Fablehaven

Chapter One

"We're sending teams of three into the dream-state. You will be chased with enemies nonstop for seven days. If you die, you will awaken back here. Keep in mind that you will feel pain in the same way in the dream-state. Your goal will not be to defeat the foes chasing you, but to evade them and stay alive." Agad paused letting this sink in. He looked into the faces of each on gathered in the room. "This will be the first of three trials. The four who excel in these will become our new Eternals."

Seth spoke up. "What about the five people who will become the Ageless? How will we decide those?"

"Ah yes, as most of you know, we have decided to set another precaution. One who becomes an Ageless will have the responsibility of both protecting an Eternal, fighting to preserve the new Demon Prison, Imperium, and staying alive as well. These people will have the same immunity against sickness, and can only and will die when their Eternal is killed." Agad answered. "We already have one Ageless. Bracken has volunteered, and given his experience, we have accepted his offer. The rest remain to be decided and will be chosen through a vote after the we have our Eternals."

Kendra was surprised, Bracken had said nothing about being an Ageless to her! However, if she did end up becoming an Eternal, he might be assigned HER Ageless, and they would be together forever... or at least, a while. He stood next to her, their hands intertwined. Glancing around at all the people gathered in the room, Kendra wondered who would be chosen. There were quite a few willing: Seth, Warren, Elise, Vanessa, Trask, and more she didn't know.

"I will now read off the groups." Producing a scroll from the sleeve of his robe, Agad began to list off the names. "Elise, Seth, and Rosa. Trask, Vanessa, and Mae. Rayne, Kendra, and Warren. Damon, Drea, and Rosa. Please go find your group." Agad put the scroll down and waited for everyone to quiet down and get with their teams.

Kendra looked at Bracken, who gave her an encouraging smile and squeezed her hand.

Without trouble, Kendra and Bracken found Warren and Rayne. Of course, she had known Warren for years, but She wasn't completely sure of what to make of Rayne. Bracken said she was trustworthy, and Kendra believed him.

"Yeah, we've got Kenny!" Warren slapped her a high five as she and Bracken got close enough.

Kendra pretended to be disappointed. "Oh gee, yay. We have Warren. Now we will for sure win."

"Wow Kenny, way to be a Negative Nelly and kill my confidence! That made me feel great."

"Warren, you know I'm just kidding, right? And why do you and Seth insist on calling me Kenny? It's SO annoying!"

"I gotcha Kenny. It's just fun to see you annoyed." At this, Kendra gave him one of her famous death glares. "Woah there, I was just kidding...again."

"Warren you should know by now, Kendra hates it when people have fun and kid around." Bracken through in.

Sarcastically, Kendra slapped Bracken's chest. "Whose side are you on anyways?"

"Yours, of course. Aren't I always on your side?"

"Well I thought so, but now I'm not so sure."

"Guys... what can you do?" Rayne spoke up. Kendra had forgotten she was there.

"My thoughts exactly." Kendra sighed, squeezing Bracken's hand.

"Hey, don't be hatin' " Warren through up his hands as if in surrender.

Kendra laughed, "Whatever Warren. But, if I have to spend the next seven days with you, I'd rather you not call me Kenny the whole time."

"You have my word." Warren bowed low. Kendra, Bracken, and Rayne all smiled.

"Hey Warren, can I have a word please? Over here?" Bracken pointed to an uninhabited corner of the room.

"Sure man." Kendra let go of Bracken's hand as he and Warren sauntered away from Kendra and Rayne.

"So our only goal here is to stay alive?" Kendra questioned Rayne. To her, that seemed like a much too easy goal.

"Yes, but my guess is that they'll throw everything they've got at us. They won't make it easy, I can tell you THAT much. Trust me."

"When did you get involved with all of this?" Kendra asked, refering to everything around them. Rayne's face darkened, and for a second, she thought she might have pried a little to far. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy."

The girl's face softened slightly. "No, no, you're fine. Just a few bad memories." She took a breath. "The Society said that they killed my parents when I was ten. Just a few months ago, I figured out that they faked their own deaths so that they could work for the Society without the burden of taking care of me, their only child. Their only obstacle."

Kendra was stunned. Her whole life, her parents had cared for her and tried their best to protect her. She had never really thought about the people who had no parents. "I'm so sorry. I-I don't know what to say."

The raven haired girl smiled. "No one ever does. But it's okay. I guess I just got unlucky when it comes to parents. Fortunately, the Knights found me, and I've been helping ever since. Well, except last year I was stuck in that prison."

"The one at Living Mirage?"

"That's the one!" Rayne said cheerfully. Kendra studied the girl. Her face was a perfect oval. She had flawless, tanned skin. Her eyes, set off by her jet black hair, were a deep violet. Rose bud lips finished the look. As for her outfit, Rayne was decked out in light leather armor, jeans, and a tang-top.

"I was only there for not even a day. I can't imagine being there for a year. Bracken was there for thousands of years. I don't know how he did it."

"So are you guys... together?"

"Yeah, we are." Kendra smiled as she said it. It had taken them a year to figure out where their relationship was headed. And the timing was perfect; now she had an actual reason to be an Eternal.

"That's what I figured. And someone said he was a... umm... a... unicorn?" Rayne said tentatively, as if she was embarrassed about asking.

Kendra couldn't help but laughing. "You heard right. But he doesn't have his third horn, so he's stuck in his human form. He's also the son of the Fairy Queen and all of that..." She started laughing and Rayne joined in.

Warren and Bracken came back to find the two of them rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs.

"What are you guys doing?" Warren asked as he offered Rayne his hand. Kendra, still on the ground, and Rayne, now standing, looked at each other and broke out laughing all over again.

Bracken leaned down and grabbed Kendra's outstretched hand. Because she was laughing so hard, it took him a few tries to pull her up, but eventually, the two girls calmed down and both were on their feet.

Bracken had his arm around Kendra's shoulder, and she had her arm around his waist. Agad's voice broke through all of the conversations going on, "Now that you have had a few minutes to converse and meet your team, we will send the first group off in a minute. As I said before, you and your team will spend seven days in the dream-state. This time translates as 7 minutes here. When the last person in the team wakes up here, we will send the next group. Trask, Vanessa, and Mae, you will be first."

Warren went over to Vanessa, and wished her luck. They had been going together for a year now. Even though they didn't act like it, Kendra and Bracken had decided that they were totally head over heals in love.

Bracken pulled Kendra over to the same uninhabited corner that he and Warren had talked in. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "When your in the dream state, things will happen. It can use your mind agains––" They both looked up as Agad sent the first team off. "It can use your mind against you. It will change to confuse you."

"Kind of like what I was telling you about Obsidian Waste?" Kendra asked, trying to understand what he was telling her.

"Yes, well, kind of." Bracken bit his lip.

"You know what is going to happen, don't you?" Kendra brushed a piece of his shaggy silver hair out of his eyes. "You know, but you can't tell."

Bracken grabbed her hand and lifted it to his lips. "I have my ideas," he whispered. "Just know––" he stopped again as Trask suddenly sat up, gasping in pain and holding his left arm. Agad led him out of the room. Kendra was suddenly nervous of what was going to happen to her, if Trask could be killed. He pressed her hand against his lips again. "You will be fine. You and Trask have different strengths." Right, he could read her mind; she didn't care. "Just know, that everything," Mae woke up sobbing, and was taken out of the room. "Everything you see and hear there, isn't real. Nothing there is real except for you, Warren, and Rayne. Only trust them."

"Bracken, I'm not sure about this..." Kendra started.

He put a finger to her lips, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I do, I just... I'm scared." Kendra started to shake as Vanessa came back, screaming. Warren rushed to her side, but Agad led her away before he could get to her. "Damon, Drea, and Rosa, please get ready to sleep."

"You'll be fine. I promise. Think of your worst nightmare... actually, don't. But that's what it will be like, just a nightmare, no more." Damon woke up shouting about how he was on fire. Agad led him out. "Here," Bracken pulled out a chain with a key on it. "Here, take this and think of me. Think of us and Seth, and your parents, and grandparents. Think of all of the good times we've had together." Both Drea and Rosa woke up unmoving. Agad cast a spell over them they floated out of the room, with him trailing after them. "Warren, Kendra, and Rayne, you will be leaving in a moment."

"I guess that's me." Kendra smiled faintly up at Bracken. He put the chain around her neck and kissed her gently.

"Good luck, my Queen of Fairies."