by Brandon Mull
“Won’t the bag be heavy with all that stuff inside?” Knox asked.
“Doesn’t work that way,” Tanu said, handing Knox the bag. “The little bag still feels empty. All the bag actually contains is a small gateway to a pocket dimension.”
“This breaks the laws of nature,” Knox said, reaching his arm deep inside the tiny bag.
“It enhances the laws of nature,” Tanu replied. “Makes clever use of them.”
Knox handed the bag back to Tanu. “The goo in that bowl will actually shrink us?”
“No time like the present to find out,” Tanu said. “Might be wise to use the cover of night while it lasts.”
“How much must we drink?” Lomo asked.
“You’re with us?” Seth asked.
“This problem is bigger than all of us,” Lomo said. “The Fair Folk won’t like it, and they can disavow me if they must, but I can’t withhold my help.”
“This is a potent batch,” Tanu said, producing a measuring cup. “A quarter cup should do it.” He dipped the cup in the bowl. “Who wants first try?”
Seth intended to volunteer, but Lomo beat him to it. The man took the cup from Tanu and downed it. Over a matter of seconds, his body diminished in size until he was no bigger than Seth’s pointer finger. His clothing shrank with him. The measuring cup sat on the floor beside him.
Tanu picked up the measuring cup, refilled it, and handed it to Knox, who stared suspiciously at the gooey fluid. “What’s in this stuff?”
“You probably don’t want to know,” Tanu said.
“Camel snot,” Seth said. “Oyster slime. Dragon sweat. It’s sort of a chowder.”
“Must be where you get your Seth breath,” Knox said, drinking it down. “Not bad,” he said as he started to shrink. “Not good either.” His voice sounded higher as he got smaller.
Knox dropped the measuring cup, and soon he stood beside Lomo on the floor. Seth retrieved the measuring cup and handed it to Tanu. “Any word about Eve?” Seth asked.
“She is basically a prisoner in her room,” Tanu said. “Lord Dalgorel was not happy with her.” He gave the cup back to Seth.
“Down the hatch,” Seth said, tipping the cup back. The creamy fluid tasted like a mix of sweet and salty, with a grainy texture. Seth tried to banish thoughts of camel snot as he gulped it down. He quickly set the cup on the table once he was done.
Tingles sparked through his limbs as the table went from the height of his waist, to eye-level, to a towering structure high above him. Tanu and the satyrs looked like giants.
“Let’s get you on the table,” Tanu said, crouching. Seth, Lomo, and Knox climbed onto his large brown hand. It felt like an amusement park ride as Tanu lifted them to the dizzying heights of the table and let them hop off his palm. At their normal sizes, Lomo was taller than Seth, and Knox was a bit shorter. Their sizes relative to one another remained the same.
“Hi, Seth,” Calvin said from a little farther down the table.
“Hey, Calvin,” Seth said. The nipsie ran to him, and Seth found that the young adult came up to his chest.
“We still don’t quite match up,” Calvin said. “But closer than before.”
Tanu sat on the edge of the table and drank a quarter cup of the potion. He promptly shrank, still sitting on the edge of the table. He got up and hustled to the others. “Your turn, Newel!” Tanu called.
Newel brought the regular drawstring bag, opened it, and let them climb inside. Seth quickly discovered that it was not comfortable to sit at the bottom of a bag with four other people.
“This is how we’re traveling?” Knox complained as he jostled against Seth.
“No,” Tanu said. “Soon we’ll be dangling from an eagle’s talons hundreds of feet above the ground.”
“I will carry you true,” Creya said, her voice coming from somewhere above the bag. “I slip by dragons all the time. I got here just fine.”
“Keep silent,” Newel told the inhabitants of the bag. “I have the eagle and am heading out.”
Seth could see nothing from inside the bag. The opening was closed tight. Newel carried them some distance, then stopped as he spoke to some unseen person. “I’m bringing the eagle out,” the satyr said. “Creya has to get home.”
A door opened. Newel walked some more.
“We’re out,” Lomo whispered.
Seth sat in silence, swaying in the bag with his friends. Newel paused again. “Good luck,” the satyr whispered.
Seth’s stomach lurched as the bag soared upward. The acceleration drove the occupants of the sack into each other. For a brief while Seth had most of Tanu on top of him, until the Samoan shifted.
“We’re away,” Creya announced. “Best to keep quiet. Some predators have excellent hearing.”
As they reached a steady speed, the bag leveled out, swaying gently. Sometimes the eagle ascended or dipped down or turned, making the bag swing one way or another. Invisible forces tugged at Seth in unpredictable ways. It was difficult to rest. He waited and listened, wondering if a dragon would spot them.
After some time, Knox asked in a loud whisper, “How do we get big again?”
“It’ll wear off,” Seth whispered back.
“What if it wears off while we’re flying?” Knox asked.
“We have enough time,” Tanu said. “At least ninety minutes.”
Seth waited in the wobbly darkness. The air got stale and took on the slightly humid odor of multiple bodies. Seth tried to relax and let time go by. He tried to appreciate the fact that they were not being attacked by anything.
“We’re over the Zowali Protectorate now,” Creya finally announced. “Feel free to speak.”
“Calvin, is this how you feel in my pocket?” Seth asked.
“A little,” Calvin said. “But your pocket is more stable. And I’m alone. Also, I can sometimes stick my head out for air.”
“I’m sorry,” Seth said. “This gets old.”
“You see why I sometimes want to get out and stretch my legs,” Calvin said.
“The smell in here!” Knox said. “I keep trying to hold my breath. It backfires because then I breathe deeper afterwards.”
“Slow and steady,” Tanu suggested.
“On the bright side, I may never be part of a stranger jailbreak,” Lomo said.
Everyone laughed.
“Three inches tall, dangling from an eagle in a little sack?” Tanu asked.
They laughed again.
“Here we are,” Creya announced. “Shelter. We beat the sunrise. Not by much.”
The bag came to rest on a hard surface. Fingers pulled open the top, and Seth stared up into the face of an enormous chimpanzee before the bag slumped sideways and he crawled out. Seth found himself on the floor of a gigantic stable or barn. The air smelled fresh compared to the stuffy sack, although there were definite odors of animals and hay.
Gargantuan animals surrounded them. At his current size, Seth thought the immense animals seemed significantly larger than the dragons. The chimpanzee stood nearest. Creya had alighted on a perch high above them. Seth also saw a huge tiger, a buffalo, a pair of wolves, a camel, a horse, a vulture, some rabbits, and a bear, most looming like colossal monuments. He had never felt tinier.
“Can they all talk?” Knox asked.
“Welcome to Shelter,” the tiger said. “I am Raj Faranah, guardian of the Zowali Protectorate. We expected Creya to return with information, not passengers. Most ingenious. One of you is Seth Sorenson?”
“That’s me,” Seth said, waving up at the gigantic tiger. It seemed unlikely that such an immense beast would hear or notice him. “Creya said my sister, Kendra, is here. Can I see her?”
“Your sister is currently resting,” Raj said. “You are most welcome here.”
“Does she have a plan?” Seth asked.
“We’ll get to that in due time,” Raj said. “The stingbulb of Patton is out doing reconnaissance. A very agreeable man.”
“I’m excit
ed to see him,” Seth said.
“Nobody will eat us, right?” Knox asked.
“Humans can be so fearful of animals,” the chimpanzee said in an educated accent. She scratched her head. “Do you know what predator hunts the most species in this room?”
“People,” Seth said.
The chimp tapped her nose and pointed at him. “People hunt all of us for food. For decoration. For sport. Some of us are poisoned like vermin. Others are enslaved. Or used in experiments. Once we could roam the wide world, our only limit the division between earth and sky. Now we cower where we can, our options ever shrinking, bordered by humanity on all sides. Who should be afraid of whom?”
“We’re tiny,” Knox said.
“I see,” the chimp said. “You’re currently vulnerable. You worry about vengeance. Or perhaps you realize that weaponless, even a full-grown man is no match for a tiger. Take solace that if you perish, your species will be just fine. Not many mammals number in the billions. Those who do tend to be rodents or domestic animals like cattle or sheep. Some species of animal, including tigers, are down to the thousands. Or even the dozens. Some of us are no more.”
“You’re in no danger, human,” the bear said. “None of us eat other creatures who can speak. Is this the proper time for activism, Tasha?”
“It’s always the right time for positive messages,” the chimp replied.
“Remain here until you regain your size,” Raj said. “The Shelter is a safe place for all creatures great and small. There will be time for plans soon enough.”
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Tanu said with a bow.
“I won’t be growing like the others,” Calvin said. “Don’t be disappointed. I’m a nipsie.”
“You are all welcome here,” Raj assured them.
Knox stretched. “I’m going to get some sleep.”
Seth nodded. “Tomorrow could be a long night. Wake me when Kendra gets up. Or if we’re going to eat. Or if dragons attack.”
Preparations
Kendra awoke to a juicy tongue sliding across her cheek. She started with a little shriek.
“Sorry,” Sherman the fox said. “I wasn’t sure the best way to wake you.”
Sitting up, Kendra rubbed her cheek dry. “You startled me.”
“I wasn’t trying to be rude,” Sherman said. “The licking is something foxes do. I wasn’t tasting you! I promise.”
“Is Patton back?” Kendra asked.
“Not yet,” Sherman said. “I hear he is on his way. But you have other visitors.”
Kendra exited the stall where she had been sleeping to find Tanu, Seth, Knox, and a handsome stranger sitting around a wooden counter eating scrambled eggs and drinking milk. “Seth?” Kendra cried. “Tanu? What are you doing here? Knox? Am I still sleeping?”
Seth ran to his sister and gave her a hug. “I was worried about you!”
“Just because a dragon gobbled me up?” Kendra asked.
“I thought you had been eaten,” Seth said.
“There are more comfortable ways to travel,” Kendra replied. “I got spat out in front of Celebrant. How did you get here?”
“Tempest found us, and Eve and I made it to Terrabelle,” Seth said. “The Somber Knight helped Tanu get there with his bull.”
“The Somber Knight survived?” Kendra asked.
“Barely,” Seth said. “He lost limbs, and his bull got all torn up. We met Lomo in Terrabelle. Do you remember hearing about him? The rebel of the Fair Folk who wanted them to get involved.”
“He was locked in the dungeon,” Kendra said.
“Hello,” Lomo said with a wave.
“Tanu made a shrinking potion, and we escaped with Creya,” Seth said. “We know about the Wizenstone. We’re here to help.”
“And Knox?” Kendra asked.
“I snuck to Wyrmroost through the barrel,” Knox said. He briefly explained how the murder of the goblin and loss of the barrel had caused a breach in security. “I heard you and Seth went missing, so I went exploring with Newel and Doren, and we found Seth.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” Kendra told her cousin. “You have no idea how dangerous this is.”
“I drank the milk,” Knox said. “Tanu gave us some walrus butter from his supplies this morning. Same effect.”
“It’s not just drinking the milk,” Kendra said. “You can’t know how dangerous this castle will be.”
“Neither can you,” Knox said.
“At least we have some experience,” Kendra said.
“Did you have experience the first time?” Knox asked. “This is my second attempt to save Wyrmroost. The first time I saved it without even knowing what I was doing.”
“He’s determined,” Seth said.
“This is life and death,” Kendra said. “Emphasis on death. We’ve had friends die.”
“I get it,” Knox said. “Riding a dirt bike is life and death too. I’m in.”
Kendra did not understand that mentality. Death was so final, so permanent! But she knew Seth sometimes had similar feelings. “Tasha made breakfast?” she asked.
“Yeah, the chimp,” Seth said. “Talking hens still lay eggs.”
“The apes are good cooks,” Gorban said. “Excellent omelets.”
“You made it here!” Kendra cried, walking over to give the bear a hug. “Seth, have you met Gorban? He found me when I crossed into the Zowali Protectorate and helped bring me here.”
“Most of the animals don’t like cooked meals,” Gorban said. “I appreciate variety.”
“I see you have a manacle on your ankle,” Calvin said. “I’m handy at picking locks.”
Kendra put her foot beside the nipsie, and he slipped his sword into the keyhole. A moment later the manacle clicked open.
“Thanks,” Kendra said.
“What are friends for?” Calvin replied, sheathing his slender blade.
“Did you see who else is here?” Seth asked, indicating some horses.
“Glory!” Kendra exclaimed. “And Noble! How did you find us?”
She rushed over to her saddled mount and hugged the horse’s neck. Then she patted Noble.
“Some Luvians form a bond with their rider,” a female horse said. “Glory formed one with you, Kendra. When her keepers turned her loose to find you, she was just supposed to run the road to Skyhold. But she sensed when you came here, and it was closer for her. Noble arrived with her late in the night.”
“Good girl,” Kendra said, petting Glory. “I’m so happy you found me.”
“Come have some eggs before they get cold,” Tanu called. “You need energy.”
Kendra went and obediently finished off the warm, salty eggs. Then she downed a creamy glass of milk.
“Tonight is Midsummer Eve,” Seth said. “Do we have a plan?”
“I think so,” Kendra said. “Patton must still be out investigating. We need to get to Stormguard Castle an hour after sundown. We have to time it right or we will be stranded outside on a festival night.”
“What’s so terrible about a festival night?” Knox asked.
“Most of the rules and boundaries at a preserve break down on festival nights,” Kendra said. “The creatures run wild. It’s bad at Fablehaven, and it’s supposed to be worse here.”
“Better for us to arrive to the castle a little late than early,” Seth said. “We don’t want to be stranded in the open.”
“But not too late,” Kendra said, “or we miss time finding the Wizenstone.”
“I could brew another shrinking potion,” Tanu said. “I brought enough ingredients.” He pointed to a drawstring bag on the table.
“It’s tiny,” Kendra said.
“It’s like our old knapsack,” Seth said. “Bigger inside.”
“Think you could fly us there in the bag?” Tanu asked Creya.
“On Midsummer Eve?” the eagle checked. “It would be suicide. No birds fly on Midsummer Eve. The sky phantoms alone are plenty of reason to stay grounded.�
�
A dove swooped through the Shelter entrance and alighted on a perch. “Patton is almost here,” he announced.
“He’ll have our plan,” Kendra said.
“I can get behind whatever Patton wants,” Seth said.
They heard approaching hoofbeats, and then Patton rode through the entrance on Captain. Seth ran over to him. Patton laughed as he smoothly dismounted and gave Seth a big hug. Captain and Glory touched muzzles.
Patton released the embrace and stepped back, appraising Seth. “You’re getting taller.”
“I guess,” Seth said. “It’s so good to see you.”
Patton raised both hands. “Full disclosure: you are giving all of this affection to a mutated piece of fruit. I’m just Patton’s stingbulb. I’ll degenerate into mush in a couple days.”
“You’re better than a photo,” Seth said.
“That much is true,” Patton said. He looked to the others. “Hi, Tanu. Good to see you. And Lomo, too?”
“Patton helped encourage my sentiments against neutrality,” Lomo said.
“You finally went for it?” Patton asked.
“I did,” Lomo said. “Escaped prison at Terrabelle to come here.”
“Good man,” Patton said. “Who is the new kid?”
“Our cousin Knox,” Kendra said.
Patton smiled. “Bringing in more family?”
“He’s on mom’s side of the family,” Seth clarified.
“Welcome, Knox,” Patton said. “You picked one tumultuous day to meet up with this crew. Who am I missing?”
“Me!” shouted Calvin. “The tiny one!”
“What the devil are you?” Patton asked. “You’re too big to be a nipsie.”
“I’m a giant nipsie,” Calvin said. “Under a spell. Sworn to Seth.”
“Good choice, little fellow,” Patton said. “Seth is one of the best. You may not be able to enter Stormguard Castle, though.”
“Sometimes spells miss people smaller than fairies,” Calvin said. “We get forgotten a lot.”
“It’s quite a curse on that castle,” Patton said. “But anything is possible. Your help is welcome. I won’t be able to enter either.”
“You won’t?” Seth asked.
