Fablehaven2-Rise of the Evening Star Page 20

  cliff, without using his hands, Hugo raced up the rotten

  trunk like a ramp. Seth's stomach lurched as the ground

  grew distant, and he felt certain they would fall, but

  although the tree creaked beneath them, the golem did not

  falter.

  At length they reached a large, open valley with a

  rounded hill at each corner. After the complete darkness of

  the forest, the starlight proved sufficient to reveal the surrounding

  terrain. Tall brush covered the ground, mingled

  with prickly weeds. A dark stand of trees loomed at the far

  end of the valley, between the two largest hills.

  Hugo bounded across the valley, coming to an abrupt

  stop near the edge of the shadowy grove. Forward a few

  more steps, Hugo, Coulter said.

  The golem leaned forward, trembling. He rocked back,

  and the shaking stopped. Slowly Hugo lifted a leg. As he

  tried to move it forward, he began to shudder.

  Enough, Hugo, Coulter said. Set us down.

  What's the deal with Hugo? Seth asked.

  Just as most magical creatures cannot enter the yard

  back at the house, Hugo cannot enter this grove. There is

  an unseen boundary here. The ground is cursed. Fortunately,

  as mortals, we can go wherever we choose.

  Seth raised his eyebrows. We have to go up against the

  phantom without Hugo? he said.

  I expected this, Coulter said. Though I would rather

  have been mistaken.

  Are we sure we want to go someplace Hugo can't?

  This has nothing to do with what we want. This is a

  matter of duty. I don't want to go in there, but I must.

  Seth stared at the dark trees. The night seemed suddenly

  cooler. He folded his arms. How do you know a phantom is

  in there?

  I did some private reconnaissance. I ventured far

  enough into the grove to read the signs. It's clearly the abode

  of a phantom.

  How do we stop a phantom?

  Coulter pulled a short, crooked stick from his belt. You

  hold this holly wand high. No matter what happens, keep it

  above your head-change hands if you must. I'll take care of

  the rest.

  That's all?

  The holly will protect us while I bind the phantom. No

  small task, but I've done it once before. The phantom may

  try to frighten or intimidate you, but if you keep the wand

  high, we'll both be fine. Now more than ever, whatever you

  see and hear, you must remain stouthearted.

  I can do that, Seth said firmly. What if Olloch shows

  up?

  Golems make fabulous guardians, Coulter said. Hugo,

  keep Olloch the Glutton out of the grove.

  Should I wear my medallion?

  The one to repel the undead? By all means, put it on.

  Seth fished the medallion out of his emergency kit and

  slipped it around his neck. Coulter turned on a heavy flashlight.

  The initial glare made Seth squint and blink. The

  bright beam pierced the darkness of the grove, lighting the

  space between the trees, allowing Coulter and Seth to see

  much deeper into the ominous woods. Instead of vague,

  shadowy trunks, the harsh light revealed the color and texture

  of the bark. There was almost no undergrowth, just rank

  upon rank of gray pillars supporting a leafy canopy.

  Find your courage, and hang on tight, Coulter said.

  I'm ready, Seth said, holding the holly wand aloft.

  Hugo, if we fall, return to the house, Coulter said.

  If we fall?

  Just a precaution. We'll be fine.

  You're not helping my courage a whole bunch, Seth

  complained. He started impersonating Coulter. Seth, we'll

  be just fine. Nothing to worry about. Hugo, when we die,

  please have us buried in a beautiful cemetery by a stream.

  I'm sorry, Seth, I meant if we die. Be brave. When the phantom

  kills you, don't scream, even though it's going to hurt a

  lot.

  Coulter was smirking. Are you finished?

  Sounds like we're both finished.

  Everyone copes with nerves differently. Humor is

  among the better ways. Follow me.

  Coulter stepped forward, beyond the plane Hugo could

  not cross, and Seth followed closely. The trees cast long

  shadows. The flashlight beam swayed back and forth, making

  the shadows swing and stretch, creating the illusion that

  the trees were in motion. As they passed the first few trees,

  Seth glanced back at Hugo, waiting in the shadows. His

  night vision had already been ruined by the flashlight, so he

  could barely make out the form of the golem in the darkness.

  Can you feel the difference? Coulter whispered.

  I'm scared, if that's what you mean, Seth said softly.

  Coulter stopped walking. More than that. Even if you

  didn't know to be scared, you would be. There's an unshakable

  sense of foreboding in the atmosphere.

  Seth had goose bumps on his arms. You're sort of freaking

  me out again, he said.

  I just want you to be aware of it, Coulter whispered. It

  may get worse. Keep that holly wand up high.

  Seth was not sure whether it was simply the power of

  suggestion, but as they resumed walking, with each step the

  air seemed to grow colder, and the feeling inside seemed to

  become darker. Seth grimly studied the trees, bracing himself

  for the terrifying form of a phantom to appear.

  Coulter slowed and then stopped. The hair rose on the

  back of Seth's neck. Coulter turned slowly, eyes wide and

  shimmering. Uh-oh, he mouthed.

  The fear hit Seth like a physical blow, making his knees

  buckle. He dropped his emergency kit as he collapsed to the

  ground, keeping the hand with the holly wand high. Seth

  was instantly reminded of when he had sampled Tanu's fear

  potion. The terror was an irrational, overpowering force that

  instantly stripped away all defenses. He struggled to rise and

  to keep his hand up.

  He had made it to his knees and was trying to lift a leg

  when a second wave of fear washed over him, more powerful

  than the first, much more potent than the potion Tanu had

  given him. The medallion around his neck dissolved, evaporating

  into the chilly air. Vaguely, distantly, Seth was aware

  that the flashlight was on the ground, and that Coulter was

  on his hands and knees, quivering. The fear intensified

  steadily, relentlessly.

  Seth crumpled. He was on his back. The wand remained

  above his head, clenched in a frozen fist. His whole body was

  paralyzed. He tried to call out to Coulter. His lip twitched.

  No sound came out. He could barely think.

  This surpassed the fear of death. Death would be a mercy

  if it would make the feeling stop, the uncontrollable panic

  mingling with the mind-scrambling certainty of something

  sinister approaching, something with no need to hurry,

  something that would not be so kind as to let him die. The

  fear was palpable, suffocating, irresistible.

  Seth had always pictured his life ending much more

  heroically.

  Kendra snapped awake. The room was dark and silent.

>   She did not often awaken in the middle of the night, but she

  felt strangely alert. She turned to glance over at Seth. His

  bed was vacant.

  She bolted upright. Seth? she whispered, scanning the

  room. There was no sign of her brother.

  Where could he be? Had the traitor kidnapped him?

  Had he gone to sacrifice himself to Olloch? Had he taken

  his gold and left Fablehaven? Maybe he was just using the

  bathroom. She leaned down and glanced under his bed,

  where he kept his emergency kit. She could not see it.

  Kendra rolled out of bed. She checked more thoroughly,

  looking under both beds. No emergency kit. Not a good

  sign. What could he possibly be thinking?

  Kendra clicked on the light and hurried to the stairs,

  descending them quickly. Vanessa's room was nearest.

  Kendra rapped gently and opened the door. Vanessa was

  curled up under her covers. Kendra tried not to think about

  the unusual creatures inhabiting the containers stacked

  around the room. She switched on a light and crossed to the

  bed.

  Vanessa rested on her side, facing Kendra. She was perfectly

  still, except her eyelids were fluttering wildly. Kendra

  knew from school that R.E.M. sleep was a sign of dreaming.

  The sight was eerie, her face placid, her closed eyes twitching

  spasmodically.

  Kendra put a hand on Vanessa's shoulder and shook her.

  Vanessa, wake up, I'm worried about Seth. The eyelids

  kept fluttering. Vanessa showed no sign of feeling or hearing

  Kendra. Shaking Vanessa a second time again elicited no

  reaction. Kendra lifted an eyelid. The eye was rolled back,

  white and bloodshot. Kendra jumped back. The sight

  creeped her out.

  There was a half-full cup of water on the nightstand.

  Kendra hesitated only for a moment. It was an emergency.

  She poured it onto Vanessa's face.

  Gasping and sputtering, Vanessa sat up, hand clutching

  her chest, eyes wide, looking not only startled but almost

  paranoid. She glanced around, eyes darting, clearly disoriented.

  Her gaze settled on Kendra. What are you doing?

  She sounded angry and bewildered. Water dripped from her

  chin.

  Seth's missing! Kendra said.

  Vanessa inhaled sharply. Missing? The anger was gone

  from her voice, replaced by concern.

  I woke up and he was gone, Kendra said. So was his

  emergency kit.

  Vanessa swung her legs out of bed. Oh, no, I hope he

  hasn't done something rash. Sorry if I sounded harsh; I was

  having an awful nightmare.

  It's okay. Sorry to splash you.

  I'm glad you did. Vanessa tied on a robe and led the

  way into the hall. You fetch Coulter; I'll get Tanu.

  Kendra ran down the hall to Coulter's door. She entered

  after a quick knock. His bed was empty. Made up. There was

  no sign of him.

  Kendra returned to the hall, where Vanessa was leading

  a bleary-eyed Tanu. Where's Coulter? Vanessa asked.

  He's gone too, Kendra reported.

  On his back in the dark, Seth tried to get accustomed to

  the fear. If he could get used to it, maybe he could resist it.

  The feeling most reminded him of the sensation you experience

  when somebody startles you and makes you jump-a

  burst of instinctive, irrational terror and panic. Except this

  feeling was sustained. Instead of coming in a jolt and quickly

  subsiding into rational relief, the startled feeling not only

  lingered but intensified. Seth found it tough to think, let

  alone move, and so he lay frozen, overwhelmed, inwardly

  struggling, sensing something drawing inexorably closer. His

  only similar experience had been when Tanu had given him

  the fear potion, although by comparison that now seemed

  harmless and diluted. This was the real thing. Fear that

  could kill.

  Seth, a strained voice said urgently, how did we get

  here?

  Unable to turn his head, Seth shifted his eyes. Coulter

  lay beside him, leaning up on one elbow. Having something

  to focus on besides the fear helped, and the fact that Coulter

  was still able to speak gave him hope. But what kind of

  pointless question was that? Coulter knew how he had gotten

  there. It was his idea. Seth tried to ask what he meant

  but managed only a groan.

  No matter, Coulter grunted. He reached a hand

  toward Seth, moving like a man on a planet where the gravity

  was much greater than on Earth. Take it.

  Seth could not see what Coulter held. He tried to move

  his arm but failed. He tried to sit up and failed again.

  Look, Coulter said. The flashlight was on the ground

  near his feet. He kicked it softly, changing the angle of the

  beam. Then Coulter fell flat.

  With the light turned and Coulter lower to the ground,

  Seth could now see what was drawing nearer through the

  trees: an emaciated, raggedly dressed man with a large thorn

  protruding from the side of his neck. His skin looked sickly,

  leprous, with open sores and blotchy discolorations. Because

  the flashlight was on the ground, the bottom half of the figure

  was better illuminated than the top. He had knobby

  ankles. Dried mud rimmed the cuffs of his tattered trousers.

  Seth studied his shadowy face. He had a pronounced Adam's

  apple, and wore the unnatural smile of a shy man posing for

  a photograph. The eyes were empty but uncannily aware.

  His expression did not change. He was still about forty feet

  away, treading slowly, as if in a trance.

  Panting, sweating, Coulter propped himself back up on

  one elbow. Revenant, he growled through clenched teeth.

  Talismanic… uses fear… remove the nail. He scooted

  closer to Seth. Open… mouth.

  Seth focused all his attention on his jaw. He could not

  stop grinding his teeth. Opening his mouth was not a current

  option. Can't, he tried to say. No sound came out.

  Coulter pressed something into his hand. It felt like a

  handkerchief. Warn, Coulter coughed, barely getting the

  word out. He tried to say more, but it sounded like he was

  strangling.

  Coulter lurched at Seth. Both his hands were on Seth's

  face. One brusquely jerked his jaw down. The other thrust

  something past his lips. When Coulter released him, Seth

  automatically bit down hard on whatever Coulter had

  inserted, his jaw clenching involuntarily, flattening the

  object between his molars.

  Suddenly Seth experienced the sensation that his

  tongue was rapidly inflating. It was like it had suddenly

  turned into an emergency airbag, exploding out of his

  mouth. Then his inflated tongue seemed to turn inside out,

  doubling back and enfolding him. The stark scene before

  him instantly vanished. He was shrouded in complete darkness.

  For the first time since he had begun to feel it, the

  overwhelming fear was significantly reduced.

  He could move again. He was inside spongy darkness,

  totally encased by something. Seth touched his tongue. It

&nbs
p; was intact. Normal. His tongue had not actually ballooned;

  it must have been whatever Coulter had crammed in his

  mouth. The cocoon! That was the only explanation!

  Somehow Coulter had found the strength to shove his failsafe

  into Seth's mouth. Seth pressed against the confining

  walls of his snug enclosure. They felt soft at first, but when

  he pressed hard, they did not budge. According to what

  Coulter had said, nothing could get to him now. He could

  survive for months.

  Coulter! The older man had sacrificed himself! Though

  it was now muted, Seth could still feel the fear increasing.

  Somewhere beyond the pillowy darkness enfolding him, the

  creature was nearing Coulter. Even he would be petrified by

  now, no matter how resistant he was to the smothering fear.

  It had seemed like he'd used his last strength to give away

  the cocoon.

  Seth examined the object Coulter had placed in his

  hand. It was not a handkerchief; it was a glove with no fingertips,

  presumably the glove that turned Coulter invisible.

  It would not come in very handy inside the cocoon, but if

  he ever got out, it would certainly prove useful.

  Seth squeezed the glove. There could be only one reason

  Coulter had passed it to him. The older man did not

  expect to survive.

  Coulter started screaming. Although the sounds were

  muffled by the cocoon, Seth had never heard such unrestrained

  expressions of pure terror. Seth resisted the impulse

  to start tearing the cocoon apart. He wanted to help, but

  what could he do? Coulter did not scream long.

  Grandpa sat on the edge of his cot, surrounded by

  Vanessa, Dale, Tanu, Grandma, and Kendra. His hair was

  sticking up in a way Kendra had never seen. But his hard

  eyes were not sleepy.

  The traitor is unmasked, Grandpa said, as if to himself.

  Not Coulter, Grandma said in disbelief.

  They're gone, Tanu said. He took his gear; Seth took

  his kit. Glancing at the tracks, it looked like Hugo carried

  them.

  Can you follow them? Grandpa asked.

  Easily, Tanu said. But they have a good start on us,

  and Hugo is not slow.

  What do you suppose he's up to? Vanessa asked.

  Grandpa glanced worriedly at Kendra. We'll discuss

  that later.

  No, Kendra said. Go ahead. We have to hurry.

  Coulter is missing an essential object for uncovering

  the lost relic, Grandpa said. Right?

  Grandma nodded. We still have it.

  I can only imagine that he has some reason for offering