On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

Twelve-year-old Janner Igiby lies in bed and hears the terrifying rumble of the Black Carriage. The Fangs regularly kidnap children and take them away in the Black Carriage to be tortured and killed. This time, the carriage continues past Igiby's cottage, and Janner and his siblings are safe.

Janner, Tink, and Leeli hurry to complete their chores. Today is the Dragon Day festival, where dragons rise out of the sea, and the children want to go to town for the festivities. While shoveling hay, Janner sneaks a look at a drawing he recently found of his father. Janner’s father died many years ago, and nobody ever talks about him. Tink tries to repair the cottage’s roof, but he is terrified of heights. Leeli, who walks with a crutch, helps her mother Nia in the kitchen alongside her dog, Nugget.

The children’s ex-pirate grandfather, Podo, tries to rid the garden of pests called thwaps. Today, for the first time, the children will go to the festival without adults. Janner is responsible for keeping his siblings safe, a job he is not sure he wants or is prepared for. He wishes he could leave Glipwood and have adventures.

Janner shows Nia and Podo the drawing of his father. He found it in his mother’s room. Neither of them wants to talk about him, but Nia lets slip that his name was Esben. He died fighting the Fangs in the Great War. Janner wants to ask more questions, but it is time to go into town.

The siblings hurry into Glipwood, though they cannot go faster than Leeli can walk with her crutch. They visit the bookshop, which is run by an old man named Oskar N. Reteep. His employee, Zouzab Koit, belongs to a species called Ridgerunners. Zouzab is a small creature with “stubbly hair and pointed features” who likes to climb the bookshelves (39). The children then see Peet the Sock Man, a strange vagrant who wanders around with socks on his hands.

The children explore the festival and spend most of the day watching sports on a lawn. There are people from all over who have come to Glipwood for the day, and some of them dress very strangely. Armulyn the Bard, a traveling musician, arrives. He claims he has been to Anniera, a legendary island previously ruled by King Wingfeather that fell when the Fangs invaded. The Fangs disapprove of Armulyn. When he starts his performance by saying, “Fangs are ugly!” (50), they rush toward the stage to attack him.

The festival grounds briefly erupt into chaos as the Fangs approach the stage. Armulyn starts singing, and the Fangs freeze. They find music very distressing to listen to. Although they threaten him, they do not kill him. After Armulyn’s performance, it is nearly time for the dragons to emerge. Tink and Janner turn to find Leeli so that they can get a good seat, but she and Nugget are nowhere to be found. The brothers panic and search the area, to no avail. Eventually, they hear a dog barking and a girl screaming. They run toward the noise.

The boys find their sister in an alley. Two Fangs have captured Leeli, and one of them is trying to stab Nugget. Leeli kicks one of the Fangs in an effort to escape. The brothers try to fight the Fangs, but they are not strong enough, especially given that the Fangs’ fangs are covered in venom that burns the boys’ skin. When all hope seems lost, two rocks fly directly into the alley, each knocking out one of the Fangs. The children cannot see who has helped them. They flee the scene with Nugget.

Worried about what will happen when the Fangs wake up, the children hurry home, hoping to find Podo. The cottage is empty. The siblings decide to look for Nia and Podo back at the festival, but they take the isolated and dangerous cliffside Glipper Trail to get there so that the Fangs do not find them. Tink is terrified. They get to an isolated spot on the cliffs just as the dragons start to sing.