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By the time everyone reached the top, the rowboats had exited the cove to return to the ship Kendra could hardly ie of breakers, but as far as she could see, the undead sailors htness of his light ball and left it hovering about twenty feet above his head Not far froetated, with tall trees draped with vines overshadowing exotic ferns Nearby lay a ti three legs Standing, it would have been al theoon A barricade of dark rocks, jutting like rows of fangs, shielded the far side of the placid lagoon froe stone slabs and broken pillars littered the beach, as if graceful structures had once stood here Kendra ran a hand over the crooked base of a broken colus

"This looks like a good spot for a picnic," Seth said, sitting down on the edge of a half-buried foundation "These are sort of like benches"

"I could eat," Warren said

"This reed

Kendra sat down, digging into her backpack for water The voyage on the Lady Luck had used up h remained for one last decent snack At this point, it would consist mostly of jerky, nuts, crackers, and dried fruit As everyone took inventory, Kendra realized they had packed their provisions on the assumption that after today they would need no more food If they somehow survived, she supposed they could fish

Nobody spoke as they ate The dangerous trip to shore had left Kendra shaken, and the hten her spirits The knowledge that they were all about to die hung over thedoo it She ate mechanically, the nuts and jerky tasteless in herslowed, Bracken stood "I can sense the shrine to the Fairy Queen farther along this coast The shrine lies near the east side of the do the door to Zzyzx If I understand the lore correctly, the doht be a good place to make our final preparations"

"Lead on," Trask said

"You realize we have to live through this," Warren said, shouldering his pack "There’s no wayto be hiker food"

Newel and Doren laughed Nobody else could , Bracken in the lead

"Come on, people!" Newel chided "Warren e to Zzyzx likethe outcome would be our demise Doesn’t that remove ht I had a chance"

"It’s like Bodwin the Bold," Doren agreed cheerfully "He faced his executioners with a smile on his face and tipped the headsman We may be doomed, but why not enjoy ourselves? It will lessen the victory of our adversaries"

"I like that," Seth said "I’uys watch lad to be off that ship," Kendra said "At least we’ll die on a tropical island"

"I kind of like Warren’s plan to not die," Vanessa said "Any of you have last es you want me to deliver?"

"You’re all nuts," Trask chuckled

"This beats letting it gnaw at us," Warren said "I bet I’ll be the last one standing"

"You wish," Seth said "That will be Bracken I bet he takes some demons with him"

"And I won’t?" Warren exclaihed

"Not reater demon," Bracken said "Seth’s blade is our best by far My horn can do it Warren has the adamant sword, and it should pierce most demonic hides The swords we took from the Gray Assassin will cut deive one to Vanessa I saw her mind She’s very talented with a blade The rest of you should hang back and take up our arms e fall And, for the record, if you want to place bets on the last of us standing, oleo save Kendra"

Tears stung Kendra’s eyes

Newel raised a hand "How do I get added to that list?"

This ti

The banter continued for a time, fueled mostly by Warren, Seth, and the satyrs Eventually the conversation died Kendra felt glad they had acknowledged the danger and tried to laugh at it The peril rehten her ine how she could help in the final battle If they didn’t find any astrids to transform, she doubted she could contribute much Everyone else was better than she eapons Besides, Torina had used all of her phoenix-feather arrows, leaving none to appropriate Based on what Bracken had said, regular arrows like Kendra had brought would only annoy the derant her some sort of weapon She would definitely ask

They reached a second lagoon, this one sheltered by spiny reefs A jumble of fallen walls, arches, and columns cluttered the crescent-shaped beach Scattered architectural re the trees Farther inland loomed the bulk of an immense stone dome

"The first hints of dawn remain an hour away," Bracken said "The shrine is not far off"

Bracken led therove of tall palm trees They passed a headless statue of a horse Up ahead, Kendra saw a large ring of pillars connected by arches In contrast to the other stonework they had found, the impressive circle of archways appeared perfectly intact

"Is that the shrine?" Kendra asked

Bracken nodded "The rest of you may want to wait here" He took Kendra’s hand

"You don’t need et," Bracken said, coaxing her forward "We have a lot to ask"

Hand in hand, Bracken and Kendra approached the wide ring of connected pillars Passing beneath an engraved arch, Kendra found the ground paved with stone Shallow steps led down to a circular pond with a sle delicate arch spanned the water to the island They walked to the near end of the fragile bridge, where Kendra hesitated

"What are we going to ask the Fairy Queen?" she asked

"You’ll see," Bracken replied "Let’s wait until her "

"Can the Fairy Queen block the Oculus?" Kendra asked

"Not really, but she has ways of encouraging Nagi Luna to gaze elsewhere Come"

He led her onto the narrow arch Without his hand to hold, Kendra would have worried about her balance, but he felt so stable that she crossed without difficulty The moment she set foot on the island, Kendra sensed electricity in the air, as if lightning were about to strike The fine hairs on her arm stood up

"Do you feel that?" she asked

"Yes" Bracken led her to the tiny statue of a fairy beside a golden bowl They knelt together, and powerful aro a rainstor with sweetness

So it has co e wrath Tender concern

"We both saw it co in ht to postpone the to be the end of the world?" Kendra asked

It could be

"I’ve been in touch with Agad," Bracken said "He will arrive as planned You have received ree with your assessments