Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost, page 1
PRAISE FOR
“An inclusive tale that affirms everyone’s right to define themselves…. A must-have for every library. This is an important book that will capture every reader’s heart and imagination.”
—School Library Journal, starred review
“In this uplifting debut, Symes-Smith skillfully crafts an emotionally rich adventure starring an intersectionally inclusive cast of courageous characters.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A can’t-miss, one-of-a-kind (for now!) page-turner, bursting with heart…. Among the best of the year—and a debut, no less.”
—Booklist, starred review
“Fierce, heartfelt, and determined.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Young readers will find a worthy hero in Callie, who displays boundless courage in defending both their convictions and their friends.”
—BookPage
“Everything you could possibly want from a middle grade fantasy…. Fierce, sharp-witted, and unapologetically queer.”
—The Nerd Daily
“Symes-Smith has forged a razor-sharp story of bravery, emotional resilience, deep honor, and adventure!”
—Ash Van Otterloo, author of Cattywampus and A Touch of Ruckus
“This warm hug of a book is…thoughtful, inclusive, and an absolute joy.”
—Jamie Pacton, author of The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly
“A groundbreaking, magical story about fighting for who you are…. Callie is a character every middle-grade reader deserves to have on their shelves.”
—Nicole Melleby, author of Hurricane Season, In the Role of Brie Hutchens…, and How to Become a Planet
“Symes-Smith has created a groundbreaking story with engaging, unforgettable characters, whose personal journeys will mean the world to so many young readers.”
—A. J. Sass, author of Ana on the Edge and Ellen Outside the Lines
“Sir Callie is the hero I needed while growing up.”
—H. E. Edgmon, author of The Witch King
ALSO BY ESME SYMES-SMITH
Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2023 by Esme Symes-Smith
Cover art copyright © 2023 by Kate Sheridan
Map art copyright © 2022 by Kate Sheridan
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Labyrinth Road, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
Labyrinth Road and the colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Visit us on the Web! rhcbooks.com
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Name: Symes-Smith, Esme, author.
Title: Sir Callie and the dragon’s roost / Esme Symes-Smith.
Description: First edition. | New York: Labyrinth Road, 2023. | Series: Sir Callie; book 2 | Audience: Ages 8–12. | Summary: Realizing that resistance to the inclusive culture they envisioned still remains, twelve-year-old nonbinary hopeful knight Callie and their friends continue to fight for the heart of their kingdom.
Identifiers: LCCN 2023012464 (print) | LCCN 2023012465 (ebook) | ISBN 978-0-593-48581-1 (trade) | ISBN 978-0-593-48583-5 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Gender identity—Fiction. | Knights and knighthood—Fiction. | Dragons—Fiction. | Fantasy. | LCGFT: Fantasy fiction. | Novels.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S995 Sj 2023 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.S995 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
Ebook ISBN 9780593485835
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
Penguin Random House LLC supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to publish books for every reader.
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Contents
Cover
Also by Esme Symes-Smith
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Author’s Note
Map
The Ballad of Sir Dorian and the Wyndebrel Beast
Callie
Teo
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Acknowledgments
_145344141_
For Megan, who gave me wings, and Liesa, who taught me to fly
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dearest Readers,
Welcome back to Wyndebrel! Before you join Callie on their adventures, there are a few things to address.
First, you are going to meet a few new friends who use neopronouns. The same way Callie uses they/them/their and Willow and Elowen use he/him/his and she/her/her respectively, these characters use the pronouns xe/xem/xir (pronounced with a beginning “z” sound). Like Callie, these characters do not identify with the gender binary, and I can’t wait for you to meet them!
Now, more seriously:
At the end of Book 1, we left our champions on the cusp of a hopeful future. But although the battle was won, the war is from over.
Healing is a long and difficult journey, with twists and turns that often feel like we are going backward. But slow progress is still progress, and healing from the kind of trauma that Callie and their friends have suffered is never simple. Each character, like each person, takes their journey at a different pace, and it is my intention that all readers be able to find themselves in one of our heroes.
That said, I urge every reader to consider their triggers and boundaries. Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost is a triumphant adventure, but the battles are not only fantastical. Within these pages are depictions of violence, transphobia, and child abuse, as well as frank discussions concerning the well-intentioned but ultimately harmful efforts of adults.
This book is about deconstructing the stories we take for granted and discovering truth for ourselves. It is about enemies and allies and the bridge between them. It is about breaking down everything we think we know in order to rebuild ourselves into who we truly are.
If you are in need of extra help, here are some accessible resources:
Trans Lifeline: translifeline.org
Childhelp: childhelp.org
The Trevor Project, confidential helpline for LGBTQIA+ youth: thetrevorproject.org
In a world where those seen as “different” are persecuted, the bravest thing any of us can do is stay stubbornly ourselves.
You are enough and loved, exactly as you are.
—Esme Symes-Smith
The Ballad of Sir Dorian and the Wyndebrel Beast
And lo! There he spied it,
A shadow lurking in the dark.
And Sir Dorian readied himself
To take up his righteous charge
Though he knew he might not make it
For dragons, they lie.
Their tactics are devious,
And so many die.
But Sir Dorian was smarter,
And his mission was true.
He felt no fear,
And he knew what to do.
The Wyndebrel Beast
>
Never stood a chance
Against the great Sir Dorian
And his champion’s lance.
The first blow fell
Upon the dragon’s writhing tail,
And the beast reared to attack
But was destined to fail.
Because right is right
and wrong is wrong,
And there is no monster
Who can stand up as strong
To the power of goodness
In a faithful knight’s heart.
And defeating the dragon
Is only the start.
CALLIE
There are dragons in my dreams. There have been dragons in my dreams ever since we nearly got eaten in Dumoor Forest just a few short summer months ago. And every single dream is the same.
Kensa, bathed in flames, waiting for me. Calling me. Whistling for me like I’m one of the witch’s wolves. My body reacts, moving toward the sound of its own accord, falling for the sweet tune that sounds like home.
Come away, little knight. You don’t belong here. Come home.
I follow the song through the shadows. Birds join the chorus, their calls harmonizing with the dragon’s song; their black-and-white bodies bumping against mine as they guide me through the darkness. Flock as thick as fog.
But I always wake up before the dream ends, leaving me with nothing but confusion and an emptiness I don’t understand.
This is where I want to be. Helston—with all my wishes coming true.
I have never wanted anything else.
I should be happy.
I am happy.
Aren’t I?
TEO
“Stay close,” Lara murmurs, and Teo trots to obey, sticking close to her side.
This is xir first mission for Dumoor, and Teo’s stomach has been flipping between nerves and excitement all day. Xe’s ready! Alis would never have let xem go if xe wasn’t…but it would’ve helped if Kensa had been able to feign even a little enthusiasm. Instead, the older dragon stared at xem, long and hard, with an expression Teo almost read as grief before it dimmed to a low anger that xe didn’t understand.
This was exciting! This was an opportunity to prove that xe had been worth taking in and taking up space. It didn’t matter how insistent folks were that Teo wasn’t indebted to anyone; xe knew how thin resources were stretched in The Roost and how much they risked taking in a dragon. Xe has to prove that xe’s worth the trouble.
Teo wants to fight, to defend xir new home against the threat of Helston.
And besides, it is a great honor to be chosen by Alis herself. If she believes xe’s ready, who is anyone to question her judgment?
It’s going to be okay.
Teo’s pointed ears twitch with every scrap of sound—a birdcall, an insect scratching at the dark bark of the trees, a horse’s footfall—
“Wait.” Xe grabs Lara’s sleeve, forcing her to a stop; holding xir breath to listen for more.
Lara makes a motion to the others, and they all stop, waiting for Teo to tell them it’s either safe to go on or not.
Teo closes xir eyes and listens, focusing on the sounds of the forest.
“There’s ten of them,” xe whispers, counting the hoofbeats in the distance. “Ten horses, all with riders. I can hear armor. And weapons.”
Gillian curses under their breath. “Helston’s getting bolder.”
“That’s one word for it,” Lara returns grimly. Her knife is ready in her hand, freshly sharpened to a brutal point. Teo has seen what she can do with a blade, but even so…Ten Helston soldiers.
As the others silently ready themselves for the skirmish, Teo does the same. In the dappled shadows of Dumoor Forest, xe holds xemself steady and focuses on xir breath, the warmth rising in xir chest and spreading out from xir heart to spark into something sharp and powerful in xir throat.
Teo’s wings might not have come in yet, but today xe feels like a real dragon.
Kensa would be proud.
Teo swallows.
Kensa should be here. Kensa wanted to be here, and when Alis gave xem a mission that sent xem far away across Wyndebrel, Teo was a little afraid that Kensa’s fury would turn the whole of Dumoor to ash.
But Alis stood firm, her decision final: She needed Kensa elsewhere. And who was Kensa to refuse her?
Still, Teo wishes more than anything that the enormous shadow of Kensa’s dragon-form would fall across the forest, even just for a moment. Just to know Kensa is watching over them all.
Especially as the sounds of the Helston riders get closer.
Gillian holds up their hand, the sign for Wait and get ready. They’re just around the corner now, so close, Teo can hear the men breathing.
Xe shivers.
Teo’s never been to Helston, never encountered the force spewing out across the bridge that everyone warns of. Teo knows xe’s lucky. Stories of Helston linger like ghosts in Dumoor.
Gillian counts down silently with their fingers as the crunch of hooves gets closer and closer, mingling with the voices of the Helston soldiers, who don’t care if they’re heard or not.
When Gillian throws up a fist, Teo’s fire collides with a rush of adrenaline.
Xe can do this.
Xe is ready.
Xe is a dragon.
For The Roost!
On Teo’s right, someone shifts into a shaggy gray wolf with glinting yellow eyes. On xir left, Lara lunges with her knife in one hand and a flame in the other. Gillian slams their magic down, ripping the ground apart beneath the horses’ feet before the soldiers even see them.
Horses scream. Men yell.
And the world erupts into chaos.
It’s so much more than Teo expected. Too many sounds, too many voices, too many flashes of magic catching on swords. Too much. Too much to think through.
Teo scrambles desperately to bring xir magic to xir fingers, but every lesson Kensa ever taught xem is gone. Forgotten. Fled from the trees like a frightened bird.
If Teo could fly, xe would flee too, but xir feet are rooted to the forest floor.
Frozen.
The sword’s blade glints in the sunlight as the soldier raises it, and Teo flings up xir arms with a yell—the last sound xe ever expects to make.
But the blow doesn’t fall.
A choking sound, and Teo cracks xir eyes open to see Lara’s knife in the soldier’s throat and blood spilling from between the man’s fingers.
Teo is no stranger to blood, but this is different. Xe’s never seen someone die before.
Xe can’t look away, watching the long moments between living and dying, like a candle snuffed out.
A shove to the chest and Lara screams, “Run, Teo!” She hurls the ball of light right into the eyes of the Helston soldier descending on them with a raised spear. “Go back to The Roost! Tell them we need help! Tell them—”
But she never gets to finish her sentence.
Lara’s eyes go wide, her last gaze fixed on Teo, and then she falls with an arrow in her neck.
Xe can’t move.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
No one comes to help her. No one comes to help Teo. Everyone is fighting for their own lives, and everyone is losing.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
It was only supposed to be a handful of soldiers. That’s what the magpies said. Just a few unwelcome guests that needed to be seen off.
Something sharp zips past Teo’s head, grazing xir ear with white-hot pain. Xe whips around, hands up, staring from arrow to archer.
