Chapter 9

9 PlushyPup nudged Aisha with his nose. "It's time to go. You must return the mirror to the vault. I will show you the way back." Aisha nodded. She knew PlushyPup was right. The Magic Mirror was clearly very powerful. The sooner it was safely back in the vault, the better!

TrustyPup, who was snuggled by her mother's side, looked up brightly. "Can I come, too?" she barked. "I feel totally fine now." "You are one tough cookie." Aisha smiled. "But you should rest. Thanks so much for your help. We couldn't have done it without you." Their mother walked over and nuzzled each of the Dragon Girls in turn. "Thank you for protecting the treasures of the Magic Forest!" "It's our pleasure," said Mei and Quinn happily. "And it's our job!" added Aisha, her insides bursting with pride. Outside the cave, the sky was the color of lead. "I think a snowstorm is coming," said Quinn. "Let's get going before it arrives," said Mei. "I don't want to be flying through a storm." Neither did Aisha! She had another worry, too. The sprites were going to be hard to spot against that gray sky. They said one last goodbye to TrustyPup and her mom, who were waving at the den's entrance.

Little TrustyPup was barking happily and leaping up and around her mom's legs. The sky grew darker and heavier as the Treasure Dragons flew back the way they'd come. It wasn't long before snow began to fall again, thick and heavy. Large flakes landed on the Dragon Girls' wings, making them cold and stiff. Aisha felt like her whole body was turning into an ice block! The wind had picked up, and it swirled the snow around them as they flew. It was almost impossible to see where they were going. Even worse, Aisha kept feeling Shadow Sprites brushing against her. She could tell that Mei and Quinn were finding it hard as well, but no one complained.

The snowfall grew so heavy that Aisha didn't even notice when PlushyPup flew up alongside her. "I can't guide us through this storm," he called above the wind. "We must find another way!" "What other way is there?" Aisha called back. "These mountains are full of tunnels," PlushyPup explained. "I've heard one of them

leads directly to the vault. If we can find it, then we can get out of this storm." "Sounds good," Aisha panted. The effort of flying in the terrible weather was wearing her out. "Sure does," Mei called. "How do we find it?" Quinn asked. Aisha felt something tug gently at her neck. She looked down to see the compass, glowing on its chain in the darkness. Of course! She had totally forgotten about it. This was the perfect time to ask it for help. She lifted the compass with one claw. "Where is the tunnel that leads to the vault?" she asked. Instantly, the golden hand on the compass began to spin around and around. It whirred so fast that the compass jumped out of Aisha's paw! With the chain straining at Aisha's neck, the compass pointed directly down. "The tunnel is below us!" Aisha shouted to the others. "Come on!"

Aisha swooped down low, PlushyPup and the other Dragon Girls close behind. Just before Aisha landed, the compass swerved to the side and led them into a dark cave. "I sure hope that compass knows where it's going," muttered Mei.