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 Mendigo352 was gone, somebody would probably show up and captureher 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 up353 with any of his enemies in the woods, but it was possible theimp 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 destination. This time Seth would be prepared. That revenant had looked pretty flimsy. With the courage potion to counteract the fear, he should have a good chance.
Back under the trees, Seth lost all sense of where they were headed, and had to trust that Mendigo knew the way.
Get us to the valley with the four hills, Mendigo, Seth said softly. And be careful with the bottle you're holding. Don't let it get damaged.
They rushed along in silence until Mendigo suddenly veered and slowed, heading toward a clearing. Seth was about to reprimand the puppet when he saw that Mendigo was pointing. The puppet came to a stop behind a bush.
Looking in the direction indicated by the wooden finger,
Seth saw a silhouetted form slowly walking in the clearing.
Who was it? He was big. Was it Kendra's imp? No, it was
Tanu!
Seth burst from hiding and ran into the clearing. Tanu354 continued shuffling along, oblivious to Seth's approach. Sethran up to Tanu and stared in amazement. Seeing Warren and
Coulter as albinos was one thing. Seeing the large Samoan, whose skin had been so dark, was another. Illuminated by the ghostly moonlight, his pallid skin and white hair were shocking.
Hey, Tanu, Seth said. Anybody home?
The big Samoan trudged languidly forward, offering no hint of acknowledgment. Seth looked back at Mendigo. He hated the thought of leaving Tanu to roam the woods, but
Warren had showed up back at the house after he became an albino. At least Tanu appeared to be generally heading in the right direction.
The reality was, time was too short, and his mission too urgent, for Seth to do much for Tanu at the moment. Kendra was back at the cottage nearly defenseless. He needed to get to the grove and send Mendigo back to her.
Mendigo, come get me. Let's keep going to the valley with the four hills, fast as you can. Mendigo raced to him, and Seth climbed on his back. The puppet started running.
But if we come near any other imps or humans, still point them out without giving us away.
Seth glanced back over his shoulder at Tanu making his way across the clearing. At that rate, even if he walked in the right direction the whole way, he would not reach the house for a day or two. Hopefully everything would be happily resolved by then.
Once again, Seth was crashing through the darkness. He was pretty sure Hugo had gotten them to the valley more355 rapidly. Just when he was about to despair that they wouldever reach the grove, they emerged from a thick stand of trees and Seth recognized that they were in the brush-filled valley surrounded by the familiar hills.
Mendigo slowed to a walk. Mendigo, take me to the grove at that end of the valley, Seth said, gesturing toward their destination. Mendigo started trotting. Fast as you can. Mendigo sped up.
As the grove drew nearer, Seth contemplated how much he was betting on the potency of the courage potion. The fear potion had made him very afraid, but it was hardly a shiver when compared to the terror radiating from the revenant. Of course, he had sampled only a drop or two of the fear potion, with some other ingredients mixed in to dilute it. He would down a much bigger dose of pure courage, and bring the bottle with him so he could chug more if needed.
Mendigo stopped near the edge of the grove. Seth estimated it was roughly the same place Hugo had stopped.
Mendigo, go just a few steps closer to the trees, Seth urged.
The puppet took several steps, but did not move forward.
He was walking in place. Seth slid off of Mendigo, dropping to the ground. Mendigo, walk into the grove. The puppet appeared to be trying to comply, but instead took more steps without advancing.
Forget it, Mendigo. Hand me the key and the potion.
The puppet obeyed. Mendigo, return to Kendra as fast as you can. Mendigo started running off, so Seth shouted after356 him to finish his instructions, cupping his hands around hismouth. If she's not at the cottage, or is in any trouble, rescue her. Hurt her enemies if they try to stop you. Obey her!
Before Mendigo was out of sight, Seth turned to face the grove. Under the moon and the stars, the grove was brighter than it had been on his previous visit. Even so, he switched on the flashlight. It had a dimmer bulb than the light
Coulter had used, but it still made a difference.
Standing alone in the dark, shining his dim flashlight at the ominous trees and their convoluted shadows, was not good for morale. Seth remembered Kendra's certainty that he would fail, and, alone under the stars, he suddenly felt she might be right.