Amen, Maddox said.
You have a good haul this season? Dale asked.
Far as trapping goes, pickings are getting slimmer every year. I made a few exciting finds in the wild. One you won't believe. I picked up several rare specimens from preserves in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. I'm sure we can do some trading. I'll tell you more when we adjourn to the study.
You kids would be welcome to join us, Grandpa said.
All right! Seth cheered.
Kendra took another bite of the succulent pork roast.
Everything Lena cooked was outstanding. Always perfectly seasoned, typically served with delicious gravies or sauces.
Kendra never had any complaints about her Mom's cooking, but Lena was in a class all her own.
Grandpa and Maddox discussed people Kendra did not know, other individuals involved in the secretive world of fairy aficionados. She wondered if Maddox would ask about Grandma, but it never came up.
Maddox repeatedly mentioned the evening star.
Grandpa seemed to focus on this news with particular interest. Rumors that the evening star was forming again.
A woman who claimed the evening star tried to recruit her.
Chapter Eight
Whispers of an attack by the evening star.
Kendra could not resist interjecting. What's the evening star? It sounds like you're using it as a code word.
Maddox glanced uncertainly at Grandpa. Grandpa gave him a nod.
The Society of the Evening Star is an arcane organization that we all hoped had gone extinct decades ago, Maddox explained. Over the centuries, their relevance has waxed and waned. Seems like just when you think you've seen the last of them, you start hearing rumors again.
They are dedicated to overthrowing preserves in order to use them for their own misguided purposes, Grandpa said. Members of the Society consort with demons and practitioners of the black arts.
Are they going to attack us? Seth asked.
Not likely, Grandpa said. The preserves are protected by powerful magic. But I lend an ear to the news all the same. Rarely hurts to be cautious.
Why the evening star? Kendra asked. It's such a pretty name.
The evening star ushers in the night, Maddox said.
They considered the statement in silence. Maddox wiped his lips with a napkin. Sorry. Not a very cheery topic around the dinner table.
After supper, Lena cleared the table and they all went to the study. On the way there, Maddox collected several cases and crates from the entry hall. Dale, Seth, and Kendra helped. The cases had perforations, evidently to allow the creatures inside to breathe, but Kendra was unable to see into them. All were locked.
Grandpa settled in behind his large desk, Dale and Maddox claimed the oversized armchairs, Lena leaned against the windowsill, and Kendra and Seth found seats on the floor.
First off, Maddox said, bending over and unlocking a large black crate, we have some fairies from a preserve on Timor. He opened the hatch, and eight fairies soared out.
Two tiny ones, not even an inch tall, darted to the window.
They were amber in color, with wings like flies. One banged the windowpane with a miniscule fist. A large fairy, more than four inches tall, hovered in front of Kendra. She looked like a miniature Pacific Islander with dragonfly wings across her back as well as tiny wings on her ankles.
Three of the fairies had elaborate butterfly wings with the appearance of stained glass. Another had oily black wings. The last had furry wings, and her body was coated with pale blue fuzz.
Whoa! Seth said. That one's all hairy.
A downy fountain sprite, found only on the island of Roti, Maddox said.
I like the little ones, Kendra said.
A more common variety-they haunt the Malaysian Peninsula, Maddox said.
They're so fast, Kendra said. Why don't they escape?
Catching a fairy renders her powerless, Maddox said.
Keep her in a cage, or a sealed room, like this one, and her magic cannot be used to escape. While under confinement they become fairly docile and obedient.
Kendra frowned. How does Grandpa know they will stay in his garden if he buys them?
Maddox winked at Grandpa. Gets right to the point, this one. He turned back to Kendra. Fairies are highly territorial, nonmigratory creatures. Put them in a livable environment and they stay put. Especially an environment like Fablehaven, with gardens and plentiful food and other enchanted critters.
I'm sure I can find a trade for the fountain sprite, Grandpa said. The Banda Sea sunwings are beautiful as well. We can work out the particulars later.
Maddox slapped the side of the crate and the fairies returned. The ones with the stained-glass wings took their time, drifting lazily. The little ones zoomed in. The fountain sprite floated up to a high corner of the room. Maddox patted the side of the crate again and spat a stern command in a language Kendra did not understand. The fuzzy fairy glided into the container.
Next we have some albino nightgrifters from Borneo.
Out of a case flew three milky white fairies, their mothlike wings peppered with flecks of black.
Maddox proceeded to display several other groups of distinctive fairies. Then he began showing fairies one at a time. Kendra found a couple of them disgusting. One had thorny wings and a tail. Another was reptilian, covered in scales. Maddox displayed its chameleonic ability to match different backgrounds.
Now for my big find, Maddox said, rubbing his hands together. I captured this little lady in an oasis deep in the Gobi Desert. I've only seen one other of her kind. Could we dim the lights?
Dale jumped up and shut the lights off.
What is she? Grandpa asked.
In answer, Maddox opened the final case. Out soared a dazzling fairy with wings like shimmering veils of gold.
Three gleaming feathers streamed beneath her, elegant ribbons of light. She hung gloriously in the center of the room with a regal air.
A jinn harp? Grandpa said in astonishment.
Favor us with a song, I beg you, Maddox said. He repeated the solicitation in another language.
The fairy gleamed even brighter, shedding sparks. The music that followed was mesmerizing. The voice made Kendra imagine a multitude of vibrating crystals. The wordless song had the power of an operatic aria mingled with the sweetness of a lullaby. It was longing, beckoning, hopeful, and heartbreaking.
They all sat transfixed until the song ended. When it was over, Kendra wanted to applaud, but the moment felt too sacred.
Truly you are magnificent, Maddox said, repeating the compliment again in a foreign tongue. Chinese? He tapped the side of her case, and with a radiant flourish the fairy was gone.
The room felt dim and bleak in her absence. Kendra tried to blink away the splotchy afterimages.
How did you make such a find? Grandpa asked in wonder.
I caught wind of some local legends near the Mongolian border. Cost me nearly two months of brutal living to track her down.