Bone

Grandma, Fone, and Thorn are days into their trip to Barrelhaven. They’ve been traveling off the road to avoid being detected, which requires them to scale piles of rocks.

The tavern’s customers swap dragon-sighting stories. They refuse service from Lucius and order only from the Bone Cousins. Lucius continues to dismiss the dragon sightings as children’s stories. Phoney blames the dragons for the Valley’s unrelated ills, such as poor harvests. He knows that the dragons are not dangerous and has no real intention of harming them.

Lucius pulls Phoney into the dish room and attempts to call off the bet. He’s uncomfortable with the lies Phoney is spinning about the dragons and tells him that he’s dealing with forces he doesn’t understand. Phoney finds it ironic that Lucius is chiding him for dishonesty when he’s the one lying about the existence of dragons.

While traveling, Grandma experiences another “gitchy” feeling. She says it’s a big one and that it’s an omen of something awful. She doesn’t know what’s coming, but she knows it will be bad. A rat creature responds to her declaration: “Oh, it won’t be so bad… Not if you like quiche…” (459).

Grandma, Fone, and Thorn are confronted by rat creatures. Grandma scares them off and passes her sword to Thorn. A sudden silence falls over the forest. Grandma marches into the brush and grabs one of the rat creatures by the throat, demanding to know where the others are. The rat creature tells her that they are under orders to evacuate the Valley. Kingdok appears. He tosses Thorn, Fone, and Grandma violently into the air. Fone lands and falls unconscious.

Later, Fone wakes up with a bloody forehead. He is still lying where he landed earlier, and he has Kingdok’s mace. Thorn and Grandma are absent. Fone calls for the dragon’s help. Phoney, Smiley, Lucius, and all of their customers hear him and rush into the forest with torches and pitchforks.

Deeper in the forest, Kingdok is flinging Grandma around like a ragdoll. He taunts her, referring to her people as “flat-landers,” which he dubs an “inferior race.” Before he is able to land the killing blow, Thorn hacks his arm off with the sword. He and the Stupid Rat Creatures retreat.

Thorn and Grandma reunite with Fone. They sit down to treat their injuries. Grandma says that the Lord of the Locusts is looking for Thorn and that she must avoid him at all costs.

Kingdok is unconscious and bleeding. The Stupid Rat Creatures believe that the Hooded One will kill them for insubordination. Kingdok is the only one who would know that they disobeyed orders; if he dies, their secret is safe. They abandon him.

Grandma informs Thorn that she is a Veni-Yan-Cari. A Veni-Yan-Cari is capable of moving between the waking world and the dreaming world at will. She explains that the Hooded One is the rat creatures’ new leader. The hood is traditional garb for the Disciples of Venu, a sect of mystics who study dreams. Grandma is concerned that the rat creatures may free the Lord of the Locusts by using Thorn or Phoney to access the dreaming with a forbidden ritual.

Grandma wants to take Thorn to Atheia for safety. Thorn is furious. “Listen to you? Why? Everything you told me was a lie! […] This is suddenly the truth?!” (492). She runs into the forest. Before Fone follows her, Grandma gives him the sword and pendant. She tells him to warn Lucius about the rats’ evacuation and the Locust.

Fone catches up with Thorn on the road. They come across Jon standing behind a wall of logs. He tells them that Lucius went looking for them in the woods and never returned. He says that Phoney is the “new boss” and that he has imposed strict rules.

The Hooded One approaches the Locust with news that the Pawans have joined his army. She also reports that all of their enemies are in Barrelhaven. The Locust demands that Thorn be contacted through her dreams; if she can’t be turned to their side, then she must be destroyed.

It has been several days since Fone and Thorn arrived in Barrelhaven, and there’s still no sign of Grandma or Lucius. Thorn is depressed and sleeps often.

Fone finds Smiley and Phoney sitting down to an extravagant feast. Phoney explains his “dragon slayer” scam and tells Fone that they will leave for Boneville soon. Fone replies that he won’t return to Boneville with them and storms outside, where he encounters a rat creature pup. Unlike its adult counterparts, it has soft, rounded ears. It rubs up against Fone like a cat and refuses to leave.

Thorn dreams of following her grandmother into a cave. Grandma Ben is young, and they’re both wearing their royal regalia. Thorn tells Grandma Ben not to enter the cave, but she does anyway. Behind her, the Hooded One appears as young Briar and encourages Thorn to enter the cave. Before Thorn can make a choice, Fone wakes her up and presents her with the baby rat creature. She’s furious and threatens to kill it.

Lucius returns to Barrelhaven. He couldn’t find Grandma Ben. He bucks against Phoney’s newfound authority, but the townsfolk remain loyal to Phoney.

In the barn, Fone introduces Smiley to the rat creature cub. Smiley takes to the cub instantly. He feeds it a cheese sandwich and attempts to teach it tricks. When Lucius enters, they hide the rat cub.

Fone tells Lucius everything Grandma asked him to and presents him with the pendant. Lucius remarks that the rats’ evacuation is similar to what happened during the Nights of Lightning and theorizes that they will break a treaty. He is also surprised to hear that the Lord of the Locusts is involved, as he “got turned into stone or something back when the dragons still ruled the earth” (530).

At the bar, Wendell and Euclid decide that it’s time to make Phoney slay the dragons, as he promised to. Upstairs, Lucius checks on Thorn. She breaks down crying, and Lucius comforts her.

That night, the Hooded One rallies an army of Pawans and rat creatures with Kingdok at her side. She delivers a speech to the armies that borders on a sermon. She cites the oppression of the Pawans and the rat creatures as motivators to fight and states that the Valley is theirs by divine right.

Wendell asks Phoney to slay a dragon. Phoney accuses him and the other villagers of hoarding their best food for the picnic.

Fone collects food and sneaks it into the barn for the rat creature cub. He finds Smiley there; he has been bringing the cub food, too. They agree that it is best for the cub to be released into the wild. Thorn enters, promising not to hurt the cub. She apologizes to Fone for her recent behavior. She tells him that her dreams are getting so bad that she fears sleeping. Thorn plans to return to the farmhouse.

Villagers crowd in the square, where Phoney gives a speech. He accuses the villagers of hoarding and deceit. In an attempt to expose Phoney’s scam, Lucius admits that he lied about dragons and vouches for their goodness. Phoney accuses Lucius of conspiring with the dragons, and the villagers’ suspicion silences him.

Phoney outlines his plan for slaying the dragon on Midsummer’s Eve, which involves loading all of the villagers’ valuables onto wagons and taking them to the Dragon’s Stair as bait.

Smiley asks Lucius why he told everyone that dragons didn’t exist. Lucius responds that it’s traditional for people to discover dragons’ existence for themselves. Fone runs out of the inn and reports that Thorn won’t leave her room.

The Hooded One orders Kingdok to capture Thorn and the Bones.

We see a panel of Thorn wandering through the forest at night, followed by another panel showing a letter she left for Fone in her room.

Fone, Smiley, and the rat cub sneak over the wall. Smiley and the cub dash into the forest, planning to make the trek all the way to the mountains. Fone follows.

Ted pesters Phoney about his plans. Phoney explains that, despite appearances, he has no intention of slaying the dragon: “I’m just tryin’ to get the townsfolk to escort me out of the Valley with a wagon full of treasure!” (569). He wants to bring his cousins with him, but he can’t find them.

In the woods, Thorn lies down to sleep. Four hooded figures gather around her and plant a sword in the ground in front of her. She gets to her feet and takes the sword, only to be overtaken by a group of stick figures with spears. She runs with them off a cliff and lands before the Red Dragon:

Thorn: Am I dreaming?

Red Dragon: You have to ask? (576).

Thorn sees visions of a throne and attacking rat creatures and cringes with fear. She also sees visions of her loved ones. She asks the dragon if they’re okay. When she wakes up, she heads towards Barrelhaven.

Phoney delivers another speech to the villagers, and they leave town.

When they reach the Dragons’ Stair, Phoney directs the mob to begin building a trap. He takes the valuables further ahead. Wendell, Jon, and Euclid shout that they captured a dragon. Phoney turns around to find the Red Dragon hogtied. Phoney tells the dragon that they have to come up with a way to set him free. The dragon responds: “Why? I thought you wanted to catch a dragon” (592).

The villagers become impatient as Phoney bickers with the dragon. They lunge forward and tie the dragon’s snout shut, demanding that Phoney kill him. Wendell hands him a dagger and tells him it’s his last chance. Thorn appears to stop him from harming the dragon and demands an explanation. She tells the villagers that the dragon isn’t their enemy and that rat creatures are razing Barrelhaven. The villagers advance to kill the dragon anyway.

A hoard of rat creatures appears and encourages the killing. The villagers cower, and Thorn defends the dragon, freeing him of his bonds. The hooded figures from the forest descend on the rat creatures with their swords drawn. The rats retreat, and the dragon flies away. Thorn leads the villagers back to Barrelhaven, and they realize they’re at war.