by Brandon Mull
All the same, Coulter will disclose his discovery,
Grandpa said.
The fog giant Burlox reported that Warren was
investigating the four hills area before he turned white,
Coulter said.
One of the main areas Patton mentioned suspiciously,
Vanessa said.
And the same area I investigated today, Tanu said.
The grove on the north end of the valley is definitely
cursed. I did not risk treading there.
Seth came back into the room and reclaimed his spot on
the love seat.
Many areas of Fablehaven carry terrible curses and are
protected by ghastly fiends, Grandpa said. The valley of
the four hills is one of the most infamous. At the moment,
the evidence seems to suggest a pair of related mysteries. We
may very well find not only that the grove contains the relic
we have been seeking, but also that it is guarded by whatever
entity transformed Warren.
Of course, all that would need to be confirmed,
Grandma said.
Carefully, Grandpa admonished. As with several of
the most dread regions of Fablehaven, we have no idea what
evil haunts the grove.
What is our next move? Vanessa asked.
I say we need to focus on Olloch before we try to penetrate
whatever secrets lie inside the grove, Grandpa said.
Exploring the grove safely will require all of our resources
and focus. Even under ideal circumstances it is a hazardous
assignment.
'So we wait to see if Ruth can reach your contact?
Coulter asked.
Grandpa was picking at the frayed edge of his cast.
Ruth will keep calling on Vanessa's cell phone. For now, the
rest of us should try to get a good night's sleep. It may be our
last chance for a while.
Kendra closed the bathroom door, locked it, and set the
sheet of paper on the counter. She had found the blank
paper beneath her pillow, but with Seth in the room, she
dared not light the candle and give away her secret. Alone
in the bathroom, Kendra struck a flimsy match and put the
flame to the wick until it caught. Shaking out the match,
she watched as glowing words came into view on the formerly
empty page:
Kendra,
Sorry we didn't get to talk much today. Can you
believe all the commotion? We need to keep your
brother on a leash!
Let me know if this message came through all right.
Your friend,
Vanessa
Kendra blew out the candle, and the luminous words
vanished. Folding up the note, she climbed the stairs to the
attic bedroom, pondering how she should reply to the secret
message. Seth was setting up toy soldiers on the floor. One
in front, with two behind him, then a row of three, and
another of four. Kendra crossed the room and climbed into
bed. Seth walked several paces away and bowled at the soldiers
with a softball. He knocked down seven.
Turn off the light and come to bed, Kendra said.
I don't think I can sleep, Seth protested, retrieving the
softball.
I know I can't with you rolling balls around the room,
Kendra said.
Why don't you go sleep someplace else?
This is where they put us.
At home we each have our own room. Here, with way
more rooms, we sleep in the same one. He rolled the softball
again, claiming two more soldiers.
This isn't the sort of place I'd want to sleep alone,
Kendra admitted.
I can't believe they took my gold, Seth said, setting up
the soldiers again, this time placing them closer together. I
bet it was worth thousands of dollars. It isn't my fault if
Newel and Doren stole it from Nero.
You can't just do whatever you want and always get
away with it.
I've been good! I've tried hard to be careful and keep
secrets and follow all the rules.
You went into the woods without permission, Kendra
reminded him.
Just a little ways. It would have been fine if somebody
hadn't let that demon onto the preserve. Nobody saw that
coming. If Olloch hadn't caught up with me today, he might
have caught up with us tomorrow, when we were out with
Vanessa, a lot farther from the house. I might have saved our
lives. He rolled the ball again. Missing the front soldier, he
still knocked down eight.
Way to avoid taking any responsibility, Kendra said,
leaning back onto her pillow. I'm glad they grounded you. If
it were up to me, I'd lock you in the dungeon
If it were up to me, I'd give your face plastic surgery, he
said.
Really mature.
Do you think they'll figure out a way to stop the
demon? Seth asked.
I'm sure they'll think of something. The Sphinx seems
really smart. He'll have a plan.
He said you beat him at Foosball, Seth said.
He wasn't too good He didn't even spin his cowboys
Shaking his head, Seth bowled the ball again and picked
up the spare I don't think Nero could follow me off the
preserve. Maybe I should just take the gold and go. Then
everyone will be out of danger.
Stop pitying yourself.
I'm serious.
No you're not, Kendra said, exasperated. If you take
off, Olloch will hunt you down and eat you.
Better than having everyone hate me.
Nobody hates you. They just want you to be cautious,
so you'll be safe. The only reason they get mad is because
they care about you.
Seth arranged the soldiers in the tightest formation yet.
Think I can knock them all down with one roll?
Kendra sat up. Of course, you set them up like dominoes.
Seth took his position and rolled the ball, totally missing
all of them. Looks like you were wrong.
You missed on purpose.
I bet you couldn't knock all of them down.
I could easily, Kendra said.
Prove it.
She got out of bed, grabbed the ball, and went and stood
by her brother. Taking careful aim, she bowled it hard, right
down the center, and all the soldiers fell. See?
Almost like I let you win.
What's that supposed to mean?
Nothing, he said. Who do you think is the traitor?
I don't know. It doesn't seem like any of them.
My guess would be Tanu. He's too nice.
And that makes him evil? Kendra asked, getting back
into bed.
Whoever is guilty would be trying really hard to act
nice.
Or they would know that everyone would expect that,
so they would try to throw us off by acting grumpy.
You think it could be Coulter? Seth turned out the
light and jumped into bed.
He's known Grandpa for too long. And Vanessa could
have handed us over to Errol instead of rescuing us. They all
seem innocent. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be
another explanation.
I hope so, Seth said. They're all really cool. But keep
your eyes open.
You do the same. And please
stay out of the woods.
You're my only brother, and I don't want you to get…
hurt.
Thanks, Kendra.
Good night, Seth.
Seth awoke in the dead of night with a hand covering
his mouth. He grabbed at the fingers but was unable to pry
them from his lips. Don't be alarmed, a voice whispered.
It's Coulter. We need to talk.
Seth turned his head. Taking his hand from Seth's
mouth, Coulter held a finger to his lips, then curled it beckoningly.
What was Coulter up to? It was an odd hour for a
conversation.
Turning his head the other way, Seth saw Kendra asleep
under her covers, breathing evenly. He eased out of bed and
followed Coulter to the door and down the stairs to the hall.
Coulter took a seat on the last couple of steps. Seth sat down
beside him.
What's going on? Seth asked.
How would you like to set things straight? Coulter
asked.
Sure.
I need your help, Coulter said.
In the middle of the night?
It may be now or never.
No offense, Seth said. This seems kind of suspicious.
I need you to trust me, Seth. I'm about to try something
I can't do alone. I think you're the only person with the
courage to help me right now. You have no idea what is
really going on.
You're going to tell me?
Coulter looked around, as if he were nervous that somebody
might be spying. I have to. I need somebody like you
on my side here. Seth, the artifact we are looking for is very
important. In the wrong hands it could be extremely dangerous.
It could even lead to the end of the world.
That seemed to agree with what Seth had heard from his
grandparents. Go on, he said.
Coulter sighed and rubbed his thighs, as if hesitant to
continue. I'm taking a big risk here because I believe I can
trust you. Seth, I'm a special agent working for the Sphinx.
He gave me specific instructions that at all costs, I had to
recover the artifact, especially if the integrity of Fablehaven
was ever compromised. Now that we're nearly certain where
the artifact is hidden, I'm going to go prepare the way to get
it, tonight, and I want you to come with me.
Right now?
Immediately.
Seth wiped away an eyelash that was starting to poke his
eye. Why not get help from the others?
You heard your grandfather. He wants to wait and take
care of Olloch first. That poses a problem because, in a day
or two, Olloch could become too powerful, Fablehaven
could fall, and the artifact could be placed in extreme jeopardy.
How could I come with you? Seth said. The second I
leave the yard, the demon will be after us.
It's risky, Coulter conceded. But Fablehaven is a big
place, and the demon is off foraging. Hugo is waiting outside.
He'll take us to the grove and keep Olloch off of us if the
glutton makes an appearance.
Grandma said the demon could eat Hugo, Seth said.
Eventually. Until Olloch gets more powerful, it would
take him a long time to best Hugo. I wouldn't chance this
tomorrow. But Hugo handled the demon just fine not so
many hours ago. And Hugo is faster than Olloch. If we have
to, we'll just have Hugo escape with us back to the yard.
Why me? Seth asked. I don't get it. Part of me thinks
I should go tell Grandpa Sorenson right now.
I can't blame that instinct. I know this is unusual. Just
let me finish. You know that if you go to your grandpa, he
will never let you come with me. And he is in no position
to help me himself. I came to you because I've spent the
evening trying to convince the others to go after the artifact
now rather than later, but they are all too afraid to take
definitive action. Yet my private mandate from the Sphinx
remains-with the threat of Olloch looming, I need to
secure the artifact right away.
Why me? Seth repeated.
Who else can I trust besides your grandfather? Your
grandmother is good at a lot of things, but she doesn't
belong on this kind of mission. Neither does Kendra. I can't
do it alone. I think I know what is haunting the grove, a
phantom, and I need somebody brave to join me if I'm going
to defeat it. You're my only hope. You're young, but honestly,
Seth, as far as courage goes, in my book, you've got all the
others beat.
What if you're the traitor? Seth asked.
If I were the traitor, I'd already have somebody to help
me bypass the phantom. Christopher Vogel and I would be
off taking care of business. You and I wouldn't be having this
conversation. Also, we can't actually get the artifact tonight.
We need a key your grandfather has in order to access it. But
if we can get rid of the phantom and confirm the location of
the artifact, I'm confident that I'll be able to convince the
others to join us in retrieving it tomorrow.
Coulter's mention of the key also corresponded with
what Seth had heard from his grandparents. Without the
key, Coulter couldn't access the vault. If he couldn't access
the vault, his goal couldn't be to steal the artifact. And if
Coulter harmed Seth, it would blow his cover and prevent
him from ever getting Grandpa to hand over the key. Still,
even if Coulter was telling the truth, the adventure would
certainly be dangerous. Seth knew that his life would depend
on whether Coulter really could handle the phantom in the
grove. It had been too much for Warren. He wished he could
get advice from somebody else, but Coulter was right-if
Seth told anyone, from Grandpa to Kendra to Tanu, they
would try to stop them.
I don't know what to do, Seth said.
Once we have the artifact, we can all escape and lock
down Fablehaven, trapping Olloch inside until your grandparents
and their not-so-secret friend figure out what to do
with him. Everybody wins, and we keep the artifact out of
evil hands. I've thought it through, and this is our last
chance to set everything right. If we stall, it is going to end
badly. By tomorrow night, Olloch will be too strong. I can
only do this with your help, Seth. Warren failed because he
attempted it alone. If you refuse, we may as well both go
back to bed.
It seems like every decision I make is wrong lately,
Seth said. People keep tricking me. Or I just do stupid
things on my own.
Not everybody is out to fool you, Coulter said. And
bravery is not always a liability. Often it is quite the opposite.
I happen to know your grandfather has great admiration
for your adventurous spirit. This could be your chance to
redeem yourself.
Or to prove that I'm the most gullible person in the
world, Seth sighed. Hopefully this will end the streak. Do
I need to bring anything?
Coulter beamed. I knew I could count on you. He patted
Seth on the shoulder. I have everything we need.
Can I
grab my emergency kit?
Good idea. Quiet, though. We mustn't disturb the
others.
Seth slunk back up the stairs and into the attic bedroom
Kendra had shifted position but was still sound asleep
Crouching, Seth pulled the emergency kit out from under
his bed.
He felt uncommonly nervous. Was he making a mistake?
Or was he just anxious at the prospect of facing a terrible
phantom in a cursed grove with a short old man in the
middle of the night? Coulter seemed to be the most cautious
of all the adventurers. He had known exactly what to do
when they met the fog giant, and he seemed confident that
together they could handle the phantom. Seth stared at his
emergency kit. If he just followed instructions, he would be
fine, right?
Coulter did seem a little desperate to comply with the
assignment from the Sphinx. He was probably putting them
in a situation more dangerous than he would normally prefer
because the stakes were so high. But he was right. The stakes
really were high. Fablehaven was once again heading toward
destruction. And Seth knew it was mainly his own fault.
Last time, Kendra had saved the day. Now it was his turn.
Seth crept down the stairs.
Ready? Coulter asked.
I guess.
Let's get you some milk.
Peril in the Night
Deadfalls snapped and popped like firecrackers as Hugo
pounded through the dark woods. No starlight penetrated
the balmy darkness beneath the trees. Hugo maintained
an unflagging pace, clutching Coulter under one arm
and Seth under the other, like a running back with two
footballs.
They emerged from the woods briefly and thumped
through a covered bridge spanning a deep ravine. Seth recognized
it as the same bridge he had seen when Grandma
took him and Kendra to barter with Nero. Not far beyond
the bridge, Hugo left the path again, resuming their noisy,
loping dash through oblivion. Only the occasional clearing
allowed the faint glow of the stars to interrupt the blackness.
Seth remained tense, anticipating the appearance of
Olloch. At any minute, he expected a supersized glutton to
attack Hugo, splitting the night with a ferocious roar.
Instead, Hugo continued tirelessly forward, fluidly dodging
obstacles.
When Hugo reached the top of a steep slope, he charged
down without hesitation. Seth felt like they were on the
verge of tipping over with every step, but the golem never
stumbled. When they reached a dead tree leaning against a
