“Wait!” Ping said. “What is the baby’s name?”
The dragon thought for a moment. “Call him Kai Duan which means beginning,” he said. “Long Kai Duan.”
Before Ping had a chance to say anything else the dragon flapped his wings and took three paces off the edge of the cliff. He was so thin that the strong wind carried him easily over the breaking waves. He flew off without a backward glance. His life had been full of hardship. Ping hoped he would find peace on the Isle of the Blest. It seemed impossible that his fragile wings could carry him over such a distance. Ping watched him until he was too small to see. She prayed he’d have the strength to reach his destination.
She looked down at the baby dragon standing unsteadily at her feet. Would she be able to live up to Danzi’s expectations? In the past weeks she had achieved impossible things. She had found her name. She had gained the friendship of an Emperor—and lost it again. She had helped a dragon.
“Come on, Kai,” she said, picking up the little creature. “We have to find a she-goat.”
She was no longer the timid girl who endured a miserable life of slavery rather than venture into the unknown. She was responsible for the last dragon. She turned her back on Ocean. Her path lay a different way and she was looking forward to the journey.
GLOSSARY
CASH
A Chinese coin of low value with a square hole in the middle.
CHANG
A measure of distance equal to about 2.3 metres.
CINNABAR
A bright red mineral whose chemical name is mercuric sulphide.
CONFUCIUS
A Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 BCE.
FIVE CLASSICS
Five Chinese books, more than 2000 years old, that formed the basis of knowledge in ancient China.
FOUR SPIRITUAL ANIMALS
The dragon, the qilin, the red phoenix and the giant tortoise. The ancient Chinese named four constellations after these animals.
HAN DYNASTY
A period in Chinese history when the emperors all belonged to a particular family. It lasted from 202 BCE to 220 CE.
HAN FOOT
A measure of length equal to about 23 centimetres.
JADE
A semiprecious stone also known as nephrite. Its colour varies from green to white.
JIN
The measure of weight for gold.
JUJUBE
A name for the fruit known as the Chinese date.
LIA measure of distance equal to about half a kilometre.
MOU
A measure of land area one pace wide and 240 paces long.
PANGOLIN
An animal with a scaly skin and a long snout that eats ants.
QI
According to traditional Chinese beliefs, qi is the life energy that flows through us and controls the workings of the body.
QILIN
A mythical Chinese animal with the body of a deer, tail of an ox and a single horn.
RED PHOENIX
A mythical Chinese bird that looks a lot like a peacock.
SHEN
According to traditional Chinese beliefs, shen is the spiritual energy that drives our mental and spiritual activities. It is sometimes translated as the soul.
SHU
A measure of weight equal to about half a gram.
PRONUNCIATION
The Chinese words in this book are written in pinyin which is the official way of writing the sound of Chinese characters using the English alphabet. These words aren’t always pronounced the way you might think. Here is a guide to help you pronounce them properly.
Diao Dee-ow (rhymes with now)
Hua Hw-ar (rhymes with far)
Huangling Hwang-ling
Kai Duan Kai (rhymes with buy) Dw-aan
Lao Ma L-ow (rhymes with now) Ma (rhymes with far)
Liu Che Lee-oo (oo as in loop) Chur (as in church)
Long Danzi Lung (u as in butcher) Dan-za
Ping Sounds just like it looks
Tai Shan Tai (pronounced as tie) Shan
Tian Tee-en
Wang Cao Wah-ng Ts-ow (like the end of ‘cats’ and the end of ‘now’)
Wei Wei Way Way
Wucheng Woo-chung
This story is set in the year 141 BCE, the first year of the long reign of Emperor Wudi. Long Danzi’s words of wisdom were inspired by the Dao De Jing, an ancient Chinese work written more than 2500 years ago. The Dao forms the basis of the Chinese philosophy Daoism and encourages people to live a simple, honest life with as little interference with nature as possible.
Carole Wilkinson’s Dragonkeeper series is loved by readers all over the world and books in the series have won both literary and children’s choice awards. Carole embarked on her writing career at the age of 40, happily leaving behind her previous employment as a laboratory technician in jobs involving blood and brains. She has been making up for lost time ever since. She has a fascination with dragons and is interested in the history of everything. Her books are a combination of meticulous research and imagination.
Carole’s website is carolewilkinson.com.au
First published in 2003 by
This edition published in 2012
by
an imprint of Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd
Locked Bag 22, Newtown
NSW 2042 Australia
www.walkerbooks.com.au
This ebook edition published in 2013
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the publisher.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Wilkinson, Carole, 1950– author.
Dragonkeeper / Carole Wilkinson.
4th edition.
Series: Wilkinson, Carole, 1950– author. Dragonkeeper; bk. 1.
For secondary school age.
Subjects: Child slaves – China – Juvenile fiction.
Dragons – China – Juvenile fiction.
A823.3
ISBN: 978-1-742590-58-5 (ePub)
ISBN: 978-1-922244-08-6 (e-PDF)
ISBN: 978-1-922244-09-3 (.PRC)
Cover illustration © 2012 Sonia Kretschmar
Map by Julian Bruère
For John
who first introduced me to dragons
and Lili
my resident editor and sounding board
PRAISE FOR THE DRAGONKEEPER SERIES
“I was riveted by the magical adventures, beautifully told, of a nameless Chinese slave girl.”
KATHARINE ENGLAND, AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW
“… entrancing, beautifully written story … a wonderfully satisfying and unexpected climax.”
ADELAIDE ADVERTISER
“An enchanting blend of fantasy and history.”
THE AGE
“A journey … is the essence of this outstanding novel …
It is a story that informs as it delights and leaves the reader with a yearning to know more.”
THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, JUDGES’ REPORT
“… an ambitious novel, marrying ancient Chinese history and culture with magic and fantasy … the sights, smells and tastes of this fantastic ancient China are fully realised.”
AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER AND PUBLISHER
“… a superb novel …”
CANBERRA TIMES
“Enchanting and fascinating … something worth celebrating.”
KATE FEWSTER, VIEWPOINT
“… proof that the fantasy genre is still working its magic.”
JODIE MINUS, THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN
THE DRAGONKEEPER SERIES
Dragonkeeper
Garden of the Purple Dragon
Dragon Moon
Blood Brothers
Dragon Dawn (prequel)
OTHER BOOKS BY CAROLE WILKINSON
The Dragon Companion
Ramose: Prince in Exile
Ramose and the Tomb Robbers
Ramose: Sting of the Scorpion
Ramose: Wrath of Ra
YOUNG ADULT
Sugar Sugar
Stagefright
PICTURE BOOK
The Night We Made the Flag
TRUE TALES SERIES
Ned Kelly’s Jerilderie Letter
THE DRUM SERIES
Black Snake
The Games
Alexander the Great
Fromelles: Australia’s Bloodiest Day at War
THE BEAT SERIES
Hatshepsut: The Lost Pharaoh of Egypt
Find out about Carole’s books on her website
www.carolewilkinson.com.au