by Brandon Mull
willingly.
Lead him around the room, Tanu said.
Keeping hold of Warren's hand, Kendra led him around
the room. He followed wherever she went, taking shuffling
steps.
She didn't have to move his legs to get him walking,
Dale murmured to Tanu.
I noticed, Tanu replied. Kendra, lead him over to that
chair and have him sit. Keep hold of his hand.
Kendra did as instructed, and Warren complied
woodenly.
Tanu came and stood beside Kendra. Would you mind
giving Warren a kiss?
The thought of it made her feel shy, mostly because
Warren was nice-looking. On the lips?
Just a peck, Tanu said. Unless it makes you too
uncomfortable.
You think it might help him? she asked.
Fairy kisses have potent restorative powers, Tanu said.
I realize you're not a fairy, but they did work a change in
you. I want to see how he responds.
Kendra leaned in toward Warren. Her face felt warm.
She hoped desperately that she wasn't blushing. She tried to
think of Warren as a catatonic patient who needed a strange
cure, tried to make the kiss something detached and clinical.
But he was cute. It put her in mind of the crush she'd
had on a teacher, Mr. Powell, a couple of years ago.
How would she have felt about kissing Mr. Powell, had
circumstances ever called for it? About how she felt right
now. Secretly excited in a very embarrassing way.
They all crowded around as Kendra gave Warren a quick
peck on the lips. He blinked three times. His mouth
twitched. He tightened his grip on her hand for a moment.
He squeezed my hand, Kendra reported.
Tanu had Kendra stroke Warren's face and lead him
around some more. Whenever she stopped touching him, all
signs of life would vanish, but he never wept again.
Whenever they were in contact, he wore the smile, and
occasionally he made simple fidgety motions, like rubbing
his shoulder, although all his actions seemed to lack
deliberateness.
After having experimented with how Warren reacted to
Kendra for more than an hour, they stood outside, watching
the albino perform jerky jumping jacks. Dale got him going
by patiently moving his arms and legs until Warren began
repeating the action on his own. Warren was wearing the
sombrero. Dale had explained that Warren sunburned easily.
This is not what I expected, Tanu said. I'm hoping
this response to Kendra will help us as we seek a cure. It is
the first real breakthrough we've had so far.
What did those fairies do to me? Kendra asked.
Nobody has been fairystruck in a long time, Kendra,
Tanu said. We know of it-we don't know much about it.
What about when the fairies attacked Seth? she asked.
Was he fairystruck then?
That's different, Tanu said. Fairies use their magic all
the time, sometimes for mischief, sometimes to beautify a
garden. Being fairystruck is when fairies mark you as one of
their own and share their power with you. We can't even be
sure that is what happened to you, but the evidence looks
very suspicious. The Sphinx should be able to tell you
more.
I hope someone can, Kendra said.
You really think this is a breakthrough? Dale asked.
Figuring out what Warren's condition is, and what variables
affect that condition, will be the key to curing it,
Tanu said. What happened here today is a big step in the
right direction.
He'll just keep doing jumping jacks forever? Seth
asked.
Eventually he'd collapse, I guess, Dale said.
Otherwise, he'll go until I stop him.
You just leave him out here alone? Kendra asked.
Many nights I stay with him, Dale said. Some nights
Hugo watches over him. An interesting consequence of his
condition is that the creatures of Fablehaven never come
near him, even when I bring him outside. Foul or fair, they
keep their distance. Of course, I'm out here every day, to
check on him and feed him and see to his hygiene.
If we were all quiet, couldn't we find him a room back
at the house? Kendra asked.
I take him there from time to time, like on his birthday.
But he never seems comfortable. He curls up more, goes limp
more. Out here he seems more peaceful. This is where he
stayed before it happened.
He lived out here even before he became albino? Seth
asked.
Dale nodded. Warren enjoyed his privacy. Unlike me,
he was never a permanent fixture at Fablehaven. He came
and went. He was an adventurer, like Tanu here, or Coulter,
or Vanessa. He belonged to a special brotherhood-the
Knights of the Dawn. It was all very hush-hush. They
worked to combat the Society of the Evening Star. The last
time Warren visited, he stayed for quite a while. He was on
some sort of secret mission. He didn't tell me the details; he
was always tight-lipped about his assignments until after the
fact. I have no idea if it had anything to do with what turned
him white. But he was as good a brother as a guy could hope
for. Never hesitated to help me out. Now I get to return the
favor, make sure he gets exercise, eats right, stays healthy.
Kendra watched Warren performing his awkward jumping
jacks in the absurd sombrero. He was sweating. It was
heartbreaking to picture him as an intelligent adventurer
fulfilling dangerous assignments. Warren was no longer that
person.
Want to see something nice? Dale asked, apparently
trying to change the subject.
Sure, Kendra said.
Follow me up to the belvedere, Dale said over his
shoulder.
Leaving Tanu with Warren, Dale led Kendra and Seth
back into the cabin and up the ladder to the loft. From the
loft, he led them up a second ladder through a hatch in the
ceiling. They came out on the roof of the cabin, on a small
platform with a low railing. The platform was high enough
to see over the nearest treetops down the slope from the
cabin, which extended their view quite a distance. The hill
was not terribly high, but it was the highest point in the
area.
It's beautiful, Kendra said.
Warren used to like to come up here and watch the
sunset, Dale said. It was his favorite place to think. You
should see it in the fall.
Isn't that where the Forgotten Chapel used to be? Seth
asked, pointing to a lower hill not far away, brilliant with
flowers and blossoming shrubs and fruit trees.
Good eyes, Dale said.
Kendra recognized the place as well. Up until they had
veered off onto the cart track that brought them to the
cabin, she knew they had been walking along the same path
Hugo had taken them down when they went to rescue
Grandpa the previous summer. Her army of fairies had leveled
the chapel when they defeated and imprisoned
Bahumat and Muriel. Then the fairies had mounded up t
he
surrounding earth over the spot the chapel had occupied and
made it bloom as brightly as the gardens back at the house.
Must look better now without that moldy old church,
Seth said.
The chapel had a certain charm, Dale said. Especially
from a distance.
I'm getting hungry, Seth grumbled.
Which is why we brought food, Dale replied. And
there is more in the cupboards. Let's go fetch Tanu and
Warren. I bet my brother has worked up an appetite.
What'll you do if you can't find a way to cure him?
Seth asked.
Dale paused. I'll never know that day has come,
because I'll never stop trying.
The Dungeon
The next morning, Kendra, Seth, Grandpa, Grandma,
and Tanu sat around the kitchen table eating breakfast.
Outside, the sun was rising on a clear, humid day.
What are we doing today? Seth asked, using his fork to
chop up his omelet.
Today you're going to stay here at the house with me
and your grandmother, said Grandpa.
What? Seth cried. Where's everybody going?
And what are we? Grandpa asked.
I mean, where are the others going? Seth restated.
This omelet is delicious, Grandpa, Kendra said after
swallowing a mouthful.
I'm glad you're enjoying it, my dear, Grandpa replied
with dignity, shooting a glance at Grandma, who pretended
not to notice.
They have some unpleasant business to attend to,
Grandma told Seth.
You mean awesome business, Seth accused, whirling
on Tanu. You're ditching us? What was all that about teamwork
yesterday?
Keeping you and your sister safe was one of our goals,
Tanu replied calmly.
How are we ever supposed to learn anything if you only
let us do wimpy stuff? Seth complained.
Coulter entered the room holding a walking stick. The
top of the stick was forked and strung with an elastic strap
that turned it into a slingshot. You don't want to come
where we're going today, he said.
How do you know? Seth said.
Because I don't want to come, Coulter said. Omelets?
Who made omelets?
Grandpa, Kendra said.
Coulter suddenly looked cautious. What is this, Stan?
Our last meal?
I just wanted to lend a hand in the kitchen, Grandpa
said innocently.
Coulter eyed Grandpa suspiciously. He must love you
kids, Coulter finally said. He's been exploiting those broken
bones to stay as far from chores as possible.
I'm not okay with being left behind, Seth reminded
everyone.
We're going to an unmapped portion of Fablehaven,
Tanu explained. We're not sure what to expect, except that
it will be dangerous. If all goes well, we'll bring you next
time.
You think the relic might be hidden there? Kendra
asked.
It is one of several possible places, Tanu said. We
expect to find the relic in one of the less hospitable areas of
the preserve.
All we'll probably find are hobgoblins, fog giants, and
blixes, Coulter spat, taking a seat at the table. He shook
some salt into his palm and tossed it over his shoulder, then
rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. The motions seemed
automatic.
Vanessa strolled into the room. I have some unhappy
news, she declared. She wore a U.S. Army T-shirt and black
canvas pants, and had her hair tied back.
What? Grandma asked.
My drumants got loose last night, and I only recaptured
a third of them, Vanessa said.
They're loose in the house? Grandma exclaimed.
Coulter jabbed his fork toward Vanessa accusingly. I
told you no good would come from bringing that menagerie
indoors.
I can't imagine how they got out, Vanessa said. I've
never had trouble like this before.
You obviously weren't bitten, Tanu said.
Think again, Vanessa replied, holding up her arm and
displaying three pairs of puncture wounds. More than
twenty bites, all over my body.
How are you still alive? Grandpa said.
These were a special strain of drumants I bred myself,
Vanessa said. I've been experimenting with eliminating the
toxicity of venomous whirligigs.
What's a whirligig? Kendra asked.
And what's a drumant? Seth added.
Any magical animal of subhuman intelligence is a
whirligig, Grandma explained. It's jargon.
Drumants look kind of like tarantulas with tails, Tanu
said. Very furry. They hop around, and can warp light to
distort their location. You think you see one, and you go to
grab it, but you only touch an illusion, because the drumant
is actually two or three feet away.
They're nocturnal, Grandpa said. Aggressive biters.
They normally wield a deadly poison.
Somehow the door to the cage got open, Vanessa said.
All nineteen escaped. When I woke up, they were all over
me. I managed to catch six. The rest scattered. They're in
the walls by now.
Six of nineteen is less than a third, Coulter pointed
out while chewing.
I know I shut and locked the cage, Vanessa said firmly.
To be plain, if I were anywhere else, I would suspect foul
play. Nobody knew those drumants weren't poisonous. If
they had been, I would be dead right now.
An awkward silence stretched out.
Grandpa cleared his throat. In your shoes, regardless of
where I was, I would suspect sabotage.
Kendra stared at her plate. Had one of the people eating
breakfast with her just tried to kill Vanessa? Certainly not
her or Grandpa or Grandma or Seth! Tanu? Coulter? She
didn't want to make eye contact with anybody.
Could an outsider have sneaked in? Vanessa said. Or
could someone have escaped the dungeon?
Not likely, Grandpa said, wiping his hands on a napkin.
Brownies and mortals are the only beings permitted to
enter this house freely. Brownies would never cause mischief
like that. Besides Dale and Warren, the only mortals free to
roam this preserve are in this room. Dale stayed at the cabin
last night. Any other mortals would have to get past the gate
before they could get to the house, and getting past the gate
is nearly impossible.
Somebody could have been hiding on the grounds for
a long time, and waited until now to strike, Coulter
theorized.
Anything is possible, Vanessa said. But I would swear
that I left that cage locked. I haven't opened it in three
days!
Nobody saw anything peculiar last night? Grandpa
asked, fixing his stare on everyone in turn.
I wish I had, Tanu said.
Not a thing, Coulter murmured, narrow eyes
thoughtful.
Kendra, Seth, and Grandma shook their heads.
Well, until we find out more, we have to consider this
an accident, Grandpa said. But be doubly vigilant. I have a
hunch that several pieces are missing from this puzzle
.
None of the drumants were poisonous? Grandma
asked.
None, Vanessa said. They'll be a nuisance, but they
won't cause any lasting harm. I'll put out traps. We'll get
them rounded up. If you sprinkle sawdust and garlic on your
sheets, it should help keep them away.
Might as well add some broken glass while we're at it,
Coulter grumbled.
With all these drumants loose, Seth said, maybe we'd
be safer going with you guys today.
Nice try, Kendra said.
Ruth will keep you entertained, Grandpa said.
I have some fascinating things to show you, Grandma
agreed.
Cool things? Seth asked.
You'll think so, Grandma promised.
Vanessa pulled a white mesh fabric from her pocket. I'll
leave a few of these around the house. If you spot a drumant
… She tossed the fabric and it fell to the floor like a parachute,
spreading to cover nearly an eight-foot diameter.
The lump will tell you where the little rascal is actually hiding.
Use the surrounding mesh to scoop him up. If he tries
to hop away, he'll just get tangled. Might take a little practice,
but it works. Don't just take a swat at them or try to
pick them up with your bare hands.
No worries about that, Kendra said. Do you have
other animals, too?
Several varieties, yes, Vanessa said.
Are any of them poisonous? Kendra asked.
None are lethal. Although some of my salamanders
could put you to sleep. I use their extracts for my darts.
Darts? Seth asked, perking up.
For my blowgun, Vanessa said.
Seth was practically jumping out of his seat. I want to
try it!'
All in due time, Vanessa said.
The air felt significantly cooler at the bottom of the long
flight of steep stairs to the basement. The iron door looked
ominous at the end of the gloomy corridor, illuminated only
by the flashlight Grandma Sorenson carried. At the base of
the door was the smaller portal the brownies used, matching
the other tiny portal in the door at the top of the stairs.
The brownies get in and out through the dungeon?
Seth asked.
Yes, Grandma replied. At least one visits every night,
to see if we left anything for them to fix.
Why don't you let the brownies do all your cooking?
Kendra asked. They make tasty food.
Delicious, she agreed. But no matter what ingredients
we leave, they try to make everything into a dessert.
Sounds good to me, Seth said. Have the brownies