Disclaimer: Brandon Mull owns the world(s) of Fablehaven.
Each time he put his foot down, Seth managed to succeed in inserting another brier into his leg.
Number 2,365 (and counting). He pulled it out using the tips of his finger nails in place of tweezers. Seth cursed loudly, looking at the speckled mess of his calves. He was past looking like he'd come down with a bad case of the chicken pox – now he was getting to the 'my-leg-resembles-an elongated-piece-of-watermelon' phase.
They had reached the densest part of the jungle. Green above, and green below. The underbrush was choking the necks of the trees. The leaves piled up ankle deep in some places, concealing hidden mud puddles, and a variety of vermin. Mud squished under their tired feet. Though a few rays of hazy gray light shone through the leaves in patches along the path (what path there was), no breeze could break through the dense forest. In the daytime, it was humid. At night, it was drafty.
They'd slept only five hours after walking most of the night. At daybreak, Warren passed around the tin pomade can he had filled with walrus butter for those who needed it to see past their human handicap to the magical creatures of the world.
"Is that a bat? Out in broad daylight?" Vanessa squinted up at the somber resplendence that seeped through the leafen roof, using her hand as visor.
Seth and the others stopped in their tracks, looking up to see this portent. A small black shadow flew just below the canopy of the jungle.
"So it would seem," Bracken replied, dropping his hand and continuing past the spectators. Seth watched him with a furred brow. Bracken wore a deep scowl, which was completely out of character for Mr. Sunshine-fairy-unicorn-boy. Seth assumed if he looked at a mirror he would probably look the same. They'd been walking for a little over twenty hours. No sign of dragons or the Society or Kendra. They were just about to the point where they were going to fork off their trail to the Dunes.
Warren and Vanessa remained staring at the strange spectacle of the time confused animal.
"I think," Warren squinted, blinking several times, "Um, I think it's coming at us."
"No, it's just flying around," Seth said, upon observing the creature.
"I think it's coming our way. What is that? Is there something dangling from its leg?"
"It looks like a piece of paper."
"Ten to one its litter. Happens to animals all the time. Trust me, I watch the NatGeo channel. It's like how the penguins get stuck in that plastic stuff that holds together mini sodas from the grocery store."
"It doesn't look like litter. It looks like a rolled up piece of paper."
The carpet of leaves rustled. Bracken had whirled around, anger written plainly on his face.
"Who cares what the thing is doing? What's more, who cares what the thing has attached to itself. In the name of the Queen, it's a bat. Would you all like to take your photos to submit to National Geographic," It must be noted that Bracken had become fascinated with the human periodical in recent years, "alongside an article about the evils of human pollution or shall we move on to find Kendra, our imprisoned friend?"
Seth looked down at the ground guiltily. Bracken was right to be frustrated with them. Time, for all they knew, was running out for Kendra. Each moment spent dallied, was perhaps one of her last alive.
Seth shuddered at the thought.
Warren was also looking dejected by the rebuff, but Vanessa was unperturbed. She resolutely kept her eyes on the bat.
"It is drawing nearer. There is a paper attached to its right foot," she announced.
"Vanessa, I think we ought to keep going," Seth said.
"Hun…" Warren spoke softly. It was a suggestion, a gentle tug.
Vanessa sucked in. The bat flew down from above, making a beeline for her face. She held her breath as the creature stopped short to hover inches away from her face.
It flew around in a circle around her head. Whatever was holding the paper to its foot, came undone, causing the paper to fall to the ground at Vanessa's feet. When this happened, it stopped to face Vanessa again.
Seth could not have explained why he was filled with anxiety, pursing his lips, and clenching his hands. What was the bat going to do – poop on her? Bite her? Screech at her?
The bat used its wings to project itself further backward.
Seth blinked. The bat was gone. He would have looked around to see where it went, but what was now in front of him held him dumbstruck.
It was a naked paleish-dwarf-man thing. He, Seth corrected himself mentally. That the dwarf-man was male was painfully obvious. Seth scanned the reactions of his companions.
Vanessa's eyes were wide with shock, a slight blush in her cheeks. Warren had the gall to actually be suppressing laughter. Seth guessed the astonishment of the situation had turned into hilarity for him. Bracken appeared unmoved, excepting a slight quirk upward in his brow.
The dwarf-man grinned recklessly at them all. He locked gazes with each in turn. Then his eyes came upon the dropped letter. Bending down, he picked up the letter, and held it out to Vanessa.
Catiously, Vanessa took it. She unrolled and unfolded the paper. Quickly her eyes scanned over the contents. A small gasp escaped her.
Her eyes flicked up to the dwarf. Then back to the paper. Keeping her eyes, on the dwarf Vanessa soundlessly handed the letter to her husband.
He read it. Seth noticed there was a tremble to his hand.
"I can't take it!" he whined. "What is it? Who is it from?"
"I'll read it out loud. It's written in Spanish, but I'll just translate." Warren cleared his throat. He tried to begin, "Dear-" His voice cracked. Breathing deeply through his nose, readjusting his posture, he began again.
"Dear Reader –
My name is Kendra Sorenson.
I have been abducted.
The messenger is my friend, T.C. He's a little crazy, but harmless I think.
T.C. can't tell you anything. He doesn't speak English. Or anything, really.
Please, DO NOT contact the police.
Please contact my family.
Tell them, I am alive, but I am in grave danger.
Tell them, the Society took me for an eternal purpose.
And tell them my captor's name is Gavin."
"The rest is the contact information for Fablehaven."
Seth's mouth had gone dry.
The dwarf spread his arms above his head, and shouted, happily "Los Malditos!"
"Huh?" Seth looked sideways at Vanessa.
"It's Spanish for the cursed."
"The Cursed. T.C.," Warren tapped his temple. "I wonder if it's a joke, or if this guy is really cursed."
"Kendra said he was harmless," Seth reminded him.
"And crazy." Seth was startled to see Bracken had come to stand right next to him.
"Maybe crazy means eccentric." Seth eyed their new companion a little doubtfully. "You know, instead of crazy."
"Probably not."
"Gavin." Vanessa rubbed her forehead. "He is – was – dead. Raxtus ate him. You don't exactly bounce back from that."
"I've survived being eaten," Seth interjected with a shrug.
Vanessa shot him a contemptuous glance. "Those were beyond extraordinary circumstances."
"Maybe he's a stingbulb," Warren offered.
"That's a possibility," Bracken murmured. "Kendra doesn't specify."
"She may not have had much time."
"Or paper."
"I'm not criticizing Kendra!" Bracken snapped. He lapsed into deep thought.
Seth considered the naked dwarf, the cogs of his brain slowly clinking to life.
It hit him.
"Guys, if Kendra was kidnapped by Gavin, she's probably not at the Dunes."
They all blanched. "You're right," Bracken whispered. "She's probably going to be at the Falls."
"We were on the verge of making an enormous mistake. We almost destroyed any chance of Kendra ever being able to escape."
Seth heard the ocean in his ears. He blinked several times.
"I knew it." He condemned himself aloud. "I felt that it was right to go to the Falls. But I sided with Bracken and Warren, because my gut always gets me in trouble. My first impulse is always wrong. Wow." His mouth tasted bitter to him. "When I think I'm right, I'm wrong, and when I think I'm wrong, I'm right."
"There's a way of saying that…." Warren left the sentence open-ended, smiling half-heartedly.
"An eternal purpose," Vanessa echoed, supposedly to herself. "Code for…"
"The Eternals. She kept it vague so as not to arouse suspicion about our world." Warren looked at the letter admiringly.
Bracken rubbed his neck beneath his hair. "Which means our suspicions were correct. The newest head of the Society is trying its hand at destroying the Eternals."
"We need to move."
"First, I need to write to Stan to tell him what we've learned." Bracken flinched, but did not look at Vanessa.
"Be quick," her husband commissioned her.
"I will," she promised, walking away from them. Presumably to get away from Bracken's searing, judgmental gaze.
"So," Seth said turning to the dwarf-man "You no spreckenza the eng-lay-s?"
"Los Malditos," The dwarf man said with a shake of his hips.
Seth grimaced at the sight. "¿Hablas español?"
"Los Malditos," He repeated emphatically.
Seth turned to Warren. "I think I liked him better as a bat."
"It's strange that his features resemble an indigenous origin, but he's so pale. I wonder why he's called The Cursed."
"Maybe his Mother never loved him," Seth suggested.
Warren tried to smile at Seth, but failed. He looked back at the dwarf.
"What happened to him?"
Seth saw that T.C.'s expression had changed. He no longer looked amiable. He looked distressed. He kept swatting to his head, and making gargling noises. For several minutes he seemed tormented by some great inward struggle.
He fought to choke out, hoarsely, "Hija."
The effort of remembering the word for daughter, had made T.C. double over with pain; yet the dwarf was commencing to grin once more.
"Hija," he insisted. Then to himself, triumphantly, "Hija.".
"And that means...?" Seth asked Warren.
"Daughter." Warren looked around. There was nobody but them and Bracken, who was still lost in thought.
"Does he think Vanessa is his daughter?" Seth asked incredulously.
"No." Warren looked sideways at the dwarf.
"I mean, I don't think so." He shook his head. "Why would he say it now after she's left?"
"Maybe he's asking for her?"
Warren shook his head again.
Bracken spoke up. "This man is extremely old. Far older than you would guess. He has the air of immortality. There is more to him than meets the eye."
"I do not suspect he was created for such a long life. Dwarves nearly have the same life expectancy as humans. They're mortal by birth. His condition may have to do with his curse," Bracken said thoughtfully.
"Significant preparation for the trials of prolonged life is required for mortals who are granted it. As Eternals, you all would have to go through something of the sort. Training, if you will. I doubt this man went through such a thing. He is most likely insane, his brain decayed though his body is perfectly intact. Conceptual thinking would beyond him. Associative thinking, not 'this because this' but 'this like this', is more than likely how he functions. In short, it's possible that he thinks Kendra is his daughter."
"Kendra? Why would he think my sister is his daughter?" Seth regarded the dwarf questionably. "They look nothing alike."
"That's true, but you have no idea what his wife (assuming he had one at somepoint) looked like. Kendra could resemble his offspring in only one feature, and to him the whole image of her would be distorted to bear a resemblance to his had been daughter. Think of looking a picture through warped glass. The picture may be a lovely painting, but through the glass it is a mess of color and shapes. If presented with child's artwork and the original piece, you might pick the artwork of the child over the masterpiece, simply because you never saw the picture as it truly was."
"Phhhheeeewwwooop." Seth made out like an airplane was flying over his head.
Warren and Bracken both ignored him. "That could be why he's helping her."
"My thoughts exactly."
At that moment Vanessa returned on the scene.
"Stan said that we should proceed forward with caution. He distrusts this mention of Gavin, though he is sure there is a logical explanation to be found. He'll be looking into it. I myself am less optimistic. We do not know a lot about this new Master."
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Bracken asked sharply.
"Maybe. I'm not sure yet. We'll see when we get there." Vanessa shrugged. "Stan agreed with me that we should make for the Falls instead of the Dunes. We could make it there by nightfall, if we speed up the pace."
"We will run if necessary," Bracken vowed.
"Los Malditos!"
The dwarf's interruption halted conversation briefly.
"What do we with Tarzan?" Seth wondered.
"We bring him with us of course. He may be able to help lead us to Kendra." This from Bracken.
Warren eyed him speculatively. "So if we start going he's just going to follow?"
"Only one way to find out."
"Seth, you're in charge of keeping up with him." Vanessa put her hands on her hips.
"Me?!" Seth groaned. "Why me?"
"Because he's your sister's friend."
"Just think man," Warren chuckled, "Kendra will be on your case if you lose her helpless, senile friend out in the wilderness. Then it'll be you who needs saving."
Seth crossed his arms. "Whatever. Fine," he pouted unhappily.
Bracken started out leading the group, veering slightly to the east.
Vanessa and Warren followed in turn.
"Well, come on then." Seth gestured for the dwarf to follow him. To his relief, the dwarf fell in line, trudging by Seth's side.
"Ouch!" Seth stopped. With a sigh he removed brier number 2,366. T.C. had not stopped for him. He jogged to catch back up.
If he could have justified screaming out in frustration, he would have yelled until he was blue in the face. Since they were increasing their pace, he wasn't going to have the leisure of being able to break for briers anymore. He was going to have to find a way to deal with it.
After a bit, Seth looked over at the dwarf. T.C. caught his eye, and grinned.
Seth knew it was useless, but he had to try. "Was my sister alright when you last saw her?"
"Los Malditos. Hija." His voice kind of hummed like the whir of old machinery.
"So I've heard," Seth mumbled sadly. "Well, I hope she is okay. I hope we get there in time."
The dwarf nodded like he understood Seth. "Los Malditos."
"And I don't care if it's a stingbulb or something weird, or even on the off chance that it is that no-good-dirty-back-stabbing jerk." Seth growled. "I'm going to beat him senseless, then knock him out. Then, when he wakes up, I'll do the same thing. That's how it will be every day for the rest of his miserable life." Seth shook his balled fist at the ground.
"Seth," Warren called back from up ahead. "What if Gavin were the actual Navarog?"
"Even if he was, I'd still do the same thing." Seth replied darkly, still looking down.
"Good to know - because he is."
"What?" Seth looked up just in time to stop short of running into the back of Vanessa.
"What's going on?" Seth accused.
Vanessa shushed him and pointed up.
Through a gap in the jungle ceiling the distant form of a midnight black dragon could be seen flying around low. The glimpse they caught of him was brief, but it was enough.
As soon as the monstrosity was out of sight, Bracken spoke. "I'm convinced."
"Second it." Seth breathed.
Navarog was alive. He was really, truly alive and well. Things just went from bad to worse. Not only were they going to have to battle a score of criminal dragons, and the leader of the Society of the Evening Star; they were also going to have to defeat an honorary demon prince, who, Seth was fairly certain, had more than enough reason to begrudge them all.
"I think…" Vanessa trailed off. Bracken almost imperceptibly shook his head. Warren didn't look as if he noticed, so Seth pretended like he hadn't seen anything either.
"I have a question." Warren turned to face his wife. "Why didn't Kendra say Navarog instead of Gavin? Wouldn't that have made it seem less like something other than the actual freaking dragon."
"She could have used his alias for the same reason she kept the letter so vague; to protect herself, and our world from discovery by the masses." She answered him.
"I hope that's why," Bracken muttered softly.
Warren hadn't heard him. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Bracken waved him off. "Conjecture, that's all. Let's keep moving."
"Okay T.C. ready to…" Seth looked around. "T.C? Hey, anybody seen the dwarf man?"
Vanessa clenched her jaw. "What? You lost him already?"
"I'm sorry I was distracted by the GIANT, EVIL, ZOMBIE dragon for a moment. The albino ape-man must have slipped my mind." Seth huffed.
"We can't waste time looking for him." Bracken trudged on.
Vanessa, hesitated, but soon followed after him.
Warren patted Seth on the shoulder. "He'll find us again. Probably when we least expect him."
Seth simply shrugged his shoulders. While he pace-walked in step with Warren his mind made a mental list of all his failures over the last few weeks. If he kept it up, he was going to win a medal for being the world's most incompetent hero of all time.
To make himself feel better he imagined himself punching Gavin's stupid face repeatedly. It's the simple things in life. Those are what keep us motivated.