I shriek and flap my wings. Tanner and the others are running for the tunnel, and I see the new boy, Rufus, dash ahead. He hears the same thing we do. The scream is too high for our Chosen Riders to hear, but Rufus’s ears recognize it. I rush into the tunnel after Rufus and glance back. Tanner is running alongside Gwen, with Nera, Castor, and Gulkien behind him. Falkor’s shrill scream rises again, seeming to scrape my bones. I shriek, frustrated at the tight tunnel walls. I cannot open my wings here. We must get out. I know what that call is telling us: Derthsin is close! The tunnel twisted and sloped up in front of Tanner and as they ran, it brightened: There was daylight at the top. “Rufus!” Tanner called. “Where are we going?” The Beasts were still howling, shrieking, and roaring around them. Rufus continued ahead. Either he hadn’t heard Tanner or he was ignoring him. They followed the steep tunnel as it rose, stepping and climbing over slippery, reflective rock — into daylight.
