Fablehaven: The Complete Series (187 page)

“I was just trying to ease your stress.”

Her grip tightened more. “I sort of appreciate the intention, but it does not make me less stressed.”

“You should just kiss him and get it over with.”

Kendra released him in disgust. Seth suppressed a laugh.

As they came around the first significant bend in the ravine, the daylight from the entrance grew dim. Glowing white stones set in the walls and distant ceiling provided sufficient illumination to see, although the uneven radiance left the cavernous room cloaked in pockets of shadow.

Ahead of them, a lake covered the floor of the ravine, the light from the luminous stones reflecting off the dark, glassy surface. Shaped like a trapezoid, the far side of the lake was much narrower than the near side. Just beyond the lake, the ravine tapered to a tall, narrow passage not unlike the Sidestep Cleft. A ledge running for hundreds of yards along the left wall of the ravine provided the only route around the lake.

“I don’t like it,” Trask murmured. “We’re going to get ambushed. We’ll be trapped on that ledge over the water with no way to maneuver.”

“We should cross the lake in groups of two,” Dougan recommended. “That way at least we can cover one another.”

“And avoid getting everyone wiped out by a single blast of dragon breath,” Trask agreed. “Okay, me and Gavin first. Then Mara and Seth. Then Kendra and Tanu. Then Mendigo and Dougan.”

Seth wrung his fingers as Trask set out along the ledge with Gavin, moving in a low crouch, treading lightly and quickly.

“Keep that crossbow handy,” Dougan murmured in Seth’s ear. Nodding, Seth unslung his crossbow and made sure it was ready to fire.

When Trask waved his crossbow over his head at the far side of the lake, Mara and Seth set out. They descended near to the water to boost themselves onto the ledge. The stone shelf angled upward, so they were soon a good ten or fifteen feet above the dark and silent lake. In places, the ledge narrowed to only a few feet wide, but most of the way falling was not a concern. They moved swiftly, trying to step lightly. Seth winced whenever dirt or pebbles crunched grittily underfoot.

The last section of the ledge descended like a ramp to deposit them at the far side of the lake. When they arrived, Trask signaled with his crossbow again and Kendra started across with Tanu. Seth watched the murky lake and listened, but detected nothing threatening.

Finally Dougan and Mendigo started across at a brisk pace. Seth and the others had backed away toward the narrow passage that led deeper into the roofed ravine. Trask remained nearer to the water, a pair of adamant-tipped quarrels ready in his oversized crossbow.

Seth began to relax as soon as Dougan and Mendigo reached the near shore. And then shrieking heads came boiling up out of the water.

With water raining down on them, Dougan and Mendigo broke into a run. Fumbling the giant sword, the limberjack dragged the tip behind him, the metal scraping and clanging against rocks. Unflinching, Trask took a step closer to the lake, aiming his crossbow. Tanu shepherded Kendra, Seth, and Mara deeper into the passage. Gavin dashed toward the lake, waving one arm, shaking his spear, and screeching the dragon language.

As the dark green hydra scooted its bulky body onto the shore, Seth gawked in amazement. The massive creature had no fewer than fifteen heads swaying at the end of as many serpentine necks. Three shorter necks ended in charred stumps. The draconic heads were roughly the size of coffins, varying somewhat one from another in size and shape. Several bore scars.

As Gavin continued to wave his arm and shriek, all the heads gradually fixated on him, malevolent eyes glittering. Breathing heavily, Dougan reached Seth and the others at the mouth of the narrow passage. Mendigo arrived behind him.

“We don’t care who you are,” the heads spat together, harsh voices ringing in unison. “All who enter this temple must die.”

“We’re not after the g-g-g-gauntlets,” Gavin called, switching to English. Seth wondered if Gavin also stuttered when speaking the dragon tongue.

“You think we care what you’re after?” the heads cried. “We have killed since the dawn of time, and we shall kill well into the dusk.”

The hydra looked old to Seth. Compared to Nafia, the heads and necks seemed wasted, more skeletal. One was missing an eye. Another lacked a lower jaw. One head dangled listlessly at the end of its neck, either dead or unconscious. Missing patches of scales left bare spots on the scarred necks. Lank scarves of scum glistened wetly.

“You call yourself a killer?” Gavin taunted. “I name you a slave! A broken-down old watchdog!”

The heads screamed. Seth covered his ears, and even so the wails resounded with tremendous volume. “We are Hespera! We guard sacred treasures!”

“You cower in a muddy pit reeking of slime,” Gavin laughed. “Elsewhere in this same sanctuary a younger hydra roams a glorious swamp, hunting fat prey as it pleases!”

“Liar!” the heads snarled together.

“Oh, these dragons really pulled one over on you. Listen to yourselves! So many sad voices singing the same sorry tune.” Gavin pointed to one head. “Say something on your own.” He gestured to the head missing an eye. “How about you, cyclops?” Gavin shook his head. “Your minds are further gone than your body! Pathetic!”

Two of the heads on the right began to hiss at each other. Another head began to squeal. A head on the left stretched toward Gavin, fangs bared, but he skipped out of reach.

“Silence,” demanded a single head toward the center, yellower than the others.

Gavin pointed at the speaker. “That one.”

Trask loosed a quarrel at the yellow head, and one of its eyes went dark. The head reared up, jaws opening, and Trask launched a second quarrel into the mouth. Using undersized forelegs and semicircular fins, the hydra scooted farther out of the lake. Trask tossed his crossbow to Gavin, who caught it as he sprinted away from the lake. Several heads lashed toward Trask. Casting aside his shield, he drew a pair of swords, and the blades rang against tooth and scale as he whirled and slashed, moving generally away from the water.

Seth fired his crossbow, but could not tell where the arrow landed. Tanu threw glass bulbs that began to fill the air with smoke. The hydra flopped farther onto the shore. After hacking off part of a tongue, Trask turned and ran. Everyone stampeded deeper into the passage. Behind them the hydra flailed and bellowed. The echoing wails seemed to come from all directions.

“Slow down,” Trask panted. “Don’t rush, we’re out of danger.”

“We should stop here,” Tanu suggested in a stage whisper. “The passage widens again not much farther on. We could stumble unprepared into an equally deadly foe.”

“The creature is too big to reach us here,” Trask said, leaning against a wall. “Anyone hurt?”

Nobody responded.

“Could have been worse,” Dougan said.

“The hydra isn’t there to keep us out,” Seth said. “It’s there to trap us inside.”

“It would appear that way,” Trask agreed. “The creature didn’t show itself until all of us were past.”

“Between the narrow approach and the vulnerable ledge, we’ll have a tough exit ahead of us,” Gavin lamented, handing Trask back his crossbow.

“What was with the trash talk?” Seth inquired.

“I was trying to get some of the heads out of sync,” Gavin said. “I wanted to identify the g-g-governing head. I think we succeeded. Hespera is ancient. Some of those heads looked unwell. Senile or nuts or something. I hoped some might resent their role as guardian. If we could take out the governing head, and incite the others, the monstrosity might end up trying to go ten different directions at once.”

“Trask got an eye,” Dougan said. “How’s that for marksmanship under pressure?”

“We injured the main head,” Gavin agreed. “Might have injured it badly. The second quarrel went in the mouth and out the top of her skull.”

Trask crouched, winding and reloading his crossbow. “We’ll deal with her when the time comes. Those shrieks alerted everything with ears to our presence. We should keep moving. Stay on your toes.”

Trask took the lead again. As Tanu had observed, the passage widened until they were advancing along a broad ravine once again. Seth paid attention to his footing on the uneven floor. The sporadic glowing stones left much of the ground in shadow.

“Who have we here?” uttered a slow, deep voice from a cave in the wall of the ravine about thirty yards ahead. The cave mouth had looked like a patch of shadow until Seth saw a huge gray head emerge.

His mind went blank. He couldn’t even clearly see the shadowy eyes, but he found himself stupefied, unable to move. Gavin grabbed his hand and placed it into Kendra’s, and the sensation passed.

“Weary travelers,” Gavin answered.

“I will give you rest,” the morose voice answered.

Opening his mouth wide, Gavin shrieked and squealed. The dragon hooted a brief response.

“Glommus!” Gavin cried. “Run! Hold your breath!”

Trask fired both arrows at the head as it came farther from the hole and swung toward them. Stumbling alongside Kendra, Seth heard a mighty whoosh, then felt a fine spray against his skin. A thick mist muted the light from the glowing stones. Gavin appeared at his side, wrestling the knapsack from Kendra and tugging open the flap.

As commanded, Seth had not inhaled. His eyes were itching, and the strength seemed to be draining out of him. He lost hold of Kendra as Gavin tried to stuff her into the knapsack. Seth had never felt so drowsy. Was there something he was supposed to be doing? Was he on the ground? How did he get there? The rocky floor of the ravine felt like a pillow-top mattress. Wasn’t he in the middle of something important?

His lungs clenched insistently. He heard another loud whoosh. His eyes felt heavy, his mind drowsy. Was he holding his breath for a reason? Seemed like it was important. He exhaled what remained in his lungs. Some instinct deep inside warned him not to inhale. But if he didn’t inhale, wouldn’t he suffocate? He risked a small breath, and oblivion swallowed conscious thought.

Chapter 25

Slayings

Kendra thought she heard a fuzzy voice in the distance. The words made no sense, but the speaker sounded insistent. She wished he would go away. She felt so tired.

One word began to register. The speaker kept repeating her name. She began to notice a sharp, piquant smell. Her eyes started watering and the voice became less muddy. Somebody was slapping her gently.

Her eyes opened and she sat up with a jerk. Tanu held her steady. Her sinuses felt raw. Wetness dribbled from her nostrils. She wiped her nose on her sleeve.

Tanu moved a small bottle away from her nose and capped it.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s like smelling salts,” he explained.

Kendra looked around. They were alone, in a dim ravine. She was forgetting something. “The dragon!” she exclaimed.

Tanu shushed her. “It’s all right. I killed it.”

The last thing Kendra remembered, Gavin had been trying to force her into the knapsack. She had gone limp, lost contact with him, and dreamless sleep had overwhelmed her.

“Where are the others?” Kendra asked.

“Still out cold,” Tanu said. “I dragged you well away from the fumes, but even so it took almost twenty minutes to wake you up.”

“The dragon drugged us?”

“Some kind of sleeping gas. Potent stuff. I became alerted when Tanu and Seth fell into a deep sleep at the same time in the middle of the day.”

“Tanu fell asleep? But you’re—”

Tanu was shaking his head. “Vanessa.”

Startled, Kendra reflexively scooted away.

Tanu held up his hands innocently. “Be glad I showed up. That dragon would have killed all of you. Where are we?”

Kendra hesitated. “I probably better not say. Just in case. How did you kill the dragon?”

Tanu grinned. “When they sleep, I can sense everyone I’ve ever bitten. As I mentioned, I was curious about the unusual way Tanu and Seth had suddenly lost consciousness, so I took control of Tanu, studying the situation through half-closed eyes. At first I was merely investigating a hunch, but once I glimpsed how Dougan lay sprawled next to me, I knew that something was truly wrong. Fine mist permeated the air, and I observed a dragon sniffing around. I would never label myself a dragon tamer, but I have stood in the presence of dragons and kept my wits. The fear assailed me, intense and irrational, but the dragon had not noticed me, and I managed to resist. I noticed a sword beside me on the ground. I’ve always been useful with a blade in my hand. When the great head swung over to sniff at me and Dougan, I sat up and slashed his throat. Imagine my surprise when the blade cut deep, parting his scales as if they were made of cardboard. I’ve never wielded such a sword!