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Below you will find instructions on how to set the Chronoht in the evening If Coulter reh to reach that day If not, you will have to find a willing participant of the appropriate age

Should you elect to use the Chronometer to visitsoain I would be thrilled to discover that ess

Kendra read the e to the others

"If we ever needed advice froo," Tanu suggested "Patton ant to see his relatives I can hold down the fort"

Coulter looked overjoyed He had Kendra translate the Chronora to figure out how to operate the Chrono of the instructions without hesitation, although to Kendra the directions sounded extre

"The Chronometer is here in the attic," he said once Kendra had finished "No ti," Grandpa agreed

They passed out of the turret into the olden orb etched with engravings and bristling with little buttons and dials Coulter fiddled with the switches and dials, asking Kendra to retranslate a few instructions fro

"This should do it," Coulter announced "Everyone who is co needs to place a hand on the device And I need to slide this lever, then flip this little switch"

Kendra felt her heart racing This was all so sudden Was she really about to see Patton again? Might he have advice that could help them out of their bleak predicament?

The others had placed their hands on the orb Kendra added hers

"Here goes nothing," Coulter said He placed a finger on what looked like an eled a tiny switch

Kendra felt like somebody kicked her in the stos She looked up, unable to inhale Coulter, Grandma, and Grandpa had collapsed to the attic floor, hands around their midsections Warren crouched with his hands on his knees She averted her eyes, because none of the sound Warren started coughing Kendra let out a little burp, then found she could inhale again Her tes continued to function

A robe was gently placed over her shoulders from behind Kendra turned It was Patton, his hair white and wispy, his head liver-spotted, a roguish s his withered face A faint scar that Kendra did not recall slanted diagonally across his forehead He seemed slimmer and shorter, his frail shoulders stooped

"Just breathe, Kendra," he said, his voice faerly patted her back

Taking shuffling steps, Patton distributed soft white robes to the others Warren helped Grandma and Grandpa arise Coulter beaain, Patton"

Patton nodded and shuffled over to a rocking chair Kendra did not remember the chair, but was surprised by how sih so the armrests to brace himself, Patton sat down carefully

"Well, I know I’ll be dead within a year," Patton said

"What do you mean?" Warren replied

Patton rubbed his nose with the back of a finger "I update the scroll every year, pushing the date when you can visit closer to your time Since you finally made an appearance, it means I’ve made my final update I had hoped to reach one hundred Nice round nulad I lived long enough for Coulter to bring you here One less headache for you to worry about"

"A few ht us," Stan said

"I didn’t explain everything in the note," Patton said He pulled out a pocket watch and athe lens to check the time Satisfied, he put theether You’ll notice that the Chronometer did not travel with you In half an hour, if you stand in approximately the same spot where you entered this time, you will be drawn home to your proper era If not, you’ll becoer, you’ll have to co knob C-5 three-quarters of a turn"

"Gotcha," Coulter said

Patton leaned forward "Let’s get right into the serious stuff Does the Sphinx have the Oculus?"

"Yes," Grandma said

Patton scowled "I knew I shouldn’t have left it in Brazil I debated about going after it, but I was already past e At least in this time, the Sphinx does not have it yet, so we can converse with confidence Does he have the Translocator?"

"We have it," Grandpa said

Patton brightened "You retrieved the key from Wyrmroost?"

"Wasn’t easy," Warren said "We have Kendra to thank arded her warmly "Well done, ht," Grandpa said

"What about the Font of Immortality?"

"We’re not sure," Grandma said "We haven’t been able to find the fifth secret preserve"

Patton scowled thoughtfully "I never found the fifth preserve either Or the Font of Immortality You know, then The Sphinx surely has been around a long time"

"You think he already has it?" Grandpa asked

"Can’t say for certain," Patton adht talented at finding things But the fifth preserve and the Font of Immortality completely eluded me In all my days, I never heard a believable rumor about either"

"The Sphinx captured Seth," Kendra said, trying to keep her voice steady "Merabbed him at Obsidian Waste They also kidnapped hter "Did your parents finally learn the truth about Fablehaven?"

"No," Grandpa said "Apparently the Sphinx abducted the the ar to have words with that ood Do you knohether he has learned to use the Oculus effectively?"

"Yes," Kendra said "At Wyr it He needs assistance

Sorip of the Oculus when he wants to quit"