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“Hey look, guys. It’s Amanda, the fantasy freak!”
Amanda didn’t need to even look to yell, “Shut up, Gregory!” behind her.
As Amanda entered her social studies classroom for her special help, she noticed that two men were staring at her.
“Here you are!” Amanda’s social studies teacher called her over.
“Amanda, I need to impress on you the importance of turning in your homework. I asked you to research two foreign cultures and write a short report on them. It was due today. I’m sorry, Amanda, but I’ll have to give you weekend homework.”
Her teacher’s voice turned suddenly stern. “I want that report here on Monday at ten o’clock sharp.”
Amanda’s mouth fell open. “But Mrs. Benton, it’s only Friday! That only gives me, like, two days!”
“Two days, not ‘like two days,’ Amanda, and knowing you I would start as soon as you get home,” snapped Mrs. Benton.
Amanda nodded and left.
One of the men had a short brown beard, and the other had a black one. They were both dressed as though for a safari. The man with the black beard was taller than the other. He seemed to be in charge. He kept pointing at her and talking to the other man.
The men seemed to be gaining on her. Amanda looked around for a means of escape. No passing cars were in sight.
Desperately, Amanda looked towards the sea. To her astonishment, a shimmering bridge had appeared over the water, but it stopped in a cloud of mist halfway out of the harbor. The men had noticed it, too. They had started to run faster.
Amanda broke into a headlong sprint and pelted to the bridge. Not looking back, she charged across it and into the mist. A strange sensation filled her, as though she was flying, but she was still running.
She suddenly felt a change in the air. Now it was clear and wholesome, and it had a sweet taste to it. What if the men had followed her?
Amanda ran forward, not even taking in her surroundings. But when her feet felt solid rock and she started to run upward, she looked around in surprise.
She was at the edge of a bright green forest, at the foot of a huge range of mountains. The sky was wide and blue and didn’t have a cloud in it. The sky alone captivated her, but she had no time to stand here and gawk.
Amanda scrambled up the steep slope, not stopping until she reached a wide ledge. Then she looked out over the forest. It was huge! She could only just see the other side. In the middle, a large portion of the trees were shrouded by mist that Amanda couldn’t see through. There seemed to be birds flying toward her over the sea of green.
Amanda peered at the birds. They looked large. Maybe she should press on. She started to climb at top speed to get away from the birds.
As the birds drew ever closer, Amanda realized that they were not birds. But what were they, if not birds? They looked a bit like vultures, but they were much bigger. Their leader was even larger than the others.
The birds had started to cry out. Amanda froze. Their voices were harsh and piercing, unlike any bird Amanda had ever heard. They filled her with terror. She crouched down, trying to hide.
The lead bird was almost to her. Amanda had a confused impression of rancid breath and swirling feathers and screeching.
Suddenly there was a booming roar. A deep voice bellowed, “Back, foul Kremlings! Go back to where you came from!”
Amanda lifted her head a little just in time to see a jet of fire streak past her and miss the lead bird by inches. It hit another of the birds, which vanished in a cloud of smoke. The rest of the birds retreated, following their leader.
“Are you all right?”
Amanda raised her head a little more and gasped. A creature had landed in front of her, a creature Amanda knew only from books and movies… a dragon! It was dark blue-green and had yellow eyes that had a vertical pupil, like a cat’s. A pair of gigantic wings sprouted from its back and it had a short pair of horns pointing out of its head.
“Um… yeah, I’m okay,” Amanda stammered.
“Speak politely when you address a dragon. And don’t stand there gaping like a faucet!”
Amanda’s mouth had fallen open. Another person had landed on the ledge. But… he looked a little like a dragon himself! At least, he had wings and a tail, and he looked more than able to breathe fire.
Two more people landed on the ledge, which was starting to get crowded. These people didn’t have tails, but they had wings and smoke was coming from one’s nostrils.
“Climb on Jammather’s back. You don’t mind, do you?” one of the newcomers— a man — asked the dragon.
In response, the dragon knelt beside Amanda, inviting her to climb aboard. Amanda settled herself between the dragon’s wings.
After the first shock of takeoff, Amanda enjoyed the flight to the dragons’ cave. The forest and the mountains were spread beneath her. On the other side of the forest, there was a vast, endless ocean. Amanda could see no sign of the birds that had attacked her, but there were birds flying below them.
At the dragons’ cave, a fresh surprise awaited Amanda. A little boy who looked no older than nine was there, and he was practically hopping with excitement. Sparks were almost flying from his mouth has he spoke.
“Didja get ‘em, guys? Huh? Huh? Didja, didja, didja?”
“Yeah, we got them,” laughed one of the last two, the woman. “And they took off after one was down.”
“Cowards!” snorted the second.
“Patience, Jamma. We have more important things,” said Jammather. She turned to Amanda.
“How did you get here?”
Amanda thought for a moment. “I… crossed a bridge because… these two men were following me.”
The dragons looked up. Smoke rose from their nostrils. “A bridge?” thundered the second dragon man.
“Two men?” roared the dragon woman.
“The bridge is open again, and the magic hunters have crossed and called the Kremlings to their cause,” said Jammather, much more calmly.
“We haven’t got much time! I will go round up the others,” said the dragon woman.
“I’m going with you,” called the other. They flew out of sight.
Amanda looked around. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Jammil, this is a perfect opportunity for you to brush up on your history,” said Jamma.
The little boy groaned, but he said, “Umm… Well, this is difficult to explain to a human, but there’s this one bridge, it’s called the Bridge between Worlds. Well, only the unicorns were here before it opened the first time, and the rest of us came over later. As the Bridge was fading, something like a black wind came across. It was the Kremlings. There were only five back then. They’re the biggest today.
“One time, a couple of men came across the Bridge. They forced it open. They started to hunt magical things like us, believe it or not! Anyway, they killed the only phoenix that ever lived here: Ineo, a very famous name. Because they killed him, they became immortal. And now they’re back… that can’t be good.
“Amanda, they’re after all of us. They’re lunatics. If they get one of us, like Ineo, we all suffer. They can’t wipe out magic. If they do, then everything here will die. We’ll die. Sunadre will die. Magic will die.”
The tone in Jammil’s voice made Amanda want to cry. She wiped her eyes.
“What did the others mean when they mentioned the others? Did they mean other people?” she asked.
“Yeah, that's right. Jamie and Jammy went to get the others. They should be back in a few minutes. You want me to show you around?”
“Sure.”
Amanda spent the next few minutes exploring the dragons’ cave. There were not one, not two, but three fireplaces spaced evenly around the back part of the cave. A huge chamber was down a wide stone hall. Amanda supposed that was where the dragons slept.
With a rather dramatic gust of wind, Jamie and Jammy returned to the cave. With them was a crowd of flying horses. They all landed smoothly on the stone floor of the cave.
“The rest are on their way,” announced Jammy.
“Heavens, did you go all the way to the center of the forest and back?” asked Jammather. “Good for you! In my old age, I’m not sure I could do that in that time, but when I was your age I once made that trip in thirty seconds!”
A buzzing like hundreds of bees filled the cave. A storm of small flying things came into the cave. As they neared her, Amanda saw that they were actually miniature people with wings.
“Ah! The Quinkies are here!” proclaimed Jamie.
The tiny people landed on equally small rock ledges near the roof of the cave.
Amanda was now listening with all her might for the sound of approaching groups.
“I hear someone!” she said excitedly.
Marching feet now reached the ears of everyone in the cave. A few seconds later, a long line of dwarves marched right into the cave. With bows to the dragons and a few glances at Amanda, the dwarves settled themselves on the fireplaces.
No sound could be heard outside, but Amanda thought she could hear the soft patter of feet and the rush of wings as night fell outside. Quite suddenly a band of unicorns appeared in the door, followed closely by a large gang of elves. The unicorns curled up at the back of the cave. The elves sat nearby, glancing curiously at Amanda like all the rest.
The last to arrive was a band of lustily singing people, but they were short, even shorter than the dwarves. Each and every one of them had a brightly colored cloth about their heads.
“Nenskies,” Jammil whispered to Amanda. “Very fierce warriors when they’re up to it, those Nenskies.”
Jammather turned her head towards one of the fireplaces. The dwarves hurriedly scooted out of her way as she lit it with a blast of fire from her mouth.
“Ooh, can I light the other ones? Pleeeeeease?” pleaded Jammil.
Jammather nodded her consent.
“Yippee!” cried Jammil. He hurried to the other fireplaces and lit them with a small effort.
Amanda snuck furtive glances at the newcomers as Jammather waited for them to calm down. She noticed that the leader of the unicorns had a ring on its crystalline horn and that the leader of the elves had a small butterfly hairclip that really fluttered its wings.
“My friends, through the ages we have all lived in peace, fighting the evil Kremlings,” Jammather began, “but now I call you to stand with us to battle the most evil threat that has ever come to Sunadre: magic hunters.”
At this, some people glanced uneasily at Amanda, who shifted uncomfortably.
One of the unicorns stood up, the one with the ring on its horn. In a clear voice it called, “The final words of Ineo were a puzzle spelling a name. I have worked out the clues and chosen the best. I found the name Amanda.”
He looked pointedly at Amanda herself.
Jammather nodded slowly. “Yes, this is Amanda of whom Ineo spoke. She was pursued across the bridge by the magic-hunters and arrived here. She was then attacked by the Kremlings…”
A shiver ran through the room, but Jammather continued as though nothing had happened.
“… but was rescued from certain death by my grandson ‘Jammy.’ I have decided that she will not remain in one place for very long, but move throughout our colonies to avoid the Kremlings.”
Amanda’s heart rose a little. Maybe Mrs. Benton’s strict social studies homework wouldn’t be so bad after all! She glanced around at all the other people in the cave. They were now gazing at Jammather with rapt attention.
“Amanda, you will go with the unicorns first. And then… we will see.”
Amanda shivered now. A little ominous were the words of Jammather.
Jammather looked outside. “But look… it is a beautiful midsummer’s night.”
Everyone in the cave stood up and filed out.
Amanda was surprised at how warm it was. The air smelled sweet. The moon and the stars shone above her like fireflies.
Amanda could hear snatches of clear singing in the night. She wandered aimlessly, down the mountain with the rest. As she entered the forest, she felt like she had entered a fairy tale. She leaned against the smooth trunk of a tree, and before she could stop herself was drifting off to sleep.
