Greetings again.

We’re wading deep into the story now, bringing converging characters into conflict, of course, but also adding suspense.

I am adding two new characters at this point.  One is human and one is a cat, but with a very enchanted and magical past.

As with the previous volumes, I add the human element to the teen’s lives, so they become part of the war’s impact on individuals.  I add the fantasy character to propel the reader into discovering yet another facet of the dragon’s past history.

Let’s start with the cat.  Ziggimoo is an all white kitty, who wears glasses, at least when he can find them.  He is scatterbrained, absent-minded, and a bit infuriating at times, but adorable too.  However, the piskie Idyllioop doesn’t like Ziggimoo, but the reader won’t find out until the climax of this book.

As you know, I’ve been hinting at the importance of cats throughout the series, as Thaddeus has discussed them before.  In this book, I will explain thoroughly the association between cats and dragons, with Ziggimoo at the center.

Now as to the human character, there will actually be 2, one a British Airborne soldier and one an American Ranger, both destined to be involved on D-Day, during the Normandy invasion of France.  This gives me the opportunity to include the landings as the central WWII historical event, but also gives me a wonderful tool to develop yet more friendships to Gavin, Bunty & Emily.  As the war went on, year-to-year, soldiers passed through many English villages and towns, but the relationships were brief and tinged with sadness.

This portion of the novel requires in-depth research.  First, I want the British Airborne soldier to be involved with the glider assault on the Orne River bridges.  Remember, I want the basic details of the mission, but I will write about this soldier’s personal experience, what he sees, hears, feels, smells, etc.  This vital operation also gives a wonderful opportunity for Thaddeus to meddle in the outcome, assuring success.

The American will be thrown into the bloody Omaha Beach, right alongside Dog Green beach, where the movie Saving Private Ryan began.  The Rangers were part of the specialized assault and were almost wiped out from wicked German defenses.  Again, at the critical moment, Thaddeus will have an opportunity to make a difference.  Will he take it?

The Orne River assault is well documented, so I grabbed this historical account.  This is rough, because I haven’t inserted my new character, nor fleshed out the actual glider trip.  I’ll add that today.

It was a steel-girder bridge, painted gray, with a large water tower and superstructure.  At 0000 hours, June 5/6, 1944, the scudding clouds parted sufficiently to allow the nearly full moon to shine and reveal the bridge standing starkly visible above the shimmering water of the Caen Canal.

Halifax bombers, two groups of three, were each towing a Horsa glider.

Thornton was singing “Cow Cow Boogie and chain-smoking Players cigarettes.

With cast-off, there was a sudden jerk, then dead silence.  All the singing abruptly stopped.  The engine noise of the departing bomber faded away and there was a tomb-like silence, broken only by the swoosh of air over the Horsa’s wings.

Three of the gliders landed within fifty meters of Pegasus at 16 minutes past midnight on June 6th. The first, Glider No.92, containing Major Howard and No.1 Platoon of the “coup de main” force, landed heavily and came to an abrupt halt when, as had been planned during the briefings, it pushed its nose through and penetrated the first belt of barbed wire around the bridge. The force of this sudden halt catapulted both glider pilots through the cockpit screen and rendered them, together with all of their passengers, unconscious.

Within a fe