Disclaimer: I do not own Fablehaven, or anything, really. REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I BEG!
Chapter One
Seth, whispers a voice in his ears. Seth looks around, head whipping from side to side. Seth, I am here.
Seth cocks his head and frowns. He hears voices all the time but, hey, they usually aren't in the middle of his bedroom, around no freakishly awesome zombies, and addressing him quite so weirdly. That sums this up, actually; weird.
Seth sets down his phone. He'd been texting a cute girl he'd met a week ago, hoping to maybe get something going. The bed creaks as Seth sits up and looks around.
"Hello, voice in my head," laughs Seth easily with a smile, masking his uncertainties with cheer. "Have I finally kicked the bucket and gone cuckoo?"
A ghostly chuckle rings around in his brain. The voice comes again, strong and deep and definitely feminine. It sounds friendly, but Seth's made too many mistakes to fall victim to that play.
No, you're perfectly sane. As for my friendliness... Well, naturally, laughs the voice. I sound friendly because I am friendly, but I don't expect you to believe that, because you're not an idiot. You won't trust me right away, at least. With time, precious time… perhaps.
"You can read my mind?" Instantly, ever cuss word and inappropriate thought Seth knows flies through his brain. A sensation like sighing rolls over his chest.
Unfortunately, yes, I can read your mind. I really do not need nor want to know what Kendra looks like undressed, Seth.
"I'll bet you don't," says Seth, shaking his head, as if that'll get rid of the creepy lady in his head.
Creepy lady? muses the voice. Well, I don't know about creepy, but I'm certainly not a woman.
"Who are you?" breathes Seth, rising from his cot, eyes flicking around the playroom, as if maybe he'll be able to spot her by looking around. Which is very stupid.
I am a mother, a mother very worried about her children, sighs the voice candidly. Emotions rush over Seth with every word, almost knocking him back onto the bed with their anguish and ferocity. An immense fear washes over Seth, fear of the futures and things to come, followed quickly by fury for those attempting to hurt her family, longing for those she's already lost, and a weariness that eats at Seth's soul. It's finished with a sensation of deep, powerful love.
And not just for this creature's family. For everything; the hunters that track her, the ground she walks upon, the stars that light her path, the ones that hurt her most, and Seth. She loves Seth so much.
I need your help, Seth, whispers the voice, begging him for assistance, giving up all pretenses. The owner of a powerful magical object has fallen right outside the border of Fablehaven. The object is… well, picture this: the soul of a dragon is immensely powerful and deadly, when used correctly. A dragon-soul has the potential to wipe out entire preserves, if one knows how. Now, imagine a race that is ten times more magically gifted then dragons, fifteen times smarter, and thirty times more dangerous. Picture what that would do to their soul. Now, take every soul of every one of those creatures and mash it together, with all of that power and raw emotion. That's what the object is. I ask of you to retrieve the object, before one of my enemies get there first.
The rushes of emotion had helped Seth determine that the voice is friendly, because he's pretty sure those can't be faked, but he still isn't one hundred percent. "I've already been conned like this," informs Seth, raising his eyebrows, "so if you're trying again, that's a little sad. Why won't you tell me your name, and what this thingy can do? Who's chasing you?"
I'm not conning you, chides the deep voice musically, but I see your reasons to be suspicious. I can't tell you my name, out of fear for your own safety; like the Fairy Queen. She tells none her true name, or else they would be hunted to the ends of the earth. The people who hunt me are my hunters, and that's all you'll ever have to know. I pray that you'll never be swept into this carnage...
As for the object… The voice trails off, making Seth's suspicions grow. Honestly, I don't care what you do with it, she says frankly. Ideally, it would be fabulous if I could have it to assure that it never falls into the wrong hands, but you're doing me a favor, so do whatever. Throw it away, keep it, study it, whatever. Or you could give it to me. That's nice, too.
"Fat chance," snorts Seth, but his pulse races. A creature, possibly as powerful as the Fairy Queen, went to him for help; not Kendra or Grandpa or Bracken!
Of course I went to you. You're Seth Sorenson, the renowned shadow charmer. No matter who you are compared to, the greatest warrior or the noblest king, I will always, always pick you.
Oh. Seth is so sold.
Kendra lounges in one of the lawn chairs, pretending to sleep in the springtime sun; it's not very hard to pretend to be taking a nap, considering her drowsiness. Her eyes are just slightly cracked, allowing her to see little slivers of the fairies as they chatter, completely blind to her awareness. Kendra focuses on one little battle between a pair of fairies close to her chair, one fiery orange, and the other elegant blue.
It's an interesting match, because the blue fairy doesn't even seem interested.
The orange fairy chuckles nastily, pointing her finger and laughing at the blue. Her orange-tinted bumble-bee wings beat quickly to hold her little body in the air. A golden slip that glitters and shines in the sunlight is complimented by her neon orange locks of curled hair. The blue fairy looks up, her dark skin tattooed with silvery swirling lines up one arm, matching her nearly white eyes.
"Is something wrong, Gerat?" the blue fairy questions, touching down on one of the lush leaves, pausing the motions of her wings. The blue fairy folds her knees and sits crisscross on the emerald plain of the leaf.
"Nothing at all, I was just think how horrible it would be to not have an inkling of beauty, like demonstrated," titters the orange fairy, Gerat, apparently. She gestures rudely towards the blue fairy. "Don't you ever get bored of being so ugly?"
"I was just asking myself that a few moments ago, actually, when I saw you fluttering over here," counters the blue fairy, standing once more. Her long gown is like a shimmering patchwork of all shades of cobalt, flowing over her like a waterfall of blue gossamer, matching her translucent blue butterlfy wings framing her slim figure. Both of the fairies are magically beautiful, of course, but in slightly different ways; Gerat is more chic and sexy, while the unnamed blue fairy seems more graceful in style, more elegant and mystical. "However fulfilling it is to argue over each other's beauty endlessly, can we pick something to both agree on? I am so weary of all this pointless bickering..."
Kendra has to resist raising her eyebrows. Gerat is taken aback. "Well," she blubbers, brown eyes blinking, "you must agree, that the foolish girl is ugly as an old apple left to rot in the sun after being soaked in pesticides."
"I disagree," adds a new voice, one that sends Kendra's pulse rattling in her veins. The tone used is very disapproving, as if the fact that the fairies aren't bowing down to Kendra's every move is offending.
"Bracken," greets the blue fairy with a small smile, "what a delight to meet you again."
Bracken moves into Kendra's little crescents of sight, his blue eyes flashing with tender amusement. As much as Kendra enjoys "sleeping" around the fairies, she enjoys fooling Bracken even more. When he thinks she's napping, he doesn't bother to put up his careful barriers and walls, leaving her eyes vulnerable to his emotions.
Kendra loves Bracken more than anything else in the universe. She really doesn't care about anything other than his well-being. But Bracken's been carefully keeping to himself, never venturing beyond the friend-zone, ever since the day by the pond, all those months ago, when they had decided to wait. He told her once it was so that Kendra would have a normal life without him intervening, and be able to keep going, and love who she wants; that is, if she can love anyone after experiencing Bracken's admiration, which Kendra seriously doubts. Bracken usually maintains casual conversations, friendly and distant. Sometimes, he acts so nonchalant she wonders if the unicorn prince even still cares about her; in Kendra's eyes, it doesn't make any sense that Bracken would even have somewhat affection for ugly, awkward her. But those doubts had been erased every time by the looks Bracken gives Kendra's deep in conversation, or on the opposite side of the room, or eating her breakfast; any time when he thinks she's not paying him attention, Bracken gazes at Kendra with such warm and tender adoration it warms her from her head to toe. Bracken looks at her like that now, and any time she's pretending to nap, assuming that she can't see his emotional eyes.
And his eyes…
Kendra allows herself to peer at them through her lids, becoming transfixed by their deep and complex beauty. Imagine the color of the sky, a beautifully exotic turquoise, bright and expressive. Then layer that with translucent shades of silver and grey, ringed with a smidgen of gold lining his dark pupils, and you'll have Bracken's eyes, little masterpieces of their own.
"Is she asleep?" he whispers to the blue fairy, who smiles at him warmly. The fairy isn't swooning as so many of the other fairies surrounding Bracken are, but treating him like a friend and equal.
"Oh, yes," chatters the blue fairy, turning to Kendra. Kendra is delightfully mortified to see the blue fairy wink teasingly. Had the fairy known the whole time? "She's been sleeping a lot in the gardens lately; having all sorts of horrible nightmares at, uh, night, so she catches some shut-eye in the garden, under our watchful eyes."
"Thank you," murmurs Bracken, not looking at the fairy anymore. His glorious features are illuminated by a shaft of sunlight. He's so handsome it makes Kendra's chest hurt. His silvery white hair had gotten cut since his long days imprisoned in the Living Mirage, so it hangs attractively around his ears, giving the Fairy Prince an adorable rugged appearance. With broad shoulders and strong muscles rippling with every movement, Kendra can't help but feel nervous butterflies in her stomach.
Bracken moves towards her, strong arms curling underneath Kendra's shoulders and under her knees. Kendra lets out a sleepy groan to keep the skit going, allowing Bracken to cradle her in his powerful arms. She buries her head into his strong chest, admiring the flex of muscles. Bracken chuckles softly, sending a vibration through his flesh, one that Kendra feels underneath her skin.
After a split second of indecision, Kendra links her arms around his neck and pulls herself closer to him. Bracken leans down his head slightly, allowing his breath to roll over Kendra's face. It smells like a blend of fragrant wildflowers and sweet grass, with just the slightest tint of spicy pine tree needles.
"Hello, Kendra," he whispers lovingly as he begins to walk, rocking in accordance with his powerful strides as he carries Kendra to the house, the motion lulling her.
"Hey, Unicorn." Kendra's surprised by the drowsiness in her own voice. She doesn't fake the yawn that escapes her lips. "Oops, sorry."
"It's alright to yawn, Kendra," laughs Bracken gently. "I don't care." Kendra shrugs against him. Bracken's next words are hesitant and cautious, as if he's addressing an angry sabertooth cat.
"Just out of interest, where's your brother going?"
How was it? Please review! Did I write Bracken well? What about Seth? Help me out and WRITE A REVIEW!
~wolfluvermh