On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga, #1)

by Andrew Peterson

“Well, here we are.” The man’s name was Dwayne, and the first thing he saw was a rock.

first sentence was taught to children and their children’s children and their children’s parents’ cousins and so on until, quite by accident, all speaking creatures referred to the world around them as Aerwiar.

fellow Skreeans were occasionally taken away across the sea, never to be seen again.

except for the ratbadgers that slithered through the tall grass (a farmer from South Torrboro claimed to have seen one as big as a young meep, which is about the size of a full-grown chorkney, an animal that stands about as high as a flabbit).

Being carried off by the Black Carriage was like dying. It could happen to anyone, at any time, and there was nothing to be done about it but to hope the Carriage kept moving when it rattled down your lane.

The whole village waited all year for Dragon Day, when all of Skree seemed to descend on Glipwood. There would be games and food, strange-looking people from faraway cities, and the dragons themselves rising up out of the Dark Sea of Darkness.

Nia’s mouth dropped open. “How could you throw them into the sea?” Podo scratched his head. “Easy. See, I take this sack here, and I…dump it out. Over the cliff. Simple as that.”

“Sometimes ye feel like yer brother and sister might weigh ye down like an anchor, is that it? Sometimes ye feel like this little town’s too small for the notions in yer head?”

Maybe he’d finally allow Janner to read the books reserved only for older folks, the thick ones on the top shelves with the ancient binding.

A sign hung in the window: OSKAR N. RETEEP PROPRIETOR / BOOKSELLER / INTELLECTUAL / APPRECIATOR OF THE NEAT, THE STRANGE, AND/OR THE YUMMY

or tales from explorers who’ve gone beyond the edges of the maps. Did you ever think about the fact that there might be whole continents that no one from Skree has ever seen? That no one anywhere has ever seen? We’ve never even been to Fort Lamendron, and Podo says it’s only a day’s ride from here.

All these rich people from Dugtown and Torrboro get to really see Aerwiar, not just shovel hay all day…”

But this is a far fling from freedom, young Igibys. Some of us still remember what it was like to stroll through town after dark or to ride a horse through the forest without fear.” Oskar’s voice grew angry,

“But why would the dragons do that?” Janner said. Nia’s answer was a shrug. “And why wouldn’t Gnorm have just taken the jewels and killed us anyway?” He felt like every question led to another, and his head was swimming.

Carved into the crosspiece in small, neat letters was the inscription LEELI IGIBY: LIZARDKICKER

Podo appeared from the front of the building, announcing his arrival with a bone-rattling belch. “Not bad manners, just good ale,” he said with a wink.

“I’m just saying there’s a lot more to this little town than we thought. Our mother has a hidden stash of jewels that we didn’t know about. Mister Reteep gets an Annieran journal in a crate from Dang. He has a hidden map. And some mysterious person with perfect aim saved our lives yesterday.”

He must have forgotten that in the mind of a boy, a warning isn’t much different from an invitation.

“many writings of King Wingfeather were found. In them, he spoke of the Jewels of Anniera and the ancient power they hold, a power that could destroy the Namelesss One and restore Anniera to its glory.”

Do all grownups have something to hide?

He closed his eyes and reveled in the destruction he would visit on the peoples beyond the maps.