Fablehaven: The Complete Series (144 page)

“I get it,” Kendra said glumly.

“For your sake, I hope you do. Now, dearest, I know it is no fault of yours, but you reek of wood smoke and tree sap. I am sorry to have subjected you to the outdoors. Such torture is cruel and unusual, but poor Rex was doing his best to keep a low profile. Our first order of business will be to restore you to a presentable state. You’ll find a fresh outfit in my bathroom along with such amenities as you may require.”

Beckoning for Kendra to follow, Torina clicked across the floor, through a doorway, and into a tastefully decorated bathroom. Kendra traced a hand across a granite countertop, taking in the groupings of expensive-looking cosmetic products. The heady aromas of fine soaps and lotions mingled in the air. Soft lights lined the mirror above the counter. Kendra thought her reflection looked unusually pretty.

“Amazing what proper lighting will do for a complexion,” Torina observed airily. “Here are your things.” She stroked a thick, soft towel and gestured at a green-and-white checkered dress. “You can use the jetted tub or the roomy shower. As for shampoos and body wash, what is mine is yours. I’ll leave you with some privacy. I’ll be nearby should you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Kendra said.

Torina exited, closing the door behind her. Kendra locked it. The bathroom had a window with opaque glass. It was large enough for a person to fit through. In case the invisible bars were a ruse, Kendra opened the window. It appeared to offer easy access to the roof, but when Kendra extended her hand, as Torina had promised, she could feel metal bars blocking any exit into the cold night. She closed the window with a sigh.

Folding her arms and leaning against a wall, Kendra considered the opulent bathroom. She would almost have preferred confinement in a dingy cell. It would have felt less treacherous. She did not appreciate the illusions of friendliness and comfort. To Kendra, Torina came across like an alluring tropical plant poised to devour unsuspecting insects.

Yet here she was in a lovely bathroom, and she did need a shower, so she might as well. Kendra disrobed. Beneath her bare feet, the floor was tacky with hair-spray residue. The warm stream of the shower felt good, as did the perfumed body wash. After she had washed, Kendra lingered in the shower with her eyes closed, breathing steam, enjoying the sensation of the water running down her back, reluctant to end the solitary interlude.

Finally she shut off the water and toweled dry. She put on fresh undergarments and the checkered dress. Everything fit her just right.

Hair still damp, Kendra unlocked the door and returned to the trendy bedroom. Torina hastily pulled off a pair of reading glasses and tossed aside a celebrity magazine. Folding the glasses awkwardly and tucking them into her handbag, she stood up. “I was beginning to worry that you would never emerge.”

“The shower felt good.”

“The dress looks darling. Twirl for me.”

Kendra obliged her.

“Very nice,” Torina approved. “We should do something with your hair.”

“I’m not really in the mood.”

“Just style it a smidge? Or we could roll up our sleeves and have some real fun. Red and gold highlights? No? Another night, perhaps. I’m no amateur.”

“I believe you. I’ll take a rain check.”

Torina smiled. “Shall we have a look around? Or should I just show you to your room?”

“I’m kind of tired.”

“Of course you are, dear. But you must also feel unsettled, a stranger in a new place. Let me at least show you the aquarium, then I’ll let you get some rest.”

“You’re the boss.”

Torina led the way into the hall, heels clicking, hips swaying. Kendra followed, impressed by the décor. What would it cost to furnish such a large house so lavishly?

“Our aquarium is unique,” Torina commented, pulling open an ornate pair of doors. “It doubles as our library.”

Kendra halted in the doorway, astonished by the sight before her. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, interrupted by an occasional niche displaying antique scientific instruments. Bulky leather sofas and recliners offered plenty of places for a reader to relax, accompanied by a variety of handsome tables for added convenience. Aside from the lights in the ceiling, plentiful lamps contributed to the even illumination. But none of this held Kendra frozen in the doorway.

Dozens of fish drifted through the air, as if swimming in water. The more Kendra stared, the more details registered. Rays of various sizes patrolled the room, winglike fins flapping gently. An octopus clung to the side of an ottoman. Exotic fish with vivid stripes and splotches swam in synchronized schools. Crustaceans crept across the floor, antennae probing. A spotted, six-foot shark prowled the library in ominous circles.

In contrast to the bizarre vision before her, Kendra inhaled what seemed like normal air. Nothing in the room was even damp.

Torina sashayed into the spacious, fish-infested library. “Isn’t it a marvel? Come on in!”

“What about the shark?” Kendra asked.

“Shinga? He’s a leopard shark. We’ve never had any serious trouble out of him. The eels can get nippy—just stay away from the globe.”

Kendra hesitantly stepped into the room, enchanted by the fish swimming all around her. “Can I touch one?”

“Sure. Try the big one with the yellow stripes.”

The fish drifted within reach, fins flowing as if in water, and Kendra brushed a fingertip along its side. It felt slightly slimy, and surprisingly solid. “Are these real?”

Torina grinned. “Absolutely.”

Kendra noticed an orange fish with an elaborate series of spines nearing the doorway. “Should we close the doors?”

“They can’t get out.”

Kendra crouched down beside the octopus, tipping her head so she could see some of the suckers on the tentacles. The body of the octopus flexed, pulsing strangely, and Kendra hastily stepped away. Three seahorses hovered nearby. Off to one side, beside a lamp, small fish gobbled up tiny fragments of floating matter. “This is so cool. How does it work?”

“The easy answer?” Torina asked, manicured hand on one hip. “Magic.” She compressed her lips thoughtfully. “How could I put this in layman’s terms? Imagine that in an adjacent reality, this library is full of water. A sturdy container holds all of it in place. Then imagine that these fish are able to inhabit both realities at once. They are fully interacting with both realities, while we remain oblivious to the water. That description isn’t exact, but it conveys the proper idea.”

“Unbelievable,” Kendra breathed, warily watching the sleek shark glide by almost within reach.

“We may be surrounded by barnyards and outnumbered by livestock, but not even countless miles of farmland can deny us at least a few truly sophisticated amenities.”

“How do you feed them?”

“Sometimes they devour one another, though we have some magical deterrents in place, particularly on the shark. Normally we just do to their food what we did to them, leave it floating in both realities, and they find it without much trouble.” Torina clapped her hands. “I have tested your patience long enough. Allow me to escort you to your room.”

Kendra let Torina usher her back into the hallway. Stealing a few backward glances at the surreal aquarium, she wondered how anybody would get any reading done in there. Torina directed Kendra up some stairs to a third level, where numerous doors flanked a narrow hallway. Kendra glimpsed an old man peering from one of the doorways, but he ducked away as they approached. Paying him no heed, Torina escorted Kendra to the third door on the right.

Beyond the door awaited a frilly trundle bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, a pair of nightstands, a modest desk, and a small private bathroom. The simple room had a single window and unadorned walls.

“This will be your room while you remain here,” Torina said. “You’re welcome to explore this floor. Please do not wander the rest of the house except by invitation. I would rather not resort to less comfy accommodations.”

“You’ve been pretty nice for a kidnapper,” Kendra said. “Too nice. It’s really weird. Are you going to fatten me up and eat me?”

Torina pursed her lips and gently scratched at the corner of her eye. “The witch references are getting tiresome, dear.”

“What will you do with me? You mentioned the Sphinx.”

“You answered your own question. I’ll do what the Sphinx tells me.”

Kendra’s mouth felt dry. “Will he be coming here?”

A sly smile crept onto Torina’s lips. “I am not his keeper, but I expect he will, sooner or later. Look, darling, I have no desire to make your situation harsher than necessary. Believe me, you can’t escape, and nobody will find you. Don’t rock the boat, and I’ll keep things bearable.”

Kendra doubted she could get more useful information out of Torina. “Okay. I’ll try to be good.”

“Sleep well, Kendra.”

Torina closed the door.

Kendra sat on the edge of the bed. What would the Sphinx want? Information? Cooperation? Would he torture her? Could she resist torture? Ancient as he was, he probably knew a million ways to get people to talk. There were plenty of secrets that she needed to protect. Would he want to use her fairykind ability to recharge spent magical objects? Would he find ways to use her abilities to harm the people she loved?

She pictured the false Kendra currently sleeping in her bed. What was the impostor doing? Would she harm Seth or her parents? Supposedly the impostor had access to her memories. Was she already divulging secrets? Kendra lowered her face to her hands. By the time the Sphinx arrived, whatever secrets she possessed might be irrelevant.

There came a soft knock at the door. Kendra scooted off the bed and opened it. A pair of elderly men waited outside, one in a wheelchair, the other pushing.

“Welcome,” said the man in the wheelchair. His white hair was disheveled. He wore thick horn-rimmed glasses, plaid pajamas, and felt slippers. A folded newspaper rested on his lap.

“Can we come in?” asked the man pushing the chair. Liver spots dotted his bald scalp.

“What do you want?” Kendra asked, not moving out of the way.

“To introduce ourselves,” said the man in the chair. “We’re your new neighbors.”

The man behind the chair lowered his voice. “We know some things that might be of service.” He winked.

Kendra stepped aside. “Isn’t it late?”

“What do we care about late?” griped the man in the wheelchair. “Too many days are the same here. You get sick of it. A new face is front-page news.” The bald man guided the wheelchair into the room.

“I’m Kendra.”

“Haden,” said the guy in the wheelchair. “The other geezer is Cody.”

“We’re not really geezers,” Cody said. “I’m thirty-two. Haden is twenty-eight.”

“Oh, no,” Kendra said. “She drained you! What was it like? Can I ask?”

“The first bite is quick,” Cody said. “It leaves you paralyzed. Then she really latches on, and you can feel your life ebbing away. Your body withers. Deflates. It doesn’t hurt. It’s dreamlike. Hard to describe.”

“Torina can put on quite an act,” Haden warned. “Don’t trust her. Not for a second.”

“Why do you guys live here with her?” Kendra wondered.

“We’re prisoners,” Haden said. “Torina chooses her victims wisely. I don’t have any close relations. Even if I somehow busted out of here, old duffer like me, I’d have no place to go.”

“Ditto,” Cody echoed.

“So we cooperate,” Haden said, resignation in his tone. “It beats the alternative.”

“You don’t want to end up in the basement,” Cody cautioned. “Some of the other guys in our situation ended up down there. Not pleasant. They don’t always return.”

“How many of you are there?” Kendra asked.

Haden inflated his cheeks and exhaled slowly. “Seven, right now. Two in the basement. One on his deathbed. One mostly keeps to his room. Quiet type. And Kevin is her lapdog. Hangs on her every word. Steer clear of Kevin.”

“Two others have died since I’ve been here,” Cody added.

“That doesn’t add up,” Kendra complained. “You’re talking about hundreds of years of vitality. Are there lots of lectoblixes here?”

“Just her,” Haden said. “She’s an old one, and she’s slipping. Like a reusable battery that doesn’t hold a charge anymore. Every year she ages, what, at least twenty-five?”

“Closer to thirty,” Cody asserted.

“She steals forty or fifty years from us and consumes them in less than two.”

“How terrible,” Kendra said.

“She tries not to overindulge,” Cody said. “She hates to show any wrinkles, but too many disappearances and she’ll have to move the whole operation, find a new lair. She’s been here close to twenty years, near as we can figure.”

Haden lifted the newspaper from his lap and began unfolding it. “She’s on the prowl for new blood. Been running this ad in all the nearby counties for a week now.” He directed Kendra’s attention to a certain want ad: