Fablehaven: The Complete Series (186 page)

“I’ve got her!” Gavin called.

Seth spied Gavin scrambling down the scree beside the bluff to the right of the entrance, causing little rockslides as he went. Kendra followed behind, picking her way more carefully, the knapsack over one shoulder. Seth checked the sky, relieved to see no dragons. While searching for Kendra, they had been exposed. If a dragon spotted them this close to the Dragon Temple, their adventure would end before it began.

While waiting for Gavin and his sister to reach him, Seth considered the immense temple. What kind of creatures raised a roof over a canyon and called it home? With an entrance that big, and such vast space inside, who knew what might await them? The stone dragons out front seemed like a not-so-subtle hint.

“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Kendra said as she approached Seth.

“We lucked out,” Seth admitted. “Thronis wants some stuff from the treasure room.”

“We’re not going to steal for him,” Kendra said, turning to check with Gavin.

Gavin fingered the silver chain around his neck. “If we d-d-d-don’t, these will strangle us.”

Kendra glanced at Seth. “You all have one?”

Seth shrugged. “It was the only way to avoid getting baked in a pie. Seriously.”

“The dragons won’t like it,” Kendra warned.

“At least the dragons will have to catch us to kill us,” Seth reasoned. “Thronis had us for sure.”

“Makes sense,” Kendra allowed.

Seth studied Kendra. “While we were following your tracks, they said it looked like you were with a dragon.”

“I made friends with a small dragon named Raxtus. Small for a dragon, I mean. He was fully grown. He refused to take part in anything related to entering the Dragon Temple. But he dropped me off nearby and wished me good luck.”

Gavin frowned. “Let’s hope he doesn’t repeat what he knows to less friendly ears.”

“I think he’ll keep quiet,” Kendra said. “I haven’t seen Raxtus since yesterday, and no dragons have flocked to bar access to the temple.”

Trask jogged over to them. “Kendra, good to see you. Is Warren well?”

“He’s hanging in there.”

Trask ran a hand over his bald scalp. “I’m sorry to say, but you’ll probably want to enter the temple with us.”

“I was planning on it,” Kendra assured him.

Trask nodded. “We have no idea what wards protect the temple, but we could easily trip magical safeguards or alarms simply by entering. If word of our intrusion gets out, it will likely be safer inside than out here. I prefer we stay together.”

Mara approached. Dougan and Tanu could be seen returning as well, trotting doggedly toward them.

Kendra looked down at some of the gear piled near Seth.

“Big enough sword?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

The sword in question had a thick blade at least eight feet long. Beside it lay an assortment of other armaments.

“Weapons from Thronis,” Seth explained. “The huge sword is edged with adamant. The spears are tipped with adamant. Some of the smaller blades have adamant edges as well. They’re all too small for him to use, so he was willing to risk them. But he wants them back if we survive.”

“Now all we need is somebody who can lift the sword,” Kendra joked.

“Between Agad and Thronis,” Seth said, “Tanu managed to gather ingredients to make two of his giant potions. You know, like the one he used at Fablehaven to fight the resurrecting cat.”

“The sword is too small for Thronis,” Trask said. “But just right for me if I were a little bigger.”

Seth hefted a coarse brown sack. “We have three of these. Each contains a dose of dragonsbane, the only poison that works on dragons.”

“Does it work on hydras?” Kendra wondered.

“Why hydras?” Seth asked suspiciously.

“The dragon I met heard a rumor that the first guardian is a hydra.”

“Thronis came across the same story,” Seth said. “He thinks dragonsbane would work on a hydra, and so does Tanu, but neither of them is certain.”

Kendra lightly kicked one of the sacks with her toe. “How do we get dragons to eat it?”

“One way is to hang onto a sack if one of us gets gobbled up,” Seth said.

“Cheerful thought,” Kendra muttered. “Do we know whether any of the guardians are dragons?”

“Pretty safe bet,” Trask said. “Dragons have access to dragons, and no guardian would be more formidable.”

“Except maybe a hydra,” Seth chimed in.

“Whatever happens in there,” Trask said, “if we get into serious trouble, you and Seth are to duck inside the knapsack and Mendigo will try to escape with you.”

“Where is Mendigo?” Kendra asked.

“Scouting,” Seth replied. “He got busted up when he jumped off that cliff with you, but Thronis repaired him. He’s good as new.”

“Together we have a wide array of expertise and abilities,” Trask said. “We’ll find a way to get past these guardians and get out with the key.”

“Afterwards you have to take some treasure back to Thronis?” Kendra said.

“His griffins will meet us at a rendezvous point,” Seth said. “It should be smooth sailing if we can survive the temple.”

“Except that Navarog might be waiting at the main gate,” Kendra reminded him.

“Right,” Seth said pensively. “Well, hopefully we’ll have some dragonsbane left over.”

Tanu reached them, panting lightly. Dougan arrived a moment later.

“You guys are all warmed up,” Seth said. “I hear a brisk jog is just the thing before fighting dragons. Should we do some stretching?”

“We about ready to go inside?” Tanu asked, ignoring Seth’s comments.

Trask gave a nod.

Tanu rummaged in his satchel. “Time for me to earn my keep.” He pulled out a bunch of small plastic cylinders capped by little rubber stoppers. “These are the closest I could come to creating dragon insurance. For three hours after swallowing a dose, we’ll be fire resistant and have some protection against electricity. There is also some liquid emotion in the mix, a jolt of courage to help against dragon terror. I have a second dose for each of us in case three hours isn’t enough.”

“Fire
resistant?
” Seth asked. “How about fire
proof?
”

Tanu shook his head. “Against dragon fire, resistant is the best I can claim.”

“Fire is the most common draconic breath weapon,” Gavin said. “But the guardians of the Dragon Temple may not be very common.”

“Protection against fire is better than nothing,” Trask said, accepting a cylinder, uncapping it, and downing the contents. The others followed suit. Seth found that the clear liquid tasted sugary at first, then spicy hot, then cool and tangy.

“Anything else?” Seth asked.

“A gaseous potion for each of us,” Tanu said. “As a last resort, chug it and try to drift away. Use it wisely. As a gas, you’ll move slowly, and a direct blast of dragon fire would probably sear you into nothing.” Tanu handed a small bottle to each of them.

“You have the smoke grenades?” Trask asked.

“I was getting to them.” Tanu pulled out small glass bulbs full of purple fluid. “This liquid turns to smoke when exposed to air. The vapors will smell nasty to us but much worse to creatures with more highly developed olfactory senses. Like dragons, for example. The fumes should basically blind their noses. Trask and I will take charge of these grenades.”

“Call back Mendigo,” Trask prompted Seth.

“Mendigo!” Seth cried. “Return to us!”

“I can turn two of us into giants,” Tanu said, holding up a pair of crystal vials. “I vote for Trask and Dougan, our two most tested fighters. Any objections?”

“Makes sense to me,” Gavin agreed.

Trask nodded and accepted a vial. Dougan claimed the other. “Let’s get ready to move out,” Trask said. He picked up his heavy crossbow and a large oval shield that covered more than half of his body.

“Mendigo, take the big sword,” Seth ordered as the man-sized puppet joined them.

Mendgio picked it up, staggering for a moment before balancing the preposterous weapon against his wooden shoulder. Tanu pulled on a heavy shirt of overlapping metal rings and strapped on a sword. Dougan seized his battle-ax. Gavin and Mara each lifted a spear. Seth buckled a sword around his waist and claimed a crossbow. He handed Kendra a sizable knife in a sheath.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Kendra asked, pulling the knife out.

“Stab,” Seth suggested.

Kendra sheathed the knife and opened the knapsack. “We’re going in,” she called down.

“Good luck,” Warren responded from below, his voice hoarse.

“If we see a dragon, let me try to talk first,” Gavin advised. “I may be able to negotiate or trick it. If nothing else, I should be able to calm it.”

“You’ll get your chance to talk,” Trask said. “Meanwhile, I’ll be aiming.”

As they marched toward the entrance and the stone dragons, Seth drew his sword. The weight felt comforting in his hand. He envisioned himself slashing a dragon across the snout.

Walking beside him, Kendra leaned over. “We should stay close in case of dragons.”

“Right.” He had almost let himself forget how Nafia had muddled his mind. He supposed he could cling to Kendra with one hand and wield the sword with the other.

They passed between the granite dragons and into the shadow of the high, arched roof. Several dragonflies flitted through the air. Nothing decorated the ground or the walls but the natural stone and dirt of the ravine. Trask led the way, crossbow held ready. Next came Gavin and Tanu. Mendigo strolled beside Kendra and Seth. Dougan and Mara had the rear.

Up ahead, the ravine curved. Just prior to the curve, the ground fell away almost vertically for roughly thirty feet. The precipice stretched from one wall of the ravine to the other.

“Rope,” Trask said.

Gavin disappeared into the knapsack.

Edging forward, Seth peered over the brink. The smooth slope was not quite ninety degrees, but it might have been eighty.

Gavin emerged from the knapsack with a sturdy length of knotted rope. Dougan fastened one end around a tall boulder and tossed the coil off the edge. The rope reached the base of the slope with several feet to spare.

Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, Trask picked up the rope. “If you lean away from the wall,” he instructed Seth and Kendra in a low voice, “you can walk down. Or if you prefer, you can descend from knot to knot with your hands and feet.”

Leaning away from the precipice, trusting the rope, Trask began walking backward. Keeping his body perpendicular to the slope, step by step, hand over hand, he walked confidently to the ground. Gavin hurried down next in similar fashion, followed by Tanu.

Copying their technique, Seth grabbed the rope and leaned out over the drop. Part of him wanted to embrace the rope and descend knot to knot, but once he started walking backwards, he could feel how his grip on the rope kept his feet planted against the slope, and realized that this way was superior.

When Seth reached the bottom, he glanced over at Gavin, eying the silver chain around his neck. It would be a shame to let such a remarkable object go to waste.

Seth pulled Gavin aside. “Level with me. Are you interested in my sister?”

“I’m not sure this is the t-t-time to get into that,” Gavin responded, eyes straying to the top of the steep slope.

Seth fingered his own silver collar. “Seems like the perfect time.”

“Since when are you a matchmaker?”

“I’m just curious.”

Gavin flushed a little. “If you must know, yes, I am very interested in Kendra. I can’t wait to see where our relationship goes.”

“I thought so,” Seth replied smugly. “For the record, I think she likes you, too.”

Growing redder, Gavin started distancing himself. “She’ll come down any minute. We can talk more later.”

Seth looked up, waiting for Kendra. Mendigo descended one-handed, clutching the enormous sword in the other, releasing and grabbing the rope at such a pace that he was practically running backwards. Mara came down next with the knapsack. While Dougan worked his way down, Kendra emerged from the knapsack.

“You cheated,” Seth whispered.

“Dragons and hydras are stressful enough,” she replied.

“I think somebody has a crush on you,” Seth mentioned casually.

Kendra’s eyes widened. “You didn’t say anything to him?”

Seth shrugged. “He didn’t get strangled. I think he’s got it bad.”

Kendra grabbed Seth’s arm tightly. Was there a flicker of excitement in her gaze? It took her a moment to find words. “Don’t talk to boys about me. Ever. For any reason.”