Abaris ran toward the tall doors. The giant glass doors protected the treasure inside: a modern glass dragon hired by the library. It was hired to guard and protect the treasure hidden inside. A smooth stone walkway led into the doors.

The smooth walkway was made of a stone that was poured in place. Abaris was amazed at the stone. It was smooth and hard. The stone was cool in the shade and warm in the sun.

In the stone, there were patches of color. Red and yellow squares marked the entrance to the walkway near the road. The yellow squares had bumps on them. The red squares were smooth. The stone was amazing to him.

Abaris carried a heavy pack. His black backpack was filled with notebooks and papers. Pencils were crowded in the pockets, waiting to be chosen to write or draw. Inside the pencils was a thin stick of graphite. The graphite held hidden wonders inside.

The black backpack was heavy. It swung back and forth as he walked. He walked with a set of crutches. The crutches helped him walk. He left four footprints behind in the snow.

Hallways were made between shelves. The shelves were very tall. They were filled with books. Books gathered on tall shelves to create corridors. Corridors made a maze through the books of knowledge.

Abaris had gathered a stack of books around him at the table. He looked like he was building a castle, building the walls taller and stronger to defend himself. The piles of books made a small, roofless cave. Inside his cave, he looked at the books.

He opened a grand old book on the history of dragons. He was pulled inside in a flood of light, like sunrise.

Abaris was pulled into the book. He was drawn into the pages. Abaris became part of the story.

If only he had chosen a nicer story, he might have been safer. But he chose a story about dragons and knights.

The metal clashed as the knights' swords met. There was a tournament. A tournament was a contest to see who the best warrior was.

Some knights had flags of blue, some of red, others of white and gold. They all wore metal armor. Heavy plates of steel protected their bodies from the swords and axes. The weapons were deadly in their perfection.

Princess Aphrodite had a voice as sweet as spring rain. It was a calming and soothing voice. Her songs could calm lions when she played the harp on cold nights by the fire. She had a magic voice. 

The red knight had a fine, long sword. The red knight was quick and fast.

The blue knight fought with an axe. It was a great battle axe that was taller than he was. The blue knight swung this giant axe in great, sweeping arcs. The battle axe spun in a deadly circle around the blue knight. The blue knight was strong and honorable.

The red knight lunged with his sword. The battle axe batted it away with a spark. The red knight spun around and stabbed again. The blue knight stepped aside and swept the feet of the red knight with his great battle axe. The red knight jumped over the axe.

The pair was caught in a deadly dance of death. They were both old masters. They had a lot of skill and talent. They had practiced daily with their weapons and learned control. They were patient.

With a shudder, a billowing flame erupted from the sky. The stands beside Abaris collapsed. The benches had fallen down in a heap on the ground. The pile of boards and banners was a jumble. In the place where the viewing stands had been, there now stood a dragon.

They ran like mice before a cat. The knights grabbed tall shields and ran together back to the center of the square. They propped the shields in front of themselves like a wall. They stood their ground.

The flame ate away at the shield.

They could conquer new land in his name. Then he could go there. Until then, he was trapped.

"We shall have a new contest," the king went on. "The first to conquer the mountain in my name will be prince. I will send the last general and the army to follow, but they will take one week to gather supplies. The first to reach the town of Humble will have access to the Plains of Golden Insight. The first to reach the plain will be able to reach the town of Talon Toe, at the mountain's foot."

Zeus pointed toward the mountain. "The first to reach the town of Talon Toe will be able to climb the path of least resistance," he said. "There, they will find the common denominator. The common denominator will lead the way up the mountain. If you do not find the common denominator, you will lose your path. Good luck to you all. I hope there are still some heroes alive. The fate of the world relies on you." Zeus finished speaking with eyes like ice and fire.

Abaris felt around in his pack and checked his supplies. He had one pencil. He had one piece of paper. The paper was rolled around itself in a scroll. The yellow-white, aged paper scroll was tied with a red ribbon string.

Under the knot of the string was a wax seal. On the seal was a picture of a dragon. It seemed almost like the dragon picture made of wax was looking at him. Abaris thought he saw the wax dragon move inside the seal.

With wide eyes, he stared at the wax dragon. It did not move. Abaris shook his head, confused. He was not sure what he had seen. He wondered what the scroll said.

Abaris was fascinated by the old paper scroll. He unrolled the pages slowly. The old, weathered paper was curled at the edges.

On the paper was a message. The message read:

Welcome, Dragon Knight. Test your skill and might, young one. You must save the princess. If you fail, you will be trapped here forever. Have fun. Yours truly, Zeus

Yours truly! Trapped forever! What a jerk! Abaris thought with disgust.

The kind shopkeeper handed the hammer to Abaris. In his hands, Abaris thought the hammer was light. It was no heavier than a feather. The hammer seemed to fit his hand. The grooves in the handle fit his fingers.

Without waiting, the shopkeeper took the sword coupon for the hammer. Abaris had only two coupons left.

The leather armor might stop an arrow if it was a sideways shot. Not a direct shot. But the leather was light. This made movement easy.

The robes would act as a tent and a cover. The cloak would act as a blanket and carpet.

There were only two colors: white and black. At first, both colors had no symbols or pictures on them. But when Abaris touched them, pictures appeared. The white clothes were covered with black writings and symbols. The black clothes showed white writings and symbols.

As the robes hung on the wall, they had no pictures. Only Abaris could bring them alive.

He knew he needed to stay rested on the journey. The leather armor would be easy to travel in. It was also the only way to use the bow and arrow. The steel gloves of the metal armor would make the bow too hard to use.