9 Into Thin Air!

CHAPTER Nine Into Thin Air! Wham! Wham! The Ninns battered the door, but Eric and Neal held it as tight as they could. "Dungeons don't have exits," Max said, crawling to the window. "This is a storage room." "Too bad it's not a magic storage room," Julie said. "The invisible cloak isn't big enough for all of us. And there's nothing here but these dumb old rugs." "Rugs?" said Keeah. "They might be old, but… maybe they're not so dumb. Check the label." Clonk! The Ninns banged harder on the door.

Julie read the label. "It says, 'Rugs by Pasha. Do not remove this tag.' "Keeah's face lit up. She nearly laughed. "Find a green one with purple spirals in the corners." "This is no time to pick out a rug!" Eric said. "Not just any rug," Keeah said. "A Pasha original." She helped Julie tug out one big carpet. They spread it on the floor. Kkkrrkk! The door started to splinter. Eric felt his strength slipping away. "We can't hold this door much longer!" "Everyone on!" Keeah said, sitting on the rug. Julie jumped on. "Now what? We fly?" Suddenly, the carpet lifted from the floor. "Yikes!" Julie gasped. "I guess we do!" Keeah laughed. "The carpet must like your voice. Pasha's rugs don't fly for just anybody." Julie shrugged. "All I said was… fly." Swoosh! The carpet circled the room! Blam! The door shook. One of its hinges blasted off. Max strained with his thin arms and pried the window open. Cold air swirled in from outside. "Max! Eric! Neal!" Julie cried. "Get on the rug!" "No," said Max. "I must go save Leep. Besides, I don't ride rugs. I get airsick, you know!"

Waving with three of his arms, Max scrambled out the window and down to the ground below. Neal jumped onto the rug, holding the soccer ball between his legs. "Whoa! It's wobbly up here!" He clung to the long fringe and held out a hand to Eric. "Grab on, pal!" Kkkrunch! The door burst open, and a dozen Ninns rushed in, with Lord Sparr in the lead. Eric leaped to the carpet.

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"I will stop you!" Sparr cried. He thrust his fist at them. "Red Eye of Dawn, give me the power!" Kla-bbblam! Bolts of jagged fire exploded in the room just as the carpet slid out the window. The rug pulled away into the air. But Sparr aimed his fist again. "He's going to blast us!" Neal yelled. Suddenly, the white falcon was there, tearing out of the clouds! It swooped with incredible speed, right at Sparr. "It's attacking him!" Keeah cried. Ka-whoom! The flame from the red jewel seemed to engulf Sparr's hand. He stumbled back, his face twisted in pain, as the fiery bolts flew harmlessly into the air. "Missed by a mile!" yelled Julie. She steered the rug higher and higher into the sky. "I will hunt you down!" Sparr shouted. But the falcon swooped again, driving him back from the window. Swoosh! The carpet lifted up from the fortress. "Yahoo!" Eric yelled as they soared into the sky. He was still yelling when they disappeared behind the clouds.