Grandpa sat up straight and craned his neck, looking out the window. “Here they come,” he said.
Kendra sprang to her feet and ran to the back porch. Tanu, Vanessa, Dale, and Hugo had emerged from the woods and were approaching through the garden. Hugo cradled Coulter in one arm. The golem’s other arm was missing. Kendra saw no sign of Seth.
Distressed, Kendra turned to Grandma, who was wheeling Grandpa out to the porch. “I don’t see Seth,” she said.
Grandma put an arm around her. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
As Hugo and the others drew nearer, Kendra realized that Coulter looked different. His expression was blank, and his skin was bleached. His hair, which had been gray, was now white as snow. He had apparently suffered the same fate as Warren.
“What news?” Grandpa asked as the others gathered on the grass beneath the porch.
“Nothing good,” Tanu said.
“What about Seth?” Grandpa pressed.
Tanu looked down. The action said it all. “Oh, no,” Grandma whispered. Kendra burst into sobs. She tried to stifle them by biting her sleeve. Squeezing her eyes shut did not stop the tears.
“Maybe we should wait,” Vanessa said.
“I want to hear,” Kendra managed. “Is he dead?”
“All signs suggest he has been consumed by Olloch,” Tanu said.
Kendra hunched against the porch railing, shoulders shaking. She tried not to believe what she was hearing, but there was no other choice.
“Tell us everything,” Grandma said, voice quavering.
“Hugo was simple to track, though he traversed some rugged terrain,” Tanu said. “We met him heading back toward the house, returning along the same route he had used to reach the grove.”
“So Coulter did go to the grove,” Grandpa said angrily.
“Yes. For the life of me, Hugo looked dejected when we found him. He was missing an arm, had his head hung low, and was trudging slowly. Once we found him, we ordered him to take us to where he had left Coulter.”
“And Hugo went directly to the grove in the valley of the four hills,” Grandma said.
“Followed his own tracks,” Tanu said. “When we got to the grove I studied what evidence I could find. I saw where Coulter and Seth entered the grove together. It did not appear Hugo was able to join them. Working my way around the perimeter of the grove, I found where Coulter’s tracks departed. On the far side of the grove, I discovered where Hugo had scuffled with Olloch. I’m sure that is where Hugo lost his arm. Nearby I saw where Olloch entered the grove. Not far from there, I found where Olloch left the grove. We searched and searched, but located no sign of Seth leaving the grove.”
“How could Olloch enter the grove if Hugo couldn’t?” Kendra asked.
“Different barriers work in different ways,” Tanu said. “My guess is that the grove is less repellent to creatures of darkness. A demon like Olloch would be immune to many black curses.”
“Did you go into the grove?” Grandma asked.
“There is a malevolent evil there,” Vanessa said.
“We felt unprepared for what we might face below those cursed trees,” Tanu said. “We had to physically restrain Dale. In the end, we followed Coulter’s departing tracks and found him roaming in the woods as you now see him.”
Kendra could hardly listen to the news. She clutched the railing and fought the overpowering grief throbbing inside of her. Each time fresh sobs shook her, she tried to weep quietly. After all that had happened last summer, how close they had all come to losing their lives, it seemed unfair that death should now take Seth so suddenly and unexpectedly. It was unimaginable that she would never see her brother again.
“Could he be alive, swallowed whole?” Kendra asked in a small voice.
Nobody would look at her. “If the demon devoured him, he is no more,” Grandpa said gently. “We’ll give it a day. If Olloch consumed Seth, he should slow down and return to his dormant state until somebody else makes the mistake of feeding him. I don’t mean to give you false hope, but we won’t know for certain that Olloch has ingested Seth until we locate the demon in his dormant state.”
“Should we look sooner?” Kendra asked, wiping her eyes. “What if Seth’s still out there, running?”
“He isn’t running,” Tanu said. “Believe me, I looked. At best he may have found a place to hide inside the grove.”
“Which is unlikely if the demon came and went,” Grandma said sadly.
“Can we get anything out of Coulter?” Kendra asked.
“He seems no more responsive than Warren,” Dale said. “Want to see if he reacts to you, Kendra?”
Kendra pressed her lips together. The thought of going near Coulter was revolting. He had killed her brother. And now, like Warren, his mind had flown. But if there was a chance he might reveal something useful, she had to try.
Kendra climbed over the porch railing and dropped to the grass. “Hugo, set Coulter down,” Dale ordered.
Hugo complied. Coulter stood still, looking even smaller and more frail now that he was albino and expressionless. Kendra placed a hand on his white neck. Coulter cocked his head and looked her in the eye. His lips trembled.
“We never got Warren to say anything,” Kendra said.
“Try asking him,” Vanessa said.
Kendra placed a hand on either side of Coulter’s face and stared into his eyes. “Coulter, what happened to Seth. Where is he?”
Coulter blinked twice. The corner of his mouth twitched toward a smile. Kendra pushed him away. “He looks happy about it,” she said.
“I’m not sure you were getting through,” Dale said. “I think he just liked your touch.”
Kendra gazed up at the golem. “Poor Hugo. Can we fix his arm?”
“Golems are resilient,” Grandpa said. “They frequently shed and accumulate matter. Over time the arm will re-form. Kendra, perhaps you should come in and lie down.”
“I don’t think I can sleep,” Kendra moaned.
“I could give her a mild sedative,” Vanessa offered.
“That may not be a bad idea,” Grandma said.
Kendra considered it. The idea of falling asleep and temporarily leaving all the heartache behind was appealing. She was not sleepy, but she was weary. “Okay.”
Placing a supportive hand on Kendra’s elbow, Vanessa guided her up to the porch and back into the house. In the kitchen, Vanessa put some water on the stove. She left and returned with a tea bag.
Kendra sat at the table, absently handling a salt shaker. “Seth really is dead, isn’t he?”
“It doesn’t look good,” Vanessa admitted.
“I didn’t picture this happening. It was all starting to feel like a wonderful game.”
“It can be wonderful, but it is definitely not a game. Magical creatures can be deadly. I have lost several loved ones to them.”
“He was always asking for it,” Kendra said. “Always looking for risks.”
“This wasn’t Seth’s fault. Who knows what kind of pressure Coulter might have applied to lure him away?” Vanessa poured warm water into a mug, inserted the tea bag, and stirred in some sugar. “I’m guessing you would prefer your tea drinkable versus scalding.” She pulled out the tea bag and set it on the counter. “This should be plenty potent.”
Kendra sipped at the herbal tea. It was minty and sweet. Unlike the rest of breakfast, it tasted like something she could finish. “Thanks, this is good.”
“Let’s start walking to your room,” Vanessa said. “In a moment, you’ll be glad to be near a bed.”
Kendra continued sipping from the mug as they climbed the stairs and passed down the hall. The drowsiness hit her on the way up the steps to the attic. “You weren’t kidding,” Kendra said, leaning against the wall to steady herself. “I feel like I could just curl up right here and fall asleep.”
“You could,” Vanessa said. “But why not go a few more steps and sleep on your bed.” Vanessa took the mug from Kendra. It wa
s not yet half empty.
The rest of the way to her bed, Kendra felt like she was moving in slow motion. After the painful news about her brother, the numb, detached sensation was welcome. She climbed into bed and instantly faded into a deep sleep, unable to process the final words Vanessa spoke to her.
* * *
Waking up from her drugged slumber was a delicious, gradual process for Kendra, like lazily floating upward out of deep water. The surface was not far off, and when she reached it, she knew she would feel perfectly rested. No desire to slap a snooze button, no grogginess from sleeping too long. She had never noticed herself awakening so smoothly.
When she was finally fully awake, Kendra hesitated to open her eyes, hoping the contentment would linger. Wasn’t there a reason she shouldn’t feel so perfect? Her eyes shot open, and she looked over at Seth’s empty bed.
He was gone! Dead! Kendra closed her eyes again, trying to pretend it had all been a miserable dream. Why hadn’t she awoken when Coulter came and took him? How had Coulter gotten him out of the house so stealthily?
She opened her eyes. Judging from the light, it was late afternoon. She had slept the day away.
Kendra went downstairs and found Grandma in the kitchen, chopping cucumbers. “Hello, dear,” she said.
“Any news while I was out?”
“I’ve tried to contact the Sphinx twice. Still no answer. I hope he’s all right.” Grandma stopped cutting and wiped her hands on a towel. “Your grandfather wanted to talk to us in the study once you awakened.”
Kendra followed Grandma to the study, where Grandpa sat reading a journal. He closed the book as they entered. “Kendra, come in, we need to talk.”
Kendra and Grandma sat down on the cot near Grandpa. “I’ve been thinking,” Grandpa said, “and the way everything played out last night doesn’t add up. I know Coulter well. He is a cunning man. The more I ponder the situation, the less strategic sense I see to his actions, especially with him ending up an albino like Warren. His behavior was so clumsy that I suspect he was not acting under his own volition.”
“You think somebody was controlling him?” Kendra asked.
“Such things are possible in numerous ways,” Grandpa said. “I may be wrong, and I have no concrete proof, but I suspect we may have yet to discover our traitor. And so I have set a plan in motion. It may cause some commotion tonight, so I thought it was only fair to warn you. Look under my cot.”
Under the cot Kendra saw a six-foot-long, ornately carved box. Grandma peeked as well. “What’s in the box?” Kendra asked.
“Less than an hour ago I called in Vanessa, Tanu, and Dale. I told them I believed we had caught our traitor, but that I was worried about Christopher Vogel’s presence on the property, undoubtedly with designs for more mischief. I told them that I had decided to hide the key to the artifact vault under my cot, and that I wanted them to know where it was in case of an emergency. Then we went on to discuss plans for tracking Olloch tomorrow, as well as how we might discover the whereabouts of our other uninvited guest.”
“Big box for a key,” Kendra said.
“It’s no ordinary key,” Grandpa said.
“You’re not actually using the key as bait,” Grandma said, sounding certain he would not be so foolish.
“Of course not. The box contains a thief’s net. The key is hidden elsewhere.”
Grandma nodded approvingly.
“A thief’s net?” Kendra asked.
“If anyone opens the box without deactivating the trap, the net will spring out and wrap them up,” Grandpa explained. “A magical tool for apprehending would-be robbers.”
“Where’s the key?” Kendra asked.
“I’m not sure you should be burdened with that knowledge,” Grandma said. “That kind of information could make you more of a target. Your grandfather and I are the only people aware of the key’s location.”
“Okay,” Kendra said.
Grandpa rubbed his chin. “I’ve debated over whether to send you away, Kendra. On one hand, I strongly suspect that the crisis here at Fablehaven has not ended. On the other, the Society of the Evening Star will start trying to track you down the moment you exit the gates. At least the fences of Fablehaven provide a barrier against them. With the register hidden in a new place, we should have no new undesired visitors.”
“I’d rather stay here,” Kendra said. “I don’t want to put my parents in danger.”
“I think for now that is the best move,” Grandpa said. “I recommend you sleep with your grandmother tonight in our room. I don’t want you sleeping alone. The attic provides extra protection against magical creatures with bad intentions, but I’m afraid our remaining foes are mortal.”
Because Olloch ate Seth and is now out of the picture, Kendra thought morbidly. “Whatever you want,” Kendra said.
* * *
Bedtime arrived much too soon for Kendra. Before she knew it, dinner was eaten, painful condolences were shared, and she was lying in a king-sized bed beside Grandma Sorenson. Kendra loved her grandma, but she was becoming aware that she smelled too much like cough drops. Plus she snored.
Kendra tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position. She tried lying on her side, her stomach, and her back. She bunched the pillow in different ways. It was no use. Having slept all day, she was more ready to go play soccer than she was to fall asleep. It didn’t help that she was sleeping with her clothes on in case somebody really did get caught in Grandpa’s net during the night.
In her own home she would have watched TV. Or made herself a snack. But the only ones at Fablehaven with a television were the satyrs. And she was afraid to get up for a snack for fear of running into somebody trying to sneak into Grandpa’s study.
There was no visible clock, so time began to feel indefinite and endless. She kept trying to construct a scenario in which Seth was not dead. After all, nobody had seen Olloch eat him. They weren’t a hundred percent sure. In the morning, after they tracked the demon, it would be more certain, but for tonight, she could still hope a little.
A sudden disturbance downstairs broke the restless monotony. Someone shouted and something clattered. Grandma awoke with a start. Grandpa started calling for help.
Kendra tugged on her shoes and raced into the hall. She turned a corner to the hall that led to the stairway. Grandpa was yelling excitedly from downstairs.
On the stairs Kendra met Vanessa and Tanu. Vanessa carried her blowgun; Tanu held his pouch full of potions. Kendra could hear Grandma right behind her.
After tromping down the stairs, they all dashed across the entry hall and into the study, where Dale lay tangled in a net on the floor. Grandpa sat at the edge of his cot, a knife in his uninjured hand. “We caught somebody with a hand in the cookie jar,” he announced.
“I told you, Stan,” Dale panted. “I don’t know how I got here.”
Tanu put the potion he was holding back into his pouch. Vanessa lowered her blowgun. Grandma engaged the safety on her crossbow.
“Why don’t you explain to everyone?” Grandpa suggested.
Dale was on his stomach. The net was so tight it squished his features and only allowed him to partially turn his head to try to face them. His arms were crossed awkwardly on his chest, and his legs were bound together.
“I went to sleep and woke up like this on the floor,” Dale asserted. “Simple as that. I know it looks bad. Honestly, I had no intention of stealing the key. I must have been sleepwalking.”
Dale looked and sounded desperate. Grandpa narrowed his eyes. “Went to sleep and woke up here,” he repeated thoughtfully. Understanding dawned in his gaze. “The traitor is clever enough to realize that I now know the secret, so it will do no good to pretend otherwise — the clues lead to an obvious conclusion. Trusted friends acting out of character. Drumants released to explain the bite marks. And now Dale asserts that his strange behavior happened in his sleep. I should have connected the dots earlier. I’m afraid this will end in a scuffle
. Dale, I’m sorry you’re stuck in a net. Tanu, we mustn’t blow this.”
Grandpa threw his knife at Vanessa. Raising the blowgun to her lips, she arched her body, barely dodging the knife, and fired a dart at Tanu. The large Samoan caught the dart on his pouch. Vanessa lunged gracefully at Grandma, swinging the blowgun like a switch and knocking the crossbow from her grasp. Tanu charged Vanessa. She dropped the blowgun, producing a pair of tiny darts, and pricked Tanu on the forearm as he reached for her. Instantly his eyes went wide and his knees turned rubbery. His potion pouch tumbled from unfeeling hands and he fell hard to the study floor.
Grandma reached for her fallen crossbow, a red welt already rising on her hand. Vanessa sprang at her, stabbing her with the other tiny dart. As Grandma swayed and toppled, Kendra dove, snatched the crossbow, and tossed it across the room to Grandpa an instant before Vanessa slammed into her.
Grandpa pointed the crossbow at Vanessa, who scrambled behind the desk, putting herself out of his line of fire. Kendra saw Vanessa close her eyes. Her face became serene.
Clutching the crossbow, Grandpa rose from his bed and hopped toward the desk. “Careful, Kendra, she’s a narcoblix,” he warned.
Moving swiftly, Tanu pulled out the dart lodged in his potion pouch and pounced at Grandpa, tackling him and wrenching the crossbow from his grasp. “Get away, Kendra!” Grandpa cried as Tanu pricked him with the dart. Vanessa remained trancelike on the floor.
Tanu had left the potion pouch behind when he attacked Grandpa. Kendra grabbed the pouch and dashed out the door. She hadn’t digested all the details, but it was clear that Vanessa was controlling Tanu. “Run,” Grandpa panted groggily.
Kendra raced to the back door and out to the porch. She jumped the railing to the grass below. The yard was dark. Most of the lights in the house were off. Kendra ran away from the porch through the garden. Glancing back, she saw Tanu burst out of the doorway and vault the railing.
“Kendra, don’t be rash, come back!” he called.
Kendra offered no reply and ran even faster. She could hear Tanu gaining behind her. “Don’t make me hurt you!” he shouted. “Your grandparents are fine; I just put them to sleep. Come back, we’ll talk.” His voice sounded strained.
[Fablehaven 02] - Rise of the Evening Star Page 19