by Brandon Mull
Humbuggle the dwarf appeared between them. “Interesting choice,” he said. “I’m afraid we’ll have to call this contest a draw.”
“Where is the stone?” Celebrant bellowed.
Humbuggle waved a dismissive hand. “Far away. Banished. None of your affair anymore. If you’re angry, think about poor Tregain—he waited hundreds of years, only to get obliterated at the end.”
“The Wizenstone is not meant to be owned,” Ronodin said.
“I provided that hint in the poem,” Humbuggle said. “Some people don’t trust plain language.”
“So you never own it,” Ronodin went on. “You just set up contests for others to try to win it. Meanwhile, it is in your custody, and you use its powers to create your games.”
“Enough out of you,” Humbuggle said. With a clap of his hands, the Banishment Rod disappeared from Kendra’s grasp and went to him.
“It must be possible to win the contest, or else the magic wouldn’t hold up,” Ronodin said. “But you rig the game so the best a contestant can do is send the Wizenstone away, ending the contest and letting you start another.”
“Nobody likes a heckler,” Humbuggle said.
“You’re the demon guarding the Wizenstone,” Ronodin said. “The only hope of winning the contest is replacing you—”
Humbuggle leveled the rod at Ronodin and called out, “Return!”
Ronodin vanished.
“What a bore,” Humbuggle said. “Much too chatty. Some might say the curse of Stormguard Castle has ended. Some might call Kendra a heroine. I just say the contest is over, ending in a draw. The gloves have lost all power, and those who became gold, silver, or platinum are freed. The added passages I created are undone.”
Kendra felt enormous relief to hear that Tanu and the others who had been turned to precious metals would be all right. She would need to go get Knox from the Quiet Box.
“What about Jaleesa’s arm?” Celebrant asked.
“She chose to attack after knowing the rules,” Humbuggle said. “Lost limbs are lost limbs. Personal injuries are personal injuries.”
“Obregon?” Celebrant asked.
“He chose to claim the unclaimable,” Humbuggle said. “He and Tregain are as dead as they could be.”
“What about Seth?” Kendra asked, hoping for good news.
“There have to be some consequences,” Humbuggle said. “The boy made his choice with knowledge of the outcome. Access to the Wizenstone comes at a price.”
“Can’t you undo it?” Kendra asked. “Can’t I do something?”
“Rules are rules,” Humbuggle said.
“Rules?” Kendra asked, sick with worry for her brother, hoping there might be some loophole. “We were playing for the Wizenstone and we don’t have it. Doesn’t that violate the rules? Shouldn’t you take away the punishments?”
“You chose to send the Wizenstone away,” Humbuggle said. “You terminated the contest. The king and queen are freed. Life at Stormguard Castle can be much as it was before. I’ll send you home, then I’ll go elsewhere too. I salute you brave contestants. To have survived and ended this contest is an outcome only you have achieved.”
“What if I don’t want to go just yet?” Kendra asked.
“Not really your choice,” Humbuggle said. He swung the rod and cried, “Return!”
Taken
Kendra stood in her bedroom at Blackwell Keep in her socks. Though it was dark, she could see. She had her abilities back! Somewhere beyond her room, unsettling sounds flavored the night—forlorn howls, desperate shrieks, and ominous drums. The noises of Midsummer Eve were no longer screened out.
Was it really still the same night? So much had happened.
Was she truly safe? Back with her grandparents? Behind protective barriers?
It was disorienting to go from a cursed castle surrounded by enemies to her very own bedroom at the keep. But if she was disoriented, Seth must be utterly confused.
Kendra went out her door to visit his room and saw Mendigo racing down the hall holding Seth, who was squirming. They disappeared around a corner before she could really register what she was seeing.
“Mendigo?” Kendra called, running after the man-sized puppet. “Come here!”
Outside, the night remained tumultuous. Maybe the limberjack couldn’t hear her. Maybe Seth was scared and had asked Mendigo to take him someplace.
But why had he been squirming?
Kendra dashed around the corner, down some steps, and out a door into a courtyard. Some clouds faintly brightening on the horizon hinted at the approaching dawn. The night remained as boisterous as ever. Mendigo raced across the courtyard, still clutching Seth. Rain began to fall, and lightning forked across the sky, the glare sharply illuminating her brother and the sprinting limberjack. Thunder growled.
“Stop Mendigo!” Kendra shouted to anyone who might hear. “Something is wrong!”
She raced after them, feeling sick with worry. The rain fell harder. She should have known something was wrong when Mendigo had refused to accompany her to Skyhold. What was Seth thinking right now?
The minotaur Brunwin jumped down half a stairway to join the chase. A dwarf was running after Mendigo as well. The limberjack exited the courtyard through a door to the storerooms.
Kendra ran through the rain as fast as she could. Lightning flashed again, brighter than before, loud thunder following promptly. Where was Mendigo going? Would the puppet try to hurt Seth?
She burst through the door in time to see Mendigo entering a storeroom down the hall. Seth bucked and slapped the puppet, trying to wrench himself free. They both passed out of view again.
Kendra kept running. Was this really happening? After they had survived all the danger at Stormguard Castle?
Brunwin caught up to Kendra at the storeroom door. The dwarf was a few paces behind them. Mendigo had cast aside several crates and barrels. Kendra no longer saw Seth. As she and the minotaur approached, Mendigo jumped into an open barrel and crouched out of sight.
By the time they looked inside the barrel, the limberjack was gone.
“Seth!” Kendra cried, looking around. “Seth?”
Her eyes returned to the barrel.
She remembered Knox telling her how the barrel had gone missing after he and Tess had come to Wyrmroost. The goblin guard had been murdered.
Everyone had assumed the killer must have come through the barrel.
What if the killer had been Mendigo?
What if the puppet had then stashed the barrel in a storeroom?
And had waited.
And now Seth was gone.
“Seth!” Kendra screamed once again, more for herself this time.
Wherever her brother was, she knew he couldn’t hear her.
Apprentice
Seth stood in a dim room lit by a single torch. The space smelled like ancient books and rotting ingredients. The strange puppet that had brought him here waited against a shadowy wall, upright but otherwise inert.
“I was worried they would steal you away from me,” Ronodin said. “I had to act fast.”
“Seemed like your wooden friend stole me,” Seth said. “Where are we? You’re the guy from the castle.”
“Mendigo rescued you,” Ronodin corrected. “You’re quite powerful, Seth. Those people wiped your memory and wanted to recruit you to their side.”
“Kendra told me she is my sister,” Seth said.
“Maybe in a sense, once, long ago,” Ronodin said. “As a child, you sometimes fought on the same side as she did. I was like that too, trying to please everyone, a lifetime ago. Then you began to learn about your dark powers. You are my top apprentice. You are a shadow charmer, Seth.”
“We’re on the bad side?” Seth asked.
Ronodin laughed lightly. “We’re on our own side.”
Seth stared at him, unsure what to believe. Ever since he had found himself standing outside the fancy door, Seth had gone from one tense, nonsensical situation to the nex
t. People had argued, and some had gotten turned to powder. A magical dwarf had appeared. Seth had been teleported to a dark room and carried through the rain by a giant wooden puppet. Then getting stuffed in a barrel and lifted out had somehow brought him here.
“How does the barrel work?” Seth asked.
“That barrel connects to the barrel at Blackwell Keep,” Ronodin said. “Technically, it is a separate manifestation of the same barrel. In effect, having separate barrels that are also the same can allow a person to move from one place to another. I have my own ways of traveling. Helps if you know the Underking.”
“Why would you have a barrel that connects to where Kendra lives?” Seth asked.
“A friend owed me a favor,” Ronodin said. “He is called the Sphinx. Sooner or later I will introduce you. The barrel was delivered to him by a pair of goblins who escaped their dungeon. He gave it to me. A friend of his, Vernaz, helped reconstruct Mendigo, the puppet who assisted in your rescue. A feature he added lets the puppet receive overriding commands from afar.”
“What now?” Seth asked.
“We start rebuilding you,” Ronodin said. “Do you remember your powers?”
“I don’t think I have powers,” Seth said.
“You understand many languages,” Ronodin said. “You can communicate with the undead, and often you can persuade them. You are nearly invisible when moving in faint light. And some abilities are just beginning to surface.”
“Like what?” Seth asked.
“Like extinguishing light,” Ronodin said. “Quenching fire. That torch, for example. You see it with your eyes.”
“Of course.”
“Feel it with your mind,” Ronodin said. “I know you can. Feel the hot center, where the fuel is combusting.”
“Weird,” Seth said. “I can feel it.”
“You’re a shadow charmer,” Ronodin said. “You’re sensitive to light and heat. Some of the undead are not far from us. Seek their coldness as you sought the heat.”
“Yes,” Seth said, noticing the whispery presences. “Three of them. That way.” He pointed.
“Very good,” Ronodin said. “Can you sense how frigid they are?”
Seth shivered. “Yes.”
“Borrow that coldness. There are other ways to find coldness, but this is the surest, easiest way.”
“Borrow it how?” Seth asked. He could feel the cold presences with his mind, just as he could feel the core of the flaming torch.
“Bring the cold to the hot place on the torch,” Ronodin said.
“How do I do that?”
“Think of it going there. Realize that by feeling it you can also influence it. Invite the cold of the undead to the hottest part of the torch.”
Seth tried.
The torch sputtered.
“Not gently,” Ronodin said. “All at once. Force their coldness to the torch.”
Gritting his teeth, Seth pulled the cold to the torch. He felt the cold smother the heat.
And the torch went out.
Seth blinked in the darkness, surprised that the mental effort had worked.
“Very well done,” Ronodin said, unseen but nearby.
“I guess I do have powers,” Seth said.
“You’re only beginning to scratch the surface,” Ronodin said. “Seth, my brother, we are going to make beautiful music together.”
Acknowledgments
I’m excited to have book two of Dragonwatch complete. The story is kicking into gear, and there is a lot more to tell in the final three books. Thank you for reading this one. If you are enjoying the story, please spread the word.
I write my books alone, but getting them into print is definitely a group effort. I’d like to thank my Dragonwatch publishers, Shadow Mountain and Simon & Schuster, for their ongoing patience and support. I don’t release my books until I feel they are done right, and that can take lots of time and effort.
Many thanks go out to those who helped with the editing, including Emily Watts, Chris Schoebinger, and Liesa Abrams. Their insightful feedback has helped improve this story in numerous ways. My agent, Simon Lipskar, is always an invaluable resource. I also received useful thoughts from friends like Jason Conforto, Amy Frandsen, and Erlyn Madsen. Other friends who helped read for problems include Rosalyn Mull, Natalie Conforto, Cherie Mull, Tucker Davis, Pamela Mull, and Mary Mull.
Once again Brandon Dorman provided awesome illustrations for the story, with direction from Richard Erickson. Others at the publisher who assisted in the project include Rachael Ward, Jill Schaugaard, Dave Brown, John Rose, and Ilise Levine.
As always, I owe thanks to my family for their love and support. My kids put up with daddy working odd hours and disappearing for book tours at times. I love you, Sadie, Chase, Rose, and Calvin, and always will.
I’m so behind on responding to emails, but if anyone wants to get in touch with me, I have an author page on Facebook that you can follow, on Instagram I am writerbrandon, and on Twitter I am @brandonmull. I am honored that you have taken the time to read this book, and will try to keep good ones coming. If you like Fablehaven and Dragonwatch, take a peek at some of my other stuff, like Five Kingdoms.
Reading Guide
1. At the start of this book, Kendra was worried the dragons would retaliate for how she and Seth had defied them. In what ways was she right? What trouble did she not anticipate?
2. In what ways does Seth like dragons? In what ways does he dislike dragons? If you could go to Wyrmroost, would you want to see dragons or keep away from them? Explain your answer.
3. Why did Knox want to come to Wyrmroost? Did his reasons for being there change as he spent time at the sanctuary? If so, in what ways?
4. What trouble was caused by the way Knox came to Wyrmroost? What might he have done differently if he had been able to anticipate the consequences of his actions? Share an experience when you made a choice that you later regretted.
4. Raxtus found himself torn between loyalty to his friends and loyalty to his family. Why do you think he made the choices that he did? When you make a hard choice, what helps you know whether you made the right one?
6. Some dragons began to challenge Celebrant after Kendra stood up to him. Why do you think that happened? Do you expect it will continue to happen? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think Tanu took some risks to get potion ingredients from a dead dragon? What would you have done in his position?
8. Ronodin tried to help the dragons win their war against the caretakers. Why do you imagine he was helping them? Does Ronodin have any likable qualities? If so, what are they? Does he have unlikable qualities? If so, what are they? Do you think he would make a good ally? Why or why not?
9. Why do you think Kendra and Seth decided to visit Stormguard Castle? Was it a good choice? Support your opinion.
10. Why did the three sons of Hollorix get stuck in a stalemate for so long? What did Tregain and Heath seem to want most? What did Lockland seem to want most? Do you agree with Lockland’s choice to stay out of the conflict? Why or why not?
11. The contest created by Humbuggle caused the curse that fell upon Stormguard Castle. Why do you think the dwarf created the contest? Do you see him as a good guy, a bad guy, or something in between? Explain.
12. This book ends with new trouble forming for some of the main characters. Are you glad to know there are more books coming in the series? How would you feel if the story ended now?
About the Author
Brandon Mull is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Fablehaven, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms series. He lives in Utah in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his four children and a dog named Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Table of Contents
Old Friends
Invitation
Suspicions
Decisions
Stingy
Feast
Challenge
Declaration
Homeward Bound
&n
bsp; Barrel
On the Road
Stranded
Roadblock
Captive
Rescuers
Traitor
Incarcerated
Stingbulb
Reunions
Shrunken Chances
Preparations
The Sentient Wood
The Bewilderness
Winging It
Silver and Gold
Contest
Quiet
Coins
Banishment
Forgotten
Identity
Wizenstone
Taken
Apprentice
Acknowledgments
Reading Guide
About the Author
