Sword Quest (16 page)

A hero’s heart is as vast as the sky.

—FROM THE
O
LD
S
CRIPTURE

T
HE
F
IRST
B
RIGHT
M
OON
F
ESTIVAL

I
t was spring.

Kauria was in bloom. Though it was hidden in mists from the rest of the world, for some reason, on the night of the first anniversary of Hero’s Day, birds found it without difficulty.

Flocks of birds were gathered there—some young, some old, some who had never been there before, some who had, some who were descendants of heroes, some
who had met or traveled with Wind-voice. It didn’t matter who they were; they were all there for the same purpose.

All gazed into the sky. The moon was round, like a mirror of dreams, and as they stood, they seemed to see and hear things. Like an echo from a year ago, they heard cheerings: “Swordbird! Swordbird!”

There was the faint strum of a harp, and then Ewingerale walked in among them. He started singing:

On our sword quest we have learned that

Fate is wind, not a river.

The directions of wind can always change

But rivers shall flow the same.

No matter which way the wind shall blow,

Dare to use your wings.

Fleydur the eagle came striding from the other side, singing melodiously:

On our sword quest we have learned

The reason why we come to this world.

Not for fighting, not for taking,

But for living, and for giving.

Not merely for eating and sleeping day after day,

But for flying toward lofty goals.

Ewingerale continued the song:

On our sword quest we have learned that

True happiness is built upon dedication.

A grass nest woven by ourselves

Outshines a palace inherited,

Crabapples foraged from a bush

Taste sweeter than stolen oranges.

Fleydur sang joyously:

On our sword quest we have learned to

Value the world the way we value our family.

If we spread kindness wherever we go,

Then we have thousands of brothers and sisters.

Loving and caring brightens our world.

They bring us closer to the Great Spirit.

The two friends stood side by side, faces to the moon, and sang the last words together:

To live is to treasure everything.

To live is to strive

For tomorrow

And for a bright future.

And then, in a soft chorus, the crowd of birds sang a song written by Ewingerale, who is now the scribe, and Fleydur, now the bard of the eagles.

O joy be on the day of the Bright Moon Festival

Holy day of Swordbird’s birth,

A day when birds sing and dance,

And when a round, bright moon shines on the earth…

Somewhere among them, somebird whispered, “Happy birthday, Swordbird.”

It was indeed a magical night, and perhaps it was the excitement, perhaps it was a trick of the light, or perhaps it was real…

For Swordbird’s figure seemed to glide across the moon, his graceful wings saluting a peaceful world.

AQUAL
—tern, the chief of the Qua, the seabirds’ alliance.

AREDREM
—great blue heron, wife of Fisher.

DUBTO
—archaeopteryx, soldier of the Marshes Battalion of the archaeopteryx army.

EWINGERALE (WINGER)
—red-bellied woodpecker, companion of Wind-voice, harpist, and primary author of the
Old Scripture
.

FISHER
—great blue heron, leader of the rebel group of the Marshes territory.

FLEYDUR
—golden eagle; son of Morgan, king of Skythunder; brother of Forlath; companion of Wind-voice; wandering bard.

FORLATH
—golden eagle; son of Morgan, king of Skythunder; brother of Fleydur.

GREAT SPIRIT
—creator of the earth and birdkind.

GWENDELEINE
—emperor penguin, lady of the Illagoo tribe.

HUNGRIAS
—archaeopteryx, the Ancient Wing, and emperor of archaeopteryxes; killed by Maldeor.

IRENE
—dove, mother of Wind-voice.

KARI
—scarlet macaw, friend of Wind-voice, healer, member of the Half-moon tribe.

KAWAKA
—archaeopteryx, leader of the Marshes Battalion of the archaeopteryx army, later head knight of the Royal Court, brother of Rattle-bones.

MALDEOR
—archaeopteryx, former head knight of the Royal Court, succeeded Hungrias as the Ancient Wing and emperor of archaeopteryxes, author of the
Book of Heresy
.

MORGAN
—golden eagle, king of Skythunder, father of Fleydur and Forlath.

PEPHEROH
—phoenix, king of Kauria, the magical Island of Paradise.

PHAËTHON
—archaeopteryx, prince of the archaeopteryx empire, son of Hungrias.

RAG-FOOT
—brown skua, captain of the pirates of the Pearls Archipelago.

RATTLE-BONES
—archaeopteryx, knight of the Royal Court, brother of Kawaka.

RHEA
—shrike, healer who hosted a rebel meeting.

STORMAC
—hill myna, companion of Wind-voice.

SWORDBIRD (WIND-VOICE)
—white bird, guardian of peace, son of the Great Spirit.

WIND-VOICE
—the same as Swordbird.

WINGER
—the same as Ewingerale.

YAMA
—supreme evil spirit who is the opposite of the Great Spirit.

YIN SOUL
—half-ghost of a four-winged dinosaur who wanted to be reincarnated.

M
any writers believe that to write a novel, especially a fantasy novel, is to go on a quest. At fourteen, I feel lucky to have experienced two quests. During them, many people helped and encouraged me. I am deeply grateful to them.

First, I would like to thank Ms. Phoebe Yeh, editorial director of HarperCollins Children’s Books. Through my frequent contact with her, I feel that she has become my dear teacher and lifelong friend. She sets her whole mind and heart on her work, which makes me realize that once you have found something you love to do, you are always energetic. Without her meticulous guidance and help, none of my quests could have been completed.

Profound thanks to Ms. Jane Friedman, president and CEO of HarperCollins, Worldwide, one of the most powerful and broadminded people I’ve ever met. It is she who gave me wings to fly in the sky of the literature world. She has not only encouraged me, but she also encourages kids all over the world to read and write. Thousands of emails to me from young writers reflect this.

I would also like to thank many other HarperCollins people: Ms. Susan Katz, president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books, for sending me a delightful bird book that, to me, is much more than a book; Ms. Kate Jackson, senior vice president of HarperCollins Children’s Books, for her great expectations of me; Ms. Joan Rosen, vice president and director of subsidiary rights; Ms. Audra Boltion, associate director of publicity; Ms. Mary Albi, director of marketing; Mr. Greg Ferguson, assistant editor; and Ms. Amy Ryan, art supervisor, for their enthusiastic support and constant help; Ms. Colleen Delany, for performing the story so vividly in the audio book of
Swordbird
; and Mr. Mark Zug and Ms. Jo-Anne Rioux for their wonderful artwork that made
Sword Quest
come alive.

My heartfelt thanks also go to Ms. Stella Chou, managing director for HarperCollins Chinese Business Development, and Ms. Michelle Wu, Marketing and Communications Manager, for shepherding the Chinese bilingual edition of
Sword Quest
.

During my own quest of writing and traveling, teachers and friends either read my manuscript or supported me
with kindness. I would like to thank Dr. Linda Lamme, professor of children’s literature—I was overjoyed to hear her sensible advice on what makes a children’s book good; Ms. Jennifer Wise, my sunny middle-school principal, for encouraging all the students in my school to write by sharing my story with them; and Ms. Diane Anding, Ms. Jennifer Diley, Ms. Stephanie Leander, Ms. Maria Olsen, and Ms. Elizabeth Freeman, my amazing eighth-grade teachers.

As I wrote
Sword Quest
, I had the good fortune to visit my alma mater. It was like a homecoming! I want to thank Mr. Barry Guinn and Ms. Debbie Geiss, two of the most warmhearted principals I’ve ever known; my phenomenal former teachers Ms. Melissa Barnello and Ms. Judy Allen, for their wonderful teaching and cordial support; Mr. Timothy Simmons and Mr. Ben Farstad, my cool third-grade teachers; Ms. Diane Goodwin, my earliest teacher of literature, whose appearance at a bookstore signing made me so happy that I was moved to tears; Ms. Betty Barr, MBE, for her precious comments and advice; Professor Nancy Hodes, who inspired me a lot; Professor Robert Loach, for his intercultural insights; Dr. John Cech, for offering me the opportunity to talk with a professor of children’s literature on his radio program; Professor Hank Conner, for inviting me to be a guest speaker on his special program, “Conner Calling,” and for his wit; the Audubon Society of Florida, for making me an honorary member and adopting a bald eagle in my name; Ms. Patricia Brigati, for turning on the lights of the first Christmas tree in my life;

Ms. Debbie O’Donnell and Ms. Jen Obermaier, librarians; and Ms. Catherine Tarbox and Ms. Joy Merrill, bookstore managers (there are many others; I cannot name them all), for inviting me to do presentations at my second home, libraries and bookstores.

Support from celebrities energized me while writing
Sword Quest
. I want to thank Mr. Jackie Chan, the martial arts movie star, for his encouragement; Ms. Martha Stewart, also a bird lover, for her unforgettable conversation with me; and Mr. Al Roker, who wrote to me: “Sunny skies always.”

Family support is priceless. I remember when I was small, my grandparents bought lots of books for me and read them to me night after night. I would like to thank them, as well as my parents, who listened to my story of Wind-voice and gave me invaluable suggestions.

Of course, a chirp of thanks to my pet lovebirds, Pandora, Ever-sky, and Dyppler, the great blue heron in the pond across the street, and the resident red-shouldered hawk who often perches sagely on the bar of a swing just beyond my window.

It’s good to meet people (and birds) and learn from them.