“Kneel,” said Katherine to the little man, her voice carrying out over the crowd. “And take this oath.” Sandy kneeled before them.
Then they all said the Guardians oath together:
“We will watch over the children of Earth,
Guide them safely from the ways of harm,
Keep happy their hearts, brave their souls,
and rosy their cheeks.
We will guard with our lives their hopes
and dreams,
For they are all that we have, all that we are,
And all that we will ever be.”
“From now on,” said Katherine, “you will be known as His Nocturnal Magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Sandman the First, Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams, and Guardian to the Children of Earth. Rise, Sandy!”
Sandy rose. I’ve traveled to every corner of the universe, he thought. But this is where I belong now. The full Moon shined down upon them. Deafening cheers filled the crystal clear air. Katherine had returned. A great new city had been built. The Guardians were reunited and stronger by one.
The northern lights shimmered out from the North Pole and could be seen all the way to Santoff Claussen.
Nightlight looked out at North’s beautiful new city, and for the first time in his ancient life, he felt he was no longer separate from these people he’d called the “Tall Ones” and “Short Ones.” He was no longer Nightlight, the boy without a past. Nor was he Nightlight, the boy of endless tomorrows. Tonight he was different. Villains had been vanquished. Spells had been broken. And new spells had been made.
The city of North’s dream
Katherine and Nightlight stood together amid the cheering crowds. Their happiness was linked with everyone else’s, but distinct. It was a private happiness that only the closest friendships know when they have weathered a great change. Nightlight took a small pouch from his pocket and gave her the words of the stories that Mr. Qwerty had cried out of her book. He had saved her past and her present. And she his. But his future? That was now like all who grow up: a tantalizing mystery. As the moonbeam had told Sandy, he couldn’t use the power of the kiss and stay a Nightlight. Change was coming. Nightlight could feel that. But he was not alone. Katherine once again took his hand.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Nightlight At Last Sleeps
THE CELEBRATION LASTED TILL very late, long past everyone’s bedtime.
Good dreams were had by all. Even Nightlight. For the first time, the boy who never slept finally did. Such dreams! Mansnoozie was amazed by their power.
If only Nightlight hadn’t slept.
He’d have been on watch, as he always was before.
He’d have seen Pitch crawl from his Nightmare Rock as it sat in the empty center of the city that was meant to bring about his end.
Pitch’s plan was almost complete. He’d read all of Katherin’es memories when she was under his nightmare spell. It was he who sent the dream of North’s city to them. They had built everything as he had hoped. Unknowingly, the Guardians themselves had smuggled him into the one place he most needed to be. Now he could win this war once and for all. . . .
IN OUR NEXT BOOK, THE EXCITING CLIMAX TO
THE
GUARDIANS
SAGA, INCLUDING:
A desperate journey to the Moon itself!
The Great War on the dark side of the Moon!
The Man in the Moon’s secret realm!
The armies of Moonbots!
The greatest battle since the Golden Age!
The Guardians’ powers tested as never before!
Katherine’s and Nightlight’s fate unfold!
Also by William Joyce
THE GUARDIANS: BOOK ONE
Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King
THE GUARDIANS: BOOK TWO
E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core!
THE GUARDIANS: BOOK THREE
Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD: BOOK ONE
The Man in the Moon
THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD: BOOK TWO
The Sandman: The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2013 by William Joyce
Illustrations copyright © 2011, 2012, 2013 by William Joyce
Portions of the artwork in the book were previously published, in slightly different form, in William Joyce’s E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core!, The Man in the Moon, and The Sandman: The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie
Rise of the Guardians TM & © 2012 DreamWorks Animation, LLC.
“Pitch” character design and related elements used with permission. All rights reserved.
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The text for this book is set in Adobe Jenson Pro.
The illustrations for this book are rendered in a combination of charcoal, graphite, and digital media.
0913 FFG
First Edition
CIP data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4424-3054-9
ISBN 978-1-4424-8146-6 (eBook)
William Joyce, The Sandman and the War of Dreams
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