I don't own anything from Fablehaven

XXX

Anette didn't answer.

"Sister?" Kendra asked again, looking around for the first time.

Anette stopped glaring at Kyrei and looked at the ground. "It's true," she finally admitted. "Kyrei is my younger sister. We are the only two people alive that can rebuild our kingdom."

"Wait..." Vanessa said, holding up a hand. "If Anette is the older sister, doesn't that mean only Anette can rebuild the kingdom? I mean, shouldn't she be the heir?"

Anette opened her mouth to speak, but Kyrei cut her off. "I need the crown," she said, smirking.

Anette glared at Kyrei again and didn't turn as she explained. "It doesn't matter. It's whoever is strong enough to take the crown."

"So, where's the crown?" Warren asked.

"Somewhere here," Kyrei replied.

"In Zarijen?" Bracken asked.

"Perhaps even in the Castle Nerae," Kyrei answered.

"So it's a race?" Kendra asked as she looked down, no emotion in her voice. She was clearly still devastated by Seth's death.

Kyrei looked at Anette and smiled. "Indeed."

Clyvandir stepped in between the two siblings. "Maybe. Maybe a race. But for now, let's try to get some sleep, huh?" He motioned at the dim sky outside the door frame.

Everyone nodded and tried to find some comfortable sleeping places in the throne room.

XXX

In the darkest places, there is always light...

The voice boomed through Anette's dream, making her want to wake up and not have to listen to the loud voice.

Even the most beautiful things are not what they seem. Sometimes, the most precious item is the most dangerous.

A softer, sweeter voice floated through Anette's mind.

Do not trust what you see, trust what you feel.

A loud, scratchy voice was heard in Anette's brain.

Anette jerked up, her heart pounding from her dream. She repeated the words she had just heard. "In the darkest places, there is light... Even the most beautiful things are not what they seem. Sometimes the most precious item is the most dangerous... Do not trust what you see, trust what you feel...What the heck does that mean?" She cried, forgetting to be quiet since the other were still asleep.

Anette looked around. Kyrei was sprawled on the throne in wolf form. Bracken and Kendra were asleep next to her. Vanessa and Warren slept side-by-side a few feet away. Clyvandir slept by himself, next to a column.

The others stirred, waking up slowly. Within a few minutes, they all rose, looked around, as if they forgot where they were.

Anette stood and dusted her clothes off. The message from her dream still running through her mind. "In the darkest places, there is light..." She mumbled. The message tugged at her mind, as if trying to help her revive a long-lost memory.

"Something wrong, Anette?" Kyrei asked sweetly, faking to be the loving little girl she wasn't.

"Nothing...Oh!" Something snapped in Anette's mind. Something her mom had shown her long ago.

Anette ran towards the throne, rushing past Kyrei and squeezing herself into the small space between the throne and the wall.

"What are you.." Kyrei started, then got off the throne and changed into human form. She walked to the back of the throne to watch Anette.

Anette pushed the throne and moved it slightly, but other than that, it wouldn't budge. Then, she heard meowing.

"Kira! Rice! Come here!" Anette called excitedly as she heard her guardians nearby. "Where have you been? Doesn't matter, come here!"

Kira and Rice approached in human form, walking slowly since they suspected Anette was tricking them. "What?" They asked at the same time.

"Help me push this!" Anette called.

The pair looked at each other, then approached. They squeezed in next to Anette behind the throne. With their combined strength, the push the throne forward.

When the throne was about two feet away from the wall, the stopped, panting.

Clyvandir, Bracken, Kendra, Vanessa, and Warren crowded around to see what happened.

Embedded in the floor, was a plain rock. Anette bent down and touched it. At her touch, the rock glowed a brilliant white, then settled to a soft cream shine.

Kyrei bent down and tried to pull the rock out of the floor, but Anette gave her a slight push out of the way. Kyrei glared, but Anette took no notice. Instead of pulling the rock, Anette pushed the rock into the floor.

The rock depressed into the floor. Then, the ground fell away, slowly dropping down.

Below the group, was a ladder leading into a dimly lit tunnel.