A wispy, ethereal version of Kendra drifted out of her room. She gazed at the fallen gargoyle and wolf.
"Don't worry, Kendra," Seth said, swiping a hand through her insubstantial body. "I'll grab your suitcase."
Chapter 11 Gate-Crasher
Kendra awoke tucked between crisp sheets. She had a kink in her neck from sleeping on too many pillows. With the shades drawn, the hotel room was mostly dark, but she could hear the shower running. She sat up to check the clock. The display read 8:23 A.M.
Stretching, she groaned. They had driven for more than an hour the previous night before choosing a new hotel. Tanu and Warren had dragged the bulky wolf and gargoyle outside and left them in the garbage bin.
The wiry goblin was currently bound and gagged in the other room with Seth and Warren. Tanu had left them with extra sleeping potion to administer to the grotesque prisoner. Their rooms did not adjoin this time, although they shared the same hallway.
Kendra heard the shower stop running. She fought free from her tight sheets and slid out of bed.
"Awake?" Grandma inquired from the neighboring bed. "Yeah. You too?"
"I've been up for some time, resting in the dark. Something about hotel rooms has always made me lazy."
Kendra pulled the shades open, flooding the room with cloud-dimmed light. "Any word from Grandpa?"
"He phoned earlier. The raid on the Sphinx failed. The house was vacant except for a series of traps and a few old men."
"They found Haden?"
"Yes," Grandma said. "Don't fret about your friends. The Knights have a substantial fund set aside for victims of circumstances like these."
"So the Sphinx and Torina and all of them got away?"
"Vanished without a trace."
"Did they take the stingbulb?" Kendra wondered.
"No phony Kendras were found, so probably."
"How was Midwinter Eve?"
"According to your grandfather, boisterous but safe. Considering what happened, we may have been wiser to sit tight at Fablehaven and endure the commotion. Of course, most decisions are simpler in hindsight."
Tanu came out from the bathroom in a T-shirt and shorts, his hair damp. "We lived to see a new day," he said with a broad smile.
"Good work," Grandma said. "Stan thinks we may as well head home."
"Warren and I monitored the hotel and the surrounding grounds all night," Tanu said. "Everything stayed quiet. Seth's ability to see the goblin assassin really foiled their plot. The wolf and the gargoyle were only there as backup."
"You think we're under the radar?" Grandma asked.
"Looks like the Society has lost track of us. Still, we'll all be safer back inside the walls of Fablehaven."
Grandma got out of bed. "What about the goblin?"
"We loaded him into the back of the SUV, trussed up and heavily drugged. We'll press him for information once he's secure in the dungeon."
"Let's start collecting our things."
Kendra went to the bathroom and washed up. By the time she was ready, the bags were packed and waiting. She strolled with Seth to the elevator, rolling her suitcase behind her. Seth looked pensive.
She leaned into him, bumping his shoulder with hers. "So now you're seeing invisible assassins?"
"I'm relieved it was actually there. I was starting to wonder if maybe I was the only one hearing zombie voices because I was crazy."
"I wouldn't write off the crazy theory without further investigation."
"At least I wasn't kidnapped by a duplicate of myself."
"It does sound a little schizoid." They reached the elevator. Kendra pressed the down arrow button.
"Why do you get to push the button?" Seth complained.
"What are you, like three years old?"
"I'm the official button pusher. I like when they light up."
"You're a goofball."
The elevator doors opened. The car was empty. Warren hustled to catch up.
"Is it really empty?' Kendra asked, moving from side to side to examine the vacant space from various angles.
"Very funny," Seth replied. "I think so."
Warren joined them in the elevator. Seth pushed the L button. Then he pushed 5, 4, 3, and 2. "Race you down," he said, dashing out of the elevator before the doors closed, leaving his suitcase behind.
"I think he's going to beat us," Warren said, leaning against the wall.
"If he doesn't get kidnapped on his way down the stairs."
"Tanu is already down there. Ruth will be along in a minute."
The doors opened to a similar view on every floor. On the second floor somebody actually got on. When the doors opened in the lobby, Seth stood there waiting, trying to look bored.
"I got to push the most buttons," he gloated while reclaiming his suitcase.
"Plus you earned fifty idiot points," Kendra said. "A new record."
"What you call idiot points, I call awesome dollars."
Tanu had brought the SUV to the front doors of the hotel. Sparse snowflakes fluttered down from light gray clouds. Warren loaded their bags, and Kendra climbed inside. Grandma followed shortly, and insisted on driving since Tanu hadn't slept.
The ride back to Fablehaven was boring. The roads were clear, but Grandma drove cautiously. To make matters worse, they had to listen to Seth complain about the heater for the second half of the drive. Eventually Grandma turned it down.
Finally they left the road and started along the driveway. Kendra had her head down when Grandma exclaimed, "What is that?"
Kendra raised her head and saw a car smashed against the Fablehaven front gate, the hood badly crumpled, fumes flowing from the exhaust pipe into the winter air. She didn't recognize the vehicle.
"Stop the car," Warren barked. "Get Stan on the line."
Grandma slammed on the brakes and the SUV skidded to a halt. They could hear the horn of the crushed car blaring endlessly.
"This has to be a trap," Tanu muttered, opening his potion pouch.
The cell phone rang before Grandma could dial. She answered. "We're here, we see it... how long ago?... okay, we'll wait."
Grandma hung up and shifted the SUV into reverse. "The car just slammed into the gate a moment ago. Stan wants us to get back on the road until he figures out what is going on."
The passenger door of the damaged car opened and a girl tumbled out. She crawled awkwardly to the gate, using the wrought-iron bars to pull herself up. The girl looked exactly like Kendra.