"Will you at least carry me to the entrance?"

"I'll carry you to a spot near the entrance. None of the other dragons pay attention to me, and I can be fairly stealthy, so I'm not too worried about getting identified near the temple. But then I'll have to take off."

"I understand," Kendra said. She tried to keep her voice even. She had asked Raxtus to risk death and humiliation, and he had denied her. Could she really blame him? At least he would provide a lift to her destination. He had already been more help than she had any right to expect. Even so, she felt disappointed. "You never explained about hydras."

"Right. Sorry. I'm always wandering off onto tangents. Picture a really big, mean dragon with lots of heads. If you chop one off, two grow back. Hydras technically aren't dragons. They don't work magic or have breath weapons. They're famously hard to kill. I can't guarantee the first guardian is a hydra, but that is the rumor. I have no clue about the other guardians."

How was she supposed to get by a hydra? Let alone the other guardians. She was alone. Raxtus was right. Going to the Dragon Temple would be suicide. Inside the knapsack, Warren had the unicorn horn. Should she ask Raxtus to take her to the main gate of Wyrmroost? Navarog might be there, but maybe she could hide in the knapsack and have Raxtus turn invisible. They might be able to slip away.

It would mean deserting her team and abandoning their quest. Seth would never run away. Would any of the others abandon her? No, she could at least investigate the dragon Temple and the first guardian before utterly forsaking the mission. She owed everybody that much.

"I'm ready," Kendra said. "Should we go?"

"Should we? No way. But I'm willing to take you."

Raxtus grabbed her with one of his front claws and soared into the air. This time he performed no fancy tricks. He turned invisible and flew low to the ground, staying near cover whenever possible. Kendra saw the finger of stone approaching just like in the vision the Fairy Queen had shown her. When they landed in a grove of tall pines, Raxtus set Kendra on her feet. The dragon remained invisible.

"It's getting late," the dragon murmured. "Why not sleep on it?"

"If I'm doing it, now is as good as tomorrow."

"You're the boss. You're so dead, though. No offense, but you really are. I mean, I could almost cry. Anyhow, just go down this slope, walk around the nearest bluff, and you'll see the entrance. Can't miss it."

"Is it hard to get inside?"

"No doors. You just stroll in. I have no idea how far in the first guardian will be situated. Careful, getting out may not be as simple as entering. These types of places tend to be designed that way."

Kendra nodded. She had received similar advice back when she had ventured into the vault containing the Sands of Sanctity at Fablehaven. The reminder sort of wrecked her idea of tentatively peeking at the first guardian. She would have to consult Warren.

"Thanks, Raxtus. I appreciate your help. I better go talk to Warren about our next move."

"I hope he talks you out of this. Tell him I'm sorry about the beard. Be careful. Nice to meet you."

The air stirred as he beat his invisible wings.

And then she was alone.

Kendra sat down. Did she really want to go down and talk to Warren? He would tell her to wait to enter the temple until he was healthier. Would he be wrong? They could hole up in the knapsack for a few days--even weeks, if necessary. They had plenty of food. The main drawback would be the risk of Navarog catching up.

She stretched out on her back and stared up at limbs bristling with green needles. The trees provided good cover. The air was cool but not frigid. Her mind wandered. She vaguely hoped a brilliant idea would occur. Inspiration refused to strike.

Eventually she sat up. She should find a place to stash the knapsack while she talked with Warren. Was it good enough to set it beside a tree? What if some creature came along? Maybe she could dig a shallow hole. Or at least cover the knapsack with some branches. Maybe she could stow it on a tree branch. If so, would she still be able to climb inside?

Kendra wandered the grove looking for an ideal spot. Nothing jumped out at her. Most of the trees lacked low branches. The ground had no usable irregularities, and it was too hard for digging.

Fluttering wings caused her to turn and crouch beside a tree. She fumbled with the flap of the knapsack, hoping to hide before she was spotted, but relaxed when an astrid glided into view. The golden owl perched on a branch above her.

Your friends are with Thronis.

"My brother?"

They are alive and well. Apparently the giant plans to help them.

She felt hope awaken inside her. "How did you learn this?"

Two of us flew into the mansion and spied.

"I thought Thronis was protected by spells."

Astrids have been ignored for centuries. The sky giant has warding spells against dragons and other perceived threats. We are beneath his notice.

"Then I should just sit tight?"

We will continue to scout for you. If you go into the hidden room, I can transport the bag somewhere safe.

Kendra began to weep with relief. The astrids could help her hide the knapsack, her brother and friends were alive, and she might not have to face the Dragon Temple alone. Deep down, she had been quietly resigning herself to the fact that she would have to retrieve the key on her own. Her problems remained far from solved, but at least she no longer felt entirely hopeless.

Chapter 24 Temple

Seth had never seen so many dragonflies. Ranging from the length of his pinky to half the length of his forearm, the streamlined insects hovered and darted above the reedy pools near the entrance to the Dragon Temple. One landed on his arm. He glanced down at the compound eyes, the transparent wings, and the slim, multihued body. After a moment, the dragonfly took flight, joining the swarms.

Had he not drunk powdered milk from Fablehaven that morning, Seth might have suspected the insects were magical creatures in disguise. But these were the real thing, shimmering in every color of the rainbow. Until now, he had never made a connection between dragons and dragonflies.

The yawning entrance to the Dragon Temple loomed before him. The temple was basically a natural ravine covered by an arched stone roof. Matching granite dragons nearly the size of Thronis flanked the mouth of the gloomy gorge, fierce jaws agape.

Seth caught sight of a griffin skimming over some distant treetops. After covertly dropping them off beneath a stand of pines, the griffins had flown off to continue the search for Kendra. Earlier that morning, Mara had found tracks in the gorge where Kendra had fallen the day before. Those tracks went a long way up the gorge until they tangled with the tracks of a very young dragon. Fortunately, there had been no blood or other evidence of a struggle. Mara had identified more of Kendra's tracks near the Fairy Queen's shrine, once again converging with dragon markings. From there, the trail went cold.

As unlikely as it sounded, Mata's best guess had been that the dragon was transporting Kendra. Trask agreed. Since Kendra had already visited the Fairy Queen's shrine, she presumably knew where to find the Dragon Temple. But at the entrance to the Dragon Temple, they had discovered no further traces of Kendra or a young dragon. Could she have braved the temple alone? Maybe the dragon had learned where Kendra was heading and turned on her. Trask, Mara, and the others had all fanned out to search the vicinity, leaving Seth near the entrance with their gear.

"I've got her!" Gavin called.

Seth spied Gavin scrambling down the scree beside the bluff to the right of the entrance, causing little rockslides as he went. Kendra followed behind, picking her way more carefully, the knapsack over one shoulder. Seth checked the sky, relieved to see no dragons. While searching for Kendra, they had been exposed. If a dragon spotted them this close to the Dragon Temple, their adventure would end before it began.

While waiting for Gavin and his sister to reach him, Seth considered the immense temple. What kind of creatures raised a roof over a canyon and called it home? With an entrance that big, and such vast space inside, who knew what might await them? The stone dragons out front seemed like a not-so-subtle hint.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Kendra said as she approached Seth.

"We lucked out," Seth admitted. "Thronis wants some stuff from the treasure room."

"We're not going to steal for him," Kendra said, turning to check with Gavin.

Gavin fingered the silver chain around his neck. "If we d-d-d-don't, these will strangle us."

Kendra glanced at Seth. "You all have one?"

Seth shrugged. "It was the only way to avoid getting baked in a pie. Seriously."

"The dragons won't like it," Kendra warned.

"At least the dragons will have to catch us to kill us," Seth reasoned. "Thronis had us for sure."

"Makes sense," Kendra allowed.

Seth studied Kendra. "While we were following your tracks, they said it looked like you were with a dragon."

"I made friends with a small dragon named Raxtus. Small for a dragon, I mean. He was fully grown. He refused to take part in anything related to entering the Dragon Temple. But he dropped me off nearby and wished me good luck."

Gavin frowned. "Let's hope he doesn't repeat what he knows to less friendly ears."

"I think he'll keep quiet," Kendra said. "I haven't seen Raxtus since yesterday, and no dragons have flocked to bar access to the temple."

Trask jogged over to them. "Kendra, good to see you. Is Warren well?"

"He's hanging in there."

Trask ran a hand over his bald scalp. "I'm sorry to say, but you'll probably want to enter the temple with us."

"I was planning on it," Kendra assured him.

Trask nodded. "We have no idea what wards protect the temple, but we could easily trip magical safeguards or alarms simply by entering. If word of our intrusion gets out, it will likely be safer inside than out here. I prefer we stay together."

Mara approached. Dougan and Tanu could be seen returning as well, trotting doggedly toward them.

Kendra looked down at some of the gear piled near Seth.

"Big enough sword?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

The sword in question had a thick blade at least eight feet long. Beside it lay an assortment of other armaments.

"Weapons from Thronis," Seth explained. "The huge sword is edged with adamant. The spears are tipped with adamant. Some of the smaller blades have adamant edges as well. They're all too small for him to use, so he was willing to risk them. But he wants them back if we survive."

"Now all we need is somebody who can lift the sword," Kendra joked.

"Between Agad and Thronis," Seth said, "Tanu managed to gather ingredients to make two of his giant potions. You know, like the one he used at Fablehaven to fight the resurrecting cat."

"The sword is too small for Thronis," Trask said. "But just right for me if I were a little bigger."

Seth hefted a coarse brown sack. "We have three of these. Each contains a dose of dragonsbane, the only poison that works on dragons."

"Does it work on hydras?" Kendra wondered.

"Why hydras?" Seth asked suspiciously.

"The dragon I met heard a rumor that the first guardian is a hydra."

"Thronis came across the same story," Seth said. "He thinks dragonsbane would work on a hydra, and so does Tanu, but neither of them is certain."

Kendra lightly kicked one of the sacks with her toe. "How do we get dragons to eat it?"

"One way is to hang onto a sack if one of us gets gobbled up," Seth said.

"Cheerful thought," Kendra muttered. "Do we know whether any of the guardians are dragons?"

"Pretty safe bet," Trask said. "Dragons have access to dragons, and no guardian would be more formidable."

"Except maybe a hydra," Seth chimed in.

"Whatever happens in there," Trask said, "if we get into serious trouble, you and Seth are to duck inside the knapsack and Mendigo will try to escape with you."

"Where is Mendigo?" Kendra asked.

"Scouting," Seth replied. "He got busted up when he jumped off that cliff with you, but Thronis repaired him. He's good as new."

"Together we have a wide array of expertise and abilities," Trask said. "We'll find a way to get past these guardians and get out with the key."

"Afterwards you have to take some treasure back to Thronis?" Kendra said.

"His griffins will meet us at a rendezvous point," Seth said. "It should be smooth sailing if we can survive the temple."

"Except that Navarog might be waiting at the main gate," Kendra reminded him.

"Right," Seth said pensively. "Well, hopefully we'll have some dragonsbane left over."

Tanu reached them, panting lightly. Dougan arrived a moment later.

"You guys are all warmed up," Seth said. "I hear a brisk jog is just the thing before fighting dragons. Should we do some stretching?"

"We about ready to go inside?" Tanu asked, ignoring Seth's comments.

Trask gave a nod.

Tanu rummaged in his satchel. "Time for me to earn my keep." He pulled out a bunch of small plastic cylinders capped by little rubber stoppers. "These are the closest I could come to creating dragon insurance. For three hours after swallowing a dose, we'll be fire resistant and have some protection against electricity. There is also some liquid emotion in the mix, a jolt of courage to help against dragon terror. I have a second dose for each of us in case three hours isn't enough."