Here, There Be Dragons
James A. Owen
Hardcover
(Simon & Schuster, Jan. 1, 2006)
John, Charles, and Jack are three Oxford scholars, who are united by the death of Stellan Sigurdsson, John's mentor. The three are entrusted with a special book, The Imaginarium Geographica, which contains the geographic locations of all fabled locations. They meet Bert, who helps them flee from the minions of the Winter King, Mordred. They journey on Bert's ship, the Indigo Dragon (captained by Bert's daughter Aven, to whom Jack is attracted), to Avalon, and then to Paralon, the capital of the Archipelago. There was no king, as the lineage of Arthur had supposedly been ended when the Winter King killed the last king and all of his relatives. The party discovers also that the Winter King is searching for the High King's Ring, which they have. Around this time, the partners realize how dangerous the Imaginarium Geographica could be in the wrong hands, and decide to destroy it. As it can only be destroyed by he who made it, the Cartographer of Lost Places, the companions journey to his refuge, the Keep of Time. They lose the book, however, before reaching the Keep, but after they leave the keep they find that their potboy, Artus, is a descendant of King Arthur. However, the ring is then stolen. The companions also discover that Mordred is using Pandora's Box to create shadow minions, and decide to meet him in a battle on the island at the end of the world. During the battle, Charles is charged with closing Pandora's Box, which he does, eliminating Mordred's shadow minions. Jack is charged to fight on the battlefield, where he was responsible for the death of another man, Captain Nemo. John was charged with leading Artus to the bluffs of the island, where a descendant of Arthur could, with the incantation in the Geographica and the Ring of Power, summon dragons.