Two months later, Kendra's itch to see Raxtus was growing unbearable. She had started going to school again. Amazingly, she started agreeing with Seth: life was so boring now. To make matters worse, she had just been asked out by one of her classmates near the end of the day. She'd said, "I already have a boyfriend. Two, actually. I definitely do not need another one. Sorry."
He had asked, "Who?"
That had been really awkward. What was she going to say? "Well, one's a unicorn and the other is a dragon"? She had been saved by the bell. Reminded of Raxtus, she decided to ask to visit him.
"Grandpa, I need to visit Wymroost," Kendra said when she arrived back at Fablehaven.
"Why?"
She tried not to lie. "Raxtus needs to see me for something." True.
"What for?"
"I'm… not supposed to tell." I told myself not to tell you, so, true.
Grandpa Sorensen raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, I would tell you, it's nothing dangerous or important," Kendra tried to recover, "but I wouldn't want to ignore a dragon's request." That was a lie. It wasn't dangerous, but it was certainly important to me and to Raxtus. Raxtus hadn't made any request not to tell anyone.
"Okay. I'll go through the barrel with you this weekend. Well bring Seth, too. We don't want an ogre smashing our house while I'm not here to watch him."
"Thanks, Grandpa.
Kendra entered the barrel. "Blackwell Keep, this is Kendra Sorensen. Raxtus, the co-caretaker, will permit my entrance." A few seconds later, she was pulled through. Grandpa Sorensen and Seth were then pulled through. They came up to the ground floor and Kendra approached the Perch. "You don't need to come," she told Seth and her grandpa.
She stepped out onto the Perch. It was now wooden; Seth's onyx tower was nowhere to be found. Undoubtedly, Agad, the wizard who had given Seth the tower, was able to shrink it back to its normal size.
"Raxtus!" Kendra called. A green dragon, not Raxtus, flew up out of the forest and approached her.
"Where is Raxtus?" Kendra demanded.
The dragon opened his jaw. "Kendra!" Grandpa called, but it was too late. The dragon's flames enveloped her. But she saw something emerge from the scene. It was Raxtus, who had been invisible. Kendra could feel the inferno searing her flesh. And then it wasn't. Raxtus was using his breath weapon, the ability to grow and heal living things, on her. Marat emerged at the entrance to the Perch. He quickly shielded Kendra. The green dragon gave up, and Raxtus stopped just after. Kendra noticed that her skin was smooth, as if she had applied lotion to her entire body, and a scratch on her arm from falling a few days ago was healed. The green dragon turned on Raxtus and breathed fire. "Raxtus!" Kendra cried.
The call was unnecessary; Raxtus had already turned invisible and moved out of the way. He reappeared just below the green dragon and slashed it from the hind leg up to his wing, leaving a deep gash. The dragon swatted at him, but Raxtus spiraled away through the air. His maneuvers reminded Kendra of Tempest, an incredibly fast and agile griffin that Seth had ridden through a sky of hostile dragons. Kendra blinked and Raxtus was back by the green dragon, slashing through his wing. The green dragon was now struggling to fly. With another fast motion, Raxtus was atop the green dragon and was pushing him toward the ground below. Raxtus pinned him against the soil. Raxtus used an aggressive tone and talked to the dragon, "If you want to live, Baramot, you will never touch this girl or anyone with her again!" The dragon nodded with fear in his eyes.
Raxtus reared back and unloaded a plume of healing breath. Each one of the dragon's wounds immediately healed.
"Thank you," the other dragon acknowledged, "Your mercy is greatly appreciated." He, ashamed, flew off.
"Wow," Marat commented, "you have a very trustworthy but powerful dragon on your side."
Raxtus landed on the Perch and immediately changed to a human. He ran to her and hugged her. Marat, awkward, left.
"I'm so sorry about that."
"It wasn't your fault; you defended me."
"No, I'm sorry you had to see me like that."
"You had to. You let him go. I've done worse."
"And yet I consider you innocent."
"And I do as well."
"And yet neither of us are."
"Is anyone?"
After a long pause, Raxtus mentioned, "Your brother and grandfather are watching us."
"Let's go somewhere private."
Raxtus grabbed her hand and they jumped off of the Perch. Raxtus transformed. Kendra rode atop Raxtus as he did tricks in the air. The ride was exhilarating. He would climb, then dive left, then dive right, then make a loop and spiral out of it. Then he did a whole new combination. He finally nosedived and they landed on the floor. He transformed again. He and Kendra sat together.
"You have a unicorn horn, right?"
It was true. She had never been able to give the horn back to Bracken. She had carried it in her pocket every day and transferred it to her new clothes every morning. It had been washed once, but it was fine. She brought it out now. "Bracken's first horn."
"Your boyfriend, I understand."
Kendra didn't know what to say.
"Don't think I didn't notice your little interaction as he left you here."
"It was… never anything like this," Kendra managed to get out. She was careful to use past tense.
"Can I see the horn?"
The reluctance Kendra would normally have was overpowered by Raxtus's feeling of betrayal. "Just… don't break it or anything, okay?" She handed over the horn.
Raxtus held it in his hands and closed his eyes in concentration. Suddenly, the grooves in the horn flashed blue. "Here." He handed it back.
You can hear my thoughts through it now, Kendra heard him think, it will turn blue when it is me, and will stay normal when it it Bracken. If we both try to think to you at the same time, we will hear each other's thoughts. We need to avoid that.
"It's perfect. Now I can talk to you any time!"
"But still come back and visit, okay? I still want to see you in the flesh."
"And I do, too. Thanks, Raxtus. For saving me and for the horn." [1]
"And thanks for coming. Do you want to fly around a bit before returning?"
"Sure."