“How am I going to get back down there?” Crispin wondered aloud. “The librarian looked rather upset.”

“The bones!” yelled Crispin from the top bunk. “We forgot about the bones! Why didn’t we show Professor Nightseed the bones?!”

“You haven’t made much progress?” asked Dean Windsworth, his eyes wide with disbelief. “But you’ve been busy here for days now!”

Breakfast at the university was a lavish affair that explained why the inhabitants here had grown soft and weak. Naturally, Crispin loved it.

After another two days of hiking we reached an ornate gate in the path topped by a wood stained plaque: The Avium. We had arrived.