Also by Brandon Mull
Series:
Fablehaven
The Candy Shop War
Beyonders
Five Kingdoms
Dragonwatch
Books:
The Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven
Fablehaven Book of Imagination
Spirit Animals: Wild Born
Smarter Than a Monster
© 2020 Brandon Mull
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Shadow Mountain®, at permissions@shadowmountain.com. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Shadow Mountain.
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Visit us at shadowmountain.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
(CIP data on file)
ISBN 978-1-62972-788-2
eISBN 978-1-62973-953-3 (eBook)
Printed in the United States of America 7/2020
LSC Communications, Crawfordsville, IN
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover illustration by Brandon Dorman
Book design © Shadow Mountain
Art direction: Richard Erickson
Design: Sheryl Dickert Smith
Author photo by Busath Photography
For my extraordinary Rose—I adore you now and always
Contents
Paradise
Landfall
Danger
Disaster
Troll Tavern
Departure
Dante
Giant Queen
Presence
Giselle
Green Ogres
Dectus
Humburgh
Giant Killer
Virgil
Waystar
Entry Tokens
Stratos
Arena
Madam Ladonna
Below the Floor
Crystal Hollow
Messenger
Mystery
Diviner
Asleep
Reunited
True Game
Ptolemy
Mission Accomplished
Serena
Curse
Cloudburst
Reliquary
Jinzen
Unforgiving Blade
Pioleen
Wings
Velrog
Second Storm
Harp of Ages
Treasury
Awakened
Old Debt
Acknowledgments
Note to Readers
Reading Guide
About the Author
Twisting supports of gleaming adamant buttressed the crystal towers of the Fairy Queen’s palace. The fanciful structure seemed less like it had been built, more like it had grown and then been hollowed out by the elements. Rooms tapered and curved unpredictably, delicate bridges connected unexpected terraces, and rounded corridors wound like elaborate root systems.
Kendra walked along a pale hallway that might have been carved by wind or water. At her side, Bracken strolled with the relaxed ease of being at home. Less than a day ago, they had traveled through the fairy shrine at Crescent Lagoon and entered the protected realm of the Fairy Queen—one of the five known monarchs of the magical world.
Kendra felt like a foreigner. The women here were tall, slender specimens of ethereal beauty, garbed in artful collages of fallen leaves or masterpieces woven by silkworms. Men were sparse, though she saw an occasional astrid, golden wings tucked behind polished armor.
Bracken had exuded an extra glow since they entered the Fairy Realm, as if his body could barely contain the brightness within. He was always dashing, but at the moment he appeared particularly breathtaking—his fair skin and tousled white hair looked best suffused with light. If Kendra hadn’t already known him, she might have suspected he was an angel.
“It looks more complete than last time,” Kendra remarked as they passed a wide window, trying not to focus helplessly on Bracken’s irresistible appearance.
The fairies were rebuilding their realm within the space that had formerly served as the demon prison, after having lured the demons into their former homeland. When Kendra had last visited this domain, the trees and bushes had looked younger and had not yet spread to cover so much of the landscape. Kendra knew fairies could encourage vegetation to flourish, but the abundant fields of flowers and the mature forests still took her by surprise.
“We have more work to do,” Bracken said. “But the palace is done for now, and much of the filth left by the demons has been expunged. I expect Mother will provide a full update.”
Kendra held up the jeweled circlet in her hands. “She’ll be happy to see this.”
“I still can’t believe she loaned you her crown,” Bracken said.
“It was so I could rescue you,” Kendra said.
“She has left me to languish in prison before,” Bracken said. “The dangers of the dragon war to the Fairy Realm must be significant. Otherwise she would not have taken such a risk.”
Kendra noticed that the palace almost totally lacked doors. Rather, the windings of passageways or freestanding partitions helped differentiate rooms. At the end of one meandering hall, Kendra and Bracken walked around an intricately painted screen and into a tremendous open area. Translucent walls sloped away to outrageous heights and distances.
Though it was daytime outside, this room felt like twilight. Before Kendra was a still, reedy pond bordered by a grassy field and a wood where stately trees with silver trunks were clad in gilded leaves. She smelled blossoms, sap, and wet earth.
“Are we still inside the castle?” Kendra asked.
Bracken laughed gently. “This palace contains several rooms that are much larger than they should be.”
“Huge spaces inside small containers,” Kendra mused. “The Fairy Queen will meet us here?”
“Far from the throne room,” Bracken said. “Mother prefers to hold significant meetings away from formality.”
“I’m surprised she allowed me to come to the palace,” Kendra said.
“You have her crown,” Bracken said.
“Some of the fairies gave me looks,” Kendra said.
“They’re burning with envy,” Bracken said.
“Because I’m with you,” Kendra said.
“They can’t help feeling respect,” Bracken replied. “To be entrusted with the crown makes you utterly unique. Some might even wonder if they have a new queen.”
Kendra heard a rustle in the dimness at the edge of the wood, and an elegant unicorn emerged, glowing like moonlight as it paced toward the reedy pond. At the edge of the pond, the unicorn bent forward to drink, the tip of the horn sending concentric ripples across the previously glassy surface.
When the unicorn turned from the water, she was the Fairy Queen, an exquisite fairy more than a head taller than Kendra. Her silver and white wings spread behind her for a moment, like a peacock making a grand display, and then folded to vanish behind her graceful shoulders.
“You have wings?” Kendra asked.
“When I so choose,” the Fairy Queen said.
The aromas in the room intensified. Kendra became more acutely aware of the fresh water in the pond, the sap inside the trees, the minerals in the soil, and the perfume of the blossoms.
“My faith in you was justified,” the Fairy Queen said as she came around the pond toward Kendra, bare feet treading on rich mud without becoming dirty. Little green sprouts and shoots started worming up from the ground wherever her soles had touched.
“Hello, your majesty,” Kendra said, dropping to one knee.
“Rise, my child,” the Fairy Queen said. She held out her arms to
