by Brandon Mull
powerless to take hold of Kendra. Unconsciously biting her
lower lip, she grabbed both arms just below the shoulders,
unhooked them, and dashed away from the limber jack. She
heard the overgrown puppet chasing her as she raced to the
edge of the pond and hurled the wooden arms into the
water.
Something clipped Kendra’s shoulder and sent her
spinning to the ground. A crushing force pressed against
her back, pinning her down. She could hardly breathe.
Craning her neck, she saw Mendigo looming over her,
using his foot to hold her in place. How could a creature
that looked so flimsy be so strong? The spot where he had
kicked her stung deep-it would certainly bruise.
Kendra reached for his other leg, hoping to unhook the
shin, but the puppet danced out of reach. For a moment
Mendigo appeared indecisive. Kendra prepared to roll away
in case he charged and tried to kick her again. If she could
just unhook a leg!
Instead, Mendigo hurried onto the pier. Both of his
arms were floating on the water. One had almost drifted
within reach of the pier. Mendigo crouched, balancing
carefully on one foot, and stretched out a leg toward the
nearest arm.
Just as his toes made contact, a white hand shot out of
the water and seized Mendigo by the ankle, yanking him
into the pond with a splash. Kendra waited, holding her
breath as she watched. The limberjack did not resurface.
She dashed back to the steps and picked up the bowl.
Kendra dared not run while holding the tears. Instead she
walked swiftly, careful not to waste any of her precious
cargo. She walked across the lawn, through the arch, down
the path, and onto the road.
Stars continued to fade in the eastern sky. Kendra hurried
along the road. She was pretty sure her sheltered status
was at an end. But, if mischief had to be done, at least it
had felt worthwhile. She had a feeling it would not be her
final mischievous act of the night.
Bahumat
By the time Kendra reached the barn, a predawn gray
dominated the eastern horizon. Her journey from the
pond had been uneventful. Not a drop had spilled from the
silver bowl. She went around to the little door Seth had
kicked open and ducked inside.
The titanic cow stood munching hay from the loft.
Every time Kendra saw Viola, she marveled anew at her
enormity. The cow’s udder was bloated, nearly as badly as
the first time they had milked her.
Kendra had the tears. Now she needed milk and blood.
Since the Fairy Queen had been communicating mentally,
Kendra trusted her first impressions. The milk would
have to be Viola’s. And the blood? Her own? The cow’s?
Probably both to be safe. Maybe both were required. But
first the milk.
Kendra set the silver bowl in a protected corner and
retrieved one of the ladders. She intended to steal only a
few squirts. There was no time for a proper milking.
Kendra had never tried to collect Viola’s milk. She and
Seth had simply been relieving pressure for the cow and
letting it spill all over the floor. There were plenty of barrels,
but trying to dump a barrel into a little silver bowl
seemed tricky. And considering that she would be sliding
down a teat to get milk out, it seemed like it would be hard
to avoid falling in the barrel herself.
She located a large pie tin, the kind Dale used to leave
milk around the yard. Perfect. Small enough to dodge, but
big enough to catch all the milk she would need. She positioned
the tin under the teat, trying to estimate where the
milk would squirt.
Kendra climbed the ladder and jumped, embracing the
fleshy teat. Milk gushed to the floor. Only a little splashed
into the tin. She adjusted the tin, climbed the ladder, and
tried again. This time was a direct hit, filling the tin almost
to the brim, and she even managed to keep her feet on the
landing.
Kendra brought the tin over to the silver bowl. She
poured milk until the bowl was three-quarters of the way
full. Only blood remained.
Viola mooed thunderously, apparently upset at having
her milking abruptly halted right after it began. You’re
going to moo louder than that, Kendra muttered under
her breath.
How much blood would she need? The Fairy Queen
had not specified quantities. Kendra went through the closets
looking for tools. She ended up with a weed digger and
another pie tin. Getting enough blood to pour from a pie
tin into the bowl would be disgusting, but she was scared
that if she tried to put blood from the source directly into
the bowl she would end up spilling everything.
Viola! Kendra called. I don’t know if you can understand
me. I need some of your blood in order to save my family.
This might sting a little, so try to be brave.
The cow gave no sign of comprehension. Kendra
returned to the teat she had been milking. It was the one
area not protected by fur, so she figured it would be the best
place to harvest some blood.
She climbed the ladder only a couple of steps. She
wanted to stab the teat low, so it would drip. If she had
found a knife, she would have tried to make a cut. The
only thing sharp about the weed digger were the points at
the end, so she would have to go with a puncture wound.
Up close, as she contemplated stabbing it, the pink teat
looked alien. She needed to stab hard. On an animal this
big, the skin would be pretty thick. She told herself it
would just feel like a thorn to the enormous cow. But would
she want somebody jabbing a thorn into her? The cow
would probably get upset.
Kendra raised the weed digger, holding the pie tin in
her other hand. Sorry, Viola! she yelled, plunging the
weed digger into the spongy flesh. The tool sank almost to
the handle, and Viola made a terrified bellow.
The heavy teat swung into Kendra, slamming her off
the ladder. She kept hold of the weed digger, wrenching it
free of the wound as she fell. The ladder clattered to the
floor beside her.
Viola sidestepped and tossed her head, bellowing again.
The barn shook, and Kendra heard timbers splitting. The
roof shuddered. The walls swayed and cracked. Kendra covered
her head. Gigantic hooves thumped against the floor,
and Viola let out a long, plaintive moo. Then the cow
settled down.
Kendra looked up. Dust and hay floated down from
above. Blood trickled down the teat, already dripping from
the tip.
Since Viola had calmed down, and the blood was flowing
freely, Kendra cast aside the pie tin and retrieved the
silver bowl. Standing under the teat, she started catching
drops of blood. She had toured a cave with her family once,
and the sight reminded her of water dripping from a
stalactite.
Soon the mixture in the bow
l turned from white to
pink. The flow of blood slowed. The lower side and tip of
the teat were stained red. Kendra supposed it was enough.
She went and sat by the little door. Now for her blood.
Maybe she could just try the cow blood and see if that
worked. No, haste was essential. How would she get blood
out? No way was she using the weed digger unless she could
sterilize it.
Leaving the bowl, she hunted through the closets
again. She noticed a safety pin on a pair of coveralls. She
unpinned it and ran back to the bowl.
Holding her hand over the bowl, she hesitated. Kendra
had always hated needles, the idea of being fully aware that
something was about to hurt but having to endure it
calmly. But today was not a day to be squeamish. Gritting
her teeth, she stuck her thumb with the pin and then
squeezed two drops of blood into the mixture. That would
have to do.
Kendra looked at the pie tin. She should probably
drink some milk herself, since a new day was beginning.
She took a sip. Then she realized that her family would
need milk as well when she found them.
There had been bottled water in one of the closets.
Kendra hurried to the closet, selected a bottle, unscrewed
the cap, dumped the contents, and filled it with milk from
the pie tin. The bottle barely fit in her pocket.
Kendra retrieved the small silver bowl. Swirling the
solution a bit, she exited the barn. Predawn colors streaked
the horizon. Sunrise was approaching.
Now what? There were no fairies in sight. When the
Fairy Queen had given instructions, Kendra had felt no
doubt that the handmaidens she referred to were the fairies.
She was supposed to make a potion for them that would
somehow get them to help her.
What would it do? Kendra realized that she had no
idea. What could it do? Win their affection? Then what?
Lacking other options, she had to trust the reassurance she
had felt when the Fairy Queen spoke to her mind.
First she needed to find fairies. She wandered the garden.
There was one, clad in orange and black with matching
butterfly wings. Hey, fairy, I have something for you!
she cried.
The fairy darted over to her, looked at the bowl, started
chirping in a squeaky voice, and zoomed away. Kendra
roamed until she found another fairy, and ended up with an
identical reaction. The fairy acted excited and then flew
away.
Soon multiple fairies were flying up to Kendra, peeking
in the bowl, and then soaring off. They were apparently
spreading the news.
Kendra ended up beside the metal statue of Dale. She
set the bowl on the ground and backed away, in case her
proximity might discourage the fairies. The morning grew
brighter. Before long, dozens of fairies hovered around the
bowl. They were no longer showing up only to zip away. A
crowd was forming. Occasionally one would fly right up to
the bowl and peer inside. One even laid a tiny hand on the
rim. But none took a drink. Most stayed several feet away.
The crowd swelled to more than a hundred. Still they
would not drink. Kendra tried to be patient. She did not
want to frighten them away.
Suddenly the sound of a mighty wind interrupted the
quiet morning. Kendra felt no breeze, but she could hear a
shrieking gale in the distance. As the sound of the wind
tapered off, a ferocious roar echoed across the yard. The
fairies scattered.
It could mean only one thing. Wait, please, you have
to drink this! Your queen had me make it for you! The
fairies darted around in confusion. Hurry, time is running
out!
Whether it was her words or simply that they were no
longer startled, the fairies gathered around the bowl again.
Try it, Kendra said. Have a taste.
None of the fairies took her up on her offer. Kendra
dipped a finger into the bowl and sampled the elixir. She
tried not to make a disgusted face-it tasted salty and nasty.
Mmmm… delicious.
A fairy with raven black hair and bumblebee wings
approached the bowl. Mimicking Kendra, she dipped a finger
and tasted it. In a whirling shower of sparks the fairy
grew to nearly six feet tall. Kendra smelled the fertile aroma
that had accompanied the Fairy Queen. The enlarged fairy
blinked in astonishment, then glided high into the air.
The other fairies mobbed the bowl. A blizzard of sparks
flashed across the yard as the fairies transformed into much
larger versions of themselves. Kendra backed away, shielding
her eyes from the dazzling pyrotechnics. In moments,
she was surrounded by a glorious host of human-sized
fairies, some standing on the ground, most hovering.
The fairies were uniformly tall and beautiful, with the
lithe musculature of professional ballerinas. They wore
vivid, exotic apparel. They still had magnificent wings.
They still emitted light, although the gentle twinkle had
become a brilliant blaze. The biggest change was in their
eyes. Merry mischief had been replaced by something stern
and smoldering.
A fairy with lustrous silver wings and short blue hair
alighted in front of Kendra. You have summoned us to
war, she announced in a heavy accent. What is your bidding?
Kendra swallowed. A hundred human-sized fairies took
up much more space than a hundred tiny ones. They used
to be so cute. Now they were quite imposing. She would
not want to be the enemy of these proud seraphim.
Can you restore Dale? Kendra asked.
A pair of fairies crouched over Dale, placed their hands
on him, and then helped him to his feet. He regarded
Kendra with befuddled wonder, patting himself, as if surprised
he was intact. What’s going on? he asked. Where’s
Stan?
The fairies healed you, Kendra said. Grandpa and
the others are still in trouble. But I think these fairies will
help us.
Kendra returned her gaze to the stunning silver fairy.
Muriel the witch is trying to release a demon named
Bahumat.
The demon is free, the fairy said. You have but to
command.
Kendra pressed her lips together. We have to lock him
up again. The witch, too. And we have to rescue my
Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson, and my brother, Seth,
and Lena.
The blue-haired fairy nodded and issued instructions in
a musical language. Some of the fairies began rummaging
in nearby plants. They pulled out weapons. A yellow fairy
produced a crystal sword from the soil of a flowerbed. A
violet fairy transformed a thorn from a rosebush into a
spear. The silver fairy with blue hair changed a snail shell
into a beautiful shield. The petal of a pansy became a blazing
ax in her other hand.
This is your will, the silver fairy confirmed.
Yes, Kendra said firmly.
All together, the fairies took flight. Kendra
turned to
watch them go. Then a hand grabbed her left arm and
another seized her right and she was soaring between two
fairies-a slender albino with black eyes and a blue, furry
fairy. Kendra recognized the blue one as the downy fountain
sprite she had seen in Grandpa’s office.
The sudden acceleration took her breath away. They
cruised low to the ground, skimming over bushes, dodging
tree trunks, and swishing past branches. Flying near the
rear, Kendra marveled at the squadron of fairies ahead of
her effortlessly weaving through obstacles at such reckless
speed.
The exhilaration was overwhelming. The wind of their
velocity brought tears to her eyes. The pond with the
gazebos streaked by beneath her. At this rate, they would
reach the Forgotten Chapel in moments.
But what about when they got there? Bahumat was supposed
to be incredibly powerful. Even so, considering the
legion of fierce fairies surrounding her, Kendra liked her
odds.
Glancing back, Kendra saw no fairies behind her. They
had apparently left Dale in the yard.
The mad dash through the forest continued until the
fairies ahead swooped skyward. Kendra’s escorts followed,
rocketing up beyond the treetops. The sudden ascent left
her mouth dry and her stomach tingling.
And then she was no longer moving. Kendra and her
escorts hovered above the treetops, watching the others
plunge toward the Forgotten Chapel. Kendra tried to
recover from the thrill of flying and digest what was happening
below.
Four winged creatures were rising to meet the fairies.
The huge gargoyles were at least ten feet tall, with razor
claws and horns like rams. A few fairies broke off from the
main group to intercept them. The winged beasts clawed
at their smaller opponents, but the fairies adroitly evaded
the blows and slashed off their wings, sending the gargoyles
hurtling to the ground.
Something flashed in Kendra’s eyes. The sun was peeking
over the horizon. Let’s go, Kendra said to her escorts.
The fairies dove. Kendra felt her stomach rise to her
throat as they plunged toward the church. Human-sized
imps were spilling out of the front doorway, shaking their
fists and hissing at the incoming fairies. Many of the fairies
cast their weapons aside and soared straight at the imps,
catching them in vicious embraces and kissing them on the
mouth. In radiant bursts of sparks, every imp that was
