Chapter 26: Investigators

Seth, Kendra and Warren all stared at the bathroom wall, where Bracken had claimed that the portal which Sarah had disappeared through, had allegedly been.

"It can't be," said Clover, flying up towards the tiled wall and fluttering up and down around it. "She just... slipped away through here?"

"That's what happened," said Bracken, as he grew back to his full size. "I don't understand why, but all I can say for sure is that Sarah definitely came in here, and by the time I arrived, I saw a portal closing up right at this very spot!"

"How did this happen?" asked Clover, who had also grown back to her proper size.

"You know what?" asked Seth. "I bet Murdred was spying on her using his evil eye, just like Bracken claimed."

"I'm not positive on that front," said Bracken.

"You don't suppose..." said Kendra.

"What?" asked Seth.

"Well, Sarah did use a wand to transport you, herself and Ingrid out of the Demon Domain, did she not?"

"Oh please, don't start with that," said Seth. "Sarah lost the wand, anyway. Some time after we escaped from the Demon Domain. We don't know where it went."

"And even if she didn't lose it, I don't see how Sarah could still have the wand at this point," said Warren. "Think about it. She had no luggage of any sort, and the body scanner didn't find anything on her. It'd be hard for Sarah to have held onto it all this time without anybody noticing it."

"Unless Murdred or his negafae are somehow controlling her," said Kendra. "Why else would she do any of this? It doesn't add up."

"I'd be more inclined to go with Bracken's theory," said Clover.

"Well, there's no use in trying to go follow after Sarah" said Bracken. "Not only are we unprepared, but if we open a portal up in here, it'll take us to who-knows-where in the Demon Domain, not the point where Sarah went through. We might as well just head back home."

"But we can't just use the Translocator," said Seth. "We still have to find Dad and get the car home as well."

At that moment, the door to the washroom had opened up, and a middle-aged woman walked in. When she was that three males were standing in the middle of the room, she stopped and gave all of them the coldest look.

"Excuse me!" said the woman in a harsh voice. "But what are you boys doing in here?"

"Uh... the men's room is flooded," said Warren. "Had to come in here."

"A likely story," said the woman. "I'm calling security!"

"No you won't," said Clover, as she zapped the woman with a blast of green energy. Upon being hit, the woman closed her eyes and bent herself down, until she was lying on the floor, almost in a curled-up position.

"Nice," said Seth. "That shut her up."

"She's right about one thing," said Bracken. "We still need to get out of here."

Kendra looked down at the woman. She appeared to be sound asleep. "Clover, what did you do to her?"

"I put her to sleep, but only for a minute or so," replied Clover. "Come on, let's go."

Walking past the woman, the group made their way out of the bathroom and back into the main hallway.

"We have to get back to where we were before," said Kendra.

"I'm calling your dad," said Warren, pulling out his phone. Once he had speed-dialed the number, Warren held the phone up to his face. "Hi, Scott. Bad news, Sarah is missing. Yeah, I know. Bracken's deduced that she's been pulled back into the Demon Domain. Not much we can do about it now. We need to head back home. Okay, we'll go on without you."

Warren then hung up and put his phone away. "Well, we'd better use the Translocator to get home. Your dad said he's okay driving the car back on his own."

As Warren pulled out the Translocator, Seth couldn't help but worry about Sarah. Looking at his friends, he got the impression that they felt the same way.

"It's all my fault," said Bracken. "I should've just gone directly into the bathroom. If only Clover had gone in my place. Sometimes... it's hard being a male fairy."

"Bracken," said Kendra. "That's got nothing to do with it. It was just... something you weren't prepared for. A female fairy following a male around still would've hesitated had the guy gone into the men's room."

"I was thinking about volunteering," said Clover. "But I wanted to stay with Warren."

"Clover," said Warren. "Thank you. But, next time, don't let our love get in the way of duty. Losing the Necromaster was bad enough. Losing Sarah is even worse."

"We'll get her back," said Kendra. "Won't we?"

Warren scoffed. "Who needs us? If anything, Sarah can rescue herself from Murdred's castle. And you can vouch for her, can't you Seth?

"Yeah," replied Seth. "But what about that elixir? They'll probably make Sarah drink it as soon as they possibly can!"

"And we don't have an antidote for that sort of thing," said Bracken. "Great..."

"Sarah's... doomed," muttered Seth.

"I'm sorry," said Warren, holding out the Translocator, now that the crowd had cleared up. "Everybody, let's just use this to get back home already."

Kendra, Seth, Bracken and Clover all placed their hand on the Translocator. Warren then used its power to transport them away from the airport and whisked them back to Fablehaven, where they emerged in the living room.

"We're back," said Kendra, trying to grab the attention of everybody in the house. Before long, a small crowd had formed in the living room. The group then took a moment to recap everything that had happened at the airport.

"So you have reason to believe that Sarah's already been pulled in to the Demon Domain?" asked Grandpa.

"It's as though they were planning an ambush this whole time," said Seth. "Murdred and the others were likely just biding their time in the Demon Domain, spying on Sarah and possibly myself, waiting for a free moment to open a portal and pull one of us through."

Grandma shook her head. "I can't believe it. You two were safe from any dark portals here at Fablehaven. If only Sarah's parents had let her stay here."

"Her parents," said Kendra. "What are we supposed to even tell them?"

"We can't let them know you were spying on them," said Grandpa. "But I still need to let them know what happened, without giving away the exact truth. If you'll excuse me, I need to go to my study to make the call."

Grandpa then got up and headed out of the living room towards his study.

"The Oculus," said Kendra. "We can still try the Oculus!"

"But if Sarah's back in the Demon Domain, lotta good it'll do," said Warren.

"It's still worth a try," said Seth. "Besides, now that we know what it looks like, we never did try it to search for the Necromaster, which has to be around here somewhere."

"Stan must be busy on the phone," said Grandma. "I don't think he'll mind if you look through the Oculus while he's in the other room."

Grandma scurried upstairs, then returned a moment later carrying with her the Oculus. She placed it down on the table.

"Let me try it," said Seth, picking up the Oculus. "I'm going to try to search for Sarah."

Clenching the Oculus in his hands, Seth closed his eyes and pictured Sarah in his mind. Despite his best efforts, Seth's vision remained completely pitch black.

"It's no use," said Seth, opening his eyes. "I can't find Sarah anywhere."

"She must really be in the Demon Domain, then," said Mrs. Sorenson.

"Great..." said Kendra, sounding disappointed. "If they really did force Sarah to drink that elixir by now, then we may be too late to save her."

"Worse than that," said Seth. "If Sarah does indeed drink that elixir, Murdred would be able to ally himself with her, and increase his power to the point where he can invade our world!"

"Then we need to find that Necromaster more than ever," said Warren.

"Might as well give this thing another shot," said Seth.

"Hopefully you can still search for it," said Grandma. "Perhaps being contained within the Floodmaze, the Necromaster was impossible to detect as long as it was in there."

Nodding, Seth grasped the Oculus again. He closed his eyes once more, only this time, he envisioned the Necromaster in his mind. He didn't get to observe it for too long yesterday, but knew that it was triangular in shape, with an equally triangular sapphire embedded in its center.

Seth continued trying as best he could, nothing came into view. After a minute of trying as strongly as he could, Seth ultimately gave up and opened his eyes.

"Nothing," said Seth, placing the Oculus down on the table in disappointment. "Just as I feared. It could be anywhere by now. Even the Demon Domain."

"It might not," noted Grandma.

"Well, there's still Ingrid," said Kendra. "If she did in fact steal the Necromaster, then she must know where exactly it is."

"At this point, she's probably our most viable option," said Warren. "The reindeer wouldn't lie about something like this. Come on."

Grandma picked up the Oculus and proceeded to return it back upstairs. As Kendra, Seth, Warren, Bright, Bracken and Clover headed towards the door leading down to the dungeon, Grandpa emerged from his office.

"Well, I explained the situation to Sarah's parents. They're pretty upset, but fortunately, they aren't mad at us. I explained that we'll do what we can to help Sarah. What are you all up to?"

"We were going to ask Ingrid about what she did with the Necromaster," replied Bright.

"Good idea," said Grandpa. "She must know of its location. But I have a feeling that getting the information out of her isn't going to be easy."

Warren led the way downstairs, then stopped at the door to the dungeon. He pulled out a key, which he then used to unlock the door and opened it.

It wasn't often that Kendra or Seth ever ventured into the dungeon. Despite having ventured into it a few times in the past, the place always gave them an uneasy feeling whenever they passed through its corridors. But who could blame them? Plenty of despicable creatures were locked up in the place.

"What business do you have here?" asked Voorsh, as he and Slaggo walked up towards the group from the far end of the hallway.

"It's about Ingrid," said Warren.

"Our new arrival?" asked Slaggo. "What do you want with her?"

"We'd like to speak with her. Got a problem with that?"

"This is Vanessa all over again," said Voorsh. "Very well. She's down this way."

As the group followed Voorsh through the dungeon, Kendra and Seth couldn't help but peer through the viewing holes within the doors. Although they were unfamiliar with many of the monsters, they recognized both Snitch and Jake, neither of whom were too thrilled to see them.

Voorsh then opened the door to one of the cells and walked away. "Let us know when you're done."

Looking into the rather empty room, Ingrid was sitting on a cot, staring in their direction. The last time Kendra and Seth had seen Ingrid, she had been shrunk. But she was now her proper size again. "What do you want?" she asked unpleasantly.

Warren took in a deep breath. "Okay, Ingrid. Tell us. What do you do with the Necromaster?"

Ingrid shuddered. "Please. Don't start with that again. I told you I don't know! I didn't steal it!"

Warren crossed his arms. "Donner and Blitzen may be animals, but they're not stupid. They're good reindeer. They wouldn't try to get somebody in trouble for their own amusement."

"You have to believe me. I didn't steal the Necromaster. Now will you please let me go? I'll gladly leave this place and ignore everything I've experienced since getting kidnapped. I'll just pretend that none of this exists and nothing ever happened. I can just block everything from my memory."

"I don't know..." said Bright.

"I'm telling the truth!" said Ingrid.

"We never did give Ingrid a proper analysis," said Bracken.

"Yeah, because we just took her word that she was a normal human," said Clover. "It doesn't prove anything."

"Bright, Clover," said Bracken, "hold up your hands."

Bracken, Bright and Clover all held up their hands and expelled beams of colorful light upon Ingrid.

"What are you doing?" asked Ingrid, trying to evade the light within the confines of her cell. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to avoid it, as the fairies continuously kept their energy pointed upon her, wherever she stood.

"That's enough," said Bracken, as he brought his energy flow to a halt, prompting Bright and Clover to follow suit.

"Well, she checks out. Ingrid is just a normal human."

"Normal or not," said Bright, "she may still have evil intentions to some degree. In her mind, she may have just wanted to rectify her situation by flogging the Necromaster."

"For the last time!" blared Ingrid. "I did not steal the goddamn Necromaster! Now just leave me alone. Honestly, I was better off living on the street. At least then I wasn't confined to a stupid jail."

Ingrid sat down on her cot and placed her hands over her forehead. Unable to look away, Seth could see that tears were forming in Ingrid's eyes.

"You really didn't steal it?" asked Seth.

Ingrid nodded in response.

"You swear?"

"Yes."

Seth turned back at the others. "I don't know what it is, but I get the feeling Ingrid's being honest."

"I get where you're coming from," said Warren. "But it doesn't explain what the reindeer saw."

"Look," said Ingrid, wiping away her tears. "I was in that bedroom the whole time last night. And before you ask, I don't have a habit of sleepwalking."

"The reindeer implied that you were fully awake when this happened," said Bright. "It couldn't have been sleepwalking."

"Maybe it was sleepwalking," said Kendra, "but not under Ingrid's own influence. Maybe somebody took control of her."

"Like, Sarah?" asked Seth.

"I hate to say it," said Warren, "but if we're wrong about Ingrid, then Sarah's our biggest suspect."

"No way!" exclaimed Seth. "She's always been good to me!"

"I don't know," said Kendra. "If the Necromaster went missing, then why would Sarah, if she's so intent on stealing it, not make any effort to take it home with her? She didn't have any luggage, remember?"

"I don't know what happened to the Necromaster," said Ingrid. "Please, you have to believe me."

"We want to believe you," said Warren. "Really. But your word alone just isn't enough proof to clear your name."

"Warren," said Kendra, "there's been something fishy going on with both Ingrid and Sarah. I don't know what it is, but I just get the feeling that it's there."

"I've got an idea," said Warren. "Ingrid, if you tell us where the Necromaster is, and you're being truthful, we'll let you go. No questions asked."

"Why do you keep asking?" blurted Ingrid. "I don't know!"

"I get the feeling that she really doesn't know," said Bright.

"Besides," added Clover. "We've looked all over the place for the Necromaster and weren't able to find it."

"Yeah," said Seth. "If Ingrid actually did steal the Necromaster... If only she'd put as much effort into hiding herself as she did hiding the Necromaster, she'd be home free."

"And why would Ingrid just remain here at Fablehaven?" asked Bracken. "Instead of simply running off with the Necromaster right after stealing it?"

"Even if we don't think it was Ingrid," said Kendra, "it still doesn't explain why the reindeer spotted her running around last night."

"That's what has me concerned," said Bracken. "Something definitely is up."

"You know what," said Warren, "I'm going to go talk to Stan about this. Be right back."

Warren walked out of the cell and made his way out of the dungeon. He then returned a minute or so later with Grandpa.

"Ingrid," said Grandpa, "Warren's explained the whole situation to me. While it's not enough evidence to prove your innocence, I feel that keeping you down in this dungeon is being a tad too harsh."

"Really?" asked Ingrid.

"I apologize. This whole thing started off as a huge misunderstanding. Now, as much as I want to believe that you didn't steal the Necromaster, you still remain our number one suspect."

"Okay. But whatever it was that the reindeer saw... It wasn't me!"

"Enough!" said Kendra. "This argument we're having is like a game of tennis. We say yes to Ingrid, she just swings a no back our way."

"Very well," said Grandpa. "I will put Ingrid on a probation of sorts. She will be allowed out of the dungeon, but will be under constant supervision. I think Passion, Larissa and Goldenrod would be suited for this sort of job."

"So I'm free?" asked Ingrid.

"Not exactly. I'd rather you didn't leave the property at the moment, but you'd be treated more akin to a guest. Also, with the proper supervision, we'd see to it that there are no further unwanted developments stemming from you."

Ingrid took a deep breath. "Well, it'd be an improvement to where I am now. But I don't like the idea of being watched. Fine, I accept."

"Very well," said Grandpa. "But we still need to figure out where the Necromaster wound up."

"Look, we've got bigger problems to attend to," said Seth. "Forget what happened to the Necromaster. We need to help Sarah. If Bracken saw what he thought he saw, then Sarah's probably back at Murdred's castle. If that elixir had been prepared by now, what are we supposed to do?"

"We need to go back to the Demon Domain," said Warren. "If this whole elixir thing is to be believed, then we need to find Murdred and stop whatever he's got planned, at all costs."