Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(90)

The sphinx remained sprawled on the ground, tail swishing. She did not condescend to look back at them. The day had grown quite hot. Raxtus had returned to dragon form. Beneath the bright sun, his scales really gleamed.


"Time to fly," Bracken said.


Raxtus sprang into the air and glided toward them like the world's most dazzling kite. The dragon snatched Kendra with one claw, Warren with another, and Bracken with a third. Jerking Kendra off the ground, Raxtus gripped her torso from behind, causing her to tilt forward once airborne. The ground became a blur beneath her dangling feet. Wings beating with the sound of heavy tarps in a windstorm, Raxtus gradually climbed, barely clearing the nearest tree-tops. The dragon went invisible, creating the illusion that Kendra was soaring through the air on her own.


"You all right?" Warren called.


Raxtus veered left and right, wings flapping furiously. "You're heavy," the dragon grunted, "but I'll make it." They continued to laboriously gain altitude.


Up ahead, the steep wall of the valley approached, a wide precipice of rock and dirt. Down below, the trees shrank, growing ever more distant. In a clearing, Kendra saw a pair of thickset giants hammering at each other with clubs.


As Raxtus reached the wall of the valley, he began to bank and circle, sometimes flapping his wings, sometimes gliding. They started to rise more swiftly. The air grew a little cooler, and the ground became shockingly distant. Soon Kendra had a view of the entire long valley, including the river, the woodlands, numerous cultivated fields, and the stepped pyramids with their garden terraces. Beyond the tops of the valley walls, Kendra beheld the tawny expanse of the surrounding desert.


A shrieking cry of tremendous volume shattered the sense of airborne solitude. Kendra twisted toward the source of the sound and saw the roc rising toward them, at least the size of an airliner.


"The roc spotted us," Warren warned.


"They have amazing eyesight," Raxtus said, wings working to lift them higher. They curved toward the roc, giving everyone a better view of the gargantuan wingspan.


"Isn't it time to run?" Kendra cried nervously.


"We need altitude," Raxtus said. "With all of this weight, my best maneuvers will involve diving."


The roc wheeled away from them, rising to a higher elevation with alarming ease. When the great raptor turned back toward them, it approached from above, gaining terrific speed.


Raxtus slipped into a straight, level glide, moving perpendicular to the path of the oncoming predator. As the roc closed, talons large enough to crush a school bus opened wide.


At the last possible moment, Raxtus turned toward the roc, tucked his wings, and dove. The rush of wind brought tears to Kendra's eyes. She could feel the enormous roc swoop past above them, outstretched talons grasping at empty air. The great bird let out an earsplitting shriek.


Raxtus pulled out of his dive, using the momentum to regain some altitude. Above, the roc circled around for another attack.


"Make yourself visible!" Bracken yelled. "Simurghs prefer light to darkness. As she approaches, roll so she can see me."


Raxtus became visible, scales resplendent in the sunlight. "Touch me, Kendra," Raxtus said. "I could use the extra energy."


Kendra laid a hand against the claw around her torso, and Raxtus began to shine with his own light. They seemed to gain altitude faster.


The roc closed again, wings shortened for greater speed. As the vast bird drew near, Raxtus banked, tilting his underside up to better display his passengers.


"Mighty simurgh," Bracken called in a magically magnified shout. "Like you, I am numbered among the Children of the Dawn. Lend us your skies, windkeeper, for our need is dire."


The roc swerved away, apparently giving up the pursuit. Raxtus righted himself and resumed climbing. The roc let out a screech that seemed less of a challenge than the previous cries.


"Good thing," Raxtus gasped. "I didn't want to frighten anyone, but that would have been only a matter of time."


"The simurgh here is well fed," Bracken said. "So are her young. She would willfully devour a unicorn only in a time of famine."


"Don't celebrate yet," Warren warned, pointing toward the largest ziggurat. "We have company."


"I see them," Raxtus said. "Just clearing the trees."


"Three harpies," Bracken reported. "The roc drew the attention of our enemies. How far to the edge of the preserve?"


"Too far," Raxtus puffed. "We need more altitude. They'll catch up and I'll have to evade."


At first, Kendra didn't see what the others meant. Then she spotted the three winged specks rising toward them. "How big are harpies?"


"Not huge," Warren said. "Our size. Horribly fierce, though. Picture winged hags."


"Can't you take them, Raxtus?" Kendra asked.


The dragon spoke in panting bursts. "Unburdened? Fresh? In an emergency? Yeah, I could probably handle them. Right now? I'll do my best."


As Raxtus circled higher, the harpies closed, becoming more distinct. The wiry women had wings instead of arms, and talons instead of legs. Their long hair fluttered wildly in the wind.