Sword Quest facts for kids
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| Author | Nancy Yi Fan |
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| Illustrator | Jo-anne Rioux |
| Cover artist | Mark Zug |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's Adventure/Fantasy Novel |
| Publisher | Harper Collins |
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Publication date
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January 22, 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 272 pgs. |
| ISBN | 978-0061243356 |
| Preceded by | Swordbird |
| Followed by | Sword Mountain |
Sword Quest is an exciting adventure story written by Nancy Yi Fan and published in 2008. It's a prequel to her earlier book, Swordbird, which came out in 2007. This book takes readers on a thrilling journey through a world of birds, magic, and a quest to save their kingdom from danger.
The World of Birds in Peril
Imagine a world where birds live in kingdoms, but a terrible war has begun! This war was started by ancient birds called archaeopteryxes. They are causing chaos and fear everywhere.
The Magical Island of Kauria
In the middle of all this trouble, there's a safe and secret place: a magical island called Kauria. Here, King Pepheroh, a wise Phoenix, receives an important message from the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit is a powerful, god-like being who watches over all birds.
The Hero's Sword and Leasorn Gems
The Great Spirit tells King Pepheroh to create a special sword. Once the sword is made, a glowing tear-like gem from the Great Spirit lands right in its handle. This makes the sword even more magical! Along with this, seven other colorful gems, like a rainbow, are scattered across the world. These are called the Leasorn Gems. Each gem holds a secret clue about where to find the magical island of Kauria and the powerful sword. The prophecy says that a brave hero bird will find this sword during the fifth full moon, three years from now. This hero will bring peace back to the warring bird world. But there's a big warning: if the sword falls into evil hands, all birdkind will be in terrible danger!
The Quest Begins
The story quickly introduces us to the villains. Hungrias the Second, the king of the archaeopteryxes, is determined to find the Leasorn Gems.
Prince Phaethon's Mission
Hungrias sends his best knight, Sir Maldeor, and his son, Prince Phaethon, on a mission. Their goal is to get the orange Leasorn Gem from a tribe of doves. But their mission goes terribly wrong! A scary, four-winged bird-reptile creature attacks them. This creature, named Yin Soul, eats Prince Phaethon, who had the orange gem. Yin Soul then bursts into blue flames! Maldeor, furious, orders his soldiers to kill all the remaining doves.
Irene and Wind-Voice
Luckily, a dove named Irene manages to escape. She lays an egg, and when it hatches, a fully feathered baby bird appears. She names him Wind-Voice. Meanwhile, Yin Soul is stuck between the living world and the spirit world. He needs to find a hero's body to escape, or he will die a painful death. Yin Soul tries to control Wind-Voice, but Wind-Voice is too smart and sees through his tricks.
Wind-Voice's Journey
Before meeting Yin Soul, Wind-Voice's mother was killed, and he was forced into slavery. He later meets Ewingerale, a woodpecker scribe nicknamed Winger. Winger was also imprisoned after his tribe was destroyed. The archaeopteryxes planned to eat Winger for dinner!
Escape and New Friends
Wind-Voice bravely helps Winger escape. During their escape, Wind-Voice is attacked by an archaeopteryx guard and captured. He is brought to Hungrias and placed over a fire to be cooked! He faints from the heat and finds himself in Yin Soul's strange realm. Wind-Voice escapes again and soon meets Fisher, a brave crane with battle scars, in a swamp tribe. Winger is there too!
Fisher begins to teach Wind-Voice how to fight with a sword. He also tells them about the Leasorn Gems. Wind-Voice is determined to find the gems and the hero who will bring peace. Before they leave, Fisher gives them a map to find Fleydur, who can help them. Stormac, a myna bird who loves riches, also joins their group.
Challenges and Discoveries
Wind-Voice, Winger, and Stormac meet Fleydur, who turns out to be a golden eagle. The group travels into the desert and battles a group of archaeopteryxes who have the red Leasorn Gem. Winger and Fleydur manage to escape with the gem. Sadly, Stormac is badly hurt. He is later found by parrots who heal him using their green Leasorn Gem.
Wind-Voice is captured and taken to the archaeopteryx castle. There, he discovers that Maldeor is now the new emperor!
Maldeor's Dark Secret
It's revealed that Maldeor is Yin Soul's student. Hungrias had cut off Maldeor's wing and exiled him for losing Prince Phaethon. After almost dying in a blizzard, Yin Soul appeared and gave Maldeor a new, bat-like wing. But this wing needs a special potion every new moon to keep working. Maldeor then went back to Hungrias, took his throne, and killed him.
Maldeor throws Wind-Voice into the dungeon. Later, he tries to execute Wind-Voice by tying him to a log and throwing him off a waterfall. But Wind-Voice survives!
Reunion and More Gems
Wind-Voice meets up with Stormac, who now has the green Leasorn Gem. Together, they go to Sword Mountain and find the purple gem. Meanwhile, Winger and Fleydur are flying over the ocean to the land of the penguins, searching for the teal Leasorn. Fleydur reveals that he is a prince exiled from Sword Mountain because he believes music can bring joy and healing.
Wind-Voice and Stormac also fly over the ocean. They end up on the Island of the Pirates, where they find the blue Leasorn Gem. They also visit Byrdsfish Island, home to a seagull tribe. Tragically, Stormac is attacked and killed by pirates led by Captain Rag-Foot. Wind-Voice must continue alone to Kauria.
The Final Battle
Yin Soul tries to control Maldeor but fails and is left to die. Maldeor then launches an attack on Kauria, but his forces end up in the land of the penguins. Most of his army is defeated or killed.
Maldeor and his remaining army finally reach Kauria. There, he sees Wind-Voice, Winger, and Fleydur, who have reunited! An army of free birds arrives to fight against the archaeopteryx forces. Wind-Voice and Maldeor both head to the island and begin to battle.
Wind-Voice escapes the fight and finds the real Hero's Sword, but he doesn't take it. Maldeor, however, grabs a fake Hero's Sword and attacks Wind-Voice. Suddenly, the real Hero's Sword appears in Wind-Voice's claws! Maldeor is killed when the temple they are fighting in starts to collapse.
Peace Returns
After the battle, the archaeopteryx army leaves and begins to form their own peaceful tribes. Fleydur is welcomed back into his family. King Pepheroh renames Wind-Voice "Swordbird" because of his bravery. It is also revealed that Wind-Voice's father is the Great Spirit!
The clues on the Leasorn Gems disappear, and the day Wind-Voice became Swordbird is made a special holiday called the Bright Moon Festival. Swordbird later appears to Winger in a dream. He reveals that he was also killed by the falling rubble and is now a spirit. He promises to be a guardian of peace and will help anyone who calls upon him.
