Fablehaven2-Rise of the Evening Star Page 25

  intrude in a heartbeat. He loved exploring. But he knew that

  barging into an abandoned mansion on Fablehaven property

  was a risky proposition. Here, ghosts and monsters were not

  only real, they were everywhere. And the manor had to be

  vacant for a reason. It was larger and more grand than the

  house his grandparents occupied.

  He had to find out where he was. Although the sun was

  still fairly high, nightfall would inevitably come, and he

  didn't want to get caught in the woods after dark. Plus,

  everybody had to be terribly worried. If entering the house

  would help him figure out where he was on the property, it

  would be worth the risk. Also, it would be cool to see what

  the manor looked like inside. Who knew? There might even

  be treasure.

  Seth walked cautiously toward the house. He decided to

  take it slow, keeping himself tensed to bolt at the first sign

  of trouble. The day was hot and still. Clouds of gnats twirled

  above the lawn. He could imagine carriages pulling up to the

  house, being greeted by uniformed servants. Those days were

  long gone.

  He mounted the steps to the front porch, passing the pillars.

  He had always liked houses with pillars. They seemed

  so stately, like true mansions. The front door was ajar. Seth

  went to the nearest shuttered window. The green paint of

  the shutters was blistered and peeling. When he tugged on

  the shutters, they rattled but would not swing open.

  Seth returned to the front door and eased it open. With

  the windows shuttered and no other lights on, the house was

  gloomy. Beyond the cavernous entry hall, he could see into a

  spacious living room. The furniture looked expensive, even

  under a heavy layer of dust. Everything was quiet.

  Stepping inside, Seth left the door wide open. His passage

  stirred up dust off the floor. Standing inside the house

  was barely cooler than standing under the sun outside. It

  smelled musty, with a hint of mildew. Great sheets of cobwebs

  hung from the high ceiling and veiled the chandelier.

  He decided it might be wise to hurry.

  A grand staircase led up from the entry hall to the second

  floor. Seth charged up the stairs, kicking up dust with

  each step, leaving footprints on the dingy carpeting. At the

  top of the stairs hung a sepia portrait of a man and a woman.

  The man looked serious and wore a mustache. The woman

  was Lena-much younger than when Seth had known her,

  but even under the film of dust on the glass, her identity was

  unmistakable. She had a slight, knowing smile.

  Seth hurried down the hall until he found another staircase,

  which granted access to the third level. Climbing to a

  higher, narrower hall, he tried a random door and found it

  locked. The next door he tried was locked as well, but the

  third opened onto a bedroom. He hurried to the window,

  opened it, and unfastened the shutters. Already he had a

  good view, but only in one direction, so Seth stepped out

  onto the roof. The roof was steep enough that if he fell, he

  could conceivably roll off the edge and fall three stories to

  the driveway. Treading gingerly, wood creaking, Seth moved

  to the crest of the roof.

  Standing atop the manor, he found himself just high

  enough to get a decent view of the surrounding area.

  Unfortunately, not much looked familiar. He identified the

  four hills that surrounded the valley where Coulter had led

  him. But he was not sure from what direction he was looking

  at the four hills. Slowly he turned, scanning the horizon,

  searching for clues. In one direction he could see what he

  suspected was the beginning of the marshland. In another

  direction he saw a single hill. On the hill, he saw a rooftop

  peeking above the trees.

  Warren's cottage! It had to be. He could barely see the

  top of it from his current vantage point. He stood on his tiptoes,

  trying to improve his angle. It was a good distance

  away, but if he could reach the cottage, he knew how to find

  his way back to the main house from there.

  Sweeping the area with a final look, Seth soaked up all

  the details he could. Back on the ground the way would not

  be plain. But the sun was moving, casting enough shadow

  now for him to feel confident which way was west. And by

  knowing west, he should be able to maintain his heading as

  he hiked to the cottage.

  He returned to the window and climbed back into the

  room, closing and latching the shutters. Seth surveyed the

  room. It was well appointed, but he didn't see anything

  worth carrying all the way back to the cottage. Of course,

  now that he had been here, he could probably find his way

  back. Maybe there was money or jewelry lying around someplace,

  perhaps in the master bedroom. Might be worth taking

  a look around for a few minutes before he departed.

  After all, it wouldn't be stealing since the house was

  abandoned.

  He guessed a good place to start looking would be the

  second floor, where the rooms had seemed bigger. After

  quickly checking a few dresser drawers and glancing inside a

  nightstand, Seth exited the room. He stopped, staring down

  at the far end of the hall, where the dust on the floor was

  swirling in a low circle. The sight was unsettling, eddying

  dust at the height of his shins. Where was the breeze corning

  from?

  The staircase that accessed the second floor was about

  halfway down the hall toward the swirling dust. Seth found

  that his mouth was suddenly dry. He did not want to move

  toward the dust, but the hall came to a dead end in the other

  direction.

  Seth moved lightly toward the unnatural disturbance.

  Suddenly the dust began whirling more fiercely, rising in a

  column from floor to ceiling. Seth ran toward the dust devil

  as it moved down the hall toward him. Something told him

  that if he lost the race to the staircase, he would deeply

  regret it.

  His pounding footfalls kicked up dust, but it was hardly

  noticeable as the wind from the oncoming vortex filled the

  hall with blinding particles. Seth squinted and tucked his

  head. When he reached the staircase, the whirlwind was

  scarcely ten feet away. Wind lashed at his clothes.

  Seth darted down the stairway, the whoosh of the vortex

  close behind. At the bottom of the stairs he turned

  quickly down the hall toward the grand staircase. It sounded

  like a hurricane was on his tail. A wave of dust engulfed him

  from behind as he reached the top of the grand staircase.

  Not daring to look back, Seth plunged down the stairs

  two at a time. Something smashed against the wall just

  behind him. Howling wind filled his ears. Coughing, Seth

  felt like he was lost in a sandstorm as decades of dust saturated

  the air.

  At the bottom of the stairs, as he dashed for the front

  door, Seth glanced back. The vortex had grown. It was floating

  down towar
d him across the high entry hall, skipping the

  stairs and growing taller by the instant. Tentacles of dust

  stretched out from the center of the whirlwind. An icy gale

  hurled stinging dust into his eyes.

  Seth lunged out the open door and slammed it behind

  him. Choking on dust, he raced down the steps to the driveway

  and sprinted across the yard in the direction of the cottage.

  Only when the manor was out of sight did he relax his

  pace.

  Kendra sat at the table with Warren, wracking her brains

  to decide her next move. Mendigo stood guard outside the

  window. Despite the company of the mute albino and the

  oversized puppet, she had rarely felt so alone.

  Mendigo had proved to be quite useful. After he had

  gathered fruit for her on the small hill that covered the

  Forgotten Chapel, the puppet had carried her piggyback to

  Warren's cottage as dawn began to streak the sky.

  But now the day was starting to fade, and she still had

  no plan, except to keep watch out the window in case

  Vanessa decided to pay her a visit. Kendra had spread out all

  the potions from Tanu's pouch on the table. She knew

  which containers held the bottled-up emotions, but was

  unsure which emotion was which. The rest of the potions

  could be just about anything. She had thought about sampling

  one, but became worried that some might be poisons

  or otherwise harmful concoctions meant for enemies.

  Kendra concluded she should save testing random potions as

  a last resort.

  She needed to find a way to free her grandparents. There

  were tools in the cottage, plenty of items she could use as

  weapons, but if Vanessa was still controlling Tanu, Kendra

  had a hard time picturing herself succeeding. Mendigo could

  help, but Kendra would be surprised if the puppet was able

  to enter the yard, since he could not enter the cabin. She

  was pretty sure Grandpa had to grant special permission to

  any nonmortal visitors. The fairies were permitted in the

  garden only by his consent.

  Mendigo started tapping on the window. She had told

  him to warn her if anyone approached. What could she do?

  Mendigo, protect Warren and me from harm, but stay out

  of sight until my command.

  Mendigo crouched behind a bush near the porch as

  Kendra made her way to the window. She peeked out, moving

  her head slowly, and could not believe what she saw.

  Seth was emerging from the trees, walking up the path to

  the cottage.

  Initially she was shocked. When she recovered, Kendra

  ran to the door and flung it open, tears of happiness and

  relief springing to her eyes. Seth! she cried.

  Kendra? he said, stopping in his tracks.

  You're not dead!

  Sure I am. I'm a ghost. I've been sent back with a warning.

  Kendra could not stop smiling. I thought I'd never hear

  you say something idiotic again!

  Who else is with you?

  Just Mendigo and Warren. Hurry, come inside.

  Ha-ha, Seth said, continuing toward the cottage at a

  leisurely pace.

  I'm serious, Kendra said. Come inside. Bad things

  have happened.

  And I'm serious too, he said. Muriel called me back

  from beyond the grave to deliver a singing telegram.

  Kendra put her hands on her hips. Mendigo, show yourself.

  The limberjack jumped out from behind the bush. Holy

  cow! Seth exclaimed, recoiling. What's he doing here?

  And why is he taking orders from you?

  Get inside and I'll tell you! Kendra said. I've never

  been gladder to see anybody. We have a big problem on our

  hands.

  Satirical Assistance

  Seth sat across the table from Kendra, looking totally

  shell-shocked. After he had told Kendra about the

  cocoon and passing through Olloch, she had explained how

  Vanessa had been revealed while he was absent. So Vanessa

  was controlling Coulter, he said. That was why he suddenly

  seemed so disoriented. He woke up with the revenant

  right on top of us, and still managed to save me.

  If we fall asleep, she may be able to control us, Kendra

  said.

  How? He picked up another cookie from the plate

  Kendra had left at the center of the table. She had discovered

  the cookies in a cupboard.

  Since she's a narcoblix, I think the drumants were a

  diversion so she could bite us in the night without anybody

  worrying about the marks. You were bitten by drumants. So

  was I. So was Coulter. So was Tanu. But who knows if all

  those bites were actually drumants?

  I bet you're right, Seth said, munching on the cookie.

  You know, I fell asleep inside the cocoon a couple of times.

  Once for quite a while. She might know I'm still alive.

  To be safe, we better not fall asleep until we solve this

  problem, Kendra said.

  You look tired, Seth said. Your eyes are getting bloodshot.

  Vanessa gave me a sleeping drug yesterday, and I slept

  most of the day. But then I was up all night, and didn't want

  to risk napping today. Kendra yawned. I'm trying not to

  think about it.

  Well, I had a good sleep after Olloch… got rid of me,

  so I should be able to go all night, Seth said. I agree we

  need to free Grandpa and Grandma, but we also need to find

  the key and keep it away from Vanessa. We have to protect

  the artifact.

  For all we know, she may already have the key, Kendra

  said. She might even have the artifact!

  I doubt it. It will be hard to get past that revenant. I

  mean, the thing just froze me with pure terror-there was

  nothing I could do. But maybe Vanessa knows a trick.

  It can't be too easy for her, Kendra said. I think she

  sent you and Coulter to the grove as an experiment. I'm not

  sure she knows what she's doing.

  Well, if she sent Coulter, she might send others, Seth

  said. She and that Christopher Vogel guy are here to get the

  artifact. They're going to find a way if we don't stop them.

  And they might hurt everybody they captured in the

  process.

  You think we should go spy on them?

  Right away. While we still have light. We don't have

  time to waste.

  Kendra nodded. Okay, you're right. She stood and put

  a hand on Warren's shoulder. We're going to the house,

  Warren. We'll be back. He smiled up at her blankly.

  I know some of these potions, Seth said, indicating the

  potions on the table.

  Do you know which emotions are which? Kendra

  asked.

  I'm pretty sure, he said. And I know these ones turn

  you small. Like under a foot high. And this one is an antidote

  for most poisons. And this one makes you resistant to

  fire. Or was that this one ?

  Do you know which one was fear? Kendra asked.

  That might come in handy.

  This one is fear, Seth said, picking up one of the

  bottles. But we should bring all of them. He began placing

  the potions in the pouch. Oh, and this jar has something

  i
mportant. Seth unscrewed the lid of a small jar. He dipped

  his finger in and withdrew it with a pale yellowish paste on

  it. He sucked the paste off his fingertip.

  What was that? Kendra asked.

  Walrus butter, Seth said. From a walrus on a preserve

  up in Greenland. Works like the milk. It's what Tanu uses

  out in the field.

  Hopefully they haven't found the key yet, Kendra said.

  Grandpa hid it in a new place. Of course, we might not be

  able to find it either.

  We'll figure something out, Seth said. We can't really

  plan until we check out what's going on. I should be able to

  use the glove to get a good look.

  Kendra walked to the door, opened it, and spoke to the

  giant puppet. Mendigo, obey all the instructions Seth gives

  you as if I were giving them. She turned back to Seth. You

  ready?

  Just a second, Seth said, carefully placing the final

  potions into the pouch. He kept the fear potion in his hand.

  I lost my emergency kit, but gained a bag of magical potions

  and an invisibility glove. Pretty good trade.

  They went outside. Mendigo, Kendra said, carry Seth

  and me to the yard as fast and as comfortably as you can, trying

  not to let us be heard or seen.

  The wooden puppet slung Seth over one shoulder and

  Kendra over the other. Showing no sign of strain, Mendigo

  trotted briskly down the path away from the cottage.

  Crouched, choosing their steps carefully, Kendra and

  Seth approached the yard. Mendigo waited several paces

  behind them, with orders to retrieve them and retreat to the

  cottage if they called. Kendra had tried to send him into the

  yard, but he had been unable to set foot on the grass. The

  same barrier that had kept Olloch out of the yard was in full

  effect for the limberjack as well.

  Seth squatted behind a leafy shrub near the edge of the

  woods. Kendra settled in beside him. Look on the porch,

  he whispered.

  Kendra raised her head to peek over the shrub, but Seth

  pulled her down. Look through the bush, he hissed. She

  leaned back and forth until she found a gap that let her see

  the porch.

  Imps, she whispered.

  Two of them, Seth said. The big kind. How could

  they get in the yard?

  That big one looks like the imp from the dungeon,

  Kendra said. I bet they were both prisoners. They didn't

  enter the yard from the woods; they came up out of the basement.

  We've seen what they can do, Seth said, backing away