And we`re back! I did promise that I`d be posting again. Here`s chapter two! Brandon Mull owns Fablehaven!

Also, happy 2020!

Please enjoy!


The new kids were… weird. There was something so strange about them that even Seth, who was pretty strange himself, could no longer deny it.

There were two of them, brothers. One was in Seth`s grade and the other was in Kendra`s grade, even though the two of them looked like they were twins. And even though they were only in freshman and junior year respectively, both looked way too old to be there. They looked like college freshman, if one were being generous.

But the strangest part of it all was that as soon as Seth got into homeroom the new kid was already seated at the desk next to him, which Seth was pretty sure belonged to a kid named Albert already. As soon as Seth sat down the kid introduced himself to him. His name was Josh and he had moved here from Toronto with his older brother Todd. He had been nice enough, but spending so much time around the Knights of the Dawn had taught Seth to be cautious around new people, and Seth was sure he was right to be cautious as Josh just happened to have all the same classes as him, which was… weird.

Something else that Seth noticed was how whenever anyone used Josh`s name, there would be a split second delay before he would answer. It reminded Seth of when he and Kendra had gone back to school in a new town after Zzyxx. They had been given new identities as Elizabeth and Evan Carlisle, and at first, it had been hard to adjust to having a new name and more than once, Seth had slip-ups where teachers would call Evan Carlisle`s name and Seth would sit around waiting for someone else to answer before he remembered that he was Evan Carlisle.

So, after second period, Seth finally went to find Kendra. She wasn't at her locker, so in an effort to look casual, he opened it and leaned against it, waiting for Kendra to come.

"Oh, hey Evan." It was Josh, again. Ever since homeroom, he had stuck close to his side, talking to him every chance he got. Seth had barely been able to get away from him long enough to go to Kendra`s locker. Resisting the urge to tell him to go away, Seth turned, trying to grin. Josh leaned comfortably against the locker next to Kendra`s still looking out of place, even amongst all of the juniors.

"Hey man, what`s up?"

Josh crossed his arms, "Not much. What are you doing?" Even though the question was casual enough, it made Seth hesitate to answer. Why did this random kid who he had just met want to get to know him so well?

Seth forced a smile onto his face. "Just waiting for my sister. Need to ask her something."

"Evan?" Speak of the devil. Seth and Josh both turned to see Kendra heading towards them, books in hand. She didn't look particularly surprised to see Seth standing next to her open locker, as they knew each other's combinations already, but when her gaze landed on Josh, her eyes widened in shock before she blinked, her expression returning to normal.

"Hey guys, what`s going on?" Kendra started placing her books in her locker, pulling out some new ones before closing it and facing them fully.

"I needed to know if Grandpa or Grandma is picking us up today and when." Seth tried to keep his voice even to not tip Josh off. Luckily, the knowing look in Kendra`s eyes told him that she understood his motives and responded.

"I`m not sure, I`ll text them to find out. When I see you at lunch I`ll tell you." Kendra switched her attention from Seth to Josh, eyes narrowing as she took a step forward.

"It`s Josh right? Your brother Todd told me about you." Josh nodded, a smirk growing on his face.

"Yeah. All good things I hope?"

"Depends on your definition of good." Kendra sounded completely unfazed.

"And you are?" Josh asked.

"Elizabeth." Kendra glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. "You guys should get going, the bell is going to ring soon. Evan, I`ll talk to you at lunch."

With that, Kendra turned and strode off to class, two of her friends joining her and Seth was left with no choice but to follow Josh to their next class, who despite being brand-new, seemed to know exactly where to go to get to their next class.

So, for the next two periods, Josh clung to Seth closely, going where he did, when he did, causing some of his actual friends to give him some strange looks, as if they were also realizing that something was off about him.

After fourth period Chemistry, it was lunchtime and finally, Josh left Seth alone, mysteriously disappearing from his side as they reached the lunchroom, leaving Seth to go find Kendra.

Kendra was seated at a table alone, surrounded by piles of books, indicating her friends had visited the table already.

"Hey. We need to talk." Seth sat down next to her, pushing a few notebooks out of his way.

"About Todd and Josh?" Catching Seth`s look, she continued. "I assume you already know Vanessa`s going to be picking us up today, and Josh was pretty much stalking you the whole day."

"Yeah. What`s their deal? He hasn't left me alone all day, except for now and he just disappeared."

"Yeah, probably to go find his brother. Todd said he was going to try and find Josh." Kendra took a long drink from her water bottle, giving Seth a weary smile. "Todd`s been doing the same to me too."

"Well it has to have something to do with the Knights doesn't it?" Seth lowered his voice, not missing the way that Kendra cast a look over his shoulder.

"Of course it does." Kendra looked like she was about to continue but it was then her friends descended on the table.

"Hey Evan!" Steve, a boy with black hair sat down next to Kendra. Seth tried to grin while he returned his greeting. None of them looked surprised to see Seth, and all greeted him kindly.

"Hey Liz, that guy Todd is here again." A girl with blue hair and glasses leaned across the table to Kendra, glancing over Seth`s shoulder. Kendra muttered something under her breath, starting to pack her things up.

"I`ll see you guys later, come on Evan." Kendra grabbed Seth`s arm, steering him through the lunch room.

"Do you think this has something to do with-" Seth pitched his voice lower, glancing at Todd and Josh who were pretending not to watch them from across the lunchroom. "The disappearances?"

Kendra didn't answer right away, keeping her eyes on the two boys. "It has to. Can`t be a coincidence."

Kendra and Seth continued out of the lunchroom, away from the prying eyes of Todd and Josh and went down the hall to the library, sitting at a table that was mostly hidden by the tall shelves off books. Kendra glanced up past Seth, drawing in a sharp breath. The look in her eyes was one Seth was familiar with, of mistrust and fear as he heard Josh`s voice.

"Hey look, we just want to talk." Josh and Todd drew closer, standing at the end of the table.

"That`s all you`ve been doing all day." Seth shot back.

"I know we might have made you uncomfortable, but it was for your own safety." Todd spoke from beside Josh, holding up his hands.

"Why do you care about our safety?" Kendra asked, leaning forward, eyes narrowing.

"Because you two are rather important in our world." Todd caught the look that Kendra and Seth exchanged. This certainly sounded like something that would happen at Fablehaven or with the Knights. "Look, I know this is weird, but can we please sit, to explain? Please?" Seth looked to Kendra for guidance. Personally, he was too curious to refuse them, but knew Kendra probably should have the ultimate say. His sister looked back at the boys, considering them.

Kendra leaned back, crossing her arms. "You have until the end of lunch." Todd and Josh nodded, taking a seat.

"Our real names aren't Todd and Josh." Josh began without preamble. "I`m Eli, this is my brother Cassidy. And we`re here because we caught wind that something might be happening here. Something dark."

Seth looked at Kendra, afraid to say anything. "And why do you think we have anything to do with it?" Kendra`s voice was calm and cool, and Seth was suddenly glad Kendra was so diplomatically talented.

"Because we aren't the only ones lying about our names." Cassidy watched Kendra closely for a reaction, and to her credit, she didn't give one.

"Oh really? And you`re what? College age kids masquerading as high-schoolers and you think we`re the ones hiding something?"

"We`re members of the Knights of the Dawn." Eli spoke, quieter than ever, ignoring the look Cassidy gave him.

"Okay?" Seth fought to keep his voice puzzled as he felt dread pool in his stomach. Was it possible that someone had found them? After such a long time of keeping their secret, it was going to be spoiled by the new kids.

The bell for fifth period rang, cutting across Cassidy who opened his mouth to speak and both stood up quickly. "Look, I know that you two understand us, so please, meet us after school at the bleachers. We`ll explain everything then." With that, both boys made a quick exit.

"We have to call Grandpa. He`ll know." Seth said instantly, after making sure they were out of earshot.

Kendra stared after the boys, a contemplative look on her face. She nodded. "I have drama class next. I`ll do it." They began to pack up their things, heading out of the library, Kendra to the auditorium and Seth to the gym.

"Evan." Kendra whispered to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the side of the hallway. "Stay away from Eli, whatever you have to do."

Seth nodded, trying to seem reassuring and headed off to his next class, and for the first time that day, alone. But despite the fact that Eli was finally leaving him alone, Seth felt even more unsettled than he ever had.


Surprisingly enough, despite the admission made by the boy whose name was now apparently Cassidy, he stayed far away from her, allowing her friends to actually talk to her for the first time that day.

"Finally got the new kid to leave you alone Liz?" One of her friends, Jane, took a seat next to her. Forcing a laugh, Kendra answered.

"Yeah. We talked during lunch. Just a misunderstanding, everything`s fine now." Kendra directed her attention to her phone, typing out an urgent message to Grandpa Sorenson, asking him to call her.

Jane hummed beside her, seeming to understand that Kendra was too distracted to carry on a conversation. Kendra put down the phone as her teacher started class, trying and failing to pay attention and frequently flicked her eyes to Cassidy who sat in the front row, head down. But before the lesson could really fully start, a screaming sound pierced the air. The fire alarm. She couldn't help but glance at Cassidy who also was looking at her, alarm in his eyes. Cassidy, who was 100% creepy was creeped out. That meant something big. Something that wasn't normal. It couldn't be a coincidence, after everything that had happened.

"Alright, come on everyone, in a line! It`s just a drill." The teacher called from the front of the room. Jane pulled her up and together they followed the stream of students out of the building. Just as Kendra`s teacher had finished calling role, her phone rang. It was Grandpa. Mumbling an excuse to Jane, she ducked out of the line and around the corner, away from the other students.

Kendra didn't bother saying hello. "Grandpa, do you know any Knights named Eli and Cassidy?"

When her grandfather answered, his voice was on edge. "You`re going to have to be a lot more specific. There are a lot of Knights."

"They`re brothers. The older one is named Cassidy and the younger one is Eli, I think they`re twins? They look like they`re in college, like freshman or sophomore year? And they`re here, in our school and they know we`re not who we claim to be."

On the other end of the line, Grandpa shuffled a few papers. "Two boys matching that description were inducted a few weeks ago, specializing in dark magic trading. Eli and Cassidy Adler. Their parents had been Knights up until their death two years ago at the hands of the society. What do they know?"

Kendra peeked around the edge of the building, looking for Cassidy, who had disappeared. "They used fake names and said something about us having them too. They`ve been following me and Seth all day. They want us to meet them after school." Kendra glanced behind her and drew in a sharp breath, seeing that Eli and Cassidy were at the far end of the wall, making their way towards them. Eli wore their school`s gym uniform.

"Kendra?" Grandpa`s concerned voice came through the phone. "Where are you?"

"We`re outside. Fire drill. They`re here." Kendra watched as the brothers approached.

"Give Cassidy the phone Kendra." Wordlessly, Kendra followed his instructions, holding her phone out to Cassidy who took it and put it to his ear, puzzled. Kendra watched as Cassidy`s expression changed from confusion to fear to determination.

"Yes sir. I understand. I will." Cassidy gave her back her phone and held it to her ear, trying to ignore how Cassidy whispered to Eli, filling him in.

"Kendra, for now, I believe that they are indeed Knights. They know who you and Seth are. Be careful. Vanessa and Warren will be there to pick you all up from school today and we will discuss everything when you get home."

"Got it. Are we in danger?" Kendra asked breathlessly, nodding slightly to Cassidy and Eli, who both relaxed slightly.

"Possibly. The fire drill simply cannot be a coincidence." Grandpa`s voice was firm and no-nonsense. Kendra took a deep breath, forcing herself to be calm, or to at least act like she was.

"Okay. We`ll be careful."

"Alright. I`ll see you soon." Grandpa hung up and Kendra let the phone drop from her ear.

"So I guess we`re on the same side for now then." Kendra looked at Eli and Cassidy hesitantly.

"So you trust us?" Eli perked up, reminding her of Seth, just for a moment.

Kendra eyed them. "I trust the Captain and he says that you`re probably genuine." When talking to those who she wasn't exactly close to about the Knights of the Dawn, she didn't make it a habit to flaunt the fact that he was her grandfather, choosing to remain a healthy distance from those she didn't know too well.

"Well it`s nice to officially meet you Kendra." Cassidy held out his hand. "I`m sorry about that whole stalking thing."

Kendra felt a smile tug at her lips, mostly at the absurdity of all of this, taking Cassidy`s offered hand. "You too, I guess. And by the way, if you have any hope of making it in the Knights, you will have to be much better at being subtle."

Cassidy smiled a little as his brother spoke up from beside him.

"So is it true you killed the demon king?" Eli rushed out. Cassidy hit him on the arm, giving him a scolding look before turning to her, expression softening.

"Sorry about him. You don't have to tell us anything you don't feel comfortable with." Cassidy soothed, shooting his brother a glare, who looked sheepish.

Kendra nodded, trying to relax a little. Cassidy`s voice was deep and calming. Unlike his younger brother, Cassidy was quieter and much more subtle than Eli was. He seemed like someone who could be a Knight, while Eli seemed like too much of a loose cannon.

"Dark magic trading?" Kendra asked, casting a glance over her shoulder at the other kids to make sure no one was close enough to hear.

Cassidy nodded, but Eli answered. "We specialize in keeping items with harmful dark magic out of the hands of the general public. We go to auctions and monitor online sales and keep an eye on the black market to find those items."

"Really?" From behind Kendra, Seth`s voice interrupted, looking intrigued.

"Seth? What are you doing?" Kendra shot her brother a disapproving look.

"Don`t worry. I heard your conversation." Seth took a step forward, looking excited. "The black market?"

"Where were you?" Cassidy asked suspiciously. Luckily, Seth was smart enough to keep his answer vague.

"Around." Seth waved his hands and Kendra suspected he had been shade walking. Recently, he had been working to discover more of his powers as a shadow charmer and control the ones he did have. Bracken had been helping, being knowledgeable in all types of magic, but not knowing enough to truly teach Seth more. "So, the black market?"

Cassidy, though he looked unsettled, answered anyway. "Yeah. A lot of dangerous items are passed through illegal means, so we have to monitor it."

"How did you get into this anyway? Seems like a lot for a couple of college kids?" Kendra asked, again checking that the other students weren't watching. She spotted Jane standing near her friend Natasha and Steve, talking, all looking perfectly relaxed. Luckily, the friends that Kendra had at this new school were very much oblivious to anything supernatural and were very normal.

Eli smiled. "Our parents did it before. Taught us everything we knew. They were Knights." Kendra remembered how Grandpa had said that their parents had been killed a few years ago and she cut across Seth`s next question, sensing his lack of awareness.

"Anyway Seth, did you hear that Cassidy and Eli here are going to come with us to Fablehaven to meet the Captain?" Kendra cut in, lowering her voice.

"Oh… cool." Seth finished lamely. He seemed subdued by something. Kendra was about to open her mouth to ask him what was wrong but then she saw it. Cassidy and Eli, catching their expressions turned to see what they were staring out.

On the far end of the wall, was a man who was tall and lean, staring at them almost hungrily. He was handsome, perfectly sculpted face and defined jawline, but his gaze was so unnerving that his outward appearance became irrelevant. He appeared to be in his late twenties and his eyes were dark and piercing. As he stared, they seemed to twinkle as a smirk curled his lips as he stared at them. He was dressed casually enough, dark wash jeans and a white T-shirt under a dark red leather jacket. But something about him seemed old and archaic, whether it was his gaze or his eyes, and nothing like any twenty-something year old Kendra had ever met.

In front of her, as Cassidy and Eli caught sight of the man, they stiffened. Eli turned back to them, "So I guess I`m not the only seeing that?"

"We need to get back to everyone else, now." Cassidy`s quiet and intense voice shook them all out of their stupor. Kendra found it difficult to tear her gaze away from the man, but she managed, following Seth back to the mass of chatting students.

"What was that?" Seth muttered to Kendra and she shook her head. The way that man looked… it wasn't like anything that belonged around people. As Kendra and Cassidy returned to the rest of their class, Jane, who was now standing alone, texting, looked up at her.

"Hey, where`d you go?" Jane was always easygoing and collected. Kendra tried to calm her racing heart.

"My grandfather called. Our friend is picking us up today instead of him and I had to go find Evan to tell him." Kendra rambled a little, subconsciously glancing at Cassidy who looked worried as he glanced at the kids milling around him.

"Liz are you sure you`re okay?" Jane looked concerned as she rested a hand on Kendra`s shoulder. "Todd isn't bothering you again is he?"

Kendra tried to smile. "No, no. Everything`s fine. Just a little stressed."

Jane looked unsure. "Well, okay. But if you need anything, just tell me okay? I`m always here for you."

"Thanks Jane. I appreciate that." Glancing down at her phone, Kendra wondered if she should call Grandpa and tell him about the man. She didn't want to overreact and worry Grandpa more, but the feeling she got around that man...

Jane caught her arm, pulling her into the building as the group of students returned to their classrooms. They had almost gotten back to the auditorium but then, two things happened. Her phone began to rang, showing Warren`s name and the school`s fire alarm screamed as smoke rose from a nearby stairwell, where coughing students emerged. Suddenly, Kendra was caught up in the stream of students that separated her from Jane that were heading out of the building. Struggling not to be knocked over, Kendra answered the call from Warren, only to hear his commanding voice cut across her greeting.

"Get your brother and those two Knights and get them away from the school building. Now." Immediately, Kendra pulled off from the sea of students into a side hallway. The smoke was the least of her concern now.

"Warren, what`s going on?" Kendra tried to keep her voice low, catching sight of Cassidy and waving him over.

"There has been a surge of dark magic at your school. You need to get away from the building. Hurry! We`re on our way!" Warren cried. Cassidy emerged from the crowd and Kendra grabbed his arm, steering him down the hallway, against the current of students. They needed to get to the gym and find Seth and Eli. Cassidy followed faithfully as Kendra tried to talk to Warren.

"What do you mean, a surge?" Kendra tried to understand as a new voice cut into the call.

"Kendra, that fire is no coincidence. Get Seth and get out!" It was Bracken. When did he get here? She wondered. But the tone of his voice forced her to put those thoughts aside. If he was afraid, she needed to be too.

"Okay, get Seth and Eli and get out. Got it." Kendra repeated, shoot Cassidy a glance, as suddenly, the call dropped without warning and the lights went out.

Now, students were screaming and shoving, terrified of the dark. Only Kendra`s enhanced sight kept her calm, the darkness only dim to her.

She turned to Cassidy, ready to explain why she`d dragged him further into a burning building. "We need-"Cassidy cut her off.

"Get Seth and Eli and get out. Let`s go." Together, Kendra guiding the way they headed down to the gym where even more students poured from classrooms. In the dark and smoky building, and unable to contact Seth, she could only hope that she would be able to find her little brother.


Thank you to Yakall for your support! I hope you guys enjoy!

I`ll be back as soon as possible!

Happy Monday everyone!