by Brandon Mull
beats me.
Would you like to serve the ball?
Sure.
He gave her the bright yellow ball. She put her left hand
on the handle that controlled the goalie, dropped the ball
into the slot with her right, and started wildly spinning her
nearest Indians as it rolled across the center of the table. The
Sphinx controlled his cowboys with more calm, using quick,
precise jabs to counter Kendra's reckless spinning. It was not
long before Kendra scored the first goal.
Well done, he said.
Kendra marked the goal by sliding a bead along a bar at
her end of the table. The Sphinx took the ball out of his
goal and served it through the slot. The ball rolled to his
men. He passed it up to his front row of cowboys, but the
Indian goalie blocked the shot. The Indians spun madly,
mercilessly pounding the ball at the cowboys until they
scored a second goal.
The Sphinx slid the ball into the slot. Her confidence
boosted, Kendra attacked even more aggressively with her
Indians, and ended up winning the game five goals to two.
I feel like General Custer, the Sphinx said. Well
played. Can I offer you something to drink? Apple juice?
Cream soda? Chocolate milk, perhaps?
Cream soda sounds good, Kendra said. She was feeling
more at ease after trouncing him.
Excellent choice, the Sphinx said. He opened a freezer
and withdrew a frosty mug with ice in it. From a small refrigerator
he removed a brown bottle, uncapped it with a little
tool, and poured the yellow soda into the mug. It was surprisingly
foamy. Please, sit down. He nodded to a pair of
chairs facing each other with a low table in between.
Kendra took a seat and the Sphinx handed her the mug.
Her first few sips were all froth. When she finally reached
the soda, it was a perfect mix of sweet, creamy, cool, and
bubbly. Thanks, this is delicious, she said.
The pleasure is mine. A miniature gong sat on the
table between them. The Sphinx tapped it with a small
hammer. While the gong vibrates, none can overhear our
conversation. I have at least part of the answer you came
here seeking. You are fairykind.
I am very kind?
Fairy… kind, he said, enunciating carefully. It is
written all over your countenance, woven into your speech.
What does that mean?
It means that you are unique in all the world, Kendra.
In my long years and many travels, I have never met anyone
who was fairykind, though I am familiar with the signs and
see them expressed plainly in you. Tell me, did you sample
the elixir you prepared for the fairies?
There was a hypnotic gravity to his voice. Kendra felt
like she had to snap out of a trance in order to answer the
question. Yes, actually, I did. I was trying to convince them
to try it.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showing dimples
in his cheeks. Then perhaps you gave them an incentive,
he said. They had to either make you fairykind or watch
you die.
Die?
The elixir you ingested is fatal to mortals. You would
have eventually suffered a torturous death had the fairies not
chosen to share their magic with you.
The fairies cured me?
They changed you, so that you no longer required
curing.
Kendra stared at him. People have said I was fairystruck.
I have met individuals who were fairystruck. It is a rare
and extraordinary occurrence. This is much more rare, and
much more extraordinary. You have been made fairykind. I
do not believe it has happened in more than a thousand
years.
I still don't understand what it means, Kendra said.
Neither do I, not entirely. The fairies have changed
you, adopted you, infused you with their magic. A semblance
of the magical energy that naturally dwells in them now
dwells in you. The diverse effects that could flow from this
are difficult to anticipate.
That's why I don't need the milk to see anymore?
And why Warren found himself drawn to you. And
why you understand Goblush, along with, I imagine, the
other tongues derived from Silvian, the language of the
fairies. Your grandfather has been in touch with me regarding
the new abilities you have been manifesting. The
Sphinx leaned forward and tapped the little gong with the
hammer again.
Kendra took another sip from her mug. This morning,
Coulter was showing us a ball protected by a distracter spell.
Seth couldn't pick it up; he kept losing focus and getting
redirected someplace else. But it didn't work on me. I could
grab it just fine.
You have apparently developed resistance to mind control.
Kendra wrinkled her brow. Tanu gave me a potion that
made me feel ashamed, and it worked just fine.
The potion would have been manipulating your emotions.
Mind control functions differently. Pay close attention
to all the new abilities you discover. Report them to your
grandfather. Unless I am mistaken, you are only beginning
to scratch the surface.
The thought was thrilling and terrifying. I'm still a
human, right?
You are something more than human, the Sphinx said.
But your humanity and your mortality remain intact.
Are you a human?
He smiled, his teeth shockingly white in contrast to his
black skin. I am an anachronism. A holdover from long-forgotten
times. I have seen learning come and go, empires
rise and fall. Consider me your guardian angel. I would like
to conduct a simple experiment. Do you mind?
Is it safe?
Completely. But if I am right, it could provide the
answer to why the Society of the Evening Star has shown
such interest in you.
Okay.
A pair of short copper rods rested on the table. The
Sphinx picked up one and handed it to Kendra. Hand me
the other one, the Sphinx said. After Kendra complied, he
held his rod in both hands, one at each end of the rod.
Hold your rod like me, he instructed.
Kendra had been holding the slender rod in one hand.
The instant her other hand touched it, she felt a sensation
like she was falling backwards through the chair. And then
it passed. And she was inexplicably sitting where the Sphinx
had been sitting, and he was seated in her chair. They had
instantaneously switched places.
The Sphinx released one hand from the rod and then
grabbed it again. The moment his hand came back into contact
with the rod, Kendra felt her insides lurch again, and
suddenly she was sitting back in her former chair.
The Sphinx set the rod down on the table, and Kendra
did likewise. We teleported? Kendra asked.
The rods enable users to trade locations over short distances.
But that is not what makes what happened unusual.
Those rods have been dead for decades, useless, drained of
all energy. Your touch recharged them.
Really?
Fairykind are known to radiate magical energy in a
unique way. The world is full of burned-out magical tools.
Your touch would revitalize them. This amazing ability alone
would make you tremendously valuable to the Society of the
Evening Star. I wonder how they know. An educated guess,
perhaps?
Do they have a lot of things that need recharging?
The Sphinx tapped the gong again. No doubt, but
I refer more directly to the five hidden artifacts your
grandparents told you about. The ones on the five secret
preserves. If any of them lie dormant, as is likely, your touch
would reactivate them. All five would have to be functional
in order for the Society to achieve their goal of opening
Zzyzx and freeing the demons. Without your gift, reactivating
talismans of such monumental power would be most difficult.
Here's what I don't get, Kendra said. Why have keys
to the prison? Why not make a demon prison without keys?
The Sphinx nodded as if he approved of the question.
There is a fundamental principle of magic that applies to
many other things as well: Everything with a beginning has
an ending. Any magic that can be done, can be undone.
Anything you can make, can be unmade. In other words,
any prison you can create, can be destroyed. Any lock can
be broken. To construct an impenetrable prison is impossible.
Those who have tried have invariably failed. The
magic becomes unstable and unravels. If it has a beginning,
it must have an end.
The wise learned that rather than attempting to make a
prison impenetrable, they should focus on making it extraordinarily
complicated to open. The strongest prisons, like
Zzyzx, were crafted by those who understood that the goal
was to make them nearly impenetrable, as close to perfect as
possible without crossing the line. Because there is a way to
open Zzyzx, the magic that holds the demons bound remains
potent. The principle sounds simple, although the details
become quite complicated.
Kendra shifted in her seat. So if the Society just
destroyed the keys, would that unravel the magic and open
the prison?
Nimble thinking, the Sphinx said, dark eyes twinkling.
Three problems. First, the keys are virtually
indestructible-note that I say virtually; they were made by
the same experts who created the prison. Second, if my
research is correct, a fail-safe would cause any destroyed key
to be reconstituted in a different form in an unpredictable
location, and that process could go on almost indefinitely.
And third, if the Society were somehow to free the demons
by permanently destroying an artifact, they would become
victims like the rest of humanity. The Society must parley
with the demons before their release in order to obtain any
measure of security, which means they must open the prison
properly rather than simply undermine the magic that
upholds it.
Kendra drank the last of her cream soda, ice tumbling
against her lips. So they can't succeed without the artifacts.
Therefore we must keep the artifacts from them. Which
is easier said than done. One of the great virtues of the
Society is patience. They make no rash moves. They
research and plan and prepare. They wait for the ideal
opportunities. They understand that they have an unlimited
amount of time in which to succeed. To them, it is the same
to achieve their aims in a thousand years as it would be to
triumph tomorrow. Patience mimics the power of infinity.
And nobody can win a staring contest with infinity. No matter
how long you last, infinity is just getting started.
But they aren't infinity, Kendra said.
The Sphinx blinked. True. And so we attempt to equal
their patience and diligence. We do our best to stay far
ahead of them. Part of that means moving an artifact once
they learn its location, as we fear has happened with the
artifact at Fablehaven. Otherwise, somehow, sometime, they
will exploit a mistake and lay hands on it.
Grandpa mentioned another endangered artifact, in
Brazil.
Some of my best people are working on it. I believe the
artifact remains on the fallen preserve, and I believe we will
retrieve it first. He threw up his hands. If the Society manages
to recover it, we will have to steal it back.
The Sphinx gazed at Kendra with fathomless eyes.
Kendra looked away. What letter of mine did you read? he
finally asked.
Letter?
All of my letters carry enchantments. They leave a
mark upon those who read them surreptitiously. You bear the
mark.
At first Kendra had no idea what he was talking about.
When would she have read a letter from the Sphinx? Then
she remembered the letter she had read last summer while
Grandpa was sleeping after staying up late with Maddox. Of
course! It had been signed S. For Sphinx!
It was a letter you sent Grandpa last year. He accidentally
left it out in the open. You were warning him about the
Society of the Evening Star. I read it because I thought it
might have something to do with my grandma. She was
missing.
Be glad you did not read it with malicious intent. The
letter would have turned into a toxic vapor. He folded his
hands on his lap. We are nearly finished. Have you any
final questions for me?
Kendra frowned. What do I do now?
You return to your grandfather with the knowledge that
you are fairykind. You do your part to keep Fablehaven safe
while the artifact is recovered. You take note of any new
abilities. You counsel with your grandparents as needed. And
you take comfort in the fact that you now know why the
Society is interested in you.
He placed a single finger beside his temple. One last
thought. Though secret, and in many ways quiet, the
struggle between the Society of the Evening Star and those
who manage the preserves is of desperate importance to the
whole world. Whatever the rhetoric on both sides, the problem
boils down to a simple disagreement. While the
Conservators' Alliance wants to preserve magical creatures
without endangering humanity, the Society of the Evening
Star wants to exploit many of those same magical creatures
in order to gain power. The Society will pursue its ends at
the expense of all humankind if necessary. The stakes could
not be higher.
The Sphinx stood up. You are an extraordinary young
lady, Kendra, with immeasurable potential. The day may
come when you want to deliberately explore and channel
the power the fairies have granted you. On that day, it would
be my pleasure to offer guidance and instruction. You could
become a powerful adversary of the Society. I hope we can
count on your assistance in the future.
Okay, wow, thanks, Kendra said. I'll do all I can.
He extended a hand toward t
he door. Good day, my
new friend. Your brother can come see me now.
Seth reclined on a beanbag, staring at the ceiling.
Grandma sat on a nearby couch, leafing through a thick
book. It seemed like all he ever did lately was wait. Wait for
somebody to take him into the woods. Wait for the car ride
to be over. Wait while Kendra talked forever with the
Sphinx. Was the purpose of life learning to endure boredom?
The door opened and Kendra emerged. Your turn, she
said.
Seth rolled off the beanbag and stood up. What's he
like?
He's smart, Kendra said. He said I'm fairykind.
Seth cocked his head. Very kind?
Fairy… kind. The fairies shared their magic with me.
Are you sure, dear? Grandma said, one hand over her
heart.
That's what he said, Kendra shrugged. He acted sure.
Seth tuned them out and hurried over to the door. He
opened it and shoved through the curtain into the room.
The Sphinx stood leaning against the Foosball table. Your
sister tells me you are quite the Foosball player.
I'm okay. I don't own my own table or anything.
I do not play often. Would you care to try your hand
against me?
Seth surveyed the table. I want to be cowboys.
Good. They were unlucky for me against your sister.
Are you really part lion?
You mean, am I appearing to you as an avatar? I will tell
you if you win. Would you care to serve?
Seth grabbed the handles. You can.
As you wish. The Sphinx pushed the ball through the
slot. The cowboys started spinning frantically. The Sphinx
got control of the ball, nudged it sideways about an inch,
and, with a flick of his wrist, blasted it into Seth's goal.
Wow! Seth said.
Your serve.
Seth put the ball in play. Flailing with his cowboys, he
knocked it all the way to the Sphinx's goalie. Using controlled
movements, the Sphinx passed the ball across the
table, from row to row, until he slammed it into Seth's goal
from a tricky angle.
You're amazing! Seth said. Did you say Kendra beat
you?
Your sister needed confidence. Yours is a different problem.
Plus there is no chance of me telling you my secret
unless you earn it. Seth put the ball back in play, and the
Sphinx swiftly scored again. The same thing happened two
more times, the final point coming from a shot that put a
spin on the ball so it curved into the goal.
You skunked me! Seth cried.