Fablehaven: The Complete Series (249 page)

Kendra rushed to a cabinet in the storage locker, retrieved a sword, and ran to help. The thought of challenging a warrior like the Gray Assassin terrified her, but if she could provide a distraction, perhaps Bracken could finish him quickly.

As she returned to the aisle, Bracken held up a hand and produced a blinding burst of light. Lowering his sword, Bracken narrowly dodged two hasty slashes without parrying, and then, blade flashing like lightning, cut down the Gray Assassin with a single stroke. Bracken turned and stalked toward Mirav, who was lying on his back, hands held up to maintain the shimmer of his magical shield.

“I’ll break you if I must,” Bracken said.

Eyes brimming with malice, Mirav spat at him.

Bracken held up a fist, his whole arm trembling. The shimmer in the air seemed to fold, then shattered. Mirav screamed. Kendra looked away as Bracken used his sword to finish the wizard.

After facing the other way, less worried about Bracken, Kendra ran to Civia and Niko. The flames had gone out. Niko lay beside her charred body. Beyond them, Warren continued to grapple with Trask.

Kendra reached the tiger, who had a glassy look in his eyes. His head turned as she crouched beside him. “She’s gone,” Niko mourned, voice groggy. “I’m going. The final Eternal has fallen. I failed.”

“You saved me,” Kendra said, patting his thick fur.

“My pleasure,” Niko mumbled, the words slurred. “Perhaps it will be enough. When Roon fell, I worried all was lost. I always expected he would be the last. Close enough. I go to him.”

The tiger went slack, and he and Civia dissolved into fine black dust.

Bracken ran past Kendra toward Warren and Trask.

“He’s a friend,” Warren grunted. “I think a narcoblix has him.”

Setting down his sword, Bracken promptly helped Warren pin Trask on the ground. While Warren held Trask down, Bracken retrieved his sword. The weapon reverted to the shape of a horn, and Bracken held the tip against Trask, who continued to struggle. “Begone,” Bracken commanded. Once again, Kendra knew he was not speaking English.

There was a harsh flash of light, and Trask no longer resisted. “Warren?” Trask asked, sounding befuddled. “Oh, no. Where are we? What have I done?”

As Warren explained the situation, Bracken hurried over to Kendra.

“Are you all right?” he asked, extending a hand and helping her to her feet.

“She’s dead,” Kendra said numbly.

“I know,” Bracken replied.

Kendra gritted her teeth, fighting back tears. “We blew it.”

“It’s a terrible blow,” Bracken admitted.

“What are we going to—”

Bracken thrust Kendra aside and held up his shield. An arrow thumped against it. Down the aisle, Torina knelt with her bow in hand. She had deep gouges in her side where the dragon had swiped her, and road rash on one arm and leg from her fall off the van. Raxtus landed on a van behind her, the vehicle wobbling beneath his weight. After a hasty glance over her shoulder, Torina tossed her bow aside and ran toward Bracken, hands in the air. “I surrender!”

“On your knees,” Bracken ordered, striding toward her.

She complied immediately, wide eyes frightened and innocent. Even injured and with her hair disheveled, she looked strikingly attractive. Bracken kept walking toward her.

“Careful, Bracken,” Kendra warned. “She bites! She can drain your life.”

Reaching her, he turned and looked back. “I’ve got it covered. She can’t possibly—”

Torina lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Bracken’s torso and sinking her teeth into his neck. Bracken went limp in her arms.

“No!” Kendra shrieked.

Torina latched on a second time. Her skin shone with an inner glow. The brilliance intensified, making her veins and bones temporarily visible. And then she burst apart in a stunning surge of white flame.

Tears falling, Kendra ran to Bracken, who rose to his feet and caught her in an embrace. She squeezed him as hard as she could, burying her face in his shoulder.

“Are you all right?” she gushed, confused.

He pulled back and smiled down at her. “Not many viviblixes get the chance to drain a unicorn. Those who do never get to warn the others. They can sense the immense supply of vitality, and they ardently crave it, but none have ever been able to handle it.”

“Kind of like filling a water balloon with a fire hose?” Warren remarked, approaching with Trask.

“That’s the idea,” Bracken agreed.

“Did you cure him?” Warren asked, jerking a thumb at Trask.

Bracken gave a nod. “With my horn back, I can undo most curses, heal most injuries.” Bracken placed a hand on Trask’s shoulder. “The narcoblix no longer has any hold on you.”

“You have my gratitude,” Trask said. “Sorry for any part I played in your troubles.”

Warren looked up and down the aisle. “We’re leaving a trail of destruction wherever we go.”

“All in a day’s work,” Trask mumbled.

“We came so close,” Warren grumbled in frustration. “What do we do now? This was our last chance.” Warren had always been resilient. Kendra had never seen him so defeated. She felt the same way, but was striving to hold herself together.

“Our last chance to prevent Zzyzx from opening,” Bracken clarified. “Unpleasant as our prospects may be, this still isn’t over.” He turned to Raxtus. “You get the firedrake?”

“Got him,” the dragon replied. “My scales are tougher than I ever knew. I’d never really tested them. The fire barely tickled. And even though the wizard jinxed my invisibility, I managed to handle the wyverns.”

“You’re a chip off the old block,” Kendra said.

“Hardly,” Raxtus huffed. “At least I’m learning to stand my ground and fight. Small as I am, I must have inherited my dad’s scales. His armor is almost impenetrable.”

“What now?” Kendra asked.

“Your role in this is over, Kendra,” Bracken said. “Our paths part here. I’ll be going to Zzyzx. I have to make a last stand.”

“You’re not leaving me behind,” Kendra argued. “The end of the world is coming. I’d rather help prevent it than be another random victim.”

Warren folded his arms. “Just because missiles are flying doesn’t mean you have to run to ground zero.”

“You should go to a stronghold like Wyrmroost,” Trask said. “There are a few places that might stand even against the demon horde.”

Bracken took Kendra’s hand in his. “I’ll be sending Raxtus to Wyrmroost. You can ride with him. We’ll need him to recruit whatever help Agad might offer.”

“No way,” Kendra said. “You need me. You need warriors, and I can restore the astrids. I’m not hiding. I’m coming.”

“Not long ago, the astrids left Wyrmroost,” Raxtus said. “I’m not sure where they went.”

“She has a point about the astrids,” Warren said. “She’s as likely to find them with us as anywhere.”

“Perhaps more likely,” Bracken murmured, pinching his lower lip.

“And she’s been incredibly helpful during past emergencies,” Warren added.

Trask nodded. “It’s true that she’s a full-fledged Knight of the Dawn.”

“Very well,” Bracken relented. “If we fail to stem the tide when Zzyzx opens, nobody will be safe anywhere. On top of that, Kendra will surely be an early target. She may as well stay with us.”

“Good choice,” Kendra said, quietly hoping that she would not regret her insistence.

Bracken turned to Raxtus. “Could you keep an eye out for police? You should now be able to go invisible again.”

Taking to the sky, Raxtus disappeared from view.

“Wait,” Kendra realized, “does anyone even know how we get to Zzyzx?”

“I haven’t gotten into details with your brother yet,” Bracken said. “I hoped his labors might prove unnecessary, at least for a time. But from what I’ve glimpsed, I believe Seth knows a way to Zzyzx. The hour has arrived to coordinate our efforts.”

Chapter 25

Lady Luck

Seth walked barefoot on the beach, enjoying the coarse sand and smooth shell fragments under his soles. Black-headed gulls hung suspended in the air, gliding against a breeze. Nearby, water hissed softly as it spread flat against the sand, millions of tiny bubbles bursting. As the water retreated, sandpipers darted on quick feet, stabbing for food with needle beaks.

Not far behind him, Vanessa lounged on a towel, wearing large sunglasses, a loose T-shirt, and fashionable sandals. He could see nobody else on the seashore. The only signs of civilization were some lifeless beach houses in the distance.

Seth had never been to the Outer Banks. Bridges and ferries linked a series of long, narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. He and Vanessa were on Hatteras Island. With the Atlantic on one side and the Pamlico Sound on the other, spending time on the island made him feel far out at sea, even though he could walk to the mainland.

They had arrived two days ago, flying into Norfolk, Virginia, then driving the rest of the way in a rented sedan, through towns with names like Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. While Seth and Vanessa had eaten crab cakes at a roadside grill, locals had informed them that the tourist season hadn’t really started yet. Reportedly the summer would bring heavy traffic and abundant crowds, but currently none of the restaurants seemed busy, and many of the beaches looked desolate.

At the moment, a cool breeze prevented the afternoon from feeling warm. After wading in the cold water, Seth had decided not to swim. Instead he was content to roam the edge of the dying waves, searching through the infinite shells along the shore for the very best. Almost all of the shells were small, many bleached white or broken, but some featured alluring colors. He had most appreciated several glossy, colorful bits of shell shaped vaguely like guitar picks, and rattled his favorites in one hand.

Tonight he would try to summon transportation to Shoreless Isle. The question remained who else would join him.

Bracken had continued in touch telepathically. He had learned from the Sphinx that, as expected, Zzyzx would be opened the morning following the next full moon. Which was less than four days away.

According to the letter from Patton, the voyage from Hatteras Island to Shoreless Isle would take almost exactly three days. The ship could only be called at midnight, and picked up passengers about two hours later. Tonight was the last night they could depart if they hoped to arrive before Zzyzx opened.

From the communication Seth had received, it sounded as though Bracken, Warren, Trask, and Kendra would reach Hatteras this evening. After losing the last Eternal and contacting Seth, they had rented a car and set out to join him on the Outer Banks.

Somewhere, Hugo, Newel, and Doren were trying to catch up as well. Seth and Vanessa had flown out of Seattle, leaving the satyrs and the golem with the truck, a credit card, and the challenge to reach the embarkation point on Hatteras before the
Lady Luck
 came for them. The satyrs had been thrilled at the chance to finally drive. Vanessa had helped them plan which roads to travel. If they speeded, stopped only for gas, and avoided getting involved in a police chase, they had a chance of making it.

Seth flung the bits of shell in his hand into the ocean. He had enjoyed his time on Hatteras with Vanessa. She had slept a lot, catching up from consecutive days of relentless driving. He had done his best to forget his abducted parents and grandparents, ignore the opening of Zzyzx, and pretend he was here on vacation. But the time for pretending had almost ended.

He plopped down on the sand. No matter how much Bracken assured him that they were on schedule, he wouldn’t rest easy until they arrived. What if they had car trouble? Worse, the Society could ambush them!

Seth removed the letter from Patton from his pocket and unfolded it. He skipped to the section about hailing the
Lady Luck.

To summon the
Lady Luck,
you will need the bell, the whistle, and the music box from Cormac the leprechaun (see previous
)
. On Hatteras Island, at midnight, climb to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and ring the bell. The ship will respond only if the bell is rung at midnight from this vicinity.