This week we read chapters 6-11 of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. Chapter 10, "Leeli and the Sea Dragons," is my favorite chapter to read aloud. I think today I'll introduce you to the dragons.
Hidden in their cleft of rock, Janner forgot about the Fangs. He forgot about their desperate need to find their grandfather and mother. And, like Tink, he forgot the precariousness of the edges of the high cliffs as he leaned out over the empty air and felt his heart ache. ...In the churning white waters at the base of Fingap Falls, a long, graceful shape burst from the surface. Its skin caught and magnified the light of the moon. The sea dragon was easily twice the height of the tallest tree in Glipwood Forest. Its reddish body glimmered like a living fire. The head was crowned with two curved horns and its fins spread out behind it like wings. Indeed, it looked as if it might actually fly, but the dragon wheeled in the air and crashed into the sea with what must have been a sound like thunder but was inaudible over the constant roar of the waterfall.At that moment, the dragon song rose into the air on a bright wind and filled the people gathered on the cliffs with a thousand feelings—some peaceful, some exhilarating, all more alive than usual. ...The song continued, and more dragons exploded out of the water. They spun in the air and hung there for a moment before slamming back into the sea. Scores of horned bull dragons, amber and shimmering gold, swam circles around the thinner and more sleek mares that burst out of the water and over them in an intricate pattern. Now even the roar of Fingap Falls was not as loud as the crash of the many dragons into the Dark Sea. The strains of the song entwined and followed one another until a haunting melody emerged. Janner thought, as he thought every summer the dragons came, that there could be nothing more beautiful in all the world.
Discussion: Janner sometimes feels something he thinks of as homesickness, a joy that hurts. Have you ever felt that? What made you feel that way? (You may answer this here, or in the forum.)
Who do you think threw the rocks at the Fangs? What do you think will happen next?
What was your favorite snippet of this week's reading? Post it in the comments!Activity: Make up your own version of handyball or another of the games played at Dunn's Green and play it with friends.Bonus: Listen to the beginning of "The Ballad of Lanric and Rube" right here. :-)