by Brandon Mull
ordered, break his arms.
What? Kendra exclaimed.
We have to stop them somehow, Seth said.
Mendigo shifted his grip, placing a wooden knee against
the wiry imp's back, and then wrenched one of the imp's
arms into an awkward position and jerked it briskly. Kendra
looked away, but heard the hideous snap. The imp howled.
A second crunch followed.
Mendigo, Seth said, break his legs, then do the same
to the other imp. Kendra heard more disgusting sounds.
She opened her eyes. The wiry imp was writhing on the
ground, limbs askew, and the fat imp had almost reached
them, plowing through the undergrowth. Mendigo rushed to
meet the fat imp. The oversized puppet dodged a punch and
flung himself at the creature. The fat imp caught Mendigo
in the air and hurled him aside.
Up close, Kendra realized that this imp was not only
much broader and thicker than the other imp, he was at
least a head taller. Mendigo, scuttling on all fours, dove at
the imp's legs, trying to trip him. The big imp stomped
at him, then seized Mendigo and slammed him into a tree.
One of the puppet's arms came unhinged and spun to the
ground.
Seth, who had been invisible, suddenly appeared and
bashed the imp in the side of the head with the key. The
huge imp staggered sideways and dropped to his knees,
releasing Mendigo. The puppet hastily retrieved his arm.
The massive imp turned and rose, wheezing, rubbing the side
of his head, and glaring with furious eyes. Seth held still,
invisible once again.
Mendigo, Seth said, use this key to hurt the big imp.
Seth flashed into view as he tossed the metal staff to
Mendigo. The imp rushed at Seth, but Mendigo sprang into
action, swinging the key with much more force than Seth
had been able to muster.
The imp raised an arm to block the blow, but his forearm
buckled on impact. Whirling, Mendigo clubbed the
imp's bulging belly, and then whacked him across the shoulders
when he doubled over.
Mendigo, Seth said, break his legs, but don't kill
him.
The puppet set about bludgeoning the fallen imp,
quickly hobbling him. That's enough, Mendigo, Kendra
said. Only hurt them more if they keep after us.
You're going to pay for this, the wiry imp snarled
through clenched teeth, glaring fiercely at Kendra.
You asked for it, Kendra said. Mendigo, pick us up
and get us away from the yard as fast as you can.
And don't lose the key, Seth added.
Mendigo hoisted Kendra over one shoulder and slung
Seth over the other. The puppet ran away from the scene
faster than either Kendra or Seth had seen him run before.
Mendigo, Kendra said softly after they had left the
crippled imps behind, take us to back to the cottage as
quickly as you can.
Did you say the cottage? Seth asked.
There's another imp, and he looked like the worst of
the three, Kendra said.
Right, but won't they look in the cottage? Seth asked.
Imps can't enter the cottage, Kendra reminded him.
All right, Seth said. I knocked Vanessa out with one
of her own darts.
Then they probably won't be after us right away.
Mendigo, if somebody chases us and gets close, put us down
and beat them with the key.
Mendigo showed no sign that he heard, but Kendra felt
sure he had. He continued at a tireless sprint. She did not
mind the branches whipping past her and tearing at her
sheet. It was much preferable to running barefoot.
Diverging Plans
Kendra and Seth sat at the table with Warren. Seth was
finishing a second peanut butter and honey sandwich.
Kendra was dumping lemonade powder into a pitcher full of
water. She stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon.
The key lay on the table. It was mostly smooth, fashioned
out of a dull gray metal. One end had a grip like the
hilt of a sword. The other end had little notches and grooves
and irregular protuberances. Kendra and Seth could only
assume that the complicated end was meant to be inserted
into an intricate keyhole.
Outside in the night, Mendigo stood watch, clutching a
hoe in one hand and a rusty cowbell in the other. He was
under orders to raise the alarm with the bell if any strangers
approached, and then to use the hoe to cripple any imps or
people who came along.
We can't stay here, Seth said.
I know, Kendra replied, pouring lemonade into a glass.
Do you want some?
Sure, Seth said. I have a plan.
Kendra started filling a second glass. I'm listening.
I say we go back to the grove, get past the revenant, use
the key, and retrieve the artifact.
Kendra took a sip from one of the glasses. Just barely
too strong, she said.
Seth picked up the other glass and took a drink. A little
weak, if you ask me.
What is your plan again? Kendra asked, rubbing her
eyes. I'm so tired, I feel like I can barely concentrate.
We should go after the artifact, Seth restated.
And how do we get past the revenant? I thought it
totally froze you.
Seth held up a finger. I already figured it out. See, we
have that courage potion in Tanu's pouch. You know, the
bottled-up emotion. I think if I take a big enough dose, the
courage will counteract the fear from the zombie.
Kendra sighed. Seth, he has to mix in all sorts of stuff
to get the emotions to balance each other out right.
The fear from the revenant will balance it out plenty.
You heard Vanessa and Errol. I just have to pull out the nail.
I know I can do it!
What if you can't?
Seth shrugged. If I can't, I end up an albino like the
others, and you'll have to make a new plan.
After everything that has happened, do you think the
riskiest plan imaginable is the best way to go?
Unless you have a better one.
Kendra shook her head and wiped her hands down her
face. She felt so weary that it was tough to focus. But obviously
they couldn't just charge off and battle a revenant and
then try to survive all the traps guarding the inverted tower.
There had to be better alternatives.
I'm waiting, Seth said.
I'm thinking, Kendra said. It's what some people do
before they talk. Let's consider the other options besides
deliberate suicide. We could hide. I'm not wild about that
option, because it just prolongs an actual decision, and I'm
not going to be able to keep awake much longer.
You have circles under your eyes, Seth said.
We could attack. They only have one imp left.
Mendigo is a pretty tough fighter. If he had a weapon, he
could maybe take out their last imp, and then beat up Errol
and Vanessa.
If we can lure them all out of the yard, Seth said.
Which I doubt will happen. After they find the injured
imps, they'll be careful. You nev
er know, they might have
other tricks up their sleeves. Vanessa could come after us as
Dale, for example.
I hadn't thought of that, Kendra admitted. Do you
think she's doing that right now?
I would be, Seth said. And this is the first place I
would look.
What if Dale shows up and Mendigo hurts him?
Kendra wondered.
At this point, if Dale shows up, Mendigo better hurt
him. His legs will heal.
We should probably leave Fablehaven, Kendra said.
Escape and find the Sphinx.
How? You have his phone number? Know where he
hides out?
Kendra rubbed the side of her head.
Seth looked at her adamantly. And guess who is
probably waiting on the driveway just outside those gates?
Your friend the kobold. And that big monster made of hay.
And about a zillion other members of the Society of the
Evening Star, guarding the gates in case somebody tries to
do exactly what you're saying. And probably hoping Vanessa
figures out how to let them in.
Do you have a better idea? Kendra huffed.
I told you a better idea. They won't be expecting it.
Kendra shook her head. Seth, even Tanu and Coulter
weren't sure how they were going to get past the traps in the
tower. Even if you could defeat the revenant, we'd never
make it to the artifact.
Seth got up out of his chair. Outside of Fablehaven, the
Society of the Evening Star can send everybody they have
after us. We wouldn't last five minutes. In here, they only
have Vanessa, Errol, and that imp. Either way is dangerous.
But I'd rather take a risk trying to fix everything than take a
risk running away.
Running for help, Kendra stressed.
You didn't run away when you went to the Fairy
Queen, Seth reminded her.
That was different, she said. You and Grandma and
Grandpa were about to die for sure, and I had nobody to
help me. If I had run away, I would have been abandoning
you. I knew I could save you if the Fairy Queen was willing
to help me.
And if we get the artifact we can save Grandma and
Grandpa, Seth said. It probably has powers we can use.
Nobody even knows what it does, Kendra said.
It does something. They're all supposed to be really
powerful, letting us control time or space and stuff like that.
You didn't know exactly what the Fairy Queen could do. You
just knew she was powerful. Whatever the artifact is, at least
it would give us a chance. Would you rather go hide under
a log? In the morning, we'd be no better off than we are right
now.
At least we wouldn't be dead.
I'm not so sure, Seth said. All it takes is one of us
falling asleep, and we'll be in all sorts of trouble.
I'm not saying we hide under a log. I say we bring
Mendigo, and take our chances trying to find the Sphinx.
We don't have to use the driveway; we can climb the gate
and loop way around, stay out of sight. There's a better probability
we'll succeed.
How is there a better chance? We have no idea what is
waiting outside the gates! We have no idea where the
Sphinx is! We don't even know if he's still alive!
Kendra folded her arms. He's been alive for hundreds of
years and all of a sudden he gets killed?
Maybe. These artifacts have been hidden for hundreds
of years and all of a sudden they're being found.
You're exhausting, Kendra said.
That's what you say when I'm right! Seth said.
It's what I say when you won't shut up. Kendra stood.
I have to use the bathroom.
First tell me we'll go after the artifact.
No way, Seth. We're leaving the preserve.
I've got it, Seth said. How about you leave, and I go
get the artifact?
Sorry, Seth. I thought you were dead once. I'm not
going to lose you now.
It makes sense, he said with more conviction. I go
after the artifact, you go after help. Both might be long
shots, but both only require one of us.
Kendra's hands clenched into fists. Seth, I'm about to
lose it. Enough about going after the artifact. It's crazy. Can't
you tell when an idea is doomed? Are you programmed to
self-destruct? We're sticking together, and we're leaving
Fablehaven. There might not even be anybody on guard out
there. You're just guessing. We'll be careful, but our best bet
is somehow finding the Sphinx. Hopefully he's already looking
for us.
Fine, you're right, he said curtly.
Kendra wasn't sure how to respond. You think?
It doesn't matter what I think, Seth said. The fairy
princess has spoken.
You're a jerk, she said.
Then I can't win, Seth said. I'm a jerk if I agree, I'm
crazy if I don't.
It's how you agree, she said. Can I go to the bathroom
now:
Apparently you get to do whatever you want, Seth
said.
Kendra walked to the bathroom. He was being unreasonable.
Going after the artifact was insanity. If they were
seasoned adventurers like Tanu, it might be a risk worth taking.
But they knew nothing. It was a certain recipe for disaster.
Running away from Fablehaven was scary too, but at
least those dangers weren't guaranteed. The revenant was
there for sure, and so were the traps guarding the artifact.
Kendra massaged her temples, trying to clear her mind.
She always got muddled when she was overtired. Part of her
didn't want to leave the bathroom. As soon as she rejoined
Seth, they would have to run off into the night with
Mendigo and flee the preserve. All she wanted to do was
curl up and go to sleep.
Kendra washed her hands and splashed water on her
face. Reluctantly she returned to the main room. Warren sat
alone at the table. Seth? she called.
The potion pouch was open. The key was gone. A note
sat on the table, with the invisibility glove beside it. Kendra
hurried to the note.
Kendra,
I took Mendigo and am going after the artifact. I
will send him back once he takes me to the grove.
Don't be mad.
Keep a good lookout and lie low until Mendigo
gets back. Then go find the Sphinx. I left you the
glove.
Love,
Seth
Kendra reread the note in stunned disbelief. She threw
it down and ran outside. How long had she been in the
bathroom? Pretty long. She had been thinking, and taking
her time. Ten minutes? More?
Dared she yell for Mendigo? The night was quiet. A
crescent moon was rising. The stars were clear and bright.
She heard nothing. If she ordered Mendigo back, would he
hear? Would he come? Surely Seth had commanded the
giant puppet not to heed any orders from her to return. And
since she had told Mendigo to obey Seth, the puppet
probably saw their authority as equal, and would obey Seth's
preemptive command.
By now, they we
re probably out of earshot anyway.
Mendigo would be even faster carrying only one passenger.
How could Seth be so selfish? She considered going after
him, but had no idea which direction he had gone. If she
knew where the farthest corner of Fablehaven was, she
would go search for Hugo, but again, she would be wandering
blind. Seth was going to get killed, and while Mendigo
was gone, somebody would probably show up and capture
her as well.
Should she hide inside the house, or outside? If they sent
the imp, inside would be foolproof. But they knew the imp
would not be able to enter the cottage, so if they sent somebody,
it would probably be Dale or someone else controlled
by Vanessa. Which meant Kendra should find a good hiding
place outside the cottage and lie low until Mendigo
returned. The glove would help conceal her.
She ran back into the house to get Tanu's bag and the
glove. Warren looked at her, smiling vaguely. He had no idea
what was going on. In a way, she envied him.
Seth had discovered that riding Mendigo piggyback was
considerably more comfortable than being slung over his
shoulder. He had also discovered that Mendigo could run
notably faster carrying only one person. In one hand
Mendigo held the key, in the other, the courage potion.
Seth had ordered Mendigo to go to the covered bridge,
and then to proceed onward to the valley surrounded by four
hills. He could only hope the puppet understood where he
meant. Mendigo seemed to be running purposefully, so at
least the puppet had some destination in mind. Seth had
also ordered Mendigo to disregard any instructions from
Kendra until he sent him back to her. He had also directed
Mendigo to quietly point out any humans or imps that came
near them. He hoped the chances were slim of meeting up
with any of his enemies in the woods, but it was possible the
imp or others were out hunting them.
The crescent moon gave off enough light that Seth
could see fairly well, even without special fairy vision. He
had found a flashlight in a cupboard at the cottage, so he
had insurance that he would be able to see his adversary in
the grove. He had also commandeered a pair of pliers that
he had noticed in the tool closet when they had grabbed the
hoe for Mendigo.
Before too long Mendigo was clomping across the covered
bridge. It had been only two nights ago that Hugo had
carried Seth and Coulter along this same route to the same
