‘Come on,’ said Raphael to his sister, and helped her to scramble onto the eagle’s back.
When they were seated between the great wings, night was already on them, and stars appeared in the curtain of the sky. The eagle leapt into the air, and soon they were flying rapidly through the darkness.
I never knew night to come so fast, thought Raphael. Moving through the night air made him yawn. He felt very sleepy. No one spoke. There was only the vague feeling of moving through space.
Raphael scarcely remembered when the sun rose pale in the east. The eagle set his wings and coasted down through the air. In a few moments it was quite bright and Raphael blinked with the intensity of light. He realized with a start that they were home again. Below the porch on which they lit was the apple orchard, and to the west lay the barn.
The two children crawled through the window into the nursery. Cassandra was still very sleepy and stumbled over to her bed which lay white and inviting with the covers turned back. Raphael tucked her in, kissed her, and then turned to thank Empyrean, their friend. But Chief of All the Eagles in the Sky had gone.
Raphael, bewildered, rubbed his eyes. There was Aunt Mary. She would be waiting anxiously. He turned and rushed down the corridor to tell her that he was back and that he had brought Cassandra with him.
‘Aunt Mary! Aunt Mary!’ He burst into her room. ‘I’ve brought Cassie home.’ He felt very proud and excited.
‘What!’ said Aunt Mary sharply, rising to the surface of the bedclothes like an angry seal.
‘I’ve brought Cassie back,’ shouted Raphael. ‘I’ve defeated the Sorcerer. I’ve destroyed his whole city.’
Was he not wearing the white pajamas the Sorcerer had forced upon him?