The Shadow Dragons - James A. Owen [0]
DRAGONS
ALSO BY JAMES A. OWEN
The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
Book One: Here, There Be Dragons
Book Two: The Search for the Red Dragon
Book Three: The Indigo King
Lost Treasures of the Pirates of the Caribbean
(with Jeremy Owen)
THE CHRONICLES OF THE
IMAGINARIUM GEOGRAPHICA
THE SHADOW
DRAGONS
Written and illustrated by
James A. Owen
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales
or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by James A. Owen
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Book design by Christopher Grassi and James A. Owen
The text for this book is set in Adobe Jenson Pro.
Manufactured in the United States of America
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Owen, James A.
The shadow dragons / written and illustrated by James A. Owen. p. cm.—
(The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica ; bk. 4)
Summary: The Winter King’s Shadow, having gained control of the doors from the Keep
of Time and of an army of Dragon Shadows, plans to use the turmoil of World War II
to take over both worlds, but all Caretakers, past and present, come together to
stop him using some unlikely weapons.
ISBN 978-1-4169-5879-6 (hardcover)
[1. Time travel—Fiction. 2. Characters in literature—Fiction. 3. World War,
1939–1945—Fiction. 4. Fantasy.] I. Title.
PZ7.097124Shc 2009 [Fic]—dc22 2008050303
ISBN 978-1-4391-6055-8 (eBook)
For James Chapple and Jeremy Owen
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Part One: Inklings and Mysteries
Chapter One: Ransom
Chapter Two: The Inn of the Flying Dragon
Chapter Three: Pursuit of the Un-Men
Chapter Four: The Pieces of Time
Part Two: Abandoned Houses
Chapter Five: The Spanish Prisoner
Chapter Six: The Last Map
Chapter Seven: The Grotto
Chapter Eight: The Nameless Isles
Part Three: The League of Poets
Chapter Nine: The House of Tamerlane
Chapter Ten: The Cuckoo
Chapter Eleven: The Master
Chapter Twelve: The Adversary
Part Four: The Town That Wasn’t There
Chapter Thirteen: The Legendarium
Chapter Fourteen: Abaton
Chapter Fifteen: The Construct
Chapter Sixteen: The Broken Sword
Part Five: Beyond the Edge of the World
Chapter Seventeen: Strategies of War
Chapter Eighteen: The Descent
Chapter Nineteen: The Ruined City
Chapter Twenty: The Bargain
Part Six: Reign of Shadows
Chapter Twenty-one: The Return
Chapter Twenty-two: Pax Terra
Chapter Twenty-three: Justice and Mercy
Chapter Twenty-four: The Notion Club
Epilogue
Author’s Note
List of Illustrations
… a man was standing as if he were waiting…
The lamps were … moving with the light of active flame.
Their legs were those of birds, and ended … with wicked-looking talons. …
… they saw the miniature image of an old friend.
“All set…. What is our destination?”
… on the edge of the uppermost shelf was a small glass bottle…
Attending to the various globes were three women …
“I expect you must be the Caretakers,” the cat said…
The walls were covered with paintings … large enough to step through. …
There were many … the companions knew by name and reputation …