Trask reappeared suddenly, along with Tanu. Chains cocooned the Samoan from his ankles to the bottom of his chest. An arrow jutted from Trask's shoulder.
"Can't go back," Trask panted. "Can't lose the artifact."
"What about the others?" Elise asked.
"Mara and Berrigan are wrapped in chains," Tanu said. "The wizard cast a spell and sucked Seth into a bottle."
Kendra whimpered involuntarily, her hands going to her mouth. "What will happen to him?"
"Inside the bottle, he won't be able to revert to his normal state," Tanu explained. "He'll be preserved as a gas until released, theoretically for years. He's been imprisoned."
"It could be worse," Trask said gently. "The wizard could have scattered and destroyed him. At least this means they want him alive."
"And as a gas, his wound won't get any worse," Tanu added.
Kendra nodded, trying to act brave as tears leaked down her cheeks. It felt like her heart was being squeezed. First her parents, now Seth! What else would the Sphinx take from her? Rage flared up, helping her resist the grief. She ground her teeth.
"Couldn't I pop in, grab Mara, and pop out?" Elise asked.
Trask shook his head. "I barely made it back. They're ready now. They'll get you. We have to choose a better time."
Elise turned and hugged Kendra. "Seth will be all right. We have a powerful new weapon in our war against the Society. We'll use the Translocator to get your brother back, and your parents."
Kendra wasn't sure how much she believed the words, but they were nice to hear. "Warren," Kendra said softly. "We should get Warren."
"Shouldn't we return to Fablehaven first?" Tanu said.
"No, in case he's starving," Kendra protested, wiping tears from her cheeks. "We've left him there long enough. It should be safe. He's in a room cut off from the rest of the world. I'm not sure what could be less risky. I should teleport to him right now."
"I'll go with you," Elise said.
"I can start treating my scratches and Trask's shoulder," Tanu said, unwinding the chains from his abdomen. Trask gave a nod. "Go bring him back."
"I just picture the room?" Kendra asked.
"I just pictured my apartment," Trask replied, handing her the Translocator.
Elise held the left side of the Translocator. Trying to calm her fatigued mind from the shock of losing Mara, Berrigan, and her brother, Kendra envisioned the storage room, picturing the heaps of junk, the slate floor, the adobe walls. She twisted the center of the device, felt the swooning, folding sensation, and then she and Elise were standing in the very room she had visualized.
An electric lantern illuminated the scene. A small troll with an oversized head, greenish skin, and a wide, lipless mouth whirled to face Kendra and Elise, sniffing suspiciously. Near the troll sat a man in grimy clothes, his face obscured by a beard and long hair.
"How you get here?" Bubda asked, his posture becoming less aggressive.
Kendra held up the Translocator. "A magical transporter."
Warren rose to his feet warily. "Who are you?" he asked, unsmiling.
"You know who I am," Kendra said.
Warren narrowed his eyes, one hand straying to the knife in his belt. "Forgive me if I don't run over and hug you. What kind of game is this?"
Kendra realized that the last time Warren had seen her, Navarog had taken her prisoner before sealing the room by destroying the knapsack. For all he knew, she and Elise might be stingbulbs. To him, their sudden arrival seemed too good to be true.
"It's really us, Warren," Elise said. "You won't need that knife. We're not holding weapons."
Warren smiled sadly. "I'd love to believe you. How'd you escape the dragon, Kendra?"
"Raxtus ate him," Kendra said.
"The little guy who tried to heal me?" Warren exclaimed incredulously. "Word of advice: If you're going to lie, make it somewhat believable."
"We were trapped in that narrow cave," Kendra explained. "Raxtus could fit inside as a dragon, but Gavin couldn't change to his true form."
The corners of Warren's mouth twitched. "I'd love to believe it. How about a quick test? The Society might be able to mimic your form, but not your abilities." He leaned forward and grabbed the electric lantern. "Nobody move. I'm going to shut this off." He clicked a switch, and the light went out.
Kendra supposed that the room was in total darkness for the others. To her it just looked dim.
Warren held up four fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.
"Four," Bubda answered.
"Not you, Bubda," Warren complained. "I already know you can see in the dark. Okay, how about now?"
"Still four," Kendra said. He changed it to two fingers. "Now two. Now three."
Warren clicked the light back on. He looked hopeful.
"If the Society knew how to get in here, they wouldn't need to use subterfuge," Elise said.
"Trask and Tanu are waiting for us," Kendra said. "They're injured."
"So you got the ..." he paused, glancing at Bubda, "the, um, thing we wanted to get with the Wyrmroost key?"
"At a dear price," Elise said. "Seth, Mara, and a man named Berrigan were taken captive. And Vincent Morales lost his life."
"I'm so sorry," Warren said.
"How are your injuries?" Kendra asked.
Warren flexed his hands. "I'm fine. Tanu left me with enough medicine that I healed up before too long. I'm a little malnourished. I've been rationing. I was getting close to trying the rancid goop Bubda lives on."
"My goop better than granola," the troll said, making a disgusted face.
"You look like you're in good shape," Elise noted, not without admiration.
"Not much to do here," Warren said. "I've been exercising. And playing Yahtzee. So much Yahtzee. I'm surprised we haven't worn the spots off the dice."
"You go now," Bubda said, making a shooing motion with one hand. "Bubda no want roommate."
Warren chuckled. "You have to come with us, Bubda. There's no way out of here. Eventually you'll run out of food, even the kind you can stomach."
"Bubda no leave. Bubda finally have peace."
Warren put his hands on his hips. "Come on, don't be like that, I wasn't so bad, was I?"
Bubda scrunched his face. "You could be worse. Not as bad as granola."
"What about all the Yahtzee we played?"
"If Bubda play alone, Bubda always win."
Warren turned to Kendra and Elise. "I got seven Yahtzees once in a single game. Seven!"
"He cheat," Bubda mumbled.
"For the millionth time, how was I supposed to cheat? You were right there! You watched me roll the dice!"
"You cheat," Bubda said. "Too much luck."
"What about that time you got five Yahtzees?" Warren reminded him.
"That skill," Bubda said smugly.
"I hate to interrupt," Elise said, "but we need to get back to Tanu and Trask."
"Lady right," Bubda said. "Lady only smart one. You go."
"Bubda, you have to come," Warren insisted.
"Bubda stay. Bubda relax. You go. Take granola."
Warren looked to Kendra and Elise for support.
"We can come back anytime," Kendra said. "Even in an hour or two. But we should get back to Trask and Tanu. We need to get them to Fablehaven."
"Where are they now?" Warren asked.
"Trask's apartment in New York."
"He have anything in his fridge?" Warren asked hopefully. He swiveled to face Bubda. "I'm not abandoning you, Mr. Hermit Troll. Enjoy your break, because I'll be back. We'll find you an even better home. Someplace with lots of moist food. Nothing dry or crunchy. No granola."
Bubda turned away, grumbling unintelligibly.
Warren walked over to Kendra. "If this is some kind of trick or trap, well played, you got me. What do I do?"
"Just grab the cylinder," Kendra instructed.
Elise held the left side, Kendra kept hold of the middle segment, and Warren gripped the right end. "Can't say I'm going to miss this place," he murmured.
Kendra imagined Trask's apartment, twisted the cylinder, and a moment later they were standing between a leather sofa and a glass coffee table. Tanu crouched over Trask, applying ointment to his shoulder.
"You guys never get a break," Warren quipped.
"All in a day's work," Tanu replied.
"You look like you were marooned on a desert island," Trask said.
"I wish. I would have given anything for an ocean breeze." Warren stroked his beard. "Kendra, how about you teleport us to a barber shop?"
"We should get to Fablehaven," Trask said. "My apartment has certain protections, but nothing like the walls of a preserve. You three go first."
"Want to swing by a burger joint on the way?" Warren asked out of the side of his mouth.
"I'm sure Grandma will whip up something," Kendra replied, twisting the cylinder. A moment later, she, Warren, and Elise were at Fablehaven, standing together in the kitchen. Nobody else was in sight.
"Hello?" Kendra called.
"Kendra?" Grandpa answered. It sounded like he was in his study.
"I'll be right back," Kendra told Elise. Twisting the cylinder, she returned alone to Trask's apartment.
"It worked all right?" Trask asked.
"We went straight to the kitchen," Kendra said.
Trask nodded. "Good. I'm not surprised. But I'm more impressed that the Translocator could leap through the defenses of a preserve than I am that it can take us to the other side of the globe. Let's go."
Once Trask and Tanu had taken hold of the Translocator, Kendra teleported them to Fablehaven. When they appeared in the kitchen, Grandpa, Grandma, and Coulter were already there. They looked subdued.
"Get this, Stan," Tanu said. "The key we retrieved from Wyrmroost had smaller keys inside, like a nesting doll. And guess what we found at the center? The Translocator."
"The key was the vault," Grandpa said.
"Elise told us about Seth and the others," Coulter said.
Grandma caught Kendra in a tight embrace. "We'll get him back," she promised.
Kendra nodded, eyes stinging. She didn't trust herself to speak.
Chapter 6 Living Mirage
Seth could hardly think. He could hear nothing. He could smell nothing. All he saw was muted grayness, which almost seemed more like oblivion than pure blackness would have. When he tried to move, there was no physical response, no sensation, as if all his nerves had been disconnected.
Time had lost all meaning. His sense of self had begun to diminish. His mind seemed sluggish, half asleep. He did not dream, but when he focused, he could remember.
He remembered looking down at the arrowhead, remembered the horror on Kendra's face. He remembered feeling angry. What a cheap shot! Right in the back! Taking a few steps had proved that he was useless, dying.
He had instantly thought about the gaseous potion. The concoction wouldn't heal the injury, but it would put him in hibernation, prevent the wound from worsening. In the meantime, he wouldn't be a burden. They could fight without having to drag him around, perhaps killing him and themselves in the process. He recalled thinking that if his friends could somehow win the battle, maybe they could rescue him later.
Seth remembered giving Kendra his emergency kit. That was important. The tower was inside, and the leviathan, and some other less precious items he didn't want to hand over to the enemy if he were killed or captured.
After becoming gaseous, he had moved slowly, drifting in whatever direction he chose. Having lost the ability of speech, he had watched wordlessly as Kendra used the Translocator to escape with Trask and Elise. He had watched the magician send chains after the others as zombies crowded into the room.
Then Trask had returned, trying to help Tanu, and, without warning, Seth had felt effervescent rushes of bubbles tingling through his wispy body. That was when the grayness had overtaken him and most physical sensations had ended.
Had his mind been separated from his body? Somehow stolen out of the gas? It felt that way. It was tough to focus on the present. There was nothing to focus on.
He caught himself slipping into trances. It was hard to say for how long. Whenever his mind kicked back into gear, becoming self-aware instead of coasting, he would fight the emptiness with memories, people he knew, places he had been, fun things he had done. Anything to keep his mind from shutting down and merging with the nothingness.
Thanks to his addled state, Seth could not say how long he had been adrift in gray oblivion when sensation returned in a rush. There came a sense of motion, of tiny bubbles coursing through him, and then he was flesh and blood again, lying on his side on a plush rug, his chest aflame with agony.
Turning his head, Seth looked up into the dark eyes of the Sphinx. The gaze of his enemy was warm and gentle. The Sphinx gestured to the wizard who had attacked his friends inside the Dreamstone, the man with the braided beard and the turban. The man pointed at the arrow protruding from Seth, and it dissolved into smoke, although the deep pain of the wound persisted. When the wizard waved a hand, Seth's sword and knife evaporated as well.
"Welcome back," the Sphinx said to Seth. He glanced at the wizard. "Leave us."