Fablehaven: Journey to the Eternals' Pass (fanfiction) (HIATUS)

8: Opportunity

"What?" Kendra stared at him, her heart leaping at the chance. "Who?"

"We'll have to find her ourselves. A week, maybe two. We've been trying to find her ever since Seth was cursed. Now we think we might have found her. But we have to cement the plan. She's off the grid most of the time; there's an opportunity coming that's... once in a millenia."

"You're going to go off yourselves? For two weeks?" Warren frowned.

"Maybe two weeks. It's in another state, actually, so we'll have to travel. Best case scenario, we can get it done by the coming Friday night." 

"You're confident?" 

"Uh-yeah." The twins had a short silent exchange. "We are, actually. Friday night. We need a few days to get in touch with her." 

"Do it." Kendra said immediately. "If you have a chance of getting Seth back, do it."

Warren nodded reluctantly. "I don't like the idea of going off to another state by yourselves, given the situation, but if you contact can help..."

"There's something else." Darcy hesitated. "We'll have to take Seth with us. Physically." Kendra had a fleeting image of Seth, still stone, propped up on an airplane seat and fought the urge to laugh despite the seriousness of it.

"How are you going to manage that?" Evan interjected, voicing Kendra's thoughts. "It's not like you can take him on the plane."

Darcy glared. "Leave it to us, Evan." Jania touched her brother's arm warningly. "Laine, do you think-"

"Yes. I'll try and get her after this, but if not we'll improvise. We'll get it done." Elaine added assuringly to the rest of them.

"Can you tell us who she is...?" Warren asked.

"No." They both said so adamantly even Warren looked a little taken aback. Elaine rose abruptly. "I'll go try now." She walked out the door; it swung shut behind her, but not nearly fast enough to mask her surprised "oh!"

A moment later the door opened again and in walked a young man in a sleek copper brown suit. It took Kendra a minute to recognise the unexpected arrival as Eyoven, the astrid who had been at the Longs'. He looked strange out of his fairy attire.

The astrid inclined his head towards her. "Kendra, a message." He said formally. "From the prince."

Kendra straightened. "Bracken's back?"

"He is otherwise engaged." Eyoven replied. "But he wants you to have this." Kendra took the slip of paper. It was like the paper in Agad's book. She felt self-conscious taking it in front of everyone, and she'd never actually gotten a letter from Bracken before either, but Eyoven was waiting for her to read it.

Kendra didn't understand all of it, but she could tell the news wasn't good. The astrids had intercepted a message from the Singing Sisters-no details on how-requesting, or rather, summoning, Seth to return. In an elegant writing Kendra could not imagine Bracken having, the unicorn expressed his concern. No one knew exactly what Seth had promised the Sisters in exchange for the location of Vasilis, but if it was something he had personally had to go back for, it was more likely worrying than not. There was also a short, cryptic sign-off about how he would 'see her sooner than she'd think', which she chose not to share with the others.

"We could ask Vanessa." Kendra suggested, after reading out the relevant details. "She was with Seth at the time."

"I've asked. All she knows is that it didn't involve murder."

"The Sisters are excellent bargainers. They wouldn't agree to a deal that didn't benefit them." Agad frowned. "They are largely self-serving, which makes me wonder what he promised them." The wizard looked grim. "This means curing Seth is more urgent than ever. The sooner, the better."