Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword Read online

  Zaria Fierce and the

  Enchanted Drakeland Sword

  By Keira Gillett

  Text copyright ©2015

  Keira Gillett

  All Rights Reserved

  Image copyright ©2015

  Eoghan Kerrigan

  All Rights Reserved

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-942750-02-4

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942750-03-1

  LCCN: 2015914906

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  Reading Order:

  Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest

  Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword

  Praise for Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest

  “Are you in the mood for an old fashioned magical jaunt? Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest by Keira Gillett is a classic “perilous adventure” book for middle grade readers.” Jennifer Bardsley, The YA Gal

  “A captivating blending of fantasy storytelling with today's technology. At the base of this tale is deep, abiding friendship that stands the tests of time, adventure and even danger.” Kathy Haw, Goodreads Review

  “A great book with a lovely story and amazing characters. It’s a fantasy and adventure book that will be the delight of Narnia fans and those looking for a bit of Norwegian folklore thrown into it.” Ner, A Cup of Coffee and a Book

  “If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure dipped in fantasy, look no further. This book kept me on my toes with its many cliffhangers and plot twists; it was quite hard to put down at times.” Meredith, All ‘Bout Them Books and Stuff

  “I love when a story jumps right in and hooks me like this one did. I highly recommend you look into it if you are in the mood for a fun adventure. I also recommend that you get it for any book loving middle schooler you know.” Emily, Midwestern Book Nerd

  Dedication:

  I dedicate this book to my family and friends (old and new) who willingly jumped onto the Zaria Fierce bandwagon with boundless enthusiasm. I can’t begin to express how much it has meant to me. Thank you for all the love you’ve put into the series.

  To Readers:

  Zaria Fierce continues to surprise me. Happy coincidences have added so much more depth to the world. Heave ho and climb on board! We’re off to explore magical Norway some more.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue: The Keenness to Tackle Dragons

  Chapter One: A Nightly Disturbance

  Chapter Two: An Expeditious Plan

  Chapter Three: Circumnavigating Norway

  Chapter Four: Trading at Northerly Latitudes

  Chapter Five: Help from Unexpected Heights

  Chapter Six: At the Bottom of a Well

  Chapter Seven: Crossing the Plains of Niffleheim

  Chapter Eight: Prism Break

  Chapter Nine: Testing Mettle, Grit, and Wits

  Chapter Ten: The Last Challenge

  Chapter Eleven: The Specter in the Dark

  Chapter Twelve: A Tale of Two Fathers

  Chapter Thirteen: Acquiring the Sword

  Chapter Fourteen: Liberating Hart

  Epilogue: The Dragon Ahead

  About the Author: Keira Gillett

  About the Artist: Eoghan Kerrigan

  Prologue: The Keenness to Tackle Dragons

  Zaria woke again with the feeling of self-loathing. She stared at the ceiling recalling last night’s theatrical performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which she attended in Oslo with her parents. The antics of Puck, a mischievous fairy, had failed to lighten her mood. The urge to punch something often overcame her and she struggled to keep a rein on her overwrought emotions. She knew why she was angry, but she didn’t know how to stop being angry.

  She rolled over, stuffing her pillow under her head. She felt so hopeless and was ashamed to admit it, convinced she didn’t have a right to complain. Hector had told her to stay put, but there was nothing worse, she thought, than being forced into inaction. It didn’t help that news from him was infrequent and slim on details. She wanted to help, but she didn’t know where to start.

  She was new to the magical world of Norway, even if she’d been born a part of it. She learned she was a princess, and her birth mother, Queen Helena, was a sorceress who ruled the Under Realm and guarded the world from dragons, whose powers could sway nations.

  Her earlier zeal to save her Chinese friend, Christoffer, had led her to being tricked into handing over Hart, the son of Hector – the Stag Lord of the ellefolken, – to a nasty river-troll, named Olaf. Now Hart was in the hands of Koll, the worst of the dragons, and his allies, while she anxiously waited for word from Hector as to how she and her friends could free him. Their only hope to find him was a special arrow-heart shaped necklace once worn by Hart, which Hector now wore.

  Saving Hart wasn’t her only problem though. Olaf was determined to set Koll free from his prison. There were four pieces of the puzzle that the river-troll needed to solve. He had one with Hart. He also needed the Drakeland Sword and a pair of charmed shoes (and the secret to removing them). Zaria, too, was one of the things Olaf needed, but she didn’t really understand what that meant. She knew she would never willingly help Olaf, but that hadn’t seemed to matter eight months ago.

  She wanted to beat Olaf at his own game, but the gung-ho attitude to run off half-cocked was no longer there. That was the problem with waiting, she mused. Waiting inevitably cooled impulsiveness, and she missed the fire the initial zeal had given her. If she could do something to help, Zaria knew the pain and guilt she felt for her actions last November would lessen.

  So Zaria prepared, keeping a backpack filled with clean clothes, including her favorite pair of pajamas with little foxes, travel toiletries, prepackaged food, a flashlight, batteries, and maps, although these maps were not the vintage ones her adoptive father had given her for her birthday two years ago. The mountain-trolls still had them somewhere in Trolgar (and she wanted them back.) The maps she now carried were photocopies from atlases and various books of fairy tales. Zaria didn’t know what would be handy, but she wanted to cover all her bases.

  It was the second week of July, and it was more than time for the next adventure. But when exactly would it start? Christoffer was impatient, having missed the last one. Their other friends were also anxious. And Zaria? Well, Zaria was ready to take on dragons.

  Chapter One: A Nightly Disturbance

  Zaria closed the book she was reading with a sigh and tossed it on the nightstand beside her bed. She took a moment to stretch luxuriously before standing. She wondered where Christoffer was. He usually escaped his parents’ overbearing attention once or twice a week and would skip off to one of his friend’s places. She thought he’d come by tonight.

  Deciding to get a glass of water, Zaria walked across her bedroom. As she reached the door a sharp crack sounded against her window causing her to jump and spin around. The cause of the disturbance became clear when a second stone bounced off the glass.

  Racing across the room, Zaria reached the window and peered through the curtains. Below her stood Christoffer, sporting a grin and wearing a navy blue captain’s hat over his spikey black hair. He waved as Zaria threw the window open, letting in a rush of cool night air.

  Leaning out of her second floor window, Zaria called down, “Is the front door too inconvenient for you?”

  “I’ve sprung from my parents,” he said happily. “God knows I love them, but I am going stir crazy with all their
attention. I am ready for some fun. Let me up.”

  Zaria stretched and released the fire escape ladder. It fell with a sharp bang. Christoffer quickly mounted and climbed, the sleeves of his navy blue jacket getting in the way. When he reached Zaria, she backed away from the window to let him into the room. He ducked through the opening and slung his arms around Zaria in a loose hug.

  “Any news?” he asked.

  Zaria shook her head. “Nothing new.”

  Christoffer sighed unhappily. He was as disappointed as she was by the lack of news. He wanted to be a part of the adventure to come – had in fact, made Zaria promise to bring him with her when the time came.

  It would be a challenge to get him away from his parents, but they would manage it. It helped that they had a special device in their possession which would aid their absconding when the time came.

  “Hector’s bound to send you something soon though, right?” Christoffer asked, tilting the hat further back on his head. He looked rather jaunty.

  “He was a regular correspondent up until he went to Jötunheim.”

  “The giants, right?”

  Zaria nodded and sat down on the bed. “I think it’s because it’s so far away. I don’t even know how he gets the mail to me. It just shows up in our mailbox. Mom read over my shoulder last time I got a letter. It was about Hector and his team hunting for trolls.”

  “What did she say to that?”

  “Of course she wanted to know what it meant. I told her that it was a pen-pal story project for school. She thought it was highly creative and asked to read the final copy.”

  “I wonder how tall they are,” Christoffer mused, sitting on the floor and leaning against her bookcase.

  “The giants?” Zaria asked.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  She thought for a moment and guessed, “They have to be tall enough that when they make furniture in miniature, it’s perfectly sized for us.”

  Christoffer whistled. “So compare us to dollhouse furniture, and it’s about the same isn’t it?”

  “What do you know about dollhouse furniture?” Zaria teased.

  Christoffer shrugged. “My twin sisters have gobs of that stuff lying around.”

  Zaria reached over to her nightstand and picked up her phone. “I’m going to Google the ratio of dollhouse furniture to normal furniture.”

  “Cool,” Christoffer said just as his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. He sighed gustily when a photo of his mother flashed across the screen. “Hi Mum,” he said, then paused and winced, knocking his hat to the floor. “I’m at Zaria’s…. No, her parents don’t know I’m here…. fire escape…. No, you don’t have to pick me up…. Please don’t…. Okay, okay. I’m leaving now. See you soon…. Yeah, love you too. Bye, Mum.” He rolled his eyes at Zaria as he hung up. “She’s driving me crazy.”

  “She’s just worried. Cut her some slack.”

  Christoffer grabbed his hat replacing it firmly on his head. “I’ve got to go. Did you figure out the ratio?”

  “One place said it was a twelve-to-one ratio.”

  “So giants are what –” Christoffer looked up and tallied in his head. “Something like twenty-two meters… er… that’s what, seventy-two feet tall? Wow. We’d be like squirrels to them.”

  Zaria squinted and shook her head. “No, probably not. Isn’t seventy-two feet more like the size of a tree? Giants are tall, but not so tall we’d be like squirrels to them. Squirrels are squirrels to them.”

  Christoffer laughed and slid open the window. He ducked through in a blink of an eye and was gone. Zaria leaned out and watched him descend the metal ladder. When he reached the bottom he gave her a thumbs-up. She pulled the ladder up from the ground.

  “Night, Zaria,” he called, turning to leave.

  “Good night, Christoffer. Text me when you get home!”

  He waved to acknowledge her request without turning around. When he reached the head of the alleyway he paused. Turning back, he glanced up at Zaria framed in the window where she stood watching.

  Cupping his hands to his mouth, Christoffer yelled. “We’re going to the Tall Ships Race tomorrow. Want to come?”

  Zaria smiled and nodded. “Yes!” she shouted back.

  And with that he was gone.

  She pulled away from the window and shut it before going to get the glass of water she’d wanted earlier. In the hallway she met Merry, her adoptive mother, wearing a fluffy blue bathrobe and gray bunny slippers. Even dressed for bed, Merry was a beautiful and warm Indian woman with big brown eyes, dark glossy hair, and clear caramel-colored skin.

  “Mrs. Johansen called. She wanted to make sure that Christoffer had left.”

  Zaria nodded. “He was only here for a few moments.”

  “Next time let me know, okay?” Merry asked gently, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “I had to tell Emma I would call her back. It makes me look bad if I don’t know who’s over.”

  “Sorry,” Zaria said. “I would’ve gotten around to it, but his mum called him before I could.”

  “It’s all right. Just remember for next time. Is he going to text you when he’s back home?”

  “He said he would.”

  “Let me know when he does. Do you want me to make you some tea? I was heading for the kitchen.”

  “Okay,” Zaria said, following her mom.

  Merry rang up Emma Johansen to let her know that Christoffer was on his way home. Then, they had some girl talk about nothing in particular while Zaria kept checking her mobile. She knew Christoffer would be safe to travel at night, because Olaf wasn’t about to kidnap him twice. What would be the point? Still she would feel better once Christoffer texted her.

  Anger crept over her, darkening her mood. She felt so hopeless about everything and nothing. She tried not to let her bad mood be apparent to her mom, but Merry was keenly perceptive.

  She gave Zaria a few shortbread cookies to eat with her tea, and the sweet gesture helped to dissipate the bad mood that had stolen over her. It disappeared entirely not long after that when Christoffer texted his safe arrival home. She kissed her mom goodnight, prepared for bed, and planned her outfit for the Tall Ships Race event the next day, determined to be happier.

  ***

  Zaria was enjoying herself immensely at the street party for the Tall Ships Race. It was an unusually warm sunny day. The wind from the Atlantic current was balmy. She wished she hadn’t brought the light sweater Merry had insisted she bring. It was currently wrapped around her waist, as she ate cotton candy and stole popcorn from Filip. He didn’t mind and would steal cotton candy as revenge.

  As she wandered the streets with her friends, Zaria laughed in delight at some of the makeshift costumes people had worn. Filip, green-eyed, brash, and blond, liked what a twenty-something guy was wearing. It was a 3-D painted cardboard getup of a pirate ship over his clothes, complete with a black and white skull-and-bones flag, and held up by red suspenders.

  The guy pretended to pilot it about, but it was an excuse to run wild as he bumped haphazardly into people like a pinball ricocheting around a course. It was fun to see how people reacted to him. Some were annoyed, but most wanted to take his picture and he proudly posed for them. It was the only time he stood still.

  Geirr, tall, black, and preppy with vivid blue eyes, preferred a different costume. One man had constructed onto his skateboard a wooden toy ship with a center mast, which he held onto for balance as he scooted around the street. It even had working sails. He had what looked like a mop on his head, and a captain’s hat worn backwards. Zaria liked the costume too and insisted that they waylay him and snag a photo for posterity.

  Street music played energetically all over the wharf from different bands. Some were folksy, some party electronic, some big band, and some rock. Geirr and Christoffer argued about which band they should go visit next. Geirr wanted to go to the folksy group near one of the big ships. Christoffer wanted to hang out by the party electronic band at the cen
ter of the street and dance.

  Aleks, their redheaded changeling friend, explained as they walked that the Tall Ships Race brought people from all over the globe. He was very much into tall ships. He and his grandpa (who was not married to Grams, his changeling grandmother) would rent out sailing ships every summer when his grandpa visited from Oslo.

  The race, and in particular the crew battle, according to Aleks, was a highlight not to be missed. Zaria was inclined to agree with him as she watched crews move around the ships preparing them for the launch of the cruise-in-company part of the route. There were roughly seventy ships and twenty-five hundred crew entered in the regatta this year.

  Zaria couldn’t wait to watch the sails unfurl. It would be like watching a different era unfold before her eyes – a time of discovery, exploration, and pirates. Speaking of which, Aleks was so enthusiastic about the race he was dressed like a pirate with an eye-patch and red-striped shirt. His youthful freckled face was tanned from the sun and his smile bright.

  When they came across a group of street performers teaching children how to walk on stilts it was a unanimous decision by the group to go over and try it out for themselves. They had a great time and made fun of each other’s efforts.

  Only Christoffer and Aleks got the hang of it and were soon walking around like pros. Geirr and Filip were decent, but would lose balance periodically and topple over. Zaria on the other hand was hopeless. She was proud of her efforts though, because she’d eventually been able to go about six steps before falling.

  Zaria thanked and tipped the street performer who had assisted them, prompting the others to copy her. As they walked away, Filip slung his arms around Zaria’s and Geirr’s necks. Playfully, he tried to jump, swinging his feet into the air.

  “Cut it out, mate,” Geirr grumbled good-naturedly, digging his elbow into Filip’s side.