[Fablehaven 02] - Rise of the Evening Star

by Brandon Mull - (ebook by Undead)

  During the entire run through the woods, Kendra had wriggled and twisted and squirmed. She had kicked Mendigo in the head and tried to unhinge his limbs. But the oversized puppet had just shifted his grip and continued doggedly onward. She had been carried upside down, over his shoulder, and curled up in a ball. No matter how vigorously she struggled, Mendigo had adjusted.

  Kendra lay sprawled on a bed of wildflowers beneath a starless sky, the dim night pungent and mild. Mendigo crouched and started digging, clawing at the soil with wooden fingers, tossing stones aside when he encountered them. Somewhere under the hill, Muriel was buried, imprisoned with Bahumat. Apparently the order had not merely been to bring Kendra to the chapel but to bring Kendra to Muriel.

  Kendra sprang to her feet and bolted down the hillside. She had not traveled six steps before Mendigo slammed into her from behind, tackling her near the trunk of a peach tree. They rolled and she wrenched her back. Kendra shrieked as Mendigo clung to her with unnatural strength, wrapping her up with his arms and legs.

  At least if he was clinging to her, he wasn’t digging. What would happen if he tunneled down to Muriel? Would the witch issue new commands to her wooden servant? Would she get in touch with Vanessa and figure out a way to escape?

  “You’re in a fine predicament,” a tiny voice giggled. It was high and musical, like the tinkling of a little bell.

  Kendra turned her head. A yellow fairy hovered near her face, emitting a golden glow. She wore a shimmering slip of gossamer and had wings like a bumblebee and a pair of antennae. “I wouldn’t mind some help,” Kendra said.

  “A heroine of your reputation should have no trouble escaping such a feeble adversary,” the fairy said airily.

  “You’d be surprised how strong he is,” Kendra said.

  “His magic is weak,” the fairy sniffed. “Muriel is sealed in a mighty prison. Her will no longer supports the enchantments she left behind. And yet you can do nothing but beg for help. Forgive me if I am unimpressed.”

  Mendigo was dragging Kendra up the hill toward the spot where he had started digging. “Obviously I’m having trouble,” Kendra said. “I don’t know what to do.”

  The fairy laughed, a twittering sound. “This is priceless! The great Kendra Sorenson being hauled through the dirt by a puppet!”

  “You act like I think I’m some big shot,” Kendra said. “I think you’re projecting. I know I’m just a girl. Without the help of all the fairies I would have died last summer.”

  “False humility is more insulting than open pride!” the fairy sniffed.

  Mendigo picked up Kendra, cradling her in his arms, folding her knees up to her chin and keeping her arms trapped at her sides. He resumed digging with his feet. “Do I look like I could possibly be feeling superior to anyone?” Kendra demanded.

  The fairy drifted close, hovering in front of Kendra’s nose. “The magic inside you is dazzling. By comparison, he is like a faint star next to the noonday sun.”

  “I don’t know how to use it,” Kendra said.

  “Don’t ask me,” the fairy said. “You’re the gifted luminary our Queen chose to honor. I can’t show you how to unlock your magic any more than you can teach me how to use mine.”

  “Could you use your magic on him?” Kendra asked. “Change him back into a little puppet?”

  “The spell that animates him remains potent,” the fairy said. “But the command guiding his actions is weak. With some help, I could probably turn him.”

  “Oh, please, would you?” Kendra asked.

  “Well, I am here to guard the prison,” the fairy said. “All of us who were imps take turns as sentries.”

  “You were an imp?” Kendra said.

  “Don’t remind me. It was a graceless existence.”

  “He’s trying to dig down to Muriel,” Kendra said. “If you’re a guard, shouldn’t you stop him?”

  “I suppose I should,” the fairy conceded. “But the plums smell so wonderful right now, and the night is so fine… rounding up fairies is such drudgery.”

  “I’d be so grateful,” Kendra said.

  “We fairies crave nothing more than your gratitude, Kendra. We look up to you so. One kind word and our little hearts start racing! All we wish for is the love of big, clumsy girls.”

  “You’re terrible,” Kendra said.

  “I am, aren’t I,” the fairy said, finally sounding flattered. “Tell you what. It is my responsibility to guard Muriel and Bahumat, you were right about that, so maybe I could check if anybody else is bored enough to lend you a hand.”

  The little fairy zipped away. Kendra hoped she was really going for help. The fairy didn’t sound very reliable. Kendra tried to force the limberjack’s arms apart by straightening her legs. The effort strained her back. Mendigo was too strong.

  As Mendigo dug deeper, Kendra’s hope that the fairy would return began to dwindle. Mendigo was nearly waist deep in a hole before a small group of fairies swarmed around them, glimmering in prismatic colors.

  “See, I told you,” the little yellow fairy tinkled.

  “He’s certainly tunneling toward Muriel,” another fairy said.

  “Not very efficiently,” a third chimed in.

  “Would you like us to turn him to obey your will?” a fourth fairy asked. Kendra recognized the speaker as the silver fairy who had led the charge when the fairies attacked Bahumat.

  “Sure, that would be great,” Kendra said.

  The fairies hovered in a ring around Mendigo and Kendra. When they began chanting, colors flared and sparked, making Kendra blink. Kendra could no longer comprehend what they were saying. It felt like trying to listen in on multiple conversations at once. All she caught were tangled fragments of meaning that together made no sense.

  After a final blazing flash, the fairies fell silent. Most soared away. Mendigo continued digging. “He is now yours to command,” the silver fairy reported.

  “Mendigo, stop digging,” Kendra tried. Mendigo stopped. “Mendigo, set me down.” He set her down.

  “Thank you,” Kendra said to the yellow fairy and the silver fairy, the only two who remained.

  “Our pleasure to help,” the silver fairy said. Though pitched high, her voice was richer than the others.

  The yellow fairy shook her head and buzzed away.

  “Why are they hurrying away?” Kendra asked.

  “They have done their duty,” the silver fairy said.

  “None of the fairies have been very friendly,” Kendra said.

  “Friendliness is not always our forte,” the silver fairy said. “Especially to one who was shown kindness by our Queen. You are much envied.”

  “I was only trying to protect Fablehaven and save my family,” Kendra said.

  “And you succeeded, which only elevates your status,” the silver fairy said.

  “Why are you speaking with me?” Kendra asked.

  “I suppose I am peculiar,” the silver fairy said. “I am of a more serious mind than many of the others. I am called Shiara.”

  “I’m Kendra.”

  “Fortunately for you, we all have an interest in keeping Bahumat imprisoned,” Shiara said. “Otherwise I question whether I would have been able to rally sufficient help to turn Mendigo. Although Bahumat rightly blames you above all others, his vengeance against the fairies would be merciless were he to escape.”

  “Couldn’t you just imprison him again?” Kendra said.

  “Your elixir augmented our size and our power. Without it we would be no match for a demon like Bahumat.”

  “Couldn’t I get the elixir again?” Kendra asked.

  “My dear girl, you truly are naive, which may be partly why our Queen condescended to share her tears with you. Your decision to tread near her shrine would normally have been rewarded with a swift departure from this life. I suspect she spared you because of your innocence, though her reasons are her own.”

  “Fablehaven is in danger again,” Kendra said. “I could use some help.” />
  “Do not seek favors from her again unless she invites you,” Shiara said. “Now that you know better, irreverence will not be tolerated.”

  Kendra recalled how she had sensed that going to the island again would be a mistake. “Could you help me?”

  “Obviously I could, because I have,” Shiara said, twinkling.

  “Have you seen Olloch the Glutton? He’s a demon who is after my brother.”

  “The glutton is becoming dormant. He will not bother you.”

  Kendra felt a stab of grief at the news. If the demon was slowing down, it meant Seth truly was gone. “There is more to the problem than Mendigo and the demon,” Kendra said. “Bad people have taken over the house. They captured my grandparents and Dale and Tanu. They want to steal something precious from Fablehaven. If they have their way, they’ll release all the demons from their prisons.”

  “It is challenging for us to mind the affairs of mortals,” Shiara said. “Dwelling on such concerns is not in our nature. You made the binding of Bahumat our duty with authority from our Queen. And we continue to attend to that duty. I keep a sentinel stationed here always.”

  Kendra scanned the surrounding area, her gaze settling on the hill where Warren’s cottage sat, some ways off. “Could you help me heal Warren, Dale’s brother?”

  “The curse upon him is much too strong,” Shiara said. “All the fairies in Fablehaven together could not break it.”

  “What if you had the elixir?”

  “That might be another matter. I wonder, why did you fail to return the bowl to the shrine?”

  Kendra scrunched her eyebrows. “Grandpa thought it would be more appropriate to toss it onto the water. He thought it would be disrespectful to go back.”

  “The naiads have claimed it as a tribute,” Shiara said. “In the future, bear in mind, if you take something in need, you will not be punished for returning it in gratitude. Such action would not have harmed your standing with Her Majesty.”

  “I’m sorry, Shiara,” Kendra said. “We thought they would return it.”

  “The naiads fear and respect our Queen, but elected to accept the bowl as a gift freely given,” Shiara said. “I sought to retrieve it but they would not yield, blaming you for awarding it to them. Some among the fairies hold you culpable.” The silver fairy hovered higher. “It appears the situation here is now under control.”

  “Wait, please don’t leave,” Kendra said. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “I will try to make the others mindful of the threat you named,” Shiara said. “But do not count on aid from our kind. I admire your goodness, Kendra, and wish you no harm.”

  Shiara streaked away, vanishing into the night. Kendra turned and studied Mendigo. He stood motionless, awaiting instructions. Kendra sighed. The only person on her side was a big, creepy puppet.

  * * *

  Groaning, Seth stirred. He tried to stretch but the effort was thwarted by the snug confines of the cocoon. The realization of where he was caused him to snap awake. How long had he been asleep?

  Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find the inside of the cocoon illuminated by a soft green glow, as if light were filtering in from outside. The cocoon remained unusually still. Was Olloch sleeping? Why was there suddenly light? Was the light passing through both Olloch and the cocoon?

  Seth waited. Nothing changed. Eventually he started yelling and tried to rock the cocoon by flinging himself from one side to the other. There came no roars, no growls, no movement except a slight tilting as he shifted his position. Just silence and the even, muted glow.

  Was the cocoon no longer inside Olloch? Had he been coughed up like a hairball? Perhaps the cocoon was indigestible! He dared not hope for such good fortune. But it would explain the lack of growls and the new illumination. Had Grandpa come to his rescue? If so, why wasn’t anyone encouraging him to open the cocoon?

  Could it be some sort of trick? If he opened the cocoon, would Olloch gobble him up again, this time without a cocoon to impede digestion? Could he still be in the evil grove with the revenant? He didn’t think so. He felt no hint of the chilling, involuntary fear.

  Seth decided to wait. Acting rashly had gotten him in trouble before. He folded his arms and listened, straining his senses for any indication of what was going on outside the cocoon.

  Seth quickly became fidgety. He had never coped well with boredom. When the cocoon had swayed and jostled with the movements of the demon, and when the silence had been interrupted by ferocious growls, Seth had remained on edge, which kept him occupied. The motionless silence was relentless.

  How much time had passed? Time always moved slower when he was bored. He could remember certain classes at school where it used to feel like the clock was broken. Every minute felt like a lifetime. But this was worse. No classmates to joke with. No paper to doodle on. Not even the drone of a teacher to give shape to the monotony.

  Seth began picking at the wall of the cocoon. He didn’t have to break all the way out, he just wanted to see how tough it would be. He ate part of the wall as he went.

  Soon he had made a pretty good hole in the wall in front of his face. As he dug deeper, the texture of the wall was changing, becoming goopy, like peanut butter. It was the best-tasting part of the wall so far, reminding him vaguely of eggnog.

  After scooping away the eggnog paste, he reached a membrane. It was slick, and it rippled when he prodded it. Seth ruptured the membrane by jabbing it with his fingers, and clear liquid gushed out, soaking him.

  Now light was really pouring into the cocoon through the hole. He had reached a hard, translucent shell. Silvery light shone through it, overpowering the green glow. He was obviously no longer inside Olloch. And as he had dug, Seth had neither heard nor felt any indication that Olloch was near.

  Who knew if he would get another chance like this? He had to try to escape. The demon might return anytime. Seth began punching at the shell. The blows hurt his knuckles, but the shell began to crack. Soon his hand burst through, and unfiltered sunlight flooded in.

  Seth worked furiously to widen the hole. The effort took longer than he liked. Now that his protective cocoon was breached, he wanted to get out as quickly as possible, before some creature came along and cornered him.

  Finally the hole was big enough for Seth to squirm through. With his head, shoulders, and arms out of the cocoon, Seth froze. Olloch sat not twenty feet away, back to him. The demon had grown considerably. Olloch was bigger than the elephants Seth had seen at the zoo, not just taller, but much broader as well. No wonder the demon had been able to swallow him. The glutton was immense!

  Seth realized he had made the worst mistake of his life, and that now he would die. Why hadn’t he waited to open the cocoon? Why was he so impatient?

  But Olloch did not turn. The huge demon continued to sit motionless, back to him. Seth began to notice a terrible stench. He looked at the shell of the cocoon. It was smooth, with a luster like mother-of-pearl, except that it was streaked with smelly brown matter. Huge clumps of mushy brown excrement sat on the ground nearby, buzzing with flies.

  Suddenly Seth understood. He had passed right through the demon, safe inside the cocoon! It was the only explanation. In one end, and out the other!

  Olloch remained still. The demon did not even seem to breathe. He was like a statue. And judging from what Seth could see, the clearing he was in was not the haunted grove.

  Seth squirmed the rest of the way out of the cocoon, trying his best to avoid touching the excrement. Once free of the cocoon, he picked his way through the minefield of reeking demon pies, slinking away from the enormous glutton. While he was stepping around one stinking pile, a dry branch cracked loudly underfoot. Seth’s entire body tensed. After a breathless moment, he hazarded a glance at the demon. The glutton had not budged, and continued to hold perfectly still.

  Deciding he had to confirm that the demon was no longer a threat, Seth started looping around so he could view Olloch from the front, giving
the demon a wide berth. Coming around to the front, Seth found the demon seated in the same sitting position as when he had first laid eyes on him in the funeral home. The texture of his skin had changed. The demon was a statue once more. Seth could not help smiling. He was no longer doomed! And until some new victim made the mistake of feeding him, Olloch the Glutton was frozen.

  Seth surveyed his surroundings. He was in a small clearing encircled by trees. He realized he could be anywhere on the preserve. He needed to get his bearings.

  Seth wished for his emergency kit. He had dropped it back in the grove. His only remaining asset was the glove Coulter had thrust into his hand. Seth had stowed the glove in his pocket. He tugged it out and pulled it on.

  The instant he put on the glove, Seth could no longer see himself. It was a strange sensation, like all that was left of him was a pair of transparent eyeballs. He held up his hands in front of his face. When he moved them, his body flickered back into view. But when he held still, he didn’t just see right through them, he saw no sign of himself. It was as if he had been completely disembodied.

  The glove was a little loose on his hand, but it did not fit him badly. Fortunately it had belonged to Coulter and not Tanu. Keeping it on should afford him some protection as he tried to figure out where he was.

  The sun was high in the sky, so for the moment it would be no help determining direction. And since he had no idea where on the preserve he was, identifying north would not help him much yet anyhow. He needed a landmark. Seth stepped into the center of the clearing, weaving around the piles of dung. The biggest stack was as high as his waist. Seth stood with his hands on his hips. The trees circling the clearing were too tall — he could see nothing beyond them.

  He glanced at the demon. Climbing Olloch would give him an extra fifteen feet or so, but he did not want to get anywhere near that mouth.

  There were no apparent trails leading out of the clearing, but the undergrowth was not heavy, so he chose a direction and set off. After a while, he became used to how his body would vanish whenever he paused, then reappear as he continued walking. His first priority was to find a landmark or a vantage point that would allow him to get his bearings. For all he knew, each step was carrying him farther from the main house.