Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

"Yes, we hear the war horns," Grandpa said impatiently. Then he paused, his expression softening. "Are you telling me that you went to rescue Seth after you heard the horns?"

"No," Seth said, no longer smiling. He took something from his emergency kit. "He’s telling you that we got the Soul of Grunhold." He held up the pearly unicorn horn.

Everyone on the deck gaped in disbelief.

"I’ll be jiggered," Coulter murmured.

Grandpa was the first to recover, his eyes intently roving the trees. "Inside. Now."

Seth returned the horn to his emergency kit and climbed over the porch railing. Warren clapped him warmly oh the back. "Well done!"

"Hugo, resume patrolling the yard," Grandpa said. "Your excursion with Seth never happened."

Kendra followed her brother into the house, her mind reeling. How could he have possibly gotten the horn? Had there been some sort of total centaur malfunction? What about the guards and the maze and the troll? What about the guilt that prevented the horn from being taken?

They took seats in the living room.

"So, how mad are you?" Seth asked, holding up the lustrous horn, a grin creeping back onto his face.

"Less mad," Grandpa admitted, fighting a smile himself. "At least you weren’t endangering us frivolously. Although it was still unwise. How was this accomplished?"

"First I went to Graulas."

"The demon?" Grandma exclaimed.

"When I was outside with the satyrs, I heard him calling to me, summoning me, just like when I heard the wraith in the dungeon. I figured Graulas could explain what was happening to me, since dark stuff is his specialty. He told me that the nail turned me into a shadow charmer."

"A shadow charmer?" Coulter repeated, frowning.

"Yeah," Seth replied. "That was why I could see the invisible goblin at the hotel, and how I heard the voices. I already had most of the powers. Graulas just explained the details and made it official."

The adults traded uncomfortable glances.

"Finish recounting how you obtained the horn," Grandpa prompted.

Seth telated the whole adventure, from the help he received from Nero, to crawling past the centaurs, to tricking the mountain troll, to his hasty retreat to the yard.

"No centaurs saw you," Grandpa said.

"Not a glimpse," Seth assured him.

"And you told the troll your name was Navarog," Grandma confirmed.

"Right."

"The centaurs will undoubtedly suspect us," Grandpa said wearily. "But without proof, they cannot go to war. Our story will be that we tried to warn them as soon as we learned that the Society might be after the horn. They will be reluctant to admit that we stole the horn out from under them, and may embrace an alternate explanation."

"Meanwhile, we should head for Wyrmroost," Warren said. "Once we retrieve the key to the Australian vault, we can return the horn to the centaurs. We’ll pretend we recovered it from the Society."

"We mustn’t move hastily," Grandpa replied. "We should consult with the leadership of the Knights of the Dawn. This mission to Wyrmroost must succeed. We don’t have the expertise in this room to form a proper team."

"I’ll second that," Coulter muttered.

"We’ll need dragon tamers," Tanu agreed.

"For sure I’m going," Seth announced. "I got the horn."

Grandpa turned to him. "You aren’t out of the woods yet, young man. Don’t start making wild presumptions. You took a huge unauthorized risk going to the centaurs."

"Would you have ever authorized it?"

"We’re all fortunate you succeeded," Grandpa continued, ignoring the comment. "Had you failed, you would be dead and we would have a war on our hands. Additionally, this shadow charmer business will require further investigation. Shadow charmers are the stuff of old bedtime stories. They are generally the villains. We have no idea what kind of access dark creatures may now have to you."

"What if Graulas can now spy on us through your eyes?" Grandma said.

"I don’t think it works like that," Seth said.

"We possess little sure knowledge of shadow charmers," Grandpa reiterated. "We’ll do what we can to acquire more."

"Don’t hold your breath," Coulter mumbled.

Grandpa leaned forward, regarding Seth kindly. "I honestly don’t know what to do with you. Facing Graulas was incredibly brave. So was retrieving the horn. I know you had good intentions, that you took a calculated risk. Moreover, you weren’t wrong. You pulled it off. Recovering the horn was a major coup. But until we learn more about your status as a shadow charmer, and because you took a potentially disastrous risk without permission, I’m afraid I still have to punish you."

"Punish?" Seth blurted, rising to his feet, the horn in his hand. "Good thing I didn’t find the cure for cancer–you might have had me arrested!"

"I’m with your grandfather on this," Grandma said. "We love you and we’re proud of you. The risks you took worked out this time. But how can we reward such behavior? Because we love you, we must teach you caution, ot your boldness will destroy you."

"I weighed my options and made smart choices," Seth responded. "I didn’t set out to borrow the horn. I only decided to try for the horn after Graulas showed how my skills as a shadow charmer gave me a realistic chance at success. It was me or nobody. What would Patton have done?"

Warren chuckled. "He would have shaved the centaurs, dipped them in honey, covered them with feathers, and hung them up like a bunch of pi." Kendra, Seth, and Tanu laughed. "I’m just saying."

"Very few men who live their lives like Patton Burgess die in bed," Grandma said gravely, extinguishing the snickers.

"We’re not sure how to guide you, Seth," Grandpa said resignedly. "Considered in context, maybe your decisions were reasonable. Maybe if we were more willing to let you take risks, you could have come to us. I certainly don’t relish reprimanding you for courage and success."

"Then don’t!" Seth urged. "Just be glad we have the horn! I know you love me, but sometimes that gets in the way. Honestly, was there any chance you would have let me visit Graulas if I’d come to you and asked?"

Grandpa met Grandma’s eyes. "No," he admitted.

"You guys don’t like to let me take risks because you feel like you have to protect me. Even when protecting me could harm all of us. If we don’t stop the Sphinx, you won’t be able to protect anybody. I wasn’t off goofing around. Sometimes risks are necessary."