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.

"I understand you'll need time to recover," Grandpa added. "We don't need to dwell right now on the bad things that happened. Know that we will do all we can to figure out a way to recover Warren."

"What are the chances?" Seth asked.

"Honestly?" Grandpa responded. "Not good. The extra-dimensional space of the storage room is not even part of our reality. Once the connection was severed with the knapsack, the room was left adrift."

"Can he even breathe in there?" Seth asked. "The room had air vents, right?"

"The room had vents for circulation, and we have no reason to believe the vents were damaged. They would have had a connection to the outside world separate from the mouth of the knapsack."

"Could there be a way to rescue Warren and Bubda using the vents?"

"Possibly, if we can find where the vents connect to our world. But, by design, the connection point will be well hidden. The creators of the knapsack did not want enemies entering through the vents."

Seth nodded. "We'll try, though."

"Of course we'll try." Grandpa did not sound optimistic. "Warren has plenty of food and healing potions. We'll find a way to free him. Enough tragedy. I can hardly believe that I am in the presence of dragon slayers, and that another resides in the dungeon."

"You heard what Vanessa did?" Kendra asked.

"Tanu filled me in on the phone," Grandpa said. "She was under strict orders not to inhabit any of you, but under the circumstances it is hard to view her as anything less than a hero. Not that I am ready to trust her. She could have known she was also helping Navarog."

"How can we ever trust anyone?" Kendra muttered.

"We experienced yet another painful betrayal at Wyrmroost," Grandpa acknowledged. "Admittedly, none of us saw it coming. But that does not mean we lack true allies. We can trust each other. We can trust Ruth. And it would be hard to doubt Tanu, Mara, Trask, Coulter, or Dale."

"What about stingbulbs?" Kendra asked. "Or what if more of our best allies are just really patient enemies?"

Grandpa studied Kendra thoughtfully. "We must always be on guard, I suppose. But we can't stop trusting each other, or our enemies win. We are still in the midst of a crisis. None of us can handle it alone."

"Am I busted?" Seth asked.

"A fair question," Grandpa replied, shifting his attention. "What do you think?"

"I'm probably busted. But I shouldn't be. You should have sent me along in the first place. I'm as good as any of the other Knights. Better than some. And my new abilities make me really useful."

Grandpa folded his hands on the desk. "Would you like to join the Knights?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No," Grandpa said seriously.

"Of course!"

"It is hard to argue with your accomplishments," Grandpa said. "I don't think your judgment has fully matured, but these desperate times require courage like yours, Seth. Rise."

Seth stood up.

"Raise your right hand," Grandpa said. Seth complied.

"Repeat after me: I pledge to keep the secrets of the Knights of the Dawn, and to aid my fellow Knights in their worthy goals."

Seth repeated the words.

"Congratulations," Grandpa said.

"You're allowed to make me a Knight?" Seth inquired hopefully.

"I have been asked to come out of retirement," Grandpa said. "Considering the threats we're facing, I consented. I am the new Captain of the Knights."

"And now I'm a Knight," Seth said, glancing over at Kendra, hardly able to contain his excitement.

"You have made questionable decisions in the past days," Grandpa said. "But they were not foolish decisions. You took risks because the stakes were high, and, when challenged, you provided adequate reasons. You were right that when the fate of the world hangs in the balance, perhaps it is better to be active than passive. In some ways, the Knights as a whole have grown too conservative. To avert the coming crisis, I am afraid we may have to take some risks and go on the offensive."

"Did they tell you Arlin Santos is a traitor?" Kendra asked.

"Trask called it in," Grandpa said. "We moved to apprehend him, but he had already fled."

"What is the next step?" Kendra asked.

"We have the Chronometer and the key from Wyrmroost," Grandpa said. "Keeping the key safe will prevent our enemies from obtaining the Translocator. The question is whether we can protect the key while the Sphinx wields the Oculus. Part of our strategy must be to keep the key in motion, never at the same spot for too long. We'll need to get decoys in motion as well. The Translocator could serve as a powerful tool in our offensive efforts. Perhaps we should put together a mission to retrieve the artifact from Obsidian Waste. I'll be considering the issue with my top advisors, including you two, over the coming days."

"And you'll give back the horn to the centaurs," Kendra said.

"We'll do that today," grandpa said. "Our story will be that we managed to recover the horn from the Society. When Gavin apprehended you, it was in their power for a short while, so it won't even be a complete falsehood."

"What about the fifth secret preserve?" Seth asked. "The one with the final artifact."

"We have no leads," Grandpa lamented. "But we will keep searching. And Coultet will keep trying to figure out the Chronometer. There will be much need for urgent planning in the days and weeks to come."

"Meanwhile, what happens to us?" Kendra wondered.

Grandpa shifted uncomfortably in his seat, averting his eyes. "The world thinks you are dead, Kendra. It might be simplest to let them persist in that belief until this crisis is over."

"So I'll go home alone?" Seth asked.

Grandpa looked him in the eye. "No, the two of you will have to remain here. Normally those without knowledge of magical creatures are kept out of events pertaining to the magical community. But the Society has crossed another unthinkable boundary." Grandpa frowned at them, then sighed. "After all you've been through recently, I don't know how to tell you this. I hesitated to share the news, but after giving the matter a lot of thought, your grandmother and I decided it would be both unfair and impossible to conceal the truth for long."

Kendra felt fear awaken inside, a cold hand squeezing her throat. His tone and manner suggested that something tragic had transpired. She had an uneasy suspicion regarding what boundary Grandpa meant.

Grandpa hesitated, reluctant eyes flicking from Kendra to Seth and back again. "The Society has abducted your parents."