Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

"Monmouth, Illinois?" Vanessa verified. "Is that where they took Kendra? Stan, that must be Torina Barker. She’s a lectoblix who works closely with the Sphinx."

"Do you know where she lives?" Grandma asked urgently.

"I’ve never seen her lair," Vanessa said. "I just know of her."

"Stan, give me the cell phone," Grandma said. "The reception down here is lousy. I had better go call Trask."

"Wait, you believe her?"

Maddox spluttered. "You think I’m some kind of talking fruit?"

Grandma accepted the cell phone and started down the hall. Grandpa glowered at Maddox. "Yes, I do. And you had better start doing some serious talking. What’s the news from Brazil? What’s really happening at Rio Branco?"

Maddox chuckled silently, eyes down, face flushing. "You’re taking her word over mine," he mumbled to himself. He raised his head. "Stan, I know you’re torn up because of Kendra, but I can’t help you. I’m Maddox. Remember that night in Sri Lanka? You won that ring-tailed sparkler off me with a full house?"

"We’ll go release Coulter from the Quiet Box," Grandpa said. "If his story fails to match yours, I’ll make you very sorry for wasting more time."

"Don’t bother," the stingbulb spat, glaring at Vanessa. "There will be consequences," he threatened, holding her gaze.

"I’ve never been a big fan of rotten fruit," Vanessa commented calmly.

"Your mission is over," Grandpa stated. "What can you share with us?"

"There isn’t much to say," the stingbulb replied.

"Search your memories," Grandpa invited. "You’re aware of some wonders that Tanu can work with potions. Or, beyond the door behind you, I could introduce you to a wraith. Ever meet a wraith, friend?"

"You misunderstand me," the stingbulb replied. "I know very little. Do you suppose they would risk sending me here with my head full of sensitive information? I have a small amount of knowledge specific to my mission, nothing more. The Society is aware of the secret room at the end of the

Hall of Dread. They want me to recover coded messages from Patton Burgess about where certain artifacts might be hidden. They explained where Vanessa was imprisoned and how the Quiet Box worked. They told me that I should be able to rely on her for assistance. I came into being inside the main house at Rio Branco, beside the washtub that brought me here. The memories I have from Maddox at Rio Branco are mostly of hiding in a cave, much as I described, until he was captured. They have him in custody. With my consent, they added to my injuries so I would look authentic. I know nothing else."

"That could be true," Vanessa said. "They wouldn’t want to risk a stingbulb divulging their schemes."

Tanu rolled the stingbulb onto his belly, crouched over him, and cuffed his hands behind his back. When Tanu stepped away, the stingbulb did not move.

"Do they have the artifact?" Grandpa asked.

"I have no idea," the stingbulb said. "But I told them where it was hidden. Maddox knew that much."

"What now?" Grandpa asked Vanessa.

"We could stash him in the Quiet Box," Vanessa proposed. "Get Coulter out of there."

"I was afraid you might say that," Grandpa said. "Having bitten most of us, you can control us in our sleep. The Quiet Box is the only place we can hold you to curb that power."

"Haven’t I earned any credibility?" Vanessa asked.

"Without a doubt," Grandpa said. "But you could still be setting us up for a greater betrayal in the future. We can never let you see the information beyond the Hall of Dread."

"I hear you," Vanessa said. "What do I care about some stingbulb? Turning him in could be a ruse to earn your trust. Except, if I’d meant to betray you, that is not how I would have done it. I would have followed the script the stingbulb brought me. It was a golden opportunity. Coulter was already out of play. With keys to the dungeon and help from the stingbulb, it wouldn’t have been difficult to use the element of surprise to capture the rest of you. Then I could have proceeded to seek out the desired information at my own pace."

"And she wouldn’t have told us about the lectoblix in Monmouth," Seth added.

"You don’t need to place full trust in me," Vanessa said, hands on her hips. "Keep your secrets. Just let me assist you. I know things. And I have bitten many people in my time, including several inside of the Society. Let me use my abilities, and I’ll help you recover Kendra."

"You make a compelling argument," Grandpa sighed. "Tanu?"

"Ruth won’t like it," Tanu said. "But Vanessa is right that turning in the stingbulb was unwise unless she’s on our side. Simply knowing that the Sphinx has stingbulbs is invaluable intelligence."

"Seth?" Grandpa asked.

Seth was so flattered that Grandpa was asking his opinion on the matter that it took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I think we should stick the stingbulb in the Quiet Box and have Vanessa spy for us."

Vanessa arched an eyebrow. "Stan?"

"Tanu has it right about Ruth," Grandpa said. "She won’t want us to give you an inch. We’ll have to keep you down here in a cell, at least at first. We’ll try to make it comfortable. Vanessa, let me be clear. If you take control of any of us in our sleep, I will consider it irrefutable evidence of your allegiance with our enemies, punishable by death."

"Understood," she said evenly.

Grandpa nodded. "We could use your help. As soon as possible, I want you searching for sleeping members of the Society who can help us locate Kendra." Grandpa bent down and helped the stingbulb to his feet. "Let’s go release Coulter."

Chapter 8 Knapsack

The room was dark, but, as always, Kendra could see. Unable to sleep, she stared at the ceiling, watching a tiny spider progress across the featureless white expanse. She wondered what the room looked like to the small arachnid, inching along upside down. Knowing that spiders had many eyes, she felt new empathy for how they viewed the world.

It still made her dizzy to recall her encounter with the Oculus. Half a day later, she found that she could not recreate the experience in her mind. The vision had been too disorienting, too distinct from the way she had always seen and the way she saw now. She could only hazily recollect the sensation of observing the world from billions of perspectives.

What if the Sphinx or someone else in the Society mastered the use of the Oculus? It would mean no more secrets. The Society would be able to see everyone, everything, everywhere.