Master of the Phantom Isle Page 38
“Thinking about him again?” Bracken asked.
“I don’t know how to think about much else,” Kendra said. “It was the same with you.”
“The cyclopses sensed the appearance of a leviathan here at Timbuli,” Bracken said. “That had to be Seth’s doing.”
“I’m sure,” Kendra said. “But where did he go?”
“We’ll find him,” Bracken said.
“If he was on this island, why didn’t he come find me?”
“He was confused when I saw him,” Bracken said. “But he was still Seth. He’ll figure it out. If he doesn’t, we’ll help him.”
Kendra held up the crown. “Think your mom will be happy to see this?”
“I still can’t believe she gave it to you,” Bracken said. “I don’t even think it was the right choice.”
“You thought I would blow it?”
“No,” Bracken said. “But it was not a risk she should have taken for me or anyone.”
“Even though it worked?”
“Of course it seems brilliant now,” Bracken said. “But it embarrasses me that my mother took such a risk on my behalf. She endangered our entire realm.”
“It wasn’t just for you,” Kendra said. “We’re fighting a war against the dragons. Celebrant is free now. Who knows what he is doing? She didn’t want Crescent Lagoon to fall.”
“I know her,” Bracken said. “It was mostly about me. Kendra, I can still hardly believe you came for me. I barely know what to say. I owe you my life.”
Kendra smiled. “Anytime.”
When they reached the pool with the tiki statues, Kendra was surprised to find Baroi waiting. He raised a hand in greeting. “Hail, Kendra. Hail, Bracken.”
“Hi, Baroi,” Kendra said. “I thought you three never left the Grand Moai.”
“We are adjusting that stance,” Baroi said. “Our presence did not prevent the theft of the Sunset Pearl last time. We want to take more complete care of Timbuli.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kendra said.
“I came with a request for Bracken,” Baroi said.
“What do you need?”
“You are a unicorn.”
“Yes,” Bracken said.
“Ronodin corrupted one of the island’s sacred pools,” Baroi said. “We hope you will purify it.”
“That would be my honor,” Bracken said.
“Thank you,” Baroi said. “And Kendra, we have good news for you.”
“Tell me,” Kendra said.
“The pearl augments our sight,” Baroi said. “We reached out to see if anyone had knowledge of whether Seth may have left with the leviathan. His departure is confirmed.”
“That’s a relief,” Kendra said.
“A fairy witnessed the events,” Baroi said. “Seth had a tiny person in his pocket who matches the description of your missing nipsie.”
Kendra bumped the heel of her hand against her forehead. “Of course. Calvin must have gone to Seth when he was stuck to the mushroom! Why didn’t I see that?”
“The fairy also had a sense for where they might be going,” Baroi said.
“Really?” Kendra asked.
“Seth wrote four words in the sand before entering the leviathan,” Baroi explained.
“Entering?” Kendra asked.
“Leviathans are enormous,” Bracken said. “If a leviathan is friendly, large groups can travel comfortably inside of it.”
“What were the words?” Kendra asked.
“Calvin lives,” Baroi said. “Titan Valley.”
“The dragon sanctuary?” Kendra asked.
“Perhaps,” Baroi said. “Only those words were provided.”
“Titan Valley is one of the big three,” Bracken said. “Like Wyrmroost, it has a Dragon Temple.”
“I don’t remember where it is,” Kendra said.
“New Zealand,” Bracken said. “It is probably the most secure of all the dragon sanctuaries. Titan Valley has an extremely unconventional caretaker.”
“Who?” Kendra asked.
“The Giant Queen,” Bracken said.
“She’s one of the five monarchs,” Kendra said.
“We cyclopses acknowledge her as our sovereign,” Baroi said.
“And she is in charge?” Kendra asked.
“It is the largest of the preserves,” Bracken said, “serving as a dragon sanctuary and as the homeland of the giants.”
“That settles it,” Kendra said. “Let’s get this crown back to your mother. Then we need to figure out how to beat a leviathan to New Zealand.”
“That shouldn’t be hard,” Bracken said with a wink. “Titan Valley has a fairy shrine.”
“Another adventure,” Kendra said, steadying herself. “I can do this. I can’t rest until Seth is safe.”
“None of us will get much rest until we end this war with the dragons,” Bracken said.
Kendra shuddered. It was daunting to consider what could be happening out in the world, beyond the boundaries of Crescent Lagoon. What progress might Celebrant be making in his war? “We should consult with Andromadus before we go,” Kendra said. “And a member of Dragonwatch.”
“We’ll do all that,” Bracken said. “But it will take the leviathan time to reach New Zealand. You’ve been through so much. You’ve won some difficult victories. Crescent Lagoon is a fully functioning sanctuary, thanks to you. Seth is free from the Underking, and so am I. Today, we get to relax.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kendra said. “I get nervous around your mom.”
“Look what you’re holding,” Bracken said. “I think you can expect the royal treatment.”
Acknowledgments
I will never master writing a novel. Every new story presents unique problems to solve. This is my nineteenth novel, and, as usual, I faced several challenges I hadn’t encountered, including trying to inhabit the point of view of a character who has lost his memories. With two books left to write, I have a grand plan for Dragonwatch, and discovering how to best tell this tale will be an adventure. I am grateful to those who helped me improve this book.
My agent, Simon Lipskar, lent keen insight, and the brilliant editors Chris Schoebinger, Liesa Abrams Mignogna, and Emily Watts helped with much of the heavy lifting. I had intensive assistance from Erlyn Madsen, who gave me the most thorough and useful editing I ever received from a friend. I also got great ideas and reactions from Cherie Mull, Jason and Natalie Conforto, and Pamela Mull. Even though he is battling cancer, my uncle Tucker Davis offered lots of thoughtful feedback. I failed to mention in the previous book that Tuck made up the Wizenstone when my siblings and I were kids. It was kind of him to let me use the name in the story.
I owe a debt to Brandon Dorman for once again creating outstanding illustrations for the cover and interior, and to art director Richard Erickson from Shadow Mountain for working to get the look of everything just right. I also owe thanks to many others at Shadow Mountain for helping produce and market the book, including Ilise Levine, Rachael Ward, Troy Butcher, Callie Hansen, and Ali Nelson, and to the good team at Simon and Schuster, including Mara Anastas, Cassie Malmo, Caitlin Sweeny, Michelle Leo, Elizabeth Mims, and Alissa Nigro.
I also need to thank my assistant Rene Lindsey for her invaluable support, and my kids, who are understanding when Daddy has deadlines and events. My friends and family make me a fortunate man.
And, of course, I must thank you, the reader. When you purchase one of my books or recommend my stories to friends, teachers, and librarians, you help keep me employed and increase the chances for sequels to be written and for movies to be made. Also, when I meet you at events, it increases my motivation to share my stories. Thank you for your enthusiasm.
Concurrent with Master of the Phantom Isle, I am releasing a picture book called Smarter Than a Monster: A Surviva
l Guide for Young People, illustrated by the incredibly talented Mike Walton. The next novel I release will be Dragonwatch Book 4. If you are enjoying this series, I hope you already know that it is a sequel series to the Fablehaven books. Some of my other series would probably appeal to you as well, like Five Kingdoms and Candy Shop War.
I’m happy to have completed three of the five Dragonwatch books. I’ve already started work on the fourth, and I can’t wait to share the rest of the story!
Reading Guide
1. At the start of this book, Seth has lost his identity. If you knew you would lose your identity in a week, how might you try to prepare?
2. In this story, magical barrels are used to transport people instantly from one place to another. If you had a pair of magical barrels that could transport you back and forth between two locations, where would you place them? Why?
3. Tess received protection from magical creatures with the cloak of innocence. Name some ways innocence can be a protection in real life.
4. Why do you think Agad chose to surrender to Celebrant? Why did Kendra surrender? What else might they have done? Could any other option have yielded better results? Why or why not?
5. Andromadus taught Tess and Eve that mortals could cause magical creatures to change. What examples from this series or the Fablehaven books show magical creatures changing because they interacted with mortals? Have you ever been changed because you interacted with somebody else? Share an example.
6. After the Sunset Pearl was lost, the moai could be awakened by people offering the material possession they most treasured. What might you offer to revive a moai? Why do you treasure it?
7. The cyclopses were known to glimpse the future. If you could have them look into your future and see only one of three options—whom you will marry, how you will die, or who will win the next Super Bowl—which would you choose? Why?
8. What pressures kept Seth working with Ronodin? Why did Seth decide to rebel against the orders of the Underking? Could he have reached that conclusion earlier? If so, when?
9. If you had the Elixir of Dry Depths, where would you explore? What would be the dangers?
10. Why did Knox almost run away after he woke up in the razor coral? Why did he help Kendra instead? What would you have done in his circumstances? Explain.
11. Kendra used light to fight the Underking. Why do you think the Underking preferred to remain in darkness? What would be the advantages of wearing the Underking’s crown? What would be the disadvantages?
12. Why do you think Seth decided to set off alone (with Calvin) at the end of the story? What else could he have done?
13. Is this question unlucky to answer? Why or why not? Try this game of luck: Roll a die. Even number, your light beat the Underking. Odd number, the darkness overcame you. Now, try it five times in a row. How lucky or unlucky were you?
About the Author
Brandon Mull is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Fablehaven, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms series. A kinetic thinker, Brandon enjoys bouncy balls, squeezable stress toys, and popping bubble wrap. He lives in Utah in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his four children and a dog named Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brandon loves meeting his readers and hearing about their experiences with his books.
Contents
Under
Restless
Hero
Innocent
Jibarro
Defenses
Mortals and Magic
Threat
Liberation
Falling
Execution
Questions
Giant
Prisoner
Old Friends
Mission
Tree House
Landfall
Crypt
Triclops
Cyclopses
Heartstone
Shipwreck Key
Desperation Beach
Negotiations
Dry Depths
Merfolk
Remulon
Sage
Alone
Assignment
Wishing
Phantom Isle
Everbloom
Underking
Unicorns
Voyage
Victories
Acknowledgments
Reading Guide
About the Author