It wasn't your fault, Vanessa said. Believe it or not,
I've given cars bigger bruises than that one.
Kendra frowned. I feel so stupid for letting Errol take advantage of us.
Your grandfather filled me in, Vanessa said. You were trying to do the right thing. It was a textbook Society infiltration-setting up a threat, then making it look like they helped you solve the problem in order to build trust.
I'm sure they also cut off your communication with Stan.
Speaking of Stan...75 Vanessa flipped open a small cell phone. Kendra andSeth sat in silence while Vanessa reported to Grandpa that they were on the road and all right. She briefly related the incident with Errol and the dullion, then snapped the phone shut.
What did I steal from Grandpa's friend? Seth asked.
A demon called Olloch the Glutton, Vanessa said.
I'm assuming you fed it?
Errol said it was the only way to move it, Seth said wretchedly.
Errol was right, Vanessa said. You broke the spell that bound it. It bit you?
Yeah, is that bad?
They'll tell you more about it at Fablehaven, Vanessa promised.
Did it poison me?
No.
Am I going to turn into a frog or something?
No. Wait until Fablehaven. Your grandparents have much to share with you.
Please tell me now, Seth said.
I'll check the wound when we stop for gas.
Wouldn't you want to know? Seth pleaded.
She paused. I suppose I would. But I told your grandparents
I would let them deliver the news, and I like to be true to my word. There is some danger involved, but nothing immediate. I'm sure we will get it resolved.76 Seth fingered the tiny scabs on his hand. Okay. Is thereanything you can tell us?
They reached the on-ramp for the interstate. Keep those seat belts fastened, she replied.77New Arrivals
When the car finally slowed and pulled onto the gravel driveway, Kendra was fighting to keep her eyes open.
She had learned that even rocketing along the freeway at one hundred and forty miles per hour became monotonous after a while. It did not take long to lose the sense of how fast you were going. Especially in the dark.
After they left the highway, the road curved more, and
Vanessa slowed considerably. She had warned that if there were another ambush, it would most likely come near the entrance to Fablehaven.
As they crunched over the gravel, a single headlight came toward them from around a bend. It belonged to a four-wheeler. Dale rode on it, and waved when he saw them.
All clear, Vanessa said. They followed Dale past the77 78 No Trespassing signs and through the tall, spiked, wrought-iron gates. He stopped to close the gates behind them while
Vanessa proceeded to the house.
Kendra felt a vast sense of relief to be back at
Fablehaven. Part of her had wondered whether she would ever return. At times, the previous summer seemed unreal, like a long, strange dream. But there was the house, lights shining in the windows. The stately gables, the weathered stonework, and the turret on the side. Come to think of it, she had never found her way into the turret, even though she had accessed both sides of the attic. She would have to ask Grandpa about it.
Amid the shadowed shrubs of the garden, Kendra noticed the colorful twinkle of fairies flitting about. They were rarely out in great numbers after sundown, so she was mildly surprised to see at least thirty or forty drifting throughout the yard-flickering in red, blue, purple, green, orange, white, and gold. Kendra supposed the unusual quantity could be explained by the increased fairy population resulting from the hundreds of imps she had helped restore to fairy form the previous year.
It was sad to think that her friend Lena would not be there to welcome her. The fairies had returned the house-keeper to the pond from which Patton Burgess had lured her years ago. Lena had not seemed eager to go back, but then the last time Kendra had seen her, Lena had tried to pull her into the pond. Even so, Kendra felt determined to find a way to free her friend from her watery prison. She remained79 convinced that, deep down, Lena preferred life as a mortalto life as a naiad.
Vanessa brought the damaged sports car to a stop in front of the house. Grandma Sorenson started walking from the front porch to the driveway. Kendra climbed out and pulled the seat forward to release Seth from his confinement.
He scrambled out, then paused to stretch.
I'm so relieved to see you're all right, Grandma said, giving Kendra a hug.
Except my legs are numb, Seth groaned, rubbing his calves.
He means we're happy to see you, too, Kendra apologized.
Grandma embraced Seth, who seemed a little reluctant.
Look at you, she said. You've grown a mile.
Dale skidded to a stop on the four-wheeler, leapt off, and helped Vanessa take the suitcases out of the trunk. Seth hurried over to help. Kendra reached into the backseat and retrieved the duffel bags.
Looks like you took quite a hit, Grandma said, surveying the gash in the roof of the otherwise streamlined vehicle.
She still handled surprisingly well, Vanessa said, picking up Seth's suitcase. Seth reached for it.
We'll cover any costs for repairs, Grandma said.
Vanessa shook her head. I spend a fortune on insurance.
Let them foot the bill. She rewarded Seth's persistence by relinquishing his suitcase.
Together they walked to the front door and entered the house. Grandpa sat in a wheelchair in the entry hall. His left80 leg was in a cast that went from his toes to the top of hisshin. A second cast covered his right arm from wrist to shoulder. Fading bruises marked his face, yellowish and gray splotches. But he was grinning.
A pair of men flanked Grandpa. One was a hulking
Polynesian with a broad nose and cheerful eyes. His tank top revealed massive, sloping shoulders. A thorny green tattoo wreathed his thick upper arm. The other man was an older fellow a few inches shorter than Kendra, thin and wiry. His head was bald except for a gray tuft in the middle and a fringe around the sides. He wore several trinkets around his neck, affixed to leather cords or dull chains. He also wore a couple of braided bracelets and a wooden ring. None of it looked valuable. The pinky finger was missing from his left hand, as was part of the ring finger.
Welcome back, Grandpa cried, beaming. It's so good to see you. Kendra wondered if he was trying to compensate for his injured appearance with exuberance. Kendra,
Seth, I would like you to meet Tanugatoa Dufu. Grandpa gestured at the Polynesian man with his unbroken arm.
Everyone calls me Tanu, he said. He was soft-spoken, with a deep voice and clear enunciation. His playful eyes and mild voice went a long way toward offsetting his otherwise intimidating appearance.
And this is Coulter Dixon, a name Kendra has heard before, Grandpa said.