Bricrui (The Forgotten: Book 2) by Laura R Cole Page A

below. ‘I need to get back to my holes,
over there,’ he said, ‘if I can get back to them quickly enough, I
will be able to make the tunnels to save their homes. But I can
feel the rain coming, we may already be too late.’”
    The woman looked up into the sky, which in
reality was clear, but she continued saying, “As Zuzka looked to
the sky, she saw that indeed, rainclouds were rolling in quickly.
She guessed that the rain would begin within the hour. If only she
hadn’t teased the little worm serpent, the dragons wouldn’t be in
danger! And now that she was a useless tiny thing, there was
nothing she could do about it. In her natural form, she could
simply pick him up and put him back in his rightful place.”
    The woman paced back and forth, clasping her
hands together and pressing them to her mouth as if in deep
thought. The children watched with wide eyes, enthralled, and
several of their mouths were hanging open in fear for the
dragons.
    The woman stopped her pacing and took up the
story once more, saying, “A bird suddenly lighted on a branch next
to their ledge and greeted them. ‘I couldn’t help but overhear your
predicament,’ it said, ‘perhaps I can help.’ Zuzka’s first reaction
was that this tiny bird couldn’t do anything, but then an idea
struck her. ‘You can go ask the dragons for help!’ she exclaimed.
‘They are the only ones who can fix this.’ The bird looked at her,
and then up at the sky. ‘I would not be able to reach their homes
and return with them in time. We will have to do it
ourselves.’”
    The old woman threw up her arms in a gesture
of Zuzka’s impatience. “‘How can we do anything? It is hopeless if
we cannot reach the dragons in time,’ Zuzka cried, sure that the
dragons’ homes were doomed. A tiny bird, a worm serpent, and her in
her current useless form were certain to fail. The little bird eyed
her. ‘It sounds like you’ve been spending too much time with that
conceited little dragon whelp that comes around the forest,
ordering us around. She may think that we’re nothing because of our
size, or our appearance, or our abilities, but don’t let her
convince you that you are nothing. We all have things that are
special about us. Just like the worm serpent here; he can do
something that the dragons cannot.’ Zuzka scoffed at her. She went
on, ‘Can dragons turn nectar from flowers in honey like the bees?
Can they swim underneath the water without breath like the fish?
Can they all work together like a group of ants, carrying ten times
their weight and knowing, as a single mind, where to dig to create
their intricate cities in the earth?’ The little bird paused, and
Zuzka was forced to admit that dragons could not do any of these
things. For the first time in her life, she thought about all the
other creatures in the world for a change.”
    The storyteller looked skywards, her hand to
her chin as in contemplation. “‘Alright,’ Zuzka declared, ‘let’s
figure out a way to get this wonderful creature down there!’
Together, she and the little bird tried to find a way to get a hold
on him to move him safely off the ledge. But his skin was too slimy
for her claws to get a grip on without hurting him, and he kept
sliding off Zuzka’s back when they tried. Another little bird
joined them and asked what was going on. The first bird explained
quickly, ‘that bully of a dragon left this worm serpent up here
where he’s unable to get back to his work. As soon as those
rainclouds blow in, the river will flood out the dragons’ homes.’
The second bird snorted, ‘It would serve that trouble-maker right
for everything she’s put us through. As if we all don’t have better
things to do with our time than buff her stupid claws. If it wasn’t
for the rest of the dragons doing so much for us…’ he trailed off
and the hint of his intentions of what he’d like to do with her
made Zuzka’s face flush. She was surprised by how embarrassed