"You're very kind. You know, we dragons don't get to air out our feelings on talk shows. We don't have therapists. But talking to you has been helpful. Thanks for listening. Hey, you mentioned you've been to Fablehaven."
"Right. I've been there a lot."
"And you can talk to fairies."
"Yes."
"I wonder if you might have met my foster mom. Her name is Shiara."
Kendra brightened. "Silver wings? Blue hair?"
"That's her!"
"She's the best fairy at Fablehaven!" Kendra gushed.
"You don't have to lay it on quite so thick," Raxtus said.
"No, I'm serious. Shiara stands out. She has helped me. Most fairies are flaky, but Shiara is actually reliable and smart."
"She saved me from the cockatrice and nurtured me. It wasn't at Fablehaven. This happened long before Fablehaven was founded. I don't visit her as often as I should. It feels too much like embracing the sissy side of my nature. As if anyone cared! Sometimes, though, I sneak into Fablehaven at night and visit her."
"How do you sneak into Fablehaven?"
"Same way I sneak into Wyrmroost. I may be less than half a dragon, but I have a few tricks. One is traveling from one fairy shrine to another. Anywhere the Fairy Queen has a shrine is open to me."
Kendra felt almost too excited to ask her next question. "Could you take me home?" If she could only get back to Fablehaven, she could return with reinforcements.
"Sorry, Kendra. I don't think I could transport a passenger. Maybe someday, with study and practice. Even if I could, the last time I tried to visit Fablehaven, the way seemed barred."
Kendra frowned. The shrine at Fablehaven had been destroyed, so it made sense that Raxtus would not be able to use it. She should have thought of that before she asked. Still, there were other ways the dragon might be of service. "Could you take me to the Fairy Queen's shrine here at Wyrmroost?"
"Sure. It isn't even far: Especially flying."
Kendra glanced at the knapsack. "You said you have healing powers. My friend is hurt."
"Warren? A peryton gored him, right? I don't know what it is with those antlers. They must be slightly poisonous. They make ugly wounds. Well, I could try. I mean, I'm better with plants. But why not? I could give it a shot. Can he get up here? I'm not the biggest dragon, but I doubt I could fit through the mouth of a knapsack."
"I'll be right back," Kendra said. "You won't leave?"
"I'm a coward, not impolite! Oh, did you mean would I run if trouble shows up? If I run away, I'll take the knapsack with me. Not that I sense any danger. I've been paying attention. I think we're good. So I'll be here."
Kendra descended the ladder. Warren was asleep. She could not see Bubda. Kneeling beside Warren, she prodded his cheek. "Hey, you awake?"
He smacked his lips and his eyelids fluttered up. "Huh? We okay?" His voice sounded thick.
"Did you take more medicine?"
"Sorry, I'm a little loopy. The pain."
"It's okay. That's why you have medicine. I made friends with a dragon."
Warren blinked. He rubbed his eyes. "Sorry. Feels like my head is stuffed with cotton. I think I misheard you."
"No, really. A nice dragon. He was raised by fairies, and he might be able to heal you."
"This is my most messed-up dream yet."
"Do you think you could climb the ladder?"
"You're serious?"
"He's too big to fit down here. But he's not super big. For a dragon, at least."
Warren leaned up on one elbow. "You really think he can heal me?"
"Worth a try."
"Unless he eats us." Warren winced as he sat up. "You'll need to be my crutch."
"Can you make it up the ladder? Should we wait for the medicine to wear off?"
"This is the best time. The medicine numbs me. Up we go."
Kendra took his hand and helped him rise. He leaned on her as he hobbled over to the ladder. Clinging to a rung, he hesitated for a moment, gathering his strength, then started up. Kendra followed.
When Kendra emerged from the knapsack, Warren was on his back on the ground, sweating and panting. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he stared at Raxtus. "That has got to be the shiniest dragon I've ever seen."
"He doesn't look very well," Raxtus commented.
"Thanks, Doc," Warren mumbled.
"Can you try to heal him?" Kendra asked.
"I can try." Craning his neck forward, Raxtus stared down at Warren. Squealing softly, the dragon exhaled over the length of his body, glittery sparks twinkling silver and gold. Warren squirmed and shivered, as if taken by a sudden chill. The hair on his head began to flutter, and the stubble on his jaw sprouted and lengthened. A moment later, Warren had long, flowing hair and a heavy beard.
Grimacing, Warren patted his injured chest. Then he raked his fingers through his hair. "You've got to be kidding. Who is this joker?"
"Sorry," Raxtus said. "It didn't take."
"Oh, it took," Warren complained, sitting up. His beard reached halfway down his chest. His thick hair hung past his shoulders. "It just didn't cure anything. On the bright side, I think I popped open some scabs."
"Thanks for trying," Kendra said.
Raxtus hung his head.
"Hey, don't look down," Warren said. "I appreciate the effort. I do feel a little more lucid. And my breath tastes slightly mintier." He scooted toward the knapsack.
"I rarely work with humans," Raxtus apologized.
"He's going to carry us to the fairy shrine," Kendra said.
Warren turned and placed a foot on the ladder. "Now, that would be a huge favor. Sorry to be a bear. Excruciating agony makes me cranky. Kendra, you know where to find me." Grunting and wincing, he disappeared into the bag.
"Humiliating," Raxtus muttered.
"You warned us it might not work," Kendra said.
"Did you notice how he wasn't scared of me? At all?"
"I told him you were nice. Besides, he's on pain medication."
"I'm about as intimidating as a puppy. Wearing diapers. With a pacifier in its mouth. Well, one thing I can do right is fly."
"How do we do this? Should I get on your back?"
"No. I'm too spiny and sharp. You'd need a saddle. Not that any dragon worth a nickel would wear a saddle. They would die of shame. But shame is where I live. I own the whole neighborhood. I'd wear a saddle if we had one. But we don't. So I'll have to carry you. Would you feel safer inside the knapsack?"
"Would I be safer?"
"I won't drop you, if that's what you're implying. You can trust me on that."
"Okay," Kendra said, shouldering the knapsack. "Take me flying."
Chapter 23 Shrine
Raxtus really was quite adept at flying. He gripped Kendra snugly around the torso with a single foreclaw and ripped through the air with dizzying maneuverability. Because of the way he held her, Kendra was free to spread her arms and legs and pretend she was flying all alone. The speed, the cold wind in her face, the exhilaration of swift turns and sudden dives, all combined to fill Kendra with surprising joy. Soon she was laughing.
"I could set us down," Raxtus said, "but it seems like you're having fun."
"I am!"
"Flying is one of my great escapes. How's your stomach holding up? Want to try something fancy?"
Kendra had never been a daredevil. But she felt so secure in Raxtus's grasp, and he flew with such smooth competence, that she found herself saying, "Go for it."
First Raxtus swooped into a huge loop. The sky became the ground and the ground became the sky, and then everything was right again. After verifying that Kendra was still enjoying herself, he climbed high, then plunged in a corkscrewing dive, spiraling through space at tremendous velocity. To the spirals he added more loops and lightning turns, tracing pretzels in the sky. Kendra lost all sense of up and down as everything blurred into a wild rush of motion.
When Raxtus landed and set Kendra on her feet, she held her hands out to balance herself, took a wobbling step, and fell sideways. The dragon caught her and laid her down. The ground seemed to tilt and spin.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Raxtus asked.
"I'm great," she said. "I loved it. But you've ruined roller coasters for me. They'll never impress me again! Aren't you dizzy?"
"Flying only clears my head. It never leaves me dizzy or sick."
She did feel a little queasy. But not horribly. Now that she was on solid ground, the motion sickness was fading. Kendra looked around. She was crouched on a high shoulder of rock, one of the mounting folds of land that led up to Stormcrag. The steady hiss of rushing water reached her ears. Crawling to the nearest edge, she peered down at the top of a lofty waterfall divided into two halves by a mossy outcrop. She liked the peculiar perspective, above and somewhat in front of the falls, similar to the last view a person might have as he plunged off the brink. The water plummeted white and misty to a pool far below.
"Careful," Raxtus said. "I'm fast, but not that fast."
"I won't fall. I'm not woozy anymore." Kendra backed away from the edge. "Where's the shrine?"
"Just up the slope from here a ways. I figured you would want a minute to make sure you still felt good about treading there. I'll walk with you."
Kendra scrambled over the jagged terrain, using her hands to steady herself. As they worked their way around an upthrust formation of dark gray stone, a wide ledge came into view ahead. A trickle of water flowed off the ledge and across the rocks to join the stream before it plunged over Split Veil Falls.
A dozen golden owls with human faces perched on the ledge, all gazing unblinkingly at Kendra. "Astrids," Kendra said.
"All twelve," Raxtus affirmed.
"Are there twelve total?" Kendra asked.
"Twelve who hang around here," Raxtus said. "There are ninety-six in the world. Can you hear them?"
Straining, she heard only the whisper of the falls. "No."
"Listen with your mind," Raxtus suggested.
Kendra recalled how the Fairy Queen had spoken to her with thoughts and feelings instead of audible words. She tried to open her mind to the astrids.
"They're laughing," Raxtus reported.
The faces on the golden owls remained expressionless. "Could have fooled me," Kendra said.
[drawing: two astrids sitting on the branch of a tree]
"They want to know if you plan to destroy this shrine as well," Raxtus relayed in a more serious tone. "What is that about?"
"Tell them I was following orders from the Fairy Queen last time. She had me do it to save Fablehaven from an evil plague."
"They're not thrilled with your answer," Raxtus chuckled grimly. "They have no way to verify with the Queen. But I think they believe you."
"What exactly are they, Raxtus?"
"You don't know about the astrids?"
"They're one of many things I know nothing about," Kendra said.
"I just assumed since you were... never mind."
"Since I was fairykind?"
"Well, yeah. Wasn't there an orientation?"
"I wish."
The dragon swung his head toward the astrids. "Theirs is an ancient story. Long ago, the astrids were among the most trusted agents of the Fairy Queen. As a reward for their outstanding service, they were selected as the honor guard for the Fairy King."
"There's a Fairy
King?"
"There was a Fairy King, although the Queen was easily the more powerful of the two. Her astrids failed to protect the Fairy King from Gorgrog, the king of demons. When the Fairy King fell, so did the male counterparts of the Queen's fairies. Thus the imps were born.
"It's hard to say how responsible the astrids were for the tragedy, but the Queen blamed them, and she cast them out of her service. Six turned away and went dark. The other ninety remain faithful, clinging to the wish of one day earning her forgiveness."
Kendra regarded the astrids with new eyes. "You can hear their thoughts?"
"I can. But they no longer commune with the Fairy Queen or the fairies. They lack much of their former splendor. Yet despite their limitations, they strive to watch over the Queen's interests."
"Will they prevent me from reaching the shrine?"
"I can't say."
"Ask them."
"They say the shrine guards itself from those who don't belong."
"Well, I feel good about it." She started forward, then turned to look back at Raxtus. "You coming?"
"I better wait here. You go on ahead."
Kendra went back and set the knapsack by his forelegs. "Keep an eye on that. I don't want Warren getting zapped for my trespassing."
"You got it."
As Kendra approached the ledge, she got her closest view ever of the astrids. They were big birds, nearly as high as her waist. The gilded feathers had faint brown markings. The human faces possessed creamy, flawless skin and displayed no abnormal features. The various astrids differed only slightly from one another. Their eyes remained fixed on her--mostly dark brown eyes, but two had deep blue irises.
The largest had light gray eyes the color of old quarters. Kendra could not determine the gender of the faces. Forced to guess, she would have gone with female, but without any certainty.