by Brandon Mull
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
