Based on characters from Fablehaven© by Brandon Mull. The original characters and plot details are my property. No copyright infringement intended.
Leander woke early, he felt rested and more at ease. That is until he thought about what he had been through the day before. He sat on the edge of the bed and thought about what had actually happened. The trigger for his memory was the most exhausting thing he had ever experienced. Even more exhausting than the hot and tiring run to the cabin though that probably contributed to his fatigue.
The triggered memory was not what he was anticipating. It was nonsense, a non-memory. He definitely wasn't going to share the information with anyone until he was sure what it meant.
He hadn't been human long but he was comfortable as one, more comfortable than he had ever been as a dragon. This is what he had dreamed of – being normal. He didn't want to lose this feeling so he needed protect himself and his secret.
The afternoon had been confusing and tiring, he was grateful that he hadn't had to walk home from the cabin. Rested now, he wondered what the new day would bring. Since he had become human each day seemed filled with one revelation after another. It couldn't go on like this. It eventually had to settle into a normal life – didn't it?
With the knowledge that someone wanted his family dead, it was very important to find out what was going on. He didn't want anyone else finding out about his new status. He needed to give Bracken time to find out whom they could trust besides his small circle of friends.
This ruse of looking for Raxtus was fun. Finding the position of the lost girls was exciting. Today would be even more so but he couldn't let it show. Focus, he told himself, he was a tracker looking for a lost dragon. What would he be doing if that was his focus today? This was his second day here at Fablehaven at least officially. Routine search for clues was where he needed to center his attention.
Seth was sleeping comfortably and had explained that he liked to sleep in. He didn't usually get up early as he had yesterday morning. There was no reason for him to get up this early anyway.
Leander was still wearing his clothes from the day before and he felt 'grimy' and smelled dirty so he grabbed some clean clothes and his bag of toiletries and left the room quietly.
He liked how the shower had felt each time. The shiver down his spine as the spray of hot water hit him was just as enjoyable this time as he washed the sweat and dirt of the past day off his body.
Rubbing the towel over his body to dry off was pleasant. Even in this little thing he was enjoying himself. After a few painful tugs he brushed out his wet tangle of hair. He tried out his toothbrush for the first time and found it an interesting experience. He liked the taste and feel of the foamy minty paste in his mouth. Spitting was fun too.
He stared at his face in the mirror, wiped toothpaste off his lips and smiled. It was a nice smile with nice teeth. He looked down at his naked body. It was a good strong body. Flexing his muscles he didn't feel soreness from his long run yesterday. He felt his smile widen and looked up into the mirror to see he was correct. His blue eyes glistened with happiness.
He put on his clean thrift shop clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles, fumbling with buttons, snaps and zippers. He sat on the toilet seat to put on his socks and shoes. Thankfully there were no laces. Leander had watched Seth tie his shoes once, and like the gauze belt he had no clue how to do it.
He remember Seth had said something about Ruth being suspicious if he didn't have dirty clothes to wash so he wrapped his dirty clothes in his damp towel and took them with him.
When he opened the bathroom door he heard Bracken and Kendra voices from downstairs. His heart pounded with fear then with excitement as he realized he didn't need to hide. He was normal. He was expected. He was with friends.
His stomach growled as the smells of breakfast cooking also came from downstairs. Again he wanted to see what was happening in a normal kitchen on a normal morning as he hurried down the flight of stairs.
Bracken and Kendra were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and talking with her mother Marla and her grandmother Ruth. The kitchen smelled even more wonderful and his stomach rumbled loudly.
"What's for breakfast?" he asked smiling as he entered the room. "Whatever you're cooking smells really good."
"Hi," Kendra said smiling back at him.
"Good morning," Bracken replied, grinning at him.
"Good morning," Marla said pleasantly with a quick glance at him. She was in the middle of flipping a pancake.
"Good morning, Leander! Oh, give me those dirty things. I forgot to give you a hamper for your clothes," Ruth said also smiling, reaching out to him. "You are such a good boy," She complimented him as he handed the bundle to her.
"Thank you. You're welcome," he mumbled, unsure of the correct response to her comment.
She turned away and carried the dirty laundry to another room. Kendra smiled at him and gave him thumbs up. Bracken grinned, looked at the table and shook his head slightly.
Am I strange for a human too? He wondered.
"Just trying to be polite," he stage whispered at Bracken as he sat next to him.
"Good job!" he whispered back the good humor evident even in his whisper.
Leander relaxed thinking, not too strange then.
"I will leave a warded hamper in the bathroom for you to put your clothes in. We don't want the Brownies to get hold of your clothes and make something else out of them," Marla told him. "Blue jean lederhosen or something," she laughed.
Leander smiled. He had no idea what she had just described but guessed that she thought he should have – and that it was sort of funny. Kendra rolled her eyes, not too funny though.
"How did you sleep?" Kendra asked him.
"Very well. I think I was asleep when my head hit the pillow," he admitted. He didn't remember saying good night, any one leaving the room or Seth getting ready for bed.
"I think you are right," Bracken agreed. "We tried to talk to you and all we got were snores in return."
He smiled and shook his head. He definitely didn't remember anyone trying to talk to him.
"I feel great this morning and I'm ready to get the search going. Should I wake Seth?" he asked.
"I'm up," Seth yawned from the top of the stairs. "Be down in a minute." Then he walked back down the hall and disappeared into the bathroom.
"I need a word with Seth. I'll be right back," Leander said and left the table. He had just thought of something he needed to say to Seth in the warded confines of their room.
Leander leaned against the wall just outside the bathroom waiting for Seth.
Seth walked out of the bathroom still yawning.
"What do you want?" Seth asked in his early morning grumpy voice.
"I need to ask you something upstairs, in private."
"Okay," he answered drowsily.
Seth trudged back up the stairs and walked into the room behind Leander and closed the door. Leander turned and looked at him with a very serious expression.
"I want to be just Leander the tracker, nothing more than that. I am not the young dragon that talked to the dragon. OK? Don't let that Shadow Charmer know who I am," he said emphatically.
"Sure, Leander, no problem. I can block that from my thoughts," Seth reassured him, his eyes brightening at keeping the secret.
He quickly woke up when he realized that the search was on. Today they were going to find the dragon and Shadow Charmer.
"Okay, thanks," Leander sighed.
"Do you mind if we go with you? Will we hamper your abilities to track?" Kendra asked when breakfast was done. Her mother turned her head to see Leander's reaction to the question.
"You didn't disturb me yesterday so if you want to come that's okay with me. This is just a preliminary search for evidence so it will be a rather haphazard day. We may be climbing around or wading through swamps. You can come if that isn't a problem," he said looking at her mischievously.
Marla laughed as Kendra grimaced at the words climbing, wading and swamps.
"You can stay here and help me bake…." she offered her daughter, knowing that baking was one of Kendra's least favorite kitchen chores.
"No. Thanks. I will go. I might be helpful – somehow," she quickly replied. She would put up with a lot just to spend the day with Bracken.
Hugo stood at the porch stairs ready to leave. Kendra thought he looked excited to be going with them. It was hard to see a true expression on his pebbly face but the flowers that had bloomed on his shoulders were vibrating with what Kendra thought was excited anticipation.
"Hugo go with Seth?" Hugo's gravelly voice was deep but soft. He was uncertain if he was going, even though Seth had told him to meet them here in the morning. The fairies had given him a certain amount of free will and intelligence but it also left him with a small amount of anxiety at times.
"Yes Hugo if you want to go with me today," Seth said, still leaving it up to the golem. He reached high and patted the golem's arm as he passed him.
"He really looked like a pile of dirt and stone without the milk. That was so strange," Leander mused. He had drunk milk with breakfast and Hugo looked like Hugo.
Hugo vibrated enthusiastically, obviously he wanted to go.
"Don't go anywhere dangerous, Kendra. Let the guys handle that part," Marla told her daughter and then she looked at Seth with a narrow eyed 'don't do anything stupid' expression on her face.
"If you find evidence that you need to go into prohibited areas you will need to come back here and get Stan," Ruth told Leander.
"Yes, I will. Thank you," Leander said politely.
The five of them headed out to the edge of the garden toward the cabin.
"Where is everyone Hugo?" Seth asked.
Hugo put out his arm and turned in a slow circle.
"Okay too much at once, I understand. Where is my dad?" Seth corrected himself.
Hugo pointed east away from the cabin.
"Hugo is there anyone close to Warren's cabin?" Bracken asked what they really needed to know.
Hugo shook his head. Seth rolled his eyes.
"We may need all our strength later on so let's take it easy this morning. Hugo, will you take us to the cabin?" Kendra asked the golem, she didn't want to command him. He wouldn't mind or care if she had commanded him but he needed to practice making decisions.
Hugo willingly reached out toward her with his arms.
Seth climbed up his arm onto his shoulder using the protruding stones on his arms as footholds. Leander watched his climb with a foolish grin on his face then followed his lead. Kendra and Bracken each sat on one of his massive forearms. The previous evening Hugo had carried the four of them home in his arms.
"Hold on tight, Leander," Seth told him nestling between two large rocks jutting from Hugo's considerable shoulders. The jutting rocks were remnants of his war outfit. The fairies had added the sharp and spiky 'armor' just before the opening of the demon prison. Hugo and Seth had spent many hours pounding away the sharp edges so that he and Kendra could ride comfortably on Hugo's shoulders again. Leander squeezed between two similar rocks on his other shoulder.
"Go fast?" Hugo asked.
"Yes!" Seth said eagerly. He enjoyed the fast trip the day before.
"No, but not slow either," Kendra contradicted quickly.
Hugo obeyed Kendra. He suddenly took off at a fast trot toward the cabin. "Oof," she squeaked as she fell back against his chest. Bracken sat smiling unperturbed by the sudden movement but he was amused at their sibling rivalry.
Seth and Leander already had firm grips on the rocks so the jolt forward was only mildly entertaining. Seth made a face at Kendra she couldn't see and Leander had to laugh at his friend.
They arrived at the cabin a half hour later. Kendra watched as the garden's wild residents fled at their approach. A few gnomes peeked up from the thickest vegetation then shuffled back into the deep shadows as they arrived. Hugo stood next to the porch as they climbed down from their various perches.
Seth entered the quiet cabin first. The others followed, silently watching him move around the room. Seth stood in the center of the room and closed his eyes and listened for the voice of the shadow charmer.
"The entrance to the cave is probably under rubble now. It's under the cabin," Seth told them when he heard a description of where the cave was.
"Hugo can't come in here," Bracken said.
"He could dig a way to the entrance," Kendra suggested.
"Or push the cabin out of the way," Seth interjected. "It isn't that far from the corner of the cabin." He pointed to the floor two feet from the bed and about six feet from the corner of the cabin.
"If it's that close then digging is a good option," Kendra reiterated. "Warren will want his cabin on its foundations when he comes to visit, Seth," she said sarcastically.
Kendra walked deliberately out of the cabin and around to the side closest to the spot Seth had identified. Leander and Bracken followed her.
"Hugo," she called. Hugo hurried around the house. "Can you dig here?" she asked.
He began to dig where she pointed but soon hit solid rock. She moved around the corner to the other side of the house and pointed.
"Here?" she asked him.
He moved to the spot and dug for a few moments and again hit solid rock.
He shook his head. "No dig… big rock." He held out his arms showing that the rock was huge.
Seth came around the side of the house smirking. He put his shoulder against the corner of the house and said, "Hugo, push the cabin like this until I say stop."
"Seth. No!" Kendra yelled as Seth moved away from the cabin.
"Go Hugo," Seth said pointing to the corner of the cabin glaring at Kendra.
Hugo looked at Kendra then looked at Seth and shrugged. He took Seth's spot bent over and put his shoulder low and pushed the cabin. The foundation stones at the corner and along the perpendicular wall toppled and the cabin leaned. Hugo readjusted his shoulder and pushed again. The cabin continued to move, sliding on the fallen stones. The cabin was rotating on the other foundation stones until they finally reached their limits and the whole cabin fell two feet to the ground.
"Oh no!"
Kendra gritted her teeth when she heard the furniture fall over and the sound of dishes falling from the cabinets. She was glad there was no waterline to burst or electrical wires that could pull loose.
She watched appalled, wondering how they would explain this reckless destruction. She looked first at Leander; he was intently watching the newly exposed ground under the cabin. Then she looked at Bracken. He looked somewhat astounded watching Seth urge Hugo as he shoved the cabin further off its foundations. Neither he nor Leander had said anything to stop the golem. Half of the garden was now under the cabin.
"Look!" Leander suddenly pointed. Everyone looked at the pile of rocks the movement had revealed underneath the cabin.
"Hugo, stop!" Seth yelled.
Hugo stopped, stood up and backed away from the cabin. Seth hurried forward to the pile of rocks. Judging from the fallen foundation stones the center of the pile was approximately where he had been standing inside the cabin earlier.
"Dig here! Hugo, dig here," Seth called excitedly as he and Leander started pulling small rocks out of the ground.
Hugo picked Seth up and moved him out of the way next to Kendra. Leander backed away from the golem as he began digging. The dirt and rocks began to fly.
Kendra and the others ran to the lee of the house. Squinting while they watched as Hugo became a whirlwind of activity. Dirt and debris in the air made their eyes water.
Soon he was no longer in sight. He dug deeper into the ground and the rubble continued to fly. His activity slowed as a few large stones and flew out of the hole. Then Hugo hefted a boulder over the edge. The dirt in the air finally settled.
"Seth! Come now," Hugo yelled from the hole in the ground a few moments later.
The group walked over to the edge of the gaping hole. Rocks of all sizes and dirt spotted the yard up to fifty feet away from the hole. Hugo looked up at them, his head almost ten feet from the surface. He was standing at the entrance of a cave twenty feet below them. Stones, dirt and a few boulders remained but he had cleared the entrance.
"Wow," Leander sighed.
"Good job, Hugo! Reach up here so I can climb down," he asked the golem.
Hugo stood on a boulder and raised his hand above his head. The stones jutting from his arm made him a perfect ladder to climb down into the hole. Seth sat on the edge and put his feet on Hugo's hand.
"I'm going to climb down and listen," Seth said to the group. "Hugo, help me," he said as he turned his attention to Hugo and his climb down into the hole.
"Be careful," Kendra said meaningfully. What he was doing looked dangerous. The dry dirt on the sides of the hole was slowly trickling back down. It didn't look like it would cave in but it definitely didn't look safe.
Hugo reached up with his other hand steadying Seth as he climbed down his arm. When Seth reached his shoulder Hugo grabbed him and lowered him to the ground.
"Whoa. Thanks Hugo," Seth said. He stood quietly for a moment.
"I hear her, they are deeper," he said excitedly peering into the dark hole in front of him. He pulled a flashlight from his backpack. Turning it on, the bright light illuminated the ceiling and walls of the cave opening. "Let's go. It doesn't look too bad. It is pretty open from what I see. Come look!"
Leander, Bracken and Kendra lay on the ground at edge of the hole looking down at Seth and Hugo.
"Hugo, help us down to Seth," Bracken asked the big golem. They sat up. Hugo turned and climbed on some of the debris. He was then able to reach up and lift them down one at a time.
All movement stopped once they were on the floor of the cave entrance. Kendra could feel the cave breathe. Cool air flowed out over her feet as warmer air flowed in over her head. The air smelled musty like an old house, not like other caves she had been in where the predominant smell was of bat and bird droppings. She thought it was weird.
"Hugo, come with us until it gets to tight," Kendra said leaning against the leg of the golem. She was definitely creeped out. She was hoping that Hugo could follow them the entire time.
"Hugo go," he nodded.
"Let's see how big this cave is," Leander said looking around. Leander smelled a faint hint of sulfur an encouraging sign that the dragon was here.
"A big dragon crawled through here. It is should be fairly large," Seth added enthusiastically but was reluctant to enter the actual darkness even with his flashlight in his hand.
Bracken took the lead. He pointed his finger toward the dark cave mouth and a small glowing ball formed floating five feet in front of them. He took a step and the light remained the same distance from him. Bracken pulled something from his pocket, turned and handed it to Leander. Leander looked at the small stone lying in his hand then back at Bracken bewildered.
"In case you need some light," Bracken smiled.
Leander looked down at the stone again and noticed that it glowed slightly even in the light of the entrance.
"Thanks," he smiled back and slipped it into his pocket.
Bracken could see perfectly well without the ball of light. Kendra glowed with fairy magic so bright that in the dark he could see much better that either Leander or Seth. He felt bad for Leander. He could no longer see the fairy-glow that came from Kendra, which had to hurt. He knew Kendra didn't need any light at all to see. Although she didn't really see the 'light' she was never in the dark.
They started down the sloping cave entrance. Seth listening for clues that would lead them to the trapped dragon. He turned off his flashlight since Bracken's ball of light was sufficient. For a long way they walked downhill taking each turn as Seth suggested
"We are almost there. Turn right, just ahead," Seth said. He was stumbling along behind Leander with his eyes closed listening closely to the constant stream of humming that he had asked Unleea to provide.
"We can't turn right; there isn't any entrance. It's all wall," Bracken said.
"Is there a turn ahead at all? Maybe we have to go down and back?" Seth opened his eyes and looked.
"Where are they?" Leander asked the smell of sulfur was very strong now.
"Just behind this wall," Seth pointed. "Not far, maybe twenty yards." He walked forward around Leander. "Wait a minute! What do you mean there isn't any turn. What is this?" He asked striding forward looking at a wide opening in front of Bracken.
"A wall," Bracken said patting the solid wall in front of him. Leander nodded his head.
Seth saw Bracken's hand just stop in the air as if he was miming a wall.
"Argh, No! There is no wall here. Kendra can you see the opening here?" Seth didn't want to walk into it in case what he was seeing was an illusion and there really was a wall.
Kendra walked away from Hugo to stand next to her brother.
"I see a wall," she whispered in his ear.
Seth groaned. "There is no wall," he insisted.
"This could be a trap," Bracken said trying to see through the false wall. He could usually see through illusions if he focused, this one was stubborn.
"Unleea, who came with you?" Seth called. "Did you have a minion with you, someone talented in spells?" he asked then he listened.
"She says no. So someone else is responsible for this," Seth said.
"Unless she is lying," Bracken offered. "Okay Shadowmaster, time to use that power of yours. Call out the entity that is here hiding the room."
Seth thought for a moment, who or what would be deep in a cave and want to hide and keep anyone from finding his hiding spot. Paranoid enough to keep anyone that did find it trapped so they could not tell.
Kendra heard Seth spew a stream of foul sounding noises and she heard a similar stream coming from inside the cave. The two way conversation went on for a few minutes then they all gasped.
The barrier disappeared and the translucent walls of a magnificent flowstone cavern glowed in the light of Bracken's magic orb as it moved into the once hidden space. Brightly colored stalagmites and stalactites reached for each other as water dripped and splashed. These were impossible features for the type of cave they standing in now.
"I see it now!" Leander said in awe.
"Me too. How? Is it another illusion?" Bracken asked confused.
"No it's a hermit troll's work," Seth said.
"Like Bubda?" Kendra asked.
Seth nodded. "He has been working on this a long time. I threatened to command him to live in the sunshine for the rest of his existence. He didn't think I could so I gave him a command he didn't like and he couldn't disobey so he turned off his spells voluntarily. He tried to use a spell on me but it backfired," Seth laughed.
Seth walked boldly into the passage and they followed him, gawking at the beauty of the cave.
"Hugo, you wait here at the entrance please. Tell us if anyone comes near," Kendra told him.
Hugo nodded and stood in the opening. When he stood still he looked like part of the cave they had just left, if you ignored the flowers, of course.
They passed a rapidly growing pile of slime ejected from a hole in a stalagmite. Seth laughed as they passed it. Kendra assumed that it was the disguised hermit troll and the slime was the troll's misfired spell.
"They are over here," Seth announced as he led the way around a huge hanging curtain wall of flowstone.
Leander smelled sulfur and dragon breath. He knew Seth was right. He eagerly rounded the wall but there was nothing to see.