by Brandon Mull
“We know Ronodin has Bracken,” Kendra said, “and maybe could tell us something about Seth as well.”
“Seems like our only lead, based on what Andromadus told us,” Warren said.
“The Crescent Lagoon sanctuary almost fell,” Kendra said.
“It did fall,” Vanessa said. “We reclaimed a small portion.”
“How?” Kendra asked.
“Sanctuaries are organized in different ways,” Warren said. “They were established by teams of wizards using various methods. The treaty at Crescent Lagoon is upheld by one hundred moai. Do you know that word?”
Kendra shook her head.
“Easter Island heads,” Tanu said.
“Yes,” Warren said. “Upright statues with huge noggins. On the island of Timbuli stands a ring of ten—the Grand Moai. They surround a stone altar where the Sunset Pearl once rested in a basin. We’re talking a magic pearl the size of a softball. Despite its being guarded by three cyclopses and a bunch of magical protections, the dragons stole the pearl, and all the guardian moai went dormant.”
“Did anyone find the pearl?” Kendra asked.
“I wish,” Warren said. “Most of the sanctuary remains undefended. Other than the ten Grand Moai, ninety other moai populate the islands.”
“It’s an archipelago?” Kendra asked.
“What’s that mean?” Newel muttered.
“I think it’s a musical term,” Doren replied.
“It’s a chain of islands,” Calvin said.
“There are more than fifty,” Warren said. “Many of them are small, though several are quite large. The main stronghold was on the island Kusaka. I managed to reactivate a single moai on the island of Timbuli. It happens to be the moai overlooking Crescent Lagoon, for which the sanctuary is named.”
“How did you reactivate the statue?” Kendra asked.
“The moai require the sacrifice of your most precious physical possession,” Warren said. “A person or animal doesn’t count. The offering doesn’t need lots of intrinsic value, so long as it matters most to the giver.”
“Some people don’t have an item that clearly means more than all others,” Vanessa said. “I couldn’t think of one.”
Knox faced Warren. “What did you use?”
“My Carson Sears rookie card,” Warren said.
“Never heard of him,” Knox said.
“He was my dad’s friend,” Warren said. “We called him Uncle Carson. He only played for three innings in the major leagues. His one at bat was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt, but he beat the throw and got a single, so he has a perfect career batting average. My dad had the card printed. I kept it with me as a good luck charm.”
“But you gave it to a statue,” Kendra said.
“Put it right in the mouth,” Warren said. “The mouth closes if the offering is acceptable. Then it opens once the offering is consumed.”
“So the preserve is okay now?” Knox asked.
“Warren’s offering was a short-term solution,” Vanessa said. “It temporarily appeased a single moai guarding a limited area. The Sunset Pearl is the object the moai consider most precious. When the pearl was on the altar, no other offerings were required.”
“We have to find the pearl,” Kendra said.
“We’re working on it,” Warren said. “And we wouldn’t mind help. But we also need to figure out why Ronodin corrupted one of the sacred pools.”
“And learn if Bracken or Seth might be nearby,” Kendra said.
“Or at least catch Ronodin and make him divulge their location,” Vanessa said.
“I like it,” Tanu said. “When can we leave?”
“With the canoe here, we can go whenever you want,” Warren said. “And if needed we can retreat back to Thronis.”
“Great,” Kendra said. “My vote is we leave now.”
“Leave where?” Tess asked, coming into the room, her hair disheveled from sleeping. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to the beach,” Knox said.
Tess brightened. “Will Mom and Dad be there?”
“No,” Knox said. “Just more danger and dragons.”
Tess shrugged. “Still might be fun to make a sand castle.”
Seth jumped and turned when the door to his room opened without warning. Ronodin wore a gray cloak, tall boots, and heavy gloves. A second cloak was draped over one arm.
“Want to see some daylight?” the dark unicorn asked.
“Yes,” Seth said. “The sun was beginning to feel like a fable.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Ronodin said. “It’s gloomy out. But real daylight is filtering through the mist.”
“Good enough,” Seth said, catching the thrown cloak. He wrapped the heavy garment around his shoulders as he followed Ronodin from the room. “I wondered if I’d ever see the surface here. I thought it might always be a mystery.”
“The entrance to the Under Realm is a secret known only to a select few,” Ronodin said.
“We’re by the ocean, right?”
“Wait and see,” Ronodin said.
Their way wound upward until they reached a ladder of iron rungs that climbed a vertical shaft comparable to the inside of a chimney. Ronodin started upward and Seth came after, glancing up occasionally at the soles of his teacher’s boots, but mostly keeping his face down to avoid the gritty particles the dark unicorn was dislodging.
Fifty rungs later, Ronodin paused and threw open a trapdoor overhead, admitting muted gray light. He pulled himself up, then turned and extended a hand to Seth, hauling him out of the murky shaft.
Seth now stood high atop an ancient fort composed of rough, ill-fitted stone, next to a thick parapet overlooking a coastline. Slow mist curled around angular rocks and encompassed crumbling, bulky fortifications. With each inhalation, Seth smelled the salty scents of the sea mingling with the fresh moisture of the mist. The gray ocean surged and growled below, sinking and receding only to return with new vigor, attacking tide-sculpted formations with explosions of foamy spray.
“An ocean,” Seth confirmed.
“The Pacific,” Ronodin replied. “This uncharted isle guards the entrance to a realm very few would deliberately seek.”
“Lucky us,” Seth said.
“Aren’t we, though?” Ronodin said. “Striding with impunity where the brave dare not tread? This way.”
He paced along the top of the fort and down some stone steps that led to a projection of rock overhanging the tumultuous waves. Further along the cliff, Seth spotted a couple of figures shuffling toward them through the mist, coming into clearer focus with every step.
“There are people here?” Seth asked.
“Depends on your definition,” Ronodin said. “The people of the deep help guard this isle. They are the Underking’s elite zombies, more powerful and deliberate than others of their kind.”
One of the men coming toward them wore homespun clothes and was partially tangled in a fishing net. Another wore the tattered remnants of a sailor’s uniform. Both appeared to have drowned long ago.
“Will they bother us?” Seth asked.
“Not while we’re guests of the Underking,” Ronodin said. “Unlike wraiths or revenants, they lack the faculties to really communicate with us. They primarily hear their king. Their own primitive thoughts are dominated by hunger.”
Ronodin sat down, resting his hands on his knees, studying the restless water. After a final wary glance at the sea zombies, Seth sat beside the dark unicorn.
“How big is this island?” Seth asked.
“Not very large, though you can seldom see all of it. The mist is a nearly permanent feature.”
“Are you showing me I can’t run away?” Seth asked.
“You think this ocean is a problem?” Ronodin exclaimed incredulously, waving a dism
issive hand at the water. “You can’t escape because of the Underking.”
Seth glanced at the ghostly manacle on his wrist. “Why are we here?”
“That’s a profound question. Some say to master our wills.”
“On the surface,” Seth clarified.
“I thought you could use a little time under the sky,” Ronodin said. “I don’t mind the dark, but it gets tiresome. We’re not dead. Variety helps.”
“Why did you lock up your cousin?” Seth asked. “What did he do?”
“Are you still dwelling on him?” Ronodin asked. “I tried to warn you that he is dangerous.”
“He made some good arguments,” Seth said.
“Many will have persuasive arguments,” Ronodin said. “Pay attention to who you are and who you want to become. If you let other people run your life, you’ll never have more identity than a puppet.”
“Why did you imprison him?”
“Bracken is my enemy,” Ronodin said. “He lives to eradicate darkness. He has destroyed many of my friends and allies. He is a talented killer. He has captured and imprisoned others whom I respect. He estranged me from my family. He vilifies me wherever he goes. What is the ultimate triumph when you have an enemy? Capture him. I didn’t maim him or kill him. I simply took Bracken out of circulation.”
“He wanted me to help him get free,” Seth said. “He talked like he was an old friend of mine. Had an elaborate story.”
“Bracken can be extremely convincing,” Ronodin said. “You chose to seek him out. Now you must sort through the information he planted in your mind.”
“You plant information too,” Seth said.
“All yours to weigh and categorize,” Ronodin said. “The Underking has a mission for us.”
“More wraiths to release?” Seth asked.
“This one is different,” Ronodin said. “We’ll do it together. On a nearby island.”
“How will we get there?” Seth asked.
“By boat,” Ronodin said.
“Do you know how to captain a boat?” Seth asked.
“I know how to do almost everything,” Ronodin said. “I have been around for a very long time.”
“Why are you helping the Underking?” Seth asked.
Ronodin looked around, then held up a hand, palm outward. “I’m shielding our conversation. Seth, I don’t care one bit about the Underking. If I could dethrone him, I would in a heartbeat. I would laugh as I threw his crown in the ocean.”
“Then why help him?” Seth asked.
“Favors are the main currency in the magical world,” Ronodin said. “The Underking has been useful to me, so I owe him favors. If it ever became convenient for him to destroy me, or you, do you think he would hesitate? Not for a heartbeat.”
“What are you really after?” Seth asked. “How is the Underking helping you?”
“I don’t like the idea of anyone ruling over somebody else,” Ronodin said. “No one should be oppressed.”
“Aren’t you oppressing Bracken?” Seth asked.
“Bracken works for the oppressors,” Ronodin said. “He works to keep wide varieties of magical creatures imprisoned. I only have him locked up so I can free others.”
“That’s all you want?” Seth asked.
“It’s all I ask for myself,” Ronodin said. “Unconditional freedom to go where I want when I want and to do what I want. I use my freedom to grant freedom to others. Right now the long-oppressed dragons yearn for liberation, so I’m helping them. If they, in turn, oppress others, I will work against them.”
“You’re the friend of the underdog,” Seth said. “I like that.”
“It never ends, Seth,” Ronodin said. “Most of the world craves power over others. One tyrant falls and ten clamor to replace him. Or her. Humans, dragons, demons, giants—you name the person or the creature, they are almost always working to control somebody else. I fight against that trend.”
“That’s why you wanted to free the undead from the Blackwell?” Seth asked.
“They had been pent up for centuries,” Ronodin said. “They deserved freedom. It indirectly also helped free some dragons.”
“Was I at a dragon sanctuary?” Seth asked.
“Depends on who you ask,” Ronodin said. “I would call it a dragon prison.”
“Are any of Bracken’s statements true?” Seth asked. “Was I supposed to protect that dragon prison? Did I have a role there? Is Kendra really my sister?”
“You have a complex history,” Ronodin said. “You had been to that dragon prison before. There were times when it suited your purposes to work with Kendra and some of the humans. You also worked with the Sphinx and some demons, most notably Graulas, one of the most cunning demons in history.”
“I partnered with a demon?” Seth asked.
“Until you double-crossed and killed him,” Ronodin said.
“Are you serious?” Seth asked.
“Absolutely true,” Ronodin said. “The demon hadn’t dealt fairly with you either. But when do they? I don’t blame you for it.”
“My history sounds confusing,” Seth said.
“So is your present,” Ronodin said. “But your future doesn’t have to be.”
“What do you want from me?” Seth asked.
“I want you to learn all you can,” Ronodin said. “Your powers mustn’t go to waste. Or get muzzled by the light-makes-right brigade. I’d like to see you survive the Underking and earn your freedom. I’d appreciate your help with the coming adventures. But mostly I want you to develop to your highest potential.”
“What’s our mission on the island?” Seth said.
“We’re looking for a flower,” Ronodin said.
“Really?” Seth asked.
“Orders from our bloodless sovereign,” Ronodin said. “He has requested a certain flower from the island.”
“Why?”
Ronodin dropped his hand. “It’s known as the Everbloom. This flower never dies. The Underking wants to feed off its vitality.”
“Are there many of these flowers?” Seth asked.
“The Everbloom is singular,” Ronodin said.
Seth leaned in. “When you lower your hand, can the Underking hear us?”
“I doubt it,” Ronodin said. “He likely could if he cared to listen. I was just being cautious.”
“How do we find the Everbloom?”
“I have unearthed an old crypt on the island,” Ronodin said. “We need you to go inside, find a phantom called Dezia, and learn the location of the Everbloom. I tried to go in with the Sphinx but we couldn’t get past the guards.”
“You think I can?” Seth asked.
“I hope so,” Ronodin said. “I’m not a shadow charmer, and the Sphinx has lost a lot of his power. I can only command the undead here on the isle because I have authority from the Underking. His power bridges the gap for me. Off this island, I can’t communicate with the undead.”
“This mission comes from the Underking?” Seth asked.
“Yes,” Ronodin said. “In fact, he wanted me to once again offer you the chance to remain in the Under Realm. I know of no shadow charmer to have received that honor in more than a thousand years. It could be an opportunity to acquire tremendous power.”
“I’m not sure I want the kind of power the Underking has to give,” Seth said quietly. “Did you know he offered me his crown?”
Ronodin held up a hand, palm outward. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“That is highly unusual,” Ronodin said. “Almost unbelievable.”
“He told me I could outlast the stars,” Seth said. “But I think if I was like him, I would just want to die.”
“You have touched on the problem with the undead,” Ronodin said. “They’re so intent on persisting, on enduring, it see
ms they forget to consider whether theirs is an existence worth having.”
“Right,” Seth said.
“You wouldn’t outlive the stars, because you wouldn’t be alive,” Ronodin said. “Perhaps you could outlast them, and acquire staggering power. I believe those who are undead by choice are driven by fear. They are so afraid to stop existing that they cling to a nightmare.”
“I’d rather take my chances with what might come next,” Seth said.
“An offer to wear one of the five crowns would tempt anyone,” Ronodin said.
“Not me,” Seth replied.
“Probably wise,” Ronodin said. He lowered his hand and stood. “You’ll join me on the mission?”
Seth looked up at the dark unicorn. Ronodin seemed to have good reasons for how he lived, and he had taught Seth a lot already. He had also brought Seth to an island where the Underking had fastened a ghostly chain to him. Was that the action of somebody who wanted everyone free? Until Seth was liberated from the Underking, he wasn’t sure he had much choice but to play along. At least it sounded like this latest mission wouldn’t endanger others.
“Do I have much choice?” Seth asked.
“You could choose to die instead,” Ronodin said. “You could choose to participate halfheartedly. Your best chance to succeed and survive is to perform these tasks enthusiastically and well.”
“I’ll come,” Seth said, standing up and brushing off his backside.
“I’ll appreciate the company,” Ronodin said. “Ready to head back down? The mist is thickening.”
“Aren’t we going in a boat?”
“Later.”
Seth looked around. The day was dimmer. He could see only half as far compared to earlier. Indistinct human shapes haunted the grayness at the limits of visibility.
“Let’s go back under,” Seth said with a last glance at the crashing waves. It might be dark underground, but at least he could look forward to a boat ride.
Strong hands helped Kendra to her feet and supported her as she stepped out of the canoe. In an instant, after lying flat as if in a coffin, she had gone from a mountaintop at Wyrmroost to a beach curving around a placid lagoon protected by a long reef. It had recently rained, so the sand beneath her boots was damp, but the heavy clouds were clearing, unveiling a bright sun, and the fronds of the palm trees sparkled with droplets. The fresh, salt-tinged air was humid and warm.
