First off...
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone or anything from Fablehaven, Brandon Mull does. And since he is my literary hero, I don't mind doing the disclaimer or acknowledging that I don't own any aspect of the series.
Now that that's over, I'd like to inform you that The Tree of Life, Balistair takes place after the fifth and last book. 'Wait... That book isn't even out yet,' you say! I know of this, and that is why it is doubly hard for me to write this. I couldn't possibly create my own rendition of what might happen in the fifth book, so things in this story may not line up with the book when it does come out. I apologize, but this is the best way for me to write a Fablehaven story without totally screwing myself up. I really do hope you will enjoy reading this, since Fablehaven is my all-time, top-of-the-list, favorite series. Leave a review if you like.
Chapter One;
Kendra and Seth Sorenson sat quietly in their attic bedroom, legs crossed and faces hidden behind two handfuls of cards. The entire deck had been split between them in a game of Old Maid, including a single joker that would serve as the old maid. At the moment, Seth had the joker in his hand. It was Kendra's turn to pick a card from his hand, but he and asked her to wait so he could arrange a few of his cards. There were already enough pairs messily resting at his feet, while only a few were neatly placed beside Kendra. Once ready, he held his cards out to her with the red backs facing her. Kendra bit her lower lip and picked a card to the far left.
"Seven of clubs." Kendra placed it with her seven of spades, creating a pair. Seth groaned and glared at the joker in his hand.
"You knew where it was." He blamed. Kendra snorted and held her own cards out.
"I forgot to mention that my abilities let me cheat in card games, sorry." She said. Seth let out a quiet, sarcastic laugh as he drew a card from her hand. He created a pair and allowed her to choose again. It was a rather boring game that would likely end with Seth holding the joker for the eighth time, but neither complained. It was a pleasant time waster before dinner, which their Grandma Sorenson was preparing in the kitchen.
"I wish being a shadow charmer would let me do that. We'd never lose at poker." He said, letting Kendra draw. He hid a giddy grin as he watched the joker leave his hand. Kendra saw the card and muttered something, placing it in her own hand and letting him draw again.
"Gambling is illegal." Kendra warned flatly. Seth pouted.
"Only if we use money. I could teach Newel and Doren how to play poker. We could bet with batteries or gold." He said. He made another pair.
"What happened to not taking gold from Fablehaven?" She asked.
"It wouldn't be taking it. I'd give it back after the game." Seth said. Kendra eyed his face, spotting the faintest trace of a lie.
"You can't lie to me." It was a proven fact that Seth was unable to hide most things from her. She knew that it didn't come with her being fairykind, but she had the uncanny ability to sense when he was plotting or lying. She didn't take any pleasure in ratting Seth out, but she did it for his own safety. If she weren't there to keep him from doing something stupid and dangerous, he would have been killed the time he had tried to jump off the roof when he was ten.
"You're such a buzz kill. That's why Gav-" He stopped when Kendra glared.
Seth clamped his mouth shut, knowing he may have went just a tad too far. Any mention of Gavin, who had revealed himself to be Navarog, caused Kendra to lapse into short moments of depression and quietness. Seth knew she was angry that the one boy she had liked in a long while had betrayed her, and he felt stupid for having brought it up. He opened his mouth to apologize, but a knock on the door beat him to it. Kendra reclaimed her calm and looked to the door as it opened. Dale peeked his head into the room.
"Dinner's ready." He informed. At the mention of food, Seth dropped his cards. He left them scattered on the floor for Kendra to pick up, which she did without a word. She placed them in their pack and set them where they belonged, shuffling down the stairs with Dale behind her. Grandpa and Seth were already seated and eating, Grandma scooping some beef stew into an empty bowl. Once Kendra and Dale were seated, they were given their bowls and started to eat.
The stew was rich and savory, and Kendra enjoyed the softness of the vegetables. Seth piled the vegetables towards the side of the bowl and devoured the chunks of meat. When he was told to eat the vegetables, he grumbled and tried to swallow as many as he could in as few mouthfuls as possible. Kendra shook her head and spooned some seasoned gravy into her mouth. Grandpa Sorenson pushed his bowl forward and dabbed at his lips with a napkin, a motion he only did if Either teen were in trouble. Kendra and Seth exchanged a look.
"I wasn't really going to teach them how to gamble, it was just a joke!" Seth said. Grandpa looked flabbergast.
"Teach who gambling?" He asked. Seth didn't understand, then it dawned on him that Grandpa didn't know about his freshly formed plans of teaching poker to the satyrs. He had blabbed for no reason, and he knew he was going to end up paying for it later.
"No one." He lied. Grandpa gave him a suspicious look.
"We'll talk about that later, young man. Right now, there is something else I wish to talk about. Rather, something I want you two to see." He said. After all that had happened last years, what with the Sphinx trying to release all the prisoners of Zzyzx, Kendra wondered if it would be something exciting. Living fulltime at Fablehaven proved to be an exciting aspect, though Seth hated that he was required to do more chores than he liked. But with the Society of the Evening Star nearly destroyed, they felt that nothing might ever be as exciting as it once was.
"Are you going to show us something cool?" Seth asked. Grandpa shrugged.
"Depends on if you finish all of your dinner or not." He said slyly. Grandma coughed to hide a laugh.
"That's low." Seth muttered, finishing the last few bites of his stew. Kendra had finished hers quickly after having heard that he wanted to show them something. Once Seth's empty bowl accompanied Kendra's, Grandpa stood. Grandma did as well, but she insisted that she stay in the kitchen so she could feed those that would wander into the house.
"Warren is coming back today, isn't he?" Kendra asked. Grandma nodded.
"He should be back soon. I'll send him up after he eats." She said to Grandpa. He nodded, then motioned for Seth and Kendra to follow. They followed him to the master bedroom and to their bathroom closet, though it wasn't a hollow space like most would assume. Behind the first door was another, heavier door that looked like it belonged to a vault. It wasn't often that either of them were allowed to be in the secret side of the attic, and it always meant something important when they were invited.
Grandpa dialed in the combination, pulled the lever and swung the door open. Kendra went first when urged to, then Seth followed. Behind them, Grandpa shut the doors. The three of them made their way up the stairs where they were met with a varied assortment of magical or non-magical objects. Most were hidden away in the cabinets that lined the walls or the trunks that sat heavily on the floor. Some objects managed to poke out into view; the birdcage was where it always had been, an impressive battle ax was leaning against the side of a cabinet, and many books littered the top of the work bench that took over one side of the room.
Kendra wanted to scurry over to the books the moment she saw them, the urge to soak in every tiny bit of information making her anxious. Luckily for her, Grandpa was walking towards the bench. Seth seemed disappointed that nothing cool was being drawn out of a cabinet or trunk, his shoulders sagging lower the closer they came to the books.
"Books, really? You said it would be cool." He complained.
"I said no such thing." Grandpa scolded. Kendra snickered as she stood beside him. Seth was to Grandpa's other side, leaning down to blow dust off a book that had yet to be cleaned. At least his need for dirty and nasty things had been satisfied. He shooed the dust away with his hand, a thick wisp of dust and cobwebs winding around his finger. Kendra saw and nearly gagged.
"That's gross."
"Stop playing with the dust." Grandpa said. Seth shook the wisp off his finger, now lazily paying attention. Taking a thick book from the middle of a short pile, Grandpa set it gently in front of him. Kendra and Seth leaned forward to see, listening to the snap and crackle of aged paper. As the cover was lifted, the stiff papers fanned out to reveal many of the beginning pages of the book. Spidery handwriting filled each page, as well as elaborate and detailed sketches. Some were occupied with only tiny sketches of fairies, while others were dominated by dark drawings of creatures that proved rather nightmarish. The words were hard to read for Seth, but he knew that Kendra would have no trouble with them.
"Is this a journal?" Kendra asked.
"It is, but not written by anyone you know." He said. A frown touched Kendra's face. She had hoped that it was a another journal from Patton Burgess, one of the most renowned caretakers of Fablehaven. She and many others had been given the chance to meet him when Seth had used the Chronometer to bring him forward in time, but the visit had been short lived. She treasured the journals that he had written in, including the Journal of Secrets, and it wouldn't have hurt to add another to the collection. But the thought of another who had adventures to share made her eager to expand her own internal library. She knew there were others like Patton out there, and she was now itching with curiosity as to who had written the journal in front of her Grandpa.
"Who wrote it, then?" Seth asked, as if he had read her mind. Grandpa stopped to consider the question, then shook his head.
"It will be a surprise." He said. Seth groaned.
"Why does everything have to be a surprise? You have officially ruined my like of surprises, and have ruined every birthday party I'm ever going to have." He crossed his arms. Grandpa suppressed the urge to smile, though it was easy enough when he stopped at a certain page in the journal. He smoothed the page with his palm, setting a few heavy objects in the upper corners to keep it from easing closed again. Kendra's eyes went straight for the words, while Seth gawked at the drawing. Grandpa quietly let them look.
"What is that thing? It looks like-"
"A tree? It is." Grandpa said. Seth looked up at him, a brow raised. He tapped at the picture of the tree, hand swatted away when it blocked Kendra's sight.
"That's a tree?" He seemed skeptical.
Seeing that Seth was highly interested of the tree sketch, Kendra turned her attention to it. He was right, it only vaguely resembled a tree. The trunk was rather thin looking compared to the rest of the tree, which resembled a bundle of differently sized bubbles that there held together by a thin layer of membrane-like material. Soft blue light filtered out from the bubbly foliage of the tree, giving it a highly magical feel to it. Bits of light were hidden away inside the twisted trunk, as if fairies had taken refuge there. It was a very detailed and colorful sketch.
"This is what you wanted to show us?" She asked.
"If you wanted to show us crummy art, why didn't you take us to a museum?" Seth muttered. Kendra pinched his arm from behind Grandpa. He yelped and rubbed the spot, glaring.
"Behave," Grandpa snapped, "I know this doesn't seem like much to you, Seth, but this tree is a very important organism when it comes to anything magical." He said seriously.
"Why?"
"It's where every magical creature or magic user gets their magic from." Grandpa said. Kendra frowned.
"They get magic from a tree?" She asked doubtfully.
"Where else do you think they get it from? I'll admit that before this tree existed, nature was the one source of magic." He said.
"Nature?"
"The trees, animals, anything." Grandpa said, "The problem with that was that using magic would leave the area withered and dead. I think I'll leave the writer of this journal to explain everything to you." He said.
"That might be easier said than done." Said a voice from behind them. Turning, Kendra spotted Warren standing in the doorway. He was as rugged and handsome as ever, but he looked a little frustrated. He shrugged off his leather jacket and let the duffle bag he held drop to the floor.
"She hasn't responded?" Grandpa asked. Warren handed him an opened envelope, scoffing. Kendra rarely saw him so frustrated, let alone angry.
"Oh, she responded. You know how petty she can be, and it doesn't help that she knows I'm here." He scowled. Grandpa gave him a look.
"Warren, you're an adult now. It will make things a lot easier for all of us if you two just talk and settle things." He said. Kendra and Seth backed away and whispered to each other.
"Who are they talking about?" Seth asked. Kendra shrugged.
"I don't know, but Warren obviously doesn't like her. I wonder if it's an old girlfriend." She wondered. It certainly sounded like it, but she couldn't be sure. Warren saw and heard them whispering amongst each other, raising his voice so they could hear.
"She's not an old girlfriend." He defended. Grandpa snorted while reading the letter he had taken from the envelope.
"Close enough." He muttered. Warren's face reddened a little, but it vanished quickly. He moved past Grandpa and stood near Seth and Kendra. He saw the opened journal and pointed at it.
"How'd you get that?" He asked suddenly.
"She gave it to me, said it might be helpful." Grandpa said with a smile. Warren threw his hands up.
"Of course!"
"Who are you talking about?" Seth finally asked, sounding a little frustrated himself. Warren passed Grandpa a questioning look, and Grandpa nodded in return.
"I'm talking about Ethelinda," He said, "The dragon that wrote this journal."
"More dragons?" Seth sounded excited. They hadn't spoken to their dragon friend, Raxtus, or seen a dragon since last year, "Isn't a dragon a little big to use a pen?"
"She started taking on a human form a long time ago, long before your grandpa was born." Warren said.
"You sound like you know her well, or at least wish you didn't know her." Kendra tempted. Warren sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the work bench.
"It's complicated."
"Complicated? It's about as complicated as Seth's disregard for the rules." Grandpa said. Seth frowned.
"Hey!"
"Ethelinda is a very old dragon, but she didn't start taking on a human form until she was an adult like most dragons. She and Warren met when he was a teenager. She was the same age as Warren is now, and I wouldn't doubt it if she looked the same today. Anyway, she took Warren on as an apprentice adventurer." Grandpa said. Warren winced.
"You liked her, didn't you?" Seth teased, "Was she pretty?"
"Very," Sighed Warren, "I was only a teenager when we met, so I wasn't thinking straight. The thing about Ethelinda is that she likes to be tough on certain people. She was especially tough on me. I didn't care in the beginning, but I was stubborn and arrogant. I suppose she was right when she told me that I was too young and inexperienced to go out on my own, but I just wouldn't listen. I called her old, and you know how well woman take that." He said with a wink to Seth.
"She flipped?" He asked.
"Not in the way you think she would. All she did was glare, then challenge me to a fight." In spite of how hateful he had sounded before, Warren was wearing a nostalgic smile.
"You fought with a dragon? Were you insane?" Kendra exclaimed.
"I didn't know she was a dragon at the time, and I wouldn't have cared if I had known." He admitted.
"Why did she challenge you to a fight?"
"I don't know, really. All she said was that if I beat her, I could go off on my own." Warren shrugged, "She didn't even make a condition for if she won, which makes me think that she just wanted me to prove myself. Thing is, I did lose."
"No surprise there." Grandpa said.
"She had me pinned there with a broken nose, a sprained wrist and a few bruised ribs. I hated her so badly for beating me because I really did want to be by myself. I wanted to prove to her that I was capable of taking care of myself, no matter how young and stupid she thought I was." He said. Seth lowered his head some. That sounded all too familiar to him, and so Warren's story took on a new meaning. "Know what she did after she beat me?"
"What?" Kendra didn't normally like to hear about fights, but this one was the most interesting she had heard in her life. A mortal man fighting a dragon in the shape of a human.
"She laughed. Ethelinda laughed right in my face. She said I was a weak, sniveling baby and left me there in the mountains where she lived. She said she wouldn't take me on in another fight, even after I had asked a hundred times. I've hated her since." Warren finished.
"So what's so important about her now?" Seth asked.
"He didn't know it then, but Ethelinda is a very important part of the Knights of Dawn. One of the oldest members. She serves a very important role when it comes to magic, but we'll explain tomorrow." Grandpa said.
"What's tomorrow?" Kendra asked.
"Let's just say that we're going on a field trip." Warren said. Seth and Kendra brightened. They loved staying at Fablehaven, but it was even more exciting when they were allowed to visit other magical places.
"We're going to see the dragon?" Seth asked a little too anxiously.
"Unfortunately." Warren growled.
"Where does she live?" Kendra asked. She would have normally been worried about visiting a dragon, since her previous run-ins with them were less than pleasant. Ethelinda sounded like a nice dragon, and suddenly she found herself missing Raxtus. Grandpa scratched his chin in thought.
"If I remember right, she lives in North Carolina." He said.
"At least it will be warm." Seth said. Warren laughed, shaking his head.
"Not during this time of year. They might not get as cold or snowy as we do, but it's still no day at the bench in the mountains." He said. Seth groaned.
"Grandma's going to make us wear coats."
"And for good reason, now go pack. We leave tomorrow morning, and it's going to be a long drive." Grandpa said as he closed the journal.
"We're driving?" Seth's jaw dropped open some.
"It's almost fourteen hours, so you better bring some entertainment." Warren chuckled, grabbing his jacket and duffle bag. Kendra already had planned which books she would bring with her, but she wasn't looking forward to a sore bottom after fourteen hours of sitting in a car. Leaving the secret room, Kendra and Seth raced to their attic bedroom to determine who would get to ride shotgun tomorrow morning.