Key of Living Fire (The Sword of the Dragon)

“Great Book! Kept me excited the whole time. I’ve read book one and book two in this series, and this is one of my favorites. The quest for the key is a fun journey that pulls you in and makes you want more. I hope there are a lot more great books to come. The journey I take with each one is better than the last!”

—Davey Daffron (middle school student from Indiana)

“I think this book is the best book I have ever read. Oganna is a great character and a wonderful woman. What I loved best about the book was that the storyline kept me reading; right when I felt like a break from the action was about to take place, more action came into the book.”

—Nicholas Jackson Lucas (age 13 from Kentucky)

“Scott Appleton’s
Key of Living Fire
was an epic story full of action and suspense. Just what every good book needs; some adventure and even a little romance in between. It had me at the end of my seat every turn of the page.
Key of Living Fire
was a great new edition to The Sword Of The Dragon series. There was nothing I didn’t like about this book. I hope all you readers out there love this book as much as I did.”

—Kelsey Chupp (age 13 from Indiana)

“
Key of Living Fire
takes you on a visually beautiful journey through imaginative lands so finely detailed you feel as though you are right there with the characters. Scott Appleton draws from a deep well of creativity to offer you a delightful drink of fantasy that will leave you fully sated!”

—C. S. Lakin, author of The Gates of Heaven fantasy series

Key of Living Fire
Volume 3 in
The Sword of the Dragon
^®
series

Copyright © 2012 by Scott Appleton
Published by Living Ink Books, an imprint of
AMG Publishers, Inc.
6815 Shallowford Rd.
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in printed reviews, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (printed, written, photocopied, visual electronic, audio, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Print Edition ISBN 13: 978-0-89957-862-0 ISBN 10: 0-89957-862-4

EPUB Edition ISBN 13: 978-1-61715-295-5 ISBN 10: 1-61715-295-1

Mobi Edition ISBN 13: 978-1-61715-296-2 ISBN 10: 1-61715-296-X

E-PDF Edition ISBN 13: 978-1-61715-297-9 ISBN 10: 1-61715-297-8

First Printing—April 2012

THE SWORD OF THE DRAGON is a trademark of
AMG Publishers.

Map Illustration by Scott Appleton
Cover illustration by Kerim Beyit
Cover layout and design by Daryle Beam at BrightBoy Design, Inc.,
Chattanooga, TN
Interior design and typesetting by Kristin Goble at PerfecType,
Nashville, TN
Edited by Susanne Lakin, Christy Graeber,
Bonnie Appleton, and Rick Steele

Look for the next book in
The Sword of the Dragon
series, releasing soon.

Printed in the United States of America
17 16 15 14 13 12 –B– 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To the greatest little adventures in my life: my son Andrew, and my daughter Natalie. May God bring you up to serve him honorably no matter what the cost.

CONTENTS

Pronunciation Guide

Prelude:
Prelude: Penetrating the Shield of Purity

One:
The Traitor’s Choice

Two:
The Hidden Realm

Three:
An Angel Called Moroni

Four:
In the Mountains of Ulion

Five:
The Dragon Ring

Six:
Home and Gone Again

Seven:
Master Artisans

Eight:
Where the Dragon Dared Not Go

Nine:
Beneath the Desert

Ten:
A Hand of Ice

Eleven:
The Dewobin Cavern

Twelve:
Word of the Prophetess

Thirteen:
An Empty Grave

Fourteen:
Sovereign in a Strange Land

Fifteen:
Whimly Janvel

Sixteen:
In the Water Skeels’ Midst

Seventeen:
Swamp Guide

Eighteen:
Lost Depths of the World

Nineteen:
Into the Volcano Mountain

Twenty:
Mazella

Twenty-One:
The Strength of the Little Man

Twenty-Two:
Home of the Mighty Megatraths

Twenty-Three:
Not Their Paradise

Twenty-Four:
Where the Strongest Rule

Twenty-Five:
The Dragon’s Instruction

Twenty-Six:
The Endless Corridor

Twenty-Seven:
The Hidden Realm at Last

Twenty-Eight:
When Foes Met

Twenty-Nine:
The Doors Close

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Ardius: ar—dee—us

Arvidane: ar—vih—dane

Auron: or—on

Avejewel: av—ee—jool

Avernardi: a—ver—nar—dee

Bromstead: brahm—sted

Caritha: cuh—rith—uh

Corbaius: kor—bay—us

Cromlin: crom—lin

Dewobin: dee—wah—bin

Draconis: dray—cone—iss

Dresdyn: drez—din

Elhandra: el—hahn—druh

Escentra: ee—sen—truh

Gabel: gabe—el

Glorigathan: glore—ig—uh—than

Ilfedo: ill—feh—doh

Isor: eye—sore

Mazella: muh—zell—uh

Moroni: muh—rone—eye

Neneila: neh—nigh—luh

Oganna: oh—gahn—uh

Ombre: ahm—bray

Percemon: pur—seh—mahn

Regulus: reg—you—luss

Resgeria: rez—geer—ee—uh

Saybor: say—bore

Seivar: sigh—var

Sevré: sev—ray

Valorian: vuh—lore—ee—an

Veleema: veh—lee—muh

Vortain: vore—tane

Whimly Janvel: wim—lee jan—vel

Yveré: yee—veer—ee