Chapter 26: Negative Drive
Unable to venture back into Fablehaven due to the Midwinter's Eve festival that was taking place, the group opted to spend the night elsewhere. Riding atop Bracken, Raxtus and Geminus as they typically did, the group flew to the nearby town of Crossroad pass.
After landing in a quiet alleyway, the group made their way to a motel near the edge of the small town. Warren checked in, securing two rooms that, while next to each other, were not interconnected. The team split into two groups, same as they had the previous night; Kendra and Seth took one room, while Warren and Bracken went in the other. The fairies went with Kendra and Seth, while the dragons, in their minor forms, went with Warren and Bracken.
"Hey, a phone," said Seth, eyeing the telephone that sat on the night table. "Now that everything's over with, we can call home!"
Seth leapt onto one of the queen beds and reached out for the telephone. He grabbed the headset and quickly dialed the number to the house at Fablehaven.
"We're sorry," said a prerecorded feminine voice, "but the number you have dialed is unavailable at the moment. Please hang up and try again later."
"What gives?" cried Seth, placing the headset back into its base. "I just want to make a lousy phone call!"
"Seth, they cut off power to Fablehaven before we traveled back in time," said Kendra. "Don't be surprised that the phone's out."
"I forgot. Wait, I can just call his cell! He was using it to talk to Trask earlier anyway."
Seth placed his hand over the keypad, and held it in place for several seconds.
"Um, are you going to do anything?" asked Clover.
"I don't know Grandpa's cell number," said Seth. "Not by heart."
"What do you mean?" asked Bright. "You've called him in the past, haven't you?"
"I had the number saved in my phone. Which got left back at Fablehaven when we used the Chronometer."
"That's the problem with you humans and your technology," said Clover, "you're so reliant on it."
"And I suppose you'd be better off if you suddenly lost your magic?" asked Seth.
"Guys, cool it," said Kendra. "We've had a long day, but for now, there's nothing we can do to contact home. We'll go home in the morning, after the festival's ended, and everything will be fine."
The group went to bed soon after. Once again, they fell asleep fairly fairly early. When Kendra woke up, she saw that the digital clock on the night table read 6:56.
Kendra climbed out of bed and headed into the shower to wash up. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw Seth standing before her.
"Warren came by just a moment ago. He wants us to get ready and meet him in his room."
Once Kendra had dressed up, wearing the same clothes as she had worn the previous day, she waited for Seth to come out of the bathroom and get dressed himself. The two siblings and the fairies then left their room and met up with rest of the group in the other room.
Not even bothering with getting any breakfast, save for some walrus butter, Warren checked the group out of the motel. Their stomachs rumbling from hunger, the group quickly flew out of town and back towards Fablehaven.
In just a few short minutes, the group had soared down towards the Fablehaven preserve, where they came to a landing in the yard. Once everyone had gotten off of them, Raxtus and Geminus shrunk down to their smaller forms, and Bracken resumed his human form.
The group poured through the front door. Although the entry hall was initially empty, they quickly caught the attention of Grandpa, Grandma, Mr and Mrs. Sorenson and Dale.
"You're back!" gasped Grandma, as she and the other adults all took turns giving everybody hugs.
"That was a miracle!" exclaimed Mr. Sorenson, hugging Seth firmly.
"Vanessa!" exclaimed Raxtus, as he and Geminus flew down to their baby, who was crawling around on the floor by Dale's legs, and hugged her.
"She's fine," said Dale. "I took good care of her."
"You always do," said Geminus.
"Please, tell us everything!" said Grandpa.
"Can we please eat first?" asked Seth. "We're starving!"
"We still have no power," said Grandpa. "And my cell phone's battery is low."
"We've got plenty of cereal and fruit," said Grandma. "I'll get some ready for you all."
The group sat down to a quick breakfast in the dining room, before they all headed into the living room to gather with the others.
"Where did you guys go?" asked Mrs. Sorenson.
"We only meant to travel back in time a few days," said Bracken. "But thanks to Oblivion's meddling, we wound up going back several million years."
"Are you serious?" asked Dale doubtfully.
"Bracken's saying it," noted Warren. "Not Seth."
"Hey!" snapped Seth.
"We really did go back that far," said Kendra. "There were dinosaurs and everything!"
"Not that you'd lie to us," said Grandma, "and not that the Chronometer couldn't go back in time that much, but why so far?"
"Whatever's cancelling out the effects of the instruments caused them to go haywire," said Warren.
The group went on to relay their adventure in the prehistoric era to the others, ultimately getting to the point where they had gone into stasis and traveled forward in time to 1689.
"Zoverdom?" asked Grandpa. "That's incredible. I'd heard that he was the wizard in charge of constructing the Inverted Tower, but that was little more than a legend. That's incredible that you were able to meet him."
They continued explaining their story, getting up to when they met Lady Evangeline.
"She was a Burgess?" asked Grandma. "I knew the family had been with the Knights since Patton's day, but not that long ago!"
The conversation went on, up until they got to the point where they met Gilvenoff and learned about how the Chronometer was not one of the five artifacts, and that instead the Skullifier was.
"That's preposterous," exclaimed Grandpa. "Those artifacts have been around for eons!"
"Look, we were just as baffled as you," said Warren. "Truth is, with the exception of Bracken and the Font of Immortality, none of us know the true origins of any of the other instruments."
The conversation kept going on, wherein the group explained how they wound up at Dynasty Acres, traversed the vault at Eerie Mountain and got their hands on the Skullifier due to the fact that Xiantu had sacrificed herself for it.
"I can't believe that a guardian would put herself into such peril," said Dale.
"We didn't mean for it to happen," said Seth.
"Dynasty Acres was one of the preserves that got overturned by the society back when they were searching for the five artifacts," said Grandpa. "Had Xiantu not committed suicide to aid you, she may have been able to ward off the society and protect the preserve."
"We didn't know," said Clover.
"It's not your fault," said Grandma. "We're just reflecting on how your actions in the past affected the present. Deliberately or not."
"Sounds like a steep price to pay just for this blasted artifact," said Bracken. "Even if we were able to save Fablehaven with it. Why should one preserve suffer just to save another?"
The story wrapped up with the group hiding the Skullifier outside the Inverted Tower, then travelling forward in time to claim it.
"That was pretty clever of you," said Grandpa. "The Skullifier had been at Fablehaven this whole time, and nobody had any idea. I'm just glad you were able to save us all without causing any paradoxes."
"But what about the Chronometer?" asked Grandma. "It wound up in the past, so that it could be hidden at Lost Mesa for Patton to find. But we no longer have access to it."
"Hopefully we can get by without needing it again," said Kendra.
"It was just a copy of the original," said Warren. "And that one is still in hiding, wherever it is that Agad hid it."
"So, let's see this Skullifier that you went through so much trouble to obtain," said Grandpa.
Warren removed the Skullifier from within his bag, drawing faces of awe from all the other adults.
"That's incredible," said Grandpa, accepting the artifact from Warren. "You're saying that this thing cancels out any and all magic?"
"Pretty well," said Bright. "We need to be careful with it."
"Hey!" said Seth. "What are we doing sitting around here with the Skullifier? As long as we have it, we can use it to recover the instruments of eternal power and the keepers!"
"Right!" exclaimed Bracken. "Kinda lost track of that, since we couldn't get into Fablehaven last night to access the shrine because of the festival."
"I can go get the Translocator right now," said Grandma. "Um, but were you able to cancel out the magic that Oblivion used to disable the artifacts in the first place?"
Kendra shook her head. "I'm not sure where we'd start," she said, as Grandma got up from her seat and made her way upstairs.
"I don't care how powerful Oblivion is," said Clover. "No fairy could be so powerful that her magic would block out the artifacts like this indefinitely."
"It's possible that Oblivion's spell has run its course," said Bright. "Maybe if we drain the Translocator of its power and recharge it, it'll do the trick. It worked for the Chronometer."
"The Chronometer was recharged in the past, when there was no spell in effect that could alter it," noted Seth.
"Whatever," said Bracken. "If this doesn't work, we can always travel to the Fairy Kingdom by way of the shrine."
At that moment, Grandma had made her way back downstairs and returned to the living room holding the Translocator, which she placed on the coffee table.
"Let's try this," said Warren, taking the Skullifier back from Grandpa and aiming it down at the Translocator. Everyone watched as a shadowy wave of energy flowed out of the Skullifier and covered the other artifact.
"I hope this worked," said Seth, once Warren brought the dark energy to a halt.
"And now to recharge it," said Kendra, as she reached over and placed her hand upon the Translocator. As expected, she could feel energy surging through her arm and carrying over into the artifact.
"Is that it?" asked Mr. Sorenson.
"I think so."
"Now, we just need to travel to the Fairy Kingdom," said Bright, picking up the Translocator.
"But, wait," said Bracken. "If the Translocator's been reset, then it'll only transport three people at once. I mean, that's what happened with the Chronometer."
"You're right," said Warren. "But we don't all need to go to the Fairy Kingdom. "Bracken, you and Bright should go, along with Kendra. "The rest of us can stay here."
"What?" asked Seth. "That's not fair! I want to go! They can just come back, or we can just go through the shrine instead even!"
"Let's just keep this simple," said Clover. "The sooner we get this whole charade resolved, the better."
Kendra accepted the Skullifier from Warren. "Well, I guess we'll see you soon."
"Yeah," added Bracken. "Not only are we going to save my sisters and the other keepers, but we can finally stop Oblivion with the Omega Star. We're so close to succeeding I can taste it!"
Bright twisted the Translocator and grabbed the middle section. Kendra proceeded to grab one side, while Bracken grasped the other. A moment later, Kendra experienced the all-too familiar sensation of being thrust through space via the Translocator.
The living room around her faded away, only to be replaced by an elegant-looking room; the throne room of the Fairy Queen. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made from diamonds, along with the numerous columns that adorned the room. Exquisite tapestries were draped from above, as were chandeliers that were seemingly made up of thousands of fine, elegant crystals. Fortunately, the Chronometer had worked properly, instead of transporting the group to an undesirable destination.
Sitting in her throne at the far end of the room was none other than the Fairy Queen herself.
"Bracken!" exclaimed the Fairy Queen. "Bright! Kendra! What are you doing here? Last I heard, Fablehaven was being targeted by some human army. I've been unable to get word from you since, due to the festival night that had just occurred."
"Mother!" exclaimed Bright, as the group of three scurried up towards the dais that the Fairy Queen's throne was situated upon. Bright immediately gave her mother a hug, followed by Bracken.
"It's good to see that you're all right," said the Fairy Queen, shaking Kendra's hand. "Please, you must explain to me what happened."
Kendra, Bracken and Bright all told the Fairy Queen the same story that had been given to the people back at Fablehaven. Despite her status as the lead fairy, the queen herself was also intrigued when the subject of the Skullifier being one of the original five artifacts was brought up.
"So, you brought this Skullifier into the Fairy Kingdom?" asked the Fairy Queen, once the story was over.
"Yes," said Kendra, displaying the artifact for the Fairy Queen. "We can use it to rescue the keepers and the five artifacts."
"While I'm grateful that you may have found a solution, it's not one that I'm entirely assured with."
"What do you mean?" asked Kendra. "If this Skullifier can in fact save the keepers and the instruments, why complain?"
"The principle of the Skullifier is that it drains magic," noted the Fairy Queen. "Our world is heavily reliant on magic. That Skullifier could cause greater harm than what it could restore."
"We understand," said Bracken. "But we've been through so much just to get hold of it."
"I trust you three. But the thought of something going awry due to misuse of the Translocator still worries me. And the thought of it falling into the wrong hands only strengthens my concerns."
"Mother, can we just do what needs to be done?" asked Bright.
"Very well. The well being of my children and the other keepers can't be ignored. We'll go to Brook first."
"Actually," said Kendra, "we have the Translocator on us. Could you restore its ability to transport more users at once? It'd help us a lot."
"Of course," said the Fairy Queen, accepting the Translocator from Bright. Gripping the artifact in both hands, the Fairy Queen caused the Translocator to glow in a flash of white light, which faded after a second. "That should do it."
The Fairy Queen then handed the Translocator over to Bright. "As practical as the artifact may be, it serves me no use within my own realm. I can travel wherever I need to go under my own power.
The Fairy Queen waved her arms in a circular motion. Suddenly, Kendra's surroundings faded out of existence, transporting her and the others to another room. She instantly recognized the place. It was one of the chambers of the five keepers.
Kendra looked around the room. She was quick to notice the motionless fairy angel that was lying in her bed. Her body no longer covered by any blankets, Kendra couldn't quite make out which keeper it was due to the dark aura that surrounded the body; she only knew that it was Brook because the Fairy Queen had mentioned her by name.
The other sight Kendra noticed was the instrument of eternal power that lay on the pedestal in the center of the room. Like its keeper, the instrument was covered in a dark aura, making it impossible for Kendra to identify.
"Brook!" exclaimed Bright. "Please, Kendra. Use the Skullifier, and..."
"Wait!" snapped Bracken. "If you use the Skullifier on Brook, you risk draining her of her power."
Kendra hesitated for a moment. "Can't we just heal her afterwards?"
"Kendra, if a fairy were to lose all of her power, she'd cease to exist!" blurted the Fairy Queen.
Kendra gasped. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Look, I can still use the Skullifier on the energy restraining the instrument, can't I? If it somehow drains the instrument of its power, we can still recharge it"
"It's worth a shot," said Bright. "All right, Kendra. "Try using the Skullifier on the Essence of Immunity."
Kendra nodded, then held up the Skullifier in front of her, directing it at the frozen Essence of Immunity. Remembering what Warren told her, Kendra focused on unleashing the Skullifier's inner energy.
A wave of shadows suddenly emitted from the Skullifier's eyes, covering the Essence of Immunity, along with the dark energy that was protecting it. Kendra held the Skullifier in place for a good ten seconds, before opting to cut the Skullifier's power. Once it ended, the Essence of Immunity was still encased in dark energy.
"Nothing happened..." said Bright worriedly.
"It worked before," said Bracken.
"I don't understand it myself," said the Fairy Queen. "My only theory is that since the Essence of Immunity is an instrument of eternal power, it's somehow been infused with the magic that's trapped it."
"You mean, it's impossible to disable the magic that's protecting it?" asked Kendra.
"Could be," said the Fairy Queen.
"But this isn't fair! We went through so much trouble just to get the Skullifier, and now that we've finally gotten this far, it turns out that it won't even help us!"
"Kendra," said Bracken, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We don't like this any better than you do. But think about it. We only went back in time with the intent to save Fablehaven, not to find the Skullifier."
"I know," said Kendra, as her eyes began to tear up. "But why? I thought we could fix everything that Oblivion had wronged, but it didn't work! Even if we can't get the instruments, I would've at least wanted to restore the keepers. They did nothing to deserve this."
"Kendra," said Bracken. "We can't give up yet. I mean, your grandparents still have the Oculus back at Fablehaven, and with the Skullifier, we have the means necessary to get it working again. So if nothing else, we at least have a means of tracking her down.
Kendra nodded, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "You're right. "Let's return to Fablehaven and see what we can do."
"Goodbye," said the Fairy Queen, as Bright held up the Translocator. "And good luck!"