Sleep did not come easily, and when it did it was short and fitful. Hours of pointless tossing and turning had passed by, and after giving up on sleep, Raz found herself more exhausted than ever. What was wrong with her? She'd never had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places before! What made the Emerald Serpent so different?
Sitting up, she glanced around her room. The only light came from a small, flickering candle that sat on her nightstand. Now more than ever, she wished for a window. Darkness had never had any place on her list of tolerances, and the lack of a window made her antsy. She didn't fear the dark, she just hated it. If there was anything she feared about darkness, it was the monsters that lurked in it. The most cowardly and spiteful creatures hid behind darkness, using it as shield against the weary and weak hearted. Even the brave could be brought down by darkness, she knew from experience.
She stood shakily, using the nightstand for support. The room had begun to feel hot and claustrophobic, and she desperately needed some fresh air. Despite how suffocating the room was, she grabbed her robe from the back of a chair, knowing the air would be cooler in the library. Throwing the robe on carelessly, she opened the door and peered outside.
The house was quiet and Raz found herself tiptoeing down the hallway, as not to wake anybody. She passed the empty room and wondered when the final member of their team would arrive. Soon, hopefully. She wanted to get started on the mission as soon as possible.
The door to the library stood open, wide and inviting. Of all the rooms in the house, this was her favorite. Two of the four walls were nothing but glass, which gave the room a light and open feeling. Miscellaneous books and papers lay about, adorning tables or lining desks or sitting in misshapen piles on the floor. A half finished painting rested in its easel, begging to be finished. Musical instruments of every kind sat waiting, just asking to be played.
Raz looked about the room, hoping to find a piano, then remembered that everyone else was asleep and decided against playing. Her fingers itched to play, but she didn't want to wake anyone. She could wait until morning. In the far corner of the room sat a staircase, which she knew lead to the armory. Cecile had told her that at the top of the stairs stood what seemed to be a dead end, but the false wall opened into one of the most protected areas of the house. She hadn't been in it yet and she was curious as to what treasures it held, but she knew that it would have to wait until the entire team had arrived.
She wandered around aimlessly, running her fingers along the spines of old books, admiring paintings and reading statue plaques. Few book titles interested her. The Complete History of Nipsies. The Dos and Don'ts of Jins. Dragon Tamers and Werewolf Slayers. She sighed. What she wouldn't give to play piano.
"You couldn't sleep either?"
Stopping short, she spun around, her heart racing. "Oh, geez. Your startled me!"
Trent emerged from the shadows, his golden hair a mess atop his head, his bright blue eyes dulled by exhaustion. "Sorry, guess I should have made some more noise, let you know I was here. I can be weirdly quiet sometimes. Like a cat or a blix or something."
"It's okay, I'm a little on edge it all."
He raised an eyebrow. "A little?"
Raz resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay, I'm a lot on edge." Trent laughed.
"Trust me, we all are. It's not every day you get sent to a secret preserve to go find some hidden ancient artifact and most likely die in the process."
"You're sense of humor is comforting."
Laughing again, he shrugged innocently. "I've been known to lighten the mood with awful humor." This got a smile out of her.
"I can tell." There was a moment of friendly silence, as the both looked out the window, each lost in their own thoughts. Raz glanced at him as curiosity began gnawing at her. "So you and Baruexi seem to know each other pretty well." He nodded but didn't reply. "When did you two meet?"
"Oh, about three years ago. We've been on a few missions together." He grinned jokingly. "I swear, I can't get rid of her." The tone in his voice hinted that he was just teasing, but Raz felt the need to defend her newfound friend.
"She seems like a sweet girl."
"Oh she is!" An unexpected liveliness lit up his eyes. "Baru is amazing! A real whiz with the sword too, man in combat she's…" He looked at her and suddenly seemed embarrassed. "She's incredible."
Raz wore a knowing smile. "You two seem very fond of each other."
"We…we're good friends is all." Was it just her imagination, or were Trent's cheeks turning red? She couldn't really tell in the faint moonlight.
"I don't doubt that." She waved her hand dismissively and tried to hide her smirk. If there was one thing she was good at, discerning emotions was one of them, and Trent's emotions were pretty clear. Too bad he and Baru would probably never tell each other how they felt.
Movement outside caught her eye and she turned to the window to see what it was. Cecile's small car was pulling into the driveway, and Raz suddenly got excited. "Hey! The new team member's here!" Without waiting to see if Trent was following, she raced out of the library and headed downstairs. Once she reached the bottom, she stopped abruptly and Trent nearly crashed into her.
"Well, you're just full of energy aren't you?"
She grinned over her shoulder at him as the front door opened. Cecile came in, followed by a tall figure laden with suitcases. He was apparently finishing up an extremely entertaining story, because Cecile was smiling, almost laughing, which was a rarity. Cecile was sweet, but not easily entertained. Laughter from her was odd. "I swear, Chuck is as crazy as they come!" The newcomer said, laughing heartily.
"Well, well, well." Raz said, recognizing the voice. "If it isn't Arlin Santos!" She stepped into the living room, hands on her hips. "I'm surprised you aren't dead yet. Have fun in the Himalayas?"
"Raz!" Spreading his arms wide, he gave Raz a bone crushing hug and lifted her off the floor. Arlin was a monster of a man, standing at about six foot four, he was heavily muscled and broad shouldered with hands the size of snow shovels. "You," He said, setting her down and poking her nose. "Have not changed a bit!"
"Neither have you! Unless you've gotten taller. Which would be slightly disconcerting."
"No, you've just gotten shorter."
"Hey!" She said indignantly, even though she could tell he was joking. Raz wasn't short, and they both knew it.
"Old friends?" Trent came up from behind, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"More or less." Was Raz's reply.
"I've known Raz since she was a greenie! Took her on her first mission!" Arlin ruffled her hair fondly.
"Well it's good to know that some members of the team are well acquainted with each other. Baru and I know each other well, and apparently, so do you two."
"I wonder how often that happens." Raz mused, trying to fix her hair, knowing it was hopeless.
"Not very, but this mission is important, so a close team was probably essential." Arlin said.
"Makes sense."
"On a different note…it's bloody late, what are you two still doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"Well that's not surprising. What did they call you on that first mission? Nocturnal Teru?"
"Something like that."
"I am glad that you all are getting along." Cecile spoke up for the first time and all eyes turned to her. "But I think it is time we were all heading off to bed, yes?"
Raz stifled a laugh and the boys grinned in amusement. "Of course, Cecile. Good night. See you in the morning." She nodded and shuffled away. Once she was out of the room, Raz let out a small giggle.
"There's more fire in that women that I thought." Arlin said.
"Oh yes, she's very motherly."
"You could say that again."
The three of them laughed shortly and made their way up the stairs.
"Well, Arlin, your bedroom should be easy to find, it's the only empty one."
"That's convenient. Mind helping me with my bag er…?"
"It's Trent."
"Pleasure to meet you, Trent. I'm Arlin." Arlin grasped one of Trent's hands in his own and shook it enthusiastically, a wide grin plastered on his face. Trent returned the smile.
"The pleasure's all mine. I'll grab some of your bags." Trent picked up some of Arlin's suitcases and hauled them off into the direction of his room.
"What did you bring? A dead yak?" Raz asked, noting the bulging luggage.
"You could say that."
She gave him a skeptical look, but didn't press. "Well, see you in the morning."
"Good night, Nocturnal Teru."
She punched him in the arm playfully. "I swear, if you start calling me that again you'll be picking knives out of your back for a month."
"Charming as ever."
With a smirk, Raz continued down the hallway and stopped in front of her door. Peering into the dim room, she noticed that the small candle was still burning and scolded herself for forgetting to snuff it out. The last thing she needed was the house burning down.
"Night Raz." She turned to Trent, and gave a small smile.
"Night Trent." He waved a little awkwardly and shuffled into his room, closing the door behind him. For the first time, she wondered what had kept Trent up. She could ask him, but she didn't want to bother him, so she left it.
Sighing, she walked into her own room and shut the door as quietly as she could. She sat on her bed and stared at the small, flickering flame of the candle.
Tomorrow, the real mission would begin and everyone on her team would be putting themselves in danger. She finally allowed herself to ask the one question that had been nagging her since she'd received orders to Brazil: Why were they digging up the artifact? It was hidden for a reason, right? How would going and digging it up now be of any help? She fiddled with the lock around her neck, and suddenly remembered why she had agreed to this mission in the first place. Agreeing to this mission had all but guaranteed her going where she'd never been before. She traced the familiar contours of the lock.
In a place man's eyes have never seen, your searching hands will find the key.
Biting her lip, she stared at her reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall. In a place man's eyes have never seen…
She remembered the first time she had heard those words, how confused she had been. She was no closer to fully understanding them now than she had been all those years ago, it was frustrating. For years she'd searched, but what she was looking for was impossible to find.
"No, not impossible…" She said, clutching the lock resolutely. "Just improbable."
Is that an update I see? Why yes, yes it is :D *dodges knife* OI no knife throwing! I know it's been a while TT_TT Highschool it eating my soul and I have about as much free time as...someone who doesn't have free time ._. BUT ALAS- I live :3
For those of you who have read the 4th book, yes, I do know who Arlin Santos is. I put him in there for a reason. I almost made him uptight and have a stick up his butt, but the idea of having a friendly giant on the team was much more fun to play with and plan.
**NOTE**
Okay, so over Thanksgiving break, I read the fourth Fablehaven book again and realized that the name of the preserve in Brazil is Rio Branco (or something like that) Now USUALLY I'm a stickler about staying as close to the book as possible, but I've already planned out this fanfiction so much that changing the name of the preserve and location of the vault would just ruin it. SO if you're going to nag at me for not having it exactly close to the book, you can go punch yourself repeatedly. Because honestly, if I had remebered this bit of information while planning out my story, trust me, I would have used it.
Please don't be a rage monster!