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enchantment of sleep. Why didn't Tuatha simply kill the dragon, as many urged? The wizard had his reasons, though subtle, which he set down in a poem called "The Dragon's Eye." But by the time young Merlin first arrived on the isle of Fincayra, the poem had been forgotten; only a few bards, such as Cairpré , could remember any of it. Valdearg, meanwhile, remained in his flame-seared hollow, slumbering fitfully.
    Until he awoke—more wrathful than ever. No dragon of the past had ever possessed such a deadly combination of power and intelligence. And no dragon of the future would rival him, either—at least not for centuries, until Avalon 's two greatest dragons would appear: Basilgarrad , mighty lord of the sky; and Hargol , emperor of the waters. When Valdearg awoke, only one creature could quell his rage. And that was Gwynnia , his lost child.

Crystal Cave
    Glowing crystals! The walls, ceiling, and floor of this cave radiated a n d danced with color. Crystals sparkled and flashed all around us, as if the light shining on a rippling river had been poured into the very earth. And I am quite sure that my own face glowed as well, for even in the days when I could see with my own eyes, when colors ran deeper and light shone brighter; I had never seen anything as beautiful as this crystal cave.
    So Merlin described the crystal cave of the Grand Elusa . Of all the wondrous places on the isle of Fincayra , none made a deeper impression on the young wizard. No wonder that, many years later in Earth 's realm of Camelot , he sought to find his own crystal cave.
    Dance of the Giants
    Signifying both the climactic battle in the Dark Hills of Lost Fincayra and the place where that battle occurred, the Dance of the Giants saw the destruction of the Shrouded Castle and the end of Stangmar 's brutal reign. The battle also ensured Fincayra's well-being, thanks to the bravery of the hawk Trouble , by sending the spirit lord Rhita Gawr back to the Otherworld . Centuries later, bards still sing about the sacrifice of Trouble, the heroism of young Merlin and Rhia , and the unexpected bravery of a small fellow named Shim —who hurled himself into the Cauldron of Death to save the lives of his friends. In doing so, Shim fulfilled Fincayra's most mysterious prophecy and revived the giants, Fincayra's most ancient people. At the same time, his bravery transformed him into a giant—which proved the truth of the Grand Elusa 's observation that "bigness means more than the size of your bones."
    And so, in this battle, Fincayra was saved, the lost Treasures found, and a young wizard's memory restored. That same young wizard gained the name Merlin, inspired by the merlin hawk who had given his all. The crumbled remains of the Shrouded Castle took a new name, as well: Its ring of mammoth stones, standing in a stately circle, became Estonahenj , meaning Dance of the Giants in the land's most ancient tongue.
    Years later, the great spirit Dagda helped the followers of Elen transport the circle of stones to the new world of Avalon . Rebuilt in Stoneroot , it became the Great Temple in the center of the compound dedicated to the Society of the Whole . Within that circle, a thousand years later, a young apprentice priestess named Elli would often meditate, wondering what marvels those stones had witnessed.
    Drama Wood
    Home to young Rhia , and to the great oak Arbassa that sheltered her in its branches, this deep forest held wonder, magic, and an astounding diversity of life. It was here that Rhia taught Merlin how to speak the languages of rivers, trees, and stones. And it was here that Elen , at the very edge of death, drank the Elixir of Dagda , which allowed her to survive. So great was Elen's gratitude to this place—and so great was the power of Nature that it contained—she chose the name Drumadians for members of the Society of the Whole , the guiding force in the new world of Avalon .
    Fincayra (Lost Fincayra)
    This mist-shrouded isle teemed