Fablehaven: The Complete Series (215 page)

“You’re all right?” Grandma asked anxiously.

“No problems,” Warren said.

Grandma looked relieved. “I’m sorry I missed seeing you off.”

“How did it go?” Grandpa asked.

Kendra related her conversation with the Fairy Queen, including what she had learned about Nagi Luna, and her new mission to restore the astrids. The others listened intently until she finished.

“I’ve never heard of this Nagi Luna,” Grandma said with a scowl. “I’ll try to uncover what I can.”

“It might be difficult,” Grandpa said. “I’m sure she’ll be ancient.”

“Who would have guessed we would ever end up chasing astrids?” Warren said.

“I always knew they had some significance to the Fairy Queen,” Grandpa said. “But until Kendra reported her conversations at Wyrmroost, I had no idea they were once her most prized soldiers.”

“The Fairy Queen had a major grudge against them,” Kendra said. “The fact that she is restoring them means she’s really worried about the Sphinx succeeding.”

“Can’t you call the astrids telepathically?” Warren asked.

“I can hear their thoughts,” Kendra replied, “but I’m not sure how close I need to be.”

“How many astrids are we talking about?” Tanu asked.

“There are eighty-seven good ones left,” Kendra said. “Six gave up on the Fairy Queen, and three died protecting me from Navarog.”

Tanu whistled. “Eighty-seven, huh? It’s a big world.”

“There were twelve at Wyrmroost,” Kendra said.

“When last you checked,” Coulter said. “Astrids move around capriciously.”

“I got a sense those twelve had been there for some time,” Kendra insisted. “It might be worth transporting to the shrine at Wyrmroost. They seemed to stay near it.”

Grandpa frowned. “Let’s reserve outings to dragon sanctuaries for another day. Tanu and Warren can run the preliminary investigations for tracking the astrids.”

Kendra took a steadying breath. “Then I had better go speak with Vanessa.”

Warren gave her half a grin. “You know, you’ve earned a short break. Have a snack! An apple, maybe?”

Kendra shook her head. “I’m feeling good after talking with the Fairy Queen. I want to talk to Vanessa while I’m on a roll, before I psych myself out.”

“I’ll take her down,” Grandma offered.

“I’ll tag along,” Coulter said.

“Very well,” Grandpa agreed.

Kendra followed Grandma Sorenson down the stairs and waited while she unlocked the door to the dungeon. Grandma rested a hand on her shoulder. “This will work best if we leave you alone with her.”

Kendra nodded. If Grandma hadn’t made that suggestion, she would have asked. Grandma got along with Vanessa worse than anyone.

“We’ll be right outside the door,” Coulter assured Kendra. “Call out if you need us.”

“She’ll behave,” Grandma said. “Whether friend or foe, Vanessa doesn’t want to resume her stay in the Quiet Box.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kendra said, almost meaning it. She had not spoken with Vanessa alone for some time. At the moment, the prospect of social awkwardness daunted her more than anything.

Grandma led her to the nearby cell, inserted the key, and opened the door. Kendra entered. The door closed behind her.

Vanessa was on the floor doing complicated sit-ups, hands laced behind her head as she touched alternate elbows to the opposite knees, her legs bending and extending without ever quite touching the floor. “Be with you in a moment,” Vanessa panted.

Her cell looked cozy. Thick carpeting covered the floor, shaded lamps shed gentle light, and impressionist paintings brightened the walls. Potted plants of various sizes served to further soften the atmosphere. Vanessa had a refrigerator, an exercise bike, a suede beanbag chair, and an impressive sound system. Grandma and Grandpa had clearly gone out of their way to make her comfortable.

Vanessa finished her exercises and rolled to her feet. “Here for some calisthenics?” she asked. Even sweaty and dressed in boyish exercise clothes, she had an effortless, exotic beauty.

“Your room gets better every time I visit,” Kendra said.

“As prisons go, it could be worse.” Vanessa walked over and took a seat behind the desk by her bed. “You here to wrench my secret out of me?”

“Could it help me find my family?”

“Are we playing twenty questions? Yes, it could.”

“What is the secret?” Kendra blurted desperately.

“Haven’t you played twenty questions before?” Vanessa scolded gently. “You can’t ask what the secret is, just questions about it.”

“Is it bigger than a bread box?”

Vanessa laughed lightly. “Now you get the idea. Actually, yes it is.”

“How big is a bread box?”

“That would be relevant. Picture a container for holding a few loaves.”

“Animal, vegetable, or mineral?”

“Animal.”

Kendra folded her arms. “Is your secret a person?”

Vanessa returned her gaze intently. “This game is over.”

“It is! Why do you have to be so secretive about it?”

Vanessa leaned back in her chair. “Hard to say. Maybe because the Sphinx could be watching us right now, and if this secret gets out, we will have no chance of stopping him.”

“Is it really that important?” Kendra asked, not daring to believe it.

“You’ll know soon.”

“How soon?”

“It would be dangerous to say.” Vanessa leaned forward. “Kendra, I’m not trying to torture you. I’m not even trying to torture your grandparents, who I like a lot less. At first I held on to this secret because it mattered, and I knew it might provide leverage to get me out of here. But ever since the Sphinx recovered the Oculus, I have been so grateful that I kept my mouth shut. My silence just might save us all. My secret represents our last, best chance to stop the Sphinx and recover your family. That will have to suffice.”

“We could use the Chronometer,” Kendra said. “Talk to Patton about your secret in a time the Sphinx can’t see.”

“You’ve figured out how to use the Chronometer to journey back in time?” Vanessa exclaimed. “Good news! We may do just that when the right moment arrives. Until then, letting others know the secret merely provides opportunities for somebody to slip up. Believe me, I’m on your side. This is for the greater good.”

Kendra sighed in frustration. “All you care about is getting out of here.”

Vanessa’s expression hardened. For a moment, Kendra thought she might lose her temper. Then the narcoblix relaxed, brushing back an errant strand of hair. A forced smile appeared.

“I understand your frustration and your distrust. In fact, you have reason to trust me far less than you do. But please realize, if all I cared about was getting out of here, I have missed literally dozens of opportunities. You think this cell could hold me when I can control Tanu in his sleep? Fortunately for you, I truly am on your side, and most of what I can do to help can be done from here as well as anywhere. That may not always be true. The current situation is dire. At some point, your grandparents should release me so I can provide more active assistance.”

Kendra had no reply.

Vanessa stood up. “I have been patient this long. I can wait a while longer. So can you, believe it or not. Knowing the secret will hasten nothing.” Vanessa raised her arms and stretched. “By the time I reveal all I know, I might even earn Ruth’s trust.”

“I’m not getting anything else out of you, am I?”

“Sorry, Kendra. Vanessa Santoro may not be perfect, but she knows how to keep a secret.”

Chapter 10

Nagi Luna

The coin flared bright enough to awaken Seth. Temporarily disoriented, wiping sleep from his eyes, he pawed for the source of the blinding light. As his fingers closed around the coin, the brilliance dimmed, and words sprang to mind.

There you are! I was just alerted that the Sphinx is descending into our section of the dungeon. All things considered, he’s probably coming for you. Don’t relax around him. Keep your guard up. I’ll extinguish the coin.

“Thanks,” Seth whispered, trying to push the answer mentally toward Bracken.

Don’t mention it. And you don’t have to concentrate so hard, just let your thoughts flow to me. We’ll talk later.

The coin went dark, and the connection to Bracken’s mind dissolved. After the recent brightness, the cell seemed pitch-black. Seth smacked his lips, trying to get the sleepy taste out of his mouth. His eyes began to adjust. The coin remained in his hand. It had been a gift at the end of his previous meeting with Bracken. Not only did the coin normally serve as a light source, it also functioned like a magical walkie-talkie.

Seth still did not wholly trust the supposed unicorn, but deep down he would be shocked to learn that his new friend was a fraud. Bracken hadn’t tried to ferret any information out of Seth, and, by all appearances, he had been busily planning an uprising with Maddox and others.

Seth absently rubbed his thumb against the foreign coin. It felt good in his hand, somewhat larger and thicker than a quarter. More like a half-dollar. Minted from silvery metal, the tarnished currency displayed a griffin framed by unfamiliar glyphs. With the Sphinx coming, he should hide the coin. Relying on touch as much as sight, Seth lifted his cot and set the coin under one of the legs.

What could the Sphinx want with him? Had he arranged some sort of prisoner exchange? Was that too much to hope? Did the Sphinx want to grill him for information? Torture him?

The sound of approaching footsteps increased his anxiety. Maybe the Sphinx had other business down here. Bracken could not know for certain that the Sphinx was coming for Seth.

A guttering torch appeared outside Seth’s peephole. A key rattled in the lock. The door opened. The Sphinx entered, surveying the room.  

“Not the grandest accommodations,” the Sphinx said.

“Great toilet, though,” Seth responded.

“You are, after all, a prisoner,” the Sphinx said. “Come with me. Somebody wishes to speak with you.”

“I’m not feeling very chatty today,” Seth said. “Rain check?”

“Not a good day for jokes,” the Sphinx said. “Don’t make this less pleasant than it has to be.”

The Sphinx sounded serious. Deciding he would rather walk than get dragged to their destination, Seth followed the Sphinx out of the room. A pair of torchbearers accompanied them, large men dressed in leather armor studded with iron. Unless Seth was mistaken, the direction they were taking would lead them deeper into the dungeon.

“Where are we going?” Seth inquired.

“Nagi Luna wishes to meet you in person,” the Sphinx said.

Seth slowed. “That sounds bad.”

The Sphinx shrugged. “I see little value in the exercise, but she insisted.”

“She’s still in the same place?” Seth asked. “In the bottommost cell?”

“She has resided there a long time,” the Sphinx said.

They reached a filthy iron door. One of the torchbearers thrust in a key. The hinges protested as it opened.

“Do you come down here much?” Seth asked.

“While at Living Mirage, I can speak with Nagi Luna mind to mind, so there is little need.”

“Is she always in your head?”

“No more than I allow.”

They descended a long staircase and passed down a hall, around a corner, and through a formidable iron door with three locks. After another flight of stairs, the corridor grew narrow and winding. They passed many tangled intersections, the floor sloping constantly downward. At last they reached a squalid chamber with a grate in the floor.

“Leave us,” the Sphinx told the guards, accepting a torch from one of them. Both guards looked pale. One was shivering. Both men hurriedly retreated down the hallway out of sight.