by Brandon Mull
“I don’t want that,” Seth said.
“What is it you want?” the Underking asked.
“Really?” Seth asked. “To leave.”
The Underking laughed softly. “The moment you entered my domain, you belonged to me. Have you no purpose here?”
Seth decided he had better fall back on Ronodin’s instructions. “I’m a shadow charmer. Ronodin is teaching me.”
Seth waited in silence. There came a faint scraping sound from the direction of the voice, as if the speaker were stirring.
“I could teach you so much more,” the Underking rasped softly.
“I bet,” Seth said.
“The unicorn knows a type of darkness,” the Underking said. “I dwell where the darkness deepens, Seth—where it continues for time immeasurable. All light is brief, Seth, so frail and fleeting, a feeble flash against the steady night.”
“I just want to train with Ronodin,” Seth said, sticking to the plan. “Can I stay here and do that?”
“Ah,” the Underking said. “You speak the sacred words.”
“I mean, stay temporarily, while I train,” Seth said.
“You are alive,” the Underking said. “Living is about change. Temporary states. You wish to remain under my protection for a season, like the unicorn. Are you brave?”
“I’m here,” Seth said.
“Are you true?” the Underking asked.
“I think so,” Seth replied.
“There are limits to what the unicorn can make of you,” the Underking said. “What more do you want?”
“Just to learn from Ronodin,” Seth said, remembering the warning to keep his needs simple. “I don’t want anything else.”
“Speak truly.”
Seth sighed. “I’m trying to remember who I am. But I trust I’ll figure it out.”
“You are cursed,” the Underking said. “My realm welcomes wayfarers such as you. And mortal shadow charmers have grown so very scarce. Turn and look at me.”
“I better not,” Seth said.
The Underking gave a hoarse chuckle. “Would some illumination help?”
Seth could feel new light through his closed lids. With his back to the Underking, was it safe to peek? By slitting his eyes, Seth glimpsed cold white radiance filling the room, revealing all without brightening anything too much. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed again just in case.
“If I look at you, I can never leave,” Seth said.
“Gaze upon me and you will endure,” the Underking whispered, the words penetrating deeper than if he had shouted them. “You will outlast the stars.”
“I just need a place to train with Ronodin,” Seth said.
“What about my crown?” the Underking asked, the words reaching Seth as if whispered from close to his ears, private communication meant for him alone. “You could replace me, young one, and the splendors and powers of the night would be yours. You could be master over sightless reaches of virgin darkness undefiled by light, endless voids, lifeless and deathless, behind, beneath, and above the petty stages of the sunlit worlds.”
“I’m just trying to keep out of the rain,” Seth said. “I don’t need more than a place to stay for a time.”
“I will grant you sanctuary here,” the Underking rasped. “All boons come at a price. I do you a favor by sparing the scant flicker of your life, and I do another by granting refuge. You will agree to two conditions in return, or your spark will be quenched here and now. You will not leave my domain until permission is granted by me, and you will assist Ronodin in freeing some of my captive subjects. Is that agreeable?”
Seth wasn’t sure he had a choice, if he wanted to survive. “Will you ever give me permission to leave?”
“I will let you leave temporarily to perform errands for me,” the Underking said. “Eventually, if you so desire, I will devise a task for you to perform that will grant you freedom.”
“How long will I have to wait before you give me the task?” Seth asked.
“I shall devise it when I devise it,” the Underking answered.
Seth felt sure he would get no better offer than this. “All right.”
“Sealed,” the Underking said.
Seth jumped as he felt something cold close around his wrist. Peeking, he saw a ghostly manacle clamped just beneath his hand, the translucent chain fading into invisibility after three links. The manacle was weightless, and the initial cold sensation quickly faded. Seth tried to touch the manacle with his free hand, but his fingers passed right through it. When he shook the arm to which the manacle was affixed, it refused to come loose.
“What’s on my arm?” Seth asked.
“A reminder of our arrangement,” the Underking said. “Ronodin will now represent my will to you. Follow his instructions as you would mine.”
Seth knew some sort of trap was closing around him. But at least he was alive. Hopefully he could stay that way long enough to figure out what battle he was actually fighting. “I understand.”
“Away with you then,” the Underking rasped, the slithery words diminishing. “Take the light with you.”
Despite the sunlight outlining the edges of the heavy curtains in her bedroom at Blackwell Keep, Kendra was supposed to be asleep. Everyone agreed she needed rest. After spending all night fighting for her life at Stormguard Castle, she had succeeded in breaking the enchantment imposed by the dwarf Humbuggle and at keeping the Wizenstone from the dragons. For much of the time the battle had not seemed winnable. Victory had felt like a miracle. A major threat to the safety of the world had been averted.
And her brother was gone.
Seth had sacrificed his identity to open a magical door. In the room beyond the door, Kendra had used a magical staff to send the Wizenstone away. Had Celebrant and his fellow dragons claimed the stone, they would have become too powerful to stop. Against staggering odds, she and Seth had done their duty as caretakers and protected Wyrmroost.
But her brother was gone.
After they had returned to Blackwell Keep, when the battle had seemed over, the animated limberjack Mendigo had snatched Seth and disappeared through a barrel. Originally, the barrel had been linked to another one at Fablehaven. The connected barrels had served as their portal to return home. Disturbingly, the barrel at Fablehaven had gone missing. The loss of that barrel meant her brother could be almost anywhere.
Kendra kicked off the covers. Her body felt weary, but her mind refused to rest. She had already shared all the clues she could think of with Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson. They had ordered her to go to bed, assuring her that they would keep pursuing all possible leads about Seth.
Kendra exited her room. Bleak stone walls kept the corridor cool and gloomy. Unsure of a destination, she walked to the door at the end of the hall. When she stepped out into the daylight, the heavy buildings and towers around her felt like ruins. Why not abandon this place? Should people sacrifice their lives to protect these dusty courtyards? Was it worth losing her brother?
Shuffling down a flight of stairs to the courtyard, Kendra wondered where she would go. Maybe to the farthest corner of the darkest dungeon. Or perhaps to the Blackwell—a deep pit teeming with the undead might match her mood.
Battle-ax resting on one shaggy shoulder, Brunwin the minotaur paced along the top of a nearby wall. Kendra averted her gaze—it was hard to imagine getting any real understanding from him. Up ahead, Newel was crossing the courtyard. The sight of the satyr lightened her mood instantly. He loved Seth. Though Newel wasn’t the best at taking things seriously, he might be able to appreciate what she had lost.
She quickened her pace and called, “Newel.”
The satyr glanced her way and stopped walking. “Hello.”
“My grandparents want me to sleep, but I need to talk,” she said.
“I’ve never believed in a
rtificial bedtimes,” the satyr said. “If you can’t sleep, make the best of it—eat, revel with friends, watch a show.”
“Can we go to your room?” Kendra asked.
“Proper concealment is an important aspect of taking control of your sleep,” Newel said, waving her to follow him. “Cozying up to the quiet side of a haystack can help you snooze through an otherwise exhausting afternoon.”
“But I don’t want to sleep,” Kendra said.
“Nobody wants to get stuck in bed wide awake by someone else’s decree,” Newel said as they reached his door. He used a key to open it. “I’ll shelter you.”
Kendra entered and Newel followed, closing the door behind them. She crossed to a couch and sat down.
“Hungry?” Newel asked.
“I can’t stop worrying about Seth,” Kendra said, tears squeezing from her eyes.
“Me too, Kendra,” Newel said with concern. “He lost his memory?”
“He looked at me like a stranger,” Kendra said. “Like he was meeting me for the first time.”
“That’s terrible.”
“He was just . . . gone. He had been there a moment before. He was being so brave. And then he didn’t know me. He’s been taken someplace. We don’t know where. What if Ronodin has him? Or some other evil person? What if Seth gets filled with lies? My brother is blank right now. Empty. How can he know what to believe?”
Newel crouched down in front of her. “Seth became who he is once. Can’t we trust him to do it again?”
“I hope so,” Kendra said. “And I hope we can find a way to reverse his memory loss. But what if we can’t? And what if starting over with lots of bad examples and wrong information makes him regrow all crooked?” Kendra shied away from the next words—even unuttered, they produced horror. But she couldn’t resist. “What if we’ve really lost him?”
Newel laid a hand on hers.
“What if we can’t get him back?” Kendra went on, unable to stop herself. “What if by the time we find him, he doesn’t want to come back?” The thought was too terrible for tears. Kendra felt numb and desolate.
“We can’t let that happen,” Newel said. “Do we have any leads on where he might be?”
“Grandpa says the wizard Vernaz who helped re-create Mendigo has a relationship with the Sphinx. Mendigo was revived from splinters of his former self, and he has needed additional work a few times since then as problems surfaced. Grandpa contacted Agad, who is trying to see what clues he can uncover. But really, Seth could be anywhere. The Sphinx might be involved. Ronodin or Humbuggle could be part of it. Or maybe somebody else.”
“Isn’t the Sphinx on our side now?” Newel asked.
“They made him an Eternal,” Kendra said. “Supposedly he has been playing nice since then. He would have to die for the demon prison to open, so he’s probably not up to the same old mischief. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get involved with the dragons. Or help other private causes of his own. We know he has operated in secret before.”
“The Sphinx has always been shifty,” Newel said. “Did I hear correctly that Celebrant is no longer a caretaker?”
“The Somber Knight stripped him of that title after Celebrant declared war,” Kendra said. “With Seth gone, I’m the only caretaker left for Wyrmroost. We went from three to one in a couple of days.”
“It will be hard for you to look for Seth without leaving Wyrmroost,” Newel said.
Tears blurred her vision. Could she tell Newel everything she felt? That her brother was more important to her than Wyrmroost? That part of her would rather all the preserves around the world fell into disarray if it meant she could have Seth back? And yes, that would probably mean the end of the world, with magical creatures running wild across the globe, in which case she would lose all of her family, Seth included, so maybe it wasn’t what she really wanted, but it almost felt true right now.
She fingered her caretaker’s medallion. “I wish this wasn’t my job. I want to go find Bracken and Seth, not babysit a bunch of dragons who want to kill me.”
“You’re doing an important service,” Newel said. “You’re protecting the people you love along with everyone else.”
Kendra studied the goat-man and saw real concern in his eyes. “I know you really care about Seth.”
He smiled. “Of course I do. Satyrs don’t pretend. We do what we want when we want. No matter where you have to be, I’ll not rest until Seth is safe and sound. But first I have to get back to Doren.”
“Grandma mentioned that Doren and Tess are at Terrabelle,” Kendra said.
“True,” Newel said. “Before the drama at Stormguard Castle, we went looking for Seth with Knox and Tess. Maybe not our best idea . . . but we made it safely to Terrabelle. Knox left us with Tess when he took off with Seth to find you. After some deliberating, Doren and I realized your grandparents would be worried, so I ran back to Blackwell Keep with an update. I arrived right before Midsummer Eve began. Had I reached the gates ten minutes later, you would have one less half-goat friend.”
Kendra looked him up and down. “I sometimes forget that you’re half goat.”
Newel shrugged. “We satyrs say it’s the top half that counts.” He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Don’t tell the minotaurs.”
“I’m glad you’re going back to help Tess,” Kendra said. “We’ll send extra help. Maybe Henrick. Seth may be out of reach for now, but we can take care of those who are still here.”
“What about Knox?” Newel said.
“We left him inside the Quiet Box at Stormguard Castle,” Kendra said. “Tanu and Lomo were with him, and the stingbulb of Patton was nearby, along with Calvin. But we need to make sure Knox gets out. Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson are on it.”
“They talked to me about retrieving Tess,” Newel said, cracking his knuckles. “Shouldn’t be hard. The roads are protected again. Celebrant has less authority after losing his caretaker status.”
“Be careful not to underestimate the danger,” Kendra said.
“Don’t overestimate it either,” Newel said, removing an apple from a bowl and taking a big bite. “Takes all the fun out of the adventure.”
“Fun?” Kendra asked, incredulous.
“Sure,” Newel said, wiping his lips on his forearm. “We have to make the best of things.”
“Since when has this been fun?” Kendra asked. “Scary, and challenging, and maybe necessary, but not fun.”
Newel scowled in confusion. “Adventuring is often fun. And profitable and thrilling and satisfying. It’s what I like about it. Seth too.”
Kendra felt anger rising inside of her. “Do you think Seth is having fun right now?”
“I hope so,” Newel said.
“Fun as a prisoner?” Kendra asked. “Fun without his identity? Fun becoming corrupted in ways that may never be undone?”
Newel raised his eyebrows. “Maybe you do need some sleep.”
Kendra leaped to her feet. “Why did I think for one second that you might understand how it feels to lose somebody you love?”
“I miss Seth too,” Newel said, almost taking another bite of his apple, then lowering the fruit. “What good does it do to get all worked up over it?”
Kendra clenched both hands into fists. “I’m not trying to do any good! I know I can’t solve the problem right now! But I do have feelings! And none of this is fun!”
Newel reached back into the bowl and held out some fruit to Kendra. “Orange?”
“No, thank you!” Kendra replied icily.
Newel replaced the orange. “Banana?”
Kendra laughed a little, largely in disbelief. “I’m not hungry.” She grabbed the sides of her head and started pacing. Newel probably wasn’t trying to be rude or antagonistic. Seth found adventuring fun, and so did she—sometimes. But not right now. Not one bit. “I better
go,” she said.
“You can stay if you want,” Newel said. “You don’t have to eat.”
“I shouldn’t be around anyone right now,” Kendra said, trying to speak calmly. “I am tired and hurting inside.”
Newel gave a nod. “We’ll get your brother back. Just you wait.”
Kendra looked at the satyr. She hoped he was right. But it didn’t seem likely. This felt different from any problem they had ever faced. “We’ll try.”
She walked to the door, and Newel opened it.
“Can I give you some advice you may not want?” he asked.
“I guess,” Kendra said, bracing herself.
“Find a haystack. You’re exhausted.”
She did feel stretched. But she doubted she could sleep. “We’ll see.”
“Your choice,” Newel said. “Your grandparents weren’t trying to punish you by sending you to bed. They were trying to help.”
“I know,” Kendra said.
“Where are you going to go?”
“Someplace I can be alone.”
Knox had barely settled into the weightless nothingness within the Quiet Box, dimly wondering how long he would drift in stasis, vaguely relieved that he could no longer feel his shoulder turning to gold, when the door swung open. Instead of floating, he was suddenly standing, upholstered walls close at either side and behind him. His first reaction was to wonder what had prompted Kendra and Seth to remove him so quickly. His second reaction was to question how Patton was standing before him.
The real Patton Burgess had died many years ago. This was a replica created by a plant called a stingbulb. Supposedly, only mortals could enter Stormguard Castle, or creatures like dragons that could temporarily become mortal.
Behind Patton stood Lomo, a rebel member of the Fair Folk who had left the city of Terrabelle to assist them, and the potion master Tanu, who had reportedly been turned to silver. Knox looked to his formerly golden hand to find it was now entirely made of flesh. He gratefully flexed fingers that had lost most of their feeling moments before.
But it had not actually been a matter of moments. If his hand was healed, and Tanu was restored, and Patton was here, then the trials of the castle must be over. They had won!