‘You were right,’ he said to Xing. ‘It is delicious.’
Everyone turned expectantly to Billy and the blue dragon. Even though Billy was the last to name his dragon, he was pleased he had been the first to recognize their bond.
‘Are you ready to give me a name?’ asked the blue dragon hopefully.
Billy tentatively reached out and stroked her translucent wing. Small sparks flickered beneath his fingertips, like tiny fireflies.
Billy looked up at the dragon, his dragon, and smiled. ‘How do you feel about Spark?’
The blue dragon responded by flying up in the air. Her wings extended even further, growing and growing, and waves of blue light streamed from her scales. Her mane lengthened and began to glow a vivid electric blue, and her bright blue eyes morphed to gold. A gold ray of light ran from her heart to Billy’s.
As it did, Billy felt a jolt go through him, as if he’d been electrocuted, but in a good way. He felt all of Spark’s joy at being bonded, her pride at being stronger.
‘Thank you,’ said Spark, floating back down to the ground. ‘I love it.’
‘So that’s it?’ said Billy, looking around at the others and wondering if they all felt what he did. Elated and excited and ready for anything. ‘We’re dragon-bonded now?’
‘The bond is just the beginning,’ said Tank.
The Eight Pearls
‘Joining us is not without risks,’ said Spark. ‘We cannot promise you will come out of it alive.’
Billy’s stomach tightened. The thought had occurred to him earlier, but hearing the dragons say it out loud made it so much more real.
‘We won’t be bringing you into battle completely unprepared,’ said Tank. ‘You will also be strengthened by the bond.’
‘There’s another important thing that needs to happen before we go into the Dragon Realm,’ said Xing. ‘And I think you are all going to like this part.’ She held up the jade stone that had been encased in Ling-Fei’s necklace. ‘Do you have any idea what this is?’
The children all shook their heads.
‘I just know it was my grandma’s,’ said Ling-Fei.
‘I wonder…’ said Spark thoughtfully. ‘I wonder if your grandma knew how valuable it was.’
‘What do you know about the Eight Great Treasures?’ asked Xing.
‘I know what they are in Chinese mythology,’ said Ling-Fei, frowning, ‘but I thought they were just symbolic.’
‘Well, I didn’t think dragons were real,’ said Dylan. ‘And here we are.’
‘The Eight Great Treasures are real,’ said Xing, ‘but not in the way you might think. There are eight ancient pearls, each of a different substance. The Flaming Pearl – a pearl glowing with an eternal flame. The Ice Pearl that is always cold and can never be melted. The Lightning Pearl with a storm captured inside it. The Coral Pearl. The Granite Pearl. The Gold Pearl. The Diamond Pearl. And the Jade Pearl. No dragon or human knows exactly where they came from, and we are not sure of their full capabilities. But we do know they provide a measure of protection over the one who carries them. A single pearl will not make you invincible, but it will protect you from harm, to an extent.’
She gave Ling-Fei what Billy thought was an attempt at a gentle smile, or as gentle as she could, given her perpetually fierce expression. ‘Your grandmother might not have known exactly what it was, but I suspect she recognized it as a protective talisman of sorts. By gifting it to you, she’s been protecting you even though she isn’t here.’
Ling-Fei blinked away tears. ‘It’s always sung to me,’ she said simply. ‘I feel better when I have it close.’
‘That isn’t all the pearls do,’ said Buttons, hopping up and down, barely able to contain his excitement. ‘Tell them! Tell them!’
‘We know that there is power when all eight pearls are together,’ said Tank, ‘although I do not know if that has ever happened. The Dragon of Death was trying to find all eight, but only managed to locate one.’
‘Not that!’ Buttons burst out. ‘Tell them the other thing about the pearls. The thing they’ll want to know.’
Billy’s eyes darted back and forth between the dragons and the pearl. He didn’t think he could be any more excited than he already was, having just bonded with a dragon, but there was something about the way Buttons was talking that had Billy’s heart racing even faster.
‘When a human who is dragon-bonded has a pearl, the pearl awakens a unique power in the human,’ said Spark.
‘A power?’ breathed Billy.
‘Are you saying I’ve been wearing a magic pearl for half my life?’ said Ling-Fei, her eyes huge.
‘Not any magic pearl, but a magic pearl that I once carried,’ said Xing. ‘It was lost many years ago, but it sounds as if your family has been keeping it safe. And now it has come back to me, just when I need it most. You being the one to return it to me makes it all the more valuable. Two treasures instead of one.’
Ling-Fei blushed. Billy was surprised to hear Xing being so sentimental about both the pearl and Ling-Fei. He wondered if Spark felt like that about him.
‘But it is magic?’ asked Dylan, staring at the pearl.
‘You need the dragon bond for it to do anything really magical. Only then can the pearl unleash an innate power within the human who holds the pearl,’ explained Spark.
‘So I get… a magic power?’ Ling-Fei said, staring at the Jade Pearl.
‘You all get a magic power,’ said Buttons, sounding delighted. ‘Dylan, I have the Granite Pearl for you. Nobody
