Chapter One
Two warriors faced each other on a battlefield. Only hours before a decisive battle of a great war had been fought here. Both bore the marks of the recent fight: dented armor; damaged weapons; and various cuts and scratches some bandaged with linen and other bleeding freely. While lesser men would have given up, the two faced one another, each silently daring the other to be the first to back down.
Creatures of light and darkness alike watched the two warily. No one knew how long the peace would last. At any moment, one of their leaders could lunge for the other, and the fighting would break out again.
A young boy eyed the two warriors with interest. To the astrid standing beside him, he remarked, "I'd wager Ronodin could give Father a decent fight." To him, the dark unicorn seemed to ooze power and confidence, from the cool glare he gave the Fairy King to his obvious disdain for the 'weaklings' around him. Ronodin held his corrupted third horn, a dark gray sword with a black hilt. Darkness dripped off of the blade in tendrils. His dark magic was only kept in check by the light radiating from the Fairy Queen. If they battled, the victor would be obvious, but it would still be fascinating to watch.
Gilgarol didn't even turn. "Hush," he ordered.
The boy wasn't deterred. "Did you notice how much they look alike?" he asked. "Same hair, same beard, only Father's is silver and Ronodin's is black. I never noticed before."
"Hush, Bracken, or I will ensure that you will never again see a battle until you have earned your place on the battlefield." Gilgarol barely withheld a sigh. Yes, the prince was talented and willing to learn, but his eagerness sometimes grated on Gilgarol's nerves.
Bracken looked like he was about to protest, but the Fairy King suddenly spoke, his voice magically magnified so everyone could hear. "Your army is defeated. You have no hope of victory. Surrender, and I will be merciful."
Ronodin laughed, a cold, hard chuckle. "I will never bow before you and beg for kindness. Better to fall in battle, fighting to my last breath."
"So be it." For the tiniest second, Bracken thought he saw something like sadness in his father's eyes. Then it was gone, and the Fairy King swung his sword, aiming for Ronodin's throat. Ronodin met it with his own sword and a roar like thunder sounded across the battlefield as the two blades collided. Again and again they struck, neither gaining an advantage over their opponent.
Bracken watched in awe. He had never seen such remarkable swordsmanship. His father ducked and twisted, avoiding Ronodin's blows when he couldn't block them with his sword, attacking in the same heartbeat. Bracken waited eagerly for the move that his father always used to catch him off guard when they sparred.
Sure enough, the Fairy King feinted to the right and made a convincing show of it. It was a risky maneuver, because he held the position for so long, but Ronodin took the bait and shifted his position to protect his right side. At the last second, the Fairy King changed direction and opened a long gash in Ronodin's left leg. As the dark unicorn howled in agony – more than was warranted by the wound alone, for Ronodin's flesh couldn't stand the purity of the Fairy King's horn – the Fairy King brought his sword up to Ronodin's throat.
Just before the Fairy King made the fatal cut, Ronodin gasped hoarsely, "You think you have defeated me? Best think again! The Lord of Darkness shall live on."
"Enough," the Fairy King commanded. "Begone." In one swift movement, he sliced through Ronodin's neck. The dark unicorn exploded into thousands of tiny black particles, which gradually dissolved in the sunshine.
Bracken trembled. He had the strangest feeling that Ronodin had looked directly at him as he uttered his last words.
He shook the feeling off and went to help his sister Virtue with the wounded. No matter what he had said, Ronodin was gone for good.
"I think you're crazy," Kendra informed her brother.
Seth ignored her. He pushed ahead through the thick foliage of the forest, shoving branches out of his way as he passed, muttering to himself, "It's gotta be around here somewhere…"
"We're pretty far out here," Kendra observed. They had been hiking along this overgrown trail for at least twenty minutes, after following one of the main paths for half an hour before that.
"Just a little bit farther," Seth promised.
"That's what you said ten minutes ago."
"Look, I know what I'm doing, okay?"
"This 'something awesome' had better be pretty cool," Kendra warned. "And not just your idea of cool. If you're taking me to see a giant slug or something, I'm turning around right here."
"Relax. This will be plenty cool," Seth promised.
"It's not stolen gold or anything like that, right?" Kendra confirmed. "I wasn't planning on getting eaten by a troll or anything for my birthday."
"It's perfectly legal. Now be quiet. I'm trying to concentrate." Seth glanced around the trees as if looking for a landmark.
"You're lost, aren't you," Kendra said. It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.
"No, no, I recognize this tree," Seth said. He pointed to an oak that looked almost identical to the dozens of other trees around them.
"I don't see anything special about it," said Kendra.
"Look at the roots," Seth said excitedly. "No, not there, between the two big ones."
Kendra squinted at the tangle of roots mixed with undergrowth. "What are you – oh!" She could just barely make out the outline of a tiny wooden door. "That's pretty neat, but not the sort of thing I'd think you would make a big deal out of."
"What does it remind you of, though?" Seth pressed eagerly.
"The brownie door!" Kendra realized. This door bore a striking resemblance to the secret entrance the brownies used to get into the house. Kendra and Seth had used it, too, when Vanessa had taken over and thrown their grandparents in the dungeon.
"There's a colony of brownies in the forest!" Seth exclaimed.
Kendra knelt to examine the door more closely. "Grandpa never mentioned brownies in the woods," she said.
"It must be an undiscovered colony," Seth guessed.
"Why didn't you go to Grandpa first?" Kendra asked.
Seth shrugged uncomfortably. "I just thought-"
"Besides," Kendra interrupted, "I don't think any brownies live here."
"Why do you say that?" asked Seth nervously.
"Because the door appears to have been painted on. Recently, in fact," Kendra said, running her finger around the outline of the door. When she drew it back, it was covered in paint.
"Rats," Seth muttered.
She wiped her hand on the grass and stood up, looking her brother straight in the eye. "You've been acting really weird today. First you barge into the attic announcing really loudly that you're going to go play football with the satyrs. Then you come back an hour later and insist that I come see something awesome in the forest, which is just a little doodle you painted on a tree. What are you up to?" she demanded.
Seth's shoulders slumped. "Never mind," he mumbled. "I guess if we leave now we'll make it back in time for your stupid birthday party."
"Dinner," Kendra corrected him.
"What?" he asked.
"We're going out to-" Kendra paused, realizing something. "Seth! Did you lure me out of the house so they could se up a surprise party?"
"Oh, shoot," Seth groaned. "Just try to look surprised, okay?"
Kendra nodded. "Wait, I do have a question, though," she said.
"Go ahead," Seth grumbled. "There's nothing I haven't spoiled yet."
"If it took you an hour to get here and back the first time, why did it take us an hour to get here alone?" Kendra asked.
"I'd like to say I was just keeping you out of the house for longer, but I got lost," Seth admitted.
Kendra laughed. "Well, can you get us back to the house from here?"
"I… er… well… uh…. no," Seth sighed.
"That's okay," Kendra said. "I can." She walked along the path in the same direction they had been walking. Seth followed her, looking a little doubtful. But a few minutes later they emerged from the forest on the far side of the yard, a few hundred yards away from where they had started.
Seth rolled his eyes. "I can't believe it," he muttered. He stomped off back toward the house.
Kendra started after him, but stopped when she felt something brush against her ankles. Glancing down, she saw nothing, only a few blades of grass quivering in the breeze. She could almost trace the path of an air current zooming across the lawn, but she blinked and it was gone. She shook her head. Maybe she was imagining things.
Deciding to give Seth a head start, she ambled slowly toward the house and paused when she reached the back door, counting to ten before turning the knob and walking inside.
It was dim for a split second before someone flipped the light switch and everyone yelled, "Surprise!"
Thought it wasn't really a surprise, Kendra couldn't help grinning. And she had reason to – friends she hadn't seen in months, Warren and Vanessa and Elise and Trask and Mara and Tanu, all crowded the kitchen, along with all four of her grandparents, and, of course, her parents.
Her dad came up to her and hugged her. "Happy birthday, honey," he said.
"Thanks. This is awesome!" Kendra replied.
"I can't believe you didn't guess," Grandpa Sorenson chuckled. "Seth wasn't especially subtle about it."
"I was completely surprised," Kendra lied. She shot a glance at Seth. He returned it, looking grateful.
Grandma Sorenson produced containers of takeout from the Chinese restaurant they were going to eat at originally and set the table. Gradually, the group migrated to the dining room and settled down to eat.
Kendra found herself swept up by the conversation. The active Knights of the Dawn swapped stories of work in the field for the latest news about the various preserves around the globe. Warren held Seth's attention with a tale of how he had crept up to the nest of a roc to deliver medicine for its damaged wing. Grandma Larsen was telling Elise about a preserve in Mongolia that had taken in the last of the known wild jackalopes. Kendra realized that while everyone had gathered at the excuse of her birthday, this was more of a reunion for their friends and family.
She listened to a conversation Tanu and Grandpa Larsen were having about magical items. After finishing an argument about the usefulness of amulets to ward off the undead, Tanu dropped his voice to a whisper and confided, "There are rumors that the Memory Glass has resurface."
Grandpa Larsen's eyes widened. "I thought Agad destroyed it eons ago," he replied softly.
"That's what they say, but every hundred years or so some fool will insist that their heirloom mirror is really the Memory Glass or something like that," Tanu said. "Coulter was investigating one of the claims before he…" He trailed off. Coulter had died a few months ago when the demon Graulas overthrew the preserve.
"What's the story this time?" Grandpa Larsen prodded, changing the direction of the conversation.
"Nothing concrete yet, but years ago an old relics dealer spread the word that he had it, but when he died and the estate was divided up, no one found any trace of it. Then, a few weeks ago, someone ransacked the manor he lived in. Literally tore the place apart, I heard. Not much furniture left, but what was there was all in pieces. Some of the walls had holes in them, and most of the roof was gone. It was like a tornado had blown through, but the only noticeable damage was to that house."
"How did you find out about it?" asked Grandpa Larsen.
"I was bartering with an old friend for some potion ingredients," Tanu began. Kendra stopped listening, thinking about the Memory Glass. What was it? What did it do? Why was it so legendary?
She was about to interrupt Tanu and Grandpa Larsen and ask them about it when Grandma Sorenson tapped the side of her glass with her fork. Everyone grew quiet.
"I propose a toast to Kendra," Grandma said. "To sixteen to great years and hopefully many more." Kendra blushed and rolled her eyes as everyone raised their glasses.
After the toast, Mom and Grandma Larsen started clearing away the dishes. Kendra turned to talk to Tanu but discovered he had moved to the other end of the table to discuss something with Trask. Instead she struck up a conversation with her dad, who had been looking a little awkward throughout the meal. He wasn't an especially social person at the best of times, and being in a room where everyone was discussing magical creatures and the like couldn't have helped. He still wasn't totally acclimated to life and Fablehaven and commuted an hour every day to his job in the nearest town to "escape the insanity."
Their conversation ended when Mom brought out a huge cake – enough to feed the whole crowd – decorated with the words Happy birthday, Kendra! Seth dimmed the lights so that the only light came from the sixteen candles on the cake. As the others sang somewhat off-key, Kendra closed her eyes and thought of a wish.
There wasn't much to wish for. The new Zzyzx was tightly sealed, the Society of the Evening Star dissolved, and all well at Fablehaven. Though she was still a Knight of the Dawn, there was no looming crisis, and she wasn't involved with any of the Knights' routine jobs. The main missing piece was their friend Coulter, and no amount of wishing would bring him back.
She had decided on a wish and was about to blow out the candles when someone rang the doorbell. Startled, she opened her eyes to see Grandpa Sorenson hurrying to get the door. Another visitor? She glanced around the table to see if anyone was missing. She couldn't think of someone else who should have been there. Unless it was… But no, he had said he was too busy with the rebuilding.
So she was surprised to see Bracken entering the room behind Grandpa. He smiled when he saw her, and her heart jumped into her throat. With difficulty, she brought her emotions in check. They had only known each other for a few months, and he was thousands of year older than her. Maybe someday… But not today.
"I didn't mean to crash a party," Bracken apologized. "I just knew it was Kendra's birthday and I thought I'd say hello."
"You're always welcome," Mom said. Grandma Sorenson brought in another chair from the kitchen and Bracken sat down gratefully.
Kendra noticed that everyone was looking her expectantly. "There's wax dripping onto the cake," Seth said pointedly.
Looking down, Kendra realized the candles were still burning. She blew on them quickly, needing two puffs of air to put them out. As the group cheered, Mom took the cake to cut it up.
While pieces of cake were being dispensed, the conversation started up again. Kendra took a slice from her mom and went to sit next to Bracken, leaving her dad to fend for himself. She took a bite – delicious, like all food prepared by the brownies – swallowed, and said, "I thought you were busy working in the Fairy Realm."
"I convinced Mother to let me take some time off," Bracken explained. "She sends birthday wishes, by the way."
"Have you opened any new shrines?" Kendra wondered. When she had visited the Fairy Realm a few months ago, the shrine at Fablehaven had still been its only entrance.
"We restored the shrine at the Living Mirage on the condition that Agad won't seal it off again," Bracken said. "He said that he had been searching for a way to destroy the silver dome that surrounded it since he became caretaker. Together, he and my mother dissolved the dome and rebuilt the shrine. The addition of wizard magic made it even more beautiful. They're considering collaborating on some of the other shrines."
"Cool." Kendra took another bite of cake to hide her discomfort. Why couldn't she think of anything more interesting to say?
"How have things been at Fablehaven?" Bracken asked.
"Pretty much the safe," Kendra answered. "Mom and Dad decided to homeschool us rather than drive an hour every day to the closest school, but so far we've learned more along the lines of 'how to properly milk Viola' and 'how to safely navigate the woods.'"
They chattered randomly for a few minutes. Kendra learned that Bracken and his sisters were going to open a new shrine to the Fairy Queen at the Four Pines preserve. When she mentioned that she still hadn't met his sisters, he said that they were eager to meet her, too. He suggested they meet when they could next get time off and when Kendra could take a vacation from homeschooling. Kendra laughed and said that the whole thing had felt like a vacation so far.
During a lull in the conversation, Kendra asked suddenly, "Are you feeling all right? You look pale." She hadn't noticed before, distracted by the fact that she was seeing him for the first time in three months, but Bracken looked wan in the flickering light from the chandelier and his fork trembled slightly in his hand.
"Yes, I'm-" Bracken seemed to think about it and changed his mind about what he was going to say. "No, not really," he admitted. "I should probably-" He stopped midsentence, eyes wide. Before Kendra could ask what was wrong, he slumped over in his chair, unconscious.
Kendra froze, uncomprehending. It had all been so sudden. What had happened?
Author's Note:
This isn't exactly my best opening chapter: kind of cheesy, kind of rushed. If you look at the first section (the part with the Fairy King and Ronodin), that will give you a better idea of what I hope this story will become. I also noticed that I didn't include much of what the plot is, but at least I know where it's going, which is more than I can say for most of my stories.
All comments and critique are appreciated (not to mention reviews)!