Read Festival of Shadows Online
Authors: Michael La Ronn
Festival of Shadows (24 page)
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Gasket flapped his wings and ascended, barely missing Ludwig’s hands.
In the distance, Theo saw Verona with a slingshot; she plugged a stone into it and aimed at him.
In the meantime, Ludwig reached for Gasket’s tail again.
They approached a low-floating gray cloud.
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Gasket fanned into the cloud, but it was too late.
SMACK! A stone hit Gasket in the back. He whimpered and lost control, falling into a tailspin, with Ludwig holding onto his tail.
“Come on, flap your wings,” Theo said.
Gasket flapped, but they kept falling.
Ludwig screamed as well.
“You’re dead weight,” Theo said to the clown. “Let go!”
“Never!”
Theo punched Ludwig’s hand, and he screamed, letting go of Gasket’s tail, flying upward.
Gasket righted himself, and Ludwig fell toward them.
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Gasket smashed into Ludwig, knocking the screaming clown higher into the air. When he came down again, Gasket prepared to head-butt him again, but Ludwig kicked the dragon’s eye, sending Gasket and Theo into another tailspin.
“Gasket, flap your wings!”
But Gasket couldn’t see out of one eye, and they fell faster and faster. Ludwig regained his balance and laughed as they crashed into a meadow.
Andersen flew over them. “You can keep your stupid dragon. Just remember that we’re the best!”
Andersen, Ludwig, and Verona flew away.
“Ouch . . .” Theo sat up and shook his head.
Gasket struggled to stand up, but Theo patted his neck. “It’s okay. We did the best we could.”
It was a while before Gasket could fly again, but they took to the sky and flew toward the caravan grounds at a slow pace.
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Ludwig screamed as flames engulfed him. He turned into a burning ball and shot toward the ground like a comet.
Gasket entered a jet stream and flew faster. Andersen and Verona followed.
“You can’t get rid of us that easily,” Andersen said.
Verona shot a stone, but Gasket rolled out of the way.
“We’ve got to take her out,” Theo said, turning Gasket in her direction.
Wheelie and Andersen hung back, and when Verona saw them heading at her, she shrieked and began to fly away.
“Where are you going?” Theo asked, smirking.
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The stone hit Ludwig on the head.
“Ow!”
“Sorry, Ludwig!” Verona shouted.
Ludwig rubbed his head, and when he looked up, Gasket smacked him with his tail, sending him into free fall.
“Mommy . . .”
Gasket entered a jet stream, and he and Theo flew faster. Andersen and Verona followed.
Wheelie roared.
“You can’t get rid of us that easily,” Andersen said.
Verona shot a stone, but Gasket rolled out of the way.
“We’ve got to take her out,” Theo said, turning Gasket in her direction.
Wheelie and Andersen hung back, and when Verona saw them heading at her, she shrieked and began to fly away.
“Where are you going?” Theo asked, smirking.
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POW! Ludwig flew backward, but he balanced himself just before entering free fall. He flew at Theo and Gasket faster than before, brandishing a knife.
Theo slanted his eyes and jumped off Gasket. He grabbed Ludwig, dragging him downward, and knocked the knife out of the clown’s hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ludwig said, trying to fly upward. “You’re going to kill us both!”
~ Theo punched Ludwig in the face.
~ He grabbed Ludwig’s propeller stick.
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Theo’s paw bounced off Ludwig’s face, and the clown laughed.
POW! Ludwig punched Theo back, and the blow stung.
In the distance, Verona set a hot stone into her slingshot and aimed it at Theo.
Ludwig reared back to punch again.
~ He climbed onto Ludwig’s shoulder.
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THWACK! The hot stone hit Theo on the shoulder. He fell but grabbed onto Ludwig’s enormous clown shoes. The clown tried to kick him off but couldn’t.
Verona plugged another stone into her slingshot and aimed at Theo again.
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Gasket roared and barreled straight for Ludwig.
“Yikes!” Ludwig tried to kick Theo off again, but he couldn’t.
Gasket crashed into Ludwig, dashing his propeller to pieces; Theo grabbed onto Gasket’s tail as the clown plummeted toward the ground.
But then—POW! A hot stone hit Theo on the face, sending him into free fall.
Gasket flew down and caught him, but they crashed into a meadow.
Andersen flew over them and laughed. “You can keep your stupid dragon. Just remember that we’re the best!”
Andersen and Verona flew away, but Ludwig lay passed out in the meadow with Theo and Gasket.
“Ouch . . .” Theo sat up and shook his head.
Gasket struggled to stand up, but Theo patted his neck. “It’s okay. We did the best we could.”
It was a while before Gasket could fly again, but they took to the sky and flew toward the caravan grounds at a slow pace.
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Theo fell just as Verona’s stone hit Ludwig in the face.
“Ow!”
Verona blushed. “Sorry!”
Ludwig passed out, and he plummeted.
Theo landed on Gasket’s back, and the dragon looked at him eagerly.
“Good job, boy!”
Gasket entered a jet stream, and he and Theo flew faster. Andersen and Verona followed.
“You can’t get rid of us that easily,” Andersen said.
Verona shot a stone, but Gasket rolled out of the way.
“We’ve got to take her out,” Theo said, turning Gasket in her direction.
Wheelie and Andersen hung back, and when Verona saw them heading at her, she shrieked and began to fly away.
“Where are you going?” Theo asked, smirking.
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POW! Verona’s stone hit Ludwig in the face, sending him and Theo plummeting toward the ground.
Theo landed on Gasket’s back, but Ludwig crashed into a meadow below.
“Good job, boy!” Theo said, patting Gasket on the back.
Gasket entered a jet stream, flapped once, and the wind took him. Andersen and Verona followed.
“You can’t get rid of us that easily,” Andersen said.
Verona shot a stone, but Gasket rolled out of the way.
“We’ve got to take her out,” Theo said, turning Gasket in her direction.
Wheelie and Andersen hung back, and when Verona saw them heading at her, she shrieked and began to fly away.
“Where are you going?” Theo asked, smirking.
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Theo shook the propeller stick. The blades sputtered and stopped, and he and Ludwig entered free fall, punching at each other on the way down.
“You idiot,” Ludwig said. His propeller started again and he flew upward, but Theo kept falling.
Gasket swooped down and caught Theo just in time, but they crashed into a meadow below.
Andersen flew over them and laughed. “You can keep your stupid dragon. Just remember that we’re the best!”
Andersen and Verona flew away, but Ludwig lay passed out in the meadow with Theo and Gasket.
“Ouch . . .” Theo sat up and shook his head.
Gasket struggled to stand up, but Theo patted his neck. “It’s okay. We did the best we could.”
It was a while before Gasket could fly again, but they took to the sky and flew toward the caravan grounds at a slow pace.
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Theo chased Verona into a nearby cloud; she disappeared into the misty fog.
“Slow down, Gasket,” Theo said, and the dragon hovered in midair.
They heard Wheelie fly by the cloud on their right. The red dragon roared and they heard a freezing, crushing sound—the cloud was hardening around them.
“Wheelie blew ice into the cloud,” Theo said. “If we get trapped, it’ll be like being inside an ice cube.”
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Gasket rolled out of the cloud just before it turned into a large ice cube and plummeted toward the ground.
Verona was waiting for them with her slingshot aimed at Theo. She released a stone and it hurtled for his head.
~ Theo slid down Gasket’s back to avoid the rock.
~ He activated the Whatsamadoozle.
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The rock bounced off Gasket’s scales and fell toward the ground.
“Darn,” Verona said as Theo and Gasket zoomed for her. She reached for another stone but she was didn’t have any more. “Uh oh.”
WHOOSH! Gasket engulfed Verona in flames, and she fell burning toward the ground.
“Sorry, boss . . .”
Andersen and Wheelie pulled up alongside Gasket, and Andersen swiped at Theo, but Theo ducked and Gasket rolled away.
“It’s so hard to find good help anymore,” Andersen said, pulling at Wheelie’s reins. “I’ll have to get rid of you myself.”
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WHACK! The stone hit Theo in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
He fell off Gasket’s back, but Gasket caught him again.
Ahead, Andersen and Wheelie were flying directly at them.
“Heh heh.” Andersen flapped Wheelie’s reins, and the dragon roared.
He wants to play chicken.
Theo patted Gasket and stared at Andersen, scowling. “Straight on, Gasket. Don’t pull up.”
Gasket looked back at Theo and whimpered.
“Trust me, pal.”
As they neared each other, the clown’s smirk faded.
The two dragons were seconds from a collision.
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Andersen screamed and steered Wheelie up at the last moment, avoiding impact. Wheelie roared, flapped his wings frantically, and Andersen fell off.
“Darn . . .”
Verona caught him and held him under the armpits.
“See, boss? I won’t let you fall.”
But they
were
falling. Verona’s propeller couldn’t support both of them.
“You idiot! We’re falling!”
“Sorry, boss . . .”
Andersen reached up, grabbed Verona’s propeller and put it on his head. He kicked her away and she plummeted, screaming and crying the whole way down.
