Ben to climb on his back and takes off again. The mother roc returns, heading for them. Firedrake turns, running away. The roc follows for a moment before returning to her chick.

The moon-dew wears off and Firedrake is forced to land. Ben inspects the map and realizes they are far off course now. He does not know where they are and can no longer see the Indus River below them. Sorrel finds a cave for them to rest in.

Nettlebrand loses Firedrake’s scent. The group was following the river, and he was certain he knew their path, but now it is as if they have disappeared. Gravelbeard suggests that Nettlebrand was wrong to assume they would stay near the river. They have likely gone over the mountains, where Nettlebrand cannot easily follow.

Suddenly, a boat appears on the river and Nettlebrand dives. As he does, he sees Professor Greenbloom and his daughter aboard. Guinevere calls out that she saw Nettlebrand in the water, but the professor sees nothing. Nettlebrand has dived deep enough that even his silhouette is no longer visible in the water. The professor tells Guinevere she imagined it, but she is insistent that she saw the golden dragon and a dwarf on his head.

In the cave, Firedrake sleeps, while Sorrel and Ben talk. Suddenly, a tiny airplane flies into the cave and lands. A rat climbs out, congratulating herself as “ace airwoman, Lola Graytail” (361) and praising her own flying skills. She freezes when she sees the others in the cave.

Sorrel asks if the rat is related to Gilbert. Lola says Gilbert is her uncle, who sent her on a mission to survey the Himalayas right after speaking with Sorrel. Lola complains that the job is boring and blames them for giving her uncle the idea. Ben asks how she has a plane. She explains that she got it from a toy shop and modified it herself.

Lola agrees to lead them to the monastery. She remarks that it is a strange coincidence that they should run into each other here. Twigleg remarks that it is not coincidence but “a disposition of providence, […] a preordained meeting” (268). Firedrake then asks if she has found the Rim of Heaven on her flights, but Lola scoffs. She has flown all over these mountains and is convinced that the Rim of Heaven does not exist.