Seth's plan

  Seth stared out from the battlements atop the outer wall of Blackwell Keep at the dragons wheeling in the sky, their shadows fluttering across the ground. Enormous and fierce, any one of them would have sent the population of a village running for their lives. It was a sight he had hoped to enjoy ever since learning that dragons were real. At the battle of Zzyzx he had been too busy fighting demons to properly observe the colossal predators, and the dragons had departed soon after the combat ended.

  Today he could stare as long as he wanted. Eve would be so jealous.

  But he couldn’t really enjoy the experience.

  Henrick was trapped in the safe hut with the scepter. Nobody had a plan to get him out.

  Almost nobody.

  Seth had a really good idea.

  Even just thinking about the plan that was forming in his mind made Seth glance around guiltily. Grandpa and Grandma were not in sight. Neither was Kendra. Seth had deliberately separated himself from them.

  Placing his hands against the rough stone wall, he sighed.

  Grandpa wouldn’t like this plan. Neither would Grandma. Neither would Kendra. They would stop him if they knew what he wanted to do.

  Should he stop himself? Was he being reckless? Kendra seemed to think he followed any crazy thought that crossed his mind. But he was supposed to protect Wyrmroost. He was the caretaker. Doing that job wouldn’t always be safe. Getting the scepter in the first place had been extremely dangerous.

  The more Seth pondered his strategy, the more certain he became that his family would be wrong. They wouldn’t like it, but it should work.

  The plan would not put Kendra, Grandma, or Grandpa at risk. Not at all. And it might protect them. Seth would suffer the greatest risk by far. If anybody died, it would be him. Only one other person would really be exposed to danger.

  Seth wished he could pull this off alone. But there was no way to do it without one other person. And he would need a little extra help.

  He turned and looked down into the courtyard. Who could he trust? If somebody blabbed to Grandpa, he suspected his plan would never get implemented. He needed an accomplice who would carry out his orders quietly. Ideally, it would also be somebody who could confirm his strategy.

  Simrin was walking across the courtyard. Seth had noticed that she seemed very close to Marat. If Marat learned the plan, he could go to Grandpa. And that would be the end of the plan.

  Seth descended a staircase to the courtyard. As he reached the bottom, Brunwin, the reddish minotaur, exited a door on the far side.

  Bracken had described Brunwin as reliable but with a bad temper. Seth seldom saw him talking with others. Maybe the bad temper would help encourage the minotaur to take matters into his own hands to get the scepter.

  Unable to think of a better candidate, Seth hurried across the courtyard to Brunwin. “Can I ask you something?”

  The minotaur stopped and looked down at him. “You’re the boss. What is it?”

  “I know a way to help Henrick,” Seth said.

  “We’re trying to formulate a strategy,” Brunwin said. “I’m not sure there is any realistic way to succeed. Not with ten times our resources.”

  “If I figured out a way, would you keep it secret?” Seth asked.

  “Depends why you want it kept secret,” the minotaur replied.

  “Grandpa won’t like it,” Seth said. “Neither will Grandma or Kendra. They’d try to stop me. But I know it will work.”

  Brunwin snorted. “You think you can get to the safe hut and back?”

  “No,” Seth said. “But I think I know somebody who can.”

  “Really? Who?”

  “Will you keep it a secret?”

  “You’re the caretaker,” Brunwin said. “You can order me to keep it a secret.”

  “If I do, you can’t say anything?”

  “I could. But I’m supposed to follow orders, and I probably would do so. Who is it?”

  “A person who wouldn’t suspect he is at a dragon sanctuary,” Seth said. “If I sent someone like that, wouldn’t the treaty protect him?”

  “You’re talking about a mortal?”

  “Yes. A boy who has no idea that magical creatures are real.”

  Brunwin’s nostrils flared. “Well, if he had no suspicion there were dragons here, and he was only acting under your orders, yes, I suppose he would be protected. But if he caught on to what was really happening, he could be ripped to shreds.”

  “I don’t think he would catch on,” Seth said. “His imagination doesn’t work that way. What if he had the scepter?”

  “It’s neutral ground,” Brunwin said. “If he is oblivious to where he really is, following instructions in good faith, the boy should be protected, even with the scepter in hand, even against scores of dragons. Of course, that is all theory. Nobody has ever tested the treaty against so much power. And there is nobody here like the boy you describe.”

  “But there is back at Fablehaven.”

  Brunwin stared at him. Then he gave a nod. “If you give the boy his orders, the dragons could come after you across any boundary at Wyrmroost. Including into Blackwell Keep.”

  “I know,” Seth said. “I would have to run. Or fly, actually. Can you have one of the dwarfs ready Tempest?”

  Brunwin stared at him again. “Where could you hide?”

  “Let me worry about that,” Seth said. “I don’t want to say it out loud until the last minute. If the dragons cut me off, I’ll be a goner.”

  “Tempest is fast and skillful,” Brunwin said. “But dozens of dragons watch the keep. Chances are you won’t make it no matter where you go.”

  “I know,” Seth said. “I’m willing to risk it to save Henrick and protect the keep. If the keep falls, we all die. If the dragons get free, the whole world is in trouble. Even if the dragons get me, this should work. I have to try.”

  Brunwin rubbed his hands together. “Seth, this is by far the best solution I’ve heard. Ingenious, really. It could work. But the price could be steep. Are you sure?”

  “It’s my job to protect the sanctuary,” Seth said. “Help me do this.”

Chapter 25-Recruits