Chapter 14: A Shocking Discovery

Warren proceeded to twist the Translocator, then held it out in such a way so that everyone was able to make contact with it.

"You too, squirmy," said Skyfrost, as he attempted to hold Seth against the Translocator. However, seeing as how he was presently a hyperactive monkey, getting Seth to cooperate was easier said than done.

Eventually, Skyfrost had managed to gently press Seth's furry arm against the Translocator. With every member of the group now making contact with the device, Warren twisted the artifact, instantly transporting all of them out of the Grand Temple and back to the yard at Fablehaven.

"Great," said Bracken, as everyone released their touch on the Translocator, "we're back. Hopefully my magic is working properly again."

"Give it a shot," said Skyfrost, as Seth scrambled in his attempt to get out of the wyvern's grasp.

Bracken proceeded to exert a small blast of magical energy at Seth. Almost instantly, the monkey magically transformed back into a human, still in the grasp of Skyfrost's claw.

"Hey!" exclaimed Seth, who felt as though he had just woken up from a daze. "What's going on? How'd we get back here?"

"We'll tell you in a minute," said Ingrid, trying to suppress a smile.

"At least show him the pièce de ré·sis·tance," said Warren.

Ingrid held up the Diavolt in her hand, displaying it for Seth to see.

"Awesome!" said Seth, as his eyes lit up in delight. "Man, how'd I end up missing that?"

"Come on," said Kendra. "Let's go back inside and tell the others the good news!"

"But what about me?" asked Seth. "Aren't you going to explain what happened to me... to me?"

"Ehh... you'll find out soon enough," replied Bracken.

"Are you dragons all okay?" asked Warren.

"We'll be fine," said Geminus, as she and the other dragons all nodded accordingly. "I think we just need a good, long rest."

"Like Vanessa," said Firesquall. "She's probably napping in the lair. Let's go check on her."

"I couldn't agree with you more," said Raxtus, as he and the other dragons flew off towards their lair.

Kendra, Seth, Ingrid, Warren and Bracken all made their way back towards the front door of the house and stepped inside.

"We're back!" shouted Warren, as the group all piled into the foyer.

"You're back?" exclaimed Grandma from the other room. "Great! I bet you'll need a few minutes, so why don't you all freshen up, and then we'll get to discussing the current situation."

The group took turns using the various bathrooms within the house to wash themselves up. Next, they all changed into fresh clothes, before sitting down in the living room, where the rest of the family was already seated.

"Okay then," said Grandpa, looking around at everyone in the room. "How was your journey to Gargantuar? Were you successful in your mission?"

"Gargantuar was incredible!" exclaimed Ingrid. "Everything there was enormous! It got pretty intense, though."

"Still pretty amazing how everything was so huge there," said Kendra.

"All those huge jungle creatures!" said Seth. "And then there was the temple..."

"Please," said Mrs. Sorenson. "Tell us your story, from start to finish."

The group went on to explain how they first arrived in Gargantuar, then continued to relay their adventure in progressive order, including their run-in with the panther, their discovery of the temple, the crocodile room and the room with the snake.

Soon they had begun talking about the room with the Monkey King. Seth too was eager to hear about what had happened in this room, for it was where he remembered suddenly passing out, before later coming to back at Fablehaven.

"This Monkey King, he was unstoppable!" exclaimed Warren. "Skyfrost and Firesquall tried, but their attacks just weren't cutting it!"

"Seth suggested I try using my magic against the Monkey King," said Bracken. "It wasn't easy, but I managed to unleash my power towards it. But the Monkey King deflected my power at Seth, who kinda... turned into a monkey himself."

"I... what?" asked Seth, as the adults in the room all opened their mouths in awe.

"I couldn't change him back!" continued Bracken. "I tried. But my magic didn't work properly in Gargantuar for some reason."

Seth noticed that Ingrid was trying her hardest not to laugh, as she concealed her mouth behind her hand.

"Ingrid, be nice," said Kendra.

"Even if it was kinda funny," chimed in Warren.

The group then explained how Kendra had figured out to get Geminus to deflect the Monkey King's attacks back at the tower, causing it to collapse, taking the royal ape down with it.

"And what about the Diavolt?" asked Seth. "How exactly did you find that once the top of the tower came down?"

"That was in the Monkey King's crown," replied Bracken. "But, credit goes to Ingrid for that. She's the one who climbed into the crown and found it."

"May we see it?" asked Grandpa.

Ingrid proceeded to hold up the Diavolt, so that everyone could see it.

"Amazing," said Grandpa. "It's just what we envisioned that it would look like."

"I wonder," said Grandma. "Does it actually work?"

Warren winced. "Well, we actually just got back from claiming it. We haven't exactly had a chance to test it out, let alone examine it."

"I'm the only one who's even so much as touched it," said Ingrid. "No idea if it needs charging or anything."

"At the very least, we should test it out," said Bracken. "But, I think you'll comply when I say that the inside of your living room is not an ideal testing ground for the Diavolt."

"My sentiments exactly," said Grandma. "Besides, I just vacuumed the place. Let's go outside."

The entire family got up from their seats and made their way into the yard.

"First thing's first," said Bracken. "As with the other relics, we need to ensure that the Diavolt has been charged. Now, while I presumably possess the necessary power... Kendra, would you do the honors?"

"Okay," said Kendra, "I just hope I don't somehow get zapped by the Diavolt accidentally by touching it."

"I would certainly hope not," said Mrs. Sorenson. "Although none of the other relics have ever gone off uncontrollably. Have they?"

"There was the Pyruby, but this seems different," said Seth.

Ingrid held out the Diavolt, with the studded side of the relic facing outwards. Kendra then held out her hand and placed her fingertips against the surface of the white gem. Just as soon as she made contact, Kendra could feel magical energy surging through her hand and into the Diavolt.

"I think that did it," said Kendra, as she removed her hand from the Diavolt.

"I can feel the energy flowing within," said Ingrid, as she examined the relic in her hands.

"Can I try it?" asked Seth. "I'm experienced with the Pyruby, and that thing's untested! It could be dangerous!"

"Seth, I'm not a little kid," said Ingrid. "If the other relics are anything to go by, I think I have a pretty good understanding of how this one ought to work."

Ingrid held the Diavolt skyward. Clenching it firmly in her hands, a bolt of electricity shot out of the relic, rising up into sky a considerable distance, until it had gone out of sight.

"Cool," said Warren, as Ingrid shot another bolt of energy out of the relic.

"This is amazing!" said Kendra. "We finally have the final relic! And it wasn't any trouble like the Pyruby was. Now all we need to do is get the Necromaster..."

"And just how do you propose we do that?" asked Seth. "What happens if we get caught while we're snooping around Murdred's castle? We don't know exactly where he keeps the Necromaster hidden."

"If Murdred catches us, he'll kill us!" exclaimed Ingrid. "And he doesn't need the Necromaster to do that."

"But we've still got to help the Singing Sisters," stated Seth. "If we get spotted, we can always escape through a portal."

"Escape might not be an option," said Bracken. "Especially if our enemy gets the drop on us before I can get a portal open."

"The only reason Murdred would even want to see us again, is so that we bring him the Diavolt and the Pyruby," said Seth. "If we do in fact get caught, Murdred might make us fork over both of those relics, if not more."

"That's just swell," said Kendra. "If we even make it out alive, that'll be three relics we'll need to get back from Murdred."

Grandpa then proceeded to clear his throat. "Actually, while you were all on your mission in Gargantuar, I came up with a little scheme of my own."

"Your own scheme?" asked Ingrid. "What are you talking about?"

"You Knights already have experience with this sort of trickery," said Grandpa. "I believe a well-known term for this sort of thing would be considered the old switcheroo."

"Switcheroo?" asked Warren. "What do you mean? What are we supposed to be switching around?"

Grandpa smiled, then revealed a small, purple sack that he had been holding. He then emptied the contents of the sack into his other hand. Kendra and Seth couldn't believe what they were seeing! Sitting on the palm of Grandpa's hand were what appeared to be the Pyruby and the Diavolt.

"No way!" exclaimed Seth. "But... how?"

"Relax," said Grandpa. "These are just proxies. I was reminded of the time when your group traveled to Washington to retrieve that second invisibility glove. Stealing the real glove from the museum, you in turn left a non-magical decoy on display, and the museum was none the wiser."

"So, you're saying we should just give these fake relics to Murdred, instead of the real ones?" asked Ingrid.

"It kind of makes going after the real Diavolt seem pretty redundant, doesn't it?" asked Seth.

"Not exactly" said Grandpa. "These fake relics are just decoys, so you can surrender them to Murdred if you're left with no alternative. Wouldn't want you to actually put all of your cards out on the table."

"Excuse me," said Kendra. "But where exactly did you get these fake relics? I mean, fake or not, they still look pretty genuine."

"Ah yes," said Grandpa. "I enlisted the help of Bright and Clover to conjure up those fake relics. Although they were still too busy with their obligations elsewhere to aid you on your journey, they were more than happy to produce the fake relics, as they wanted to help you in any way they could, even if they had to remain on duty."

"Those two are the best," said Warren with a smile. "Even when they can't be with us."

"Okay," said Seth. "Say we give these fake relics to Murdred. Isn't he going to notice that they're just that? Fakes?"

"Regrettably. The fake relics will not buy you much time, as Murdred is likely to figure out the truth before long. Still, your next primary objective will be to seize the Necromaster, get it working with the other four relics, and kill Murdred."

"What about the Singing Sisters?" asked Kendra.

"As much as they need rescuing, it's even more pivotal that Murdred be eliminated first," replied Grandpa. "If Murdred is keeping tabs on the sisters, and discovers that they're missing, who do you think he's going to blame for it?"

"I think we get it," said Warren. "But, we're still pressed with the issue of finding the Necromaster. Even if Murdred reveals it to us, which he probably won't, how are we going to get a hold of it?"

Grandpa shook his head. "I honestly have no idea."

Grandma held up her hand. "Let's change the subject for the time being. "Now, you knights must be hungry after such an arduous quest in Gargantuar."

"I sure am," said Kendra, as she placed a hand up against her grumbling stomach. "All this commotion made me forget how hungry I actually got!"

"Then it's settled," said Mrs. Sorenson. "Grandma and I will make prepare a delicious lunch for all of you."

"Well, those were some pretty big animals," said Warren. "How about we have a pretty big meal to compensate for them?"

"We'll see," said Grandma, as the family then head back inside, where the adults set to work in preparing a lunch in the kitchen.

Seth proceeded to head upstairs, where he made his way into his bedroom, shut the door and laid down on his bed. He was feeling completely frazzled after the whole excursion in Gargantuar, and just needed some time to himself to flake out.

Looking back, Seth wondered if he had even been an asset in any way whatsoever during their previous adventure. Even though he was the one who had been provided with the directions to Gargantuar, it was the Singing Sisters who provided him with them.

He didn't really help the group locate Gargantuar once they had set out on their journey. Nor did he help defeat the panther. He had not been the one who found the great temple. Getting past the crocodiles hadn't been his idea, and it was he who had become a moving target in the snake room, which he also failed to properly solve. And to top it all off, he not only failed to provide any real help against the Monkey King, but got turned into a helpless monkey himself.

Eventually, Seth found his train of thought being derailed by somebody knocking on his door.

"Seth," said Ingrid through the other side of the door. "Come on down for lunch already! Mom's been calling you."

Seth sighed. Although he had heard several calls for lunch while he lay in bed, Seth didn't find himself feeling motivated enough to get up and come downstairs.

"Seth, come on," said Ingrid, as she opened up his door and walked over to his bed. "Don't you want lunch? I know I'm getting hungry."

"If you're so hungry, go down and eat," said Seth.

"Don't you want to join us?"

"I'm not really that hungry."

Ingrid sighed. "I get the impression that you're not telling the whole truth to me. Now tell me, what's the matter?"

Seth let out a sigh. "This whole mess is my problem! I was the one who agreed to find the Diavolt for the Singing Sisters! Yet on our adventure, I didn't contribute to the team in any way the entire time! Some help I was."

"That's what's bothering you?" asked Ingrid. "So what? I don't care about that. Regardless of what transpired in Gargantuar, we still came out with the Diavolt in the end."

"I know... but I... just wanted to prove myself. Normally I'm better than that. But everyone else, it felt like they did something. But I was of no help whatsoever."

"Seth, this isn't a competition between us. It's a group effort. It just wasn't your day. Don't take it so personally."

Seth winced. It's not just that... I tried to help. And what do I get for it? I got turned into a monkey. That's what."

"Oh, that wasn't your fault. Come on."

"It still happened. That in and of itself is bad enough."

"Seth, I've heard all about you getting turned into a mutant walrus one too many times. And then there was the time you got turned into a donkey..."

"This is way different!" blurted Seth.

"Why?"

"Because... you were there."

"Your point?" asked Ingrid.

"Well, having it happen, and not realizing what went on until after it was over... It was embarrassing! I bet everyone thought it was really funny, seeing me transformed into a monkey! A monkey, Ingrid! Like an organ grinder's pet, or Curious George! I bet it was pretty hilarious, wasn't it?"

"It came as more of a shock to us, if you want the truth."

"Shock or not, I bet you still thought it was funny."

Ingrid held up her hands. "You know what, Seth? You're right. You turning into a monkey was kind of funny, The shock of it happening more than anything. But so what? What happened... happened. It's old news already!"

"You're not going to ask me if I want a banana?" asked Seth.

Ingrid shook her head. "Seth, as easy as that would be, I don't want to do that."

"You don't? Really?"

"No way. You're my brother. I care about you."

"What about Kendra? I can imagine her wanting to rub the incident in my face."

"Why would she do that?" asked Ingrid. "Kendra's always been so kind."

Seth rolled his eyes. "You didn't grow up with Kendra the way I did. We were constantly at each other's throats. If she had been turned into a monkey, I probably would've gotten a lot of mileage out of it."

"You'd really tease your own sister over something like that so mercilessly? Why?"

"Well, sometimes we don't always get along. But so what? Siblings fight all the time."

Ingrid shook her head. "I wish you wouldn't. You and Kendra are lucky to even have each other. I never had siblings before you two came along. I would've loved to have had a sibling in my original family, but that never came to be. I'm grateful to be a part of your family, and I'm grateful to have two loving siblings. I understand that siblings don't always get along, and teasing comes up all the time, but is that any reason to fight with each other over every little thing?"

"Wow," said Seth. "I never thought of it that way."

"Look, I know you envy Kendra because she's fairykind and you're a shadow charmer. But, shadow charmer or not, you have a wonderful heart. Just treat others the way you'd want them to treat you. If you don't want Kendra bickering at you so much, maybe don't push her buttons."

"I get it," said Seth. "I understand what you're saying."

"You feeling better?" asked Ingrid, as she held out the Diavolt. "If nothing else, we've got this now. Along with a plan."

"I know. Let's go down for lunch already."

"I think Grandma made us sandwiches," said Ingrid. "Do you like peanut butter and banana?"

"Yeah, they're not bad... Wait! Bananas? Really?"

Ingrid laughed. "It was just a joke!"