This summerThis summer

the Earth will be ready the Earth will be ready to accept a new to accept a new

species…species…

Dark FireDark Fireis comingis coming

The cover…The cover…

The enemy…The enemy…

The evidence…The evidence…

The story…The story…

there will bethere will be

MysteryMystery

It is now twenty-two days since the It is now twenty-two days since the so-called ‘Northern Fog’ arrived…so-called ‘Northern Fog’ arrived…

and still no-one has been able to and still no-one has been able to comprehend it, analyse it or in any comprehend it, analyse it or in any way explain it…way explain it…

Are we, as a growing body of people Are we, as a growing body of people seem to insist, being visited by seem to insist, being visited by something that has yet to show itself something that has yet to show itself ––

and has the power to resist being and has the power to resist being shown…? shown…?

there will bethere will be

TensionTension

Zanna steadied her nerves and came to Zanna steadied her nerves and came to the doorway. “How did the doorway. “How did youyou get in?” get in?”

David moved his hand palm down David moved his hand palm down across the table and lifted it to reveal a across the table and lifted it to reveal a key. “I used to live here, remember?”key. “I used to live here, remember?”

Zanna stared at the key as if she’d like Zanna stared at the key as if she’d like to melt it. “It would have been polite to to melt it. “It would have been polite to knock.”knock.”

there will bethere will be

AnswersAnswers

““Why me?” said Bergstrom.Why me?” said Bergstrom.

““Because of what you have Because of what you have seen,” said the bear.seen,” said the bear.

““The writings in the caves? The writings in the caves?

They They areare writings, writings, aren’t they?”aren’t they?”

The bear tilted its black-tipped snout into the wind.

“They are a record of a meeting.

They are the words of dragons…”

there will bethere will be

DangerDanger

““Get down!” Tam shouted, pulling Lucy flat. A Get down!” Tam shouted, pulling Lucy flat. A small boulder came hurtling towards them. It small boulder came hurtling towards them. It deflected off his shoulder with a bruising thump. deflected off his shoulder with a bruising thump.

Lucy squealed as shale began to swirl around her Lucy squealed as shale began to swirl around her head, catching and pulling at her wild red hair. head, catching and pulling at her wild red hair. “Something’s digging into me!” she cried.“Something’s digging into me!” she cried.

Tam could feel it too. Stones, underneath them, Tam could feel it too. Stones, underneath them, rising out of the ground. If they didn’t move rising out of the ground. If they didn’t move quickly, they’d be thrown into the air or turned quickly, they’d be thrown into the air or turned into sieves…into sieves…

there will bethere will be

HumourHumour

““You can’t argue this,” David said. You can’t argue this,” David said. “There’s no knowing what will happen “There’s no knowing what will happen if Gwillan starts to roam.”if Gwillan starts to roam.”

““He was a house dragon,” Zanna hit He was a house dragon,” Zanna hit back. “He watered plants, he dusted, back. “He watered plants, he dusted, he fed the cat. He had no special he fed the cat. He had no special abilities other than kindness. What’s abilities other than kindness. What’s the worst he’s going to do? A bit of the worst he’s going to do? A bit of extreme ironing?extreme ironing?””

there will bethere will be

New charactersNew characters

Ms Gee lowered her hand. She was wearing a Ms Gee lowered her hand. She was wearing a woollen tweed suit all the colours of vegetable woollen tweed suit all the colours of vegetable soup, and a pair of dull brown shoes. “I don’t soup, and a pair of dull brown shoes. “I don’t have time for this prattle,” she said. “Your have time for this prattle,” she said. “Your insignificant presence is of little interest to insignificant presence is of little interest to me. In a matter of moments the sun will be me. In a matter of moments the sun will be aligned with the eye of the cairn and what is aligned with the eye of the cairn and what is hidden beneath these hills will be mine to hidden beneath these hills will be mine to command – command –

you will be consumed in the dragon’s first you will be consumed in the dragon’s first breath...”breath...”

there will bethere will be

A deadly foeA deadly foe

With a slapping noise the monster With a slapping noise the monster turned its head. Its hideous face, turned its head. Its hideous face, thickened by stubs at the frontal thickened by stubs at the frontal lobes, looked with disdain at the mess lobes, looked with disdain at the mess it had grown from.it had grown from.

And then it And then it ateate the mess it had grown the mess it had grown from, sucking the corpse into an ‘o’ from, sucking the corpse into an ‘o’ shaped mouth haunted by a filter of shaped mouth haunted by a filter of needle-shaped teeth.needle-shaped teeth.

and there will beand there will be DRAGONSDRAGONS

……jewelled eyes, small horns, jewelled eyes, small horns, indescribably scary indescribably scary

teeth.teeth.

a pattern of semi-radiant fins, as a pattern of semi-radiant fins, as precise and threatening as the precise and threatening as the thorns on rose stems, followed thorns on rose stems, followed the outlines of its skull…the outlines of its skull…

……whatever structures composed whatever structures composed its eyes shifted like a set of its eyes shifted like a set of tectonic plates.tectonic plates.

the scales tensed in a kind of the scales tensed in a kind of autonomic way, interlocking like autonomic way, interlocking like a row of Roman battle shields...a row of Roman battle shields...

With near-preternatural speed, With near-preternatural speed, it realigned its nostrils like a it realigned its nostrils like a double-barrelled gun…double-barrelled gun…

The bronze-scaled juvenile, The bronze-scaled juvenile, Grockle - Grockle -

fearless, fearless, breathtaking, breathtaking, and and hugehuge..

from July 2ndfrom July 2nddragons will be dragons will be

backback

DARK FIREDARK FIRE

book 5 ofbook 5 ofThe Last Dragon The Last Dragon

ChroniclesChroniclesat all good book shopsat all good book shops

The best of the series so The best of the series so far…far…

And there will And there will be more…be more…