flourish too quickly. The surplus energy would be unmistakable. We should spread it among ourselves, then share just a little with the plants."
The surrounding fairies cheered, then closed in on the two brightest. Kisses were exchanged until all the fairies shone only mildly brighter than they had originally. "Have you any words for us?" Larina asked.
"Thank you for keeping my secret," Kendra said.
"You could make it an order in the name of the Queen," Yolie prompted.
"An order?"
"Sure, if you want the secret kept."
Several of the other fairies glared at Yolie. A few quivered with rage.
"Okay," Kendra said uncertainly. "I order you in the name of the Queen to keep my identity a secret."
"Is there anything else we can do for you?" Larina asked. "Life here is so frightfully tedious."
"I can always use information," Kendra said. "What do you know about the Captain of the Knights of the Dawn?"
"Knights of the Dawn?" Larina asked. "Who pays them any mind?"
"I promise the question is not trivial," Kendra said.
"We haven't paid enough attention to the Knights to know what you're asking," Larina apologized. "All we know about the Knights is that Wesley Fairbanks would trade all his wealth to be one."
"Are Mr. and Mrs. Fairbanks good people?" Kendra asked.
"As far as we can tell," Yolie said. "They treat us kindly and give us every possible consideration. Some of us have even condescended to speak with Marion in English on occasion."
"Do they know any secrets?" Kendra asked.
The fairies all looked at one another, as if hoping one of them might be aware of something. "I'm afraid not," Yolie finally said. "The couple knows little about our kind. We are simply wondrous novelties to them. Maybe we can put the word out to seek the identity of the Captain of the Knights of the Dawn."
"I'd appreciate it," Kendra said. "You don't happen to know anything about secret fairy preserves, do you?"
Kendra heard a door open behind her. Jumping and turning, she saw a figure in a cloak and a silver mask hurry to the screen door. Behind her mask, she licked her lips. Who could it be?
"Kendra?" asked Warren. "They want to issue your assignment."
"Okay," she said, whirling to face the fairies. "Secret preserves?"
"Sorry," Larina said. "We don't really know about secret preserves. Most of us are from the wild."
Warren held the screen open and Kendra exited. "Be glad you weren't spotted surrounded by chatty fairies," he said.
"It just sort of happened," Kendra apologized.
"Tanu and I saw you go out. We got into a conversation blocking the door. I kept an eye on you through the curtains. Learn anything?"
"Not much. Except that these fairies apparently didn't get the memo to give me the cold shoulder." Part of her wanted to say more, but only Grandpa, Grandma, Seth, and the Sphinx knew that Kendra was fairykind. Disclosing what the fairies had said about her being the Queen's handmaiden might give too much away. Most of her friends at Fablehaven thought that her abilities were a consequence of being fairystruck, which was somewhat less unheard of than her actual condition.
Nobody had become fairykind in more than a thousand years, so nobody could fill Kendra in on all the specifics. Although she knew it meant that the fairies had shared their magic with her in a way that caused it to dwell inside of her as it did in them, she had never heard herself referred to as the Queen's handmaiden, and was unsure what the expression meant. She knew being fairykind enabled her to see in the dark, understand languages related to Silvian, resist certain forms of mind control, recharge magical objects, and apparently transfer some of her energy to fairies. The Sphinx had implied that she probably had other abilities waiting to be discovered. Because her abilities could make her a target of people wishing to exploit her talents, Grandpa insisted on keeping her fairykind status a secret even from trusted friends.
Warren opened the door into the ballroom, where a tall, broad figure awaited. "Is everything all right?" Tanu asked. Warren nodded. He led Kendra across the crowded room and back into the grand hallway.
"Who's meeting with us?" Kendra asked.
"Your Lieutenant," Warren said. "The quick appointment must mean the mission is important. All of the Knights are eager to speak with the Captain and their Lieutenants."