7 The Chase

CHAPTER 7 THE CHASE Griffith ran to the box that held the Dragon Stone. He opened the lid. "The Dragon Stone is gone!" he cried. "The Raven Guard must have come right for it," Bo said. "Raven Guard? What do you mean, Bo?" Rori asked, her green eyes flashing. "What is going on?" Bo told Rori and Ana everything— about the feather, the Raven Guard, and Emperor Song.

"So you tried to steal the stone last night?" Ana asked Bo. "And that spy came from your kingdom?" Bo nodded. "Now, Dragon Masters, we must act quickly," Griffith said. He picked up a small box and opened it. A green feather floated in the air. "I put a magic Finding Charm on the Dragon Stone," he said. "This feather will lead us to it. But we must hurry!" Bo nodded. "The Raven Guard moves swiftly."

"We will use our two fastest dragons— and their new saddles," Griffith said. "Rori, you and I will take Vulcan. Ana, you and Drake take Kepri." "What about me?" asked Bo. "You will stay here," said Griffith. "Make sure Simon is all right." Bo nodded. "Yes, Griffith." Drake and the others raced to the dragon caves. He and Ana quickly saddled Kepri and climbed on her back. Rori and Griffith climbed on Vulcan.

"Feather, find the stone!" Griffith commanded. The feather zipped toward the tunnels. Vulcan took off after the feather like a shot. Kepri was on his tail. When the feather left the tunnels, the dragons took to the air. fclnef. They flew across the Valley of Clouds.

Drake looked down. His stomach flipped. "We're so high up!" he yelled to Ana. "Isn't it amazing?!" she yelled back. Wind brushed Drake's cheeks as the dragons flew across the Valley of Clouds. They flew over the hills, to the deep, wide forest beyond.

Drake kept his eyes on the feather. Up ahead, he could see something moving across the treetops: the Raven Guard! The small, black figure moved like the wind from one tree to the next. Griffith saw him, too. So he plucked the Finding Feather from the air. He pointed down. Vulcan dove through the trees.