Below you will find instructions on how to set the Chronometer to take you to September 24, 1940, at half past eight in the evening. If Coulter remains with you, he should be just old enough to reach that day. If not, you will have to find a willing participant of the appropriate age.
Should you elect to use the Chronometer to visit my time, do so in the attic. I look forward to perhaps seeing some of you again. I would be thrilled to discover that my advice is not required.
Yours always,
Patton Burgess
Kendra read the message to the others.
"If we ever needed advice from Patton, now would be the time," Grandpa said.
"You five go," Tanu suggested. "Patton will want to see his relatives. I can hold down the fort."
Coulter looked overjoyed. He had Kendra translate the Chronometer instructions and decipher the labels to the diagram. He kept smiling and nodding. Having spent months trying to figure out how to operate the Chronometer, he seemed to absorb the meaning of the instructions without hesitation, although to Kendra the directions sounded extremely confusing.
"The Chronometer is here in the attic," he said once Kendra had finished. "No time like the present, right?"
"I see no advantage in waiting," Grandpa agreed.
They passed out of the turret into the main part of the attic. Coulter retrieved the Chronometer, a golden orb etched with engravings and bristling with little buttons and dials. Coulter fiddled with the switches and dials, asking Kendra to retranslate a few instructions from the scroll. Applying the settings did not take him long.
"This should do it," Coulter announced. "Everyone who is coming needs to place a hand on the device. And I need to slide this lever, then flip this little switch."
Kendra felt her heart racing. This was all so sudden. Was she really about to see Patton again? Might he have advice that could help them out of their bleak predicament?
The others had placed their hands on the orb. Kendra added hers.
"Here goes nothing," Coulter said. He placed a finger on what looked like an embossed symbol, slid it along a groove, then toggled a tiny switch.
Kendra felt like somebody kicked her in the stomach. She doubled over, the air violently escaping her lungs. She looked up, unable to inhale. Coulter, Grandma, and Grandpa had collapsed to the attic floor, hands around their midsections. Warren crouched with his hands on his knees. She averted her eyes, because none of them had clothes on.
Coulter made a miserable croaking sound. Warren started coughing. Kendra let out a little burp, then found she could inhale again. Her temporary panic melted as her lungs continued to function.
A robe was gently placed over her shoulders from behind. Kendra turned. It was Patton, his hair white and wispy, his head liver-spotted, a roguish smile enlivening his withered face. A faint scar that Kendra did not recall slanted diagonally across his forehead. He seemed slimmer and shorter, his frail shoulders stooped.
"Just breathe, Kendra," he said, his voice familiar though less hearty. He gingerly patted her back.
Taking shuffling steps, Patton distributed soft white robes to the others. Warren helped Grandma and Grandpa arise. Coulter beamed as he accepted his robe. "Nice to see you again, Patton."
Patton nodded and shuffled over to a rocking chair. Kendra did not remember the chair, but was surprised by how similar the attic looked, still cluttered, although some of the items and containers looked less timeworn. Using the armrests to brace himself, Patton sat down carefully.
"Well, I know I'll be dead within a year," Patton said.
"What do you mean?" Warren replied.
Patton rubbed his nose with the back of a finger. "I update the scroll every year, pushing the date when you can visit closer to your time. Since you finally made an appearance, it means I've made my final update. I had hoped to reach one hundred. Nice round number. I suppose I can't complain. I'm glad I lived long enough for Coulter to bring you here. One less headache for you to worry about."
"A few more years and I could have brought us," Stan said.
"I didn't explain everything in the note," Patton said. He pulled out a pocket watch and a monocle, using the lens to check the time. Satisfied, he put them away. "We only have half an hour together. You'll notice that the Chronometer did not travel with you. In half an hour, if you stand in approximately the same spot where you entered this time, you will be drawn home to your proper era. If not, you'll become trapped in my time. If we need to talk longer, you'll have to come again. Coulter, that would mean giving knob C-5 three-quarters of a turn."
"Gotcha," Coulter said.
Patton leaned forward. "Let's get right into the serious stuff. Does the Sphinx have the Oculus?"
"Yes," Grandma said.
Patton scowled. "I knew I shouldn't have left it in Brazil. I debated about going after it, but I was already past my prime ... well, water under the bridge. At least in this time, the Sphinx does not have it yet, so we can converse with confidence. Does he have the Translocator?"
"We have it," Grandpa said.
Patton brightened. "You retrieved the key from Wyrmroost?"
"Wasn't easy," Warren said. "We have Kendra to thank more than anyone."
Patton regarded her warmly. "Well done, my dear. The Sphinx still has the Sands of Sanctity?"
"Right," Grandpa said.
"What about the Font of Immortality?"
"We're not sure," Grandma said. "We haven't been able to find the fifth secret preserve."
Patton scowled thoughtfully. "I never found the fifth preserve either. Or the Font of Immortality. You know, then. The Sphinx surely has been around a long time."
"You think he already has it?" Grandpa asked.
"Can't say for certain," Patton admitted. "That would be my best guess. I'm downright talented at finding things. But the fifth preserve and the Font of Immortality completely eluded me. In all my days, I never heard a believable rumor about either."
"The Sphinx captured Seth," Kendra said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Members of the Society grabbed him at Obsidian Waste. They also kidnapped my parents."
Patton sat up straighter. "Did your parents finally learn the truth about Fablehaven?"
"No," Grandpa said. "Apparently the Sphinx abducted them regardless."
Patton narrowed his eyes, fingers gripping the armrests of the rocker. "I would trade just about anything to have words with that maniac. I don't reckon wishing will do me much good. Do you know whether he has learned to use the Oculus effectively?"
"Yes," Kendra said. "At Wyrmroost, the Fairy Queen confirmed that she saw him using it. He needs assistance.
Someone else helps him free his mind from the grip of the Oculus when he wants to quit."
Patton gave a quick nod. He lowered his head, hands folded on his lap. For a moment, Kendra thought he had dozed off. Then he looked up. "If the Sphinx can use the Oculus, your plight is indeed dire. He will be very difficult to stop. The hardest part about opening Zzyzx is acquiring the necessary knowledge and locating the appropriate items. Mastery of the Oculus will lead the Sphinx to success."
"What can we do?" Grandpa asked.
"Guard the artifacts you have," Patton said. "There may be times when it would be prudent to use the Translocator, but not many. The Sphinx is patient and intelligent. If he anticipates a location you might visit using the Translocator, and manages to steal it, all is lost."
"Is there a better place to hide the artifacts than at Fablehaven?" Grandma asked.
"I don't like the idea of having two artifacts in the same place," Patton said. "But I like the idea of transporting them even less, especially since the Sphinx has the Oculus. The closest thing to a wizard I might trust is Agad at Wyrmroost. He understands the stakes. Some of you could get there instantaneously with the Translocator. Almost no location is as well defended as a dragon sanctuary. If all else fails, Wyrmroost might serve as a last resort. You'll have to apply your best judgment."
Patton studied their faces before going on. "In the event you lose all of the artifacts, you may need to know where to find Zzyzx. Are you aware of the exact location?"
Nobody responded at first, then Grandpa shook his head.
"Zzyzx is located in the Atlantic, on an island southwest of Bermuda. Shoreless Isle." He recited the latitude and longitude. "As you might imagine, it is nearly impossible to find. Hence the name. Massive distracter spells drive away attention, along with other defenses. Ships have a history of vanishing in that vicinity."
"The Bermuda Triangle," Coulter murmured.
"Have you been there?" Grandpa asked.
One corner of Patton's mouth quirked up into a lopsided smile. "Why would I go and do such a foolish thing? Unless there were a shrine to the Fairy Queen on that island, and I had decided to visit as many of her shrines as I could reach."
"Can you tell us anything useful about Shoreless Isle?" Grandma asked.
"Beautiful place," Patton said. "They should have chosen an uglier spot for the prison. Maybe the island was uglier back when the wizards founded it. What I saw was a waste of paradise. The island is bigger than you might guess. Zzyzx lies inside the central mountain, a huge dome of rock. The shrine is on the east side. Reaching the island can be problematic."
"How did you get there?" Kendra asked.
Patton regarded her with a twinkle in his eye. "A ghost ship. But that was a one-way trip, fraught with peril. I rode home on a giant bird."
"What kind of bird?" Coulter wondered.
"Something similar to a thunderbird," Patton said.
"Temperamental to ride, not highly recommended. I brought it with me on the ship."
"What else can you tell us?" Grandpa pursued.
"If the Sphinx has the Oculus, depending on his mastery and knowledge, sooner or later he'll be going after the Eternals. Have you caught wind of them yet?"
"The Eternals?" Warren asked.
"Five of them," Patton said. "One associated with each artifact. They are part of the lock that holds Zzyzx closed, debatably the final obstacle. They were once regular humans, but the wizards who founded Zzyzx made them virtually immortal. The artifacts can't open the prison until all five are dead."
"I've never heard of this," Grandpa said. "Not even a whisper."
"Me neither," Warren added, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"Took some digging," Patton said. "Serious digging. It is one of the secrets I never wrote about. Anonymity has historically been one of their best forms of protection."
"Does anybody know where they are?" Warren asked.
"Not likely. I tried to find them. I believe I met one in Japan, years ago. A man, middle-aged, always had an exotic bird with him. He could be anywhere now. But if the Sphinx searches for them with the Oculus, anonymity will no longer shield them. They must get behind sturdy walls."
"Is there any way we could find them without the Oculus?" Grandpa asked.
Patton shrugged. "It would be tough. The trail is cold.
You might pay the Singing Sisters a visit. Or take a stroll in the Hall of Whispers. Or try to get the Totem Wall to speak."
"The Singing Sisters?" Warren asked Grandpa dubiously. "The Hall of Whispers? Are those real?"
"Shady magic," Grandpa said. "The kind that usually comes with a steep price."
"I'm not claiming to have convenient solutions," Patton said. "You asked, I'm telling what I might try."
"How can they be killed?" Kendra asked. "You said the Eternals are nearly immortal."
"They don't age, they don't get sick, and they don't die easily," Patton said. "From what I understand, they are somehow connected to the magic of the artifacts, especially the Sands of Sanctity and the Font of Immortality. To slay them would require dragon breath, phoenix fire, a mortal wound from a unicorn horn, or some weapon of similar potency."
"Anything else to tell us about Zzyxz?" Grandpa probed.
Patton frowned. "Not right now. Come again if things get worse, and I might share a few truly desperate ideas. Hopefully we'll never have that conversation. Before you go, let's talk strategy. You have worked every angle to find Seth and his parents?"
"Everything," Grandpa said.
"Everything short of the Singing Sisters," Grandma added.
Patton shook his head. "Stan is right, the Sisters are dangerous and unreliable, a last resort. You have found no leads?"
"None," Warren said. "It's like they've fallen off the planet."
Patton scratched his cheek. "Ever get that secret out of Vanessa?"
Grandpa flushed slightly. "Not yet. She claims she'll reveal it soon."
"Until you have that secret, you have not exhausted all leads. Get her to talk. Kendra, have you spoken with the Fairy Queen lately?"
"The shrine at Fablehaven is ruined," Kendra reminded him.
"Might be time to find a shrine to visit," Patton said. "Even if it takes some effort. The Fairy Queen is a mortal enemy of the Demon King. This threat will get her attention. You are in need of allies. Who knows how she might be able to help? You mentioned she could perceive the Sphinx using the Oculus?"
"Right."
"That doesn't seem right," Patton said. "Even a powerful outside entity would normally have to be invited to connect to the Oculus. Using the Oculus would make the Sphinx vulnerable to powerful minds, but he would have to let down his guard for them to really gain access."