"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.
The Fairy Queen had once warned Kendra that before approaching a shrine, she should search her feelings to check if her presence would be acceptable. Aside from the creepiness of the staring astrids, she felt calm and confident. And she had a genuine need, not only to find the directions to the Dragon Temple that Patton had left, but hopefully to get some additional advice. With no sixth sense warning her away, she boosted herself onto the ledge and looked to the far side where water bubbled up out of the rocks. The water trickled into a shallow pool, hardly more than a puddle, before drizzling off the ledge. Near the spring stood a tiny white statuette of a fairy beside a golden bowl.
Where could Patton have left the directions? At first glance she observed no sign of a message. How might he have conveyed the information? It was almost certainly written in the secret fairy language. He might have jotted it on paper and stored it in a container. Or chiseled it onto a rock.
Kendra glanced at the miniature statue. The thought of petitioning the Fairy Queen suddenly made her shy. The astrids had a point--the last time she had solicited help from the Fairy Queen, it had led to the destruction of the shrine at Fablehaven. She worried the Queen might be resentful.
But this was no time to be bashful. At best, Seth and the others had been captured. At worst, they were dead. Navarog lurked outside the gates of Wyrmroost. Or perhaps inside by now. She could not let him get the key. The Sphinx had too many artifacts already. Kendra needed help. Surely the Fairy Queen would appreciate the severity of the situation.