DragonKnight (44 page)

Fried doughnut sticks.

o’rant

One of the high races. Five to six feet tall.

ordend (or´-den)

A basic unit of Amaran currency. Twenty ordends equals one grood.

ostal greens (ah´-stuhl)

A plant in the mustard family.

parnot (pâr´-not)

Green fruit like a pear.

pnard potatoes (puh-nard´)

Starchy, edible tuber with pale pink flesh.

Pordactic Period

The period of Amaran history covering two thousand years when the Pordac family ruled.

portamanca (por´-tuh-man-kuh)

Evergreen shrub having fragrant orange blossoms and whorled leaves.

Punipmats (puh-nee´-mats; notice second p is silent)

Continent of western/northern hemispheres.

quiss (kwuh´-iss)

One of the seven low races. These creatures have an enormous appetite. Every three years they develop the capacity to breathe air for six weeks and forage along the seacoast, creating havoc. They are extremely slippery.

razterberry (ras´-ter-bâr-ee)

Small red berries that grow in clusters somewhat like grapes on the sides of mountains. The vines are useful for climbing.

rock pine

Evergreen tree with prickly cones that are as heavy as stones.

ropma (rōp´-muh)

One of the seven low races. These half men–half animals are useful in herding and caring for beasts.

schoergs (skôrgz)

One of seven low races, much like grawligs, shorter, less playful.

smoothergill

Any of the marine flatfishes having a slick skin and large gills.

steppesman (steps´-mun)

A large burrowing animal of the squirrel family, covered with light brown fur. Social structure within colony resembles extended families.

stinger-schoergs

A variant of schoergs, having a scorpion-type tail instead of a prehensile tail.

thornsnippers

Tiny brown birds with bright red beaks, known to feed on thorns of various bushes.

todden barrel

A wooden container of toddens, a pickled vegetable, yellow in color and crunchy, shaped somewhat like a hand.

trang-a-nog tree (trăng´-uh-nog)

Smooth olive green bark.

trundle bear

A small, ferocious brown bear with enormous claws.

tumanhofer (too´-mun-hoff-er)

One of the seven high races, short, squat, powerful fighter, though for the most part they prefer to use their great intellect.

umbering

A time of refreshment, the social traditions and interaction being more important than the nourishment.

urohm (ū-rōm´)

Largest of the seven high races. Gentle giants, well proportioned and very intelligent.

Vendela (vin-del´-luh)

Capital city of the province of Wynd.

waistcoater

A deep-chested bird with a small head and short legs. The coloring of feathers suggests the bird is wearing a dark vest.

Wittoom (wit-toom´)

Region populated by doneels in northwest Amara.

writher snake (r
-ther)

A water snake, long and slender. The snake wraps its body around a victim, drags it under the water, and eats the body as it decomposes.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

D
ONITA
K. P
AUL
enjoys writing, but she enjoys her readers more. Her Web site,
www.dragonkeeper.us
is a place where she can interact with readers, old and young.

Mrs. Paul is a retired teacher and still spends a great deal of time with young people. Although she lives in the shadow of Pikes Peak, she does no mountain climbing, preferring more sedate hobbies such as knitting and stamping. And she likes to make things she can give away.

Praise for
DragonKnight

“
DragonKnight
is a thoroughly enchanting fantasy where dragons speak, tiny mouselike guardians protect normal-sized folk, and young people search for identity. Woven through Donita K. Paul’s carefully crafted world is a strong theme of love, redemption, and the sufficiency of God to see His children through all trials. The icing on this delightful cake is a surprise ending that brings tears of joy!”

—D
OUGLAS
H
IRT
, author of the Cradleland Chronicles series

“Donita K. Paul’s inventiveness never ceases to amaze. Fresh ideas for new races of people and unusual creatures keep flowing from her gifted pen. In
DragonKnight,
we meet a few of these and rejoin old friends like Kale, Bardon, Regidor, and the ever-huggable Toopka on a rollicking adventure. As always, this author has a whole bag of tricks up her sleeve—unexpected plot twists, heart-tugging relationships, and captivating characters. ‘Classic’ is written all over this series.”

—J
ILL
E
LIZABETH
N
ELSON
, author of
Reluctant Burglar

“
DragonKnight
swept me into the exciting exploits of Bardon and his loyal friends. The inventive and richly compelling characters quickly drew me into their lives and into a fast-paced fantasy adventure.”

—F
AYE
S
PIEKER
, playwright and author of ministry tools for children

“Charming characters in a colorful make-believe world full of beauty and danger. Classic good against evil with wonderful spiritual truths layered throughout and enough twists to keep the reader engaged from first page to last.”

—S
ANDRA
D. M
OORE
, director, American Christian Fiction Writers Association

“Donita K. Paul’s new novel examples the skillful weaving of a fantasy story with strong moral lessons and spiritual insights. Throughout her series, Paul has created fascinating characters who battle powerful enemies and learn what it means to live life in the process. As a result,
DragonKnight
is both fun and important reading. Young readers will love the action—and readers of all ages will appreciate the insights.”

—P
AUL
M
OEDE
, coauthor of
Good News About Your Strong-Willed Child

D
RAGON
K
NIGHT

P
UBLISHED BY
W
ATER
B
ROOK
P
RESS

12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

A division of Random House Inc.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (
www.Lockman.org
).

The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.

Copyright © 2006 by Donita K. Paul

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920,
www.alivecommunications.com
.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

W
ATER
B
ROOK
and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Paul, Donita K.

Dragonknight : a novel / Donita K. Paul.

p. cm.

1. Dragons—Fiction. 2. Religious fiction. I. Title.

PS3616.A94D725 2006

813'.6—dc22

2006006983

www.waterbrookpress.com

eISBN: 978-0-307-44623-7

v3.0