Fablehaven
Navarog's Secret
Blah blah blah Disclaimer. I don't own Fablehaven, but I do own the Himalayan Snow Sprite and the Egyptian Sand Fairy, as well as Christine, Rhea and Emmeline (Emmie, Emily, Em) and Ryan. Set 1 year after KTTDP, Kendra is 16, Seth is 15
Chapter 1
New Knights
Kendra sat in a small booth behind the one-way glass wall of the Knights of The Dawn's new training center in New York City. The 3-floor building had a 'training room' that was built separate, without floors, providing a clear, tall building for training.
She continued observing the 4 teens waiting on the other side of the wall, unaware that they were being watched. The four possible candidates were about to be subjected to a series of fitness tests, simulations, and other tests to discover their strong suits and fortes.
Kendra pushed a button on her keyboard, and 4 ropes, knotted at regular intervals, about 3 feet apart each, rising about 30 feet up to a thick steel ring in the ceiling. On each rope, a bell was hung from the ceiling, a few inches from the ring. Another push of a button allowed Kendra to talk through a speaker.
"Um, Hi. Your first task is to climb the rope and ring the bell. The person with the best time wins."
"What do we win?" The lone boy in the room asked. He looked a bit older than Kendra, maybe 18, and had blonde hair with brownish highlights, and green eyes.
"A group ticket to the Times Square Theatre, for up to 15 people." Kendra answered. "So, climb fast! Time starts….Now!" Kendra pushed 'go' on her iPod Touch's stopwatch feature and watched the 4 teens scramble up the rope. One girl kicked off her ridiculously high sandals, then climbed with almost spiderlike speed and agility. She reached the top first, and Kendra pushed the 'Lap' button, which recorded the time; 1 minute and 40 seconds."
The boy reached the top at 2:00 exactly, and the other two girls, who were twins, reached their bells together, 30 seconds after the boy.
"Alright." Kendra said over the speaker, pushing 'stop' on the stopwatch.
"The blonde girl..." Kendra glanced at her files. "Emmeline, you reached the top first, then...Ryan, then Christine and Rhea."
Emmeline tossed her curly blonde hair and cheered, rapelling down the rope against a wall.
"Next challenge is harder." Kendra said honestly. "Please change into the swimsuits you were told to bring."
With a press of a button, Kendra opened a door and let the 4 out.
Rhea and Christine emerged first, wearing matching blue swimsuits, their curly red hair done up in identical ponytails that swung when they walked.
Ryan and Emmeline joined them together, Ryan wearing loose swim shorts and a white T-shirt, Emmeline in a white bikini that Kendra has seen in the mall; it has cost $500.
"Please climb the ladders to the diving boards." Kendra instructed.
The 4 teens complied, climbing the ladders to the board, 20 feet in the air.
With a button, the floor slid away to reveal a pool, at least 30 feet deep, with 4 crash-test dummies at various locations, each marked with a different color.
"Emmeline, you will retrieve the blue dummy, Ryan, the red, Christine, the purple, Rhea, the yellow. Your time will start when you hit the water. Penalties will be given for unclean entries into the water, and each time you come up for a breath. You will be allowed one breath before penalties are given. Ready?" Four nods came back. "Go!"
Emmeline put her arms above her head and gracefully dived into the water, the others diving in shortly after. Emmeline's head popped up, took a breath, then swam down. When she resurfaced, she had a blue dummy under her arm. She stroked to the edge of the pool, then heaved the mannequin onto the edge, then boosted herself up. She had taken 4 minutes and 37 seconds.
Christine surfaced quickly, taking a breath, and Kendra made a note to add 5 seconds to Christine's time.
Rhea heaved her yellow dummy onto the surface, then clambered out, grabbing her towel and wiping her face.
Ryan popped up for a breath, and Kendra made a note under Ryan's name.
Christine pushed her dummy onto the edge, then finally, Ryan.
Rhea had taken 5 minutes and 07 seconds, Christine (after her penalty) had taken 5:00 and 25 seconds, Ryan 5 minutes 30 seconds.
"Emmeline made it first, again" Kendra grinned. "Then Rhea, Then Christine, then Ryan.
'So do I win?" Emmeline aksed.
"There's one more challenge." Kendra responded.
The obstacle course began with a merry-go-round structure to mimic being under the influence of spells, then a narrow beam, which water surrounded, then a narrow gap to crawl through, then several other dangerous features.
The results were shocking. Ryan made it first, in 2 minutes flat. The twins arrived together, 10 seconds later. Emmeline reached last, at 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Emmeline 8:00
Christine 7:35
Rhea 9:47
Ryan 9:30
"The winner is...Christine, with a final time of 7 minutes and 35 seconds!" Kendra announced.
Kendra brought Ememeline into the booth to interview, then locked the door behind her.
"So, Emmeline...you are..." She glanced at her file. "A 16-year-old from New York that 'loves to shop and hang out with her friends'?"
"Yeah" Emmeline responded. "But, You're just a kid!" She exclaimed.
"I'm 16, same as you, and I killed a powerful demon king." Kendra replied coolly.
"Any special abilities?"
"I'm a shape-shifter." Emmeline responded, transforming into a small, furry monkey, then to a dolphin, then quickly back to a girl.
"That's why I'm such a good climber, and swimmer."
"Oh. I see." Kendra made a note. "Well, you seem fit to be a Knight of The Dawn. You may go to the lounge now" Kendra grinned, then brought in the twins together.
For them, surprisingly, Christine was fairystruck, and Rhea was a shadowcharmer. Together, they were dragon tamers!
They were almost immediately inducted.
Finally, Ryan walked into the booth, and swore up and down that he was a dragon in human form, who knew Raxtus.
Kendra inducted him without a second thought.
That night, the SUV pulled up outside the complex, and Kendra led the 4 trainees to the vehicle. Emmeline climbed in first, and sat in the middle row, leaving Ryan, Christine and Rhea to squeeze in beside her, and Kendra to take shotgun.
"Fablehaven?" Warren asked from the driver's seat.
"Yeah." Kendra replied.
The SUV switched into gear and sped off toward Fablehaven.
