Probably, Kendra said.
Are we busted?
We better not be. There were no rules against drinking milk.
The study door slid open. Grandpa entered along with Lena, who carried three mugs on a tray. Lena offered Kendra a mug, then Seth and Grandpa. The mug contained hot chocolate. Lena left the room as Grandpa took a seat behind his desk.
I am impressed how quickly you solved my puzzle, he said, taking a sip from his mug.
You wanted us to drink the milk? Kendra said.
Assuming you were the right kind of people. Frankly, I don't know you that well. I hoped that the kind of person who would take the trouble to solve my little puzzle would be the kind of person who could handle the notion of a preserve full of magical creatures. Fablehaven would be too much to swallow for most people.
Fablehaven? Seth repeated.
The name the founders gave this preserve centuries ago. A refuge for mystical creatures, a stewardship passed down from caretaker to caretaker over the years.
Kendra tried the hot chocolate. It was superb! The flavor made her think of the rosebud chocolates.
What do you have besides fairies? Seth asked.
Many beings, great and small. Which is the true reason the woods are off-limits. There are creatures out there much more perilous than venomous snakes or wild apes.
Only certain orders of magical life forms are generally permitted in the yard. Fairies, pixies, and such. Grandpa took another sip from his mug. You like the hot chocolate?
It's wonderful, Kendra said.
Made from the same milk you sampled in the garden today. Same milk the fairies drink. Just about the only food they'll eat. When mortals drink it, their eyes are opened to an unseen world. But the effects wear off after a day. Lena will prepare you a cup every morning so you can stop stealing from the fairies.
Where does it come from? Kendra asked.
We make it special in the barn. We have some dangerous creatures in there, too, so it's still off-limits.
Why's everything off-limits? Seth complained. I've been a long way into those woods four times and I've always been fine.
Four times? Grandpa said.
All before the warning, Seth amended hastily.
Yes, well, your eyes were not yet opened to what truly surrounded you. And you were fortunate. Even when you were blind to the enchanted creatures populating the forest, there are many places you could have ventured into from which you would not have returned. Of course, now that you can see them, the creatures here can interact with you much more readily, so the danger is much greater.
No offense, Grandpa, but is this really the truth?
Kendra asked. You've told us so many versions of why the woods are forbidden.
You saw the fairies, he said.
Kendra leaned forward. Maybe the milk made us hallucinate.
Maybe they were holograms. Maybe you just keep telling us whatever you think we'll believe.
I understand your concern, Grandpa said. I wanted to protect you from the truth about Fablehaven unless you sought it out for yourselves. It is not the kind of information I wanted to thrust upon you. That is the truth. What I'm telling you now is the truth. You'll have ample opportunity to confirm my words.
So the animals we saw at the pond were actually other creatures, like how the butterflies were fairies, Kendra clarified.
Most assuredly. The pond can be a hazardous place.
Return there now, and you would find friendly naiads beckoning you near the water in order to pull you under and drown you.
That's so cruel! Kendra said.
Depends on your perspective, Grandpa said, spreading his hands. To them, your life is so ridiculously short that to kill you is seen as absurd and funny. No more tragic than squashing a moth. Besides, they have a right to punish trespassers. The island at the center of the pond is a shrine to the Fairy Queen. No mortal is permitted to tread there.
I know of a groundskeeper who broke that rule. The moment he set foot on the sacred island, he transformed into a cloud of dandelion fluff, clothes and all. He scattered on the breeze and was never seen again.
Why would he go there? Kendra asked.
The Fairy Queen is widely considered the most powerful figure in all fairydom. The groundskeeper had a desperate need and went to plead for her assistance.
Apparently she was not impressed.
In other words, he had no respect for what was off-limits, Kendra said, giving Seth a meaningful look.
Precisely, Grandpa agreed.
The queen of the fairies lives on that little island?
Seth asked.
No. It is merely a shrine meant to honor her. Similar shrines abound on my property, and all can be dangerous.
If the pond is dangerous, why does it have a boathouse?
Kendra asked.
A previous caretaker of this preserve had a fascination with naiads.
The dandelion guy? Seth asked.
A different guy, Grandpa said. It's a long story. Ask Lena about it sometime; I believe she knows the tale.
Kendra shifted in the oversized chair. Why do you live in such a scary place?
Grandpa folded his arms on the desk. It's only frightening if you go where you don't belong. This entire sanctuary is consecrated ground, governed by laws that cannot be broken by the creatures who dwell here. Only on this hallowed soil could mortals interact with these beings with any measure of safety. As long as mortals remain within their boundaries, they are protected by the founding covenants of this preserve.
Covenants? Seth asked.
Agreements. Specifically, a treaty ratified by all the orders of whimsical life forms who dwell here that affords a measure of security for mortal caretakers. In a world where mortal man has become the dominant force, most creatures of enchantment have fled to refuges like this one.
What are the covenants? Kendra asked.
The specific details are complex, with many limitations and exceptions. Speaking broadly, they are based on the law of the harvest, the law of retribution. If you do not bother the creatures, they will not bother you. That is what affords you so much protection when you are unable to see them. You can't interact with them, so they generally behave likewise.
But now we can see them, Seth said.
Which is why you must use caution. The fundamental premises of the law are mischief for mischief, magic for magic, violence for violence. They will not initiate trouble unless you break the rules. You have to open the door. If you harass them, you open the door for them to harass you.
Hurt them, they can hurt you. Use magic on them, they will use magic on you.
Use magic? Seth said eagerly.
Mortals were never meant to use magic, Grandpa said. We are nonmagical beings. But I have learned a few practical principles that help me manage things. Nothing you would find very remarkable.
Can you turn Kendra into a toad?