"This is the dungeon?" Seth asked with unmistakable disappointment.
Kendra had to agree it was surprising. A brightly lit hall stretched ahead of them, the ceramic tiles of the floor immaculate, bouquets of flowers suspended at intervals along the painted walls. The even light came from plentiful globes rather than torches.
"I know, tidy," Garreth said. "Outstanding food. For a while we had people breaking minor laws just to eat here."
"Really?" Kendra asked.
Garreth raised a hand. "Guilty. I spent a week down here for taking somebody else's horse for a ride. The judge knew I wanted in. He tried to let me off with a warning. I had to haggle."
"Was the food good?" Seth asked.
"Fabulous," Garreth said. "The cooks are real artists. And it was fun to be part of the trend. We'd still have a petty crime problem but they opened up a wing of the dungeon to paying customers."
"What about the actual prisoners?" Seth asked.
Garreth chuckled. "We have plenty of room. There are only three regular prisoners. A giant who attacked Terrabelle like a thousand years ago. We tried to release him but this has become home. There's also a wereboar who comes in voluntarily when the moon gets big. And the rebel Lomo, son of Targon."
"Is he one of the Fair Folk?" Seth asked.
"Yes," Garreth said. "You might like him. He sure wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Lomo fought against our policies of neutrality and eventually became a vigilante. He left Wyrmroost entirely. The Fair Folk are not bound to the sanctuaries. We're here voluntarily. After involving himself in multiple fights out in the world and on other preserves, Lomo was caught and sentenced to the dungeon until he vows to abide by our policies."
"He goes free if he just agrees?" Kendra asked.
"He's far too stubborn for that," Garreth said. "It could end up as a life sentence."
"Do you like him?" Kendra wondered.
"Who doesn't?" Garreth said. "His only crime has been his refusal to abide by our neutrality policy. Many of us share some of his opinions. The difference is, he acts on them. Some of us half admire it, but we have laws for a reason. I helped hunt him down and catch him."
"Was it hard?" Seth asked.
"It took some time," Garreth said. "I wish I could say I played a key role. I was there to support the expert trackers. I was mostly just grateful for the excuse to venture out into the world. The Fair Folk don't join in battles anymore, but we still police our own."
"He's the only criminal from your people?" Seth asked.
Garreth shrugged. "We've been around a long time. The worst of us were weeded out long ago. They left or were exiled. Most of us have learned to get along. When problems arise, we can usually settle them without resorting to the dungeon."
"Why even bother with a dungeon?" Kendra asked.
"Tradition, I guess," Garreth said. "We used to have castles where the dungeons served a real purpose."
"There is much to be admired about the order of your society," Henrick said.
Garreth grinned. "And plenty to dislike about our isolation."
Kendra tried not to melt at how adorable he looked when he smiled. Bracken was definitely her one and only, but wasn't it natural to notice when somebody was attractive? Glaringly, relentlessly attractive.
"Here we are," Garreth said as they turned a corner. Ahead, a bulky iron door awaited. "Beyond here we'll find the catacombs."
"Is that where Fair Folk go for dessert?" Seth asked.
Garreth produced two keys and opened a pair of locks, one high and one low. "The catacombs should better match what you were expecting. Murky and mysterious."
The door swung inward to reveal a dusty passageway made of stone blocks, lit only by the light spilling in from the dungeon. Kendra could see a long way down the dim corridor. Ever since she had become fairykind, no darkness could completely blind her.
"Dark?" Kendra whispered to Seth.
"Pretty dark," he replied.
Garreth handed Kendra a short silver baton with a light globe at the end. He gave Seth and Henrick similar batons.
"Any monsters?" Seth asked.
"There shouldn't be anything serious," Garreth said. "Our scepter protects Terrabelle from most threats above and beneath. We don't often venture into the catacombs. Nothing worse than giant rats has been reported."
Kendra froze. "Giant rats aren't serious?"
"Nothing bigger than a dog," Garreth assured her.
"Think we'll see any?" Seth asked.
"We could get lucky," Garreth said.
"I'm in the middle," Kendra declared, positioning herself between Garreth and Henrick.
After entering the corridor, Garreth closed and locked the door. "If I die down here, don't forget to take these keys." He dangled them for all to see, then winked as he tucked them into a pocket.
"What if the rats drag you away?" Seth asked.
"Let's all just live," Kendra suggested.
They started down the passage. The way forked more than once.
"You know your way around in here?" Seth asked.
"Not all routes," Garreth said. "The catacombs are one of the few places to find a little adventure without leaving Terrabelle. I come here with friends sometimes when we need a thrill. One of our most typical dares is to touch the door to the Somber Knight's lair. I can get us there no problem."
"I'm memorizing the way back," Henrick said.
The cool, dry air smelled of dust and stone. Everything seemed still and silent, as if they were the first people to walk these halls in centuries. Kendra wondered how long their footprints in the fine dust on the floor would remain undisturbed. Though she stayed alert, she saw nothing more threatening than tattered spiderwebs.
Beyond a crumbling archway, the hall became more like a natural cave, both wider and more rugged, though remnants of masonry still clung to some surfaces. Kendra heard faint chirps and squeaks in the distance that might have been bats or mice.
"This is a cave now," Seth said.
"There are lots of natural caverns down here," Garreth said. "Dead caves, old and dry. We're getting close."
A structure came into view up ahead, projecting from the wall of the cavern, dim at first, then illuminated by their batons. The building seemed like a large tomb, the stonework smoother and in better repair than anything Kendra had seen since leaving the dungeon. Stone stairs led up to a pair of carved bronze doors.
"This is where we part," Garreth announced. "We'll wait for you here."
"Is it unlocked?" Kendra asked.
"Not likely," Henrick said. "But this dwelling was designed to be accessed by the caretaker. Use the medallion. Hold it up and ask for admittance."
"Just ask?" Seth questioned.
"Wizards built this place," Garreth said. "They tend to be practical."
Kendra mounted the steps beside Seth. He lifted the medallion, stretching the chain forward. "Open for the caretakers," he commanded.
The bronze doors immediately began to swing inward, squealing like a pod of dolphins. Kendra took a step back.
"It worked," Seth said, sounding surprised.
Behind the doors, a wide corridor was lit by large globes emitting bluish light. The floor, walls, and ceiling were composed of huge blocks of pale stone, snugly joined. Cold air flooded out, making Kendra shiver.
"We should have brought coats," she said.
A lightweight jacket slid over her shoulders from behind. "Take mine," Garreth said.
Tailored to fit him snugly, the stylish jacket was roomy on Kendra, hanging almost to her knees. A faint smell of him lingered with it. "Thanks," she said, her cheeks flushing.
"Anytime," he replied warmly, then retreated down the stairs to stand beside Henrick.
"Come on," Seth said.
Kendra followed Seth down the hall, their batons adding white light to the blue glow of the globes. No dust or webs polluted the pristine corridor. The cold air smelled pure, if not quite fresh. Didn't truly fresh air require a hint of life? Plants or something?
They descended stairs as wide as the entire hall. Kendra guessed that ten people could go down them at once, shoulder to shoulder. Then the hall ended at another set of bronze doors.
Looking at Kendra, her brother held up the medallion. Before Seth could speak, the doors swung outward, revealing a wider, taller hall. At the far end, a huge knight sat on a throne, clad in a full suit of elaborate black armor that left no skin visible. An enormous sword rested across his knees.
"Who approaches?" asked a very deep voice that carried extremely well despite speaking softly. Kendra wondered if it was being amplified somehow.
"The new caretakers of Wyrmroost," Kendra said. "Kendra and Seth Sorenson."
The knight gestured for them to come forward. The closer they got to the throne, the better Kendra appreciated the scale of the knight. Standing, he would have to be ten feet tall. The armor looked so thick and heavy that part of her wondered whether he could stand at all. What if a little man with a microphone was standing inside the huge chest?
"Who is behind this jest, young ones?" the knight asked, his voice slow and melancholy. "Surely you are not the true caretakers."
"No joke," Seth said. "We were appointed yesterday. Celebrant is the other caretaker."
"I know about the two dragons," the knight said glumly. "Marat and Celebrant. It's a dark hour when dragons govern their own prison. Makes me . . . tired. But children? I see the medallion. I feel the authority. Are there no other humans left to fill the post?"
"No good candidates who are dragon tamers," Kendra said.
"You two are dragon tamers?" the knight asked. "How?"
"We hold hands," Kendra said.
The knight shook his head. "Of course you do. How quaint. And naturally I am the Dragon Slayer who now works for children after the Dragon King has risen to the office of caretaker. Tell me, has a perpetual winter been declared? Is the sun never to rise again?"
"It isn't that bad," Seth said.
"Easy words from the mouth of a child," the knight said morosely. "If you had lived through the horrors and atrocities that plague my waking visions and haunt my dreams, you might not be so quick to underestimate the coming calamity."
"What do you think will happen?" Kendra asked.
"The same as always. Beauty will fade. Prosperity will end. Singing will turn to lamentations. Old age will follow youth, and sickness will replace health. As soon as you are born, death is waiting, inevitable as nightfall. The rising tide of evil will swallow hope and truth and light until only the void remains."
"And I thought Whiner was depressed," Seth muttered to Kendra.
"Who is Whiner?" the knight asked.
"A wraith I borrowed not too long ago," Seth explained.
"We can fight the evil," Kendra said.
"Alas, this is my lot," the knight said. "I wait here in the darkness, not quite dead, not quite living, bleak and useless as a monument to a forgotten kingdom, awaiting the call to arms. I stand watch as the centuries turn to millennia, as the same cycles repeat, pretending that when I am called, I can help by adding to the carnage."
"Have you slain a lot of dragons?" Seth asked.
The knight patted his sword. "That I have done. More than my share. I know my trade. But it is like sending a hydra to a headsman. For every dragon I kill, a new nest is born. We had the dragons in our power. We could have destroyed them. But no, no, no. Why end the threat forever when we can shelter them and give them eons to respawn? And as their numbers grew, those who once opposed them dwindled into obscurity, training no replacements. When the
dragons get free this time, there will be no protectors. The world will reel. Crops will burn. Cities will fall. Humanity will scatter and quail as merciless monsters inherit the earth."
"You are depressed," Seth said.
"I am called the Somber Knight," he said.
"I think I see why," Kendra said. "Do you still hope to win? The dragons haven't escaped yet. Maybe we can keep them at the sanctuary."
The Somber Knight gave a slow chuckle that sounded like it could turn to sobs. "Hope fled long ago. But I will not surrender." He stroked his sword. "I will walk the weary path of duty until the bitter end."
"We wouldn't mind some help," Seth said.
"Neither would I," the Somber Knight said. "Hours, days, and years have become voids within voids. I stand alone against the impossible. And the universe sends children. How can I serve you? Would you care for some candy? Perhaps a bedtime story?"
"I bet he knows some good ones," Seth muttered to Kendra.
"I have a feeling they would give you nightmares," she mumbled back. Then she raised her voice. "We need to stop Celebrant. He is trying to take over the sanctuary."
"I would gladly be of service," the Somber Knight said. "But I am bound until the dragons stray outside their covenants."
"Celebrant ripped down the Perch," Kendra said.
"Was anyone hurt?" the Somber Knight asked.
"No," Kendra said. "Marat protected us."
"Celebrant is a fellow caretaker," the Somber Knight said. "With that status, I'm not sure I could attack him no matter what rules he violates. Since the Perch was neutral territory, he was within his rights to destroy it."
"He has attacked Blackwell Keep more than once," Seth said.
"To no avail," the Somber Knight replied. "There is no penalty for testing the barrier."
"So, once we're dead, you'll come avenge us," Seth said hotly.
The Somber Knight's voice remained low and calm. "If you die unlawfully, I may be freed to exact retribution."
"Can you fight all the dragons of Wyrmroost at once?" Kendra asked.
"Of course I could," the Somber Knight replied. "But I would perish. I would struggle to best a single dragon in a fair fight. Enchanted armor and ensorcelled blades only get you so far. You don't slay dragons without fighting smart. You engage them on your terms. You rig everything in your favour. Then you might stand a chance."
"We slayed a dragon," Seth said. "Siletta."
"You two raided the Dragon Temple?"
"We had help," Kendra said. "But we killed Siletta. It was an emergency. We were racing against people who wanted to open Zzyzx."
"Siletta had a peculiar set of talents," the Somber Knight said, leaning forward, his voice more interested. "Unusual attacks and defences centered on her poisonous nature. How did you do it?"
"Unicorn horn," Kendra said.
"Ingenious," the Dragon Slayer said. "That shows promise." He slumped back and sighed. "Too bad you'll both be dead soon. So young."
"We're not going to lose," Seth said.
"Noble attitude, young one," the Somber Knight said. "Hold to your post. Go down fighting."
"We're hoping you can help us," Kendra admitted.
"With the burial? No need. There will be very little left of you. Dragons are thorough."
"We're trying to figure out why Celebrant keeps attacking Blackwell Keep," Kendra explained. "Do you know why the defences are vulnerable?"
"Will knowing make any difference?" the Somber Knight asked glumly.
"It might help us go down fighting," Seth said. "It might give us a chance."
The Somber Knight tapped his sword. "Have you any suspicions?"
"Is the medallion weak?" Seth asked.
"Blackwell Keep once held the medallion and one of the seven scepters," the Somber Knight said. "Celebrant asked for the keep's scepter when he became a caretaker. Now only the medallion protects Blackwell Keep. Do you know where the medallion gets its power?"
"Magic?" Seth asked.
"The treaty?" Kendra asked.
"Both true in part," the Somber Knight said. "The gem in the medallion is from another of the scepters. The hidden one. The seventh. Only five scepters remain active. One was never recovered when the Roost fell ages ago."
"What's the Roost?" Seth asked.
"Do you truly know so little about the sanctuary you oversee?" the Somber Knight asked.
"We're new," Kendra explained. "Help us learn."
"The Roost is Wyrmroost Castle," the Somber Knight said. "The caretaker used to split time between the castle and the keep. The scepter at the castle was lost. And the seventh scepter was hidden when this sanctuary was founded. It is connected to the medallion."
"Why not keep the scepter with the medallion?" Kendra asked.
"Wizards are always trying to control their environment," the Somber Knight said. "The rest of us attempt to do the same by diverse methods. But the majority lack the power to succeed like wizards can. Wizards appreciate redundancies. The complicated locks they create for their prisons are a good example. With one scepter already at Blackwell Keep, the wizards hid the other elsewhere and magically linked it to the medallion."
"So if somebody stole the scepter at the keep, the other would still be hidden?" Seth asked.
"Yes," the Somber Knight said. "And the magical defences at the keep would hold. Even if the medallion fell into the wrong hands, it would be difficult to harm the defences without finding the associated scepter. Celebrant must have sensed that the power source for the medallion is not at Blackwell Keep. Perhaps he thought that meant he could overpower the defences. I do not believe he can. But if he finds the connected scepter, he could gain easy access."
"So we need to find the scepter," Kendra said.
The Somber Knight inclined his helmeted head. "Now that the previous scepter has been given to Celebrant, Blackwell Keep will be more secure if the scepter connected to the medallion is retrieved."
"Where is it?" Seth asked.
"I am not sure," the Somber Knight said. "I expect the founders concealed it somewhere at Wyrmroost. But even that much is not certain."
"This is a big preserve," Kendra said.
"Enormous," the Somber Knight agreed. "Finding the hidden scepter is a hopeless task. Even without competition from the Dragon King, you could spend the rest of your lives searching and never come close. Or you could be killed by whatever traps or guardians undoubtedly protect it. The hidden scepter is not casually concealed. It is hidden very well."
"Do you have any idea where we could start looking?" Seth asked. "You want Wyrmroost to survive."
"Indeed," the Somber Knight said. "I want Wyrmroost to survive. And I know it will not. And so do you. Beginnings and endings. That is the world we live in. All is temporary. Wyrmroost had a beginning, and so it must have an ending. It's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down."
"We'd like Wyrmroost to outlast us, at least," Kendra said.
"Your lives are brief," the Somber Knight acknowledged. "With such a limited span of days, some will live through sadder times than others. I'm sorry that you are here now. I am sorry you were tricked into this predicament. You were appointed captains of a sinking vessel. I have a longer lifespan than you. I have seen much. Seasons of order degenerate into chaos. Devastation comes and goes. I await the next hour when I am needed. It always comes."
"We need you now," Seth said.
"I can take only limited action," the Somber Knight said. "You want to prolong the inevitable demise of Wyrmroost. You desire help finding the scepter. I have one proposal, by no means a certainty. As a rule, I avoid dragons, except to dispatch them. But there is one dragon at Wyrmroost who might be able to supply the information you need. Dromadus."
"Tell us about Dromadus," Kendra said.
"A former Dragon King."
"There were others?" Seth exclaimed.
"Several, over the millennia," the Somber Knight said. "Former Dragon Kings seldom survive the challenge that takes their crown. Dromadus was an anomaly. He stepped down without a fight. The only Dragon King to abdicate. The dragons considered it unspeakably shameful. Dromadus went from the pinnacle all the way to the bottom. I have never met him. But he was close to the wizards who established Wyrmroost. Dromadus may have knowledge of the hidden scepter."
"Doesn't Agad know?" Seth asked. "Or Marat?"
"No way," Kendra said. "They didn't know why the medallion was weak, or they would already be looking for the scepter."
"Agad became caretaker long after Wyrmroost was founded," the Somber Knight said. "He was the fourth caretaker. Wizards love their secrets. It is possible he never knew the medallion derived power from a hidden scepter. If he did know, then you were set up to become caretakers, and to discover this knowledge on your own, so you would be forced to decide how to proceed without external influence, thereby assuming responsibility for all the associated risks and perils."
"You're good with conspiracy theories," Seth said.
"I don't hide from unpleasant possibilities," the Somber Knight replied. "I embrace them. Some call it pessimism. I see it as an advantage."
"It's sombre at least," Kendra said. "How do we find Dromadus?"
"Should you choose to visit him, it will be at your own risk," the Somber Knight said. "I cannot guarantee your safety. An endorsement from me would harm your chances. I have slain too many of their kind for any dragon to trust me."
"Fair enough," Seth said. "Where do we go?"
"Have you a map?" the Somber Knight asked.
After a smug glance at Kendra, Seth removed a map from his satchel and unfolded it. The Somber Knight beckoned them closer. He used a finger to trace a road called the Winding Way away from Terrabelle. His finger left the road, sliding south, and then tapped a spot.
"You will find a grove of giant sequoias here," the Somber Knight said. "Descend through the trapdoor near the centre."
"And we'll meet Dromadus?" Seth asked.
"For better or for worse," the Somber Knight said.
"Isn't it dangerous to leave the road?" Kendra asked.
"It is dangerous to visit me," the Somber Knight said. "I have not heard a kind word in many years. Or seen a smile."
"We like you," Seth said, giving a big smile.
"I could slay you where you stand," the Somber Knight said. "I am an executioner, and you have come to my domain. This sword has tasted the blood of thousands."
"I'm trying to stay positive," Seth said, his smile faltering.
"This sanctuary is not a comfortable place for mortals," the Somber Knight said, "let alone for children. But you are burdened by duty. You came here for counsel. If you wish to stand against the Dragon King, finding the hidden scepter would help. You could get killed on the way to Dromadus. Upon arrival, Dromadus could harm or kill you, though of any dragon I know, he seems the least violent. Should you survive, you may not learn what you hope to know. If you do, you could perish searching for the scepter. You could also lose the scepter to the Dragon King and hasten the fall of Blackwell Keep."
"I think that covers all the terrible things that could happen," Seth said.
"Speaking broadly," the Somber Knight said. "It would be difficult to number every horrific way you could die."
"Cheerful," Seth said, using a pencil to mark the spot the Somber Knight had shown them on the map. "Thanks for the tip."
"Anything else we should remember?" Kendra asked.
The Somber Knight stood, towering over them, and raised his sword in front of his helmet. "In spite of your youth and the near certainty of failure, I salute your efforts to fulfil your responsibility to protect Wyrmroost."
Bringing a hand to his brow, Seth saluted back. "And we salute you for sitting here in the dark all these years waiting to help."
The Somber Knight gave a small bow, then sat back down on his throne. "Do not trouble yourselves about my plight. Mine has ever been a thankless post. Go, young ones. Travel well. Live as long as fortune permits."