Below you will find instructions on how to set the Chronometer to take you to September 24, 1940, at half past eight in the evening. If Coulter remains with you, he should be just old enough to reach that day. If not, you will have to find a willing participant of the appropriate age.
Should you elect to use the Chronometer to visit my time, do so in the attic. I look forward to perhaps seeing some of you again. I would be thrilled to discover that my advice is not required.
Yours always,
Patton Burgess
Kendra read the message to the others.
"If we ever needed advice from Patton, now would be the time," Grandpa said.
"You five go," Tanu suggested. "Patton will want to see his relatives. I can hold down the fort."
Coulter looked overjoyed. He had Kendra translate the Chronometer instructions and decipher the labels to the diagram. He kept smiling and nodding. Having spent months trying to figure out how to operate the Chronometer, he seemed to absorb the meaning of the instructions without hesitation, although to Kendra the directions sounded extremely confusing.
"The Chronometer is here in the attic," he said once Kendra had finished. "No time like the present, right?"
"I see no advantage in waiting," Grandpa agreed.
They passed out of the turret into the main part of the attic. Coulter retrieved the Chronometer, a golden orb etched with engravings and bristling with little buttons and dials. Coulter fiddled with the switches and dials, asking Kendra to retranslate a few instructions from the scroll. Applying the settings did not take him long.
"This should do it," Coulter announced. "Everyone who is coming needs to place a hand on the device. And I need to slide this lever, then flip this little switch."
Kendra felt her heart racing. This was all so sudden. Was she really about to see Patton again? Might he have advice that could help them out of their bleak predicament?
The others had placed their hands on the orb. Kendra added hers.
"Here goes nothing," Coulter said. He placed a finger on what looked like an embossed symbol, slid it along a groove, then toggled a tiny switch.
Kendra felt like somebody kicked her in the stomach. She doubled over, the air violently escaping her lungs. She looked up, unable to inhale. Coulter, Grandma, and Grandpa had collapsed to the attic floor, hands around their midsections. Warren crouched with his hands on his knees. She averted her eyes, because none of them had clothes on.
Coulter made a miserable croaking sound. Warren started coughing. Kendra let out a little burp, then found she could inhale again. Her temporary panic melted as her lungs continued to function.
A robe was gently placed over her shoulders from behind. Kendra turned. It was Patton, his hair white and wispy, his head liver-spotted, a roguish smile enlivening his withered face. A faint scar that Kendra did not recall slanted diagonally across his forehead. He seemed slimmer and shorter, his frail shoulders stooped.
"Just breathe, Kendra," he said, his voice familiar though less hearty. He gingerly patted her back.
Taking shuffling steps, Patton distributed soft white robes to the others. Warren helped Grandma and Grandpa arise. Coulter beamed as he accepted his robe. "Nice to see you again, Patton."
Patton nodded and shuffled over to a rocking chair. Kendra did not remember the chair, but was surprised by how similar the attic looked, still cluttered, although some of the items and containers looked less timeworn. Using the armrests to brace himself, Patton sat down carefully.
"Well, I know I'll be dead within a year," Patton said.
"What do you mean?" Warren replied.
Patton rubbed his nose with the back of a finger. "I update the scroll every year, pushing the date when you can visit closer to your time. Since you finally made an appearance, it means I've made my final update. I had hoped to reach one hundred. Nice round number. I suppose I can't complain. I'm glad I lived long enough for Coulter to bring you here. One less headache for you to worry about."
"A few more years and I could have brought us," Stan said.
"I didn't explain everything in the note," Patton said. He pulled out a pocket watch and a monocle, using the lens to check the time. Satisfied, he put them away. "We only have half an hour together. You'll notice that the Chronometer did not travel with you. In half an hour, if you stand in approximately the same spot where you entered this time, you will be drawn home to your proper era. If not, you'll become trapped in my time. If we need to talk longer, you'll have to come again. Coulter, that would mean giving knob C-5 three-quarters of a turn."
"Gotcha," Coulter said.
Patton leaned forward. "Let's get right into the serious stuff. Does the Sphinx have the Oculus?"
"Yes," Grandma said.
Patton scowled. "I knew I shouldn't have left it in Brazil. I debated about going after it, but I was already past my prime ... well, water under the bridge. At least in this time, the Sphinx does not have it yet, so we can converse with confidence. Does he have the Translocator?"
"We have it," Grandpa said.
Patton brightened. "You retrieved the key from Wyrmroost?"
"Wasn't easy," Warren said. "We have Kendra to thank more than anyone."
Patton regarded her warmly. "Well done, my dear. The Sphinx still has the Sands of Sanctity?"
"Right," Grandpa said.
"What about the Font of Immortality?"
"We're not sure," Grandma said. "We haven't been able to find the fifth secret preserve."
Patton scowled thoughtfully. "I never found the fifth preserve either. Or the Font of Immortality. You know, then. The Sphinx surely has been around a long time."
"You think he already has it?" Grandpa asked.
"Can't say for certain," Patton admitted. "That would be my best guess. I'm downright talented at finding things. But the fifth preserve and the Font of Immortality completely eluded me. In all my days, I never heard a believable rumor about either."
"The Sphinx captured Seth," Kendra said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Members of the Society grabbed him at Obsidian Waste. They also kidnapped my parents."
Patton sat up straighter. "Did your parents finally learn the truth about Fablehaven?"
"No," Grandpa said. "Apparently the Sphinx abducted them regardless."
Patton narrowed his eyes, fingers gripping the armrests of the rocker. "I would trade just about anything to have words with that maniac. I don't reckon wishing will do me much good. Do you know whether he has learned to use the Oculus effectively?"