Fablehaven: The Complete Series (94 page)

The costumed servant escorted Kendra and her friends toward the drawbridge. Her robe reached her ankles, allowing her to take normal strides without feeling too billowy. The mask limited her peripheral vision, but otherwise she could see fine.

The group passed into a cobbled courtyard, lit by electric cressets. Swirls of insects orbited the light sources. A few clusters of robed figures in silver masks strolled the area conversing. Above them, banners and flags hung limply in the still night air. The servant led Kendra and the others across the courtyard to a heavy, ironbound door, opened it with a key, stepped aside, and bowed.

Warren led the way into an ornate antechamber at the mouth of a cavernous hallway. A desk sat off to one side of the antechamber, before a pair of curtained booths. A person in a silver mask sat at the desk. Behind stood four robed figures, their silver masks trimmed with gold.

A short woman wearing a mauve gown greeted them. “Welcome, travelers, to our humble retreat. May you find safe harbor here until duty whisks you elsewhere.” She had an average build, and looked to be in her fifties. Her chestnut hair was plaited in an antiquated style. A ring on her left hand held an obscenely huge diamond.

“A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Fairbanks,” Warren said with a genteel air. “Our thanks for opening your home to us.”

She flushed with pleasure. “Anytime. No invitation required!”

Behind her stood a jovial man in a powdered wig eating chicken and vegetables off of a skewer. “Quite so,” he said, juice dribbling down his chin.

“A pleasure as always, Wesley,” Warren acknowledged, inclining his head.

Biting into a mushroom, the man in the wig nodded back.

Warren turned to face the four masked figures in front of the booths. “North,” he said, jerking a thumb at himself. “West.” He gestured at Tanu and Coulter. Then he indicated Kendra. “Novice.”

“The novice is East,” said the man seated at the desk.

Warren leaned in to Kendra. “These are the four Lieutenants. They verify who we are under the masks, as a security measure. Each oversees a certain group, named by the points of the compass. The Eastern Lieutenant will confirm your identity.”

Warren went into a booth with one of the figures in a gold-trimmed mask. A different Lieutenant marshaled Tanu into the other booth. Warren emerged promptly, mask in place, and another Lieutenant, the tallest one, guided Kendra into the vacant booth.

“Remove your mask, please,” said a gruff voice.

Kendra took off the mask.

The Lieutenant nodded. “Welcome. You may proceed. We’ll speak more shortly.”

Kendra replaced her mask and exited the booth at the same time as Coulter left the other one. Together they followed Warren and Tanu down the extravagant hall, treading on a long red carpet edged with intricate embroidery. Tapestries hung from the walls and full suits of gleaming armor flanked the corridor. Warren and Tanu passed through white double doors into a spacious salon dominated by a tremendous chandelier. Robed figures stood about, most of them conversing in groups of two or three. Sofas, chairs, and divans were spaced around the room to allow for many separate groups to sit and chat in comfort. The outside of the home might look like a fortress, but inside it was definitely a mansion.

Tanu and Warren split up after entering the room. Following their lead, Kendra wandered over to a corner on her own. A couple of masked figures nodded at her as she passed. She nodded back, terrified to say a word.

Finding a place where she could stand with her back to the wall, Kendra surveyed the crowd. She was a good height for her age, but in this room, she was on the short end of the spectrum. A few of the other Knights were unusually tall, a few were abnormally fat, several looked broad and burly, a decent number were obviously women, and one was small enough to be eight years old. All wore the same silver masks and similar robes. Kendra counted more than fifty Knights in total.

The nearest Knights were a group of three, talking and laughing. After a while, one of them turned and stared at Kendra. Kendra tilted her face away, but it was too late, the figure was already crossing to her. “And what are you doing here in the corner?” asked a teasing female voice with a heavy French accent.

Kendra had not identified the stranger as a woman until she spoke. A good answer refused to enter her mind—she felt much too self-conscious. “Just waiting for the meeting.”

“But the small talk is part of the meeting!” the woman enthused. “Where have you been lately?”

A direct question. Should she lie? She settled on vagueness. “Here and there.”

“I recently returned from the Dominican Republic,” the woman said. “Absolutely perfect weather. I was tracking an alleged member of the Society, a man who was asking questions about acquiring a dullion.” Kendra had seen a dullion before, made of straw, when she was fleeing her home earlier in the summer. Vanessa had explained that they were like golems, although not quite as powerful. “Rumor has it there is a warlock on the island who can create them. Can you imagine the implications if that art has survived? I have been unable to confirm the tale, so who knows. I don’t recognize you, and you sound young, are you new?”

The woman spoke so frankly that Kendra felt considerable pressure to open up. Besides, it would be almost impossible for Kendra to disguise her youth. “I’m fairly young, yes.”

“I started young myself, you know—”

“There you are,” Warren interrupted. Beside him stood a tall figure in a silver mask with gold trim.

“If you will excuse us,” the Lieutenant apologized to the Frenchwoman. “This young lady has an appointment with the Captain.”

“I was about to guess she was a novice,” the woman gushed. “So nice to meet you, hopefully we can work together sometime.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kendra replied as Warren took her elbow and guided her away.

The three of them exited the room and strode down the grandiose hallway to a smaller corridor. Some distance down the corridor, they stopped at a mahogany door. “Your presence is irregular,” the Lieutenant informed Warren.

“Inducting a minor is irregular as well,” Warren said. “I promised her grandfather she wouldn’t leave my sight.”

“You know me, Warren,” the Lieutenant said. “Where would the child be safer than here?”

“Again, the operative word is
child,
” Warren insisted.

The Lieutenant gave a curt nod and opened the door. The three of them entered. Three people were already in the room. One stood over by a wide fireplace, wearing a silver robe and a golden mask. The other two people wore silver masks and robes like Kendra’s.

“Warren?” asked the figure in the gold mask in a feminine Southern accent. “What are you doing here?”

“Captain, this candidate is a minor,” Warren said. “I have been mandated by her guardian not to let her out of my sight. It is the condition of her attendance.”

“Understandable,” the figure in the golden mask said. “Very well, I suppose we are ready to begin.”

Kendra leaned over to Warren. “How did she know who you—”

“You’re curious how I knew it was Warren entering with you?” the Captain asked. She tapped her mask. “This golden mask sees through all the silver ones. I have to know all the Knights under my command. I hand select them, and I keep watch. In case any of you are wondering, no, this is not my real voice, it’s another special feature of my mask. Lieutenant, shall we proceed?”

The Lieutenant removed his mask. He had bushy red hair and freckles on his broad brow. He looked oddly familiar, but Kendra could not place him. “You three novices are receiving knighthood today. Today’s recruits have been assigned to the East, and so I am your Lieutenant, Dougan Fisk. You will know my face, and I yours. Please remove your masks.”

Kendra looked to Warren. He nodded, taking off his own mask. Kendra pulled hers off as well.

One of the other people wearing a silver mask was shorter than Kendra. Without her mask, Kendra saw that she was quite elderly, probably older than Grandma, with a narrow, wrinkled face and steel gray hair pulled into a bun. The other person in the room was a boy a few inches taller than Kendra. He was slim, and could not be past his teenage years, nice-looking, with tan, flawless skin, thin lips, and dark eyes. He looked at Kendra and for a moment appeared absolutely awestruck, staring at her with such naked admiration that she wanted to hide behind her mask before she blushed. After the initial stunned reaction, he managed to regulate his expression. He raised his eyebrows slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching toward an uncertain smile.

“The Captain almost always keeps the mask on,” Dougan explained. “Our brotherhood exists mainly to combat a secretive and subtle organization, the Society of the Evening Star, and so secrecy is required on our part as well. We use checks and balances to monitor one another. The Captain knows all of the Knights. The four Lieutenants each know the Knights assigned to them, along with the identity of the Captain. Each Knight knows the Lieutenant he or she reports to, as you now know me. And each of the Knights knows some other Knights, as you are now meeting one another. Be most careful about revealing your membership in this brotherhood to others, even after they have reason to guess it.”

“Wh-wh-wh-why are we East?” the teenage boy asked, tripping painfully over the first consonant.

“No good reason, just a tool of delegation,” the Captain said. “Despite being called the Knights of the Dawn, this is not a military body. Titles like ‘Captain’ and ‘Lieutenant’ are strictly for organizational purposes. We compartmentalize information for the security of all. Your participation in this group is strictly voluntary. You can quit the brotherhood at any time. We do demand secrecy, however. If we did not trust that you could handle that requirement, you would not be here.”

“As part of agreeing to be a Knight, you’ll occasionally receive assignments specific to your area of expertise,” Dougan said. “Generally, until you resign, by accepting membership in the brotherhood, you are committing to come when called and to serve where needed. All costs incurred will be reimbursed. In addition, you will receive a stipend to more than cover lost wages. If you betray secrets or perform in a manner that causes us unusual concern for the safety of the Knights, we reserve the right to expel you from the brotherhood.”

“We are friends to all magical creatures and to the refuges where they dwell,” the Captain said. “We are foes to all who seek to harm and exploit them. Have you any questions?”

“D-d-don’t you find it peculiar that we can’t know who our leader is?” the teenage boy asked.

“Not ideal,” the Captain admitted. “But, regrettably, necessary.”

“The word that comes to mind is
cowardly,
” the teenager said.

Kendra felt her pulse quicken. She would never have expected such boldness from a teenager with a stuttering problem. It made her feel simultaneously excited and uncomfortable. The Captain was about the right height to be the Sphinx. How would he react?

“I’ve been called worse,” the Captain said, remaining friendly. “You are not the first Knight to suggest dispensing with the masks. But given a recent breech in security that I am not at liberty to discuss, compartmentalizing our information has become more crucial than ever.”

“I get not sharing everything with everybody,” the teenager said. “I j-j-j, j-j-j, I only wish I knew who was giving me assignments.”

“I suspect, were our positions reversed, I would feel as you do, Gavin,” the Captain said. “Have you paused to consider that perhaps behind this mask is a person known to the Society? Perhaps I wear this mask not for my benefit, but to protect the other Knights, to prevent the Society from using me to get to them?”

Gavin stared at his feet. “M-makes sense.”

“Chin up, I called for questions. Are there any other concerns?”

“I beg your pardon,” said the older lady, “but aren’t these two a little young for this kind of service?”

The Captain picked up a poker and jabbed a log in the fire, sending up a flurry of sparks. “Given these dangerous times, we’ve tightened our entry requirements more than ever. On top of a spotless background, and overwhelming evidence of reliable character, prospective Knights must also have unique strategic value. Kendra and Gavin both possess unusual talents that qualify them to lend highly specialized assistance. Not unlike your usefulness, Estelle, as a gifted archivist and researcher.”

“Don’t omit my world-renowned expertise with a broadsword,” the elderly woman bragged. She winked at Kendra and Gavin. “That was a joke.”

“Anything else?” the Captain asked, facing each of them in turn. None of them volunteered any further questions or comments. “Then I will formally induct you and leave you to mingle. Keep in mind, now as always, you are welcome to decline the invitation to join our community. If you wish to proceed, raise your right hand.” The Captain raised his.

Kendra, Gavin, and Estelle lifted their hands.

“Repeat after me. I pledge to keep the secrets of the Knights of the Dawn, and to aid my fellow Knights in their worthy goals.”