Chapter 18: Reunion
Somewhere over the Tasman Sea, Raxtus and Geminus were flying high across the night sky. The dragons had departed from Sydney quite some time ago, and were currently en route to Duskreef Lagoon, which was located somewhere between Australia and New Zealand.
Despite the fact that it was the dead of night in this hemisphere, Kendra and her friends were not tired in the least, for they had traveled to Australia via the Translocator early in the day. The thought of being fully awake at this hour seemed somewhat unnerving to Kendra, as if the group should instead take a nap and wake up when dawn had reached Australia.
"I think we're getting really close now," said Warren, looking over his notes in one hand, while grasping onto Geminus with the other.
"Wherever this place is, I'm just glad the distractor spell protecting it has no effect on us," said Raxtus.
"Is that it?" asked Bright, pointing down to an atoll that was a fair bit in the distance.
"Let's hope so," said Warren. "Otherwise, I'm not sure where Duskreef Lagoon is even supposed to be."
Raxtus and Geminus descended down towards the sea beneath them, until they were flying only fifty feet or so above the surface of the water. As the atoll came closer into range, Kendra noticed a vast escarpment that spanned the entire far end of the area. However, the closer end appeared to be flat, almost at sea level.
Soon the dragons had flown directly into the atoll, where they could now see many islands that they couldn't see a moment ago, scattered across the lagoon.
"Were we really supposed to just fly in here like this?" asked Raxtus, as he and Geminus began to fly around the perimeter of the lagoon, which was easily the size of a moderate lake.
"This place doesn't have a gate," said Warren. "And there aren't too many people who could've just flown in like we just did. Besides, we have clearance to be here, so it's all good."
"That island over there," said Kendra, pointing to an island with a large house that had been erected on it. "Is that the caretaker's place?"
"Looks like it," said Warren. "Let's land there, dragons."
Raxtus and Geminus took note of the island with the house and soared down towards it, where they both came to a landing. Once they had stopped, the two dragons lowered their wings, allowing their passengers to climb down from them.
The house that stood before them was by far the most prominent feature on the island. Unlike the buildings at Fablehaven, this house appeared to be fairly sleek and was quite modern in its design. Surrounding the house was a garden and a lawn with several palm trees, which made up the remainder of the small island.
Looking at the house again, Kendra saw that there appeared to be a light on in one of the rooms on the first floor.
"Someone's in there, said Bright.
"They're expecting us," said Warren, walking towards the front door to the house. "No reason to be coy with them."
Warren then pushed the doorbell. The light in the entry hall flicked on, and the front door opened up. Standing on the other side of the door was a man dressed in work clothes. His age presumably somewhere between Warren and Dale's, he sported wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair and striking blue eyes.
"Jeff Dover?" asked Warren, extending his hand. "Warren Burgess, Knight of the Dawn. I'm a representative of the Fablehaven preserve. We come in peace."
"Glad to be of service," said the other man in an Australian accent with a smile, as he shook Warren's hand. "I am indeed Jeff Dover. Along with my wife Carol, we are the caretakers of Duskreef Lagoon. I welcome you. Please, come in."
Raxtus and Geminus shrunk themselves down, and the entire group proceeded to follow Jeff into the house. The interior of the house was appeared to be well furnished and polished, filled with high-end appliances and works of modern art.
"Take a seat," said Jeff, directing the group into the living room. Kendra soon found herself a seat on black leather couch.
As soon as everyone was seated, the group proceeded to introduce themselves to Jeff one-by-one.
"Can I get you folks anything to eat?" asked Jeff. "A drink? Carol is sleeping upstairs, so it's best we let her rest."
"Thanks, but no thanks," said Bracken. "The sooner we can get things underway, the better. We need to meet up with Mariana so that we can get going."
"I was informed about the Floodmaze," said Jeff. "I'm just as intrigued by that place as the rest of you are. If you're looking for assistance in a place like that, you came to the right place. The creatures here are almost all aquatic to some extent. Then again, while most of them are gentle, they aren't overly docile, even towards Carol and myself."
"That's why we need to meet up with Mariana," said Bright. "She' the toughest aquatic creature that we know. And she's loyal."
"I understand," said Jeff. "I'll take you to see her. Any other questions before we head out?"
"How'd this place get the name Duskreef Lagoon?" asked Kendra.
Jeff smiled. "On your way over, did you notice how the escarpment here runs across only the east end? And how the west is open? Well, on a clear evening, the setting sun glistens along the surface of each and every last wave of water and reefs around the preserve, giving off the most spectacular golden aura."
Jeff then reached for a framed picture on a nearby table and passed it to Kendra. Looking at it, Kendra could see just what Jeff was talking about. Even though it was just a picture, the entirety of Duskreef Lagoon in the evening was truly a sight to behold. If only they could have come to the preserve at the proper time.
"That's really cool," said Warren. "We certainly don't have anything that can compete with that at Fablehaven."
After setting the picture back down, Jeff led the group back out of the house. Now that they were outside again, Kendra was quick to notice a long dock at the front of the island with several yachts and motorboats parked alongside to it.
The group followed Jeff around to the back of the house, where a helicopter was settled on a helipad.
"Are we gonna fly to where Mariana is?" asked Kendra.
"This chopper's only for getting on and off the property when we travel to the mainland," said Jeff. "Normally I just take a boat to get around the lagoon. But Mariana likes to hang out at the fairy shrine, and the fairies there hate the sound of motorboats. If I want to visit the shrine, I need to ride on the back of Wavestreaker."
"Who's Wavestreaker?" asked Geminus, who along with Raxtus, had grown back into her full-sized form.
"A plesio," said Jeff. "But... Wavestreaker is fast asleep right now. She'd hate to suddenly be woken up at this wee hour."
"Is it all right if we just flew to the island?" asked Raxtus, who along with Geminus, had grown back into his full-sized dragon form.
Jeff smiled. "Ah, dragons! There aren't any living on this preserve, since they mostly stick to dragon sanctuaries. But as long as these two are around, why not?"
"One of you dragons okay with a third passenger?" asked Kendra, as she climbed up onto Raxtus' back.
"I can hold someone in my arms," said Raxtus. "That'd probably be best."
"I'll do it," said Jeff. I've rode the back of Wavestreaker more than enough times. Might be a nice change of pace."
Once the others had all seated themselves on the backs of the dragons, Jeff stood in front of Raxtus and allowed the platinum fairy dragon to wrap his arms around him.
"I've gotcha," said Raxtus.
"All right," said Jeff, who was being held in such a way that he was still able to move his arms. "The fairy shrine island where Mariana usually resides is over that way."
Raxtus and Geminus took note of where Jeff was pointing, and proceeded to fly off the island they had been gathered on. As the dragons were not flying too high over the surface of the water, Kendra was able to get a nice, low view of the lagoon. Thanks to her ability to see in the dark, she was able to observe the various islands across the water, even though there was precious little time to admire them.
"What are all these islands for?" asked Kendra.
"A lot of semi-aquatic creatures live on them," replied Jeff. "Although they're mostly asleep right now. One of the islands even has a boathouse where Bernice, our giant magical milk-giving dugong resides."
Before long, the dragons were approaching an island located on the eastern end of the preserve.
"Hold it!" said Jeff. "The last bloke who set foot on that island turned into sea foam! You dragons had best land in the water near the shore."
Heeding Jeff's warning, Raxtus and Geminus dropped down into the water, making sure to keep a few yards between themselves and the island. Kendra could see a small garden on the island, in the center of which stood a fairy shrine.
"This water's always brisk," said Jeff, surfacing next to Raxtus. He had plunged into the water along with Raxtus, and was now drenched. He proceeded to place a hand on Raxtus' arm, as he spat some water out of his mouth. With his other arm, he pulled a sparkling conch shell out of his bag.
Jeff blew into the conch shell, which gave off a sound not unlike a pan flute.
"What's that for?" asked Bracken.
"Call whistle," said Jeff. "All the creatures here are obedient towards it. Course, it wasn't very loud, so only creatures that were nearby would've heard it. And the only creature who likes to hang out around here is..."
A large, blue figure popped out of the water near the group and let out a roar. It was a blue leviathan, much larger than the dragons, whom Kendra still recognized all too well. Mariana!
Mariana bent her head down and gazed at the group. She let out a soothing growl and nodded her head.
"Mariana," said Kendra. "It's really you!"
"You remember us, don't you?" asked Warren. "We went after Tritanoss together!"
Mariana nodded, then shook her head.
"Some of us have never met," said Bracken. "I'm Bracken and I'm a unicorn."
"I'm Geminus," said the pink dragon. "I'm a fairy dragon, just like Raxtus."
Once again, Mariana nodded her head, then shook it.
"That's right," said Bright. "Some of the group from last time aren't here. Like Clover. She's back home at Fablehaven."
"And Seth," said Kendra.
Mariana let out a loud groan, then shook her head.
"We're sorry," said Raxtus, "but Seth couldn't be here. In fact, he's the main reason we even are here."
"Mariana seems really upset," said Jeff. "But why?"
Seth is the reason Mariana even entered our lives in the first place," said Kendra. "Without him, she'd probably still be stuck as a figurine in Thronis the giant's castle at Wyrmroost."
"Oh yes," said Jeff. "Your grandfather told me all about that when Mariana first came to Duskreef Lagoon."
"Even though we weren't with Mariana for a long time, she was closer to Seth than the rest of us," said Warren. "Out of all of us, Mariana was most loyal to him."
Kendra then noticed a court of glowing fairies flying out from the nearby island, towards the group.
"What's going on?" asked Geminus, as several fairies began flying around not her own body, but around everyone in the group.
"The fairies are all drawn to you folks," said Jeff. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Can't say I'm too surprised," said Bracken. "All of us have some fairy qualities. Bright and I are unicorns, Raxtus and Geminus are fairy dragons, Warren is fairystruck and Kendra is fairykind."
"Fairykind?" gasped Jeff. "That's incredible! The fairies of Duskreef Lagoon have never come too close to anyone before. Now they've taken an immediate shine to you outsiders, even though they're normally asleep at this hour. Amazing."
"What's the connection between Mariana and the fairies?" asked Kendra, as a violet fairy gave her a small peck on her cheek.
"Well, Mariana's not like the other leviathans here at Duskreef Lagoon. She's very timid, and doesn't really socialize with the other creatures much at all. It could be that the fairies here respect her for having worked with your fairy friends before coming here."
Mariana was really sad when we had to part ways with her," said Warren. "It could be that she misses Seth more than anybody."
"And Seth's the one person who can't be here," said Bracken. "That's just... great."
"You'll still help us," said Kendra. "Please?"
"If you help us, we might be able to get what we need to ensure that Seth gets rescued," said Bright.
Mariana nodded.
"That's great," said Jeff.
"Is Mariana even up for all of this?" asked Raxtus. "I mean, it's late for her, and this whole thing must seem like a spur of the moment situation for her."
Mariana nodded.
"Hey, we're talking about helping out Seth here," said Warren. "Of course Mariana wants to help!"
Mariana nodded again, splashing her tail against the water in delight.
"Looks like Mariana's more than enthusiastic to help you out as soon as possible!" said Jeff. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see to it that Mariana is prepared to go off with you folks."
Jeff climbed up onto Mariana's back, then pointed across the water. "This way, everybody!"
With Jeff on her back, Mariana swam off. Raxtus and Geminus followed her, bringing with them their riders. They soon arrived at another small island, where a large, round net had been set up in the water.
"What's this place?" asked Kendra.
"Duskreef Lagoon's own fishery," said Jeff. "The creatures aren't allowed near it, but I gave special clearance to Mariana earlier. "Wait here!"
Jeff disembarked Mariana, ran onto the island and entered a small building made out of wood. He returned a minute later wheeling a large cart containing a tank full of swimming fish.
"Eat up, Mariana!"
As the tank was at the water's edge, Mariana bent her head down and proceeded to stick her snout into it, slurping up and chomping away at the fish that were inside.
"How can anyone eat raw fish like that?" asked Warren, squinting his eyes.
"I thought you loved sushi," said Kendra, smirking at her cousin.
"Yeah, well at least sushi is already cut up. And it's not alive. And it comes with soy sauce and wasabi."
A moment later, Mariana removed her dripping snout from the tank. All that was Kendra could see in the tank was some water; all the fish were now gone.
"Good girl, Mariana," said Jeff, patting the massive leviathan on her wet snout. "Now that you've eaten an early breakfast, I'd say you're good and ready to go. Excuse me for a moment, please!"
Jeff wheeled the tank back into the building, then came back out. "I guess this is it. If you don't mind, could I get a lift back to my house?"
Mariana nodded, then gestured with her tail for Jeff to get back on her backside. Jeff hopped aboard, and soon Mariana began sailing across the lagoon, heading in the direction of the island that Jeff's house was on.
Raxtus and Geminus followed Mariana's lead, and in no time they had stopped at the island with the house. Jeff then jumped down off of Mariana and onto the shore of his island. Raxtus and Geminus landed next to Jeff, with their riders still on their backs.
"Well, then, I guess this is goodbye for now, Mariana. You go off with your friends, they need you more than I do right now."
Mariana nodded.
"We're not going to be gone for too long," said Kendra. "You'll be back here before you know it!"
"Well, I wish you all the best of luck," said Jeff, as he stopped to cover his yawning mouth with his hand. "I've gotta get back to bed after this. I've got my duties to attend to in the morning!"
"Thank you so much for everything," said Warren, as he removed the Translocator from his bag. "Okay, Mariana. Just place the tip of your tail on this thing, and we'll be off to Lake Superior in the blink of an eye."
Mariana looked confused, but complied with Warren's request nonetheless. Soon, everybody but Jeff was making some form of contact with the Translocator.
"Bye, Jeff!" said everyone in the group, as the Translocator began pulling them all through its warping procedure.
Just as soon as Duskreef Lagoon vanished from sight, the middle of Lake Superior appeared before them. Immediately, the dragons flapped their wings to stay above the water. The buoy that was floating in the water served as their point of reference.
"Going from the middle of the night to broad daylight can be pretty startling," said Bracken, releasing his hand from the Translocator and patting Kendra on her back.
"The difference is like night and day," said Warren. "You okay, Mariana?"
Mariana nodded.
"So, all that's left," said Kendra, "is to go down to the Floodmaze," said Kendra. "Does that mean..."
Warren nodded.
"Don't tell me," said Geminus.
"We're becoming merfolk again," said Bright. "I had a feeling."
"Well, it really is the most practical way for us to go diving underwater like this," said Warren. "And besides, you and Clover were the ones who came up with the idea the first time."
"This should be interesting," said Bracken.
"Hold my hand," said Bright, as she leapt off of Geminus and fluttered between the two dragons.
Bracken flew up next to Bright and grabbed her right hand with his left. Using their free hands, the two fairies produced a vibrant rainbow-colored ball.
Before Kendra could say anything, a beam of energy shot out of the ball and hit her. She could feel as her clothes simultaneously dissolved into her body, leaving nothing but a seashell brazier, while her legs transformed into a rainbow-hued tail.
Unable to keep her balance, Kendra slipped off of Raxtus' backside and plummeted into the water. The cold temperature didn't bother Kendra. Instead, the instinct of being a mermaid quickly came rushing back to her. As Kendra emerged from the water, she saw that Warren had also undergone a similar transformation, and was sporting a green tail like he had back during the Tritanoss expedition.
Lastly, Bright and Bracken used their power to transform themselves into merfolk. Bright's tail was rainbow-hued as well, while Bracken's was silvery white.
"This feels odd," said Bracken, sticking his tail out of the water and flapping his fins.
"Well, I can't argue about your scales," said Geminus.
"Is everyone ready?" asked Warren. "Let's get moving!"