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"Sorrel!" he cried "I’ its head to look his way again, but Ben h the branches until he could peer down into the ravine Firedrake was coiant nest with Sorrel crouched on his back, waving her fists in the air

"Here we cos vigorously, Firedrake landed on the edge of the nest, as close as possible to where Ben was sheltering The huge chick retreated in fright It uttered a hoarse croak and opened its beak ly Ben was alarer than the chick But when it tried lunging at Ben again, the dragon bared his teeth and roared so threateningly that it flinched back in terror

Ben ed beside Firedrake’s paws

"Oh, youngdown anxiously froht?"

"Yes, he is, but not for long!" Sorrel s kept catching in the boy’s clothes, but Sorrel ed to pull him free of the branches and heave hi to Ben’s jacket and scanned the sky anxiously But there was no sign of the ly at the chick one last tis and rose in the air He shot away like an arrow, flying in an arc down the ravine But he did not get far

"There!" cried Twigleg, pointing ahead with tre back"

With astraight for thes brushed the sides of the ravine

"Turn around!" Ben shouted to Firedrake "Turn around -- she’s on hesitated

"Firedrake, turn around!" cried Sorrel "Or are you planning to pick us up in pieces froht the bird?"

Behind the roc screeched Itsher prey, she headed for the dragon, feathers bristling, claws braced to attack Ben could see the whites of her eyes

At last, Firedrake turned "Hold on tight!" he called

Letting hied deep into the ravine until it was so narrow the giant bird couldn’t follow hireat roc bird was directly above theh the air, but her wings struck the rocky walls of the ravine Screeching furiously, she rose once ain With each atteon, she ca His wings were heavy; he was spinning around and around

"It’s stopped working!" cried Sorrel Desperately she reached behind her "Quick, quick! The flask of ed his hand into his backpack and put the flask into her paw Undoing her strap, Sorrel inched her way forward "I’ neck "Turn your head to iant roc chick in the distance, its screeches sounding increasingly desperate Once more itshoarsely, she turned

"She’s flying back!" cried Ben "She’s going back to her chick, Sorrel!"

"Huh!" Sorrel shouted back "Shefroon’s neck and let a drop of th return at once "Can you hold on, Sorrel?" he gasped, slowly descending

"Yes, yes!" the brownie girl called back "Just get us away from that horrible bird!"

The ravine narrowed yet further until it was ait like a thread passing through the eye of a needle At the far end it opened out into a wide, desolate valley lying a the mountains like a shallol filled with stones No foot seeh the scant grass

Firedrake landed at the foot of a mountain as round as a cat’s arched back Otherwhite in the sun