Kendra still felt hollow inside when she got back to Fablehaven. She kept feeling like she shouldn't have left Jin there, yet she was glad she didn't have to see the Chinese girl's face again. Still confused, she got out of the car and numbly walked to the house and called, "I'm back!" But it was flat and tired.
"Welcome back, Honey!" Martha embraced her daughter and began fussing over her. "Did you have fun?"
Kendra shrugged her mother's arms off and sighed, "It was fine." Then she went up into her room and ignored the huff she got in response from her mother. She slung her backpack off her shoulders and lay the ancient sword down on the desk. Kendra then found herself studying the sword as it lay there on the table.
It had turquoise stones in the hilt, silk wrapping on the handle, the scabbard was wooden, unornamented, and plain compared to the bronze sword. She wondered what she would do with the sword now that she had it. Give it to Agad? Seemed likely. Use it to unlock some secret treasure? That seemed even more likely.
Her contemplation was disturbed by a small knocking on her window; she went over to it and looked out. Shiara was pounding as hard as she could against the window, when she saw Kendra opening in the window she stopped and panted from the effort, landing on the sill.
"What's wrong, Shiara?" Kendra asked, leaning forward and looking down at the fairy.
Shiara quickly jumped back into flight and said, "It's Raxtus! He needs your help! We've tried to get him to a sanctuary, but he's too weak to move!"
"Something's wrong with Raxtus?!" Kendra exclaimed, she grabbed her sword and strapped onto her belt, "Can I get through the portal in the shrine?"
Shiara looked skeptical but then tugged Kendra's hair, "Hurry! I don't know if you can, but we have to try!"
Kendra found herself running as fast as her legs would take her to the shrine. She didn't stop to tell anyone where she was going, she just kept sprinting. Her friend was in trouble, and if Raxtus couldn't get aid from the fairies, it was bad.
She came upon the grove with the canoe lake and the gazebo, Shiara flew alongside Kendra towards the lake, "Jump in!" The fairy said, pointing to the lake where the naiads waited.
Kendra only had a split second to rethink jumping in, but she did it anyway. As bubbles flew up around her, she began to regret her decision, she wasn't a magical creature; she couldn't possibly do this! But a second later she fell upwards out of the surface of a pond. Shiara fluttered near her and urged her to follow. Kendra, feeling more confident with herself, followed the fairy to a cliff face.
A group of fairies peeked over the top and flew down to get Kendra, they grabbed parts of her shirt and arms and pulled, each glowing brightly from Kendra's inner light. With their combined effort, they managed to hoist the girl up over the edge and set her down.
Kendra could see Raxtus lying on his side, his chest rising and falling rapidly, black blood dripping from his scales. She rushed over to him and knelt down, "Raxtus, can you hear me?!" She asked, touching him gently, Shiara worriedly handing over her shoulder.
Raxtus groaned and shifted a little, I'm not feeling good Kendra, like if I ate an elephant all in one go!
Kendra touched his scales, he glowed brightly for a second and the black ooze stopped flowing, but then it continued, faster than before. "I think I made it worse." Kendra said, worried for her friend.
The fairies drooped, "You were the only one we could turn to, Kendra. So it's hopeless?"
"No!" Shiara cried, clinging to Raxtus' muzzle and sobbing.
Kendra felt grim determination set in as she said, "I'll do my best." She touched Raxtus again, this time he didn't glow or look any better. The black gunk pooled at her feet and sucked at her power, drawing energy from her, but she refused to give up.
A roar broke her concentration for a second, she looked to her left to the sky and saw a giant, red dragon coming towards them.
"Bad news?" She asked the fairies, they nodded in unison and cowered behind Raxtus.
The dragon came closer and the closer it got the more paralyzed Kendra felt. Until a giant, silvery dragon crashed into the other one and boomed, enough!
Kendra felt the frozen terror melt so she kept trying to heal Raxtus. Until Celebrant rose up and loomed over Raxtus, the fairies, and Kendra.
What's this?
His voice thundered as his mighty wings flapped, causing some of the fairies to be swept away with the force of the wind.
An intruder in Wyrmroost. However did you get in?
The king of dragons scrutinized Kendra with an air of authority.
Kendra wished the dragon would stop studying her because her whole body was paralyzed in fear.
A giant, ugly blue-green dragon came soaring towards Celebrant and tried to knock the King out of the sky. The Silver dragon roared and clawed the other dragon away,
Dragons who have sworn loyalty to me are defying my might! It must be because of you, FOUL INTRUDER.
He looked about to kill her right then, but her instincts told her to reach for her sword. Her fear broke for a second until she had her sword unsheathed in her hands, facing a terrifying dragon. She held her ground as the white-hot flames poured in around her.
At the end of the long exhalation of fire, Kendra still stood, her sword unharmed. Raxtus and the fairies hadn't been damaged at all as well, Kendra had a split second to reflect of this before Celebrant tried to take a bite out of her. She dodged the snapping maw and leapt to the side, keeping her sword in front of her.
The black ooze on the floor began to bubble and solidify, but neither the mighty dragon, nor the girl noticed it as a threat.
The dragon attacked again, this time rising up so his sharp talons could cut into the girl. Kendra sung her sword and his talons were deflected with shower of sparks.
Celebrant reeled backwards, shocked that something so small could deflect his cruel talons. Just as he was about to send another blow however, Kendra was tackled by someone from behind. And she went soaring off the cliff.