"I have a problem," Kendra said quietly.
"Speak, Kendra," the Fairy Queen invited. "We are all forever in your debt. If our aid is desired, it will ever be yours."
"My parents and grandparents and many of my friends remain imprisoned at the Living Mirage preserve. Can any of you help us rescue them?"
"It would be my honor," Agad said. "Dragons can be very-persuasive."
"As can astrids," Bracken promised.
"I expect the Sphinx himself would help convince his minions to stand down," the Fairy Queen suggested.
"Fablehaven is kind of a mess too," Seth reminded everyone.
"I will personally make sure all is set right at Fablehaven and Living Mirage," Agad pledged.
"And I second the promise," Bracken added.
Kendra felt relieved, mostly because her family would be safe and have Fablehaven restored to them, and partly because it sounded like she would get to see more of Bracken before he went away.
"There will be other odds and ends to tidy up," Agad said. "For example, Bracken mentioned to me that you received advice from your ancestor Patton Burgess. I would like to travel back toward the end of his life and tell him how everything worked out, for his peace of mind. He was a good man."
"Could that change the information he sends to us?" Seth asked. "Could it change how all of this turns out?"
"You already know what he told you," Agad said. "Your visits to Patton are already part of the past, even the visits you haven't made yet. The information he left for you is a consequence of all those visits. I'm sure he made tough choices regarding what information to share and what to withhold. I will make sure he knows that the information he shared was exactly what you needed. Everyone involved walked a delicate path to reach this victory."
"Could we have Patton let Coulter know we win?" Seth asked. "Coulter visited him right before he died."
The wizard winked. "I think we can help make sure that happened, although I can make no certain promises. Time travel is strange. When we try to alter the past, we inevitably find our involvement was already part of the past. The few wizards I have known who actively chased time paradoxes have all gone into the past without returning, so I strive to keep my interactions with history simple."
"A wise policy," the Fairy Queen said.
Seth cleared his throat uncomfortably. "While I have your attention, I have one more question." He began to rummage in his emergency kit. "We had a wooden servant named Mendigo who helped us survive Wyrmroost, but got destroyed in the process. I have the hooks that held him together." He showed Agad his palm, which held several hooks.
Agad picked up a hook and held it up to one eye, squinting. "Yes, I recall Camarat telling me about your automaton. The hooks are a good start. You said he was wooden. Did any of the wood happen to survive?"
Seth frowned. "It all got dissolved by Siletta's poison."
Agad scowled thoughtfully. "Then I'm not sure I can--"
"Wait," Kendra said. "Some wood did survive. At Wyrmroost, when Mendigo jumped into that canyon to escape the griffins, a long piece of him snapped off. I remember finding it when I went out to scout. It should still be in the knapsack."
"And we can get to the knapsack room with the Translocator," Seth added excitedly.
"In that case, I believe I can restore your automaton without much trouble," Agad assured them.
"And I can perhaps add a spark of free will," the Fairy-Queen said. "It would help the servant learn and grow."
"Thanks," Seth beamed. "You guys are the best! Oh, Agad, Bracken, I almost forgot. Morisant sends his regards. He told me to thank you, and to convey that he bears you no grudges. He seemed sorry for what he became."
"This is wonderful news, Seth," Agad said, eyes shining. "It gladdens me to hear that my mentor has finally found rest. Morisant was once a great wizard, perhaps the greatest of our order. It was his wisdom that allowed for a shrine to the Fairy Queen so near to Zzyzx. It is truly miraculous that he entrusted Vasilis to your care."
"Loaning it to Kendra worked out pretty good too," Seth said.
The old wizard laughed, placing one hand on Kendra's shoulder, the other on Seth's. "You two have been through a grueling ordeal. Your names will go down in history. We are all so very proud of you. I wish there were a way to fully express our gratitude. For the present, this will have to suffice: You can finally rest."
Chapter 29 Prisoners
I bet you thought you'd never have to pay up," Newel said, munching on a piece of fruit. "Let's just say I'm relieved you'll get your reward," Seth replied.
"You'll confirm with Stan about the new technology?" Newel verified, tossing a grape into the air and catching it in his mouth.
"You really think we should tell him?" Seth asked.
"We had a legitimate pact," Newel said. "I don't want to risk Stan taking away our generator or our flat screen. Our claim is just. We need him on board at the outset."
"What if Stan prohibits the deal?" Doren asked. "What if he tries to change the terms? What if he gives us a certificate?"
"We stand up for ourselves," Newel replied. "The terms were set. We followed Seth to the ends of the earth and confronted some incredibly ugly demons."
"They were unsightly," Doren agreed with a wince. "And tough. Without our astrids we would have been goners."
"Nonsense," Newel spat. "Those astrids barely survived thanks to our heroics. Don't you forget it."
"I'll do my best with Grandpa," Seth said. "I have to go. My parents are waiting. You should slow down on the grapes, you'll spoil your appetite."
"Spoil my appetite?" Newel exclaimed. "On fruit? Seth, I thought you knew us!"
"Newel's right," Doren conceded. "We could each down a meatloaf without wrecking our appetites."
"I'll talk to you later," Seth said. "Kendra and Warren are waiting."
Seth and Kendra had only recently arrived at Living Mirage. A few days ago, the Sphinx had used the Translocator to travel to his secret preserve with Trask and Warren to prepare his minions for surrender. Warren had promptly returned with news that their friends and family were safe. But he also brought news that Seth's parents and grandparents had insisted Kendra and Seth wait until Agad was in control of Living Mirage before they journeyed there.
After the dragons obliterated the insufficient rear guard left behind by the demons on Shoreless Isle, it had not taken long for Agad to seal off the fairy shrine. Combining their efforts, the wizard and the dragons had employed an impressive spell to transport the enormous dome that had sheltered the gateway of Zzyzx over to cover the shrine. Once conditions on Shoreless Isle had been stabilized, Agad and most of his accompanying dragons had departed for the fifth secret preserve.
Now that Agad had been established as the new caretaker of Living Mirage, Kendra and Seth had finally been permitted to use the Translocator to visit. Hugo, the satyrs, Vanessa, and Bracken had come along. The Fairy Queen remained on Shoreless Isle with her people, preparing to inherit the former demon prison as their new home.
"What was that about?" Kendra asked.
"I made some promises to the satyrs," Seth said. "They want to make sure I deliver."
"What did you promise?" Warren asked.
"A real television of their own," Seth said. "I think they've earned it."
"Does your grandfather know?" Warren asked.
Seth shook his head.
"Good luck with that," Warren said.
Warren led Kendra and Seth down a lavishly decorated hall to an ornamented door. The upper floors of the great ziggurat all featured luxurious furnishings. Warren knocked. Seth felt suddenly nervous. It had been a long time since he had seen his parents. He wondered how they were dealing with being forcibly inserted into the world of magical creatures he and Kendra had discovered two summers ago.
His dad answered the door. He looked good, maybe a little slimmer. "It's the kids," he called, face breaking into a huge smile. As he stared at Kendra, tears gathered in his eyes. He wrapped her up in a huge hug, rocking her from side to side.
"Hi, Daddy," Kendra said, resting her head on his shoulder.
Seth put his hands on his hips. "Of course Kendra gets all the attention because you thought she was dead. I had a bunch of near misses, you know. Probably more than her!"
"We love you, too, son," Dad said, still holding Kendra.
Mom came to the door in a rush and clung to Kendra, shedding hysterical tears. After she stole Kendra away, his dad finally put an arm around Seth. "I hear you were quite the hero," his dad said.
"I'm sure things got exaggerated," Seth said. "I did manage to kill two of the most powerful demons who ever lived. I pretty much got revenge for all humanity on the villains who opened Zzyzx. I wish you could have been there with the video camera."
"I heard Kendra played a role as well," Dad said.
"Yeah, she has this habit of trying to top me. I had a really good day, but guess what I didn't do? I didn't kill the Demon King. Kendra upstaged me again."
"I heard she did it with the sword you found," Dad said.
"That's what I keep trying to tell everyone! Finally, somebody gets it! I think Mom is going to choke Kendra to death."
The comment brought his mom over to him. She embraced him tightly.
"Hey, Mom," Seth grunted. "I thought I was kidding about the strangulation."
"Come inside," Dad invited, shaking hands with Warren.
Seth could not believe the opulent room his parents were occupying. From the art on the walls to the rich drapes, from masterful tapestries to bejeweled furnishings, the room seemed designed to flaunt limitless wealth.
"You guys know we've been staying in a tent?" Seth complained.
"We weren't in quite so nice a room until a few days ago when the Sphinx returned," Dad reminded him.
Grandma and Grandpa Larsen came out of an adjoining room. "I thought I heard voices," Grandpa Larsen said.
Suddenly Seth understood why his parents had gotten so emotional when they saw Kendra. Intellectually, he had known that his Grandma and Grandpa Larsen were not actually dead. But on some level, that knowledge had not been real until now.
He raced to Grandma Larsen and hugged her.
"What happened to my little Seth?" she exclaimed. "I can't believe how tall you are."
"I can't believe how alive you are," he replied, nose stuffy with tears.
Kendra was hugging Grandpa Larsen.
"You were so brave to be here all that time," Kendra said. "It must have been horrible."
"All for nothing," he chuckled. "I set you up for disaster. I may have blown it as a spy, but I hear you two are carrying on the Sorenson family tradition."
"You risked your life for us," Seth said, hugging his Grandpa Larsen. "I have the best family ever."
"I'll second that," Grandpa Sorenson said, entering the room with his wife. "My grandkids will be happy to know that their parents were brave and stalwart throughout their captivity."
"The Sphinx never mistreated us," Mom said. "Our room wasn't terrific, but it wasn't in a dungeon like I've heard others describe."
"The food was actually pretty good," Dad said. "If this had been voluntary, it could almost have been a vacation."
"What's happening with the Sphinx?" Seth asked.
"Agad said he will report about that at dinner," Grandpa Sorenson said. "Apparently they've organized quite a feast."
"Shall we catch up over the meal?" Dad asked.
Mom poked him. "Can't we finish saying hello?"
"I'm with Dad," Seth said. "I'm starving."
Warren led them all to a magnificent dining hall. Seth had never seen a table so burdened with food. As it was long enough to accommodate all of them, the Sorensons found seats with plenty of room for friends. Agad sat at the head of the table. Seth noticed that Warren sat by Vanessa, and Bracken by Kendra. Tanu joined them, and Maddox, and Berrigan, and Elise, and Mara, all fully healed by the Sands of Sanctity.
Newel and Doren rushed into the room after most of the others had claimed seats. Doren wore a dapper vest. They sat as close to Seth as they could--across from him and down a little, beside his mom.
"Mom, these guys are Newel and Doren, my best friends at Fablehaven," Seth said.
"Very good to meet you," his mom said politely, with a couple of uneasy glances at their legs. "I'm Maria."
"You've had milk, right?" Seth asked.
"Yes, I can see them," his mom assured him with a brittle smile.
"Don't worry," Newel said with a casual wave of his hand. "Babes always get shy around us."
Doren swatted Newel. "Stop! That's his mother!" He turned to Maria, spreading a napkin on his lap. "Seth is such an exemplary young man. He has been a terrific influence on me. He's not a shirtless ruffian like others I know."
"Ruffian?" Newel spluttered. "How about hypocrite? Know who you look like in that vest? Verl!"
"I told you," Doren murmured out the side of his mouth, "I'm trying to make a good impression."
"Well, I'm trying to make an honest impression," Newel complained. "Who wants to have a gravy-drinking contest?"