Bone

This chapter is another variation on the story of Mim. We see her as she really was: a many-armed dragon as long as the globe’s circumference. Before the Lord of the Locusts drove her mad, she presided over an Eden-like paradise where humans, dragons, dinosaurs, rat creatures, and woodland animals lived in harmony. She encircled the earth by curling her body around it and grasping her tail in her mouth: “As long as Mim held her tail this way, there would be balance between life and death, good and evil… and the Dreaming would flourish” (1174). As in Grandma’s retelling of the story, Mim was possessed by the Lord of the Locusts so he could leave the spirit world, and the other dragons were forced to turn her to stone.

Thorn, Grandma, the Bones, and the dream masters climb to a lookout post. Thorn “sees” that Briar’s armies have gathered into four camps, and the ghost circles have formed a ring around the city; the only gaps are spaces made for the four groups, one of which is at the base of Sinner’s Rock. Mermie elaborates: “The ghost circles can come no nearer for the moment. There is too much life in this city. Princess Briar does not have the strength to snuff it out” (1181). An earthquake occurs as the Locust breaks free in Mim’s body. The Old Teacher realizes that the dragons went underground because they were afraid to face their former queen.

Phoney heads to the market with Smiley and strongarms him into recovering the treasure from the well. They load it onto the haycart with Bartleby. The cart’s original owner spots them and overturns it, revealing Bartleby to some Vedu guards. They flee and join the others. Phoney says that he can find any treasure. Thorn asks if he can find the Crown of Horns. Phoney believes it is in Tanen Gard. Thorn leaps off the parapet. Fone hops on Bartleby’s back, and they pursue her.

Fone and Bartleby watch as Thorn leaps into a ghost circle. They realize that the rat creature hoards are traveling through the gaps in the ring of ghost circles. Fone hides in Bartleby’s fur, and they blend in with the rat creatures until they’ve passed through the enemy camp. Fone and Bartleby catch up with Thorn outside Atheia. They see a storm on the horizon and take a shortcut to Tanen Gard.

Atheia’s front gate collapses, and a head-to-head battle breaks out. Smiley and a Ven-Yan monk capture the two Stupid Rat Creatures.

Phoney follows Grandma, who drives the invading army away from the city. Grandma tells him that the entrance to a secret underground tunnel is nearby, and it leads to Boneville. He tells her that he won’t abandon his cousins. She leads him to the escape tunnel anyway; it has two paths, and the second one will take them to Briar.

As Fone and Bartleby get closer to Tanen Gard, they see one of Briar’s armies guarding it. Thorn flies over them, as if in a dream. Fone and Bartleby circumvent the army and reach the mouth of the gorge surrounding Tanen Gard. Fone enters; Bartleby waits outside.

Grandma and Phoney arrive on Sinner’s Rock, where Briar is waiting for them. She is able to predict their every move because the Locust has been speaking to her since she was a little girl. Lucius’s army arrives. Briar wounds Grandma with her scythe, but Lucius tackles her before she can kill her.

Thorn finds the Crown of Horns. It is a towering structure of pointed crystalline stalagmites. Kingdok blocks her path: “You must kill me in order to reach the crown” (1257). Thorn refuses, even when he reveals that he ate her parents. He bites her leg and attempts to kill her; only then does she slay him. She is pinned to the ground with her leg in his mouth, just out of reach of the crown. Fone reaches her. He unsuccessfully attempts to free her. He takes Thorn’s hand and touches the crown. It lights up and smokes violently. Elsewhere, Briar explodes, killing Lucius in the process. All the locusts die.

When Fone and Thorn wake up, the gorge is flooding. Thorn says that she roused all of the dragons hiding underground. The Red Dragon appears to fly them to safety.

Mim’s rampage continues. Grandma and Lucius’s army are still under attack by Briar’s armies. The Red Dragon breathes fire at the opposing army and chases them away. Thousands of dragons erupt into the sky. They drag Mim back underground, ending the war.

The Bones attend Thorn’s coronation. Grandma and the Red Dragon are by her side. Phoney pesters Fone about whether he intends to return to Boneville. Smiley chides him: “[Y]ou are going to support your cousin no matter what decision he makes because you love him” (1303). Fone plans to make his decision after Lucius’s funeral.

The Harvestars, the Bone Cousins, and Bartleby prepare to leave for Barrelhaven, where Lucius’s funeral will be held. Taneal tells Fone that she is working on a carving of him and Bartleby.

Phoney is in a dour mood until the Vedu present him with his haycart. He checks inside and finds that the treasure is still there.

Wendell and Euclid greet the group when they arrive in Barrelhaven. After Lucius’s burial, several villagers present Thorn with gifts of produce as tokens of gratitude. Grandma tells Wendell that Tarsil’s treasure is still missing and they can’t run the kingdom without it. She also praises Wendell for rebuilding Lucius’s tavern.

The group spends the winter at Grandma’s farmhouse. On the solstice, Thorn brings a fir tree inside to celebrate. Smiley is delighted that the Valley people celebrate the solstice, but when Thorn asks how they observe the occasion in Boneville, he says he doesn’t know. Phoney says that they celebrate the solstice for “different reasons” and says that he loves this holiday because it drives up business. Smiley and Thorn play music to mark the occasion, uncaring that they celebrate the solstice for “different reasons.” Fone brings a quiche outside for the Stupid Rat Creatures and bids them “Peace on earth, fellas!” (1320). They don’t understand the purpose of this annual human ritual, but they accept the gift anyway.

In the spring, Phoney is anxious to leave. He demands to know whether Fone will return to Boneville. Smiley lists off a few of the local Boneville delicacies he’s looking forward to eating upon returning home. Grandma responds that, if Fone stays in Atheia, he’ll be rich, famous, and powerful. Fone decides to return to Boneville. Thorn supports his decision.

Grandma and Thorn travel with them to the edge of the desert. Ted and the Red Dragon meet them along the way. They walk to the edge of the Dragon’s Stair. Smiley tells Bartleby: “We’re on our way to your new home!” (1327). Phoney checks on the treasure and realizes Grandma and Smiley have swapped it out for a huge supply of “those hard, stale bread-thingies” (1330). The story ends in the same place it began: with the Bone Cousins bickering about money in the desert.