Dewberry and the Lost Chest of Paraqon Read online

  Primrose arrived first. Her real name was Taylor Buchanan, and she had wavy blond hair. As a fairy, Primrose wore a dress made of translucent pink flower petals, and she had tiny gold wings. Her wand was a black raven feather, and her special fairy gift was the ability to solve mysteries. She could easily pick up on small details to figure things out quickly. Primrose was always able to work out who the criminals were in mystery books before the detectives barely even had a clue.

  Dewberry took off her cape and crown when Snapdragon arrived. Then she went inside to get cookies and juice for her friends.

  Snapdragon’s real name was Bettina Gregory. In fairy form, she wore a dress made of yellow and orange, furled snapdragon petals, and she had bright orange wings that were tall and wispy. She had light brown hair and carried a boar bristle wand that was curled like a corkscrew. Her special fairy gift involved fierceness, with the ability to protect and defend when necessary. She was also gifted with speed, and could fly nearly as fast as a dragon. Madam Swallowtail was mentor for both Primrose and Snapdragon.

  Primrose and Snapdragon both waved to Madam Goldenrod, still visible at her window keeping an eye on things. Madam Goldenrod waved back. She was writing letters while watching Dewberry. As long as she could see her granddaughter fairly frequently through the window, she didn’t need to check on her in person. Dewberry knew that she could go in and out of her own house through the back door to get things as needed, but if she wanted to spend a long time indoors, and out of sight, she would have to do it at Grandma’s house, or convince Grandma to come over, because those were the rules.

  As soon as her guests were settled at the back porch table with their cookies and juice, Dewberry launched into the story of the Legend of Paragon and his lost chest. She told them everything she had discovered about this great mystery gift for mankind, and how Paragon and his marshals had used ancient magic to unearth these secrets.

  The girls speculated for a while, as to what possible knowledge the chest contained.

  “Maybe it’s a cure for cancer,” suggested Primrose.

  “Or diabetes, or epilepsy, or cystic fibrosis,” added Snapdragon hopefully.

  Primrose had another idea. “Maybe it’s a blueprint for World Peace,” she said.

  The girls were very excited about the many possibilities.

  Next, Dewberry told her friends that the first step to locating the chest would be to seek the Map of Apotheosis. “Apotheosis was Paragon’s chief carto grapher,” she said. “He made maps of all of the territories under Paragon’s rule. The last scroll I reviewed about the legend said that all grebe birds know the location of the map. Evidently, grebe birds are somewhat magical. They keep this knowledge and pass it down through the generations.”

  Dewberry was breathless with excitement as she went on. “Now grebe birds do not live in this area, so the only place nearby we can find one is at the zoo. I already convinced Grandma to drop us off at the zoo when she finishes her letters. And she is okay with my plan that we secretly change to fairy form behind bushes in the park next to the zoo and fly ourselves home. That way, we can be free to take the next step after the map, if we can figure out what that next step is.”

  Dewberry was beaming at her friends with anticipation. She thought her plan was excellent. However, Snapdragon and Primrose were looking at each other skeptically.

  “Have you told Madam Goldenrod what you are doing?” asked Snapdragon. “Researching the legend and seeking the chest? It might be good to consult a mentor, or at least your handbook, before embarking on this quest.”

  Primrose nodded. She certainly would have liked Madam Swallowtail’s opinion about all of this before going forward.

  But Dewberry shook her head. “Other than flying, we won’t be using any fairy magic. Fairies are allowed to fly around without a mentor’s permission. This is strictly a treasure hunt,” she argued. “Except for getting some of the legend information from the River of Wisdom, which regular people also have access to even if they don’t know it’s a magical river and library, there is nothing fairyish going on here. The swifts would have delivered the same information to anyone else, if it was needed or requested.”

  What Dewberry said made sense. So both Primrose and Snapdragon agreed to go along with her plan, even though they were a little uneasy about it.

  Madam Goldenrod stepped out onto her own back porch and called to the girls. “I’ll be ready in five minutes. Make sure you put the glasses and plates in the sink, then meet me in the driveway.” The girls hurried to do this and were ready to go when Madam Goldenrod emerged from her front door, locking it behind her.

  As they neared the downtown zoo, something in the facial expressions of both Primrose and Snapdragon set off Madam Goldenrod’s precaution sensor. The girls looked reluctant, nervous, and worried all at once. Dewberry just looked thrilled, so Madam Goldenrod wondered what her granddaughter might be up to. As she gave the girls money for the zoo entrance fees and snacks, she also gave them a warning. “Just a reminder—flying is the only fairy activity you are approved for on your own. Only in an emergency would you be allowed to use any other magic without a mentor present.”

  The three girls all nodded their understanding, but Snapdragon and Primrose still looked somewhat troubled.

  The zoo wasn’t very crowded since it was mid-winter. Having visited many times, Dewberry knew exactly where the bird exhibit was located, and they had no trouble finding the grebe bird in his own native habitat enclosure. He was at the far corner of his pen, pacing back and forth behind some shrubs and scratching the ground for seeds and bugs.

  Adorned with beautiful gray-and-white plumage, the grebe bird was around the size of a large turkey and had dark gray feathers forming a crest on the top of his head.

  “I wonder how we should go about this,” said Dewberry, doubtfully. “Now that we are here, it seems silly to talk to a bird in a zoo about a map.”

  “I thought your last clue said all grebe birds know about the map,” said Snapdragon.

  Dewberry nodded. “Yes, but since birds can’t talk, unless they are bewitched, how would this one be able to tell us about the map, even if he knows where it is?”

  “I suggest the direct approach,” said Primrose, a little impatiently. “Just ask him,” she added, nudging Dewberry’s shoulder.

  “Um…” began Dewberry, looking around to make sure there were no other

  zoo patrons nearby. “Uh…Mr. Grebe Bird, can you tell us how to find the Map of Apotheosis? We are seeking the Lost Chest of Paragon.”

  To the fairies’ surprise, and delight, the grebe bird stopped pacing and looked directly at them. Next, he gave them a slow wink as a tiny glass tube, only about two inches long, magically appeared at Dewberry’s feet. She picked it up quickly, and the grebe bird went back to his scratching and pacing.

  Inside the tube was a very small map, extremely detailed. Dewberry put the map back in the tube for safekeeping. Then she slipped it into her pocket, telling her friends, “We will need to be in fairy form to read this because it’s so small.”

  The girls left the zoo and made their way into the nearby park, taking cover behind a dense growth of oleander bushes.

  Dewberry took the glass tube out of her pocket and removed the map. Then, with three little pops, the girls changed into fairy form. The map was now the correct size for them to see clearly with their tiny fairy eyes.

  Before they began studying the map, Snapdragon brought up a good point. “If we had to change into fairy form to read this tiny map, then this is a fairy activity, not just a simple treasure hunt. Maybe we should consult a mentor before pursuing the chest further.”

  Primrose nodded in agreement.

  However, Dewberry had an answer, as always. “Nonsense,” she said, “I could have gotten a magnifying glass like a regular person. This just saves time.” (Dewberry had obviously decided to ignore the fact that the map had appeared magically out of nowhere: something that wouldn’t have been e
asy to explain away as normal.)

  One of Dewberry’s hobbies was studying maps, along with everything else she studied. There were no words on the map; rather, it contained very distinctive geographical markings of rivers, mountains, woods, rocks, and trees. The map also showed the location of the Obelisk of Criterion, which would hold the next clue to finding the chest.

  It didn’t take Dewberry long to recognize the landscape of the map. “This is just on the outskirts of the Forgotten Forest,” she said.

  The Forgotten Forest was part of the Howell Nature Preserve and was restricted to the public. “See where these two streams come together, just like Coyote Wash and Henderson Creek,” said Dewberry. “And they travel around the base of a hill on the edge of this valley, just like the landscape of the basin area of the preserve.”

  Dewberry was very excited to have worked out the map so quickly. All her hours of pouring over area maps had not been wasted. However, she was a little discouraged. “We’re almost thirty miles from the preserve,” she told her friends. “That’s too far for us to fly. I guess we’ll just have to wait until we can plan an outing, and we may have to involve our mentors to be able to travel that far.”

  Primrose and Snapdragon were somewhat disappointed too. They had also been excited when Dewberry worked out the map so quickly.

  Just as the fairies were thinking of starting for home, two brownies arrived behind the bushes, riding on a rabbit. Since brownies couldn’t fly, they often rode on birds and animals to travel.

  These brownies were twins named James and John, also known as Donnybrook and Ruckus because brownie

  twins always had nicknames. Snapdragon and Primrose had met them before, at a special fairy gathering the previous summer near the Cave of Courage. Dewberry had never met the twins. James and John introduced themselves to her after saying hello to Snapdragon and Primrose.

  Brownies and fairies were usually wary of one another because brownies often delighted in playing tricks on fairies. However, there had been a good relationship for the last two years between the fairies and brownies of the Southwest region, and they had worked together on several successful missions.

  Brownies got their spirits from earthy things like mushrooms and mosses. James and John were both granite rock brownies and had reddish-brown hair and lots of freckles. They were dressed in the brownies’ traditional tan colors and wore strings of polished granite chips around their necks.

  “What are you guys up to?” asked John curiously.

  It was somewhat unusual to find fairies in public parks. They usually stayed in normal girl form unless they were on a fairy adventure. And public parks were not common places for fairy adventures. Rather, it would be more likely for fairies to be found out in the wilderness somewhere.

  Dewberry didn’t tell the brownies her ultimate goal of locating the Lost Chest of Paragon. Instead, she explained that she was seeking an obelisk marked on a map. “Unfortunately,” she added, “we can’t get there. It’s too far for us to fly.”

  “We can help you with that easily!” exclaimed James. He then gave a sharp whistle and looked toward the sky.

  The fairies and brownies watched the sky and waited. After a few minutes, two hawks arrived; at which point, the rabbit took off in a hurry through the bushes.

  The girls were very excited at the prospect of riding on hawks.

  “We can go with you as far as the preserve,” said John, “but then we’ll have to leave, or risk being late for a brownie meeting.”

  Primrose and Dewberry rode behind John on the first hawk, and Snapdragon rode behind James on the second. It was quite cool and windy high in the air, but the fairies held on tightly and were warm enough nestled in the silky hawk feathers. Dewberry carefully carried the glass map tube, tucked tightly under one arm.

  Chapter Three

  Criterion’s Obelisk

  As they flew, Dewberry explained that Criterion was Paragon’s head field marshal and was in charge of all military operations. “He marked all of Paragon’s territories with giant stone obelisks like the one shown on the map.”

  When they arrived at the place where the two creeks came together on the edge of the preserve, Dewberry consulted the map again. The obelisk drawn on the map was shaped like a tall, thin tower with a pointed pyramid at the top. The location of the monument was a point on the northeast side of a clearing near the entrance of the basin.

  Unfortunately, it seemed that the map had led them to a dead end. There was no obelisk in the clearing. Where it should have been, a tall Spanish oak tree stood instead.

  John was looking over Dewberry’s shoulder at the map. “Hang on,” he said. “Let me try something.” He ran to the oak tree and walked around the trunk three times. As the others approached the tree, John gazed up at it, smiling. “There it is,” he said.

  The rest of the group thought John might have gone a little crazy. All they could see was the oak tree. “Look at the map closely,” he instructed. Around the base of the obelisk on the map, encircling it, were three lines with arrows pointing in a counter-clockwise direction.

  “Oh,” said Dewberry. She led, while Snapdragon, Primrose, and James followed. When each of them had circled the tree base three times counterclockwise, the tree no longer looked like a tree but was instead an immense stone obelisk. It had been magically disguised somehow.

  “Well, we have to go,” said John.

  As the brownies climbed onto one of the hawks to get ready to leave, James told them, “The second hawk will take you home when you are ready.” Then, blushing a little, he added, “Please tell Cinnabar I said hello.” It was well known that James liked Cinnabar, a moth fairy, very much.

  The girls nodded and thanked the boys. Then the hawk took off, soaring high, and the brownies waved to the fairies below. The other hawk waited patiently in the distance for them.

  Dewberry next turned her attention to the obelisk. It was a pale gray color and was as tall as the oak tree had been, about twenty feet high. Near the top of the pointed stone monument was a carving. It was not easy to see from the ground, so the fairies flew up to look at the markings.

  As they ascended, Dewberry told her friends, “We could have gotten a ladder, but this saves time.” By now, Snapdragon and Primrose were so keyed up about the quest that they were less concerned about rules than before.

  The carving on the obelisk was clearly the shape of a rock formation. Again, Dewberry recognized it. “It’s not too far from here,” she said excitedly. “We won’t need to ride on the hawk, but we will need him to take us home afterwards.”

  Dewberry flew to the hawk, explained where they were going, and told him that they probably wouldn’t need to stay there very long before they would be ready to go home. He nodded his understanding and took off in the direction the fairies were also heading. Brownies and birds had a very good relationship with one another. The brownies had requested help transporting the fairies, and the hawk wasn’t about to leave them stranded. He was very reliable.

  The hawk was waiting for them fifteen minutes later when the fairies arrived at the very distinctive, twin towering rocks extending from the base of a cliff on the side of a small mountain.

  The shape of the obelisk was carved very small into one of the two giant rocks, near the bottom. Directly below the carving sat a large, solid black, glittering rock. None of the fairies had ever seen a rock like this before.

  “I think we’ll have to move it to find the chest,” said Snapdragon. “I bet it’s underneath.”

  “But we will need to be in girl form to do that since we can’t use magic,” Primrose reminded them. Snapdragon and Dewberry nodded.

  With three pops, the girls were standing over the black rock. The stone was heavy,

  but it was also flat, so the three of them managed to lift it without serious strain. They propped it up on its side against the larger rock.

  Underneath the black stone was indeed the Lost Chest of Paragon.

  Chapt
er Four

  The Chest of Paragon

  Dewberry carefully took the chest from the indentation under the rock and placed it at her feet, peering at it intently. It was actually quite small, about the size of a standard recipe card box. Then the girls changed back into fairy form and stood in front of the chest to examine it. It was very ornate and was made of a bright, silvercolored metal that was not at all tarnished. Since the chest was still shiny and beautiful, the fairies decided it must be made of some unknown metal, or perhaps protected from weathering by some kind of magic.

  The lid of the chest was inset with four different-colored stones in four distinct shapes: a red tornado, a blue lightning bolt, a yellow fireball, and a green S-shape.

  Just as Dewberry was reaching to open the lid, Primrose stopped her. “Look at the black stone,” she said. “We didn’t notice. It has carvings underneath.”

  “Oh,” said Dewberry, examining the carvings. “They’re petroglyphs: pictures and symbols carved into rocks. How interesting. This is how they used to record history, decorate, and send messages because paper and parchment weren’t available.”

  The symbols carved into the stone resembled four human figures, each holding a different-shaped object in his hands. The objects looked like a tornado, a bolt of lightning, a fireball (or sun), and something S-shaped and wispy like a snake made of smoke. The four figures were holding out the objects, as if offering them to an invisible someone.

  The black rock also contained several small drawings below the petroglyphs. Pointing, Dewberry told her friends, “And these are pictographs. They are drawn on, instead of being carved into the rock.”

  The pictographs looked as though they were done with a kind of bright red dye; the color stood out noticeably in contrast to the black rock. The drawings appeared to represent many human figures lying down, either asleep or dead.