by Brandon Mull
“The prisoners are all safe?” Seth asked.
“Absolutely not,” Bracken said. “But most of the poor individuals encaged down here are more likely to help you than liches or dark unicorns would be. I truly am a friend of yours, and I know many in your family—unless you are deceiving me. I’ll speak more freely when I know you really are who you appear to be.”
“Fine,” Seth said, taking the outstretched hand. “You can look at my mind. But don’t mess with it.”
Bracken tightened his grip. His brow furrowed. “You’re almost blank. Seth, this really is you.”
Seth yanked his hand back. “What can you see?”
“You’re not a phony,” Bracken said. “You have a lot of general knowledge. But your identity is gone, along with all of your specific memories from before your mind was wiped. It’s like you were born this week.”
“That’s how it feels,” Seth said. “Who am I?”
“You’re Seth Sorenson,” Bracken said. “Co-caretaker of the dragon sanctuary Wyrmroost, alongside your sister, Kendra, and assisted by your grandparents.”
“Caretaker of a dragon sanctuary?” Seth asked.
“That’s right,” Bracken said. “A weighty responsibility for one so young.”
“What am I doing here?” Seth asked.
“I can only assume you have been kidnapped by your enemies,” Bracken said.
“Ronodin acts like he rescued me,” Seth said.
“Look around,” Bracken said. “Do you feel rescued? Pay close attention. Do you really think he’s your friend?”
“I don’t know,” Seth said. “Probably not a friend. Maybe a teacher. Or an ally. Either of you could be tricking me.”
“It’s funny,” Bracken said, stepping back from the bars and stretching. “You and I first met in a prison.”
“Was I the prisoner?” Seth asked.
“We both were,” Bracken said. “Of the Sphinx.”
“Wait a minute,” Seth said, retreating a couple of paces. “You almost had me going, then you pushed it too far.”
“What’s so strange about meeting in a prison?” Bracken asked.
“I’ve only really talked to three people since losing my memory,” Seth said. “You happen to bring up all of them? Kendra, Ronodin, and the Sphinx? She’s good, they’re bad?”
“When did you see the Sphinx?” Bracken asked.
“Don’t play dumb,” Seth said. “You saw into my mind when I took your hand. That’s why you worked the Sphinx into the conversation.”
“I wasn’t searching your recent memories,” Bracken said. “I don’t see everything in an instant. I was checking to see whether it was really you. When did you run into the Sphinx?”
“You’re messing with me,” Seth said.
“I’m not,” Bracken said. “He is a shadow charmer and one of the most dangerous men alive. We fought him together when he tried to open the demon prison, Zzyzx.”
“Playing dumb makes you less believable,” Seth said. “You saw him helping me.”
Bracken came back to the bars and held out a hand. “Take my hand again and I’ll look.”
“No way,” Seth said. “I don’t know what you might do to me this time, now that I’m onto you.”
“How did the Sphinx help you?” Bracken asked.
“We released some undead from a well,” Seth said.
Bracken looked stunned. The reaction seemed authentic. “Not the Blackwell.”
“Yes,” Seth said.
“Oh, Seth,” Bracken said, both hands covering his mouth. “What have you done?”
“The undead were suffering down there,” Seth said.
“Blackwell Keep is the central stronghold of Wyrmroost,” Bracken said. “The sanctuary you swore to protect. Did you give the undead unlimited access?”
“Just the castle and the roads,” Seth said.
Bracken flinched. “The roads? Did you see the results?”
“We left quickly,” Seth said, feeling uncomfortable. “An old wizard saw us as we left. He told me I had been fooled.”
“That is an understatement,” Bracken said. “Seth, you cannot trust your captors. Who knows what else they may have you do? You have endangered your sister, your grandparents—all the innocents at Wyrmroost.”
Seth hated the implications of what Bracken was telling him. He reminded himself that the supposed unicorn had lots of motivation to lie. His story fit the circumstances, but that would be easy to do after reading Seth’s mind. “I see why Ronodin told me you’re dangerous.”
“Excellent conclusion,” Ronodin said, pacing into view from behind the nearby boulder.
“What have you done?” Bracken asked with real anger in his voice.
“Don’t be a sore loser, Bracky,” Ronodin said. “Seth, it was unwise to come here. You are talking to one of the deadliest con men in the world.”
“That’s what he said about you,” Seth said.
“No surprise,” Ronodin said with a smirk. “Mister light-makes-right would purge the world of darkness if he could. He finds your powers disgusting. He’d crush us both like cockroaches, given the chance.”
“Ronodin is the liar,” Bracken said with intense calm.
Ronodin laughed. “You would tell whatever story might free you in order to destroy me. I, on the other hand, have spared the life of this criminal, as you can see, Seth. Bound his wounds, locked him up safe and sound.”
“You must find out who you are, Seth,” Bracken said.
Ronodin raised his eyebrows. “Many voices will try to persuade you of your identity. Your memory loss has been widely publicized. All of your worst enemies will try to win you to their side—Kendra, Bracken, and the rest.”
“You’re not like Ronodin, Seth,” Bracken said. “Watch him control what you see and hear. Study his maneuverings. He’s putting on a show, and you are in grave danger of hurting yourself and others.”
“Enough of this abusive manipulation,” Ronodin said. “I’m not trying to blind or deafen Seth. To the contrary, I’m helping him hone his powers. I’m trying to protect him from liars while he reacquaints himself with his true nature. You are a shadow charmer, Seth. You are here among your kind. According to Bracken, if it waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a horse.”
“This is low, even for you, Ronodin,” Bracken said, his tone furious.
“Few prisoners adore their captors,” Ronodin said. “I hold Bracken down here for the good of the world. I hope the day arrives when it will be safe to free him. Come, Seth. You have already spent too much time ingesting this poison.”
“Stay sane down here,” Seth said, backing away.
“Remember what I told you,” Bracken said earnestly.
Seth looked away and didn’t look back. They walked around the boulder, and Bracken passed out of view.
“Am I in trouble for coming here?” Seth asked Ronodin.
“I’d rather you hadn’t,” the dark unicorn said. “I wanted to protect you from the confusion he creates. Bracken is very good at what he does. But you were inevitably going to encounter lies such as he is weaving. Perhaps it was useful to test your will against his make-believe.”
“He told me I destroyed the dragon sanctuary that I was supposed to protect,” Seth said, still unsettled.
Ronodin laughed. “Forgive me, Seth, but the idea of you as the caretaker of a dragon sanctuary is absurd. You are talented, but you are a young teen. Such positions are given to beings with extensive experience. If Bracken were determined to lie, he could have come up with something less far-fetched. All you did tonight was liberate some captive zombies.”
“Bracken said that you’re his cousin,” Seth said.
“Don’t you find it odd that all of these people you don’t remember claim to be related to us?”
“Yes.”
“I hope you didn’t let him touch you,” Ronodin said.
Seth scrunched his face. “I did.”
“Then you gave him a wealth of information with which to manipulate you,” Ronodin said. “At least he’s locked up. Steer clear of him in the future.”
Seth wasn’t sure what to believe. What Bracken had shared sounded plausible. What Ronodin claimed could be true as well. For now, it was probably best to err on siding with the person who was in charge here.
“Avoiding Bracken sounds like good advice,” Seth said.
When Kendra came into the room where the boys had slept, she found Knox standing on the arm of a divan as if about to jump. Below him on the floor awaited a huge, folded quilt and a plump cushion that would be hard to miss. Newel and Doren stood off to one side watching.
“Knox, don’t!” Kendra called.
He looked at his cousin. “I already did one from almost this high.”
“That’s like a three-story roof!” Kendra called. “Maybe four.”
“With a giant fluffy pillow to catch me,” Knox said, stepping off and tilting in the air to land flat on his back. The striped cushion enfolded him. After landing, he slid off the cushion wearing a huge smile.
“Excellent form!” Doren called. He glanced at Kendra. “Assuming you’re going to foolishly ignore orders from the former caretaker.”
“Knox, you’re crazy,” Kendra said, trying not to be won over by his smile. “We can’t afford for you to get hurt.”
“I built up to it,” Knox said. “The jump might look dangerous, but it doesn’t even hurt.”
“What sports do you play?” Kendra asked.
“Basketball and soccer, mostly,” Knox said.
“Imagine I’m your coach,” Kendra said folding her arms. She raised her voice. “Knox, we can’t afford sprained ankles at this point in the season. Cut out the dangerous recreation.”
“I think my soccer coach would have jumped too,” Knox said.
“Then I’m your basketball coach,” Kendra said. “More importantly, I’m your survival coach.”
“This is a survival skill,” Knox complained, gesturing at the satyrs. “I’m bonding with the team.”
“We’re strictly bystanders,” Newel said.
“We’re staying near in case we need to put him back together again,” Doren said.
“I’m sure you weren’t encouraging him at all,” Kendra said.
The satyrs glanced at each other.
“Can’t blame a guy for watching a free show,” Newel said.
“Hard to beat live entertainment,” Doren said.
“Live unless he lands wrong,” Kendra said.
“Point taken,” Newel said. “Game over.”
“But I want to jump off the back!” Knox complained. “It’s not much higher than the arm.”
“No way,” Kendra said. “You’re lucky you haven’t gotten hurt already.”
“As if you’re in charge of me!” Knox challenged.
Tanu walked into the large room, toting a generous chunk of cheese. Knox pointed at the potion master. “Tanu didn’t mind me jumping!”
“Is there a problem?” Tanu asked uncertainly.
Kendra took a deep breath. Was she just spoiling their fun? Seth would probably think so. Was she trying to force an issue that didn’t matter? But the divan was so high! The back had to be at least the equivalent of a four-story building.
“He shouldn’t jump from so high,” Kendra said. “It’s too risky.”
“It’s a rookie mistake to get hurt outside of real trouble,” Calvin called out.
“Listen to Calvin and Kendra,” Tanu said. “They have better sense than the rest of us.”
“She’s not in charge of me,” Knox said.
Tanu’s face grew grim. “If you want to continue with us in peace, you will listen to her.”
Knox looked at Kendra awkwardly, then glanced at the divan. “I guess I can go back to suffering.”
“Good idea,” Tanu said.
With a flash of red, Andromadus appeared. Calvin ducked into Kendra’s pocket. Kendra could hardly believe who materialized along with the wizard.
“Warren?” she cried in disbelief. “Vanessa?”
Warren wore a bowler-style shirt, beige shorts with lots of pockets, and sturdy sandals. He looked tired and lightly sunburned. Vanessa had a deeper tan than usual and wore sleek sportswear on her lithe frame, her hair an enviable tumble of dark curls. Behind them, a long, painted canoe rested on the floor.
“Hey, Kendra,” Warren said, hustling over to her and wrapping her up in a tight hug.
“Seth,” Kendra said, her voice catching.
“I know,” Warren replied.
Kendra felt some of her tensions relax. Somebody who cared about Seth almost as much as she did had arrived. Somebody with experience as an adventurer.
Warren released Kendra, and Vanessa drew her near. Kendra leaned her head on Vanessa’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Kendra,” she said.
“You came,” Kendra said.
“As quickly as we could,” Vanessa assured her.
Kendra stepped away from the hug. Vanessa was a narcoblix, and she had once plotted against Kendra and her family. After biting people, she could control them in their sleep. At one point Vanessa had exercised control over Tanu, but Bracken had broken the connection.
“Bitten anyone lately?” Kendra asked.
“Only those who deserved it,” Vanessa said with an enigmatic smile.
“Your hair is curlier,” Kendra said.
Vanessa pinched a few strands. “Humidity does it every time.”
“Tanu!” Warren called.
The big Samoan shuffled over and embraced him. “Good to see you’re still in one piece,” Tanu said.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Warren admitted.
Tanu glanced at Vanessa. “I was referring to your choice of partner.”
“Warren will never be safer than with me,” Vanessa said.
“Hello, Miss Santoro,” Newel said, extending a hand stiffly.
“You’re looking well,” Doren added, taking his turn to shake her hand.
Kendra couldn’t help smiling. She knew the satyrs had massive crushes on Vanessa and often spoke in hushed wonder about her intoxicating beauty.
“Who’s the kid?” Warren asked.
“My cousin Knox,” Kendra said. “He and his sister, Tess, are with us.”
“That’s a surprise,” Warren said. “Are they . . . seasoned?”
“I’m learning fast,” Knox said. “I was partly turned to gold.”
“Sounds like a good way to get your feet wet,” Warren said.
“He was healed,” Newel explained.
“We lost Agad,” Kendra said. “Wyrmroost has fallen.”
“Andromadus gave us the headlines,” Vanessa said.
“I didn’t make the headlines?” Knox complained.
Warren scratched his cheek. “It usually takes extreme tragedy. You healed.”
“And I’m Calvin,” came a voice from Kendra’s pocket. “I sometimes lie low, but it looks like we’re all friends here.”
Warren stepped near and peered at Kendra’s pocket. “A nipsie?”
“A giant nipsie, thanks to a spell,” Calvin said. “I’m sworn to Seth, but I’m traveling with Kendra until we find him.”
“We’ll take all the help we can get,” Warren said.
“How did you get here?” Kendra asked.
“Wasn’t easy,” Warren said. “We came from Crescent Lagoon.”
“The island dragon sanctuary?” Kendra asked.
“It fell for a time,” Vanessa said. “We helped restore a safe haven for the caretaker.”<
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“Most of the archipelago remains fallen,” Warren said. “There is still a lot of work to do.”
“Can the dragons leave?” Knox asked.
“They could have, for a time,” Warren said. “We’re pretty sure none took advantage of the opportunity. When we reestablished a haven for the caretaker, the boundary barriers were restored.”
“Will the protection hold?” Kendra asked.
“Hopefully until we can find a more permanent solution,” Warren said.
“The dragons can leave Wyrmroost?” Knox asked.
“At their leisure,” Andromadus said.
“Raxtus found us,” Warren said. “He told us about the trouble at Wyrmroost.”
“Last night,” Vanessa said, “as your keep was falling.”
“How did Raxtus get there?” Knox asked. “We’re nowhere near the ocean.”
“Raxtus was hatched by fairies,” Warren said. “He can travel between fairy shrines. The shrines at Wyrmroost and Crescent Lagoon were some of the first to be reconnected to the fairy realm.”
“Raxtus carried us and the canoe through to Wyrmroost,” Vanessa said. “By the time we arrived, the keep had fallen. We hid at the fairy shrine until Andromadus found us.”
“I was hoping to find a home for the refugees of Wyrmroost,” Andromadus said. “Somebody to take them away. Turned out I just needed a little patience. They came to me.”
“Is the canoe like the barrels?” Kendra asked.
“There is a matching canoe at Crescent Lagoon,” Warren said. “We can use this canoe to go straight there.”
“We’re going to an island?” Kendra asked.
“Right now it’s the only reasonable way out of here,” Warren said.
“And we think you may be extra motivated to come,” Vanessa said.
“Why?” Kendra asked.
“We believe Ronodin has recently visited Crescent Lagoon,” Warren said. “The islands have ten sacred pools of pure water where pixies play and naiads dwell. Yesterday one was corrupted.”
“And you think the most likely culprit is Ronodin,” Tanu said.
“Why him?” Knox asked.
“Just as a regular unicorn has the power to purify, Ronodin has the ability to corrupt,” Warren said. “Even though the preserve fell, the pools have power of their own to withstand tampering. There could be another explanation, but Ronodin is the top suspect.”