Heir to Light | Fablehaven AU

XVI - old (and new) friends

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The day started out just like any other. But, Seth should have known  something was about to go terribly wrong. It always did. This was his  life, after all.

Warren, Vanessa, and Raxtus had left in the early  morning to scout ahead with plans to return in the evening. This had  left Kendra, Seth, Garreth, Eve, Ronodin, and Patton as sitting ducks.  Of course, it hadn't felt that way originally.

Originally, today  was just a day of rest to make up for the past five weeks of cutting  north in the freezing dead of the winter. Their shoes got wet from  stomping through snow, and everyday they tried to get closer to the  even-colder mountains where the Sphinx's ziggurat rose out of.

They  weren't heading for refuge, but danger. It was only going to get more  frigid, more gusty, and more inhospitable. Meanwhile, their supplies  dwindled as they met fewer towns along the way.

Up until recently,  futility had encapsulated the whole idea to rescue their grandparents.  They had received word early on via a fairy that Grandma and Grandpa  were indeed alive and at the Sphinx's ziggurat along with their company,  but the chances of a successful rescue mission were slim to none.

Then,  Ronodin came in. He had a fully up-to-date map of the ziggurat and  first-hand knowledge from a visit. He refused to share the reason why he  had been there, but Seth thought it had something to do with his  mysterious, powerful family.

Plus, Ronodin truly was a master of  the dark arts. That wasn't a bluff. He wielded shadows and frost and  fear like no one else Seth had ever met.

As Seth broke down his  tent, he turned over the current plan in his head. It involved stealth  and a small group to penetrate the ziggurat and retrieve the  grandparents without provoking attack.

It was too reliant on ideal conditions, which they didn't have.

Worry  occupied his thoughts which evaporated as Seth spotted Ronodin's  approach. The unicorn wore a mischievous smile. Uh oh. Despite being a  great advantage for their goals, the downside of Ronodin was that he  wouldn't stop pestering Seth.

"Garreth won't have a single sweet  conversation with me," Ronodin said as he observed Seth breaking his  tent down. Ronodin was supposed to be helping Garreth gather tinder for  the fire. "Especially on the topic of Kendra. Isn't that funny?"

Seth frowned and folded the tent fabric. "Don't get in between Kendra and Garreth. They're weird right now."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They haven't really spoken to each other since we left Terrabelle. Kendra will get angry if you ask."

"Well, now I'm excited to ask."

"You  know, Ronodin, sometimes being around you makes me feel like the more  mature, responsible one which is a really foreign feeling," Seth said.  He organized his tent sticks into a bundle. "Don't mess with her."

"You mess with Kendra."

"She's my sister. It's different. Don't you have siblings?"

Seth  kept his face non-chalant but he was always eager to hear tid bits of  Ronodin's personal life. The man kept it so close to his chest. Did he have siblings?