Dragons In Our Midst is a Christian fantasy series written by Bryan Davis about dragons and their offspring, called "anthrozils".

Contents 1 Books in the series 1.1 Dragons In Our Midst series 1.2 Oracles of Fire series 2 Major Characters 2.1 Races 2.2 Anthrozils and Dragons 2.3 Underborns and Second Edeners 2.4 Human Characters 2.5 Other Characters 2.6 Biblical and Historical figures 3 Poems 4 References to other works of fiction 5 External links

[edit] Books in the series

There are currently four books in the series:

• Raising Dragons
• The Candlestone
• Circles of Seven
• Tears of a Dragon

As well as four books in the sister series, Oracles of Fire, the first installment of which being a prequel to Raising Dragons, and the last three being a continuation of Dragons In Our Midst.

[edit] Dragons In Our Midst series

Raising Dragons

A boy learns of his dragon heritage and encounters a girl who has known hers for years. They combine their faith, courage, and love to overcome the evil in a slayer who seeks to bring an end to dragon heritage, forever.

The kids at school call Billy "Dragon Breath" for good reason. His breath is bad! It isn’t the normal, morning-mouth bad; it’s the hot-as-fire, "don’t-you-dare-get-near-me" bad. Trouble erupts when his hot breath sets off the fire sprinklers in the boys’ restroom at school, and his parents learn that they’ve kept their secret for too long.

Billy finally discovers the secret. His father was once a dragon! Now that’s a piece of news you don't hear every day! Billy feels betrayed, alien, lost. When the dragon slayer traps him on a cold mountaintop in West Virginia, Billy learns to battle with weapons of steel and spirit while relying on a power he doesn’t yet understand, a power that helps him learn to trust again.

Bonnie, an orphan, tries to find a home, someone to love her, even though she feels like a freak because of a body feature that she calls a deformity. But this unusual feature becomes a life-saving attribute as she discovers that her love for others and her faith in a creator hold the answers she’s looking for.

Raising Dragons is a contemporary fantasy novel that inspires young people to dig deep within to find their God-given strengths and use them to overcome any obstacle. It is both a hair-raising, modern-day adventure and a glimpse into another world - a world of knights, dragons, and fair maidens. It is the first installment in the Dragons In Our Midst series.

The Candlestone

In The Candlestone, a mysterious book leads Billy into mortal combat with a powerful dragon slayer. Separated from his friends and finding his dragon traits useless against this enemy, he must rely on new weapons, a sword and shield he cannot see.

A scientist lures Bonnie to his laboratory with amazing news - her mother is still alive! He sends her to retrieve her mother from the Candlestone, a strange, paralyzing gem that absorbs light and with it, the strength of dragons and their offspring.

The Candlestone is also a prison that captures people who have been transformed into light energy by Excalibur, King Arthur’s great sword. When Bonnie enters the stone, she learns that many disembodied souls have fallen prey to its powers, but no one has ever escaped. Her only hope is for Billy to overcome the dragon slayer and find a way into the Candlestone, and, more importantly, find a way out.

Billy and Bonnie face their greatest fears as they battle powerful enemies, ancient fiends from times long past, and attempt to escape the horrors of the blackest of prisons, captivity within walls of unearthly darkness, the crystalline tomb of the Candlestone.

The Candlestone is the second installment in the Dragons In Our Midst series.

Circles of Seven

In Circles of Seven, using their dragon traits and the wisdom they have gained through their adventures, Billy and Bonnie explore a multi-dimensional domain of evil. In this realm, they navigate seven perilous worlds, each one manifested in a circular plane of existence that leads them deeper into the domain of a powerful enemy.

The seventh circle holds a group of prisoners, captives of the evil mistress of the circles, and Billy has to find a way to set them free and give them new life. When tragedy strikes along the way, Billy has to face the most difficult decision of his life - forsake Bonnie to rescue the prisoners, or find a way to save her, his best friend in the world?

Filled with action, danger, and suspense, Circles of Seven is sure to keep readers in their seats, following Billy and Bonnie to the exciting conclusion.

Circles of Seven is the third installment in the Dragons In Our Midst series.

Tears of a Dragon

In Tears of a Dragon, a vicious evil is unleashed on the earth that only the dragons can defeat. With Billy’s father, the great Clefspeare missing, Billy and Bonnie must lead the dragons into war against the Watchers - demonic beings as old as the earth itself. Masters at the art of deception, the Watchers use the deadliest of weapons against humankind.

Remnants of wise humans, the friends of the dragons unite in the struggle against the Watchers. With heart-stopping action, the final battle between dragons and their enemies comes to a climax. But in order to win the war, one of the dragons must die.

As the story ends, Billy and Bonnie are faced with the greatest decision of their lives. Should they keep their dragon traits which have placed them in constant danger and caused so much heartache, or should they turn to normal human life and end the slayers’ lust for their blood forever?

Tears of a Dragon is the fourth and final installment in the Dragons In Our Midst series.

[edit] Oracles of Fire series

Oracles of Fire is another series by Bryan Davis, (author-Dragons In Our Midst), which continues the storyline of Dragons In Our Midst.

• Eye of the Oracle
• Enoch's Ghost
• Last of the Nephilim
• The Bones of Makaidos

Eye of the Oracle

The story, beginning just before Noah's flood (long before the events in Raising Dragons transpired), explains how Morgan's and the Watchers' plans fell into place and how corruption spread throughout the world afterward.

About 1,500 years ago, in the time of King Arthur, dragons ruled the skies. A rogue dragon named Goliath turned to the dark side, allying himself with Satan. Many others lost faith as well and followed in his footsteps, thus giving rise to the belief that all dragons were evil.

King Arthur, unaware of the existence of good dragons, charged Sir Devin with the task of eliminating the species. Sir Devin performed his task eagerly, and soon only a few good dragons were left.

The prophet Merlin, at God's bidding, intervened and transfigured the surviving dragons into humans to protect them. But one dragon, Gartrand, did not have faith, and so his transfiguration was unsuccessful. He fled in his shame and was captured by the slayers, who interrogated him and killed him. Before dying, he told them about the dragons' transfiguration in the foolish hope that they would spare his life. As a result, even the remnants were doomed to be pursued by Devin and his knights. But Merlin gave them a prophesy of hope, that one day dragons would live again.

Eye of the Oracle is the first installment in the Oracles of Fire series.

Enoch's Ghost

The story is set long after Dragons in Our Midst. Walter, Ashley, Karen and Thigocia set out to discover the fate of Ashley's father, Makaidos, the former King of the Dragons, as well as Thigocia's anthrozil son, Gabriel. What they find, however is a sinister plot several millenia in the making. Mardon, son of King Nimrod, has successfully merged Earth with Hades.

Enoch's Ghost is the second installment in the Oracles of Fire series.

[edit] Major Characters

[edit] Races

Dragons in Our Midst has several different species of beings featured in the series:

• Angels: They act as God's messengers and soldiers. The only major angels introduced are St. Michael and the Cherub that guarded the Tree of Life. Most of the angels featured in the series are the Fallen Angels.

• Anthrozils: Anthrozils are hybrids of humans and dragons. They are the result when a human and dragon procreate. They normally appear human but almost always develop dragon-like traits. Like their dragon parents, Anthrozils have photoreceptors in their blood that absorb their required light. Because of this, they are weakened by the effects of Candlestones. However, the presence of the dragon trait of healing negates the effect of a candlestone. They also have the ability to sense danger like dragons, however this can be lulled by certain flowers and herbs. Anthrozils will also have other draconic traits, so far dragon-traits that are revealed are having wings (Bonnie and Gabriel), the ability to breathe fire (Billy), advanced intellect (Ashley) and the ability to heal (also Ashley). The name "Anthrozil" was coined by Dr. Conner (Bonnie's father and Irene's husband), by combining the Greek/Latin word "Anthro" (meaning "man") with the name of Godzilla, a well known fictional dinosaur/dragon.

• Caitifs: A race of hairy, monkey-like demons that appeared when Earth and Hades were fused together. They have black blood that eventually dissolves when spilled and the only surefire way to kill one is by cutting off its head or stabbing it in the heart with a sword, bullets only seem to slow them down. Caitifs that die go straight to the Lake of Fire.

• Dragons: Dragons were specifically created to be protectors and servants of humans. Like the angels, the dragons act as messengers and soldiers of God, however, also like angels, some can be corrupted into doing evil. Light (especially sunlight) act as the energy and life force of dragons, they need at least a candle to energize themselves. It is revealed that the reason why dragons hoard treasure is that the treasure itself is used to reflect light in their regeneracy domes, a process in which the dragon contains itself in a cocoon of pure light. Dragons have special cells in their blood known as photoreceptors that collect and produce light. Because of these traits, dragons (and their hybrid offspring, Anthrozils) are weakened by the effects of Candlestones. Another interesting fact about dragon D.N.A. is that it's almost identical to that of humans, which is how dragons are able to procreate with humans after Merlin transformed them into human forms.

• Fallen angels: These are angels that became corrupted and aligned themselves with Satan. The Watchers fall into this category. Also, the Watchers were assisted by snake-like demons known as Black Angels, which may also be a form of Fallen Angel. Morgan, is married to one of the watchers.

• Humans: The creatures created in God's image and descended from Adam and Eve. Their D.N.A. is very similar to that of dragons and therefore are able to procreate with them. Much can be said about them.

• Nephilim The abominable offspring of the fallen angels, the Watchers, and human women, Nephilim are a race of giants and demons. They were the cause for God to flood the earth, destroying them and their fathers. The spirits of the Nephilim later began to possess the bodies of dragons, turning the species against each other. After the flood, Morgan found a way to "grow" Nephilim from a plant like form. Because of this, this variety of Nephilim are immune from Excalibur's beam, in fact they actually grow stronger from it.

• Shadow People: One of the altered tribes that appeared in Second Eden, the Shadow people were literally beings of shadow. They were said to be the spirits of murderers reincarnated into this current form. They can be dispelled by light and fire.

• Underborns: Underborns are a human-like race, grown in a similar way as Morgan's Nephilim. They were mainly used as slave labor by Morgan and her allies in the underworld. Some surviving underborns made their way to the surface and lived lives as normal humans. Most (if not all) of the underborns were female. Only two female underborns survived till the starting of Enoch's Ghost

• Vacants: One of the altered tribes of Second Eden. Vacants resemble humans but have large eyes and small mouths, similar to a fish. They were used by Flint and Goliath as soldiers.

[edit] Anthrozils and Dragons

• Ashley Stalworth: A high school girl who has remarkable intelligence. A laboratory assistant to Doctor Connor (Bonnie's father) and an expert in physics and light frequencies. She also has a special knack for figuring out what other people are going to say and finishing their sentences ahead of them, to the extent that many people she went to school with thought that could read minds. This ability provides for some very amusing interactions between her and Walter. It seems likely that Ashley's brilliant mind owes at least in part to the fact that she is an anthrozil. Her mother was a dragon- to be specific, Thigocia, an expert war dragon and healer. There is little doubt that chemistry exists between Ashley and Walter-especially in light of how much Walter gets on her nerves, and they get married at the end of Oracles of Fire. Her dragon traits are intelligence and healing. She also is a fan of Lord of the Rings. In the Oracles of Fire series it is revealed that one of her dragon powers is indeed the ability to read minds, the other being her healing ability, a trait she inherited from her mother.

• Billy Bannister: One of the two central characters. Billy is an anthrozil: he is both fully human and fully dragon. In appearance he is an average teenage boy. He is amazingly talented as an artist, with some of his works selling for as much as $50 (but he only keeps enough for his art supplies, donating the rest to the local animal shelter). His talents are extremely diverse, and he can draw a serious portrait or a hilarious caricature with equal skill. His dragon power is his hot breath (see Raising Dragons, below), which starts as just scalding heat and later develops into an actual flame, and his ability to sense danger. He has only just learned of his dragon ancestry. Son of Jared Bannister and Marilyn, he is also the grandson of Roxil and Goliath (on his father's side) and the dragon-slayer Palin (on his mother's side).

• Bonnie Silver: The daughter of a princess. Daughter of Irene (Hartanna) and Dr. Conner. One of the two central characters, Bonnie is an anthrozil who has known of her dragon side for years. She constantly wears a backpack to cover up the two wings on her back. The wings allow her to fly, and they are extremely flexible. They are resistant to cold, and sometimes when she has to sleep outside she forms her wings into a cocoon to keep warm. When pressed for information, she elusively calls her wings a deformity. Contrasting with this is the fact that most people who have seen her wings think she looks like an angel, despite the lack of feathers. Bonnie also demonstrates relatively extreme physical strength, though it is never officially noted as a dragon trait. According to a prophecy she is a "virgin bride" said to marry a "child of doubt" of course this may be a misinterpretation.

• Gabriel Drake: Ashley's older brother, and the first child of Hannah (Thigocia) and Timothy (Makaidos) after they became human. When he was thirteen years old he was transluminated by Sir Patrick and taken by Sapphira and Elam into the Circles, where they hoped he would still be alive. There in the Circles he retained his human form, but when he leaves Hades, he is returned to his transluminated state. For forty years he served as a sort of guardian angel for other children of Dragons, including his sister, Ashley, and Bonnie Silver (Bonnie also thought him to be an angel because of both his name and appearance). His dragon trait is his wings, like Bonnie, and he has a witty sense of humor, much like Walter, which explains how the two of them get along so well.

• Hannah Drake/Thigocia: One of the dragons Billy brought back to life in Circles of Seven, Thigocia is a valiant war dragon as well as a gifted healer. She is also the mother of Ashley Stalworth, a fact first implied by her similar ability to "read minds" by following what someone says to a logical conclusion. Thigocia was chosen to be the female dragon aboard Noah's Ark and was once the queen of the dragons, the mother of the entire dragon race after the Great Flood. Her husband is/was Makaidos, also known as Timothy. She is also the mother of most of the dragons in the series, including Valcor (Sir Patrick), Roxil(Jasmine), Goliath and Hartanna (Irene Silver), and Clefspeare's (Jared Bannister's) grandmother. Transformed at Bald Top at the same time as Hartanna, Clefspeare, and Valcor, she took on the human name of Hannah, thus living by the title for centuries, until her human death in 1988. She was revived along with many other dragons in Circles of Seven.

• Irene Silver(Connor)/Hartanna: Bonnie Silver's mother, a dragon in human form. Taking on human flesh was a sacrifice for her, especially since as a dragon, she was in line to be the next Queen of The Dragons. It was a sacrifice for her in another way as well: while they were dragons Hartanna and Clefspeare were betrothed to marry, but Merlin told them that by taking on human form they would no longer be able to procreate with other dragons, even if those dragons were in human form too (undoubtedly this was needed to make the anthrozils a possibility, and their existence was vital to the future). But she became human, taking the name Irene Silver. Centuries passed, and at some point she married Dr. Matthew Conner, and they had Bonnie (who, ironically, will one day marry Billy, who is Clefspeare's son). Bonnie last saw her with a gaping sword wound, leaving little hope for her future. Miraculously, though, it seems she is still alive, as is discovered in the Candlestone.

• Jared Bannister/Clefspeare: Billy's father. Jared is a dragon named Clefspeare in human form. He has no dragon powers as a human beyond the standard dragon longevity (he has lived as a human for some 1500 years or so), but he is a licensed pilot and displays impressive skill in hand-to-hand combat, honed by literally centuries of living in fear that the slayers may find him or (more recently) his family. The daily wrestling matches with Billy probably have something to do with it, too.

• Sir Patrick/Valcor: Once the dragon Valcor (Hartanna's brother), Sir Patrick (as he is now known) has found a way to become fully human. He is Shiloh's father, and was forced to let Morgan take her after Shiloh received a snakebite only Morgan could cure (no prizes for guessing who was responsible for the snakebite). He explicitly forbade Morgan, however, to use Shiloh as a hostiam viventium, or a living sacrifice.

• Timothy Drake/Makaidos: Makaidos lived some time before Noah's Flood and was the male dragon chosen to board Noah's Ark to repopulate the dragon race with Thigocia. Because of this he became the King of Dragons. At first, Makaidos was hesitant because of the death of his father in Noah's Flood and that he respected Thigocia as a friend, rather than a mate (of course, over time these feelings evolved into true love). He and his daughter, Roxil, were the first to be slain by Devin and sent to Dragon's Rest. He somehow came back to life, fully human, and began his relationship with Thigocia, who had now become a human woman by the name of Hannah, to contribute in populating the earth with Anthrozils. He fathered two anthrozils with Hannah, Gabriel Drake and Ashley Stalworth, before he was slain again by Devin in 1988. For some reason Makaidos/Timothy was not sent back into Dragon's Rest, nor the Seventh Circle, with all other dragons who had died, instead he was sent to Second Eden like his father, Arramos. In Second Eden he at first has no memory of his previous life but soon regains it and sacrifices his life to show his two daughters, Roxil and Ashley, the way of Christianity. After his death his bones are collected and are used to fuel regenerative powers in the birthing garden in Second Eden, allowing former dragons to return to dragon form and for Anthrozils to regain their dragon traits if they had previously lost them. The bones also allow people to call people in the Valley of Souls to Second Eden. In another prophecy he is supposed to be reborn through this process although his resurrection is delayed twice, once to revive Goliath/Dragon, the second to bring a doctor to Second Eden. What the people of Second Eden did not know is that if he had been called back this way he would appear as a corpse and two other requirements were needed, one was an egg shaped crystal formed from Makaidos/Timothy's tears, the other the blood from a willing sacrifice. He is at last called back to life in the final battle with Satan's forces in Bones of Makaidos and battles with his son, Goliath. At the end of the series he nearly sacrifices his life to save Walter and to heal every wounded person in Second Eden but is stopped by Goliath. He reclaims his status as the King of Dragons.

[edit] Underborns and Second Edeners

• Acacia: Acacia is Sapphira's twin sister and looks exactly like her. She too is an Oracle of Fire. She was thrown into the Chasm by Morgan and 'died'. She was brought up by her teacher who ended up being Enoch.

• Paili: Another underborn. She and Sapphira are best friends. She ends up marrying Patrick together they had Shiloh, but later Paili is poisoned by Morgan. Acacia ends up carrying Paili to the alter of Heaven. When healed in heaven she doesn't remember anything about Patrick or Shiloh. Her memories and adult form are restored to her in Second Eden from the birthing gardens' power. It is revealed that when she grew up on earth she learned medical skills which helped when Second Eden was attacked by Goliath and the Nephilim.

• Sapphira Adi: Originally named Mara, through the two books is 14. She has sapphire eyes and Lily White hair. She at first when seeing the destruction of the tower of Babel loathed the dragons and God. Than as the books go on she becomes the maiden of the eye of the oracle for God and she befriends many dragons and anthrozils but angers others as well. She is an Oracle of Fire. She and her sister were oracles of fire but her sister 'died' in the chasm of magma, Morgan tossed her in. While she is in the underworld, she meets Elam, a human that was kidnapped from his parents, through a hole in the wall, though they can't see each other. Later on in the first book of Oracles of Fire, Sapphira meets Elam in person and at the end of the book she admits her feelings to herself that she is in love with him.

[edit] Human Characters

• Mardon: The son of King Nimrod and Semiramis who carries on his father's dream of seizing a place of glory in Heaven. He was a brilliant scientist, partially responsible for the creation of the plant-grown Nephilim. He was responsible for merging Earth and Hades in Ghost of Enoch but is stopped from merging the two worlds with Heaven. To proceed with his plan he ties the extradimensional rope to Bonnie to use as an anchor for the dimensions. He, along with Semiramis, are ordered to infiltrate Second Eden by Satan. In order to disguise him Satan breathes fire on Mardon, severely burning and scarring his skin and takes the name Hunter. Over the course of his stay in Second Eden he begins to develop a change of heart and plots against Satan out of revenge for burning him and to help Sapphira and Acacia whom he claims he still cares for despite treating them like labrats. He reveals his true identity to Gabriel and the others and helps during the final battle, however in a brief moment of weakness he betrays Acacia to his mother. In the end he and his mother are captured by the dragons and his final fate is unknown, though Enoch says that he will get what he deserves.

• Marilyn Bannister: Billy Bannister's mother. She has no dragon blood in her, but she has often been endangered as well by the slayers because she is married to a dragon and her son is an anthrozil. She's up to the task, though, and not at all squeamish about self-defense- she once remarked that if the slayers tried anything they'd find out that Billy wasn't the only one "packing heat".

• Palin: Sir Devin's squire. Though he is also one of the bad guys, he is not as bad as Devin because he actually believes that he is doing the right thing. Billy kills Palin with a surprise attack and before he dies Palin mocks Billy. In Circles of Seven he ends up in Hades and serves Morgan but realizes the error of his ways and is betrayed and killed by Devin. Before he dies he apologizes to Billy and says they are nothing alike. In The Last of the Nephilim, Palin is revealed to be in fact Marilyn Bannister's father and Billy's grandfather. He had married Marilyn's mother but left when Marilyn was at a young age only to return much later in her life. It was during this visit that Palin taught Billy to draw dragons.

• Professor Charles Hamilton: Billy, Walter, and Bonnie's history teacher, and a former Oxford professor who recently moved in from England. (He had been teaching at Castlewood Middle School for about a year before meeting up with Billy.) Deeply religious, a "Christian of the old school" as he calls himself, he specializes in Arthurian legends (actually, it's hard to find anything he's not an expert in). Amazingly, it is revealed in The Candlestone that Professor Hamilton is a direct descendant of Merlin, whom he resembles so closely that when they were first introduced, Clefspeare actually mistook the Professor for Merlin himself. He dies during the events of Tears of a Dragon and rises to Heaven. During his time in Heaven he assists Enoch, Karen and Naahmah and is allowed to leave Heaven to preside over Billy and Bonnie's marriage. Billy and Bonnie name their son Charles after him.

• Shiloh: Shiloh is a girl whom Bonnie found trapped in the Sixth Circle. She looks just like Bonnie minus the wings which makes sense because she is Bonnie's cousin. She is not an anthrozil, however, because her father, Valcor, found a way to become fully human before Shiloh was born. Her mother ia an underborn named Paili, who was left in the world above by Sapphira Adi. She has lived in the sixth circle for forty years, arriving there three days after her fifteenth birthday. She is the one character besides Elam to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life, making her immune to Morgan Le Fay's poisons and possibly immortal.

• Sir Albert Devin/Dr. Edward Whittier: A dragon slayer with a list of aliases a mile long. He is bent on destroying every anthrozil and dragon in existence in order to thwart Merlin's prophecies. He is completely allied with the forces of darkness, and it is probably more than coincidence that his name is one letter away from Devil and he is in a sense a Black Knight stereotype of character. He has lived since the time of King Arthur because he is able to draw youthful energy from the Candlestone he possesses, and from infusions of the blood of the dragons that he slays. He also allied with Morgan Le Fay, who has given him this ability of long life. In Raising Dragons he is turned into light energy and trapped in his own Candlestone but is released from it during The Candlestone but was released prematurely and becomes a giant of energy but is destroyed. During the events of Circles of Seven he steals Clefspeare's body and charades as him but is trapped in a Candlestone by Walter. In Tears of a Dragon he is purged from Clefspeare's body and is destroyed by Billy. In the Oracles of Fire series his soul is transported into a red companion and is reborn when this companion is planted. He is also invincible when he is reborn because the plant that birthed him was exposed to Shiloh's blood. He leads Satan's army but neither Billy nor Bonnie are able to hurt him. When he attempts to kill Billy, Acacia jumps in the way of his attack and is slain but because of the Oracle of Fire's curse Devin loses his invincibility and Bonnie beheads him, killing him once and for all.

• Walter Foley: 15 years old. Billy's best pal. Although dangerous when food is involved (See the "Hamburger incident" in the first book), Walter is a staunch friend. He is fairly tough in his own right, and well capable of thinking on his feet. He is not repulsed or horrified to learn about the whole dragon thing-on the contrary, he thinks it's cool (rather strange in light of Billy's breath). Interestingly, Walter is a direct biological descendant of King Arthur, as revealed in Tears of A Dragon. Despite this, in The Candlestone he was unable to pull Excalibur from the stone. Evidently Billy, despite his more distant relation to Arthur, was the one God wanted to lead. Although Ashley is older, Walter falls in love with her and marries her in Bones of Makaidos.

[edit] Other Characters

• Gandalf: Billy's cat. A minor character, but a good one. Gandalf offers readers a living connection of sorts to Billy's love of animals, as he came from the same shelter that Billy continues to donate his profits to. Gandalf is no doubt named after the wizard in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

• Hambone: An old bloodhound belonging to an equally elderly "hillbilly" named Arlo Hatfield, Hambone's tracking skills are unmatched. He was called in to try to find Billy's dad after the plane went down, and later made it possible for Billy and his mother to find Clefspeare. Hambone took a bullet meant for Billy, so Billy took him in during the Candlestone until his health was restored, at which time he returned him to Arlo.

• Larry: Ashley Stalworth's supercomputer, Larry shows up in Circles of Seven. Non-living he may be, but he is definitely a character. His most notable feature personality-wise is his unparalleled sarcasm, which is only made worse (from the viewpoint of his fellow characters) by his virtually unlimited sources of information and tendency to download the most annoying bits of info whenever he goes looking for a "snack", resulting in everything from incessant rhyming to constant quoting of Shakespeare with a southern accent. Some readers have noted that he has an attitude like Herbie, the famous smart-alec VW Beetle. At the end of the series Ashley builds a second supercomputer named Lois who has a faster thinking processor than Larry, because of this Larry has asked for upgrades.

• Yereq: One of the plant-grown Nephilim created by Morgan during the events of Eye of the Oracle. Unlike the other Nephilim Yereq is virtuous and fights on the side of good, he also appears to be smarter than the other Nephilim. This may be because he was personally raised by Sapphira who detested raising the Nephilim to be killing-machines. Because of this Yereq loves Sapphira and is protective of her and her friends. He helped Walter while he was in Hades and bore witness to Morgan being cast into the Lake of Fire. During Elam and Sapphira's wedding Yereq is the one who gives Sapphira away because Sapphira has no father to give her away and, in a sense, Sapphira and Yereq are like brother and sister since they have the same origins.

[edit] Biblical and Historical figures

Many characters in the series are figures from the Bible, from Arthurian legend and from history. Palin describes to Billy that he and Devin managed to survive Napolean and Hitler and that when Earth and Hades were merged and souls began to rise from the dead, Enoch mentioned in a letter to Adam Lark that Hitler and Stalin were among these souls.

• Abaddon: The Angel that holds the key to the bottomless pit, Abaddon appears in Bones of Makaidos. He takes on the form of a red dragon with blue eyes and is the guardian of the Valley of Souls and is responsible for caring for the souls of those who are to be resurrected from death and records these incidents in a special journal. Bonnie and Sapphira encounter him when they journey into the Valley of Souls and are at first intimidated by him because his manner is similar to the dragon Bonnie met in the Circles of Seven as well as his enigmatic nature. He is shown sending Dr. Connor to Second Eden. He also tests Bonnie's purity and faith and when she succeeds she becomes an Oracle of Fire.

• Elam: One of the sons of Shem, one of Noah's son. He was captured when he was living on earth by Morgan and taken to the underworld. Even so, Elam had a very strong faith in the Lord and just kept on getting by. He was forced to work with Nabal a giant that used to torment Sapphira. Sapphira finds him and they begin to become pretty close to each other. He can't age because he was forced to eat from the tree of life, when he was in Morgan's domain in the underworld. Later in the stories he becomes Markus after coming to the land of the living, helping Patrick and his wife. Elam after a few years he sets off on a mission from Merlin himself. In the second book of Oracles of Fire, Enoch's Ghost you find out that he is in love with Sapphira Adi According to a prophecy in Second Eden he is the Warrior Chief sent to lead an army against the forces of evil in Second Eden. After the final battle in Bones of Makaidos he marries Sapphira and becomes the new king of Second Eden.

• Father Enoch: A wise and just man, born long before Noah's Flood. During Eye of the Oracle he spoke through a red egg-like device known as the Ovulum, also known as the Eye of the Oracle. The Ovulum was passed on to Noah as well as many other characters throughout the series. Enoch did not think highly of Nimrod's attempt to enter Heaven. Enoch also acted as a teacher to many different protagonists, including Acacia and Elam. He now dwells peacefully at Heaven's Altar and on rare occasions is allowed to leave Heaven in order to help those in need. He has appeared before and assisted the heroes of the series numerous times.

• Goliath: The giant Goliath is briefly mentioned during Eye of the Oracle as the son of the giant Nabal. Thigocia and Makaidos' firstborn son is also named Goliath, whether the giant and dragon are related besides their names is never discussed though the possibility exists since the Nephilim that died during Noah's flood were supposedly reborn in the bodies of dragons. The dragon Goliath was a loyal servant to Satan and because of his actions some dragons rebelled against humanity and their more virtuous brethren. In life he was the mate of Roxil, though they did not have the traditional wedding dragons normally did and had a son, Clefspeare and had an unborn son with Roxil as well. He was slain by Devin and his soul was cleansed of the manipulating spirits of the Nephilim and was resurrected and sent to Second Eden as a man named Dragon. During his life on Second Eden he became the Adam (husband) of a woman named Angel and father of Candle and Listener and was a loving, holy man, unlike his life as a dragon. He dies a second time at the hands of the Shadow People. After Goliath's second death Abaddon decided to test Goliath's character and so had him locked away in the bottomless pit along with the spirits of the Nephilim for a set of time. However when he reemerged he was once again a dragon and as malevolent as ever. He attempted to tempt Roxil/Jasmine into hell when Dragon's Rest was collapsing during the events of Eye of the Oracle but she refused him. He was reborn during the events of Bones of Makaidos and lead the Nephilim that arrived in Second Eden.

• Joseph of Arimathea: During their journey in the Circles of Seven, Billy and Bonnie are assisted by another spiritual guide named Joseph. Joseph first appears in the first Circle as a butler-like old man and gave the duo an umbrella for protection from the rain. He then appears as a younger man and provides a picnic with food for Billy and Bonnie. Billy noted his change in appearance and Joseph replied saying that it truly didn't matter what something appeared on the outside. In the Seventh Circle, Joseph helped Billy carry Bonnie's body to the Holy Grail, during this time he told Billy that Bonnie is a precious lamb, but a long time ago he carried an even more precious lamb (probably referring to Jesus himself). Later in Enoch's Ghost it is revealed that he assisted Paili and Acacia reach Heaven's Altar.

• King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: Arthur is a well-known King of England. During his reign he was somewhat fearful and distrustful of the dragons because of the traitorous pursuits of Goliath, only having faith in his advisor, Merlin's trust in them. He requested the dragons assist his forces against the Saxons, to which the dragons agreed. Morgan also tricked Arthur into believing she was his sister for a time by drugging him. Fortunately Merlin was able to bring the king back to his senses and strengthen his trust in the dragons to the point that Arthur adopted Reginald/Jared (Clefspeare) and Irene (Hartanna) as his son and daughter respectively after they had gained human form. It was also revealed that Jared's human form strongly resembles Arthur himself to the point that Devin mistook him for the king when his back was turned. The knights that followed Arthur and their descendents believed that one day Arthur will return in spirit in the form of one of his descendents to bring new light to the world and defeat evil. This descendent proved to be Billy Bannister.

• Lucifer: Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan, is, in truth, the source of all evil in the series. He is called "The First Dragon" and because of this, prejudice spread among humans towards dragons. Morgan and Samyaza swear their allegiance to him and worship him as a god. Lucifer himself appears in physical form, once as a snake to communicate with Morgan and Naahmah and again as a dragon in Circles of Seven in the first Circle. During Noah's flood he stole Arramos' corpse and now controls it and has since been masquerading as the once virtuous dragon. He tempts Bonnie into eating the forbidden fruit and to gaze at her own reflection (by making her believe she was becoming a true dragon) but she refused. When Billy pierced Lucifer's body using Excalibur, black snakes dripped from the wound like blood and coiled around Bonnie. Lucifer again appears before Billy in the dark pit of Tartarus, taunting him and tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit as well. Again he fails, although he was slightly more successful in his efforts towards Billy than Bonnie.

• Merlin: Merlin was King Arthur's advisor long long ago, as well as a devout prophet of God. He was knowledgeable in the ways of the afterlife and the supernatural and was a trusted friend among the dragons. It was he who turned all of the dragons human in order to hide them from the wrath of the dragon slayers that sought to eliminate them. When Sir Devin plotted to overthrow Arthur, he used Excalibur's translumination beam to turn himself and the mutionous knights into light and were sucked into the Candlestone. When Billy and Bonnie became trapped in the Candlestone, he assisted them in their escape. He was temporarily freed from the Candlestone and Professor Hamilton became the host for his mind and soul temporarily until Billy was able to separate the two using Excalibur. After this Merlin guided Ashley's grandfather's deceased soul to heaven. During his time when he was one with the professor, Merlin imparted important knowledge in Hamilton's mind that would later help Hamilton and his friends/allies in their later adventures. After the destruction of the Candlestone, Merlin continued to act as a spiritual guide to Billy and Bonnie and guided them in their journey in Dragon's Rest.

• St. Michael: Michael has two brief cameos in the series. Before Noah's flood he appeared in Eden and repulsed Samyaza from stealing fruit from the Tree of Life. During Noah's flood he retrieved Arramos' heart and soul from his body and delivered it to Second Eden and placed it into a new, human body, Abraham.

• Morgan Le Fay: Morgan used to be human. She was born some time before Noah's Flood as Lilith (she also claimed to Billy that she was also the Lady of the Lake that gave Excalibur to King Arthur), and she was the wife of one of the Watchers (an exceptionally nasty group of fallen angels, the Watchers were the fathers of the Nephilim), Samyaza. She learned much dark magic from her husband, but she lost her humanity in the process. Time is short for her if she cannot regain her humanity, and the only way for her to do that is to find a willing "hostiam", a host she can possess (the same way a demon does). The requirements are strict: it must be a girl or a woman. The hostiam must willingly give herself to Morgan if she (the hostiam) is of age. If not, Morgan can only do it with the permission of the hostiam's legal guardian. And for some reason the hostiam must be kin to the king, either by blood or adoption. Morgan hopes to trick Billy into letting her have Bonnie, since Bonnie's dying father told Billy to take care of Bonnie, but Billy refuses, and she ends up with Walter's sister, Shelly Foley, as her hostiam for a time. In the end she is defeated in a spiritual battle with Merlin and is seen by Yereq and Walter to be cast into the Lake of Fire.

• Naamah: Morgan's sister as well as the wife of Ham and the mother of Canaan. Before she was pregnant with Canaan she drank a potion that caused the genetics of her womb to be altered, this way after Canaan was born, his genetic material would be used to create a new race of Nephilim, because of this Canaan possessed six fingers on each hand instead of five. She is a scheming, lustful woman who uses her feminine wiles to seduce men. She attempted to seduce Billy during his journey in the Circles of Seven but failed, Billy seems to be the only man to have evaded her seduction, leaving Naahmah bitter. She attempts to kill Billy twice, the first time she transforms into an enormous bat-like creature but is struck down by Billy, the second time is when Billy and Bonnie were in Dragon's Rest and she stabs Billy with a staurolite dagger and succeeds but then she herself is slain in the same manner by Jared. Strangely enough her death was not a traditional one so she was still technically alive when brought before God but is forced to wander the Bridgelands without clothes, those who approach her out of lust will be blinded (similar to the Mark of Cain) until one she has been cruel to (Elam) forgives her and willing gives her clothing.

• King Nimrod: A Biblical king born some time after Noah's Flood. He attempted to defy the laws of Heaven and set out to build a tower that would reach the Heavens, allowing normal people to gain access to Heaven and God. He once possessed Excalibur and the first Candlestone, which gave him an advantage against the dragons that attempted to undo his efforts. He died when he shed some of Sapphira's blood, because of the "curse" on her. It is revealed in Eye of the Oracle that Devin is a descendent of Nimrod. Nimrod's son, Mardon, now carries on his legacy.

• Noah: A righteous man, commanded by God during the time of the flood in order to build an ark to protect his family as well as two of every animal species in order to repopulate the world after the flood had receded. He was friends with Makaidos and Thigocia, as well as the rest of dragonkind. He lived long after the flood as well, acting as an advisor to Makaidos and teaching him about the Messiah. In Enoch's Ghost, Thigocia, with the help of an oracle, was able to see that Noah now dwells happily in Heaven with his family.

• Semiramis: Nimrod's wife and Mardon's mother. She is characterized with having blonde hair and wearing a red cloak most of the time. She seems to act as a double agent for Satan and the forces of good though her true allegiance is to evil. She acts as the guardian of the bridge in the Bridgelands but later goes into Second Eden with Mardon to spy on and cause sabotage for the Second Edeners although some of her acts, such as brewing a potion for Listener, are beneficial to them. In the end however she reveals her true colors and sides with Devin in the final battle. She and Mardon are captured by the dragons but their final fate is never revealed, the only clue is that Enoch claims that they got what they deserved. She seems to be even more deceptive than Morgan was.

• The Watchers: A group of rebellious fallen angels, they are the fathers of the Nephilim. They are lead by Samyaza, Morgan's husband. He is allied with Satan and commands some of the demons under Satan's control. He taught Morgan how to use black magic allowing her to become a powerful sorceress. He was imprisoned within the Depths of Tartarus in the Seventh Circle until Billy was forced to release him along with his army of fallen angels when Shiloh and Clefespeare also were imprisoned there. He took Ashley to assist in freeing Devin from the Candlestone in Tears of a Dragon and personally fought Clefspeare in the final battle, where he was defeated for good.

[edit] Poems

This is an actual poem from Dragons In Our Midst, taken from the first book in the series, Raising Dragons. It seems to have been written before Merlin gave the dragons human form, since it does not mention the event.

Merlin's Riddle

“

When dragons flew in days of old With valor in their wings, One fell prey to evil's song And learned what Satan sings. Goliath, stained with Satan's words, Made other dragons flee, For songs like leaven spread decay Corrupting souls born free. Now Satan's scales coat dragon lore; He hides between the lines. He sings foul words in books corrupt And dances on their spines Are dragons vile? Are dragons tame? Depends on whom you ask. Do scales hide tricks of Satan when He dons a fearful mask? One man corrupted all his kin; One dragon brought all shame. One man redeemed his fallen race; Will dragons find the same? Yet dragons dwell in hearts of men, From God and some from baals, And some sing songs with angel's wings, While most chant Satan's scales. God redeems what man cannot Forgives whate'er thou didst Who else can save the men of earth With dragons in our midst?

”

---

Merlin received this word from the Lord after the dragons became human:

Merlin's Prophecy

“

When hybrid meets the fallen seed The virgin seedling flies An orphaned waif shall call to me When blossom meets the skies. The child of doubt will find his rest And meet his virgin bride. A dragon shorn will live again Rejecting Eden's pride. A slayer comes and with his host He fights the last of thee But faith alone shall win the war The test of those set free. A king shall rise of Arthur's mold The prophet's book in hand. He takes the sword from mountain stone To rescue captive bands.

”

This poem shows that Billy is the Child of Doubt, Bonnie is the virgin bride, Sapphira is the hybrid, orphaned waif and virgin seedling.

Merlin's Promise

“

With Sword and stone, The Holy knight, Darkness as his bane, will gather warriors in the light, cast in heaven's flame. He comes to save a remnant band, searching with his maid, but in a sea of sadness finds, his warriors lying splayed. A valley deep, A valley long, Lay angels dry & dead, Now who can wake their cold, stone hearts, Their bones on tablespread? Like wine that flows in skins made new, The spirit pours out fresh, Can hymns of love bring fourth the dead, and give them hearts of flesh? O will you learn from words of faith, that sings in psalms from heaven, to valley floors where terrors lurk, In Circles Numbering Seven?

”

[edit] References to other works of fiction

Bryan Davis has made several references to other works of fiction, some of them similar in nature to the Dragons in Our Midst series, these include:

• J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: One of the most commonly rreferenced, the Bannister family's cat is named after Gandalf, a character in Tolkien's Middle-earth universe. Ashley as also been stated to be a fan of Lord of the Rings since childhood and her appearance has been stated to be similar to an elf in Tolkien literature in Bones of Makaidos.

• C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia is another commonly referenced work of fiction. Sapphira compared the window portal she viewed from to a portal to Narnia, and Bonnie is shown to be a fan of the series as well, she and her mother watch one of the Narnia films in Last of the Nephilim. Bonnie also wore a shirt with Aslan on it with the sentence "He's not a tame lion", she gives Shiloh this shirt during Circles of Seven. Readers of the series have compared Bryan Davis to C.S. Lewis as well.

• Dragons in Our Midst is sometimes compared to Star Wars and has been referenced several times, such as Walter saying that Excalibur is similar to a lightsaber.

• The series makes several references to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, more specifically, Inferno (Dante). Ashley's grandfather reluctantly read Ashley Inferno as a scary bedtime story, also the entrance to Hades has the inscription "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", which in Italian means "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here", this phrase is written on the Gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno.

• The word for the offspring of a dragon and a human is Anthrozil, the name being derived from the Latin word "anthro" meaning man and Godzilla, a famous dinosaur/dragon.

[edit] External links

• Official Dragons in our Midst Fan Fourm
• The Official Dragons in our Midst Website
• Fantasy and the Heart of a Child by Bryan Davis