Fablehaven: The Complete Series (41 page)

Kendra reached the back of the classroom. Mrs. Price was closing in. She was only an inch or two taller than Kendra, but her fingers were hooked into claws, and her eyes boiled with malice. The normally even-tempered teacher looked like she had murder on her mind.

Only a few steps away from Kendra, Mrs. Price leaped forward. Kendra dodged sideways and raced down a different aisle toward the door at the front of the classroom. Mrs. Price was right behind her until Alyssa stuck out a foot and sent the rabid teacher sprawling.

Kendra yanked open the door and found herself face-to-face with Mr. Ford, the principal. Behind him stood a panting Tyler Ward.

“Mrs. Price isn’t herself,” Kendra explained.

Shrieking, Mrs. Price lunged at Kendra. Mr. Ford, a heavy man with a sturdy build, intercepted the manic teacher, pinning her arms to her sides. “Linda!” he said in a tone that suggested he could not believe what was going on. “Linda, calm down. Linda, stop.”

“They’re all maggots,” she hissed. “They’re all vipers. Devils!” She continued struggling vigorously.

Mr. Ford was looking around the room, taking in the overturned desks. “What’s going on here?”

“Somebody put a tack on her chair and she freaked out,” Sasha Goethe sobbed, standing near her overturned desk.

“A tack?” Mr. Ford said, still trying to control the squirming teacher. Mrs. Price suddenly whipped her head back, slamming Mr. Ford square in the face. He staggered backwards, losing his grip on her.

Mrs. Price shoved Kendra aside and sprinted out the door and down the hall. A stunned Mr. Ford was catching blood from his nostrils in a cupped hand.

Across the room, Casey Hancock, the goblin in disguise, grinned wickedly at Kendra.

* * *

By the end of the school day, Kendra was sick of recounting the drama in homeroom. The school was buzzing with the news that Mrs. Price had lost her mind. The frazzled teacher had run off school property, leaving her car in the parking lot, and had not been seen since. As word spread that Kendra had spoken up against Case and been specifically attacked, she was bombarded with endless questions.

Kendra felt terrible for Mrs. Price. She was certain it was some strange goblin magic that had led to the outburst, but that was an impossible theory to present to the principal. In the end, Kendra had to admit that she had not actually seen Case put anything on the chair. Nor had anyone else, apparently. They couldn’t even find the tack. And of course she could not say anything about Case’s secret identity, because there was no way to prove it short of convincing Mr. Ford to kiss him on the mouth.

Walking out to catch her bus, Kendra brooded over the unjust situation. The reputation of an innocent teacher had been ruined, and the obvious culprit was totally getting away with it. Thanks to his disguise, the goblin would keep on causing mayhem without any consequences. There had to be a way to stop him!

“Ahem.” A man walking beside Kendra cleared his throat in order to get her attention. Lost in thought, she had failed to notice his approach. The man was dressed in a fancy suit that looked about a hundred years out of style. The coat had tails, and he wore a vest with it. It was the sort of suit Kendra would have expected to see in a play, not in real life.

Kendra stopped walking and faced the man. Kids heading for the buses passed them on either side. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“Beg your pardon, but do you have the time?”

His vest had a watch chain. Kendra pointed at it. “Isn’t that a watch?”

“Just the chain, my girl,” he said, patting his vest. “I parted with the watch some time ago.” He was fairly tall, with wavy black hair and a pointy chin. Although the suit was fancy, it was rumpled and worn, as if he had slept in it for several consecutive nights. He seemed a little seedy. Kendra resolved immediately not to let him lure her into a windowless van.

She was wearing a watch, but did not check it. “School just got out, so it’s a little after two-forty.”

“Allow me to introduce myself.” He held up a business card in his white-gloved hand, in a way that suggested he meant for her to read it, not take it. The card said:

Errol Fisk

Cogitator
*
Ruminator
*
Innovator

“Cogitator?” Kendra read dubiously.

Errol glanced at the card and flipped it over.

“Wrong side,” he apologized with a smile.

The back side said:

Errol Fisk

Street Performer Extraordinaire

“Now,
that
I believe,” Kendra said.

He glanced at the card and, with a look of chagrin, flipped it over again.

“I already—” Kendra began, but she hadn’t.

Errol Fisk

Heaven’s Special Gift to Women

Kendra laughed. “What is this? Am I on a hidden-camera show?”

Errol checked the card. “My apologies, Kendra, I could have sworn I tossed that one out long ago.”

“I haven’t told you my name,” Kendra said, suddenly on guard.

“You didn’t have to. You were the only one of these youngsters who looked fairystruck.”

“Fairystruck?” Who
was
this guy?

“I take it you’ve noticed an unwanted visitor in your school recently?”

Now he had her full attention. “You know about the goblin?”

“The kobold, actually, though the two are often confused.” He flipped the card again. It now read:

Errol Fisk

Kobold Exterminator

“You can help me get rid of him?” Kendra asked. “Did my grandpa send you?”

“He did not. But a friend of his did.”

At that moment, Seth came up to them, his backpack slung over one shoulder. “Who’s the ringmaster?” he said to Kendra.

Errol held the card up for Seth to see. “What’s a kobold?” Seth patted Kendra on the shoulder. “Hey, you’re going to miss the bus.” Kendra could tell he was trying to give her an opening to get away from the stranger.

“I might be walking home today,” Kendra said.

“Four miles?” Seth said.

“Or I’ll catch a ride with somebody. The goblin who kissed Alyssa and framed Mrs. Price is a kobold.” She had told Seth about the disastrous incident at lunch. He was the one person who could understand the real story.

“Oh,” Seth said, sizing up Errol anew. “I get it. I thought you were a salesman. You’re a magician.”

Errol fanned out a deck of playing cards that had appeared out of nowhere. “Not a bad guess,” he said. “Pick a card.”

Seth pulled out a card.

“Show it to your sister.”

Seth showed Kendra the five of hearts.

“Put it back in the deck,” Errol instructed.

Seth replaced it so that Errol could not see the face of the card. Errol flipped all the cards around, so they faced the kids, still fanned out. They were all the five of hearts. “And there’s your card,” Errol announced.

“That’s the lamest trick ever!” Seth protested. “They’re all the same. Of course you know what I picked.”

“All the same?” Errol said, reversing the cards and thumbing through them. “No, I’m sure you’re mistaken.” He turned them back around, and it now looked like a normal deck of fifty-two different cards.

“Wow!” Seth said.

Errol held the cards face down and fanned them out again. “Name a card,” he said.

“Jack of clubs,” Seth said.

Errol held the cards up. They were all the jack of clubs. He flipped them over again. “Kendra, name a card.”

“Ace of hearts.”

Errol displayed an entire deck full of the ace of hearts. Then he tucked the deck away into an inner pocket.

“Whoa, you really are magic,” Seth said.

Errol shook his head. “It’s just legerdemain.”

“Leger-what?”

“Legerdemain. A word of French origin meaning sleight of hand.”

“What, you’ve got a bunch of decks up your sleeve?” Seth asked.

Errol winked. “Now you’re on the right track.”

“You’re good,” Seth said. “I was watching close.”

Errol tweezed his business card between two fingers, folded it into his palm, and then immediately opened his hand. The card was gone. “The hand is quicker than the eye.”

The buses started pulling out. They always left in a caravan of five. “Oh no,” Seth said. “My bus!”

“I can give you kids a ride,” Errol offered. “Or I suppose calling you a cab might be more appropriate. My treat. Either way, we need to talk about this kobold.”

“How did you find out about this so fast?” Kendra asked suspiciously. “The kobold only showed up yesterday. I just mailed my letter to Grandpa Sorenson this morning.”

“Cogent question,” Errol said. “Your grandfather has an old friend named Coulter Dixon who lives in the area. He asked Coulter to keep an eye on you two. When Coulter caught wind of the kobold, he called me. I’m a specialist.”

“So you know our grandpa?” Seth asked.

Errol held up a finger. “I know a friend of your grandpa’s. I’ve never actually met Stan.”

“Why do you wear that weird suit?” Seth asked.

“Because I’m terribly fond of it.”

“Why are you wearing gloves?” Seth pursued. “It’s hot out.”

Errol glanced furtively over his shoulder, as if he was about to share a secret. “Because my hands are made of pure gold and I’m worried somebody will steal them.”

Seth’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“No. But remember the principle. Sometimes the most preposterous lies are the most believable.” He tugged off a glove and flexed his fingers, revealing a normal hand with black hairs on the knuckles. “A street magician needs places to hide things. Gloves serve that purpose. Same with a coat on a warm day. And a vest with lots of pockets. And a wristwatch or two.” He pulled back his sleeve, revealing a pair of watches.

“You asked me for the time,” Kendra said.

“Sorry, I needed an opener. I have three watches. A watch can be a great place to hide a coin.” Errol squeezed his wrist and then held up a silver dollar. He put his glove back on, and the coin vanished in the process.

“So you
do
have a pocket watch,” Kendra said.

Errol held up the empty chain. “Sadly, no, that was true. Pawn shop. I needed to buy combs for my girlfriend.”

Kendra smiled, getting the reference. Errol did not explain it to Seth. “So, do I pass inspection?” he asked.

Kendra and Seth looked at each other. “If you get rid of the kobold,” Kendra said, “I’ll believe anything you say.”

Errol looked a little concerned. “Well, see, the thing is, I’m going to need your help to do it, so we’re going to need to trust one another. You could call your grandpa, and he could tell you about Coulter, at least. And then he could get in touch with Coulter, who would tell him about me. Or maybe Coulter has already contacted him. For now, consider this—your grandfather has hardly told a soul that you were fairystruck, and I am certain he urged you to keep that information private as well. Yet I am privy to that knowledge.”

“What do you mean by fairystruck?” Kendra asked.

“That the fairies shared their magic with you. That you can see whimsical creatures without assistance.”

“You can see them too?” Seth asked.

“Sure, if I use my eyedrops. But your sister can see them all the time. I got that information directly from Coulter.”

“Okay,” Kendra said. “We’ll check with our grandpa, but until we hear back, we’ll trust that you’re here to help.”

“Fabulous.” Errol tapped his temple. “I’m already hatching a plan. What are the chances of you two sneaking out tomorrow night?”

Kendra winced. “That’s going to be tough. I have finals the next day.”

“Whatever,” Seth said, rolling his eyes. “We’ll pretend to go to bed early and slip out the window. Would it work to meet around nine?”

“Nine would be nearly perfect,” Errol said. “Where should we rendezvous?”

“You know the service station on the corner of Culross and Oakley?” Seth suggested.

“I’ll find it,” Errol said.

“What if Mom and Dad notice we’re missing?” Kendra said.

“Which would you rather do: risk getting grounded, or keep putting up with your ugly friend?” Seth asked.

Seth was right. It was a no-brainer.