Allies and Enemies

Chapter Nine: Fablehaven

"So, I suppose we missed a lot," Kendra remarked after I had finished filling them in. I had dropped into Fablehaven at one of the few times that Bracken was visiting. Sure, he may not have been an actual unicorn anymore (wow, that sounds weird), but it would be easier to reason with this group as a whole instead of going to the Fairy Queen, which would be hard. Kendra and I had been friends, and I had helped foil a couple of the Society of the Evening Star's plans, but we had lost touch after I had gotten a lot busier with everything else.

"That's an understatement," I sighed.

"You need a lot of people to beat this army that we're against," Kendra said.

"I still cannot believe that fantasy is real," Seth sighed with joy.

"She told us like five years ago, and you still can't believe it?" Kendra groaned.

"Anyway, I told you, I'm gonna need help from the astrids, fairies, and so on," I interrupted before Seth could speak.

"It'll be hard to convince them," Bracken put in. "My mother would not want any part of this."

"But what about—"

"I side with you on this, but no one can get into the Fairy Kingdom," Bracken interrupted. "If they try to burn it, they will not be successful."

"But what about when the preserves fall? What then?" I asked desperately.

"They will not. These evils are not from this world, so they wouldn't know where to look," Bracken said decidedly. I sat down on a kitchen seat with sadness.

"These worlds have suffered. So much damage, not knowing if it could be repaired," I sighed. "Look. This is what has happened." I placed a hologram on the table and showed them what the word destruction truly meant. Death, fire, darkness. I looked down during the holo. I couldn't watch it a third time. It was too much. The holo ended, and I looked up again.

"Bracken, we have to help her," Kendra said. I hadn't realized how much my friend had grown. She must've been nineteen at this point. "She lost her home. We have to help her take it back." Bracken sighed, running a hand through his hair. I could see the two sides warring in his head. I just hoped that he would help.

"Fine," Bracken said, sighing. "I just hope I don't regret this."

"Ahem," Seth cleared his throat. Everyone turned their heads toward him. "Am I allowed to have an opinion?"

"Do you have a different one?" I asked.

"No, I was just going to ask, how are we going to stop the demons from joining these Villains?" I thought about it.

"I don't know," I admitted. "We might have to face that problem when it comes to it."

"I will speak with my mother today," Bracken said. "I'll do my best to convince her, but I give no guarantees."

"That's good enough," I said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must speak with the Jedi Council."