by Brandon Mull
gone.
They kept listening. Seth heard nothing. Are you guys
fooling with me? he asked.
Newel shook his head, holding up a finger. I can't place
it. You?
Doren was sniffing the air. Can't be.
You better scram, Seth, Newel said. Get back to the
yard.
With the gold, right? Seth suspected they might be trying
to trick him out of his reward.
Of course, but you better hur-
Too late, Doren warned.
A creature the size of a pony burst out of the bushes onto
the tennis court. Seth recognized it immediately. Olloch?
Olloch the Glutton? Newel asked Seth.
I thought it smelled like a demon, Doren groaned.
Yeah, Seth said. He bit me.
Grotesquely toadlike, Olloch reared back and opened his
mouth. It looked like the demon had swallowed a squid, so
many flailing tongues emerged. Sitting upright, Olloch was
nearly as tall as Seth. After a triumphant roar, the demon
lowered his head and charged, advancing in a jerky, scrambling
crawl.
Newel grabbed Seth's hand and hauled him away from
the demon. Run! Newel yelled.
For television! Doren cried, brandishing his tennis
racket and holding his ground. Olloch pounced at the satyr,
but Doren lunged aside, swatting away a pair of tongues with
the racket. Several more tongues lashed out, wrenching the
racket from Doren's grasp. The tongues pulled the racket
into a gaping mouth, and moments later expelled it with the
strings missing and a crack in the frame.
Seth had reached the bushes at the edge of the court
when Olloch, ignoring Doren, took a huge leap toward him
and then charged with frightening speed. Seth knew he
wouldn't make it back to the path, let alone to the yard. His
mind raced, trying to think if there was anything useful in
his emergency kit.
Tongues writhing, the demon sprang. For batteries!
Newel cried, intercepting the glutton in midair and wrapping
both arms around its middle.
To the shed! Doren called, retrieving his unstrung
racket and running toward the demon.
Seth turned and dashed toward the shed. Growling and
slobbering, Olloch squirmed free from Newel and raced after
Seth, staying low and gaining quickly. Over his shoulder,
Seth glimpsed the demon drawing near, rapidly closing the
space between them despite moving with such a choppy
gait. The shed was still several steps away.
Jumping into the demon's path, Doren raised his damaged
racket. A multitude of tongues snaked around the satyr
and slung him aside. His efforts barely slowed Olloch, but
bought Seth just enough time to lunge into the shed and
slam the door. The demon crunched against the door an
instant later. Some of the whitewashed planks split, but they
held. The demon crashed against the shed again, rattling the
small structure.
Hang on, Seth, Doren yelled. Help is coming.
Seth searched for a weapon. The best he could find was
a hoe. The door shattered open and Olloch entered,
snarling, wet tongues thrashing. Behind the slavering
demon, Seth saw Hugo bounding across the tennis court.
Grasping tongues stretched toward Seth, and he swung the
hoe viciously. A tongue adroitly coiled around the hoe, ripping
it from Seth's grasp. And then Hugo arrived.
The golem grasped the demon from behind with one
hand and hurled it away from the shed. Olloch landed,
rolled, and came charging back toward Seth, who now stood
in the empty doorway alongside Hugo. The golem stepped
forward, blocking access to Seth.
Dripping tongues whipped toward Hugo. The golem
grabbed several tongues, yanked the demon into the air, and
began spinning Olloch above his head. The tongues elongated
as the golem whirled the glutton faster and faster,
finally releasing him, sending Olloch sailing away over the
treetops.
Doren whistled, clearly impressed.
He'll be back straightaway, Newel said. He had grass
stains on his chest and arms.
You should hurry to the yard, Doren agreed.
We better get some free batteries out of this, Newel
said, brushing himself off.
And a new racket, Doren added.
We'll talk about it, Seth said, clutching his emergency
kit with the gold inside. Hugo unceremoniously lifted Seth
and started running, leaving him no opportunity to say or
hear another word. Seth could not believe how fast the
golem raced through the trees, massive strides eating up
ground. Ignoring trails, Hugo bulldozed his own path
through undergrowth and tangled limbs.
Before long, they were back in the yard. Grandma stood
there, fists on her hips, along with Coulter, Vanessa, and
Kendra. Hugo gently set Seth on his feet in front of
Grandma.
Are you all right? Grandma asked, grabbing his shoulders
and checking him for injuries.
Thanks to Hugo.
You're lucky Hugo was in the yard, Grandma said. We
heard something roaring in the woods and found you missing.
What were you doing in the woods?
I was playing tennis with the satyrs, Seth said. Olloch
found me.
Olloch! she cried. The others looked shocked as well.
How could he have gotten onto the preserve? Coulter
asked.
Are you sure it was Olloch? Grandma asked.
I recognized him, Seth said. He's a lot bigger. He has a
bunch of tongues. He went right for me, didn't hardly care
about the satyrs.
They heard something rustling in the woods and turned
to face whatever was approaching. Olloch scrambled up to
the edge of the yard before stopping. The demon reared up,
tongues waving like meaty banners, and let out a mournful
bellow. He lunged forward but could not step onto the grass.
He can't enter the yard, Vanessa said.
Not yet, Grandma agreed.
Then how did he get onto the preserve? Coulter
repeated.
I don't know, but we better get to the bottom of it
quickly, Grandma said.
Can Hugo kill it? Kendra asked.
Not likely, Grandma said. In fact, I expect even at
this size, if Olloch put his mind to it, he could devour Hugo
piece by piece.
Olloch was shaking his head, wagging his tongues, and
pawing the ground, obviously furious at having his prey so
near yet utterly unreachable. Now, there's an unusual
sight, Coulter murmured.
Incredible, Vanessa said.
What do we do? Seth asked.
For starters, Grandma said crossly, you are officially
grounded.
Betrayal
Kendra sat on the love seat beside Seth, resting her
elbow on the arm of the couch and her chin on her
hand. Ever since Hugo had rescued Seth earlier in the day,
an uncomfortable new tension had filled the house. Grandpa
had been poring over books and making phone calls.
Vanessa and Coulter came and went sever
al times, often
accompanied by Hugo. There were many hushed conversations
behind closed doors. Now it was getting late, but
Grandma had informed everyone they had to meet about
something that could not wait until morning. Which could
not be a good sign.
Kendra's chief consolation was that she was not Seth.
Wandering off into the woods without permission had
almost gotten him killed. The thought of what had almost
happened had terrified everyone, and he was getting an earful
as a result. Undoubtedly he would hear plenty more
about it in the impending meeting.
Seated in a chair beside Seth, Tanu was showing him
potions, explaining what they did and how he marked the
bottles to distinguish them from each other. Only Tanu, who
had returned not long ago from an all-day excursion, had
refrained from reprimanding Seth. Instead, the Samoan
seemed intent on distracting him from his misery.
This one is for an emergency, Tanu was saying. It's an
enlarger, doubles my height, makes me big enough to wrestle
an ogre. The ingredients for enlargers are extremely hard to
come by. I've only got one dose, and once I use it, I don't
expect to own another. Shrinking is easier. Each of these
little vials carries a dose that makes me eight times shorter. I
end up just under ten inches tall. Not so helpful in a brawl,
but not bad for sneaking around.
Coulter and Vanessa sat on opposite ends of an antique
sofa. Dale was perched on a stool he had brought in from
another room. Grandma wheeled in Grandpa and took a
seat in the last armchair.
Grandpa cleared his throat. Tanu fell silent, returning
his potions to his pouch. Getting to the point, we probably
have a traitor among us, so I thought we should talk this
through.
Nobody spoke. Kendra made brief eye contact with
Vanessa, then with Coulter, then with Tanu. Ruth and I are
fairly certain how Olloch got onto the property, Grandpa
continued. Somebody signed him in on the register within
the past two days. He probably waltzed right through the
front gate. And he didn't come alone.
What's the register? Kendra asked.
The register is a book that controls access to
Fablehaven, Grandma said. When you come to visit, we
write your name in the register, and that action disarms on
your behalf the spells guarding the gate. Unless they were
signed in on the register, it would be effectively impossible
for anyone to get past the fence.
Somebody signed in Olloch? Dale asked.
Between now and two evenings ago, the last time we
checked the register, someone signed in Christopher Vogel
and Guest, Grandma said. We blotted out the names, but
the damage has been done. Christopher Vogel, whoever that
is, came onto the property and turned Olloch loose.
Therefore we must assume we have two enemies out
there, Grandpa said, motioning toward the window. And
one in here.
Could somebody from outside have gotten to the register?
Dale asked.
The register was hidden in our room, Grandma said.
Only Stan and I knew where it was. Or so we thought. Now
we've moved it. But coming into the house unnoticed after
we shut it down for the night is almost as difficult as getting
through the gates. Let alone writing in the register right
under our noses.
Whoever wrote in the register is more than likely the
same person who released the drumants, Grandpa said. Is
it possible that somebody outside this room accessed our
bedrooms twice? Yes. Probable? No.
Can we trace the handwriting? Coulter asked.
Grandma shook her head. They used a stencil.
Apparently they weren't in a rush.
Perhaps all of us should leave, Tanu suggested. The
evidence is too glaring to ignore. Kendra and Seth are above
suspicion, as are Ruth and Stan. Maybe the rest of us should
depart.
The thought crossed my mind, Grandpa said. But
now that we have two foes on the preserve, it is hardly a
good time to send away our protectors, even if one is
probably a traitor. At least until we can summon replacements.
I am stuck in this chair, and the children are young
and untrained. The situation is maddening. As I consider
each of you individually, you seem above suspicion. Yet
someone wrote in the register, and since you all appear
equally innocent, you consequently appear equally guilty.
I hope we find another explanation, Grandma said.
For the moment, we must acknowledge the likelihood that
one of us is a master deceiver working for our adversaries.
It gets worse, Grandpa said. The phone lines are
down again. We've been trying to summon aid via Vanessa's
cell phone, but our chief contact has not been answering.
We will keep calling, but none of this bodes well.
The other immediate problem is Olloch himself,
Grandma said. As he gorges himself on whatever edible
matter he can find, he will continue to gain both size and
Power. He quit trying to enter the yard hours ago, which
means he realizes that if he gets big enough, he could gain
sufficient power to overthrow the treaty, access the house,
and claim his prize.
Like how Bahumat almost overthrew the preserve last
year, Kendra said.
Yes, Grandpa said. Olloch could conceivably muster
sufficient power to plunge Fablehaven into lawless chaos.
Kendra glanced at Seth, sitting silently. She had rarely
seen him so quiet and contrite. It looked like he wanted to
melt away into the love seat and vanish.
What can we do? Tanu asked.
Olloch the Glutton will not stop until he has devoured
and digested Seth, Grandpa said. Slaying Olloch is well
beyond our power. We have an ally who suggested there
might be a way to subdue the demon, but we have not been
able to reach him. The glutton has already reached a size
that will allow him to ingest just about whatever he chooses,
and his appetite will not abate. We cannot sit idly by. Our
peril is literally growing by the minute.
We must assume our benefactor is on the move,
Grandma said. He is a heavily desired target of the Society.
We'll keep trying to telephone him, and assume that he'll
make himself available as soon as he can. Otherwise, we're
just not sure how to find him. He moves too frequently.
How long before Olloch becomes strong enough to
countermand the treaty? Vanessa asked.
Grandpa shrugged. With the kind of game he can find
inside Fablehaven, magical and nonmagical, it is a worst-case
scenario. He'll grow much faster than he would out in
the normal world. He must have had help getting to his current
size, probably from that Christopher Vogel character.
My best guess? A day, more likely two, maybe three. I can't
imagine it would take much longer.
Maybe you should just feed me to him, Seth said.
Don't talk nonsense, Grandma said.
Seth stood up. Wouldn't it be better than letting
Olloch destroy all of Fablehaven? Sounds like he'll get me
sooner or later. Why should I make him go through all of
you first?
We'll find another way, Coulter said. We still have
some time.
He'll have to eat me to get to you, Dale said.
Whether you like it or not.
Seth sat down. Grandpa pointed at him. Now is not the
time to leap to rash solutions. We have not yet spoken with
our most knowledgeable ally. Seth, I repeat, you are not culpable
for awakening Olloch. You were tricked and are not to
blame. You should not have been out in the woods alone ----
that was a most foolish error in judgment, the exact kind of
nonsense I hoped you would have abandoned by now-but
you are far from deserving a death sentence. Since the satyrs
were involved, I take it you were trading for batteries? I
haven't asked, what did they give you?
Seth lowered his eyes. Some gold.
May I see it?
Seth went and retrieved his emergency kit. He pulled
out the gold bar. Grandpa examined it. You do not want to
be caught out in the open with this in your pocket, he said.
Why? Seth asked.
Grandpa handed the bar back to Seth. It was clearly
stolen from Nero's hoard. What did you suppose the 'N'
stood for? He will be scrying for it in his seeing stone. In fact,
the presence of the gold could grant him the power to see
within the walls of our home. The satyrs must have only
recently stolen it, or Nero would have already reclaimed it.
Seth placed a hand over his eyes and shook his head.
When will I do something right? he moaned. Should I go
chuck it into the woods?
No, Grandpa said. You should go set it on the porch,
and we'll return it to its rightful owner as soon as reasonably
possible.
Nodding sheepishly, Seth exited the room. We also
have some encouraging news, Grandpa said. Coulter made
an important breakthrough today. We may be close to
uncovering the relic we have been seeking. The latest revelation
harmonizes with the information we already possess.
At this juncture, I believe there is more wisdom in sharing
this information openly than in hiding it. No matter which
of us is the traitor, the rest of us must continue functioning.
Better we make our knowledge common than become paralyzed.
Not that the traitor will be sharing secrets with us,
Vanessa said bitterly.