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At least now she was an active part of the effort to deal the Sphinx a major blow and hopefully help Warren and her parents in the process After , even if it was dangerous Under tutelage from Tanu, Coulter, and occasionally Vanessa, she and Seth had trained with swords, bows, and other weapons over the past few months, so she felt h she and Seth were now both full-fledged Knights of the Dawn, she had been surprised when Grandpa, as Captain of the Knights, had included them on such a risky mission In the end, the essential roles their abilities had played on past assignments had won out Their presence underscored the desperate need for success

Kendra yawned, trying to get her ears to pop The plane was descending Trask unbuckled his seat belt, rose, and retrieved Seth from the cockpit As Seth found a seat, Trask stood at the front of the cabin to address everyone

"We’ll be landing in about fifteen minutes," he announced "I’ve set up several spells to prevent outside eyes and ears fro short of the Oculus Noould be an appropriate ti eyes roving the cabin He cleared his throat "Most of us have worked together before, so we’ll skip introductions, except for Vincent, who is a new face to soh not tofrouide at Obsidian Waste Over the past ten years, I have spent several months there"

"Hoe know you’re not a ave a weak chuckle "I knoe’ve all been dealing with unprecedented betrayals lately The Knights of the Dawn have never seen infiltration and upheaval like the past year has provided But as Trask can attest, I’e years, when my parents werethin lately," Trask acknowledged, "but I’d let Vincent watch roup was asseether to trust each other I have no doubts or hesitations that Vincent belongs in this circle of trust"

Kendra gazed at Vincent She was glad her brother had spoken up She wanted to believe Trask But what if Trask hi for that vital, heartbreaking opportunity? Probably not But Kendra had learned that "probably" wasn’t always good enough Fro

"Our object is to retrieve the Translocator," Trask continued "I have withheld some of the specifics until now We believe we understand how the artifact functions If our intelligence is correct, the device can transport an individual to anyplace he or she has visited previously"

Elise raised a hand "Can it take passengers?"

Trask gave a nod "Thanks to Vanessa and Coulter, we understand it can transport up to three people, along with their belongings The device is a platinu sections The user twists the sections to bring the jewels into align the artifact Whoever holds the center section controls the destination, and needs to focus mentally on that location as the other sections slide into place Each intended traveler would grasp a different section"

"What if not all the passengers have been to the destination before?" Seth asked

Trask shrugged "Based on the recovered infor the center section needs to have been to the desired location But on’t be sure until we test it out"

"What if you teleport into solid rock?" Seth asked "Or a hundred feet into the air? Or in front of a speeding train?"

The jet shuddered momentarily, and Trask raised a hand to brace himself until the turbulence passed "The device carries unknowable risks, but given the sophistication of these artifacts, we can reasonably assuers"

Elise raised a finger "We’ll go into the vault tomorrow?"

"The plan is quick in, quick out," Trask confiret over our jet lag, then proceed to the vault in thehoht," Seth pointed out, "ht home"

Trask’s mouth twitched and his eyes smiled "We’ll see Our first order of business will be to ht"

"Do we knohere the vault is located?" Kendra asked "The vaults at Fablehaven and Lost Mesa ell hidden"

Vincent answered "The vault at Obsidian Waste gave the preserve its na the surrounding plain We know the location of the vault, and even where to place the key But no ruers await inside"

"Since the vault is so obvious," Trask said, "we must be prepared for the traps inside to be all the e th of the obsidian," Vincent observed "We’re not talking about regular stone Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to drill, chisel, and blast entrances to the vault So far nobody has scratched it"

"Why hide when you’re invincible?" Elise muttered

The intercom from the cockpit interrupted "We’re on final approach," Aaron announced "The air is a little choppy, so I’ to recommend you all take your seats for the duration"

"I’ll pass around soical creatures of Obsidian Waste," Trask said "We’ll speak ed vibration rattled the aircraft

Kendra didn’t need ical milk or walrus butter to pierce the illusions that shielded ical creatures fro any Kendra checked her seat belt and peered out the n below, the shadow of the jet fluttered over uneven ground She observed es, and shallow ravines A pair of jeeps caught her eye, the vehicles kicking up dust as they onal course to intercept the descending jet She was low enough to see a figure driving each open-topped jeep, but their features were unclear

Gazing along the road behind the jeeps, Kendra noticed a wall Actually, it was ular intervals, pyra away fro connected the rock piles, so they for an actual barrier But Kendra recognized a shimmer in the air above the line formed by the rock piles, and she realized that itObsidian Waste

Beyond the orderly stacks of stone, Kendra could see the sweeping loops of a e black stone shaped like a shoe box, its rectangular lines unnaturally regular A treh the aircraft, and for a ht Kendra turned away fro the arain Kendra felt the tingling sensation that accoe of a fast elevator She had never been on a flight with thisacross the aisle, she saw that Trask appeared unperturbed Of course, he was tough to ruffle, and would probably wear that sarated and his seat were pluht les, a minute or two later, the private jet landed s shortly, the aircraft came to a stop Kendra shouldered her backpack and waited while Tanu opened a door that swung out and down to become a short staircase Kendra followed Seth down the steps The isolated airstrip had a single runway, a ra wind sock

After deplaning, Trask, Tanu, and Vincent started retrieving gear froe coan a fluid routine of elaborate stretches Froh hefty binoculars The sun hung high and bright overhead

"Welcoesturing at their barren surroundings After surveying the area for a moment, he frowned "I expected e claim area?" Kendra asked Seth chuckled "Not one of the fancier airports I’ve seen This isstrip"