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  “A dragon mage,” Shilo said. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “A real hero.”

  Nidintulugal blushed and opened his mouth to say something. Shilo put her finger to his lips. “More powerful than me and my father. You’ll do Babylon proud, Nidin.” She paused. “And I might come back to check up on you … if I get the hang of this time-and-space traveling.”

  “We both would welcome you, Child of Sigurd.”

  Shilo smiled wide.

  She liked the sound of that title.

  * * *

  She woke on the floor of her bedroom, head on the puzzle she’d assembled. The image she’d slept on was of a singular dragon, one cobbled together from the pieces of the gold and silver dragons depicted on the lid of the puzzle box. She touched the dragon with her fingertips and concentrated. All the pieces fused together and the surface smoothed and sparkled.

  “I think I will come back for a visit, Ulbanu,” she said. “Provided this all was real.”

  “Shy…” It was her grandmother standing outside her door, gently tapping. “I’m going to open early this morning. Hurry with your shower and come down for breakfast.”

  Shilo looked to her window. Sunlight streamed in.

  Was it possible?

  Had she really journeyed to Babylon and spent days there while only hours passed here?

  She had fused the puzzle.

  The back of her hand was tanned, as was her arm, though it was streaked a little. The dye from the nuts! The bottoms of her feet were scarred and calloused. And she reeked!

  “I was in Babylon.” She stood and padded to the window, looked out just as Big Mick was putting up a sign advertising Wisconsin cheese soup.

  “I’m not in Hades anymore,” she said. A look back at the fused puzzle, still sparkling.

  Maybe she ought to have it framed.

  During her lunch break she intended to visit the attic, to look at some of her dad’s things and to check out the clay bowls she’d spotted. She wanted to make sure they were the good version of demon bowls—she was pretty sure that they were. Maybe her father had made a few more trips back to Babylon, and they were souvenirs he’d brought home. And then there was the matter of those rabbit ears. She’d test her magic and see if she could manipulate them to give her grandparents better reception.

  But she’d have to be careful with her magic.

  “Shy…”

  “Coming, Meemaw.” Softer: “Such a tale I will tell you today. And when I’m done, you’ll think that if I had Pinocchio’s nose, it would stretch all the way across the street and to the front door of Big Mick’s Pub.”

  Also from Tor Books by Andre Norton

  A Taste of Magic

  (with Jean Rabe)

  Quag Keep

  Return to Quag Keep

  (with Jean Rabe)

  The Crystal Gryphon

  Dare to Go A-Hunting

  Flight in Yiktor

  Forerunner

  Forerunner: The Second Venture

  Here Abide Monsters

  Moon Called

  Moon Mirror

  The Prince Commands

  Ralestone Luck

  Stand and Deliver

  Wheel of Stars

  Wizards’ Worlds

  Wraiths of Time

  Beast Master’s Planet

  (omnibus comprising The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder)

  The Solar Queen

  (omnibus comprising Sargasso of Space and Plague Ship)

  The Gates to Witch World

  (omnibus comprising Witch World, Web of the Witch World, and Year of the Unicorn)

  Lost Lands of Witch World

  (omnibus comprising Three Against the Witch World, Warlock of the Witch World, and Sorceress of the Witch World)

  Grandmasters’ Choice

  (Editor)

  The Jekyll Legacy

  (with Robert Bloch)

  Gryphon’s Eyrie

  (with A. C. Crispin)

  Songsmith

  (with A. C. Crispin)

  Caroline

  (with Enid Cushing)

  Firehand

  (with P. M. Griffin)

  Redline the Stars

  (with P. M. Griffin)

  Sneeze on Sunday

  (with Grace Allen Hogarth)

  The Duke’s Ballad

  (with Lyn McConchie)

  House of Shadows

  (with Phyllis Miller).

  Empire of the Eagle

  (with Susan Shwartz)

  Imperial Lady

  (with Susan Shwartz)

  BEAST MASTER

  (with Lyn McConchie)

  Beast Master’s Ark

  Beast Master’s Circus

  CAROLUS REX

  (with Rosemary Edghill)

  The Shadow of Albion

  Leopard in Exile

  THE HALFBLOOD CHRONICLES

  (with Mercedes Lackey)

  The Elvenbane

  Elvenblood

  Elvenborn

  MAGIC IN ITHKAR

  (Editor, with Robert Adams)

  Magic in Ithkar 1

  Magic in Ithkar 2

  Magic in Ithkar 3

  Magic in Ithkar 4

  THE OAK, YEW, ASH, AND ROWAN CYCLE

  (with Sasha Miller)

  To the King a Daughter

  Knight or Knave

  A Crown Disowned

  THE WITCH WORLD (Editor)

  Four from the Witch World

  Tales from the Witch World 1

  Tales from the Witch World 2

  Tales from the Witch World 3

  WITCH WORLD: THE TURNING

  I Storms of Victory

  (with P. M. Griffin)

  II Flight of Vengeance

  (with P. M. Griffin & Mary H. Schaub)

  III On the Wings of Magic

  (with Patricia Mathews & Sasha Miller)

  THE SOLAR QUEEN

  (with Sherwood Smith)

  Derelict for Trade

  A Mind for Trade

  THE TIME TRADERS

  (with Sherwood Smith)

  Echoes in Time

  Atlantis Endgame

  By Jean Rabe

  The Finest Challenge

  The Finest Choice

  The Finest Creation

  Praise for Andre Norton and Jean Rabe

  “This collaboration between the late SF and fantasy grand master Norton and prolific fantasy author Rabe (the Finest trilogy) touches upon aspects of Norton’s popular Dragon Magic while telling a unique story about a young girl’s unusual coming of age. A good choice.”

  —Library Journal

  “This long-delayed sequel honors the classic elements of Norton’s 1972 young adult fantasy Dragon Magic while taking on a decidedly modern air.… Rabe (The Finest Creation) has built on Norton’s estimable groundwork to produce an action-packed, satisfying young adult story that will be very accessible to modern teens as well as now-grown fans of the original Magic books.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

  DRAGON MAGE

  Copyright © 2007 by Bill Fawcett & Associates

  All rights reserved.

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-5577-5

  ISBN-10: 0-7653-5577-9

  First Edition: January 2008

  First Mass Market Edition: April 2009

  eISBN 9781466845985

  First eBook edition: April 2013

 

 

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