Chapter 37: Explorers
Overcome with worry, Kendra accepted the note that Ingrid had found on the bed.
"What's it say?" asked Seth, sounding highly concerned.
"I'll read it to you," said Kendra.
Dear family,
I have been devastated and feel completely remorseful over what happened to Clover. I am having serious regrets over going into that maze. If the fairies are unable to help her, I don't know if there's any hope for her at all.
I feel that I cannot keep running around with the rest of my allies. Right now, after all that has happened, I just need some space. By the time you read this, I will have gone far away in my car.
Now that you have the Chronometer, you can use it to try and locate the Reflector. Be very careful if you travel back in time. And do not attempt to remedy the situation with Clover, I implore you. But I warn you, be extremely careful.
Other than that, I don't know what else to say. I don't know when I will return. But I will still keep in touch with you by phone. Please do not come after me. I am in no mood to do any more adventuring. Take care. I love you all.
Warren
"That's it?" asked Seth. "He's gone? Like that?"
"We need to tell the others," said Ingrid. "I mean, this note was just sitting here!"
Kendra, Seth and Ingrid then ran around the house, until they had gathered their parents, Grandparents and Dale in the living room.
"This isn't good," said Grandpa, shaking his head as he eyed the note.
"Why would Warren just leave us like this?" asked Ingrid.
"Yeah?" added Seth. "He's our lieutenant! We depend on him!"
"He's clearly under a lot of stress," said Dale. "Warren is a guy who needs space to himself."
"Try to understand," said Grandma. "Warren just lost his house, and now he kinda just lost his wife. Think about that. It was understandably just too much for him to handle."
"The note said that he took his car," said Seth. "Why would he take a car, when he's got Firesquall?"
"Because Warren respects Firesquall," replied Dale. "He didn't want his friend to get caught up in this whole ordeal. Firesquall has a life too, you know."
"I know. It's just... If had to choose between a car or a dragon, I know what I'd pick."
"There's more to it than that," said Kendra.
"Does Firesquall even know about this?" asked Mrs. Sorenson.
"No," replied Dale. "I visit the dragons every morning. They suspect nothing."
"Where do you suppose Warren went, anyway?" asked Mr. Sorenson.
"I just thought of something," said Seth. "We could use the Oculus to find him. Then we'd know."
"I'd rather you didn't," replied Grandpa. "The whole reason Warren left was to be by himself. I feel that we would be infringing on his privacy if we checked. Besides, he said that he has his cell phone on him. If we don't hear from him by tonight, we can check on him."
"Not if he's out of a service area," said Kendra.
"I just wish he didn't have to leave right now," said Seth. "We still haven't finished what we've started! We still have... cake!"
"Well, I'm afraid Warren won't be having any of it," said Grandma. "Sorry to say."
"I hope he's safe," said Ingrid. "Wherever he is."
"After what he's just been through," said Grandpa, "I doubt he went anywhere that's even remotely dangerous. He just needs a break."
"I just wish there was a way we could help Clover," said Seth. "Because if we could restore her, Warren would come running back! But, if the fairies can't even help her, things are beginning to feel kinda hopeless."
"Restoring Clover is beyond our capacity," said Grandpa. "Unfortunately."
"As long as Warren isn't with us," said Ingrid, "what should we do, in regards to our journey?"
"Come to think of it," said Grandpa. "All that needs to be done is for you to go back in time to get a glimpse of the Reflector. Then, when you return to the present, you can use the Oculus to locate it."
"Then what?" asked Seth.
"It could be anywhere, if it's anywhere at all," said Grandma. "But I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Are you kids sure you know how to work the Chronometer?" asked Mrs. Sorenson.
"Warren's explained it to me pretty thoroughly," replied Kendra. "It won't be like last time. There's no Oblivion trying to mess with the frequency of the artifacts."
"You need to be absolutely sure," said Grandpa. "Do not mess with the Chronometer if you don't have to."
"I have a mind like a steel trap," said Kendra. "If I'm given directions, I follow them."
"Besides," said Mr. Sorenson, "the kids won't be alone. We've still got the dragons, Bracken and Bright, don't we? And it's not like we're anticipating any serious danger on this mission."
"But what will all of this even accomplish?" asked Mrs. Sorenson.
"If everything goes according to plan," said Grandma, "then the kids will be successful in recovering the Reflector."
"That's kind of a big if," said Mr. Sorenson.
"Listen, Mom and Dad," said Kendra. "We've come so far already. And we've gone through so much! Can we please just go back in time and look for the Reflector in its supposed hiding spot?"
"And if you don't find it," said Mrs. Sorenson, "then that's it?"
"Correct," chimed in Seth. "If we can't find it, it's game over. And... I guess we return the Pyruby back to Wingadoon. Where it belongs."
"Fair enough," said Grandpa. "But before you kids head out, I want to lay down a few ground rules."
"What are those?" asked Ingrid.
"I don't want you all running around in several different time periods. The less you mess around in the past, the better. So for that matter, I only want you to travel to the year 1894."
"Why 1894?" asked Seth.
"1895 is when the construction of Peré Maison began. But I don't have an exact date. What I do conjecture was that the Catacombs were abandoned at some point before then. It the latest possible safe year that can be visited."
"But what if we go back to 1894, and the Reflector is already gone?" asked Ingrid.
"Then this whole thing will be a lost cause," replied Grandpa. "If you try to go back to an earlier year to find the Reflector, and do so, you won't be able to take it, because someone else already has. By taking it, you would cause a paradox."
"We get it," said Kendra. "If the Reflector isn't to be found in 1894, don't bother with it at all."
"But isn't there the possiblity that a worker could've found the Reflector when the construction started in 1895?" asked Grandma. "By removing the Reflector in 1894, it could still be problematic."
"I just thought of something," said Kendra. "If we do find the Reflector, we can just leave it there."
"I don't follow," said Mr. Sorenson, who along with everyone else in the room, had a blank look on his face.
"If Seth or I at least get to see the Reflector, then we'll be able to locate it with the Oculus. In the present day."
"Yeah!" exclaimed Seth. "That way, wherever it is today, we can locate it, and not have to worry about causing any weird time travel paradoxes."
"That does sound feasible," said Grandma. "But of course, it may belong to somebody. If its still intact at all."
"At least it's a plan," said Grandpa. "And a fairly well thought-out one."
"I understand," said Mr. Sorenson. "I guess I can't think of any further argument to stand in the way of progress. Good luck, kids."
Aftewards, Grandpa went upstairs and presented the kids with all of the notes and gear that he had set aside for Warren.
"It's a good thing Warren didn't take all of this stuff with him," said Ingrid. "Or else we'd be lost."
"He's too competent to do something like that," said Grandpa. "Now if you can go back in time to 1894, this whole mission should be a piece of cake."
"We've got cake right here," grumbled Seth.
After getting all of their gear together, the group headed outside, where they met up with Bracken, Bright and the dragons.
"We heard about what happened," said Skyforst.
"So what's the plan?" asked Firesquall. "Something tells me I'm not going to be carrying much this time."
"Actually," said Kendra, looking over the notes, "I don't know if we'll need any lifts. We've already been to the location of the catacombs. So we can just teleport there. Is everybody ready?"
The rest of the group all nodded, prompting Kendra to pull the Translocator out of her bag. Once she twisted it, she held it out for the others to touch. Thinking of the rooftop of Peré Maison, Kendra twisted the artifact one more time. At that moment, the group found themselves being teleported from the yard at Fablehaven to the resort rooftop, all the way over in France.
"Well, that was easy," said Raxtus. "Where should we use the Chronometer?"
"On the ground," said Kendra. "This building we're on won't exist if we go back in time to before it's even built."
"Got it," said Geminus. "Brace yourselves for a really short flight."
Kendra, Seth and Ingrid got onto the backs of Raxtus, Skyfrost and Geminus respectively, while Bright and Bracken got up onto Firesquall. The dragons then walked over towards one edge of the roof. Looking downwards, the group could see a large garden that was positioned next to the side of the building they were on.
"There's a lot of trees down there," said Raxtus. "Hopefully, they'll hide us well enough."
The dragons then bounced down off of the roof. Slowing their descent with their wings, the dragons softly plummeted towards the ground. Landing inside a small area filled with trees, all of the riders then got down from the dragons.
"Okay," said Bracken, "this is it."
Ingrid clenched her hands together. "I don't believe it! I'm actually going back in time!"
"This'll be our first time too," said Skyfrost.
"Lookin' forward to it!" chimed in Firesquall. "I just wish Warren was here too."
"We can't really grieve about that now," said Bright. "It's time to look forward."
"By travelling back in time," stated Seth.
Kendra then removed the Chronometer from her bag. Although Warren had instructed her as to how it worked, she had only adjusted the dials. She had yet to properly travel through time under her own control.
"You okay, Kendra?" asked Bracken.
"Hold on," said Kendra, as she slid some of the Chronometer's dials around, and twisted a few knobs. "Okay, I've got a date set in. Now I just need to subtract the years from today, and we should be good."
"I hope you know what you're doing," said Seth.
"Me too. But I'm pretty confident that I'm doing this properly. Everybody, make sure that you're touching the Chronometer."
Kendra waited as everybody made contact with the Translocator, then pushed the main button.
A strange sensation came over Kendra and Seth. As they had not traveled through time nearly as often as they had used the Translocator, the experience felt far more intense and even slightly nauseating in comparison. A sudden force sent everybody falling to the ground.
Kendra then opened her eyes. She, along with her siblings and the fairies were now completely naked.
Ingrid, who had the blankest look on her face, proceeded to place one arm over her breasts, and another over her groin. "Sheesh! Are we really back in time?"
Everybody glanced at their surroundings. Gone was the main building of the resort, along with the various landmarks that had dotted the surrounding area. In place of where the resort's main building once stood was a large mansion.
"I hope so," replied Kendra, trying to shield her body.
"Let us do something about that," said Bracken. The two fairy angels then waved their hands around. Suddenly, they and the Sorenson siblings were now all wearing matching silky threads and leather boots.
"I'll never understand you humans and your obsession with clothing," said Skyfrost.
"Fairies too, for that matter," added Firesquall.
"Where's all our stuff?" asked Ingrid.
"It's waiting for us back in the present," replied Bright. "The only thing that came back with us was the Chronometer."
Kendra looked up at the mansion that stood before them. Three stories high, the walls of the place had been overrun with ivy. One of the windows had a noticeable crack in it, and another had a shutter that had partially fallen off. Between some of the ivy, bits of paint appeared to be peeling off the wall in a few spots.
"This place does look pretty abandoned," said Ingrid. "The grass looks like it hasn't been cut in forever."
"Even with no distractor spell to protect it, nobody's been here in quite some time," said Geminus.
"We might as well check the place out then," said Raxtus.
The group walked through the thick grass and around to the front of the mansion. As they walked up onto the porch, they could see more signs that the house was deteriorating. The windows were filthy, and more paint could be seen peeling from the double front doors.
"I don't think we can fit through there," said Skyfrost.
"Guess we get to sit this one out too," stated Firesquall.
"Sorrry, you two," said Bright. "But we can't exhaust our magic shrinking you. Especially in another time."
"Fair enough," said Skyfrost.
"It's locked, said Seth, trying to push the door open with his hand. "Figures."
"Let me get that," said Bracken, as he snapped his fingers, causing a click to emit from the door. Seth grasped the knob again, and was able to open the door with ease.
"Thanks," said Seth, as the rest of the group followed him in to the entry hall of the mansion. Shrinking down into their fairy forms, Raxtus and Geminus followed them in as well.
Even with light passing through its windows, the mansion's entry hall appeared to be rather dank and gloomy. Through one of the light beams, Kendra could see particles of dust floating around. Observing the room more thoroughly, there was a good chance that almost everything within was covered in a layer of dusk, judging from the top of a table and the banisters on the stairwell. Looking around a bit more, Kendra could see several spider webs scattered around the room.
"So, where do you suppose these catacombs would be?" asked Geminus.
"They've got to be in the basement," said Ingrid. "Let's look around and see if we can find it."
"Okay," said Seth. "But this is not our time. Don't touch anything unless it's absolutely necessary."
"I can see stairs leading upwards," said Bracken. "But where are the stairs going down?"
"If it's anything like our old house," said Kendra, "then they might be directly below this one."
The group followed Kendra through the doorway at the back of the room, and ended up in the kitchen. Due to it being the late nineteenth century, the kitchen boasted an icebox in lieu of a refrigerator, as well as an old gas stove.
"There's a door that leads right underneath the stairs," said Bright, opening the aforementioned door.
Just like Kendra had presumed, the door revealed a stairway leading downwards. Without any hesitation, the group ventured down the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, the group found themselves in not what one would consider a basement. Instead, they appeared to have emerged in the middle of a long tunnel.
"This has to be it," said Seth. "We're in the catacombs."
"Where exactly would we find the Reflector in this place?" asked Raxtus.
"Don't worry," said Kendra. "Now that we're actually in here, I can recall exactly where it supposedly is."
"And if it's not there?" asked Bracken.
"Well, if it's not where it's supposed to be, or anywhere else that feasible, then that's it. We admit defeat and leave this place. We can't afford to mess around in this time any more than we're already doing right now."
The group then followed Kendra through the catacombs, passing through the tunnel that they were in and venturing into another.
"What do you suppose happened to these catacombs when the resort was built?" asked Geminus.
"Obviously, they were excavated to make room for Peré Maison."
"But that building looked pretty modern to me," said Bracken.
"It's probably been renovated a bunch of times," said Ingrid.
"Hey, check this out!" exclaimed Bright, who was standing in front of what appeared to be a small cabinet at the far side of the tunnel.
"What's inside?" asked Seth, as he and the rest of the group moved over to where Bright was currently standing.
"I can't get it open," said Bright, pulling on the handle of the cabinet.
"It's gotta be the Reflector!" exclaimed Kendra. "All the pieces fit!"
"Bright," said Bracken, "just use your magic to open the cabinet."
"I tried that," said Bright, still tugging on the handle. "What's strange is that I don't see any conventional way that this could've been locked."
"Allow me," said Raxtus, as he suddenly grew back into his dragon form.
As Bright moved aside, Bracken placed a single nail through the handle, as any one of his fingers were too thick. With a sudden thrust, the door burst open.
Gazing into the open cabinet, the group could see what appeared to be a hand mirror, lying down in the center.
"We did it!" exclaimed Kendra. "I mean, this has to be it! But we actually did it! We found the Reflector!"