Fablehaven: The Complete Series (223 page)

“Demon gone,” Hugo said.

Coulter clutched at Seth. “Seth? He got it. Graulas got the Chronometer. He also had the Translocator. He destroyed the foundational treaty. He used a spell to summon the safe that contained it. It hurried to him like a trained dog. He destroyed the documentation and undid the magic. I couldn’t stop him. He smashed through the defenses in no time.”

“It’s my fault,” Seth admitted wretchedly. “I was a prisoner at Living Mirage, and somebody snuck the Translocator and the Sands of Sanctity into my cell. I’d promised Graulas I would heal him if I could, so on my way back here, I stopped by his cave. As soon as I healed him, he stole the artifacts before I could react. He was so quick!”

Coulter closed his eyes, one cheek twitching. “I see.” When he spoke again, he sounded more in control of himself. “Seth, you must listen to me. I don’t have much time.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Seth said.

“Hush,” Coulter insisted. “I’m no tenderfoot. I’ve had plenty of injuries in my time, and I know what this is. Things got crushed, parts deep inside. I have minutes, maybe seconds. Listen. While Graulas attacked the barn, I grabbed the Chronometer. As he tore into the house, I watched from a window, trying to formulate a strategy. After I glimpsed you at the edge of the woods with Hugo, I used the Chronometer.”

“Used it how?” Seth asked.

Coulter coughed wetly. “I visited Patton. Told him the Chronometer was about to be taken. Told him you were around.”

“You should have run!” Seth said.

“I did run. Visiting Patton cost me no time. I didn’t even make it to the front door. There was no escaping what happened. Graulas is too powerful. But listen. Since we knew you were around, Patton promised to leave you some advice. A passageway beneath the old manor leads to a secret grotto. Down in the cellar, beneath the manor, you’ll find a fireplace against one wall. Step inside and say, ‘Everybody loves a show-off.’ That will open the way.”

“Then what?” Seth asked.

Coulter grimaced, his breath hissing through clenched teeth. “We hope Patton has an idea.”

“Where are the others?” Seth asked urgently. “Where is Grandpa?”

Coulter shook his head. “Gone. If they lost the Translocator, they were all captured at Living Mirage earlier tonight.”

“All of them?” Seth asked incredulously.

“Stan, Ruth, Kendra, Tanu, Warren . . . all of them. I was . . . holding down the fort. Vanessa is still here, down in the Quiet Box. Maybe she could help. Use your judgment.” Coulter gasped and coughed. “I’m on my way out,” he grunted. “Do your best.”

Hot tears flowed freely down Seth’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Coulter.”

The old relics collector patted his hand. His eyes cleared for a moment and locked with Seth’s. He seemed intent on speaking, but the words resisted. “Not your fault,” he finally sputtered. He gripped Seth’s wrist. “You’re a good boy. They tricked you. You were . . . showing mercy. Maybe we can get them yet.”

“I will. I promise, I will, I really will.”

Coulter laid his head back, closing his eyes. His chest shook as if trying to cough, but only a faint strangling sound came out. His eyelids fluttered. His hands jerked.

Seth looked up at Hugo. “What do we do?”

Coulter exhaled one last time and then went limp and silent. Seth felt for breathing at his mouth and tried to find a pulse in his neck and chest. There were no signs of life. Trying to recall the first-aid basics he knew, Seth started rhythmically compressing Coulter’s chest. Then he pinched Coulter’s nostrils shut and breathed into his mouth a couple of times. He repeated the compressions and the breathing exercise, but Coulter remained inert.

“Coulter gone,” Hugo rumbled heavily.

Seth backed away from the corpse of his friend. Despite the words of comfort from Coulter, he could not avoid the conviction that he had caused this. Sure, the demons had designed and carried out the plot, but Seth had been the idiot they could design it around. Both Graulas and Nagi Luna had known he would do the wrong thing, and he had, and now Coulter was dead, Fablehaven was in ruins, and the artifacts were gone.

The weight of his regret threatened to crush him. Thanks to his lack of judgment, the Society of the Evening Star now had all the keys to the demon prison.

Chapter 14

An Unexpected Ally

There seemed to be some confusion regarding where to put Kendra. She spent a lot of time waiting in smoky guard rooms as men and goblins haggled. When her escorts had finally resolved on a cell, just as she was being ushered inside, a stumpy goblin with squinty eyes and a face like a catcher’s mitt showed up waving a written order. A tall, armored man and a potbellied goblin with a severe underbite studied the parchment.

“Came straight from the top,” the squinty goblin rasped importantly.

“I can see that, pugface,” snarled the goblin with the underbite. “Why that cell? We haven’t had a chance to properly examine it yet, what with all the commotion.”

“You telling me no?” the squinty goblin challenged.

“I’m saying it don’t add up,” the other goblin groused.

“Not our place to do the math,” advised the armored man. “Boss always has his reasons.”

“There’s some sense,” applauded the squinty goblin.

“This way,” the armored man said to Kendra.

They escorted her deeper into the bowels of the dungeon, finally opening a thick wooden door. The potbellied goblin motioned for her to enter.

“You’re sure?” Kendra asked.

“Don’t get smart,” the goblin spat.

The door banged shut behind her and the guards tromped away. When she had first been led away from the Sphinx, her captors had made her take off her shirt of adamant mail. She felt much more vulnerable without it. Feeble torchlight seeped in through a peephole, but Kendra didn’t need it. To her eyes, even the deepest shadows of the room were dim, not dark.

The only furniture in the dank space was a flimsy cot. Water dripped steadily in one corner. A hole in the floor appeared to serve as a latrine. What most caught Kendra’s eye were the messages scratched on the wall. She roamed the cell, reading the crudely inscribed phrases.

Seth rules!

Welcome to Seth’s House.

Seth rocks!

Seth was here. Now it’s your turn.

Seth Sorenson forever.

Enjoy the food!

If you’re reading this, you can read.

All roads lead to Seth.

Is it still dripping?

Seth haunts these halls.

You’re in a Turkish prison!

Seth is the man!

Use the meal mats as toilet paper.

And so forth.

Cold, hopeless, and alone, Kendra found herself giggling at the messages her brother had scrawled. He must have been so bored!

Kendra sat on the cot. Where had her brother gone? One of the guards had mentioned that the cell needed to be inspected. Did that mean Seth had escaped? It fit the discussion she had overheard, but seemed too much to hope. Escaped to where? After all, they were on a hostile preserve in Eastern Turkey.

Should she search for a way out? Could Seth have dug a tunnel? He had been captured less than a week ago. Unlikely or not, it seemed faithless not to look. She probed the walls and floors, tapping, pulling, trying to dig her fingers into cracks. She scooted the cot aside, in case it helped mask some kind of false panel. Her attempt at optimism began to wane. If Seth had excavated an escape tunnel, could he possibly have hidden it so well?

The Sphinx had suggested she might cross paths with her brother. What had he meant? Remembering the bickering guards, she assumed that the Sphinx had taken an active role in selecting her cell. Was the point for her to see the messages on the walls? That was sort of like crossing paths. Would he have deliberately assigned her to a cell with an escape tunnel? Not likely.

She began to really worry about Seth. If he hadn’t escaped, what had they done with him? Could the cell be faulty in a dangerous way? Would she cross paths with her brother by dying from the same type of accident? She studied the stone roof, half expecting it to cave in at any moment.

Search as she might, the dismal room offered no clues. She detected no means of escape, and perceived no particular threats. Maybe Seth had had the right idea. Maybe her time would be best spent scratching messages on the walls for the benefit of the next occupant.

From the back of the cell came a deep grating of stone on stone. Kendra watched in startled awe as a portion of the wall slid aside. Had she inadvertently stepped on a hidden trigger?

An unapproachably attractive young man with a white light in his hand ducked through the gap left by the sliding wall. He froze when he saw Kendra, wincing and tilting his head away. He raised a hand to shield his eyes.

“Who are you?” Kendra challenged.

“One of the neighbors,” the stranger said. “I thought my sources must be mistaken when I heard they had already filled the vacancy here.”

“You know who was here before?”

“I do. Can you turn it down a little?”

“Excuse me?”

“Hit the dimmer or something? You’re shining like a lighthouse.” Blinking away tears, he made brief eye contact with her.

“Most people can’t see my light,” Kendra said. “Including me.”

“Right, give me a second, my eyes will adjust.” Blinking frequently, he turned his head toward her more and gradually widened his eyes. “Okay, I think I can handle it.” His wincing expression diminished, replaced by something more like wonder. “Wow, you’ll never be dim.”

They stared at each other for a moment. His threadbare clothes hugged an athletic build. He had thick, longish hair; expressive, silver-blue eyes; and flawless skin. His boyishly charming features would look much more at home on a magazine cover than in a prison.

“I’m Bracken,” he said.

“Does the Sphinx send you to all the new girls?” He was way too good-looking to be anything but a spy.

He held up his hands as if to calm her. “You’re wise to be cautious.”

“Believe me, I’ve learned caution. Tell the Sphinx to let me rot in peace.”

“Now, don’t write me off just yet. I’d have the same suspicions about you, but you’re obviously fairykind. Which must mean . . . you’re his sister?”

“Whose sister?”

“Seth’s.”

Kendra resisted getting excited by the mention of her brother. Of course he knew about Seth. He was just trying to push her buttons. “Where is my brother?”

Folding his arms, Bracken regarded her appraisingly. “He never mentioned you were so . . . bright.”

Kendra felt herself blushing. “Answer the question.” Her voice was hard.

Again Bracken raised his palms. “Sorry. I will. He’s gone. I’m not sure where. Probably Fablehaven.”

“What?”

“Somebody brought the Translocator to him and he teleported out of here.”

“How is that possible?”

“Your guess would probably be better than mine. Hopefully he’ll contact me before long.”

Kendra huffed in exasperation. “Are you guys pen pals?”

“I gave him a coin that lets us communicate telepathically. I know he’s far from here, because I can’t hail him. Once he uses the coin to reach out to me, we should be able to speak.”

Kendra frowned. “A magical telepathy coin? Who are you? At least, who are you pretending to be?”

Bracken chuckled and shook his head. “The truth sounds absurd.”

“Try me.”

“You don’t even believe I’m an actual prisoner; you’re not going to believe this.”