"I'll stay with you until morning," Raxtus promised. He raised a wing. "You can sleep up against me. Your energy made me warm."
"Okay," Kendra said. "Thank the giant for me."
I'll stay with you as well.
Kendra crept underneath the upraised wing, and Raxtus lowered it over her like a blanket. The dragon was right-- he was warm. Almost immediately she stopped shivering. It was actually quite cozy.
Closing her eyes, Kendra tried to shut down her mind.
At least Seth was all right. And some of the others had lived. Even Mara, who had looked like a goner.
Kendra licked her lips. Against all odds, she had escaped Navarog. She might actually live through this. She might see her parents and grandparents again. She might grow up.
Kendra tried not to picture Navarog devouring Dougan. She tried not to envision Warren, injured and trapped in the storage room. She tried not to visualize Mendigo disintegrating. She tried to forget what she had learned about Gavin, and tried to ignore that she had seen him eaten right in front of her.
Where was sleep? When would it come for her?
She tried not to worry about what the morning would bring. She tried not to wonder what new problems would arise on the way to the gate. She tried not to stress about what might await beyond the colorful walls of Wyrmroost.
Where was a nice, strong sleep potion when she needed it?
Outside the wind howled. Beside her the dragon breathed softly. She focused on the wind, listened to the breathing, and sleep overtook her.
Chapter 28 The New Knights
Feeling the vibrations of the road, Kendra tried to rest her eyes. Occasionally she would peek out the window at the leafless trees blurring by, or across the SUV at her brother. They would soon be back at Fablehaven.
Tanu had hinted that Grandpa had a secret he wanted to share. It had not sounded like happy news. She and Seth had pressed him for info, but the Samoan had remained tight-lipped, insisting that her grandfather wanted to relay the information in person.
Tanu sat up front at the wheel. Elise sat beside him on the passenger side. She had met up with them at the airport for added security.
Their departure from Wyrmroost had gone smoothly. The griffin had appeared on schedule, Kendra had bid farewell to Raxtus, and the others had been waiting for her after a swift flight to the gate. Mara had broken a few ribs, but Trask, Tanu, and Seth had survived relatively unscathed. When they exited, the distracter spell did not repulse them, and the horn functioned perfectly as a key.
Outside the gate, they returned to the heart-shaped clearing, where Trask contacted Aaron Stone. The helicopter had found them some time later, and, without any real hardship, they had flown back to civilization. The following morning, they started a series of airline flights that had led Kendra to her present situation.
Tanu turned the SUV into the driveway. The sky was overcast, but no snow fell. Kendra bowed her head. She did not want to see Fablehaven again. She was sick of magical creatures hunting her. She was sick of fear and betrayals. If one of her best friends had secretly been a demonic dragon, who could she trust?
Kendra glanced across the car at Seth. She could trust her brother. He might be dumb and reckless sometimes, but he was also heroic and reliable. Then again, what if the person in the SUV was not her brother? What if Thronis had replaced Seth with a stingbulb? Or some other form of duplicate, even more evil and longer lasting?
She knew she was being silly. Or was she? One of her best friends had turned out to be an evil dragon. The Society of the Evening Stat had proven they would stoop to anything to set a trap. They would lie, they would steal, they would kidnap, they would kill. And they were patient. Could Tanu be biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment for the ultimate betrayal? How well did they know Elise? How could they ever place any confidence in Vanessa?
Kendra was beginning to understand why Patton had wanted to hide the artifacts beyond the teach of anyone, why he trusted only himself with their location. In a world full of traitors, how did you confide in anyone?
Of course, Patton had trusted her. Had that been wise? They had recovered the key to the vault where the Translocator had been hidden. But no matter how they tried to hide the Chronometer and the key, wasn't it just a matter of time before the Society stole them?
The SUV passed through the gate to Fablehaven and pulled to a stop in front of the house. Grandpa, Grandma, Dale, and Coulter came out to greet them. Seth jumped out of the SUV in a hurry, producing a white horn to wave at them. By telephone, Tanu had explained how Seth had stowed away, and how he had helped win the day at Wyrmroost.
"I brought it back," Seth said, rushing toward them. Reaching the cement walkway to the house, he tossed the horn into the air and caught it. When he tossed it a second time, he fumbled the catch. The horn fell and shattered against the cement.
Everyone froze. Seth looked stricken. Coulter paled. Grandpa scowled. Tiny white shards littered the walkway.
Kendra found herself choking on laughter. The look on Grandma's face was priceless. But it was unfair to prolong the prank. Kendra got out of the SUV.
"I have the real horn," Kendra said, producing the unicorn horn.
Seth was cracking up. The others looked relieved. "There was a glass unicorn head in an airport souvenir shop," Seth giggled. "The horn was just the right size. We bought the head and broke it off. So worth it!"
"For a young man on thin ice," grandma said, "you sure enjoy stomping around."
Seth kept laughing. He couldn't seem to help himself.
Grandpa smiled. He came forward and hugged Seth. "After all you've been through, I'm glad you can still laugh. Kendra, Seth, I know you just got home, but we have a few urgent matters to discuss. Would you come with me to my office? Then you can rest."
"Should I grab our bags?" Kendra asked.
"Others will worry about your bags," Grandma said, embracing Seth after Grandpa released him.
Grandpa caught Kendra in a tight hug. "I'm glad you made it back," he whispered.
Fighting back tears, she embraced him fiercely. Grandma hugged her, and Coulter and Dale did too. Then she followed Grandpa into the house and into his office.
Kendra and Seth took seats in the big armchairs, and Grandpa sat behind his desk. She wondered for a moment whether they could be in trouble. No--Seth, probably, for stowing away, but she had done nothing wrong.
"I am so sorry for the terrible events at Wyrmroost," Grandpa said, studying Kendra. "Gavin's betrayal must have come as a horrible shock."
Kendra did not trust herself to speak. Her emotions felt too close to the surface.