CHAPTER EIGHT

THE DRAGON SLAYER'S DEN.

Jesse shared the plan as they rode back home, pausing briefly now and then to work out the details. "Professor Andersson said Saint George was ruled by greed, right?"

"Right," said Daisy.

"Well, then, if you're greedy--greedy for dragon blood, that is--what could be better than drinking the blood of one dragon?"

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Daisy thought for a second. "Drinking the blood of two two dragons!" she said. "But, Jess, where are we going to get another dragon?" dragons!" she said. "But, Jess, where are we going to get another dragon?"

"That's where the rest of my plan kicks in," said Jesse. He was getting excited. "What if we made a new sign? What if the sign said that a lizard a lot like Emmy had been found by some other family in Goldmine City? We won't put a phone number on the sign, just an address. It will be a real street, but it won't be a real house number."

"I get it!" said Daisy. "While he's out on the wild-goose chase, we'll rescue Emmy. But how can we be sure he'll see the sign?"

"That's the easy part. We'll hang it right under his nose. Right outside his office. He won't be able to miss it," he said. "Plan?"

"Plan," Daisy agreed.

Making a detour, they rode up into the hills to Old Mine Lane, on the far side of town, near the old boarded-up gold mine. People were always getting lost on the winding streets there. The last house on Old Mine Lane was number 499. If they put number 501 on the sign, it would completely flummox St. George.

When they got home, Jesse ran up to his room and quickly composed a new sign. He was careful to make it look nothing like the first sign. While he 118.

was busy doing this, Daisy went down to the kitchen and packed their backpack.

When they were set to go, Daisy slipped the sign into her wildflower notebook so it wouldn't wrinkle. Then Jesse and Daisy jumped on their bikes and raced back to the college. The parking lot was nearly empty except for the million-dollar car. Everyone must be at lunch, Everyone must be at lunch, Jesse thought. They walked into the Zoo through the front door and tacked up the sign on a bulletin board directly across from St. George's lab. Then they got out of there fast. Jesse thought. They walked into the Zoo through the front door and tacked up the sign on a bulletin board directly across from St. George's lab. Then they got out of there fast.

Feeling very pleased with themselves, Jesse and Daisy hid in the bushes, where they had a clear view of the Zoo's front door. In silence, they munched energy bars, drank water, and waited. And waited and waited.

After a while, Daisy said, "What if he shuts the windows before he leaves?"

"I bet he won't. He can't stand the smell," said Jesse. "He needs to keep the place aired out."

"But what if he shuts them anyway?" said Daisy.

"Then we take a rock and we break a window," said Jesse.

Daisy was shocked. "Really? College property?"

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Jesse nodded firmly and said, "We're Dragon Keepers. We do what we have to do."

"Right," she said, nodding along with him. "We also have to figure out where we're going to hide Emmy after we rescue her, because you know that the first place St. George is going to come looking is our house."

"Hmm," he said. "Let's not climb Everest before Kilimanjaro, okay?"

"Okay." After another long silence, Daisy said, "What time is it, Jess?"

Jesse lifted his wrist to check the time. His wrist was completely naked! He wasn't wearing either one of his wrist.w.a.tches! He had no idea what time it was--here or in Africa.

Daisy grinned and punched him on the arm. "The one day you forget to wear those silly watches--"

Jesse grabbed her wrist and silenced her as the front door of the Zoo swung open. St. George stepped out, once again wearing his black coat, and looked around. Then, with their sign gripped in his hand, he strode purposefully in the direction of the parking lot.

Jesse and Daisy waited a moment, then crawled through the bushes to St. George's lab windows.

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They noticed immediately that they were all closed. "Darn it!" said Daisy. "Hold up," said Jesse.

He pushed one of them and it swung open easily. "He must have been too excited about the other dragon to stop and lock the windows," he said.

Jesse eased himself through the window feet-first and lowered himself onto the counter next to the lab's sink. Daisy handed the backpack down to Jesse, then joined him at Emmy's cage.

"Jesse. Day. Zee. You. Came!" Emmy's green eyes sparkled.

The cousins threw their arms around the cage and did their best to hug her. "Of course we came!" Jesse said. He tried to open the cage door but, as he expected, it was locked.

"The key's got to be here somewhere," Daisy said.

"Unless he took it with him," said Jesse.

Emmy pointed her horn toward the door. Her head was the only part of her body that had any s.p.a.ce to move. "Look!" she said.

There was a hook on the wall right next to the door, and hanging from the hook was a big ring of keys. Jesse ran to the key ring and removed it from the hook. Then he ran back to the cage and, with 121.

sweaty, fumbling fingers, began to insert one key after another into the lock.

"Hurry," said Daisy at his shoulder, flapping her hands.

"I am," said Jesse. But he had always been bad with keys.

"Let me try," said Daisy.

"I think I got it," Jesse said. The lock clicked and he pulled the cage door open. Jesse and Daisy held the cage while Emmy wiggled and squeezed herself out like a snake shedding its skin.

"Let's get out of here," said Jesse. He held out his arms for Emmy.

Emmy backed away from him. "No," she said.

"Come on, on, Emmy," said Jesse, feeling his patience tested. "I don't have a watch, and I have no idea how long St. George has been gone." Emmy," said Jesse, feeling his patience tested. "I don't have a watch, and I have no idea how long St. George has been gone."

"Look!" said Emmy.

"He could come back any minute," said Daisy.

"Look!" Emmy said again.

"At what?" they both said in exasperation.

"Look. At. The. Den!" Emmy said.

The cousins took their first good look around the lab--at the den of Saint George the Dragon Slayer.

"Holy moly!" said Daisy. "I've never seen so many thunder eggs!"

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There were piles and piles of thunder eggs everywhere they looked. There were thunder eggs lying in heaps near a huge, grim-looking table saw outfitted with a sharp circular blade. There was a tall trash can overflowing with thunder-egg crystals: red, blue, green, purple--every color Jesse could imagine. It was the most beautiful trash he had ever seen, all mixed up with orange rinds and paper coffee cups.

Emmy jumped down from the counter and ran across the lab, her shiny green talons clicking smartly against the tile. "Look! Look!" she said. "Here!"

Jesse and Daisy followed. Thunder eggs were simmering in pots on hot plates. The pots were labeled: "High Peak," "Popocatepetl," "Kilauea,"

"Fuji.

"Know what these are?" Jesse asked. "They're all volcanoes from different parts of the world."

"Look here!" said Emmy, running to the next counter, talons clicking.

They pulled open the doors of a series of squat white boxes and found more thunder eggs. These were coated with frost and labeled "Etna," "Shasta," "Krakatoa," and on and on. Who knew the world had so many volcanoes?

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"This is some big-deal production he's got going on here!" said Daisy.

"Yeah, but I bet he hasn't gotten one dragon yet," Jesse said sullenly. "He had to steal ours. Can we get out of here now, please?"

"No!" said Emmy. She darted to a far corner of the room. "Look!"

With reluctance, the cousins followed her to a low table made of red leather.

"Very nice coffee table," said Jesse, arms folded. "Now can we go?"

"Look!" said Emmy. "Book!"

"I see it!" said Jesse. "But it's a table." table."

"Book!" protested Emmy.

Daisy grabbed Jesse's arm and drew him closer. "Look, Jesse Tiger," she said. "I mean, really really look!". ' look!". '

He bent down and, with dawning amazement, saw what it was he was looking at. "It is is a book!" a book!"

The cousins circled around it in wonder as Emmy looked on, pleased. It was the biggest book they had ever seen. It was bound in rich red leather, with printing stamped in gold ink, and on its front cover was a big, rusted metal ring that looked like a door knocker. The book was bigger than the ones the librarian used to read to them at story hour when they were little. It was bigger than the biggest 124.

of the ancient books Jesse had seen in museums in London and Paris and Cairo. It was a book that belonged in the library of a giant.

"Do you think it's Professor Andersson's book?" Daisy asked.

Jesse frowned. The book's cover didn't seem to have a t.i.tle, only some scratchy-looking designs stamped in gold ink. If these were words, they certainly weren't in any language Jesse had ever come across. "I don't think so," he said. "It's not like this would fit on the library shelves, and Mr. Stenson would have said if it was this big ... or written in another language ...whatever it is."

"You're right," said Daisy, biting her lip. "Then I wonder what book it is."

"Look!" said Emmy hopping up and down.

"I think she wants- us to look inside," said Jesse.

They were standing next to the thick, gold-tooled spine, so they went around to the other side of the book and tried to open the cover. It was too heavy to lift. "You take the bottom corner," Jesse said. "I'll take the top. Ready? On the count of three: one, two, three!" three!" But the cover didn't budge. Jesse stared thoughtfully at the ring. "Maybe that's some kind of a lock or something." But the cover didn't budge. Jesse stared thoughtfully at the ring. "Maybe that's some kind of a lock or something."

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Just then Emmy scrabbled clickety-click clickety-click over the top of the book and landed on the floor between them. "Some. One. Come!" she said. "Go. Now. Gonowgonowgonowgonow!!!" over the top of the book and landed on the floor between them. "Some. One. Come!" she said. "Go. Now. Gonowgonowgonowgonow!!!"

They heard footsteps out in the hall. They were coming closer.

There was a knock on the door.

Jesse squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. Dragon and kids remained rooted to the spot while the person on the other side of the door twisted the k.n.o.b. Then they heard footsteps going back down the hall and, a second later, a thunk-thunk thunk-thunk as the front door of the building opened and shut. as the front door of the building opened and shut.

They exploded into action. Daisy unzipped the backpack, pulled out a yellow rain slicker, and thrust it at Jesse. Jesse wrapped Emmy up in it. Emmy let him pick her up without protest now. She'd gotten heavier, but he could still hold her easily.

"I'll make sure there's n.o.body in the hall," said Daisy. She opened the door and peered out, looking both ways. Then she took a few steps out into the hall.

"Okay!" she called back in a loud whisper. "Coast is clear!"

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Jesse headed out the door, with Emmy in his arms. Before closing the door, he cast one last look over his shoulder at the giant book. If only we could take If only we could take that that with us, too! with us, too!

Fifteen minutes later, they were back at the house and up in Jesse's bedroom.

"Let's get organized," Daisy said, her finger to her chin. "We need sleeping bags, water, food for us, food for Emmy. What else?"

Jesse and Daisy's plan was to hide with Emmy in the Deep Woods behind the barn. They had no idea how long they would have to stay there-- maybe several days and nights. The Deep Woods had always seemed a little too scary for sleep-outs, but Jesse and Daisy were Dragon Keepers now, and Dragon Keepers do what they have to do. They figured that once they found a camping spot, Daisy could sneak back to the house and explain to Uncle Joe that they were camping out at the barn for a few days and ask him to pretty please not tell St. George. It was the best plan they could come up with on such short notice.

Jesse ran through the bathroom to Daisy's room and pulled their sleeping bags out of the closet while Daisy hunted around in her brothers' closet for old canteens and other camping equipment.

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