The Fire Eternal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Fire Eternal

Author	Chris D'Lacey
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	The Last Dragon Chronicles
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Press
Publication date	September 2007(UK), July 2008(US)
Media type	Print (hardback)
Pages	506 pp
Preceded by	Fire Star
Followed by	Dark Fire

The Fire Eternal is a fantasy novel written by English author Chris d'Lacey. It was published in 2007 and is the fourth book in his popular series, The Last Dragon Chronicles. This book continues the exciting adventures of characters like David Rain and the Pennykettle family, who live with special clay dragons. After this book, Chris d'Lacey wrote Dark Fire, Fire World, and The Fire Ascending.

Story Summary

The story begins in the Arctic, where the ice is changing. Polar bears are struggling to find food, and ancient dragons are starting to appear. The spirits of the Inuit people who have passed away are seen in the sky. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, is very upset by these changes. She wants to use her power to fix things, but this could hurt all living creatures.

As the weather gets wilder and the ice caps melt, everyone starts to look to Alexa, David's young daughter. She seems to hold the key to stopping the chaos. But can one young girl save the world from powerful evil forces? Or will she disappear, just like her father, David, did?

Zanna's New Life and Lucy's Discovery

The book starts by showing how restless the Earth's spirit, Gaia, is becoming. Then, it focuses on Zanna, who is sad because David is gone. She gives her daughter, Alexa, an invisible dragon named G'lant. David had given G'lant to Zanna at the end of the previous book, Fire Star.

Since David vanished, Zanna has been trying to rebuild her life. She buys a New Age shop called The Healing Touch. She also lives with the Pennykettles in David's old room. One night, while Zanna is at her shop, Lucy sneaks into Zanna's room. Lucy finds and takes a letter Zanna wrote to David. Every year on Valentine's Day, the day David disappeared, Zanna writes him a letter.

When Lucy reads the letter, she feels strongly that she needs to tell the world David is not dead. So, she sends an email to a man named Tam Farell. His role is not yet clear. Lucy tells him to visit The Healing Touch shop and ask for Zanna.

Events in the Arctic and New Encounters

As the story continues, every few chapters, the author describes what is happening in the Arctic. The Ice Bear, Ingavar, is with his two followers: Kailar, a fighting bear, and Avrel, a Teller of Ways. They meet Thoran, who is actually Dr. Bergstorm. Thoran tells Ingavar that his time on the ice is ending. Ingavar then uses icefire to take Thoran's spirit into himself.

Meanwhile, at Zanna's shop, Tam Farell arrives. He tells Zanna he has a pain in his neck. Zanna finds him charming, amusing, but also a bit annoying. She reluctantly schedules a meeting for them. As Tam leaves, he invites Zanna to a poetry reading at a bookshop. He tells her to bring her partner.

Later that day, Zanna, Liz, and Lucy go shopping. They find a small 'fairy door' for Alexa to play with. Lucy then sends an important message to Tam. She tells him about Zanna's scars, using only one word: Oomara. In the Arctic, Ingavar remembers how he first met Avrel. Ingavar had disguised himself as a fox and tricked Avrel into following him. He then filled Avrel's mind with old knowledge and legends. As Avrel and Ingavar walked, they saw the spirits of many Inuit people in the sky.

Secrets Revealed and a Portal Opens

Zanna decides to go to the poetry reading. There, she discovers that Tam is a poet himself. Tam decides to buy David's book, White Fire. This makes Zanna suspicious. She investigates and soon finds out that Tam Farrell is a journalist.

Zanna uses her powers to mark Tam with Oomara. She then makes him forget everything about that day, including meeting Lucy. Before Tam passes out, he mouths one word: "Parents." Lucy understands that she needs to find David's parents.

Later, Lucy packs her things and goes to Tam's workplace. She asks Gwendolen, her dragon, to give Tam some of her memories. Gwendolen does this, and Tam's memory returns. Lucy asks Tam to travel with her to Blackburn, where David used to live. When they arrive, there is no house, and the neighbors claim no house was ever there.

Then, Zanna gets in her car and calls Liz. Lucy's phone emits a violet ray, showing an image of a squirrel. Lucy chases the squirrel and runs right through a portal. Zanna tells Liz she is going after Lucy. Liz warns her that she might never see Alexa again. Then, Alexa speaks on the phone. She tells Zanna that she saw David as a polar bear in her toy's eye. Just as Zanna walks towards the portal, Tam jumps in, and the portal closes.

The Final Confrontation

Gwilanna, an ancient sibyl, arrives in the Arctic. An image of a mammoth appears. Ingavar says it's his daughter's toy. He then turns into David and sends Gwilanna away. Before he does, his eyes turn into strange, scalene eyes.

Lucy finds herself on Farlowe Island. Brother Bernard appears and leads her to a room. Before she enters, Lucy notices Bernard's eyes are black. Back home at the Crescent, Alexa places icefire on David's four dragons. They then enter the portal in the fairy door. Liz follows them. Gwilanna, stuck in the form of a raven, talks to Alexa.

On Farlowe Island, Lucy is forced to create a Darkling, which is an anti-dragon. But it has a flaw: it has no heart. The Ix, who are evil beings, are upset that the Darkling has an extra piece that looks like a knife and is its heart. So, the Ix invade Lucy.

Lucy goes home, and her mother, Liz, greets her. But Lucy cuts Liz with the heart-knife and knocks her out. Gwillan, a dragon, sees this and cries a fire tear, which is later found. Gwilanna goes to Zanna and tells her they need her help. Zanna turns into a raven and flies back.

When Zanna arrives, the Ix leave Lucy. Zanna turns back to her human form and says a spell. Flower petals fly onto the Ix. Alexa walks out and sees the Ix. Bonnington, the family cat, lowers his vibration and destroys the Ix. The Ix dies, and Gwilanna saves Liz. She reveals that Liz is pregnant. That night, Zanna and Alexa go to the library gardens. Alexa runs up a path and jumps into a man's arms. The man is David.

Main Characters

Humans and Hybrids

• Elizabeth Pennykettle (Liz) – She is the kind landlady and the amazing maker of the mysterious clay dragons. Liz is pregnant with a boy named Joseph Henry, who is Arthur's child. She is a hybrid, meaning she has special abilities. Liz is also a descendant of Guinevere, a legendary woman who was close to Gawain, the last natural dragon.

• Lucy Pennykettle – Liz's daughter, now 16 years old. Lucy strongly believes that David is not dead and will return to save the Arctic. Because of her sadness and being a teenager, Lucy can be easily annoyed and sometimes hostile. She has her own special dragon named Gwendolen. Lucy is also a hybrid, like her mother, and a descendant of Guinevere.

• David Rain – Zanna's partner and boyfriend, whom she misses very much. In earlier books, David was Liz's tenant and a college student. At the end of Fire Star, he disappeared in the North Pole, leaving everyone wondering if he was dead. David appears in The Fire Eternal, but he is very different. It is discovered that David is actually a Fain, a being from another dimension. He gained Gawain's fire tear, joined spirits with the polar bear Ingavar, and can now change his shape.

• Suzanna Martindale (Zanna) – Zanna is a Goth who fell in love with David in college. She knows a lot about dragons and other mythical creatures. She is a descendant of Gwendolen, a powerful sibyl (someone who can see the future), and is a sibyl herself. Zanna lives with Liz, Lucy, and Arthur. She is the mother of Alexa, David's child. She has a dragon named Gretel and owns a shop called The Healing Touch.

• Alexa (Lexie) Rain – The five-year-old daughter of David and Zanna. She is a bright and smart child. Alexa shows strange awareness and abilities, possibly because her mother is a powerful sibyl and her father has a mysterious new form. She is the only one who can see G'lant, her invisible dragon, and she draws pictures of him. Alexa also seems to know David is present in the Arctic.

• Gwilanna – An ancient sibyl who is half Fain and half human. She wants the fire tear for herself to bring dragons back to life. In this book, she helps David, the Pennykettles, and the Martindales more than before and seems more human. She mysteriously disappears into the Scottish islands.

• Arthur – A man who deeply loves Liz. He spent much of his life as a monk and gained special powers. For example, he can see through Bonnington the cat's eyes by "commingling" with him. Arthur is almost completely blind because his body was invaded by an alien life form, but he is still very smart. He teaches physics at Scrubbley University and understands much about how the world works. He lives with Liz and is married to her.

• Tam Farrell – A reporter for The National Endeavor newspaper. He was investigating David Rain, believing David did not exist. By the end of this book, he was captured and briefly taken over by the Ix (an evil type of Fain). He successfully escaped. Near the end of the book, he seems to gain the power of a Teller, someone who knows ancient ways. He is driven to protect the Pennykettles and the Martindales. His eye color changes from blue to brown.

Dragons and Animals

• Gawain – The last natural dragon in the world. He was last seen crumbling and falling into the Arctic Ocean. His eye has been found by the sea goddess Sedna. The ice in the Arctic is actually his fire tear.

• Gwendolen – Lucy's special dragon. She is very good with modern technology, especially computers. She can connect to them with her tail, almost like a USB plug. Gwendolen has also shown she can put memories into someone's mind, as she did for Tam Farrell to help him remember.

• G'reth – David's wishing dragon. He can travel through space and time and has connected with a Fain. G'reth was made in the book Icefire and was the first dragon Lucy Pennykettle made.

• Gretel – The potions dragon. She belongs to Zanna. Gretel used to belong to Gwilanna, who is both feared and respected by the other dragons. Gretel sees herself as the most powerful of the Pennykettle dragons. She can create special potions from flowers.

• Gadzooks – David's special writing dragon. He used to help David get ideas for his books. But he has been inactive for five years since David disappeared. He misses his master very much.

• Gruffen – A guard dragon. When danger is near, he swells to three times his normal size. He is used at The Healing Touch shop after it opens and does not stay at Wayward Crescent.

• Gollygosh (Golly)Golightly – David's natural healing dragon, made by David himself. He not only heals living things but can also fix modern appliances and other objects. Golly was made in the book Fire Star while Lucy was captured by Gwilanna. He was the very first dragon David made.

• Gwillan – A puffer dragon, meaning he helps with household chores. He enjoys collecting the mail. He is a special dragon of Liz's, and she is very close to him. Sadly, at the end of the book, he sheds his fire tear. David has been seen holding Gwillan, telling Liz he will help him.

• Groyne – A mysterious dragon who used to belong to Dr. Bergstrom. An Inuit shaman gave him to Bergstrom. Groyne has since joined David. When he takes the form of a piece of narwhal tusk, which only he can do, he can "dematerialize" and "materialize" (like teleporting) and change his shape, even becoming invisible.

• Grace – Sophie's (David's ex-girlfriend) listening dragon. Her ears were temporarily snapped off by David (when he was pretending to be under a spell) in the book Icefire.

• Ganzfeld – A listening dragon made by Liz. It rests on top of the fridge. Its name is mentioned in the last book of the series, The Fire Ascending.

• Ghislaine – A dragon whom Gwilanna's mother was meant to be connected with. However, Gwilanna's mother was killed before this could happen.

• Darkling – An anti-dragon made from obsidian, a dark volcanic rock. Its heart is made from dark fire, unlike the Pennykettle dragons, which are made from icefire, or natural dragons, which are made from white fire. It looks more like a gargoyle than a dragon.

• Avrel – A polar bear. He is a descendant of Lorel, a Teller of Ways, who was one of the original nine bears who ruled the ice. Avrel helps Ingavar (who is David Rain in a combined form) search for Gawain's eye. He has now become a part of Tam Farrell.

• Kailar – A polar bear. He is a descendant of Ragnar, a fighting bear. Kailar helps Ingavar in the search for Gawain's eye. He, too, has become a part of Tam Farrell.

• Sedna – The sea goddess. In a myth, her father chopped off her fingers. She finds Gawain's eye for David in exchange for her father's fingers. David says there are eight fingers: four good ones from her father's hand that she kissed, and four evil ones that were used to cut her own fingers in the myth. Avrel pushed the fingers into the water and told Sedna that the fingers she kissed would be lighter and land last at the bottom of the sea.