Fablehaven: The Complete Series (211 page)

“I’m not claiming to have convenient solutions,” Patton said. “You asked, I’m telling what I might try.”

“How can they be killed?” Kendra asked. “You said the Eternals are nearly immortal.”

“They don’t age, they don’t get sick, and they don’t die easily,” Patton said. “From what I understand, they are somehow connected to the magic of the artifacts, especially the Sands of Sanctity and the Font of Immortality. To slay them would require dragon breath, phoenix fire, a mortal wound from a unicorn horn, or some weapon of similar potency.”

“Anything else to tell us about Zzyxz?” Grandpa probed.

Patton frowned. “Not right now. Come again if things get worse, and I might share a few truly desperate ideas. Hopefully we’ll never have that conversation. Before you go, let’s talk strategy. You have worked every angle to find Seth and his parents?”

“Everything,” Grandpa said.

“Everything short of the Singing Sisters,” Grandma added.

Patton shook his head. “Stan is right, the Sisters are dangerous and unreliable, a last resort. You have found no leads?”

“None,” Warren said. “It’s like they’ve fallen off the planet.”

Patton scratched his cheek. “Ever get that secret out of Vanessa?”

Grandpa flushed slightly. “Not yet. She claims she’ll reveal it soon.”

“Until you have that secret, you have not exhausted all leads. Get her to talk. Kendra, have you spoken with the Fairy Queen lately?”

“The shrine at Fablehaven is ruined,” Kendra reminded him.

“Might be time to find a shrine to visit,” Patton said. “Even if it takes some effort. The Fairy Queen is a mortal enemy of the Demon King. This threat will get her attention. You are in need of allies. Who knows how she might be able to help? You mentioned she could perceive the Sphinx using the Oculus?”

“Right.”

“That doesn’t seem right,” Patton said. “Even a powerful outside entity would normally have to be invited to connect to the Oculus. Using the Oculus would make the Sphinx vulnerable to powerful minds, but he would have to let down his guard for them to really gain access.”

“I might have invited her when I used it,” Kendra replied.

“You used the Oculus?” Patton exclaimed.

Kendra explained about getting kidnapped by Torina and being forced by the Sphinx to use the Oculus. She told how the Fairy Queen helped her break free from the hold the Oculus had on her mind.

“I see,” Patton said. “Through you, as you willingly reached out to her, the Fairy Queen found a link to the Oculus. If she has preserved that link, she may have new information about the Sphinx. You must follow up on this.”

“We will,” Grandpa promised.

Patton nodded. “Let’s discuss priorities. As I mentioned before, your first priority is to retain the artifacts you have. The Society cannot succeed without them. Second priority is to get the Oculus away from the Sphinx. Until that happens, destruction will constantly loom. My hunch is that if you find Seth and his folks, you’ll find the Sphinx and the Oculus. Use the possible leads we discussed, especially Vanessa. You may want to task some of the Knights with locating and protecting the Eternals. No small assignment, but worth the effort. Since stealth no longer provides the protection that the Eternals expect, you must alert them that an enemy has the Oculus and try to direct them to safety.”

Grandpa rubbed his mouth and chin, lost in thought. Raising his eyebrows, he locked eyes with Patton. “I wish we had a man like you in our time.”

“You’ve done great work, Stan,” Patton said tenderly. “You have surrounded yourself with more quality people than I’ve ever encountered.” He switched his gaze to Warren. “I would not be surprised to learn that many of you surpass my accomplishments. Let’s face it, Stan, you are dealing with greater challenges than I ever had to weather.” He gave a perturbed smile. “Most of my hardships were self-inflicted.”

“Speaking of quality people,” Kendra said, “is Lena around?”

“Lena is fantastic,” Patton replied. “More radiant than ever. How she can fake affection for an old bag of bones like me defies explanation. She is downstairs as we speak, with strict instructions not to disturb me. She has learned to indulge my senile whims.”

“We can’t see her?” Kendra asked.

“No, because time travel is rare, dangerous magic,” Patton said. “I have no reason to believe Lena ever laid eyes on you until the day you first came to Fablehaven. In theory, I don’t believe a time machine can really alter the past. I believe that anyone who tries will just discover that whatever actions they take were already part of the past. But I’m also not sure the wizards who designed the Chronometer fully understood the powers they were tampering with. I doubt paradoxes could be created, but I’m not eager to take any risks. As much as you all would enjoy seeing Lena, she knows none of you yet. She will, in due time. Perhaps it would be best to leave it that way.”

“If the Chronometer can’t change the past, what’s the point?” Kendra asked.

“We know the Chronometer can affect the present,” Patton said. “Your present. Like when I visited you during the shadow plague. And like I am trying to do now, by sharing information. The Chronometer can also make use of the past to affect the future. For those who wish to access Zzyzx, it is a necessary tool.”

“You’re starting to break my brain,” Warren said.

Patton chuckled. “Mine too.” His face took on a wistful expression, his eyes moistening. “I wish I could have done more, somehow averted all of this. I spent my life trying. I honestly gave it my best.”

“You did more than we could have hoped or imagined,” Grandma said, laying a hand on his.

Patton winked at Grandpa. “You married a good one.”

“Course I did. She’s a Burgess.”

Patton pulled out his pocket watch and his monocle. “Time has a way of slipping by. You should have a few minutes still, but it might not hurt for you to move toward your original positions. You remember the latitude and longitude of Zzyzx?”

Coulter repeated the coordinates. Kendra went and stood where she had been when she had crossed into this time period. The others did likewise.

“Anything else you want to review?” Patton asked.

“We may visit you again,” Coulter said. “If we want to come again, I’d give knob C-5 a three-quarter turn.”

“You got it,” Patton said. “I should have had Lena make refreshments. I did that for the first few years I waited for you. I guess I started to believe I might really make it to a hundred.”

“It was good to see you,” Kendra said, trying to keep from choking up. Her emotions were a mess lately.

Patton rocked himself to his feet, came over, and gave her a hug. “That brother of yours will be fine. Don’t be surprised if he shows up on your doorstep with the Oculus in his hip pocket.”

Kendra hugged Patton back. He felt bony.

“Not too tight,” Patton laughed. “I’ve gotten brittle. I’m glad I got to see all of you again. Sorry it took the end of the world to provoke a reunion.”

Warren and Coulter chuckled bitterly.

“Do something nice to Lena for me,” Kendra said.

“I’ll think of something special,” Patton promised, stepping away.

“Thanks, Patton,” Grandma said.

“My pleasure, Ruth.”

They stood in silence. Kendra hated the tension, waiting for Patton to be gone. Part of her wanted to stay, to somehow hide from all the heartache waiting back in the present.

“Seth is going to be mad he missed this,” Kendra said.

“Send him my very best,” Patton said.

“I think he—”

All the breath went out of Kendra. The robe was gone, her clothes were back, and she was doubled over, trying to breathe. Once again, Grandpa, Grandma, and Coulter had fallen down.

“Are you all right?” Tanu asked. “What happened? Did it work?”

Warren got his breath back first. “We spoke with Patton for half an hour.”

Tanu shook his head, helping Grandma up. “You guys didn’t even flicker. Coulter flipped the switch, and you all crumpled like somebody slugged you in the gut. Was it productive?”

Grandpa gave a curt nod. “We have work to do.”

Chapter 8

Bracken

Seth sat on the rickety cot in his gloomy cell, watching faint torchlight flicker through the barred peephole in the door. On the far side of the stone enclosure, water dripped with the regularity of a metronome, forming a puddle that slowly seeped into the cracks of the floor, perhaps to drip down to a deeper cell. Beside him sat the latest meal, a brick of tough meat, a wedge of moldy cheese, and a greasy mound of purple mush. He had gnawed at the scabby meat, unsure what he was eating. The stinky cheese had a sharp flavor. He had failed to convince himself that the mold was supposed to be there. The purple pulp had not tasted bad, almost sweet, but the texture was unbearably stringy, as if long, coarse hairs had been a deliberate ingredient.

This was not the dungeon at Fablehaven. This was the real thing. They had marched him along dank passageways, down crumbling stairs, and through a series of guarded iron doors. The smells were earthy and old, pungent odors of rot, mildew, filth, and stone. The wooden door to his cell was five or six inches thick. Meals arrived on woven mats through a slot at the bottom. A new meal did not come unless he made the previous mat accessible.

From time to time the echoes of distant screams interrupted the monotonous dripping. Less often, a deep voice would croak sad songs about the sea. Occasionally he would hear footfalls and see a torch pass by his peephole, the direct firelight seeming very bright.

Seth had not seen another person since he was locked in his cell. He longed for a conversation. How many days had it been? Several meals. He wondered how many times a day he received food.

Climbing off the cot, Seth crawled across the rough stone floor to the flimsy pan of water near the door. Without a cup, he had to drink on all fours like a dog. The pan was so broad that lifting it meant he would almost certainly spill, and he only got a refill with each meal. He had discovered that puckering his lips and sucking worked best. The water tasted flat and gritty, but it was wet and, together with whatever food he could stomach, would hopefully keep him alive.

Seth visited the small hole in the front left corner of his cell. The smell rising from it made him want to retch. After a brief hesitation, he decided to relieve himself later.

Alone with his thoughts, he returned to his cot. He wondered if the Sphinx had truly convinced himself that opening Zzyzx was a good thing. It had to be an excuse he gave to others. Nobody could really believe something so insane.

Seth wondered about his family. His parents might be imprisoned in this same dungeon. Judging by the many halls he had passed and the several levels he had descended on his way to his cell, the dungeon was immense. He tried to imagine the deepest cell, where Nagi Luna still lurked.

He tried not to imagine getting rescued. What were the chances that Kendra or Grandpa or anyone would ever find this place? People had been looking for the fifth preserve for hundreds of years. A rescue was highly unlikely. He would do better simply to hope that the others would not be captured as well.

How long would this cell be his home? It really might be for the rest of his life. Then again, if the Sphinx opened Zzyzx, the rest of his life might not be very long.

He picked up the brick of meat, nibbling at a salty corner. Would he learn to tolerate this food? Look forward to it?

Seth wondered if he could convince the Sphinx he wanted to be his apprentice. If he served him, eventually he might find a chance to escape, maybe even swipe an artifact or two. It would be worth a try, although the Sphinx seemed too clever to be conned that way.

The creepiness of his surroundings was his only defense against boredom. Over time, as worry and fear distracted him less, his boredom grew. Yes, the cell was miserable, but he was getting used to it. He wondered if eventually he might actually die of boredom.