"There's a tar pit?" he said, perking up. "Where?" "You're welcome to look it up yourself." She gestured at the huge stack of journals beside her bed.
"I'd rather drown," Seth admitted. "Smarter people than you have tried to trick me into reading." He sat still, staring at her.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Are you bored?"
"Not compared to you."
"I'm not bored," Kendra said smugly. "I'm going to Atlanta."
"That's below the belt!" Seth protested. "I can't believe they're making you a Knight and not me. How many revenants have you destroyed?"
"None. But I did help take down a demon, a witch, and a huge, winged, acid-breathing, three-headed panther."
"I'm still mad I missed seeing the panther," Seth muttered sourly. "Tanu and Coulter got their invitations today. Sounds like you guys are leaving tomorrow."
"I'd let you go in my place if I could," Kendra said. "I don't trust the Sphinx."
"You shouldn't," Seth said. "He let you win at Foosball. He pretty much told me. The guy is a pro."
"You're just saying that because he creamed you."
Seth shrugged. "Guess what? I have a secret."
"Not for long, now that you've said that much."
"You're never getting it out of me."
"Then I'll die unfulfilled," she said dryly, grabbing a new journal from the stack and opening it. She could feel Seth watching her as she pretended to read.
"Have you ever heard of nipsies?" Seth finally asked. "Nope."
"They're the smallest fairy people," Seth informed her. "They build little cities and stuff. They're about half an inch tall. The size of tiny bugs."
"Cool," Kendra said. She continued to feign disinterest, eyes scanning the shapes of words. It rarely took Seth long to crack.
"If you knew something that might be dangerous, but telling people about it could get you in trouble and make you lose a lot of money, would you tell anyone?"
"Grandpa!" Kendra called. "Seth has a secret to tell you about the nipsies!"
"You're a traitor," Seth grumbled.
"I'm just helping Smart Seth defeat Idiot Seth."
"I guess Smart Seth is glad," he said reluctantly. "But be careful. Idiot Seth is the guy to watch out for."
"So," Grandpa said, taking a seat behind the desk in his office, "how is it you know about the nipsies, Seth?"
"Common knowledge?" He felt uncomfortable in the large armchair. He silently vowed to make Kendra pay for this.
"Not very common," Grandpa said. "I keep quiet about them. The nipsies are abnormally vulnerable. And they live very far from the yard. Do you know a secret about them?"
"Maybe," Seth hedged. "If I tell you, will you promise I won't get in trouble?"
"No," Grandpa said, folding his hands on the desk expectantly.
"Then I'm not saying another word until I consult an attorney."
"You're just digging yourself in deeper," Grandpa warned. "I don't negotiate with delinquents. On the other hand, I have been known to show mercy for forthrightness."
"The satyrs told me the nipsies are at war with each other," Seth blurted.
"At war? The satyrs must be mistaken. I don't know of a more peaceful society in all of Fablehaven, except perhaps the brownies."
"It's true," Seth insisted. "Newel and Doren saw it. The Sixth and Seventh Kingdoms were attacking the others. The bad nipsies say they have a new master. They look different from the others, with gray skin and red eyes."
"The satyrs were very descriptive," Grandpa noted suspiciously.
"They might have shown me," Seth admitted grudgingly.
"Your grandmother would go through the roof if she knew you were spending time with Newel and Doren," Grandpa said. "I can't say I disagree. It would be hard to think of a worse influence on a twelve-year-old boy than a pair of satyrs. Follow their lead, and you'll grow up to be a hobo. Wait a minute. Were the satyrs stealing from the nipsies again?"
Seth tried to keep his expression composed. "I don't know."
"I've spoken with Newel and Doren before about taking from the nipsies. I had been apprised that the nipsies had managed to remedy the situation. Let me guess. You've been selling the satyrs more batteries, against my wishes, which compelled them to find a way to reenter the Seven Kingdoms?"
Seth held up a finger. "If they hadn't, we would not know the nipsies were at war, and they might have gone extinct."
Grandpa stared at him. "We've spoken before about stolen gold. Around here, it has a way of causing more trouble than it's worth."
"Technically, it wasn't stolen," Seth said. "The nipsies gave it to Newel for fending off the Sixth and Seventh Kingdoms."
Grandpa's lips pressed together into a thin line. "I'm grateful that you shared this with Kendra, and that she helped you bring it to me. I'm grateful to learn that there is an unusual situation with the nipsies. However, I'm disappointed that you went behind my back to sell batteries to those eternal adolescents, that you accepted dubiously acquired gold as payment, and especially that you strayed so far from the yard without permission. You will not be permitted out of this house unaccompanied for the duration of the summer. And you will not go on chaperoned excursions for three days, which means you will miss joining Tanu and Coulter to check up on the nipsies this afternoon. Furthermore, you will return the gold to me, so I can restore it to the nipsies."
Seth lowered his eyes, gazing into his lap. "I knew I should have kept my mouth shut," he mumbled miserably. "I was just worried..."
"Seth, telling me was the right choice. You did the wrong thing in disobeying the rules. You should know by now how disastrous that can be."
"I'm not a moron," Seth said, looking up fiercely. "I made it back just fine, and with useful information. I was careful. I stayed on paths. I had the satyrs with me. Sure, I made some mistakes before I knew much about this place. Terrible ones. I'm sorry for that. But I've also done some things right. Lately, I roam around here all the time on my own without telling anybody. I stick to places I know. Nothing bad ever happens."
Grandpa picked up a knickknack from his desk, a tiny, humanlike skull encased in a crystal hemisphere, and absently passed it back and forth between his hands. "I know you've learned a lot from Coulter and the others. You are more capable than you once were to safely negotiate certain areas of Fablehaven. I can understand why that would increase the temptation to ignore boundaries. But these are dangerous times, and there are many perils within these gated woods. Journeying as far from the yard as you did, to an unfamiliar location, relying on the judgment of Newel and Doren, shows a disturbing lack of common sense on your part.