The Book of Magic by T. A. Barron Page B

"silwilly," and "absolooteyootly." Or perhaps it was that lingering sense that there was simply more to Batty Lad than could be seen.
    Bonlog Mountain-Mouth
    The eldest daughter of the giant sorceress Jubolda, Bonlog has long been feared because of her violent temper—and also her huge, drooling mouth that constantly spills rivers of saliva. In the Battle of the Withered Spring, in the Year of Avalon 498, Bonlog was saved by another giant, Shim , who accidentally crushed her attackers. Filled with gratitude, she tried to thank him with a kiss. But the mere sight of her puckering lips with rivers of drool terrified him so much that he shrieked in terror and dashed off into the mountains to hide. Humiliated, Bonlog Mountain-Mouth chased after him. Although she never caught him, a terrible thing did happen to Shim. For no explicable reason, he began to grow smaller and smaller, until he stood no taller than a young dwarf. Yet this misfortune did not diminish Bonlog's wrath: She continued to search for him, vowing revenge.
    Brionna
    … She was stolen into slavery.
    As the granddaughter of Tressimir , the revered historian of the wood elves, Brionna grew up learning about the languages, customs, and stories of Avalon 's many peoples. She loved doing anything with her Granda—including traveling with him to other realms. The elf maiden even went with him to Shadowroot (where she nearly died from the sickness elves call darkdeath). Like other elves, she was raised to cherish all life. So she found herself in a terrible dilemma when she was stolen into slavery and told that she must either help the wicked sorcerer Kulwych —or watch her beloved Granda die.
    Brionna was slim, strong, and an expert archer, carrying a longbow made of springy cedar. A natural beauty, she wore her honey-colored hair in a long braid. And she was also feisty, with a very sharp tongue. Whenever her deep green eyes flashed in anger, it was time for others to beware, a lesson that Scree was especially slow to learn.
    Brionna preferred to wear a loose-fitting robe woven from sturdy barkcloth, whose greenish brown color helped her blend into the forest. Often, she would sit or stand completely motionless, appreciating the many wonders of the woodland realm. In doing that, she found moments of great joy. Yet she also experienced times of great sorrow, and those memories sometimes felt even more painful than her wounds from a slave master's whip.
    Catha
    This silver-winged falcon is the maryth of the Drumadian priest Lleu , great-grandson of Lleu of the One Ear . Brave and bold, as well as intensely loyal, she is very similar in spirit to the hawk Trouble , who befriended Merlin ages ago. Appropriately, she is named for the famous warrior Babd Catha , the Ogres' Bane .
    Ciann
    A fire angel, Ciann belongs to the Ayanowyn people. But while he shares the same village with Gwirion , they have little else in common. Ciann may recall the glory of the fire angels' past and of their first great leader, Ogallad the Worthy , but he has forgotten the basic principles of his people. That is why he seeks power instead of redemption, ritual instead of meaning—which he shows when he tries to burn Tamwyn as a sacrifice on the clan's holy day.
    Coerria (High Priestess Coerria)
    Even as a young woman, Coerria struck the Drumadian Elders as wise beyond her years. Her serenity was such that her fellow priestesses dubbed her Quiet Island, since she held within herself a place of profound tranquillity. Now, at the age of nearly two hundred years, Coerria has grown frail in body, but that wisdom and serenity are as remarkable as ever.
    As she strolls through the grounds and gardens of her beloved compound of the Society of the Whole , Coerria's long white hair is continuously straightened and braided by her maryth , a hive spirit named Uzzzula . As she moves, Coerria's elegant gown, woven of spider's silk, glistens, though not as brightly as her eyes. Those eyes are as blue as an