Fablehaven2-Rise of the Evening Star Page 31

destination. This time Seth would be prepared. That

  revenant had looked pretty flimsy. With the courage potion

  to counteract the fear, he should have a good chance.

  Back under the trees, Seth lost all sense of where they

  were headed, and had to trust that Mendigo knew the way.

  Get us to the valley with the four hills, Mendigo, Seth said

  softly. And be careful with the bottle you're holding. Don't

  let it get damaged.

  They rushed along in silence until Mendigo suddenly

  veered and slowed, heading toward a clearing. Seth was

  about to reprimand the puppet when he saw that Mendigo

  was pointing. The puppet came to a stop behind a bush.

  Looking in the direction indicated by the wooden finger,

  Seth saw a silhouetted form slowly walking in the clearing.

  Who was it? He was big. Was it Kendra's imp? No, it was

  Tanu!

  Seth burst from hiding and ran into the clearing. Tanu

  continued shuffling along, oblivious to Seth's approach. Seth

  ran up to Tanu and stared in amazement. Seeing Warren and

  Coulter as albinos was one thing. Seeing the large Samoan,

  whose skin had been so dark, was another. Illuminated by

  the ghostly moonlight, his pallid skin and white hair were

  shocking.

  Hey, Tanu, Seth said. Anybody home?

  The big Samoan trudged languidly forward, offering no

  hint of acknowledgment. Seth looked back at Mendigo. He

  hated the thought of leaving Tanu to roam the woods, but

  Warren had showed up back at the house after he became

  an albino. At least Tanu appeared to be generally heading in

  the right direction.

  The reality was, time was too short, and his mission too

  urgent, for Seth to do much for Tanu at the moment. Kendra

  was back at the cottage nearly defenseless. He needed to get

  to the grove and send Mendigo back to her.

  Mendigo, come get me. Let's keep going to the valley

  with the four hills, fast as you can. Mendigo raced to him,

  and Seth climbed on his back. The puppet started running.

  But if we come near any other imps or humans, still point

  them out without giving us away.

  Seth glanced back over his shoulder at Tanu making his

  way across the clearing. At that rate, even if he walked in

  the right direction the whole way, he would not reach the

  house for a day or two. Hopefully everything would be happily

  resolved by then.

  Once again, Seth was crashing through the darkness. He

  was pretty sure Hugo had gotten them to the valley more

  rapidly. Just when he was about to despair that they would

  ever reach the grove, they emerged from a thick stand of

  trees and Seth recognized that they were in the brush-filled

  valley surrounded by the familiar hills.

  Mendigo slowed to a walk. Mendigo, take me to the

  grove at that end of the valley, Seth said, gesturing toward

  their destination. Mendigo started trotting. Fast as you

  can. Mendigo sped up.

  As the grove drew nearer, Seth contemplated how much

  he was betting on the potency of the courage potion. The

  fear potion had made him very afraid, but it was hardly a

  shiver when compared to the terror radiating from the

  revenant. Of course, he had sampled only a drop or two of

  the fear potion, with some other ingredients mixed in to

  dilute it. He would down a much bigger dose of pure

  courage, and bring the bottle with him so he could chug

  more if needed.

  Mendigo stopped near the edge of the grove. Seth estimated

  it was roughly the same place Hugo had stopped.

  Mendigo, go just a few steps closer to the trees, Seth

  urged.

  The puppet took several steps, but did not move forward.

  He was walking in place. Seth slid off of Mendigo, dropping

  to the ground. Mendigo, walk into the grove. The puppet

  appeared to be trying to comply, but instead took more steps

  without advancing.

  Forget it, Mendigo. Hand me the key and the potion.

  The puppet obeyed. Mendigo, return to Kendra as fast as

  you can. Mendigo started running off, so Seth shouted after

  him to finish his instructions, cupping his hands around his

  mouth. If she's not at the cottage, or is in any trouble, rescue

  her. Hurt her enemies if they try to stop you. Obey her!

  Before Mendigo was out of sight, Seth turned to face the

  grove. Under the moon and the stars, the grove was brighter

  than it had been on his previous visit. Even so, he switched

  on the flashlight. It had a dimmer bulb than the light

  Coulter had used, but it still made a difference.

  Standing alone in the dark, shining his dim flashlight at

  the ominous trees and their convoluted shadows, was not

  good for morale. Seth remembered Kendra's certainty that

  he would fail, and, alone under the stars, he suddenly felt she

  might be right.

  Seth took a calming breath. This was what he wanted.

  This was why he had run away from Kendra. Sure, he was a

  little nervous now, but a good dose of courage would remedy

  the situation. And when the chilling fear of the revenant

  began to take hold, he would give himself another boost. He

  had to do this, just as Kendra had to go after the Sphinx.

  Both propositions were risky, but both were necessary.

  Setting down the tall key, Seth unstopped the bottle and

  tipped it into his mouth. Even with the little bottle

  upended, the potion dripped out in a weak trickle. He shook

  the fluid into his mouth until he had emptied roughly a

  quarter of the contents.

  The liquid burned. Once, in a Mexican restaurant, Seth

  had downed some hot sauce straight from the bottle on a

  dare from Kendra. It was brutal. He had to stuff his mouth

  with chips and guzzle water to stem the burning. This was

  worse-less taste, more stinging.

  Seth coughed and swiped at his lips, eyes watering. His

  tongue felt like he had licked an iron, and his throat felt like

  a pincushion bristling with scalding needles. Tears leaked

  profusely down his cheeks. There was nothing to mute the

  burning, no water, no food. He had to wait it out.

  As the painful sensation subsided, a warmth began to

  spread through his chest. He smirked at the dark trees. They

  seemed less intimidating. Had he actually been scared? Why,

  because it was dark? He had a flashlight. He knew exactly

  what was in there-a skinny ruin of a man so frail that he

  could flatten him with a sneeze. A creature so used to victims

  folding out of fear that it had probably lost all ability to

  contend with a real opponent.

  Seth glanced at the long key. Between the flashlight and

  the potion and the pliers, his hands were full. The pliers

  went into a pocket, and he managed to hold the flashlight

  and the potion in the same hand, while grasping the key in

  the other. He marched across the space separating him from

  the grove, and soon found himself amid the trees. He was

  trying not to smile, but the grin would not go away. How

  had he been worried? How had he le
t Kendra's misgivings

  make him doubt for even a second? This would be absolute

  simplicity.

  Pausing, he set down his things and began throwing

  punches to warm himself up. Wow, he hadn't realized how

  fast his right had gotten! His left was pretty good too. He

  was a machine! Maybe he would give the creature a free

  swing or two, just for fun. Toy with the freak before he put

  it out of its misery. Show the pathetic monstrosity exactly

  what happened to anything that traded blows with Seth

  Sorenson.

  He retrieved his items and continued deeper into the

  grove. The air became steadily cooler. Seth shone his flashlight

  beam around, not wanting to give the revenant a

  chance to sneak up on him. Last time Seth had been helplessly

  frozen. This time he would dictate exactly how the

  encounter would go.

  Seth began to notice an unusual numbness in his toes.

  It reminded him of the time he'd gone skiing in ski boots

  that were too small. He paused, stomping his feet, trying to

  restore sensation, but instead the numbness spread up his

  ankles. He started shivering. How had it gotten cold so

  quickly?

  A flicker of motion caught his eye. Pivoting, Seth shone

  his flashlight at the approaching revenant. The creature was

  still a good distance away, barely visible through the trees.

  The numbness had spread above his knees, and his fingers

  began to stiffen and feel rubbery. The deadening of his

  nerves sparked a trace of panic. Was he just going to go rigid

  without experiencing the same fear as before? Brave or not,

  if he became paralyzed, he would be in trouble. His vision

  blurred a little. His teeth chattered. He dropped the tall key.

  Seth raised the bottle to his lips. Deciding he should

  consume all he could while still able, he downed all the

  remaining potion before tossing the bottle aside. The fluid

  did not feel as hot as before. Watching the sluggish advance

  of the revenant, Seth enjoyed the warmth that blossomed at

  his center and flowed outward, driving away the numbness.

  Pulling the pliers from his back pocket, he grinned.

  No use waiting for the painfully slow zombie to reach

  him. Seth jogged toward the creature, the beam of his flashlight

  bobbing. As he got closer, the emaciated figure came

  into plain view, wearing the same filthy, tattered clothes.

  The yellow cast to the skin and weeping lesions made the

  wretch disgusting, but not scary. Sure, the thing was taller

  than him, but not by much, and it moved like it was on the

  verge of collapse.

  Seth focused on the wooden nail protruding from the

  side of the revenant's neck. Pulling it out would almost be

  too easy. Seth wondered if he should do some karate moves

  to give the revenant a preview of things to come. He had

  never taken any lessons, but he had seen enough movies to

  have the general idea.

  He stopped jogging about ten paces from the sickly zombie

  and performed a few fancy punches and a couple of kicks.

  The revenant kept slowly approaching, mouth twisted in an

  awful rictus, making no acknowledgment of the martial arts

  display. Seth flexed both arms, showing the revenant two

  good reasons to surrender.

  The revenant raised an arm and pointed a bony finger at

  Seth. The shocking cold hit him as completely as if he had

  fallen into an icy lake. He gasped weakly and his muscles

  tightened. At his core there remained a warm, confident

  center, but it was being rapidly eroded. Irrational, gibbering

  terror was assailing him at the fringes of his focus, trying to

  smother his self-assurance.

  Part of him wanted to collapse and quail. Seth gritted his

  teeth. Potion or no potion, magical fear or no magical fear,

  he wasn't going to succumb, not this time. He willed himself

  to take a step toward the revenant. His leg refused to

  function at first. He was numb to the hip, and it felt like

  heavy weights were holding his foot down. Leaning forward

  and grunting, he managed a single ponderous step. Then

  another.

  The revenant was still pointing at him, and still coming

  toward him. Seth knew he could just wait for the revenant

  to reach him, but something told him it was important to

  keep moving. He took another step.

  The revenant was now within reach. The vaguely

  malevolent eyes held no personality. A putrid stench polluted

  the air. The arm of the revenant remained outstretched,

  and the pointing finger was nearly touching him.

  Seth's confidence dwindled. He knew his body was

  about to shut down. He eyed the black, ragged fingernail

  drawing closer to his chest. The warm feeling had shrunk to

  a fading spark. Horrors began to fill his mind. Gripping the

  pliers tightly, Seth lifted his arm and, with a choppy motion,

  brought the pliers down on the bony finger. The revenant

  displayed no reaction to the blow, but the arm lowered a bit,

  and the finger had obviously been dislocated.

  Teeth clenched, Seth fought against what felt like

  tremendous gravity to take a step to the side. Mustering all

  his strength, he kicked the revenant in the back of the knee.

  The knee buckled and the revenant fell. Seth stumbled

  forward and knelt on its chest, feeling prominent ribs against

  his shins.

  The revenant glared up at him. Seth could not move.

  His arms trembled. The final spark of confidence was dying.

  Seth could feel the deluge of irrational fear waiting to overwhelm

  him. In a moment it would. The revenant reached

  up, both hands moving slowly but purposefully toward Seth's

  neck.

  Seth thought about all the people depending on him.

  Coulter had sacrificed himself for him. Kendra was alone in

  the cottage. His grandparents and Dale were trapped in a

  dungeon. He could do this. Courage was his thing. It didn't

  have to be fast. He just had to get there.

  Seth focused on the nail and began moving the pliers

  toward it. He could not move quickly. It was as if the air had

  become a gel. If he tried to go fast, his progress halted.

  Pushing slowly and steadily, the hand with the pliers gradually

  advanced.

  The hands of the revenant reached his throat. Fingers so

  cold they burned pressed into his flesh. The rest of his body

  was numb.

  Seth didn't care. The pliers kept moving. Strong, merciless

  fingers squeezed his neck tighter. Seth gripped the

  wooden nail with the pliers. He tried to yank it out, but it

  would not budge.

  Seth felt like he was drowning. The spark of confidence

  was gone, but grim determination remained. The only sensation

  was the searing pain in his neck. Ever so slowly, his arm

  feeling distant, hardly connected, Seth began withdrawing

  the nail, watching it slide out centimeter by centimeter. The

  nail was longer than he expected-it kept coming and corning,

  bloodlessly emerging from the hole it had long inhabited.

>   His hand slowed. It felt like the air was congealing from

  a gel to a solid. The strangling grip of the revenant prevented

  him from breathing. Sweat beaded on his brow.

  With dreamlike slowness, the last of the long wooden

  nail emerged from the neck. He saw a tiny space between

  the tip of the nail and the empty hole. For an instant, Seth

  thought he noticed something flicker across the revenant's

  face, relief in the eyes, the hideous smile becoming slightly

  more sincere.

  And then the air was no longer solid, and he was falling,

  and everything went dark.

  The Inverted Tower

  Wearing a blanket like a shawl, Kendra straddled a

  thick limb in a tree with a good view of the cottage.

  The night was just cool enough to make her glad for the

  blanket, which was currently invisible along with the rest of

  her. Before climbing to her current perch she had crisscrossed

  the area touching the boles of several other trees, in

  case an imp tried to track her scent.

  Although she felt exhausted, her precarious position

  helped motivate her to keep alert. If she nodded off, she

  would fall about ten feet and receive a very rude awakening

  from the uncaring ground. She had spent the majority of her

  time astride the limb either furious at Seth or fretting about

  him. It was not fair that he had abandoned her and left her

  vulnerable, nor that he had taken action without consulting

  her. But she also realized that he was trying to do what he

  thought was right, and that he would probably pay a heavy

  price for his misguided bravery, which gave her a reason to

  rein in her unkind thoughts.

  Tense and anxious, Kendra strained her eyes and ears for

  any sign of an enemy approaching, or of Mendigo returning.

  She was unsure how she would proceed once Mendigo reappeared.

  Even though it was too late to save Seth from his

  fate, a big part of her wanted to go after him rather than flee

  Fablehaven. At the same time, she knew that if she could

  find the Sphinx, it might be her best chance to rescue her

  grandparents and maybe even discover a way to restore Seth,

  Tanu, Coulter, and Warren from their albino states.

  Waiting impatiently on the limb, Kendra was stunned to

  see Warren climb out onto the observation platform atop

  the cottage. She watched him in astounded silence as he

  stretched and rubbed his arms. The night was too dim for

  her to observe details, but he appeared to be moving about