Swords of the Six by Jennifer Miller, Scott Appleton, Becky Miller, Amber Hill

procession of brown mammals emerged from the forests to the east, plodding toward the palace. Long, curving tusks shone white in the sunlight, and a steady wind toyed with the long hair covering their bodies. Trunks swayed with the steady movement of their hulking bodies. The moose stepped aside for the mammoths. The largest of the new arrivals dipped his tusks toward Dantress and her sisters.
    “Daughters of the great and mighty dragon,” a bull mammoth trumpeted, drumming his forefeet on the ground, “upon a journey you now embark, and on foreign soil you will be tested.” The mighty creatures continued to gather behind their spokesman, and Dantress could see no end to their number. “Be true to one another, be true to yourselves, daughters of the dragon. Trust no one who is a stranger to the white dragon.” He stood still.
    The sisters looked up as a shadow covered them. A hush fell upon the creatures. The great white dragon walked through the doors, setting each foot firmly before the other as he strode down the path. He raised his head high, the ridges along the back of his long neck stood stiff, the scales along his body reflecting the sunlight in all directions, making him ghost-like.
    “Come, my daughters! This is a day that the creatures of my kingdom will remember forever. Hold your heads high and follow me. The warriors of the past await us!”
    The warriors of the past? Dantress suppressed her urge to question. Instead she followed the dragon down the path. She was of royal descent, a princess of Emperia, so she held her head high.
    They passed down the green slopes to the west and approached a mountainous region. The masses of creatures followed them to the base of the first mountains, then they stood still and watched the dragon and his daughters depart in silence.
    When they had left their audience in the distance, Dantress tried to catch up to her father. But the dragon leapt over boulders that she was forced to climb and soon he had proceeded a good distance ahead of them. A couple hours later he leapt onto a boulder and spread his wings. He reached them into the still air and a gust of wind broke the calm. He lifted into the air, pulling the enormous rock with him as he clutched it with his claws. Speeding up a smooth mountain slope, he angled toward a cave far up its face.
    “Is he leaving us?” Evela looked for reassurance from her sisters.
    Rose’el harrumphed. “It sure looks that way—”
    “Listen to me, both of you,” Caritha nearly shouted, pointing a finger at Rose’el. “Father would not leave us alone without good reason. Come on!” She ran after the dragon, who waited at the distant cave.
    The sisters followed Caritha up the mountain slope. Everyone except Rose’el refused to complain as their back and leg muscles began to ache from ascending the steep incline. Rose’el muttered unintelligibly under her breath, but even though Dantress could see that she wasn’t happy about the situation she noted that Rose’el outdistanced the rest of them and her mouth set in a determined line.
    * * *
    The cool mountain air coupled with an encroaching fog that limited visibility to no more than a dozen feet. Dantress looked at her hands, raw from grabbing rough stones and pulling herself upward. But she determined to go on and continued the climb. When she at last grabbed hold of the ledge before the cave entrance, Albino loomed before her and looked down. A grin spread across his bony face.
    Her sisters sat on different stones around the entrance. Evela took the opportunity to rub her feet. Rose'el and Laura massaged their hands. Caritha sat quietly with hands folded on her lap. This seemed the moment for the dragon to speak. But when she glanced up at him, his pink eyes blinked.
    Then, slowly, the truth dawned on her. This is a test. “Isn’t it?” she asked aloud.
    Albino merely looked down at her, his pink eyes shining.
    “It’s a test. It’s a test!” She smiled in spite of her