Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Dale whistled. "Good luck with that one. That horn is their most prized possession. They revere Patton for giving it to them. It provides the energy that turned Grunhold into a safe haven during the shadow plague."

"Could we convince them we only mean to borrow it?" Grandpa proposed. "We could return the horn after the mission."

"Unless we’re all eaten by dragons," Coulter mentioned. "It will be tough to convince them," Grandma said. "That’s an understatement," Dale asserted. "Why not steal it?" Seth suggested. The others laughed darkly.

"Unpleasant as it sounds," Warren said, "it may come to that. Anybody know much about where they keep it?"

"The centaurs have a proud, private society," Grandpa said. "But as caretaker, I technically have a right to visit them without fear of harm once a year. Otherwise they have the right to slay any who venture onto their allotted land. I

have only exercised the right twice. Theirs is not pleasant company."

"We would want to get as close to the horn as we can," Grandma said. "Analyze the lay of the land, so we can plan a raid if necessary. Then we can make a case for borrowing it."

"If they refuse to lend us the horn, the visit doubles as a reconnaissance mission," Warren finished.

"I’ll send them word of our visit right away," Grandpa said. "We’ll go tomorrow."

"I’m coming," Seth declared.

"The centaurs have no fondness for you," Grandpa reminded him. "Your impertinence led to Broadhoof’s humiliation at Patton’s hands. We’ll want you as far from their domain as possible."

"They will blame us all for the death of Broadhoof," Grandma said.

, "Which is why we should bring Kendra," Grandpa said. "Broadhoof helped her defeat the plague. Her purpose there will be to honor the centaurs for Broadhoof’s sacrifice. If she can do so with sincerity, it may help our cause. We can’t expect to dodge the issue."

"I’d be happy to apologize," Kendra said. "I feel terrible that he died, and he really did help save us all."

"You’ll have to be careful," Grandma said. "They won’t want your pity. Their pride will reject any such offering. But if you show sincere gratitude for his sacrifice, acknowledging his role in saving Fablehaven, it might make some headway."

"Would it be safe for Kendra?" Coulter asked. "Won’t the centaurs blame her more than anyone for his death? She was riding him at the time."

"They may," Grandpa said. "But under the protection of my annual visitation rights, they will not be able to harm her. Furthermore, they will hesitate to openly blame a young girl for his demise. Being slain by a mighty demon has a much more heroic ring to it."

"Who else should accompany you?" Tanu asked.

"Most of you," Grandpa replied. "I’ll want as many pairs of eyes assessing the situation as possible."

"Except mine," Seth muttered.

"We mustn’t leave Seth and the house unguarded," Coulter said.

"Unguarded?" Seth complained. "Are you trying to destroy my self-esteem?"

"Dale has crossed paths with the centaurs more than most of us," Grandpa said. "Ruth is a talented negotiator. Warren, Tanu, and Coulter are all seasoned adventurers with experience recovering guarded items. Plus Coulter has specific expertise involving magical items."

"I can hold down the fort," Seth assured them stoutly.

"I’ll stay behind," Warren, Tanu, and Coulter offered in unison.

"Warren will remain at the house with Seth," Grandpa stated. "Seth, the decision to leave you with extra protection has nothing to do with our estimation of your valor, and everything to do with your age."

"Maybe I could join you guys in disguise," Seth proposed.

"We can’t take this mission lightly," Grandma said. "We must keep this visit as civil as possible. If we fail to recover the horn, the Sphinx will recover the key unchallenged. Your history with the centaurs is tainted, Seth. They may be able to get over the heroic death of Broadhoof. But centaurs never forget an insult."

"I hate how my past actions keep messing up my future options," Seth muttered.

"Then you’ve started down the road to wisdom," Grandpa replied.

Chapter 12 Grunhold

Seth tromped across the yard wearing insulated boots. No snow remained on the lush green lawn or in the vibrant flower beds. The fairies had melted it away. Beyond the yard, the rising wind had shaken much of the snow from the naked tree branches, leaving the ground below blanketed by whiteness. A gray expanse of featureless clouds dulled the sky from horizon to horizon.

Last night they had transferred the stingbulb Kendra into the Quiet Box, removing the fake Maddox, who would soon expire in his dungeon cell. The stingbulb Kendra had been excited at the prospect of using the Quiet Box to prolong her life. Seth found it very weird that he had now met three separate versions of his sister.

At the edge of the yard, Seth set off into the trees, feet punching through the icy glaze atop the snow and then sinking at least ten inches into fluffy powder. Where the snow had drifted, it rose above the tops of his boots.

"Ahoy, Seth!" Doren called from where he reclined on a hammock.

Newel slid off his hammock, hoofed goat legs sinking in a deep drift. "You got our message?"

"1 saw it from my window." Somebody had stomped the words "hammocks today" in the snow beyond the perimeter of the yard outside the attic window.

"We noticed you weren’t among the group that left earlier," Doren said. "Where were they heading?"

"To the centaurs."

"Lucky day for you!" Newel said. "They’ll get nothing but high heads and dirty looks from that lot."

"I wanted to go. I know centaurs can be jerks, but they’re just so cool."

"Don’t believe the cool part for a second," Doren said. "The extra set of legs turns them into pompous nimrods."

"You’ll fare much better in our company," Newel avowed. "Two hooves are glorious. Four are overkill."

"I’m glad to see you guys," Seth said, smiling for the first time that day.

"Your hammock is waiting," Newel offered. "Make yourself comfortable. We’ve been thinking about our prior discussion, and we have a new proposition for you."

"I think you’ll like this one," Doren said.

Seth sat down on his hammock, kicked his boots together to knock the snow off, then swung his legs up. "I’m listening."