Seth sat down, fingering the tower and the fish. Having his own tower would be pretty cool. He hoped Kendra and the others were all right. Since the red dragon had chased him and been shot from the sky, the others only had to contend with the green one. Surely most of them, if not all, would escape.
Thronis returned looking sober. "While I was away from my globe manning the ballista, Navarog joined the fight. I'm not sure when he arrived at the sanctuary. I'm afraid your friends are scattered, and it looks like some have perished. My griffins have fled. They lost track of your comrades. Three griffins have already fallen, and two others are wounded. Navarog is currently contending with a pair of dragons. And there seems to be a powerful enchantment summoning foul weather, using old magic that is foreign to me."
"Calling rain?" Seth asked.
"Essentially."
"That must be Kendra using the rain stick. She must need bad weather to help her escape the dragons."
"The dragons trust me to keep the weather relatively fair," Thronis said.
"They also trust you not to send thieves to steal from them," Seth countered. "And you trust them not to attack your griffins. This seems like a day for bending some of the rules. Why don't you help summon a big storm?"
The sky giant stroked his chin. "My griffins are nimble. They can handle harsh weather much better than the dragons. Perhaps an ugly storm is just what we need to remind the wyrms of my worth."
"If Kendra is calling one, I'd really appreciate it. Also, since you have the little statues, can we lose the chains now?"
The giant spoke a strange word and snapped his enormous fingers. The silver chain snapped and fell from Seth's neck. "We had a bargain. You have earned my appreciation. Your sister and I will call up a storm such as Wyrmroost has not seen in many a season. If you will excuse me."
Seth motioned for the giant to proceed. "Have at it."
"When the storm has been called, I shall return with some victuals."
"If that means food, count me in."
* * *
Freezing gusts howled through Sidestep Cleft, carrying the smell of snow. Thunder crackled and boomed. And
Kendra relentlessly kept shaking the staff, hoping that if she shook hard enough, long enough, the dragons would be forced to seek shelter while her remaining friends got away.
Although she could see in the dark, Kendra could see farther with the flashlight lit, so she kept it on, repeatedly shining it in both directions to avoid being taken by surprise. Consequently, she identified Gavin while he was still a good distance off, approaching along the tall, narrow passageway. A dragon no longer, he bled freely from a wound on his neck and walked with a pronounced limp. Her flashlight beam reflected off the sword in his hand. As a heavy gust tore through the passage, he lifted his free hand to shield his face.
"You can stop shaking the stick," Gavin called.
"I'd rather not," Kendra replied.
"I was trying to be polite," Gavin said, coming closer. "What I mean is, stop shaking the stick or I'll kill you."
Tears stung Kendra's eyes. A disturbed laugh threatened to fly from her lips. Gavin had killed Dougan. He had killed Mara. "Won't you kill me anyhow?"
"As a dragon I would," Gavin said, limping nearer. "In this form, I'd rather not."
"Who are you, Gavin?"
He grinned. "Haven't you guessed? You're no dummy. Give it a shot."
She knew. She had tried not to admit it to herself, but she knew. "Navarog."
"Of course."
"How can you be Navarog?" He had been her friend! He had protected her! She had hoped he might become her boyfriend! She had held his hand and written him flirty letters! Kendra felt ill. She wanted to curl up into a ball and weep.
"A better question might be how the rest of you missed it. I thought it was obvious after Lost Mesa. I guess oftentimes we only perceive what we expect to see."
Kendra shook her head, horrified and baffled and curious all at once. "So you were the hooded prisoner inside the Quiet Box?"
"Despite how the hood masked my senses, I can still remember the smell of your nervousness. Not unlike the scent I'm picking up at the moment. The Sphinx got me out, and then turned me loose just before he exited Fablehaven. I went and found the nail Seth had pulled from the revenant and gave it to Kurisock."
"And then you left," Kendra said.
"My business at Fablehaven was done. I went to a dragon sanctuary in the Himalayas."
"You were the dragon who ate Charlie Rose. He never had a son, did he?"
"I knew you could piece this together. The Sphinx recommended I visit Chuck Rose. Chuck's longtime friend Arlin Santos is a Knight of the Dawn and a traitor. Chuck would disappear in the wild for many months at a time. Arlin helped me find Chuck. Killing him was simple. After the deed was done, Arlin helped me pretend that his death happened longer ago than it actually had, and helped establish my avatar as Chuck's secret son. Gavin Rose, the stuttering w-w-w-wonder."
"I liked your stutter."
"It served a purpose. Made me seem more human, more vulnerable."
Kendra scowled. "What really happened at Lost Mesa?"
"What do you think?"
She knew it was bad, but there was too much to process. "You could talk to Chalize because you were a dragon."
"Before the rest of you entered the room, I showed Chalize my true form. Scared her to death. She almost tried to fight me. Once I established my dominance, I warned her that I'd kill her if she tried to attack you guys. Then I promised that if she would let us pass, I would free her. She was so young and inexperienced that I was worried she would do something stupid. But it worked out."
"You released Chalize? You destroyed Lost Mesa."
Gavin grinned. "And I framed poor Javier, the guy with no legs. He wasn't a traitor. I ate him. Then I stole the decoy artifact, slashed some tires, and moved a pickup truck. That same night I released Chalize, but commanded her to wait until after we were gone before wreaking havoc. Freed from confinement, Chalize was powerful enough to overthrow the treaty. She breached the gate and got Mr. Lich involved freeing the zombies and animating the dead."
"I can't believe it," Kendra mumbled numbly. "You're the demon prince of dragons. And now you're in the perfect position to help the Sphinx steal the next artifact."
Gavin seemed to relish her astonishment. "By now you must realize that the Sphinx deliberately let your duplicate escape. The stingbulb version of you, the one you left behind. He knew she was a fake when her touch failed to restore energy to an item he wanted recharged. He had given the item to her casually, so she had no idea he knew."