Muchas gracias to all those who posted their reviews. Also I'd like to send a shout out thanks to the creators of the Fablehaven wiki. I've had to refresh my memory on so many things! They saved me a lot of time.

Disclaimer – I do not own Fablehaven, Kendra, Gavin, etc. Brandon Mull owns all of the aforementioned.

Kendra squinted her eyes up at the boy before her. He didn't appear to be joking – of course, Gavin Rose knew all about how to feign appearances.

Kendra cut her gaze from him to look around her. The cavern was spacious, she noted. Even in the dim light she had no trouble seeing everything. They were on a wide path of rocky, sandy stone. Toward the entrance, diffused daylight streamed through the back of the falls, illuminating a drop-off that plunged into the bowels of the cave.

It was then that Kendra noted the path was perhaps only thirty feet wide. No more torchlight was available down the line that she could tell. All Kendra could see was the path stretching farther back in the cave. She was barely able to make out the roof of the cave, which was littered with purple, blue, and black looming stalactites.

Nothing screamed "beware, evil dragons ahead" to her. No sign of any living creatures besides herself and Gavin. How could a bunch of dragons even live in a place like this? Wouldn't dragons want open spaces to fly around in?

Mulling over these musings, Kendra turned to look at the wall she had her back to.

Her jaw dropped. Countless chalk words, some illegible, some Kendra could make out (which meant they could be anything from Silvian to English) stretched in a crude column. Kendra spent a few minutes scanning the wall. One particular sentence, scrawled in a more elegant hand than those surrounding it, caught Kendra's attention. She could almost hear the author speaking the ominous condemnation as she read it.

Proceed forward with the knowledge that certain death awaits you.

Make peace with your god.

The Forbidden Dragon Sanctuary has laid claim to your soul.

Sounds like a place Seth would like to vacation, Kendra thought halfheartedly. The words rattled her, but she was determined to remain levelheaded. So Gavin wasn't lying. That's a first, she thought.

"Forbidden Dragon Sanctuary. Like one of the three off-limits to humans?" Kendra fought to keep her teeth from chattering as she spoke. The draft from inside the cavern was causing her to shiver under her soaked clothes. Kendra recalled that the forbidden sanctuaries were Wyrmroost, Silvermoor, and Frosted Peaks. She knew she wasn't at Wyrmroost. Nothing about her surroundings suggested to her that she was in the Rockies or the Himalayas, where the other two resided.

Gavin turned the air with his hand, in a theatrical gesture. "No, Kendra. This is the Forbidden Dragon Sanctuary. The worst of them all, I might add. You know how the locations of the magical preserves like Fablehaven are only known to a select few? Well, this 'sanctuary'," He put air quotes around the word sanctuary. "Is not known to exist by any but the dragons and a handful of others. To many dragons even, it is a legend, a myth told to keep over zealous hatchlings in their place."

Kendra was about to ask why, when he continued on. "This dwelling was intended not to be a sanctuary, but a prison. The traitorous wretches like your wizard friend who put us here made sure of that," Gavin spat.

That would explain underground placement. Kendra didn't miss the "us" part. Maybe this place had been where Gavin had stayed before his time in the Quiet Box.

Gavin's face twisted into a cruel smile. "Unbeknownst to him and his ilk, there is no caretaker left here. This place experienced a… hmm… how to do I put this?... quiet rebellion two years ago. I should also mention that the dragons kept here are considered the most devious and insidious of their kind – demon consorters mostly, those vehemently disloyal to Celebrant, conspirators opposed to the Fairy Queen, etcetera. Unfortunately, strong enchantments prevent most of us from leaving." His eye brows twitched up.

Kendra didn't miss a beat. "Let me guess – except for you. I'll bet you lead the rebellion against the caretaker too."

Kendra hadn't known any of the caretakers of the dragon sanctuaries except for Agad, the wizard who helped her and her family prevent the demon apocalypse, and she was fond of him. Despite the fact that he was now the caretaker of a preserve called Living Mirage, she couldn't help picturing him stuck in his old fortress, besieged by hundreds of dragons. The poor caretaker probably never had a chance. Grandpa Sorenson had once told Kendra that dragon sanctuaries made Fablehaven seem like a petting zoo.

"Ah," Gavin's face darkened, "that's where you're wrong. I have only been back for a few months now. He who led the rebellion is my Master. The reigning power here is chaos, though he goes by another name." Gavin walked over to Kendra. Kendra instinctively scooted away from him up against the wall. Gavin noticed. He hesitated only briefly before coming to bend down on his knees directly before her.

"Now Kendra you must listen to me very carefully. The moment you crossed the threshold into this place you relinquished your right to live." Kendra's breath hitched in her throat. "I am the only thing that stands between you and a hoard of dragons. Stray from me at your own peril."

Kendra put her head in her hands. It took all she had not to cry. Exhaustion was decreasing her emotional stability. "Why did you bring me here?" She demanded, looking up.

"Because," Gavin reached out as if to touch her. Kendra cringed away, but this time he didn't hesitate. Gently he tucked her damp hair behind her ear. To an observer the gesture might have appeared tenderly affectionate. Kendra knew it was another way of exerting his dominance to encroach upon her personal space so flippantly.

"I missed your company." His eyes searched hers, gauging her reaction.

She wasn't buying it. "Don't lie to me Gavin. You've already made me think I was going to die twice today. Now you've practically told me it's only a matter of when. The least you can do is be honest with me. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"It's always a matter of when." Gavin turned his face away from her. "I did not lie to you when I said I genuinely liked you Kendra. Your fierce loyalty and noble innocence are hard pressed not to admire."

A pause. "And yet, you are correct. While I have missed you, I'm afraid that's not why you're here. The Society asked me to bring you here. Initially I refused. I had been planning on ravaging Fablehaven and extracting my revenge by devouring your family and friends - starting with that half-wit fairydragon who had the nerve to eat me. I might have spared you and your brother if you had sworn allegiance to me, or I might not have depending on how generous I was feeling."

He said all this nonchalantly, much to Kendra's chagrin. "Without the Sphinx as their leader the Society was nothing to me. I had no fear of refusing them - until they sought out my Master."

Another lengthy pause. And he had accused her of being melodramatic.

"They asked him to take over as their new leader. They had plans, they said. The dream behind the idea was drew my Master in. He saw the potential. He perfected their plan.…"

Oh no. Kendra felt it coming. She had to let Gavin finish. Frantically she fought to suppress it. The urge was irrepressible.

"Achoo!" She sneezed. Gavin stopped talking. Kendra cursed herself. He had been about to reveal something important.

"We need to move on." The moment was gone. Gavin stood. Leaning over her, he pulled at the torch ever so slightly. The wall shook a few feet away, stirring the sand into the air. A hole the size of a large doorway rippled into existence. Kendra could see the beginnings of a stone staircase at the base of the hole.

"Come, Kendra. Don't struggle."

"What…?" Before she could ask what he meant, Gavin scooped her up in his arms.

Maybe it was the fatigue, but Kendra didn't struggle. Instead she beheld Gavin's arms. Stupid hormones. In her defense it was the first time she'd ever been held by a guy she had liked in that way. Not that she liked him that way anymore.

His skin was deeply tanned. His arms were lean but toned; she could see the muscles at work under the skin. He was scarred in various places. Some cuts were fresh, still discolored. Others blended into his skin like seams on a doll.

She looked up to see him smirking. He'd caught her in the act. She felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

"Before we go there's one more thing I want you to see." He said holding her gaze. His eyes were so dark brown they were almost black.

Not awaiting her consent, he turned on his heels toward the edge of the path. Kendra threw her arms around his neck.

"What are you doing?" A cough muffled her question.

"I do not want you here without understanding at least some of what you're up against. Knowing you, you'll probably try to escape tonight if this is all I let you see of the place." He snorted. "And I don't particularly feel like chasing you around right now, so look."

Gavin's toes touched the ledge. Kendra tightened her grip around his neck. If her jaw could have hung any lower it would have been unhinged.

Instead of dim nothingness Kendra saw a storm of colors. Like an aurora borealis caught in a hurricane at sea. Lightning bolts of rainbow hues shot through the steaming mere. It was exquisite, enchanting, otherworldly. Instead of fear, it struck awe in the beholder.

An iron-gray spiked, broad, vividly green spine crested out of the mists, causing Kendra to intake sharply. The spine obviously belonged to a large serpentine dragon. The spine moved downward like the creature was diving deeper into the storm below before disappearing. A few seconds later, while Kendra was still reeling from the former, a massive bulk of scarlet colored scales filled the breadth of the space below, turning the mist around it a sulfurous yellow. The monstrous thing remained only briefly, and then slowly slipped out visibility. A black tail flickered straight up after it, crackling with coils of electricity. Moaning roars mixed with brassy growls resounded off of the cavern walls, portentous of malevolence.

On a fateful cue, a set of crooked horns rose out of the tempestuous brew, followed by flat, leathery mien with contorted features and slanted red eyes that affixed Kendra with a black look. The dragon opened its mouth to reveal two tusk-like fangs, one of which had a jagged break. A throaty hiss emitted from the orifice. In response, a great scaly, discolored hood, extending the length of its sides, flew open.

Kendra heard – well she more so felt, than she'd heard it – a threatening, baleful rumble come from Gavin's chest. The rumble was that of a beast, not of a boy. The creature's flaps retracted, but its head remained above the mists, it's eyes no longer watching Kendra. The cobra dragon eyed Gavin as if trying to decide if he were worth it (whatever it was). Gavin turned away, breaking the spell the cobra dragon had on Kendra, and walked briskly toward the opening in the wall. Keeping the pace, he descended the stairs, leaving, Kendra faintly hoped, the worst behind them.