Keys to the Demon Prison

"Looks like you recruited some help," Trask said, sounding heartier than he had in days.

"These are astrids?" Seth said, giddy with excitement.

"This is only the beginning," Bracken promised. "Agad is on his way with a group of dragons. Additional reinforcements may issue from the shrine. We may not have the strength to defeat our opponents, but we’ll give these demons a welcome to remember."

"What’s the plan?" Warren asked.

"We’ll form up on the far side of the shrine," Bracken said. "A large clearing separates the shrine from Zzyzx. Since the Fairy Queen is using the shrine as a portal, our sacred homeland will be somewhat vulnerable. We’ll try to lure the combat to other locations, and twelve astrids will hang back specifically to protect the shrine."

"Should I build a tower?" Seth asked. "I have a little tower that will grow into a real one if I plant it in the ground."

Bracken shook his head. "Mobility will be too crucial. These are beings of immense power. The strongest of them tear down walls and towers for sport. Save your tower for another day. The demons will try to paralyze us with fear, but the astrids and I can counter their dark auras. None of you will feel the effects of magical fear unless the rest of us fall. Kendra and Seth will each have two astrids assigned as bodyguards; the rest of us will each have one."

"This will be an unstoppable horde," Vanessa reminded.

"We can harass their vanguard, but more will keep coming, too many to handle. We need concrete objectives."

"I have specific maneuvers in mind," Bracken said. "But Nagi Luna is watching. The restoration of the astrids really caught her attention. Much of our hope depends on surprise. I’ll share the specific assignments as our adversaries emerge."

Vanessa chuckled. "You require a lot of trust."

"He’s the one who brought the army," Warren said. "We don’t have much choice but to hope his plan is a good one."

"Our situation is ridiculously perilous," Bracken said. "Yet I’m confident that, under the circumstances, my plan grants us the only possible opportunity to win the day."

"Don’t start saying we might win," Newel complained. "You’re making me nervous."

"We won’t defeat them," Bracken clarified. "But we could survive."

"I think he’s lost it," Doren whispered, twirling a finger beside his ear.

"This way," Bracken said. "When the sun rises, the prison will open."

Kendra fell into step behind Newel and Doren.

"Think they remember?" Newel asked Doren, eyeing the astrids.

"Remember what?" Kendra inquired.

Doren placed a hand beside his mouth and whispered, "Newel used to sling rocks at the astrids for sport."

"Hush," Newel hissed urgently, clamping a hand over Doren’s mouth. "Doren and his stories."

Up ahead, Kendra saw human-sized fairies rising from the pond around the shrine. Kendra had not seen fairies like them since she had helped to rescue Fablehaven from Bahumat. Tall and graceful, they carried slender spears and swords, and gave haughty looks to the astrids.

A group of the oversized fairies gathered around Hugo and started chanting. The ground rippled, and Hugo began to swell as earth and stone flowed up into his body, giving him new mass. Huge thorns sprouted on his arms and legs. By the time they finished chanting, Hugo stood at almost twice his former height, larger than when the fairies had prepared him for battle during the shadow plague. A group of fairies brought the golem an enormous sword, longer than Trask was tall, with a broad, sharp blade.

Seth ran up to Kendra. "Did you see that? They beefed up Hugo! Maybe we have a chance!"

"Bracken thinks we might," Kendra said.

"I’m freaking out," Seth said, stamping his feet anxiously. "I’ll be better once the battle starts. My sword really helps my nerves."

"Just obey Bracken," Kendra implored. "He’s our general today. Do what he says and we might make it."

"I’m with Newel," Seth said. "I thought we were dead, so hearing we might beat them is messing with my mind."

"Stay calm," Bracken said. He and Gilgarol fell into step alongside them. "When the demons first emerge, it may look overwhelming. Remember, we don’t have to fight them all head-on. We’ll have specific objectives."

"Where are those dragons?" Seth asked.

"All in due time," Bracken assured him.

The sky had grown brighter. They reached the far side of the shrine. Ahead of them, a wide field separated them from a tremendous dome of rock, its entire surface etched with cryptic runes. Here and there on the field lay the eroding ruins of ancient structures.

Surveying their newly assembled army, Kendra counted at least a hundred oversized fairies. The heavily armed astrids looked grim and competent, some on the ground, some hovering in the air. And Hugo had become absolutely gigantic. Whatever the outcome, this was much better than facing Gorgrog and his horde with a team of nine.

Bracken trotted ahead of everyone and turned to speak, waving both arms to summon attention. "Our foes will emerge at any moment. Look to me for orders! Take heart– we have the support of the Fairy Queen and other powerful allies. And after centuries of exile, the astrids have returned to their true form!"

This earned a cheer.

"For ages," Bracken went on, "you astrids served as the honor guard for my family. This regiment had a name. Would any of our human companions care to guess what they were called?"

Nobody answered.

"The Knights of the Dawn," Bracken said. "The same name taken by the brotherhood that stands in opposition to the Society of the Evening Star. I believe this name is no accident. I believe this name makes reference to this moment. No star can abide the light of the dawn, nor has evil ever loved light. After their long incarceration in darkness, let our enemies come against us with the sunrise at our backs!"

Kendra had chills. She had no idea Bracken possessed such dramatic flair for leadership. His words had kindled real hope. All around her, fairies and astrids clapped and whistled. Many applauded by clashing their weapons against their shields, producing a soldierly ruckus.

The sun peeked over the horizon, flooding the world with golden rays. And then the dome began to quake. A thunderous rumbling arose as if from the bones of the planet, drowning out all other sound. Tremors radiated through the ground, making trees sway. Kendra stumbled against an astrid, who prevented her from falling. The quaking intensified, and a vertical crack appeared in the lower portion of the dome, growing wider by the second. As the sun cleared the horizon, the demon prison opened.