3 The Flying City of Ro

CHAPTER Three The Flying City of Ro Princess Keeah tore off her helmet. Her long blond hair tumbled to her shoulders. "I'm so glad to see you!" she said. "We were on our way to meet my father when Sparr attacked us. But why are you here?" Neal held up his claw. "The spell from last time sort of… came back." "Oh, my!" the princess gasped. "Plus," Eric added, "then we heard that Sparr plans to steal diamonds from a place called Ro!" Keeah glanced at the Lumpy leader.

"We have no time to waste," Khan muttered. He pulled on the lever and they soared up into the pink clouds. "What's going on?" Julie asked. Keeah turned to her friends. "My father and I were supposed to meet Galen and Max at the city of Ro to find out where my mother is." Eric nodded. On one of their previous journeys, they had learned that Keeah's mother, Queen Relna, was not dead as everyone had thought. A witch had told them she was alive. "Where is this city of Ro?" Julie asked. "Everywhere!" Keeah answered. "Ro is a flying city. It flies constantly over all of Droon." "Cool!" Neal said, scratching his neck. "Very cool, as you say," Khan said. "And on any other day Sparr would not be able to attack it." "Why is today so important?" Eric asked. Khan pulled the purple ship higher. "Ro hides itself under a spell of invisibility." "Except," said Keeah, "that one day each year Ro becomes visible. It lands in the Kalahar Valley to collect diamonds. The magic jewels hold the power of invisibility." "Those are the diamonds Sparr is after," Julie said. Eric was drawn to the small ship's front windscreen, where a large white bird soared along with the purple ship.

"The white falcon!" he said. He remembered all the times he'd seen it before in Droon. Keeah smiled. "The falcon is always nearby, watching over what we do." Then she turned. "Neal, I'm sorry the spell came back," she said. "But you're in luck. The Guardians live in Ro. They are very old and very wise. They know more than anyone about, well, anything! They can help you." Khan sniffed. "But we must hurry. At midnight, Ro vanishes again. Once it does, it will be impossible to leave for a whole year!" The small winged craft shot over a range of snowy mountains and dipped to a desert plain. A few moments later, Khan landed on the outside of a ring of tall hills. "The Kalahar Valley is beyond these hills," Keeah said, stepping from the ship. "Come." As the sun lowered into afternoon, the small band crept through a narrow pass in the hills. "Oh, my gosh!" Julie exclaimed as they tramped out to a ledge on the other side. The valley below teemed with hundreds of Ninn warriors. They were armed with bows and arrows and swords. With them were dozens of winged lizards called groggles.

Suddenly, a great cry rose up from the red warriors. They looked skyward to see Sparr's silver airship circling the valley. But that was nothing compared to what happened next. On the far side of the valley, the drifting pink clouds slowly parted. Over the hills came a giant city. It looked as if it had been uprooted from the earth. Slowly, it floated downward into the center of the valley. "Ro!" Keeah whispered excitedly. "I hope my father made it there safely. And Galen and Max, too." "It's awesome," Eric exclaimed, looking up. The city was built on an enormous floating disk that seemed to stretch for miles across. Strangely shaped towers spiraled to the sky. Bridges soared from one side of the city to the other. Domes of green, pink, and blue topped buildings of every shape and size. And the lights! The whole city gleamed and sparkled as if every inch of it were lit! "Ro is a city of peace, ruled over by the wisest of people, the Guardians," Khan said. "But now Sparr is waiting for it," Keeah said with a shiver.

The city finally rumbled to the ground, nestling into the valley as if it had always been there. As soon as it landed, a white ray of light shot from the city to the valley floor. "They are drilling for the diamonds," Khan whispered. A moment later, millions of tiny glittering rocks flowed back through the light to the city. "They're drilling with light," said Neal. "How can we get in?" Eric asked. "There's an army of Ninns between us and the city." The Lumpy king sniffed suddenly. The kids remembered that Lumpies were expert sniffers. "We're in luck," the purple king said. "I smell a flock of wild groggles roosting nearby. And the Ninns don't know about them." "Groggles?" Neal muttered. "Those flying lizards eat bugs like me. Anyone have a Plan B?" "But Khan's a groggle whisperer!" Keeah said. "A what?" asked Eric. "I talk softly to them," Khan said with a chuckle. "And the groggles listen. The wild ones who live in the mountains are actually quite nice." The five friends crept slowly up to a flock of groggles nesting on the edge of the valley.

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