Drago: Vacation in a War Zone

By John Doyal

As teenagers, Jason, Lucy, and Magda were instrumental in winning the first war between dragons and wizards in the Kingdom on Hector (Dragon Time). In the second book in the series (The Gathering), they fought to repair a magic rip between the worlds of Drago and Earth, before it could destroy both worlds. Now they have to traverse the world of

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordHouse Book Publishing
• Release date: Jun 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685471675

John Doyal

John Doyal, Creator and Writer/Author of Book Series & "The Magus Council", has worked for major companies, providing computer expertise and financial analysis. He has been in love with the best of science fiction/fantasy since being introduced to Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny while in undergraduate school.

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Drago: Vacation in a War Zone

The Magus Council Book Three

Copyright © 2022 John Doyal

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the products of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or historical events, are purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN

Paperback: 978-1-68547-192-7

Hardcover: 978-1-68547-193-4

eBook: 978-1-68547-194-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022921070

Printed in the United States of America

101 Foundry Dr,

West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA

www.wordhousebp.com

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table of contents

preface 1

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

chapter 4

chapter 5

chapter 6

chapter 7

chapter 8

chapter 9

chapter 10

chapter 11

chapter 12

chapter 13

chapter 14

chapter 15

chapter 16

chapter 17

chapter 18

chapter 19

chapter 20

chapter 21

chapter 22

chapter 23

chapter 24

chapter 25

chapter 26

chapter 27

chapter 28

chapter 29

preface

C hauncy, take the cross outside for a few minutes, Magda said. It had been her first and only remark to the man. She had let George, Lucy, and Jason deal with their British contacts. Afterall, they were human. You know, born and raised human; unlike her mother, Sara, and herself, who were dragons transformed into humans.

I’m already taking big risks. Let someone else do it, replied Chauncy.

That cross contains a magic relic that was designed to keep the gate closed. It needs to be removed temporarily and then replaced afterwards if we succeed in leaving. I am only guessing, but I think the church did not like those who had come to Earth through that gate. Who knows what we will find on the other side? So, it will need to be replaced after we open the gate and go through. It may be that someone who held that relic recently would not be able to go through the gate. So please, take down the cross and move it out of this chapel.

As Chauncy left with the cross, he looked back to see that Magda girl and her mom approaching what served as an alter with its now barren wall.

Jason turned to George, I know you’re wondering if you should come along. If you do, and we live long enough, I’ll see that you can get back to Shanghai when it is safe. We don’t know what is beyond this gate, but we are a strong company of travelers, so we won’t hesitate to go no matter what we find. I think you will grow up to be a very valuable asset to us and to yourself, but make up your own mind.

George had been vacillating back and forth for days. He even sent a letter to his mom telling her not to worry if it took him a few years to get back. The gateway opened and the others walked through, Magda and her mother in front, and Lucy and Jason hand in hand next, and without thinking Joseph found himself walking after them.

chapter 1

the world of fae

It had been early afternoon in England, but one step into Fae and now it was dusk.

About three hundred yards from them they saw an army making camp for the night. Everyone except George dropped to the ground immediately, but twenty seconds later he crouched down.

Magda, lead the others toward the woods. Lucy, make them disappear. No, make an even better group of look-alike travelers taking a different route to the forest. Sara, you go last. I’m going to go parallel from you so I can run interference if needed, Jason said just loud enough for them to hear. This was not just a military camp; it was a war camp. There would be sentries and they would be seen, but he hoped they would have too much of a lead for the army to dispatch mounted trackers to chase them down.

They made it about a hundred yards before the first arrows headed their way, or what seemed to be their way. After the second round of arrows, Jason made ten of them sail up and around to rain back on the archers. It was enough to make them more careful about their own safety, and meant that they did not catch onto the ruse, so they continued to shoot at where the others appeared to be. This time Jason just made the mass of arrows swerve away from the strangers headed for the woods. He was now about two hundred feet behind the others when six mounted warriors appeared and headed in their general direction. He made one of the lead mounts trip, but rather than falling, causing the others to crash into him, the mount caught itself before it fell to the ground. The good news, was that the rider had been raising a bow, and he and the arrow went flying off which led to three of the others slowed down to handle the fallen warrior, but two continued toward Jason. When they got seventy-five feet from the woods, the soldiers turned off and headed away from the woods.

Jason and company found a narrow trail heading deeper into the woods and followed it in single file, Magda, Lucy, Jason, George, and lastly Sara. After a couple of minutes of walking, Jason swerved to one side and stooped down as if to pick up something. Until then Jason had paid close attention to where he was going, but George noticed that he was paying a big part of his attention to something in his hand and it was almost as if he were talking to it.

What have you found?

Not what, who. Meet Sy. With that Jason turned and showed a little woman with wings that he was carrying in his hands. She says we should have run in some other direction.

Suddenly, George heard what she was saying, though she was speaking too quietly for anyone to hear, and George was not sure if she was speaking English, but somehow, he heard and understood. We are all doomed. The army is going to destroy the forest. Without the forest, the wood elves will die, and without woods to move to, we nymphs will wither.

Why is the army destroying the forest? asked George.

This is the great Sander Forest, and wood elves have lived with these trees for ever, or near to it. The black elves are not linked to trees, and they have been at war with the wood elves, off and on, for hundreds of years. Now they have figured out that the wood elves will die without the trees. They will end up killing the talking trees and with them the nymphs, all so that they can kill the wood elves. The black elves live in cities and there are millions of them, so they are going to win. I think they have already killed the other great forests.

If the wood elves can’t beat them in a war, can’t they come to some kind of treaty, so they both can live on in peace? asked George.

They have done that many times, but it can never last. The black elves’ population keeps growing until they bang into a forest and a new war breaks out. The wood elves always fought them off. But the black elves now have stuff that kills trees, and if they kill all the trees the wood elves will be gone too. And now me, my tribe, you five, the wood elves, and the trees will all die.

Don’t give up hope. My friends keep making impossible things happen, said George.

George (the way that foreigners/non-Chinese pronounced his name) was born and raised on the fringe of Shanghai. He had become entranced with these strangers staying at his family’s hotel. They didn’t know anything about computers, cell phones, or technology. They had no money, but they had jewels that could be traded for money. They seemed to know nothing about history, and somehow these ignorant strangers thrived. Over time he had found out that they were not from his world, though they primarily talked English. They had come to Earth to fix a rip between worlds, which turned out to be located half the world away. Somehow, they had just enough magic to fix the rip and set government agents on the trail of those who had caused the rip. Now, George had joined the others on a trip between worlds, trying to get back to their world. Oh, and along the way they had picked up two humans who turned out to be dragons from another world. One had gone through the rip in order to patch it. That left Sara, his wife, who could turn into a giant dragon. How could he not follow them? This was the most interesting, dangerously exciting adventure