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The day started out just like any other. But, Seth should have known  something was about to go terribly wrong. It always did. This was his  life, after all.

Warren, Vanessa, and Raxtus had left in the early  morning to scout ahead with plans to return in the evening. This had  left Kendra, Seth, Garreth, Eve, Ronodin, and Patton as sitting ducks.  Of course, it hadn't felt that way originally.

Originally, today  was just a day of rest to make up for the past five weeks of cutting  north in the freezing dead of the winter. Their shoes got wet from  stomping through snow, and everyday they tried to get closer to the  even-colder mountains where the Sphinx's ziggurat rose out of.

They  weren't heading for refuge, but danger. It was only going to get more  frigid, more gusty, and more inhospitable. Meanwhile, their supplies  dwindled as they met fewer towns along the way.

Up until recently,  futility had encapsulated the whole idea to rescue their grandparents.  They had received word early on via a fairy that Grandma and Grandpa  were indeed alive and at the Sphinx's ziggurat along with their company,  but the chances of a successful rescue mission were slim to none.

Then,  Ronodin came in. He had a fully up-to-date map of the ziggurat and  first-hand knowledge from a visit. He refused to share the reason why he  had been there, but Seth thought it had something to do with his  mysterious, powerful family.

Plus, Ronodin truly was a master of  the dark arts. That wasn't a bluff. He wielded shadows and frost and  fear like no one else Seth had ever met.

As Seth broke down his  tent, he turned over the current plan in his head. It involved stealth  and a small group to penetrate the ziggurat and retrieve the  grandparents without provoking attack.

It was too reliant on ideal conditions, which they didn't have.

Worry  occupied his thoughts which evaporated as Seth spotted Ronodin's  approach. The unicorn wore a mischievous smile. Uh oh. Despite being a  great advantage for their goals, the downside of Ronodin was that he  wouldn't stop pestering Seth.

"Garreth won't have a single sweet  conversation with me," Ronodin said as he observed Seth breaking his  tent down. Ronodin was supposed to be helping Garreth gather tinder for  the fire. "Especially on the topic of Kendra. Isn't that funny?"

Seth frowned and folded the tent fabric. "Don't get in between Kendra and Garreth. They're weird right now."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They haven't really spoken to each other since we left Terrabelle. Kendra will get angry if you ask."

"Well, now I'm excited to ask."

"You  know, Ronodin, sometimes being around you makes me feel like the more  mature, responsible one which is a really foreign feeling," Seth said.  He organized his tent sticks into a bundle. "Don't mess with her."

"You mess with Kendra."

"She's my sister. It's different. Don't you have siblings?"

Seth  kept his face non-chalant but he was always eager to hear tid bits of  Ronodin's personal life. The man kept it so close to his chest. Did he have siblings?

"No,  only cousins." Ronodin flicked his hand away with disgust. "I'll leave  Kendra alone. But, Garreth is too fun to stop. Do you see how his little  eyebrows pinch together when I talk to Kendra?"

Seth chuckled  despite himself. He wrapped the folded tent fabric around his tent  sticks and held it against his hip. Forcing his grin down, he turned to  Ronodin. "Stop it."

Ronodin grinned as Seth failed to force his own away. They both laughed.

Maybe  if Seth had been more focused on his surroundings, he would've noticed  something important—that the birds weren't singing anymore. But, alas,  he wasn't and so the absence of song went unnoticed.

"Did you practice that little fire trick I showed you?" Ronodin asked.

Last  night, Ronodin showed him how to quench the flames of the fire. Warren  was mad when they kept putting out his fire. Eve couldn't stop laughing.

"Yeah, it's easy."

"Well,  good." Ronodin leaned back against a tree. He relaxed as Seth smushed  the snow into a ball and then froze it into ice. The ice ball landed  with a impression on the snow.

"Can you teach me another thing  tonight?" Seth made another ball of ice and then another. He could  probably make a game out of this somehow. Maybe set up targets and smash  the ice balls against them. Seth filed his burgeoning ideas away; Eve  could refine them later.

When Ronodin still hadn't answered, Seth looked up from his ice spheres and found the man rigid.

"Ronodin?"

Ronodin's  eyes flicked down to Seth and he held a finger to his lips. Seth blew  out a breath quietly and stood up, careful of the crunchy, snowy ground.

An  arrow striked the tent bundle, forcing Seth to stumble back. He looked  down in horror. He had been holding the bundle against his hip. A few  more inches and...

Ronodin grabbed his forearm and pulled him deeper  into the treeline. Arrows splattered across the snow. They picked up  into a jog, lost the arrows, hit a small cliffside, and began to climb.  When they reached the top, they found Garreth holding a bundle of  sticks. Presumably for the fire...that Seth had put out like half an hour  ago practicing his new little trick. Oopsie.

Garreth knit his eyebrows together upon seeing them.

Huh.  Now that Ronodin had mentioned it, Seth realized Garreth did do that  thing with his eyebrows a lot. But, that was not important whatsoever  right now. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and his thoughts bounced  around at a million miles an hour. "Guys?"

"We need to run," Ronodin said.

Garreth put down his bundle of sticks. "Where's everyone else?"

"Don't know. Don't care. We need to go."

"No. What about them?" Seth asked. "We can't leave them behind."

Ronodin ran his hands down his face. "You all are going to be the death of me. We need to run. We'll find them all later."

"Ronodin, no," Seth said.

Ronodin  slapped his hand against his thigh a couple times before groaning.  "Fine, lead the way. And, by the way, when our dumb deaths inevitably  happen, I want my grave to say that it was all your guys' fault."

"Don't worry, Ronodin," Garreth grinned. "I will make sure your grave is perfect for you."

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When  they finally returned to their camp, there was no sign of anyone. Snow  was already falling to cover the remnants of their set up.

"The fire's been put out. Someone was here." Garreth crouched and poked the ashes. "After I collected all that tinder, too."

Seth looked at Ronodin with wide eyes while Garreth stayed consumed with the fire.

Ronodin scrunched his mouth.

Seth put his hands together in a pleasing motion.

Ronodin rolled his eyes sighed. "Sorry Garreth. I put out that fire."

Garreth  stood and put his hands on his hips. His lips twitched with  disappointment and he didn't look at the unicorn. Guilt punctured Seth's  heart but he figured Ronodin wore the blame better anyway. "Well, then.  I guess I'll go look for other tracking marks."

"No need," Ronodin said. "I have a tracking spell on Kendra's shoes."

"You have a what?" Seth froze. "You're not allowed to do that."

He had forgotten how unhinged Ronodin was. Seth's guilt for making Ronodin take the hit on the vanished fire evaporated.

"Look, guys, we're transporting a weapon of mass destruction. I figured we might want to know the whereabouts of her."

"Don't talk about Kendra like that," Garreth said. "She isn't a weapon."

"I  mean, without her, we have no chance against the Sphinx. Handmaidens  hold a lot of power. An infinitely large amount. That's why they're so  rare." Ronodin knelt in the ground and began using his hand to even the  dirt. "She is a weapon."

It wasn't the first time Seth had  heard people talk about Kendra like that. It wasn't necessarily wrong,  either. Her capacity for magic was far greater than anyone had ever seen  if the mythology surrounding handmaidens was true. But, Kendra once  told him she thought everyone just made up those tales. Seth really  hoped for the sake of the mission that that wasn't true.

Snow  crunched as Seth crouched next to the unicorn. While Kendra might take  objection to that kind of characterization of her, nevertheless, Seth  would overlook Ronodin's faults in favor of his usefulness, which was a  common theme in their friendship. "How does your spell work?"

"Her shoe prints should leave behind my own magical residue that I can pick up on. One moment."

Seth  shared a look with Garreth as Ronodin closed his eyes. He could see his  own uncomfortableness with the tracking spell reflected. A thought came  to him.

"Hey, did you put any tracking spells on anyone else?" Seth asked.

"Shut up, I'm trying to focus," Ronodin said. His eyes were pinched shut and he drew in the dirt with one finger.

Garreth  took off his left shoe and inspected the sole. He held it out to Seth  and Seth shrugged. Didn't look to be enchanted, but what did Seth know?  Garreth put it back on.

After a few moments of staring at  Ronodin's focused face, small foot-print shaped glows began to emit from  the uniform, snow-covered ground.

"How far did you light them up? Can the attackers see it?" Garreth asked.

"I'm  only activating the ones in our line of sight. It would be exhausting  to do it all at once. So, no. The people who took everyone won't know  we're following them."

Seth scratched the back of his neck. "They could suspect."

"Anyone could suspect anything. Let's go."

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After  a few minutes of following an erratic path where the strides between  the glowing footsteps increased, the group reached a small clearing  where a bunch of overlapping footpaths made an glowing eyesore. Seth  scanned the area, noting the frantic steps shown. His heart hurt with  worry for his sister. Was she okay?

"So, Kendra was running this  far, but got caught here. Look at how disheveled the ground is, even  with the smoothing snow fall. You can even see other footprints. There  must've been a group," Ronodin said. He crouched and shifted the snow  around.

"If Eve and Patton were with her," Garreth began, "the  attackers would have needed to be very strong to overcome all of them.  They were already running so they knew they were being pursued. The  attack wouldn't have been a surprise."

Seth knit his eyebrows. "Why didn't Kendra use her magic?"

Garreth tilted his head. "I thought she was supposed to be resting it."

"No." Seth shook his head. "Vanessa told her yesterday to start practicing with it."

"Maybe she was too rusty." Garreth walked to the edge of the clearing and analyzed the outskirts.

"It should be incredibly intuitive," Ronodin said. "For her power, at least."

Seth  peeked around the trees, looking for the telltale signs of Kendra's  magic. "There should be vines or overgrown flowers or something here if  this was a battle."

"Maybe they had crystals," Garreth said.

"If  they did and if they chased Kendra for this long, this wasn't so much a  random attack," Ronodin said. He stood and ran his hands through his  hair. "But, then it doesn't make sense."

Seth crouched and touched  the glowing footprints—the red wisps of magic felt like cold air. He  would make Ronodin teach him this tracking spell later. "What do you  mean?"

"Why would they go after us, too, with that arrow? Or  Patton? Or Eve?" Ronodin cracked his neck. Seth flinched at the sound.  Gross.

Garreth tilted his head. "We're also all royalty."

"Yeah,  but—" Ronodin sighed. "I don't know. Personally, I would secure Kendra  and forget about everyone else. You're all royalty in exile. She's a  mythological handmaiden. There's just a difference the size of a canyon.  But, alas, not everyone thinks like me."

"That's a good thing," Seth muttered.

"I'm hurt."

"Guys,  look over here." Garreth waved them over to the edge of the clearing.  Deep wheel rivulets in the snow led to the sparser forested area with  trees far enough to allow narrow wagons and horses through. "Look. Wagon  tracks."

They reminded Seth of a common nuisance in the countryside.

"What are the odds that we just got caught up in some random slave-driver attack?" Seth asked.

"Slim.  Even if so, they'll realize who they have in custody," Ronodin said. He  started on the wagon path. "If we want to retrieve them, we need to go  now."

"What about Vanessa, Warren, and Raxtus?" Seth called. "They're supposed to return this evening."

Ronodin  shrugged. It made snow fall off his shoulders. "Worst comes to worst,  we can send up a beacon or try to acquire fairies as messengers. They're  not the issue right now."

"They might've run into the same people," Garreth said, trailing Ronodin.

Ronodin stopped and sighed. "That would be so much more work."

Seth caught up to him and hit his shoulder. "You signed up for this."

"Can I revoke my membership?"

"No. Come on, let's follow these."

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Snow  fell, covering their old footprints and filling the dents in the wagon  trail slowly. Tall, pine trees stretched their needles over them.

It was idyllic for only a couple minutes before Ronodin asked the question Seth had begged him multiple times to not ask.

"So, what's up with you and Kendra?" Ronodin waggled his eyebrows.

Seth sighed. This was about to become a long walk.

Garreth tensed and looked away from them. "There's nothing."

It  was obvious that it wasn't nothing. Anyone could see the hurt and  tension between the two. So, as a nice and conscientious person, Seth  wasn't going to bring it up to Garreth in front of someone who he  obviously didn't like—like Ronodin. Unfortunately for Garreth, Ronodin  did not practice the same discretion.

"Well, now, let's not lie. When you guys look at each other, I can practically feel the energy zapping me."

"Careful, Ronodin. She's my sister."

Ronodin  waved his hand in Seth's direction as to tell him both that he  acknowledged Seth and that he didn't care. Considerate. The unicorn  leaned into Garreth's personal space as they walked, pushing the prince  off the trail.

"Kendra doesn't want that. We called it quits."

Despite  his curiosity, Seth tried to keep his expression neutral. He didn't  want to feed into this mess. He had an irrational fear that if he did,  Kendra would find out and unleash her wrath on him. Try as he might, he  could never outrun his big sister when she was mad at him.

"So, she's single?"

Seth  looked to Ronodin in alarm, but saw that he wasn't being serious. He  was just baiting Garreth. Garreth didn't know Ronodin that well, though,  so his reaction was quite different.

"Over my dead body will you ever—"

"Well,  I think we've established it's not nothing." Ronodin grinned. The snow  crunched under his gleeful stride. "Seth told me you guys were all  lovey-dovey back in Terrabelle."

"I didn't say that," Seth said.  He did. He most certainly did. Ronodin was too much of a blabbermouth.  He was never telling the man anything sensitive ever again. Seth winced.  He should have already learned that after the whole Gavin Rose fiasco.

No words came from Garreth. Duty fell on Seth's shoulders to alleviate
the tension.

"Look, Garreth, don't take it personal," Seth said.  He caught up to the two men's stride. "It's kind of a thing with Kendra.  Our grandparents always tell her not to be out courting and take her  duties seriously. The one time she did court someone—Lord Rose,  actually—he only used her to get some knowledge of Fablehaven. I'm sure  it's not you specifically that's making her all bunched up about it."

Garreth  sighed and thwapped his newly-acquired walking twig against his thigh.  "I think it is. I didn't do anything while she begged me to save her  from the knights. She still holds a grudge."

Seth suppressed the  shiver that ran through his body. He couldn't imagine being Kendra in  that situation. It was the stuff of nightmares. He also couldn't imagine  being Garreth. No comforting words came to mind.

Ronodin laid a hand on Garreth's shoulder. Unexpectedly. "Well, you're here now."

Seth  knew Kendra's fear with Garreth had always been that he would hate her  if he knew about her magic. And what he had gleaned about her arrest,  that had proved her fears true. However, Seth felt like sharing this  conflict would betray Kendra's confidence. It's not like she told him,  but he also knew she wouldn't want him talking to Garreth about this.

But,  they had been really happy together, and Seth wanted to see his sister  happy. He pursed his lips. How much interference was too much?

Hopefully not just a little.

He gave Garreth a reassuring smile as he batted away stray branches. "She might just need time."

"If you do end up looking for someone new, do tell." Ronodin clapped Garreth on the back. "I like setting people up."

Seth  wondered how those matches worked out. Knowing Ronodin, he probably set  them up for the maximum amount of drama and conflict—not success.

Garreth shook his head. "No need. I don't think..." He cleared his throat and looked away. "Thanks."

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As  the sun hit the highest spot in the sky, Seth, Ronodin, and Garreth  relished in the bit of warmth it brought on their tracking journey. Snow  was generally rare in Fablehaven, and while Terrabelle was bit farther  north, it was nothing like where they were now. The altitude was higher  and it was colder and sadder and wetter, and to be honest, Seth hated  it. All he wanted in the entire world was to be back home in Fablehaven  with all the people he loved.

It didn't seem like it would be that  way again. Fablehaven was still occupied by the Sphinx's forces, and  his loved ones were scattered.

Seth's thoughts came to a halt at  loud noises—they heard the caravan before they saw them. Horses neighing  and their hooves crunching in the snow, yelling, and clinking chains.  Ronodin led them in a roundabout way to skirt the sound as they  out-paced the caravan.

Once they had built up enough of a lead for  the caravan's sounds to have faded, they settled deep in the brush and  waited. Soon enough, the first horse came through with a hooded rider on  top. Accompanying the rider were two wraiths, stark black against the  snowy backdrop.

Seth saw Garreth stiffen beside him and Seth laid a  hand on his shoulder to assuage the magical fear. Ronodin took notice,  rolled his eyes, and put his hand on the other shoulder. The unicorn was  a team player when it came down to it—even if he talked a lot of smack.

Garreth  pressed his lips tight and nodded in begrudged thanks. It was a tight  spot Seth had forgotten—to not have magic to use against magic.

After  the wraiths, the first wagon came with bars on the back and a curtain  drawn over it. Kendra was inside, yelling at the captors to release her.  Fiery as ever.

"Found her," Ronodin muttered. Seth let the comment pass.

More  barred wagons wheeled through, the occupants covered by the curtains,  but some had the curtains to the side. In one, they saw Patton and Eve,  and Seth's anxiety receded a little. At least they knew they were alive  and well as could be.

Trailing the last wagon were two satyrs  attached to the wagon with chains and handcuffs. Seth's adrenaline  spiked and he grinned. Newel and Doren! No doubt they were walking out  of a punishment for something stupid they had said. But, how in the  world did they run into this crew?

Seth pulled heat away from the  air around their handcuffs until frost started to grow. Newel looked  down at the sudden cold, and Seth could see his moment of realization.  He used to prank them by randomly frosting whatever they were holding in  their hands.

As the wagon he was chained to was passing, Newel  scrtuinized the shadows beside them. He didn't have to be too subtle,  because the only guards at the end of the caravan were wraiths and they  didn't generally pick up on that stuff. Seth caught his eye and winked.

"Talk to the wraith closest to us," Ronodin whispered. "I'll get the other."

Seth nodded and focused his gaze on the wraith. Hi!

Cold. Hungry. Empty. Lonely.

I can hear you.

Ronodin leaned over again. "Promise to let him leech the life from the horses."

Seth blinked at him. That seemed kind of cruel.

Garreth stared in horror. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your life." Ronodin concentrated back on his wraith. Seth did the same.

Do you like horses?

Master, let me serve you. Let me feast on your soul.

My soul is off the table. Anyone's soul here is off the table. Well, actually. Who here are the slave-drivers?

There are no slave-drivers, master.

Are any of the guards magic?

The lone rider at the front possesses considerable magic. There are several other wraiths.

Seth could work with that.

We can make a deal as long as you don't alert the rider of our presence.

Master, I cannot complete that request. I have already alerted the rider.

"We need to go," Seth said.

"No, you don't," a voice said.

The  caravan ground to a stop, and Seth turned around. Two men that they  hadn't seen with the caravan stood waiting. They must've snuck up on  them. Seth tried to use his magic, but came up empty. Panic took over.

The  man who spoke had nicer clothes and shinier boots. He didn't seem like  the type to be hired help. He smiled and pulled out a thick crystalline  pendant necklace from beneath his shirt.

Seth hadn't had chances  to run tests on the crystals, but he would bet good money that the size  correlated to the magic-dampening power. It was large for a pendant, but  anywhere near the size of the usually handcuffs. Seth looked to Ronodin  to see if he was still strong enough to use his magic.

The unicorn stared at the pendant, his nose scrunched in disgust. "Distasteful."

Garreth  drew his sword. Oh, right. Seth had almost forgotten about his sword in  the face of his panic of his dampened magic. He drew it as well.

"We don't need a fight," the man said. "Surrender."

Seth  glanced to either side. Ronodin balled his fists. This was it. He  longed for his magic, but he was handy with a sword too. Patton had made  sure of that in his drilling. They could do this.

"Look behind  you," the man said. A smile blossomed on his face. Seth really wanted to  wipe it off. "Do you really want us to hurt your girl?"

It felt like the dumbest, most childish tactic in the world. But, Garreth looked back and sighed. He dropped his sword.

"Guys," he said.

Seth looked behind him.

A woman held a knife to Kendra's throat. Fabric was tied around her mouth and her hands were cuffed behind her back.

Her  eyes were puffy, but her gaze was an angry glare that Seth knew well.  She wanted him to fight. To call their bluff. But, Seth couldn't risk  his sister.

He dropped his sword. Kendra's muffled yelling grew louder, and he winced.

Within  seconds, crystal cuffs locked onto his wrists. He stumbled as the  overwhelming fog descended onto him. His magic was still inaccessible  like before, but now it took effort to string together a coherent  thought. As Seth got used to the fog, he got better and tried his voice.

"Kendra," Seth called."It will be okay."

He craned to his neck to see her curt nod. She bumped her chin up, in a way that told him "you too."

"Take her away." The man waved his sword. "Put the men in the back wagon. It's empty."

As  Kendra and her handler left, the henchman began to push them towards  the wagon. The wraiths crowded in, and Garreth began to walk jerkier and  jerkier until the henchman just picked up his frozen form and stuffed  him in the wagon.

"How did you know we knew her?" Ronodin asked the man handling him.

"We know who you all are," he said.

Seth blinked through the disorientating fog. He was pushed up against the wagon and climbed in after Ronodin. "Who pays you?"

He grinned and slammed the barred door shut. "I thought you were smarter than that."

The  wagon's wooden floors snagged Seth's pants with splinters, but the  covered roof offered a respite from the frigid gusts. Once the human  guards left and the wraiths retreated to their posts, Newel and Doren  crowded up close to the barred backside of the wagon.

"Seth!" A smile split Doren's face. "We missed you!"

"Seth!  And awwww! It's our dark princess! Ronny boy!" Newel made kissy noises  and puckered his lips through the bars of the wagon.

Ronodin scrunched up his face. "I hate your friends."

"Who's this new guy?" Doren asked.

"I'm Garreth."

"Holy  shit," the satyrs swore in unison. The two were more knowledgeable than  most gave them credit. Most citizens would not have realized Garrett's  importance by his name and whatever else they observed during the short  non-combatant battle—maybe the Terrabellian pearl in his sword hilt and  the princely way he held himself.

Doren cocked his head. "Not the prince of Terrabelle?"

"What are you doing running around with the prince of Terrabelle, Seth? Do you want your head cut off?"

"Newel, my god. No. He's on our side now."

"Well,  shave me and call me a human. Prince Garreth is for magic? The world  has ended." Newel covered his mouth with his handcuffed hands.

"Yeah, it's getting pretty close," Ronodin said. Seth rolled his eyes. Not helpful.

"How'd you guys end up here?" Seth asked, steamrolling over their exclamations.

"Well,  when Fablehaven was under siege, Muriel led some of us into the woods  before the Sphinx locked it down. But, then this stupid Sir Lich comes  and snaps us up. He didn't take anyone who didn't have magic."

Ronodin leaned against the wagon bars. "Do you know who he works for?"

"Rumor is the Sphinx," Doren said. His chains clanged against the ground as they walked.

"Rumor is probably right," Garreth said.

"It's  not been too bad," Newel said. "But this Lich guy doesn't have a sense  of humor. That's why we're out here walking and not in there."

Seth grinned. "I figured it was your fault."

"We  take offense to that. It's our moral duty to make Lich frown. If I was  sitting in the wagon like you pansies, I would feel unpatriotic," Doren  said.

"I like your way of thinking," Ronodin said.

"Aw, our unicorn likes my way of thinking," Doren said.

Newel batted his eyelashes. "Our little Ronny boy!"

"Satyrs  tend to not get along with horse-related species," Seth muttered to  Garreth. It was a long, senseless feud, but magical creatures had  consistency and timelessness if nothing else.

"I am not related to  horses," Ronodin said, offronted. He tried to flick Seth's ear but  failed with his bulky handcuffs. "And I am not bothered by the jealousy  of half-goat men."

"He thinks we're jealous!" Newel exclaimed.

"Guys, focus," Seth said. He rolled his shoulders; the handcuffs were heavy. "Who else is here?"

Doren  jumped in. "Muriel, definitely. Kendra, obviously. Patton and some  other girl also arrived with her. Vanessa and the chancellor were  brought here earlier. At least, I think it was Vanessa. I would be  loathe to ever forget her beauty."

Muriel, Kendra, Patton, Eve, Vanessa, and Warren. Okay. That was almost everyone. Seth snapped his fingers. "Focus."

"A  dragon also came in with them, but some of Lich's henchmen split off to  take the dragon straight to the Sphinx, apparently. They're excited  about that. Our caravan is going a more round-about way to pick up any  random magicals."

Seth's heart sank. Raxtus was taken? Eve must be heartbroken. "Anyone else?"

"The  seamstress who worked on Main Street. I forget her name...Madeline,  maybe," Newel said. "The Blackwoods, too. Mom, dad, two kids. One on the  way."

Garreth frowned. "We have to free everyone."

"It is hilarious to hear that come from your mouth. Your dad must hate you."

"Newel." Seth glared. Garreth was having a hard enough time already.

"Sorry. Your dad is probably...really proud." The words flowed together like chunky spoiled milk.

Garreth sighed. "No, you were right the first time."

"Well,  they have wraiths. Seth and I can divert that against Lich. He's a  shadowcharmer, right?" Ronodin asked. Seth had gotten that feeling too,  but something about it was wrong.

Newel shrugged. "Sounds about right. He's got that creepy crawly aura about him. No offense."

"Well...I'm  sure combined we can over-power him and bust everyone out." Ronodin  inspected his nails. "But, do we have to free the satyrs too?"

"Play  nice," Seth said. He looked at both Ronodin and the satyrs with his  best glare. Magical creatures and their undying stagnant feuds...well,  humans did that too. But, still—it was exhausting for Seth to be a  mediator.

"When should we make our move?" Garreth asked.

"What move? We have no plan." Ronodin flicked his hand away and scrunched his nose.

"Whatever  you guys do." Newel lowered his voice. "Do it when we camp for the  night. Lich leaves for around a half hour every night."

"To do what?" Seth asked.

Doren  shrugged. "Who knows? He could be communicating with the Sphinx,  raising the dead, or skinny-dipping. It's anyone's guess."

"Well,  we'll need the keys to the handcuffs and the wagons." Garreth scanned  the wagon and started tapping around. "Maybe we could just break  through, too."

"Might be too loud," Newel said.

"Lich always gives the keys to the guy who bullied you all before he leaves," Doren added.

"And  that guy is not a shadowcharmer." Ronodin leaned in closer. "Tell us  when Lich leaves and we can use the wraiths to overpower that guy."

"But his pendant." Seth scratched his temple. Their handcuffs were also a problem but he assumed Ronodin counted that too.

"Not strong enough to defeat a wraith who finally gets to feed on a human life force," Ronodin said.

"You're just going to kill him?" Garreth asked. His tone was disbelieving.

"Way more up-standing than I expected," Newel muttered to Doren.

"Well,  duh," Ronodin said. His rolling head clanged on the side of the wagon.  Drama queen. "He's going to sell all of us. He's better off dead. Do you  goats know how many henchmen run this caravan?"

"Of course, princess."

"Anything for you, Ronny," Newel added.

"Guys."  Seth having to keep order was really making him start to feel like  Kendra...which made him really want to stop trying to keep order. But,  this was to save Kendra and all of them. Once freed, she could refill  her role as the wet blanket.

"There's only the three humans that took you all out. Lich just relies on the wraiths mostly," Doren said.

"Good,"  Seth said. "Then, it's settled. Night falls, you tell us when Lich  leaves, we use the wraiths to neutralize the three henchman and we're  out."

Newel grinned. "We missed you."

"Though, we wish we got stuck trailing Patton's wagon," Doren said. "He's much cooler."

Seth smiled. Riffing with his best friends? He felt right at home.

It  had been dark for several hours now. Their wagons were arranged in a  circle, with the curtains were pulled across so no one could  communicate.

Nevertheless, magically, Seth and Ronodin could still  comunícate with the wraiths. They had tested it out several times. It  always went something like this:

Beach or mountains?

Cold. Hungry. Death.

Personally, I'd say beach. But, good talk.

Seth figured that communication with dark creatures was something  that was more integral to his make-up than charms or spells. It was  something he had never had to learn. So, as long as he pierced the brain  fog, he could still do it with the crystals.

Seth passed the  silent night talking one-sidedly to his favorite wraith who always had a  new list of horrors to complain about. Hungry became his nickname as it  consistently popped up in his terse answers.

Their current  conversation about the empty abyss of Hungry's life was interrupted when  Newel's hairy, handcuffed hands came up and pushed the curtain across.

The  sparse ground held a campfire with two of the guards asleep and the  bully from earlier rising to his feet. He shouted. "Hey, don't touch  that curtain!"

"We're ready," Newel said.

Ronodin and Seth nodded to each other as the man pulled Newel away from the wagon.

Okay, you can get the guards now. No one in the wagons.

Hungry didn't say anything, but Seth looked away as he heard the  telltale signs of soul-sucking. The satyrs did the same, but Garreth and  Ronodin stared.

"That was gruesome," Garreth said.

Seth peeked. Three henchmen lay lifeless on the ground. The fire threw shadows onto their bodies.

Mentally,  Seth released Hungry and the other one with the instructions to go as  far away as possible. If Sir Lich came back, Seth didn't want to find  out who was stronger at controlling the wraiths. With the tempting gift  of souls, Seth had overcome their previous deal of servitude. Without  it...well, Seth didn't want to know.

"Get the keys," Ronodin said.

"Hold  your pretty, pretty horses," Newel said. He stretched as close as his  chains allowed and grabbed hold of the man's pant leg. Doren joined him  and pulled the bully close. Quickly, their hands patted him down.

"Got them," Newel said. He pulled a ring of keys out of the man's breast pocket.

"Quick," Ronodin snapped.

"Don't we have good time?" Garreth asked.

"Depending  on if Sir Lich is strong enough to sense death," Seth said. If he  could, he should be running to them now. But on the stronger possibility  that he couldn't, they were fine. Seth couldn't even sense death far  away. "So, maybe."

Newel was only halfway through the possible keys on the ring, working with the limited mobility of his handcuffs.

Ronodin  tried to pick at his fingernails even with his handcuffs. It was a  nervous tic. Seth never liked to see him do that. It took a lot to make  the unicorn nervous. Patton Burgess's wrath? No. Dragons? No. But, this,  right now? Apparently.

Not a good sign.

Newel found the right key. It turned with a click and Ronodin pushed the wagon bars open and hopped down.

"Open Garreth's handcuffs first," Seth said. "He's best with a sword."

Newel slipped the wagon key off the ring, handed it to Seth, and began trying new keys to find the handcuff one.

Ronodin  went over to the man on the ground. He ripped the crystal pendant off  his neck, dropped it on the ground, and smashed it with his heel. "I  hate these stupid fucking crystals. Humans need to stop innovating."

Seth  went over to the closest wagon and pulled the curtain across. Inside,  Eve and Patton both had their hands on the bars. They must have been  listening.

"Seth!" Eve exclaimed.

"Is everyone here?" Patton asked.

"Raxtus  is gone," Seth answered. He unlocked the wagon door and helped them  down. Newel found the handcuff key and freed Garreth.

Eve paused. "Gone?"

"We'll talk about it later."

"Come  here, princess," Newel said. He unlocked Ronodin's handcuffs and  continued down the line. After shedding his newly-unlocked handcuffs,  Seth began unlocking all the wagon doors again, freeing the Blackwoods,  Madeline, Vanessa, and Warren. He opened Muriel's door but didn't stay  to help her out. There wasn't enough time for him to give her her proper  unpleasant welcome.

Seth pulled the curtain across his last  wagon. Kendra struggled, frantically speaking muffled words. He unlocked  and opened her bars. She scooted closer and presented her cuffed  ankles.

"Newel, the keys!"

Seth grabbed the flying keys and unlocked the ankle cuffs and then her hands. He helped Kendra down and took off the gag.

"Thanks," she said.

"'Course."

"We need to leave." Ronodin gathered up the sack of weapons on his back and began shooing people in the right direction.

Before  Seth took another step, the ground crackled and popped. Through the  snowy ground, a hand shot up. It was leathery and old like a corpse. Sir  Lich couldn't use the wraiths anymore, so he must've been conjuring  more undead. Was that even something a shadow charmer could do?

Seth shook the thoughts away. Time for thinking later.

"Go!"  Ronodin shouted. The group began to follow him, frantically trying to  keep up. Seth ran to the front, grabbed Ronodin's shoulder and began to  put a massive shadow on their group, drawing on Ronodin's power.

A  zombie arm broke the ground right under Seth's feet and he tumbled to  the ground. He brought Ronodin down on top of him and the entire shadow  dissipated.

Seth shot up, hitting Ronodin's face with his head and  a sharp crack. Patton's arms slid under Seth's armpits and pulled him  up as Eve played whack-a-mole with all the zombies popping up.

"Ugh!"  Ronodin used his hands to reset his nose with another sharp crack.  Silver, sparkly blood ran down his face—the blood of a magical creature.  Seth was sure that Newel and Doren would've made fun of Ronodin for it  if not for the fact that they bled silver sparkles too.

Ronodin got to his feet, and sent a slicing arc of icicles behind him. The zombies stopped popping up.

They  ran desperate to escape the clutches of Sir Lich. Branches thwapped  Seth's face and snow suctioned his legs on every stride. The snowy, dark  forest was hard to see through and he kept tripping on underbrush.

As Seth's adrenaline faded, the group slowed down as well. Muriel muscled her way to the front.

"Stop here," she said.

"What?" Ronodin asked, but he stopped. He recognized power when he saw it. Even if it was in the form of a diminutive hag.

"Kendra," Muriel called. "Come here."

Kendra  reluctantly came to stand beside Muriel. Muriel took her hand, and  gasped. The older woman tilted her head at her student.

Kendra shook her head. "Don't."

Muriel  pursed her lips, but said nothing. Instead, she closed her eyes and her  lips began to move. The words were so quiet that he could barely hear  her.

The ground cracked open, and for a moment, terror flooded his brain with the thought that the zombies had come here too.

But the crack became a slope and out of the Earth, their magic carved a small bunker.

"Down," Muriel said, gasping for breath.

Ronodin  herded everyone down into the dirt cave. It wasn't too roomy but it was  okay. Tendrils of roots hung from the ceiling and rocks jutted from the  sides. But, mercifully, there was no snow.

Muriel closed her eyes  again and the maw of the cave shrank until it was only a foot wide. The  ground must've looked relatively even from the outside. "Cast your  shadows."

Deferring to the old witch, he casted a charm alongside  Ronodin that pulled and concentrated shadows over the sliver of the  opening. It would look dark. Incredibly so, in the night. Muriel created  a tiny floating ball of light to float around the dark hole.

When  they turned back to the group, Warren had demarcated sleeping areas and  was encouraging everyone to sleep. The family of five was already  huddled in the corner, Newel and Doren were crowded around Vanessa, the  seamstress was lying on the ground, and Patton and Eve were setting up a  dirt bed.

Seth went over to Eve. Her cheeks were shiny with tears. She pulled him down to sit next to her. "They really captured Raxtus?"

He  grimaced and hugged her. He missed the big guy too. To a greater extent  than the Fablehaven party, he had been trapped in Terrabelle. It would  be terrifying to be trapped again. "Yeah. That's what Newel and Doren  told me."

Eve hiccuped and slapped him half-heartedly on the shoulder. "You told me they wore goat fur pants."

"Yeah." Seth sighed and pulled out of the hug. "They kind of do."

Eve  pursed her lips together to try to stop the hiccups. The tear tracks  glinted off her dark skin in the low light. "We'll get him back. We'll  save him."

Seth nodded. He didn't know how they would do that, but he wanted to comfort Eve. "Yes."

Eve narrowed her eyes. "We will get him back."

Seth nodded again. "Yes, I said that."

Before  she could get angrier at Seth's lack of conviction, Patton appeared  behind Eve with a hand on her shoulder. "It's time to get to bed."

With one last side-long glance at Seth, Eve retired to the unofficial sleeping corner. He sighed.

Of course he wanted Raxtus back. But, didn't she know how horrible the odds were? He didn't want to get her hopes up.

Over in the corner, he joined Kendra and sat next to her. "Are you okay?"

"I  will be when we get Grandpa and Grandma back," Kendra said. Her voice  was lowered out of accommodation for the others, and he followed suit.  "Are you?"

He shrugged. "It kind of feels like I'm on an horrible, terrible adventure with Patton, but with more friends."

Kendra  nodded. "A horrible, terrible adventure is not fun. I have had dirt  under my fingernails for weeks now. Do you know what that does to a  person?"

They laughed lightly.

"I'll see you in the morning. Love you. Good night," Kendra said. She laid down on the dirt floor.

"Love you too," Seth whispered back.

Everyone  was down for the night. Despite his terror at what was to come, he had  to remember that this was a happy day. They had freed former Fablehaven  citizens from the Sphinx.

Seth blinked. Former Fablehaven citizens? The sick feeling was back again.

He  laid down on the hard dirt, and desperately tried to stop himself from  thinking about the situation they were in. Instead, he imagined a  different world. One of Fablehaven shining and safe with their  grandparents and Raxtus and Eve and Garreth and everyone was super duper  happy.

Maybe it was a pipe dream. But, the only way he could continue was to believe it could eventually be a reality.

He drifted to sleep dreaming that the warm, humid cave was home.

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thank you for reading!

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