he and Angus had found a purple dragon’s egg. They took it back to their dorm room, and it hatched. When the little dragon pipling first opened his eyes, he saw Wiglaf. So he called Wiglaf “Mommy.” He called Angus “Sir.” Wiglaf and Angus called him Worm. He was half-grown now and lived in the forest. But sometimes he flew back to DSA and stayed in the library, where Brother Dave kept him hidden from Headmaster Mordred. Wiglaf hadn’t seen Worm in weeks. He hoped no harm had come to him.
“Let’s sing that song we learned at Camp Dragononka!” Janice said. And she burst out singing:
“One hundred flagons of mead on the wall,
One hundred flagons of mead!
If one of those flagons should happen to fall...
Ninety-nine flagons of mead on the wall.”
The rest of the team joined in.
Slimy eel ade trickled into Wiglaf’s left ear. He sighed. It was going to be a long, sticky ride back to DSA.
Chapter 3
L ater that evening, Wiglaf ran down the steps to the Class I dorm to say good night to Dudwin. He peeked in at the door.
“The KNC lads are going dragon-questing,” Dudwin was telling his friends.
“Lucky them!” said Bilge, Angus’s cousin who was in Class I.
“Yeah, lucky them,” said Maggot, Bilge’s twin brother.
“I wish we could fight a dragon!” said a burly Class I lad.
“Me too,” said Dudwin. “The KNC lads are going after a small dragon. It has a huge hoard of gold. Mountains of it!”
Dudwin did not see Wiglaf standing in the doorway. He was having too much fun telling his story.
“It has pink ears,” Dudwin continued. “So it’s a boy dragon. And it has yellow eyes with cherry red centers.”
Wiglaf gasped. Worm had yellow eyes with cherry red centers!
“They are going to slay this dragon tomorrow,” Dudwin said.
What if the KNC lads are after Worm! thought Wiglaf. He didn’t wait to hear any more. He raced back upstairs to the Class II dorm.
“Angus, wake up!” he cried, shaking his friend.
He told Angus what he had heard.
“This dragon sounds exactly like Worm!” Wiglaf said. “We must save him!”
Angus sat up. “You’re right,” he said. “But there are lots of KNC lads. Let’s get Erica and Janice to help us.”
“Good idea,” said Wiglaf. “We can sneak over to the lasses’ dorm and tell them to pack up. We’ll leave at dawn.”
“What if Frypot catches us?” asked Angus. “He’ll throw us in the dungeon for time-out, and we’ll never save Worm.”
Wiglaf frowned, thinking. At last he said, “I still have the Cap of Invisibility that Zelnoc gave Dudwin. If we stick very close together, I think it will turn both of us invisible.”
Angus shook his head. “Zelnoc is the world’s worst wizard. His spells always go wrong. If we put on that helmet, we could end up with five feet. Or nothing but arms!”
Wiglaf shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”
He reached under his cot and pulled out a bright blue cap covered with silver lightning bolts. He put it on his head, closed his eyes, and chanted: “Zippity zap!”
“Gadzooks!” cried Angus. “You vanished!”
Now Angus felt an invisible arm wrap around his shoulders. He looked down at where his feet should be. But he couldn’t see them!
“Guess what? You’re invisible, too!” said Wiglaf.
“’Tis true, I’m gone!” said invisible Angus. “But how do we walk like this?”
“We won the three-legged race on Field Day, remember?” said invisible Wiglaf. “Let’s go.”
The lads stumbled invisibly down the stone staircase and down the hall to the big wooden door. Wiglaf pushed it open. He peered into the castle yard. It looked empty.
“Egad!” whispered Angus. “What’s that?”
Wiglaf saw it, too: a monstrous shape looming out of the dark. His heart nearly stopped.
“‘Tis a dragon,” he managed.
The dragon held very still. Wiglaf squinted into the night.
“Angus,” he said, his heart beating once more. “’Tis only Old Blodgett, the practice
“Let’s sing that song we learned at Camp Dragononka!” Janice said. And she burst out singing:
“One hundred flagons of mead on the wall,
One hundred flagons of mead!
If one of those flagons should happen to fall...
Ninety-nine flagons of mead on the wall.”
The rest of the team joined in.
Slimy eel ade trickled into Wiglaf’s left ear. He sighed. It was going to be a long, sticky ride back to DSA.
Chapter 3
L ater that evening, Wiglaf ran down the steps to the Class I dorm to say good night to Dudwin. He peeked in at the door.
“The KNC lads are going dragon-questing,” Dudwin was telling his friends.
“Lucky them!” said Bilge, Angus’s cousin who was in Class I.
“Yeah, lucky them,” said Maggot, Bilge’s twin brother.
“I wish we could fight a dragon!” said a burly Class I lad.
“Me too,” said Dudwin. “The KNC lads are going after a small dragon. It has a huge hoard of gold. Mountains of it!”
Dudwin did not see Wiglaf standing in the doorway. He was having too much fun telling his story.
“It has pink ears,” Dudwin continued. “So it’s a boy dragon. And it has yellow eyes with cherry red centers.”
Wiglaf gasped. Worm had yellow eyes with cherry red centers!
“They are going to slay this dragon tomorrow,” Dudwin said.
What if the KNC lads are after Worm! thought Wiglaf. He didn’t wait to hear any more. He raced back upstairs to the Class II dorm.
“Angus, wake up!” he cried, shaking his friend.
He told Angus what he had heard.
“This dragon sounds exactly like Worm!” Wiglaf said. “We must save him!”
Angus sat up. “You’re right,” he said. “But there are lots of KNC lads. Let’s get Erica and Janice to help us.”
“Good idea,” said Wiglaf. “We can sneak over to the lasses’ dorm and tell them to pack up. We’ll leave at dawn.”
“What if Frypot catches us?” asked Angus. “He’ll throw us in the dungeon for time-out, and we’ll never save Worm.”
Wiglaf frowned, thinking. At last he said, “I still have the Cap of Invisibility that Zelnoc gave Dudwin. If we stick very close together, I think it will turn both of us invisible.”
Angus shook his head. “Zelnoc is the world’s worst wizard. His spells always go wrong. If we put on that helmet, we could end up with five feet. Or nothing but arms!”
Wiglaf shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”
He reached under his cot and pulled out a bright blue cap covered with silver lightning bolts. He put it on his head, closed his eyes, and chanted: “Zippity zap!”
“Gadzooks!” cried Angus. “You vanished!”
Now Angus felt an invisible arm wrap around his shoulders. He looked down at where his feet should be. But he couldn’t see them!
“Guess what? You’re invisible, too!” said Wiglaf.
“’Tis true, I’m gone!” said invisible Angus. “But how do we walk like this?”
“We won the three-legged race on Field Day, remember?” said invisible Wiglaf. “Let’s go.”
The lads stumbled invisibly down the stone staircase and down the hall to the big wooden door. Wiglaf pushed it open. He peered into the castle yard. It looked empty.
“Egad!” whispered Angus. “What’s that?”
Wiglaf saw it, too: a monstrous shape looming out of the dark. His heart nearly stopped.
“‘Tis a dragon,” he managed.
The dragon held very still. Wiglaf squinted into the night.
“Angus,” he said, his heart beating once more. “’Tis only Old Blodgett, the practice
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