Digory The Dragon Slayer

back, toothless dragon!’ he cried. ‘This is a magic sword and I shall turn you into a newt!’
    The dragon didn’t want to be turned into a tincey, tiny, slimy thing that scrambled around in a pond. He swung about with a whip-crack of his tail and roared away down a dark passage, cursing and hissing foul smelling steam.

WHO WANTS A CHANCE TO ESCAPE?

    At this point, of course, you or I would have turned tail and run in the opposite direction, as fast as our tin boots could carry us. But Digory was actually beginning to act like a true knight. In fact, Digory was growing into a truer knight with every moment he spent in the Horrible Gnasher’s cave, although he didn’t notice this himself. Digory didn’t think twice. He chased after the dragon, brandishing Burdock’s sword along the dark, winding tunnel.
    Suddenly there was an ear-splitting avalanche of rocks ahead and billows of dust shot back along the passage. The dragon’s roaring had shaken down a rock fall and blocked its escape.
    Digory stumbled blindly forward, coughing and spluttering, until he found himself face to face once again with the Horrible Gnasher. The trapped dragon turned and reared angrily. Sparks and cinders sputtered from his flaring nostrils. Digory raised the magic sword high above his head.
    ‘I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO SLAY A SAUSAGE?’ hissed the dragon. ‘YOU LIED AGAIN, DIDN’T YOU?’
    Digory dithered uncomfortably for a moment, but he wasn’t going to be tricked again. If he delayed using the magic sword the dragon would surely fry him with its flaming breath, like a miserable sliver of bacon.
    ‘I’m not going to slay you,’ he shouted through the smoke and dust. ‘I’m just going to turn you into a newt, so that you’ll never be able to devour anybody again.’
    ‘BUT SOMETHING MIGHT DEVOUR ME!’ exclaimed the dragon, and with a terrible roar he drew a deep breath to ignite the flame in his throat.
    Digory’s chance was running out. He pointed the sword towards Gnasher’s head but, to his horror, realised he didn’t know what to do next.
    ‘Burdock never told me the magic words!’ he gasped.
    ‘BURDOCK?’ said Gnasher in surprise, suddenly coughing out his flame. ‘BURDOCK - A SNIVELLING RAT IN A TATTERED BLACK CLOAK GAVE YOU THAT SWORD?’
    ‘Um... yes,’ replied Digory, sensing in an instant that things were about to take a jaw-dripping, flesh-ripping, bone-crunching, snout-snarling, bloodthirsty turn for the worse. ‘Burdock the Wizard gave me this magic sword and n-now I shall turn you into a n-n-newt!”
    ‘WELL, IF THAT IS BURDOCK’S SWORD THEN THERE’S MORE MAGIC IN MY ELBOW!’ laughed the Horrible Gnasher and, with a flick of his tail, he flung the sword out of Digory’s hand and back along the passage.
    ‘YOUR BURDOCK IS NOTHING MORE THAN A COMMON THIEF AND TRICKSTER,’ he gloated triumphantly.
    ‘But he told my fortune,’ protested Digory (believing in his heart that the dragon was unfortunately telling the truth). ‘Burdock knew who I was and what I had come to do.’ Hearing this the dragon narrowed his eyes and slowly stretched his front foot towards Digory, with one hooked claw extended. Digory froze into a statue of shiverousness. ‘ANYONE COULD TELL YOUR FORTUNE, SIR DIGORY.’ Gnasher smiled widely and gently pulled the label on Digory’s back round across his chest. There were the
    words ‘Sir Digory the Dragon Slayer’ telling all.
    Digory’s heart dropped with a thud into his boots. So that was how Burdock knew Digory had been struck twice by a sword but not wounded — from the knighting ceremony. And that is how he knew why Digory had come to the forest!
    ‘AND I SUPPOSE HE TOOK SOMETHING FROM YOU AS WELL?’ The dragon obviously knew all about the tricks of Burdock’s trade.
    Digory remembered his precious lute and he felt as glum as a cold suet pudding.
    ‘WELL, NOW I AM GOING TO TAKE SOMETHING FROM YOU TOO, SIR DIGORY THE DRAGON SLAYER - I SHALL HAVE YOUR SCRAWNY FLESH FROM YOUR GRISTLY BONES!’ And the dragon picked up Digory by his breeches with one claw and carried him back down the passage to the great chamber. As Digory swung from Gnasher’s foot he spotted Burdock’s sword
    among the rocks and with a swipe picked it up.
    This may not be magic, he thought miserably to himself, but 1 expect a proper knight is always gobbled up with his sword.

THE TROUBLE WITH TEETH

    Now, although Digory had felt suspicious of Burdock from the first