Fablehaven: The Complete Series (196 page)

Grandpa hesitated, reluctant eyes flicking from Kendra to Seth and back again. “The Society has abducted your parents.”

Acknowledgments

An unread book does nobody any good. Stories happen in the mind of a reader, not among symbols printed on a page. I am grateful to the many readers who have been bringing Fablehaven to life in their minds. I love hearing that a whole family has embraced the series, or that an entire class has read one of the books aloud, or that a reluctant reader has used the books to discover that reading can actually be fun. As an author, the best news I get is when people are reading and enjoying the stuff I write.

I’d like to thank those who are spreading the word about Fablehaven. People discover new books when friends tell friends, when teachers tell students, when students tell teachers, when librarians tell patrons, when booksellers give recommendations, when bloggers make comments, and when families share their enthusiasm with one another. I have a job as a writer because of you guys.

Many people have directly impacted the creation of this book. My thanks go out to early readers like Chris Schoebinger, Simon Lipskar, Emily Watts, Tucker Davis, Liz Saban, Jason and Natalie Conforto, Mike Walton, the Freeman family, and Jaleh Fidler, along with Pam, Cherie, Summer, and Bryson Mull, for their insights and feedback. My young nephew Cole Saban deserves a special nod for the idea of a dragon who was poisonous down to her blood. My wife, Mary, helped more than ever with her editing and as I discussed ideas with her before writing. Once again, my brother Ty meant to help. At least he finally started
Grip of the Shadow Plague.

I’d like to thank Chris Schoebinger for overseeing all things Fablehaven, Emily Watts for her astute editing, and my agent Simon Lipskar for his wise guidance. I’m grateful to Sheri Dew, CEO of Shadow Mountain, for her visionary leadership and support of this project. Once again Brandon Dorman provided awesome images to accompany the text. I’m excited for everyone to discover
Pingo,
our first picture book together, coming in the fall of 2009. Thanks again to Richard Erickson for his art direction, and to Rachael Ward and Tonya Facemyer for the typography. I’m grateful to the entire Shadow Mountain team for their work marketing the series, including Patrick Muir, Roberta Stout, and Gail Halladay. The sales team deserves a nod as well: Boyd Ware, John Rose, Lonnie Lockhart, and Lee Broadhead. My friends at Aladdin have done a great job with the paperbacks and expanding the Fablehaven brand.

Since the audio book producers do their work after the book is written, I have failed in the past to sufficiently acknowledge their amazing efforts. Kenny Hodges has created all of my audio books, with help from the voice talents of E. B. Stevens for the
Fablehaven
series and Emily Card for
The Candy Shop War.
The audio books have turned out really well, thanks to their great work.

I would also like to thank some of the families who have hosted me during my latest round of touring: the Gillrie family in Florida, the Flemings in Arizona, the Benders in Long Island, the Benedicts in Virginia, and the Andrews in Texas. I’d like to thank the many booksellers who have made extra efforts to help the cause, including Tracy Rydell, Jackie Harris, Donna Powers, Joel Harris, Lisa Lindquest, Angie Wager, Deborah Horne, Nancy Clark, Laura Jonio, and Nathan Jarvis.

Some authors have gone out of their way to give me advice and on occasion to spread the word about my books. Such authors include Richard Paul Evans, Orson Scott Card, Shannon Hale, Brandon Sanderson, Obert Skye, and Rick Walton. Christopher Paolini was kind to read the books and write a review.

You especially have my thanks, dear reader, for sticking with the
Fablehaven
series this far. One more to go. I’m excited about it. Swing by BrandonMull.com to get on my e-mail list for news and updates. And feel free to track me down on Facebook.

Reading Guide

1. Kendra has faced multiple betrayals over the course of the series. Which do you think was the worst and why? Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend? How did you handle the situation?

2. During this story, Vanessa made some efforts at restitution for past betrayals. How much do you feel she can be trusted? Explain.

3. Why did Seth steal the unicorn horn from the centaurs? What might have happened had he failed? Do you feel he made a good choice to go after the horn? Have you ever taken a risk that made others uncomfortable? If so, what were the circumstances?

4. What makes Raxtus feel like a failure as a dragon? What makes Raxtus a good friend for humans? Are some of the things he dislikes about himself actually desirable qualities? Explain.

5. If you had possession of and could operate the Oculus—the All-Seeing Eye—how would you use it? Who would you spy on? What would you look for?

6. Why did Thronis help Seth? Do you think the giant is a good person? Why or why not?

7. If you had a stingbulb, how would you use it?

8. The key at Wyrmroost was well guarded. Why did the Knights choose to go after the key? Do you agree with their decision? Why or why not?

9. So far, three artifacts have been found, The Sands of Sanctity, the Chronometer, and the Oculus. Which do you think is most valuable? Why?

10. Grandma Sorenson is deadly with a crossbow. Perhaps your own grandparents have some secret weapons or skills you don’t know about. What could they be? Use your imagination and create an adventure story about one of your grandparents, making him or her the hero. Then send your grandparent the story.

11. Raxtus feels he can never live up to what his father expects him to be. Have you ever fallen short of the expectations others had for you? How can high expectations be helpful? How can they be hurtful?

12. If you were playing a game of Capture the Flag with your friends at night, would you rather be able to see in the dark like Kendra, or shade walk like Seth? Which might give you the better advantage?

13. Graulas tells Seth, “Choices determine character,” who we are and who we become. Can you think of a choice that you’ve made that has improved your character? How important is character? What are the most important choices you make every day?

Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Fablehaven :  Keys to the demon prison / Brandon Mull.

p.  cm.

Summary: When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents’ estate,

they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle

between good and evil is looming.

ISBN-13 978-1-60641-238-1 (hardbound : alk. paper)

[1. Magic—Fiction.  2. Grandparents—Fiction.  3. Brothers and

sisters—Fiction.]  I. Title.

PZ7.M9112Fa  2006

[Fic]—dc22 2006000911

Printed in the United States of America

Publishers Printing, Salt Lake City, UT

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1 

For the librarians, teachers, booksellers, and readers who have madethe
Fablehaven
 series a success!

Chapter 1

A Dying Wish

Seth knew he should not be here. His grandparents would be furious if they found out. The dismal cave smelled more rancid than ever, like a nauseating feast of spoiled meat and fruit. Almost steamy with humidity, the wet air forced him not only to smell but also to taste the putrid sweetness. Every inhalation made him want to retch.

Graulas lay on his side, chest swelling and shrinking with labored, hitching breaths. His infected face rested against the rocky floor, inflamed flesh flattened in a sticky mass. Although the demon’s wrinkly eyelids were shut, he twitched and grunted as Seth drew near. Groaning and coughing, the bulky demon peeled his face away from the floor, one curled ram horn scraping the ground. The demon did not fully arise, but managed to prop himself up on one elbow. One eye opened a fraction. The other was fused shut by congealed goo.

“Seth,” Graulas rasped, his formerly rumbling voice weak and tired.

“I came,” Seth acknowledged. “You said it was urgent.”

The heavy head nodded slightly. “I . . . am . . . dying,” he managed.

The ancient demon had been diseased and dying since Seth had first met him. “Worse than ever?”

The demon wheezed and coughed, a cloud of dust rising from his lumpy frame. After spitting out a thick wad of phlegm, he spoke again, his voice little more than a whisper. “After . . . long years . . . of dwindling . . . my final days . . . have arrived.”

Seth was unsure what to say. Graulas had never tried to hide his nefarious past. Most good people would be relieved to hear of his demise. But the demon had taken a liking to Seth. After becoming intrigued by Seth’s unusual exploits and successes, Graulas had helped him figure out how to stop the shadow plague, and had further assisted him in learning to use his newfound abilities as a shadow charmer. Whatever crimes Graulas may have committed in the past, the moribund demon had always treated Seth well.

“I’m sorry,” Seth said, mildly surprised to find he really meant it.

The demon trembled, then his elbow collapsed and he flopped flat against the ground. His eye closed. “The pain,” he moaned softly. “Exquisite pain. My kind . . . dies . . . so very slowly. I thought . . . I had sampled . . . every possible agony. But now, it burrows . . . twists . . . gnaws . . . expands. Deep inside. Relentless. Consuming. Before I can master it . . . the pain increases . . . to new plateaus of anguish.”

“Can I help?” Seth asked, doubting whether anything from the medicine cabinet would do the trick.

The demon snorted. “Not likely,” he panted. “I understand . . . you will leave tomorrow.”