Now my astrids will hear your mind, and you will hear their thoughts in return. But they will not hear mine. Go in peace, Kendra.
Warm feelings buoyed Kendra better than a physical hug. "Thank you."
Kendra stood and turned. The astrids perched on the brink of the ledge, regarding her solemnly. Raxtus waited farther down the slope. Stepping between the astrids, Kendra hopped off the ledge, then swiveled to face them.
"How do I talk to you?"
That will suffice.
Multiple voices responded together in her mind, the same way she heard the Fairy Queen.
Thank you for advocating our cause. We have waited so long for some acknowledgment from our Queen.
"Happy to do it," Kendra said. "Did you hear about my problem?"
We could hear you, but not the Queen.
"Do you always speak in unison?"
We are a cadre of twelve. We have shared our minds for so long that it requires little effort to think as one.
Their telepathic voices were different from the Queen's. No emotions accompanied the words, and the tone came across more grim and masculine even without Kendra's physically hearing anything. Now that Kendra could perceive their inner voices, she decided the smooth faces must be male after all.
"You can think on your own as well, though."
We can do what we will.
"I need your help."
We are indebted to you, but we cannot enter the Dragon Temple. Raxtus could, in theory.
"But he's a dragon. We shouldn't tell him I mean to go there."
He hears our thoughts. He already knows.
Kendra turned and looked down the slope at the gleaming dragon.
He says not to be afraid.
"Why can't I hear his mind?"
Who can say? He can't hear yours, either.
Kendra bit her lower lip. "Can't you do anything to help me?"
You will have what support we can lend.
"Thanks." The twelve somber faces were unsettling. Did she even want eerie mutant owls as allies?
We are not all we once were.
"I'm sorry," Kendra blurted. "I didn't mean to think ungrateful thoughts."
We understand.
Kendra turned and hustled back toward Raxtus, regretting that the owls could read her mind, and feeling embarrassed that they could perceive those regrets. She heard wings flapping, and glanced back to see several astrids flying away in different directions.
"You mean to enter the Dragon Temple," Raxtus said. "I should have known you were up to something terrible. That's how my luck goes. Kendra, if I fail to stop you or at least report your intentions, I become an accomplice and could be killed for treason."
"I'm only trying to recover something a friend hid there," Kendra explained. "I have no other motives."
"The astrids told me telepathically. They can hear your mind now. I trust them, and I trust you. You must be an incredible person to be fairykind. You're very personable. I'm sure you and your friends really need this key. However, no other dragon will care about your motives. The Dragon Temple isn't casually off-limits--access is strictly forbidden. Don't fret, I won't turn you in. But I would love to talk you out of it."
"I have to try," Kendra insisted.
"Alone? Have you any idea the obstacles you would have to overcome to reach the treasure vault? Three invincible guardians block the way."
"Do you know any tricks to get by them?"
Raxtus laughed nervously. "Nobody knows anything about the guardians. Except there's a widespread rumor that the first is a hydra. Which is almost worse than not knowing. How could you possibly hope to get past a hydra?"
"What's a hydra?"
Raxtus lowered his head and closed his eyes. "You don't even know? Kendra, you have no business going up against these kinds of creatures alone. Even with your whole team, going into the Dragon Temple will be a one-way trip. Just leave the key in the treasury. Let your enemies die trying to get it."
"The Sphinx has Navarog on his side, and he knows the key is here. If I do nothing, the Sphinx is sure to claim the key."
"Navarog is bad news," Raxtus conceded. "The owls relayed our dilemma to you?"
"The basics, yeah."
"What if you help me? This isn't just for me or my friends. We're trying to save the world from a man who wants to unleash a horde of demons."
The dragon turned away. "Honestly, you're nice, and your reasons sound legitimate, but you don't understand me. I tried to explain what a coward I am. I wasn't being modest. And I'm not only afraid of us dying. It would be so illegal for me to venture into the Dragon Temple. It would be a betrayal of my whole species." He swung his head back around to gaze into her eyes. "I may be pathetic, but I've never lost my honor. My involvement in this would end poorly. On top of losing my honor, I would be useless to you. It would be a disaster."
"The Fairy Queen said you have more strength than you realize."
He perked up. "Really? She said that?"
"Her words."
"Well, that's encouraging. Although, she's basically my fairy godmother. An endorsement from a parental relative is nice, but hard to put on a resume. Look, I'll pretend I never heard where you were going. I'm pretty good at deluding myself. But don't ask me to join you. I just can't go into the Dragon Temple. Life is short enough without chasing certain doom. Kendra, you seem determined, I can read it on your face. If you insist on going through with this, I won't stop you, but my involvement will have to end. I've already shamed my dad by what I am. I can't risk shaming him further by what I do."
"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."