Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(89)

"Well done, by the way," Bracken said in a low voice.


Raxtus swung his head away shyly. "She makes it sound impressive. I snuck up behind him while he was in human form. I'm not a fighter. But I'll do my best. The Fairy Queen made it clear that the fate of the world depends on our mission. I want to do my part. After all, your current needs don't require a fighter. What you most need right now is to run away. I know a thing or two about that."


Bracken patted Raxtus affectionately on the neck. "You're too humble. I can't claim to like many dragons, but you're the cream of the crop."


"Of course the unicorn likes the fairy dragon," Raxtus grumbled. "If you want to boost my self-esteem, act scared of me."


"You could bite our heads off," Warren remarked. "That's scary."


"I couldn't," Raxtus sighed.


"You could!" Kendra insisted. "I saw you gobble up Gavin."


Raxtus showed his impressive teeth. "Physically, yes, I could eat you. Emotionally, no way. Maybe while under hypnosis. How can you consume somebody you just spoke with? I mean, once I've had a conversation with someone, that person is no longer food. Some dragons get a big thrill out of talking with their meals, playing cat and mouse. I don't get the allure. Knowing a creature can converse takes it off my menu."


"Unless it's evil and threatens your dad," Kendra amended.


"Touche," Raxtus replied.


"We should probably depart," Bracken said. "We don't want to lose the initiative."


"Translation?" Raxtus said glumly. "Time for me to become fairy boy."


"Wait," Warren said, fingering the hilt of his sword. "Can't you take us out the way you came in?"


"I can leap from shrine to shrine by cutting through the Fairy Queen's realm," Raxtus explained. "Although her realm connects to all of her shrines, the distance between shrines is much shorter where she resides. It's a great way to travel. Here's the problem: When she opens a portal to let anyone into or out of her realm, it leaves her kingdom vulnerable for a time. For some reason, I can slip through without opening a portal. But I can't carry passengers that way."


"Do you go to her realm a lot?" Kendra asked, intrigued.


"I never stay there," Raxtus said. "It would be ... unhealthy. Emotionally. Psychologically. Look, I'm already not very dragonly. If I lived there, I'd lose all sense of what I am. I'd end up like a child who refused to leave the nest, never amounting to anything. But I love to visit her kingdom. As wonderful and diverse as Earth can be, no beauty quite compares."


Bracken cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I believe we were getting ready to depart."


"Right," Raxtus said. "Do you mind closing your eyes?"


"Not at all," Bracken said.


Kendra covered her eyes. Even with her hands in the way, she sensed the bright flash.


Several of the fairies in the area tittered. It was hard for Kendra to decide whether they were mocking or flirting. Perhaps a little of both.


"No peeking," Raxtus said, his voice pitched higher.


The comment tempted her. She slid her fingers apart just enough to see the back of a rather scrawny fairy with shaggy silver hair and an elaborate set of metallic wings fluttering toward the hatchway. The fairy was the largest Kendra had seen, about a foot tall. His head turned as if to glance back, and Kendra closed her fingers before he completed the motion.


"Okay, you can look," Raxtus called a moment later.


Kendra dropped her hands and opened her eyes. The spindly male fairy stood at the hatchway. His face was impishly handsome, with a sparkle of mischief in his bright eyes.


"Is that you?" Warren asked.


"I could tell Kendra wanted a look," Raxtus said. "I can't blame her." He spread his arms wide and turned around. "What do you think?"


"You're ..." Kendra stopped herself.


"Spit it out," Raxtus said. "I can take it."


"Adorable," Kendra finished weakly, hoping he wasn't too insulted.


"Too big to be a fairy," Raxtus said. "Too small and much too winged to be a human. And the exact opposite of how any dragon would aspire to be seen."


"You're a marvel, Raxtus," Bracken said kindly. "Truly splendid."


"The sideshow's over," Raxtus said. "Let's get under way." He flitted out the hatch and out of sight.


Bracken turned to address the fairies. "I am going to close the hatch to help cover our tracks. If I left it open, others would come and close it shortly. If you would prefer the open air at the price of staying away from the shrine, come out with us."


Several groups of fairies darted out of the hatchway, followed by a few stragglers. Kendra was surprised to see more fairies opting to remain within the dome than had been trapped inside when they had first arrived.


"So many are staying?" Kendra asked.


"They love their queen," Bracken said simply. He led the way out of the enclosure. When Kendra and Warren had exited, Bracken gave the door a shove, and it clanged shut.