Siege on the Fairy Kingdom

by FablehavenFan

The Society of the Evening Star is back, and they want the instruments of eternal power. Can Kendra, Seth, Warren and their friends stop them? It's not going to be easy. Story 2 of a 10-Part Series.

10. Trust

Chapter 10 – Trust

For the rest of the night, Kendra, Seth and Warren all slept soundly. Bright, Clover and Raxtus had taken turns watching over the motel they were staying at. Fortunately, their location was never discovered by the Society of the Evening Star.

Seth was eventually woken up by someone softly shaking his body. Feeling somewhat discombobulated, Seth opened his eyes and groaned, only to be greeted by Warren, standing before his bed.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," said Warren. "We've got to check on Lance."

"Is he up?" asked Seth, watching as Warren woke up Kendra in the same manner that he did for Seth.

"Not yet. The fairies are keeping him asleep until you two are ready. I didn't want to leave him unsupervised."

"Okay," said Kendra, as she stretched her arms and yawned, "we'll be over in a moment."

After Warren left, Seth and Kendra both changed into fresh clothes. In hopes that their rescue of Kendra would be successful, Seth and Warren had brought along a change of clothes for her as well. Once they were ready, the Sorenson siblings left their room and walked over to the next room, where Warren let them inside.

Bright and Clover were standing over the bed of Lance, who was currently sound asleep. Warren then handed Seth a small square of walrus butter, which Seth swallowed instinctively. Although he didn't need the butter to see the fairy angels at their full size, it would be mandatory for other magical creatures.

"Let's do this," said Bright, as she waved her arm over Lance, sprinkling her signature rainbow sparkles over his body. After a few seconds, Lance began to squirm around, then opened up his eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Lance, as he came to his senses. "Where am I?"

"Don't you remember, Lance?" asked Seth. "We rescued you from the Society last night."

Lance placed his hands over his face, as if he was checking for his glasses, which were no doubt missing. "You mean, I'm not under their control?"

"You're safe now," said Kendra. "But we're not out of the woods yet. You and I were liberated from Oblivion's house last night. And right now, we're at a motel between his place and Fablehaven.

"I remember," said Lance, sitting up against the head of his bed. "You guys saved me. I was starting to think that I'd never escape from the society alive. I don't know how I can thank you."

"Any information, if you can spare it," said Warren. "But we'd prefer to get you back to Fablehaven as soon as possible for now, if you don't mind."

"Look, as long as there are no unwanted names in that register, Fablehaven is exactly where I'd want to be. I know how hard it is for unwanted people to get into that place."

"If everybody's ready, we can check out of this place and head home," said Warren. "As for breakfast, we can stop somewhere along the way."

"Why do that?" asked Clover. "We'd be more than happy to whip something up for you guys."

"Even better," said Seth with a smile.

Soon the group was back on the road in Warren's car, sitting in the same positions as they had been in the previous night, along with the small fairies sitting on the rear middle seat. Remaining invisible, Raxtus opted to fly in the air high above the car.

Seth and Kendra were tempted to interrogate Lance with more questions, but Warren had requested that they refrain from overwhelming him. Munching on a granola bar that the fairies had produced, Lance then washed it down with a glass of orange juice and tried to find a place to put the empty glass, when it suddenly disappeared.

"I'll take that off you hands," said Clover.

"What was that?" asked Lance.

"It was just Clover," said Kendra, "she's being friendly."

"She looks like a butterfly to me," said Lance. "Can she talk?"

"Can I talk?" asked Clover, whose voice was inaudible to Lance.

"It's okay," said Seth. "You just need to eat or drink a product made from magical milk. "Can't we give him some, Warren?"

"I'm afraid that I wasn't authorized to share the butter we brought with anyone other ourselves. As much as I'd like to trust him, it would be going against the wishes of both your grandparents and Dale. They're the ones who regulate who's allowed to drink the milk."

Lance turned his body back in order to glance out the rear windshield. "You think the Society could still be out there?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," said Kendra, looking back for herself. "If anything, the Society's persistence might even rival us Knights of the Dawn."

As they had agreed to not prompt Lance with any more questions, the ride back to Fablehaven turned out to be a rather silent one. For lunch, they stopped at a restaurant. Not because the fairies were unable to summon a lunch for them, but because everyone needed to get out of the car and stretch their legs for a while. They ate lunch at a diner, and while it was nothing overly special, Kendra was grateful that at least they hadn't stopped at McDonald's. What did startle Kendra was that a nearby McDonald's that they did pass at one point could have very well been the one she'd been taken to yesterday. However, Warren did not stop there, so she was unable to check for herself, nor was she eager to find out anyway.

At roughly three in the afternoon, the car passed through Crossroad Pass, signalling that they were now almost home. Before long, they had entered the backwoods, and were soon passing through the front gate of Fablehaven.

When the car pulled up by the front of the house, Kendra and Seth could see their parents, Grandparents and Dale all waiting for them on the porch to the house, waving their arms in hurrah. As soon as Kendra climbed out of the back seat, her parents came running up to her and gave her a hug.

"We're so glad you're all right," said Mrs. Sorenson, grasping on to Kendra fiercely.

"Thank god you're safe now," said Mr. Sorenson, also holding on to Kendra tightly.

"This is Kendra, right?" asked Grandpa. "We just need to be sure."

"We can vouch for her," said Bright, as she fluttered out of the car and assumed her full size, along with Clover.

"And Lance," said Clover, looking back into the back seat.

"Come on, Lance," said Warren, standing next to Lance's unopened door. There was a brief pause, as Lance stepped out of the door and gazed around the estate.

"This place. It really is a preserve?"

"Yes," said Grandma Sorenson, walking over to where Lance was standing. "But we'll get to that soon, I can assure you. But for now, we need to have a good talk."

"Guess it's time for another little meeting," said Warren, as the entire group stepped inside the house and seated themselves in the living room.

To start things off, everyone who Lance had not properly been introduced to greeted him. Lance then began by introducing himself to the older generations of Sorensons and Dale, telling them the same story that he had told to his rescue party, explaining that he was an orphan who had been taken in by the Society to do their bidding.

"I see," said Grandpa. "So all you desire is to be rid of the Society and live a normal life?"

"Yes," said Lance in agreement. "Problem is, with both my parents dead, I don't even have a normal life to live."

"You're not exactly alone here," said Warren. "Our lives are anything but normal. And we're just as opposed to the Society as you are."

"You're also not the only one is this room who's an orphan, Lance" said Dale. "But the folks here at Fablehaven are as good as any family."

"But, I don't want to live in place like this. I just want my old life back. If the Omega Star rumors are true, just get it back so someone can wish back my normal life. I can't believe I just said that."

"That won't work," said Grandpa. "First of all, the instruments of eternal power are being held within the Fairy Kingdom, which we currently are unable to reach due to speculated meddling from the Society. Secondly, the Omega Star, for all its power, is unable to bring your parents back to life. I'm sorry."

"It was Oblivion," said Lance. "This is part of his plan to claim to instruments of eternal power for himself."

"Mind telling us about this plan of his?" asked Grandpa.

"Yes," added Grandma. "How does Oblivion even know about all this?"

Lance then explained the story about Snitch, the grovelin who had helped Navarog invade Fablehaven and later explained his findings to the Society.

"I can't believe we forgot about that stupid little grovelin," said Seth. "As if having them crawl around in your stomach wasn't bad enough. Those things are nothing but trouble."

"What's done is done," said Grandpa. "As terrible as it may be."

"Go back a bit," said Kendra. "What did Oblivion do to the Fairy Kingdom? Do you know?"

"Oblivion somehow sealed the barrier between our world and theirs using a powerful curse. No doubt it worked if you've been unable to pass through it."

"If Oblivion wants the instruments, why cut off the only path to them?" asked Seth.

"Good question," said Grandma. "And for that matter, why can't the residents of the Fairy Kingdom break the spell?"

"Oblivion is a very powerful sorcerer," answered Lance. "From what I gathered, he cast the seal in some way so that it can only be tampered with from our world."

"How?" asked Grandpa. "How did he do it?"

"I don't know," said Lance. "Being a slave of the Society, I didn't exactly get to have lunch with Oblivion every day."

"So, if the Fairy Kingdom in inaccessible, how does this help Oblivion get a hold of the instruments?"

"Perhaps it's to cut us off from the Fairy Kingdom," said Grandma. "I mean, had we appealed to the fairies help when Kendra was kidnapped, we could've easily had them assemble the Omega Star and wished for her to return. If it hadn't already been too late"

"And just what is Oblivion doing in our world that will allow him to seize the instruments when he's good and ready?" asked Seth.

"Wish I knew," said Lance. "All I know is that it involves the magic that he stole from Kendra."

"So if Oblivion wanted Kendra so badly, why did the Society go through all trouble of getting you to befriend me?"

"Simple, really," said Lance. "Snitch told him about how you were, as he put it... gullible. So, he used me to use you as a means of getting inside Fablehaven. Why did he do this instead of kidnapping Kendra the easy way? Because he wanted to test Matthew and Ashley. See if they were worthy enough to help him in his plan to acquire the instruments."

"I am not gullible," said Seth. "I liked you. I thought you liked me."

"I wasn't free to make my own decisions," said Lance. "If it wasn't for the Society ruining my life, I wouldn't ever have been living in Crossroad Pass, and would never have met you."

"I understand," said Seth, who no doubt felt rather disappointed.

"So what do we do about the Society?" asked Kendra. "I mean, we know now for a fact that they're planning to use my magic for something big and bad."

"We may have to track them down again," said Grandpa. "At the very least, we have a lead on four names. Matthew and Ashley Alder, as well as Alexander and Margot Springer"

"I wouldn't count on it," said Lance. "All of those people must each have like a dozen fake names. None of which I've actually learned.

"What about Oblivion?" asked Grandma.

"His real name? Jordan Golding. Not that it'll help you in finding him. He keeps an even lower profile than the others, and probably has so many fake names, I wouldn't know where to begin."

Just then, a knocking could be heard from the window. Everyone turned to face the window and saw that it was Raxtus. However, standing alongside Raxtus was a large bird that was nearly twice his own size.

"She's here," said Dale. "Might as well give her a fair welcome."

As if it were instinctive, the group travelled outside, where they could get a better view of Raxtus and the bird.

"Who are you?" asked Kendra.

"Do you not remember?" asked the bird. "Your expedition to Rio Branco and Silicon Station?"

"Of course!" snapped Kendra. "You're... the phoenix. Astro-Jet!"

"Correct," said the phoenix. "I am Astro-Jet. Or at least I was, until you wished for me to become a living being as the non-sentient phoenix statue. Due to my organic overhaul, I ask that you refer to me simply as "Jet"."

"After I heard that Geminus would be unable to help us for the time being, I called Carlito Demano at Rio Branco," said Grandpa. "Jet wanted to help, so she was granted permission to travel here on her own. No doubt it took her longer to get here from Brazil than it did for Raxtus to reach here from Wyrmroost."

"So you were once the computer of a spaceship?" asked Seth.

"Affirmative," replied Jet. "However, my brain was originally conceived as a computer processing unit. Even in my new body, I have yet to properly adapt. Perhaps it is a fault of not being able to think like a machine."

"I'm sorry," said Kendra.

"Don't be sorry," said Jet. "I am grateful to be a living being rather than a slave that has no future prospect. I have been getting used to my new body, and I appreciate it quite a lot."

"So you're going to help us out for now?" asked Seth. "Awesome."

"Affirmative," said Jet. "Now, I see that Kendra has already been rescued. What service of mine would you be requiring?"

"Well, we really are in quite a bind," explained Grandpa, who went on to briefly explain the situation so far to Jet, as well as Raxtus.

"Okay," said Raxtus. "The Society's up to something bad, and the Fairy Kingdom can't be accessed. What are we supposed to do?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like a moment to assess this situation in private. I'll be back momentarily."

Grandpa then stepped back into the house and closed the door behind himself. While he was gone, Kendra and Seth both pictured him walking into his study and pondering for a few minutes. After several minutes had actually passed, Grandpa returned back outside to the awaiting group, his head held up high.

"I have reached a conclusion," said Grandpa. "At the moment, we are faced with two priorities. One; catching up with Oblivion and the Society, and stopping their plan, whatever that is. Two; accessing the Fairy Kingdom."

"Going after Oblivion is one thing," began Warren, "but how do you propose that we reach the Fairy Kingdom?"

"I just spoke with Agad. He's agreed to let us use the Translocator for this purpose. Hopefully, its power will allow us to enter the Fairy Kingdom."

"So where is the Translocator?" asked Kendra. "Agad doesn't still have it, does he?"

"It's been locked up inside Labrador Labyrinth," said Grandpa. "You know, the vault that served as the original home for the Accelerizer? It's been restored and is now a full-fledged vault again."

"Not bad," said Warren. "I was pretty bummed that we didn't get to actually explore that place last time."

"Yeah, we know where it is, and it's not that far from here," said Kendra."

"So we go after the Translocator," said Seth. "Sounds good. Then we go after the Society. How?"

"Not exactly," said Grandpa. "You're going to be split into two groups. One will go after the Translocator, as mentioned. The other will look for the Society, by first paying a visit to... The Sphinx."

"You can't be serious," explained Kendra. "Trusting him?"

"The Sphinx is no longer associated with the Society. He is being kept under heavy guard at Living Mirage. I feel that Seth would be a good candidate for visiting the Sphinx, given his shadow charmer prowess and previous experience. If you're up to it, of course, Seth."

"Me?" asked Seth. "You want me to visit the Sphinx?"

"There's no real risk here. The Sphinx is virtually powerless."

"Well..." began Seth. "Okay. If it'll help. Who would I go with?"

"Well, we have eight adventurers altogether," said Grandpa. "Kendra, Warren, Raxtus and Bright. You four will go after the Accelerizer, given your previous experience with vault raiding. The other group will consist of Seth, Clover, Jet and... Tanu."

"Tanu's coming?" asked Seth, eyes wide open.

"Yes. I've briefed the situation to him. You'll meet up with him later."

"What about Lance?" asked Dale.

Everyone turned to face Lance, who looked all fearful and distraught. "I don't want to go on an adventure. I just want to be left alone."

"We understand," said Grandma. "You can stay here for the time being. Don't worry. Fablehaven is a wonderful place to live, at least when it's not under attack by malevolent forces."

"I don't want to live here," boasted Lance. "I just want a normal life. My parents are dead and no one is qualified to look after me! I don't care about this silly fantasy world! I just want to be left alone!"

As if on cue, Lance fell down to his knees and began crying. It was painful and saddening to see Lance cry. The poor boy didn't mean any harm. And due to reasons beyond his control, Kendra could sense that Lance felt partly responsible for her kidnapping, even though it wasn't his fault at all.