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The sphinx gave a sage nod "I surround the world, yet I dithin a thimble I am outside of--"

"You are space," Bracken interrupted

The sphinx coain "In the es of a man’s life," Kendra blurted All eyes turned to her "It’s a fas, in the afternoon on two, in the evening on three--thelike that"

The sphinx was fulared at hi in front of Warren diplo day There are three of us, we answered three riddles May we pass?" He bowed politely

"You

"Say no ainst a grin

Kendra felt like the eyes of the sphinx were boring into her back as they passed her and walked to the doe keyhole As Kendra studied the hatch, she recalled that the Fairy Queen had recently destroyed three of her shrines What if this was one of the shrines she had eliminated? It see she would have an answer to her concern soon enough, Kendra inserted her rod, jiggled it until it caught, and then twisted The lock clicked, and Warren pulled the hatch open

Fairies crowded toward the open portal froh first, followed by Kendra, who felt fairies brushing past her as she entered The doh the hatchway, but the inside of the do fairies and the steady radiance of a luazed at the vibrant variety of fairies, wondering how many years they had been trapped in here As Warren ca at long-lost friends

The oblong pond took up nearly a quarter of the room Water trickled down from the top of a conical island in the center of the pond Five terracedwith exotic flowers despite the lack of sunlight Fro-stones created a somewhat precarious ay from the shore to the island

"This is where I sit on the sidelines," Warren said "I’ll stay back and guard the hatch"

"Fair enough," Bracken said He led Kendra over to the stepping-stones, lightly leaping to the first, which Kendra thought had been placed a little too far from the shore He stepped to the next stone and waited for Kendra Not wanting to look scared, and trying not to think about what guardianswater, Kendra sprang to the first stone It was slick, but she landed well Bracken reached back to steady her They proceeded along the rest of the stones without difficulty and reached the steep, grassy shore of the island

Bracken led the way around to the back of the island As they went, Kendra saw that water actually trickled down fro three different routes The drizzling floater on the far side of the island collected in a pool halfway up the back slope Beside the pool stood a tiny figurine of a fairy beside a bronze bowl engraved with delicate patterns

Kendra started toward the pool, then paused to look back at Bracken, who had halted farther down the slope Hetime since I last spoke with the Fairy Queen" He clenched his jaw, fingers fidgeting, eyes shining Was he nervous?

"I’ed "I feel really good about this"

"Of course," he said, striding forward, head erect

They knelt together in front of the fairy figurine The water in the pool next to the figurine did not glow, although it struck Kendra as abnormally reflective A breeze stirred the still air, and Kendra smelled citrus fruit, sand, sap, jasmine, and honeysuckle

Bracken spoke first, aloud, but sees, your majesty It is I, Bracken the hornless unicorn, also known by other titles I a of pure joy flooded over Kendra, clearly e from the Fairy Queen How did you reach this shrine? Kendra had never before sensed surprise from the Fairy Queen

"We had aid froht hi his authority First things first Could you please vouch for my trustworthiness to Kendra?"

A potent e love washed over Kendra Bracken is a the most trusted of allof love abruptly hardened into chastisement Her next words were directed to Bracken I warned you not to travel to this preserve

"And I spent long years in a dungeon as payive me, your majesty, I took the risk in your service"

You should coing accompanied the state on souessing her feelings

"Necessity dictates otherwise," Bracken said "I still have much work to do, your majesty Nearly in a position to open Zzyzx, the Society is now run directly by demons I must oppose thens Perhaps we can converse privately in a moment First, Kendra has a favor to ask"

"Me?" Kendra exclai at Bracken uncomfortably "Seeed

Kendra cleared her throat, feeling self-conscious Her conversations with the Fairy Queen had always been unobserved To , close relationship with her Shouldn’t he be the oneMirage Warren is with us too"

You have not transformed any of my astrids yet I have tried to send them in your direction I lost track of you when you came to this accursed preserve No astrids are currently near Yet even without my warriors, I believe I have a solution to your dilemma It will require a little time

"Thank you, your ive me a few minutes alone with her? There are a few unicorn-type matters I would like to discuss"

"Sure," Kendra said, standing, the dislad you were here for this ood reason to trust ether"

Feeling a little better, Kendra strolled down the slope to the edge of the radiant water She could not help wondering what Bracken and the Fairy Queen were discussing Was she angry at hi captured? Did they simply need to catch up? What was their relationship? Did the Fairy Queen have as big a crush on him as the other fairies seemed to? Would the Fairy Queen put ured if any creature belonged in an unspoiled realm of purity, it would be a unicorn

But it was hard to think of Bracken as a unicorn He seemed way too human He just felt like a really cool friend Kendra looked up the slope, watching him as he knelt beside the little pool, his back to her What a relief to know she could trust hiht that an endorsement from the Fairy Queen allowed Kendra to lay aside her concerns about his legitimacy After so many betrayals, it felt heavenly to know there was somebody she could truly count on

After some time, Bracken came down the slope He looked rejuvenated

"You’re all smiles," Kendra said

"I missed that complete form of communication the Fairy Queen can provide," Bracken said "Mind to mind, heart to heart And I missed her She is very important to me Since her consort fell, she has borne a very heavy burden alone"

"What kind of help do you think she’ll send?" Kendra asked

"I’ll be curious to see," he responded vaguely "Let’s go tell Warren help is on the way"

Chapter 17 Preparations

Newel and Doren arrived at thethey wouldn’t show Seth had waited on the porch for nearly an hour after contacting Bracken, his confidence steadily waning He was on the verge of asking Hugo to take hi across the unkempt lawn Each had a pack over his shoulder Neore a dented helm Doren had a bow

"The word is abroad that Graulas has clai