Chapter 14: Rescue Mission
Kendra and Seth both found themselves getting very little sleep for the rest of the night. The situation had left them far too overstimulated for either of one them to so much as even gradually fall asleep.
Eventually, Kendra opened her eyes and saw that the digital clock on her bedside table currently showed that the time was now six fifty-one. Although she felt somewhat groggy, Kendra knew that by this point, it would be futile for her try and go back to sleep. Alas, Kendra slipped out of bed and stuck her feet into a pair of slippers.
"Kendra?" asked Ingrid, who currently had her face concealed underneath the covers of her own bed.
"It's almost seven," said Kendra. "I barely slept this morning."
Ingrid tossed her covers off of her head and looked over at Kendra. "That makes two of us. I can't believe it's not even seven on a Saturday morning, and I'm up."
"I figured I might as well get up. I'm still uptight over everything that's happened."
"What if it doesn't stop here?" asked Ingrid. "Dominera sounds like she's really powerful. Even if she's done with going after us and our own allies, there's no telling where else and what else she might consider going after."
"That's what worries me. I'm going to go freshen up, then go down for breakfast."
"Okay. I'll meet you down there."
Meanwhile, Seth found himself being awoken by the sound of footsteps traipsing back and forth through the second floor hallway outside his bedroom. Intrigued, in addition to not being able to sleep very well, Seth soon managed to get out of bed and washed up in the bathroom once it became available.
The family soon met at the dinner table. From the look of it, it seemed as though nobody else had gotten a very good night's sleep. Grandma entered the dining room carrying a tray full of steaming mugs. Once she set the tray down on the table, it was apparent that the mugs contained either coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. The kids each helped themselves to a mug of hot chocolate, the taste of which seemed to help perk them up.
"I think we all needed that," said Ingrid, after taking a long sip of hot chocolate. "It's just kind of disturbing to think that the milk that we're drinking is now in scarce supply."
"Unfortunately, I've had to take a few liberties since last night," said Grandpa. "For one, I have removed Skyfrost and Firesquall's names from the register. Until we can get this whole thing straightened out, they will not be allowed to return to Fablehaven without authorization."
Seth slammed his free hand down against the tabletop. "That's not fair!"
"I'm sorry. But we can't have dragons that we can't control flying around without regulation. They clearly had some involvement in Viola's abduction. Who knows what else they might do. Also, Bracken will be with us shortly. He's currently investigating other areas of the preserve, just to make sure that everything else is in order after what went on last night."
Before long, everyone had finished their drinks, followed by several of Grandma's homemade waffles, topped with banana slices. After everyone had eaten, the family adjourned to the living room, just as Bracken entered the house through the front door.
"Bracken!" exclaimed Kendra, as she ran up to the unicorn and gave him a hug. He hugged her back in return.
"Well, it doesn't seem like any other part of the preserve has been affected," said Bracken. "But I still don't get how Skyfrost could've done all this. Not without additional help, anyway."
"He shouldn't have been able to lead any unauthorized beings onto the preserve," said Grandpa. "The barrier would've repelled them had they gotten too close."
"And the barrier appeared to still be intact. If it's been breached somehow, they did a very good job of covering their tracks."
Soon everyone had seated themselves upon either a couch or a chair.
"I'm done with waiting," said Seth. "Let's just set out for the lair already and get our friends back!"
"You're going to need a plan," said Grandma. "Rushing into danger like this is fool-hearty. You should know that."
"If we're going to succeed, we'll need to do everything in our power to avoid being caught," said Warren. "As it stands now, we're no match for any one of those dragons."
"I wish I still had my powers," said Kendra. "If I could become fairyprime, I'd probably have the power to take on every last one of those dragons."
"You guys have killed dragons and wyverns before," said Ingrid.
"Not a horde of them," said Warren. "Which is what concerns me. I'm thinking that we'll need to resort to stealth. Those other dragons won't attack us if they don't even know that we're there."
"Raxtus is a must," said Seth. "His invisibility would be invaluable."
"There's also the invisibility gloves," said Kendra. "At least one of us would be able to wear them."
"And the fairies can just use their magic to render the rest of us invisible as well..."
"No way!" stated Bracken.
"What's wrong?"
"If we render someone invisible, not only would it be a considerable drain on our magic, but the hex is prone to wearing off shortly thereafter. It'd be a huge risk."
"Then that means, only one of us would be safe with the gloves," said Seth.
"So who would go?" asked Dale. "Raxtus and only one knight?"
"It's risky, but it's probably the safest option," said Bracken. "I can hide myself alongside the party, but I wouldn't be of much use in that state."
"It's just as well," said Grandpa. "If a smaller group goes on this trip, they're less likely to get caught."
"It's best if I go," said Seth. "I've got my angelkind abilities, so I might be the most viable. I ought to scan the lair with the Oculus first, so that we know the most direct route to where Skyfrost, Firesquall, and even Viola are."
"I've got the Oculus," said Grandma, placing the spherical artifact upon the table. "Hope you manage to find them."
Seth picked up the Oculus, clenched it in his hands, and shut his eyes. He proceeded to think about Skyfrost and Firesquall. Surely enough, the two wyverns came into view together. They appeared to be back in that same cavern that Seth had last seen them in the previous night.
Seth then shifted his view back through the tunnel that led out of the cavern. Standing guard outside the tunnel was the four-armed blue dragon that Seth had recalled seeing at an earlier point, and not the red one that had been there the previous night.
Making a mental note of his starting position, Seth proceeded to direct his viewpoint throughout the lair. He made his way down several corridors, trying to remember every time he turned, and what direction it was. The lair was large, but did not appear to be too maze-like. The different corridors and tunnels were easy for him to remember, due to their varying lengths and the positioning of hallways. If he took a turn that led to a dead end, Seth merely backed himself up and continued onward, looking for an alternate path.
After another minute or so of searching, Seth soon found the entrance to the lair. But he couldn't stop now. Instead, Seth allowed his viewpoint to retreat back into the lair. Relying on his memory, Seth made his way back through the lair, and soon found the blue dragon who had been guarding the tunnel that led to the cavern where Skyfrost and Firesquall were. He had now memorized the route as best he could. If he were to go back to the lair for real, Seth felt that he would be able to navigate his way around to the same cavern.
However, Viola still needed to be located, for Seth had not stumbled upon her when he had searched through the lair. Envisioning the immense bovine in his mind, Viola's large body soon came into view. Surely enough, Viola also appeared to be in another large cavern.
Given that the lair was large enough to house a group of dragons, there was more than enough space for Viola to move around in. As had been the case with the wyverns, there was but a single exit from the cavern that Viola was being being confined to. Intrigued, Seth moved himself through the exit tunnel.
Upon emerging from the tunnel, Seth immediately saw the reason for why Viola had not left. At the entrance to the tunnel stood an orange dragon. This dragon was still unfamiliar to Seth, but he possessed a pair of scorpion-like pincers in place of where his claws otherwise should have been, as well as a tail with a long spike at the end. Its underside bore a yellow and black pattern, similar in appearance to hazard stripes. Although unfamiliar to him, Seth felt that this dragon was still a force to be reckoned with.
Seth then began to explore the tunnels from his current position. After a bit of searching, Seth came across a corridor that looked somewhat familiar. After a bit more guesswork, Seth realized that he had now come across an area he had been through whilst searching for the exit after locating Skyfrost and Firesquall. After making his way through a few more tunnels, Seth at last found the exit to the lair once again.
Finally, Seth proceeded to open his eyes, allowing his perspective to return to the living room.
"I've got it," said Seth, as he set the Oculus down on the coffee table. "I've familiarized myself with the lair. If I go back there, I'll know where to find Skyfrost and Firesquall, as well as Viola.
"Can you give us directions?" asked Warren.
Seth winced. "Not exactly. I kind of just pictured everything in my head. I feel like if I go, I'll be able to find my way around. Mapping it seems kind of hard, though. The whole place is an underground maze. But I'll know where to go once I'm there."
"I still don't like the idea of Seth going all by himself," said Grandpa.
"I'll be with him," said Bracken. "And so will Raxtus."
"I'll go," said Kendra.
"And just how will you conceal yourself?" asked Seth.
"We'll share the invisibility gloves. Fairykind or not, I need to prove myself. That I still have what it takes to be courageous."
"Kendra, you don't have to," said Grandpa. "Warren, would you be willing to..."
"NO!" snapped Kendra. "I want to do this. I'm not afraid."
Grandpa sighed. "Very well. You've probably endured worse missions than this one."
"Her résumé is quite impressive," said Warren. "And besides, the whole point of this operation is to not get caught. I have complete faith in Kendra."
"Thank you," said Kendra.
"Very well," said Grandpa. "Kendra. Seth. Bracken. I want for the three of you to take the Translocator and meet up with Raxtus. From there, you are to travel to the lair, infiltrate it, and locate the captives. Do you understand?"
"Absolutely," said Seth, who nodded, as did Kendra and Bracken.
After assembling all of their gear together, Kendra, Seth and Bracken all went out into the backyard and made their way over to the dragon family's lair, where Raxtus and Geminus were currently waiting around.
"Good morning," said Geminus, who spoke in a tone that did not sound as though she was very happy.
"Bracken said you guys were probably going to come up with a plan," said Raxtus.
"Indeed we did," said Bracken. "It's going to be a stealth mission. Only Kendra, Seth and myself are going. Plus you, Raxtus. We're going to slip into the lair real quick. In and out as fast as possible."
"I understand. When can we get going?"
"Right now. Kendra, do you have the Translocator?"
"I do," replied Kendra, as she removed the aforementioned artifact from her bag.
"Good. Then let's get this over and done with."
"Hold it!" blurted Geminus, just as Kendra began to twist the Translocator in her hands. "This whole thing sounds extremely dangerous! It's more severe than your previous missions. What if something goes wrong?"
"Geminus, if we don't help the others, there's no telling what might happen to them," said Raxtus.
"I know. But isn't there a better way than this? I'm worried enough as it is."
"It's a risk we need to take," said Bracken. "We've braved the Demon Domain. We can brave this."
Geminus took in a deep breath. "I understand. I'm just... concerned. Good luck, to all of you."
"Thanks," said Kendra, as she passed the Translocator over to Seth. "Okay, Seth. Take us to the lair."
"Got it," said Seth, as he set his grasp around the middle of the Translocator. Once Kendra, Bracken and Raxtus were all touching it, Seth closed his eyes. In his mind, Seth envisioned the countryside by the lake, where Skyboom had initially dropped him and Warren off yesterday.
Once Seth opened his eyes, he found that he was now standing in the same exact spot that he had pictured in his mind.
"Whoa!" gasped Bracken, as he and the others all gazed at their new surroundings. "Where are we?"
"See that lake?" asked Seth, as he looked out at the calm, clear lake that stood before the group. At the far end of the lake, which was more than half a mile away, stood a mountain range.
"Hard not to," quipped Kendra.
"Across it is the entrance to Dominera's lair. I didn't want to send us in any closer, in case there's someone guarding it."
"Okay then," said Raxtus. "This is it. Bracken, hide yourself. Kendra and Seth, get on my back."
Bracken proceeded to vanish, leaving behind a brief puff of colorful sparkles, while Kendra and Seth both climbed up onto Raxtus' backside and sat down in his saddle. Kendra proceeded to remove both of the invisibility gloves from her bag and passed one over to Seth.
"Here goes," said Seth, as he slipped the glove over his right hand. Once it settled into position, Seth watched as his entire body faded out of view, only for it to flicker in and out as he set his hands down upon Raxtus' neck.
Likewise, Kendra put on her glove, and became invisible, just like her brother.
"We're ready, Raxtus," said Kendra.
"Okay," said Raxtus, as he too allowed his body to become invisible. "Let's do this. Which way Seth?"
"Should be straight across the lake. Fly over and I'll guide you from there."
Although he could not be seen, Kendra and Seth felt as Raxtus extended his wings outward. He then proceeded to lift himself up into the air and began to fly across the lake.
"I see the ledge," said Seth, as the cliffs came into view on the other side of the lake. Up ahead, a bit to the left."
"I think I see what you're talking about," said Raxtus, as he flew over to the ledge that Seth had spotted. Within seconds, Raxtus came down for a landing upon the ledge.
"Where do we go from here?" asked Kendra, looking up at the face of the cliff. From what she could tell, there did not appear to be any features of interest.
"There should be a fake wall right around here," said Seth. "It's an illusion. You can pass right through it."
Raxtus stepped up towards the wall, then stopped right in front of it.
"Raxtus?" asked Kendra, wondering why the invisible dragon had stopped.
"Seth's right," said Raxtus. "You can't see it, but I just stuck my claw straight through the wall! Brace yourselves, because I'm going in."
Raxtus continued to walk forward. Kendra squinted her face as the wall got closer and closer, out of fear that she was going to crash directly into it. She held her arms in front of her face, but just as she reached the wall, her body passed directly through it and into a huge tunnel that sloped downward.
"Whoa," said Kendra, looking down the tunnel in awe.
"Seth, are you sure you know where we need to go to find the others?" asked Raxtus.
"I'm pretty sure," replied Seth. "So let's get a move on while I still have this place fresh in my memory."
Raxtus began to glide down the slope, moving at a speed that would not create too much noise, but also wasn't too slow. After about a minute or so, Raxtus reached the bottom of the slope and continued onward down the tunnel.
After another minute or so, Raxtus stopped at a four-way intersection.
"Which way from here?" asked Raxtus, speaking in a not-too-loud whisper.
"Left," replied Seth.
Raxtus continued down the path on the left. However, he stopped after a moment.
"Raxtus?" asked Seth. "What's wrong?"
Raxtus made a shush. "Hear that?"
Kendra and Seth could both hear loud, heavy footsteps slowly approaching from further down the tunnel. Raxtus then slid over towards a wall and landed on the floor.
"Hold still and keep your mouths shut," whispered Raxtus. "They won't know we're here."
A moment later, a large yellow dragon came turning around from a corner that was up ahead. She turned her face to look down the tunnel towards the group. Seth recognized the dragon from earlier, but wasn't sure what she was capable of. She then began to walk down the tunnel, getting closer with each step she took.
Kendra was hoping for her life that the dragon had not noticed them, and would simply continue down the tunnel.
The dragon came closer and closer. Once her huge frame was situated only a few feet away from the group, the dragon came to a stop. Kendra and Seth could both feel their hearts pounding furiously within their chests.
"It would appear that we have intruders," said the dragon. Even though they were still completely invisible, the dragon turned her head down directly at the group. Before any of them could react, the dragon reached down with her claw and clasped it around Raxtus.
"No!" gasped Kendra, speaking as softly as her lungs allowed her to.
"Yes," said the dragon, as she lifted Raxtus and his two passengers up into the air. "I sensed you three from a mile away. There's no getting past me."