Chapter 2

Chapter Two I hear a swirling, deafening thunderclap, followed by the sound of walloping wings and crumbling brick. I throw a glance over my shoulder. The flying terror is rocketing after us. "This may not have been an A-plus plan, Rover. Possibly more of a C-minus plan. So... FASTER!" I cry, and Rover's paws slam the pavement. The monster's wings are beating, air clapping, the sound of the swooping louder and louder. I feel the airborne enemy at my back, and then—

TALON SMACK. I smack into the street, flipping and flopping like a fish. My nose cracks against my knee, and I immediately feel blood bubbling inside my nostrils. I ignore it, suck air, then scramble to my feet—just in time to see the beast's massive front talons pierce Rover's hide. Rover yelps as—

"NO!" I shriek. The monster zooms low, dragging Rover across the pavement. The sound of pained scraping fills my ears while dread floods my stomach. Rover suddenly snarls and—SLASH!—strikes with his claws, smacking the Wretch's talons. Rover is released. He plunges into the pavement— cracking, bouncing, and flipping across the ground. He rolls to a stop.

He's on his side. Not moving. "Rover!" I cry as I speed down the street. My monster-dog has been hauled and tossed, like, fifty feet. "Oh no," I say, dropping to one knee beside him. I scratch the thick, soft hair behind Rover's ears. We'll get you fixed up. Don't worry. But we need to get you out of here. Now. The monster's wings beat and snap. He's swooping toward me and Rover, returning to finish what he started. But then I hear voices yelling. I snap my head around and see my friends—

OVER HERE. Come mess with us! Distractions! We are performing the functions of distractionSl. Quint is a very literal person. But the beast is not distracted. The monster's focus is only on Rover and me. He screams through the sky. His wings smack the ground, and debris whirls as he rockets toward us. Three hundred feet and closing in. Two hundred feet and closing in. One hundred feet and closing in.

The monster's dragon-like mouth opens, and I see an army of thick fangs. I gulp. But suddenly, the monster's wings snap to his sides and his legs stab forward. KA-KRAK! It feels like an earthquake as his talons slam into the street, claws digging into the asphalt. I crane my neck to look up at the monster—and I see him, fully and 100 percent clearly for the first time. He is bigger than any Winged Wretch. In fact, it's more like... -The King Wretch!