Read Digory The Dragon Slayer for Free Online

Enid’s portrait out of his saddlebag. It must have been freshly painted when she gave it to him because it was very badly smudged now, but the sight of her smudgy face and hodgepig hair made him feel braver, so he tucked it inside his armour for luck. Barley ambled over and nuzzled Digory’s ear as if she knew something was going to happen, as if she wanted to give her little bit of encouragement too.
    ‘Goodbye, my friend,’ said Digory. ‘I expect I shall never return from this adventure. If I am not back by morning you must go home to Batty-by-Noodle without me.’
    However, if Barley really could read
    Digory’s lips she only paid attention to the last few words and, turning clumsily about, walked off with a snort into the night.
    Poor Digory was left to face the Horrible Gnasher Toast’em Firebreath alone. He wanted his lute, he wanted his friend Enid, he wanted his mother. He would even have been pleased to see his sister Ethelburg at that moment. She’d be a good match for a dragon. But there really was no turning back this time. Digory lit a torch, gripped the hilt of Burdock’s magic sword and slowly stepped inside the cave.



THE FATE AWAITS

    T HE dragon’s cave was horribly cold and clammy.
    This must be shiverous, thought Digory, and 1 don’t like it! Fie also didn’t like the tummy-churning stench of rotten meat and the spooky echo of water dripping in deep, dark caverns.
    Digory held the torch before him and stepped slowly through the winding tunnel. With each step he knew he was closer to the dragon, and further away from escape. The tunnel sloped down and then opened out into a chamber as large as King Widget’s banqueting hall. This must be where the dragon devours his prey , Digory thought nervously. But there weren’t any bones to be seen — just a heap of colourful stuff lying by a rock. When Digory looked closer he discovered it was a pile of maiden’s cloaks and jewellery, shoes and crowns. He went weak at the knees.
    ‘This is only his cloakroom,’ he said with a shudder. ‘And I don’t think any of these guests will be leaving!’
    Suddenly a sharp draught blew through a crevice in the rock and put out his torch! Digory stood very still. All around him there was darkness and somewhere ahead of him was darkness with a dragon in it, or maybe two.
    His bravery fizzled out like the flame.
    ‘No one can be expected to fight a d-d-dragon in the d-d-dark,’ he said to himself, trying to stay calm. ‘No one could complain if I t-t-turned around now and went b-b-back.’
    But which was the way b-b-back? Digory crawled about on the knees of his tin suit, trying to find the tunnel entrance. When he reached a cave wall he stood up and took a few steps forward. It felt like the tunnel b-b-back, but it was really...

    THE TUNNEL TO THE
    D-D-DRAGON’S LAIR!

    As Digory stumbled blindly through the cave, the rotten smell grew stronger and a clatter of small rocks fell ahead. Just as he was starting to suspect this was not the tunnel b-b-back after all, a terrifying snort sent more rocks tumbling at his feet.

    The jaw-dripping, flesh-ripping, bone-crunching, snout-snarling, bloodthirsty dragon must be there in the darkness ahead - but where?
    Poor Digory was petrified. He shuddered and shook until his armour rattled like a tinker’s cart. The sound filled the cave with a deafening echo.
    Then the dragon spoke.
    ‘WHAT GREAT ARMY OF KNIGHTS COMES TO MY CAVE?’ his deep voice boomed.
    In an instant, Digory realised that the dragon could not see him in the dark. He shook his tin leggings and sure enough they sounded like a hundred knights shuffling impatiently. Digory felt a little braver. ‘If only I can fool this dragon,’ he said to himself, ‘I might get a chance to escape.’
    So he took a deep breath and imagined he was Ethelburg playing let’s pretend.
    ‘I am Sir Digory the Dragon Slayer,’ he shouted sternly, ‘and I come here with my army to slay the Horrible Gnasher