Free The Dragon in the Volcano by Kate Klimo Page A

ruff. She fixed her eyes on the fire fairies bouncing up and down on Emmy’s tail, giving the impression even from a short distance that Emmy’s tail had caught fire. But the ride turned out to be as smooth as velvet, and after a while Daisy’s grip eased and she sat back and took in the sights as well as she could in the perpetually dim light.
    Beneath the deep-maroon sky, pendulous blossoms and leaves as long as surfboards grew together in a vast, rubbery, steaming tangle, none of it green. Every so often, the jungle would thin out and reveal a cliff face of dazzling ruby or topaz or a towering butte of sparkling sapphire. Now and then, what Daisy took for a blossom would open its mouth and spit fire and shuffle off into the undergrowth. There were airborne insects here, too, igniting mid-flight like flicked matches, and birds swooping overhead on wings of flame.
    It was a good thing the fire salamanders had a smooth gait, because Emmy and Jasper took turns chasing each other, bobbing and weaving and leading the fire salamanders on a merry, never-ending series of loop-de-loops. The jungle echoed with the sound of Jasper’s jolly growl and Emmy’s laughter, carefree and happy. Daisy would have given anything to share Emmy’s joy, but all she could think was
What will happen when Jasper’s fiery mote comes back?
    Jesse brought Speedy closer to Clipper. “If she and the big galoot are splitsville,” he called out to Daisy, “it will be easier to get her to come home.”
    “How can you say that?” Daisy said. “Her heart will be broken! You remember what it’s like when she cries.”
    Jesse nodded glumly. “There isn’t a handkerchief huge enough to dry that many tears,” he said.
    Just then, Emmy circled back to them and cut short their talk. “Are you guys having fun yet?” she asked.
    Jesse and Daisy plastered bright smiles across their faces and nodded like bobble-headed dolls.
    “Great!” Jesse said.
    “The time of our lives!” Daisy said.
    Usually, Emmy could tell, even from the sound of their voices, when they were faking, but she was in such a hurry to get back to Jasper’s side that she didn’t even notice.
    “We’re losing her,” Jesse said miserably. “Can’t you feel it?”
    “Please don’t say that! It sounds like you’re giving up,” Daisy said. But the truth was, she felt it, too, and she could barely stand it. They were losing their dragon!
    “We’re almost there! Hang on!” Emmy called back to them.
    They swooped into a deep valley, through which a gleaming purple stream meandered like a sparkling chain of amethyst. Down and down they rushed until they stopped on the banks of thestream. The fire fairies tumbled off Emmy’s tail. Following suit, Jesse and Daisy dismounted from their fire salamanders, who scuttled off to graze on the fuzzy purple plants growing everywhere. Nearby, the stream boiled over amethyst boulders and cascaded into a bubbling lavender-colored basin.
    “Watch this!” Emmy said. She ran up the embankment, dived into the rapids, bumped along on her tail, and spilled helter-skelter over the cliff into the pool. “Try it!” she said when her head bobbed up.
    The fire fairies were already tumbling down the falls after Emmy, shouting and flaming and screaming with delight.
    “Come on!” Jesse said to Daisy. “It looks like fun.”
    Daisy shook her head. “The big galoo—er, Jasper and I will sit here on the bank and have a little chitchat, won’t we?”
    Jasper rumbled in agreement. Jesse scrambled up the bank to the top of the falls and leaped into the boiling stream. Daisy watched as he disappeared over the edge. She breathed a sigh of relief when his head popped up in the pool. This time, the smile on his face was genuine.
    “That was great!” he said breathlessly. “Betterthan any amusement park ride I’ve ever been on. Who knew shooting lava rapids could be such a blast?”
    “Clear the way!” Emmy called out from above. “I don’t want