Fablehaven: The Complete Series (56 page)

“In many ways, yes,” Coulter agreed. “One of the jobs I want the two of you to undertake is to engage in an hour of playtime with Hugo every day. He will not be under any order to heed your commands. I will simply leave him with the mandate to enjoy himself. Then you two are free to talk to him, play catch with him, teach him tricks, whatever you like. I want to see if we can get him functioning more on his own.”

“If he gets too smart, will he stop taking orders?” Seth asked.

“I doubt it,” Coulter said. “Obedience to his masters is woven too deeply into his being. It is part of the magic that holds him together. He could, however, develop into a much more useful servant, capable of making decisions and sharing information. And he could start enjoying a higher state of existence.”

“I like this assignment,” Kendra said. “When can we start?”

“How about now?” Coulter offered. “I don’t think we have enough time for a real foray into the woods today. You need to be here after lunch so you can go into town with your grandmother. I have no idea what you might be doing there.” Imitating Seth, Coulter pantomimed like he was locking his lips and throwing away the key. “Hugo, I want you to play with Kendra and Seth. Feel free to do whatever you want.”

Coulter strode away toward the house, leaving Kendra and Seth with the massive golem. For a moment the three stood in silence. “What should we do?” Seth asked.

“Hugo,” Kendra said. “Why don’t you show us your favorite flower in the garden?”

“Favorite flower?” Seth complained. “Are you trying to bore him to death?”

Hugo raised a finger and then waved for them to follow. He stomped off across the lawn in the direction of the swimming pool. “Picking favorites gives him a chance to practice making choices,” Kendra explained as they ran to keep up with Hugo.

“Fine, then how about favorite weapon or monster or something cool?”

Hugo stopped beside a hedge with a flowerbed at the base. He pointed at a large blue and white flower with a trumpet-shaped blossom and vivid, translucent petals. It was delicate and exquisite.

“Good pick, Hugo, I like that one,” Kendra complimented.

“Great,” Seth said. “You’re very sensitive and artistic. Now, how about we have some fun? Want to go jump in the pool? I bet you could make the best cannonballs!”

Hugo crossed and uncrossed his hands, indicating that he did not like the idea.

“He’s made of dirt,” Kendra said. “Use your brain.”

“And rock and clay . . . I thought it would just make him sort of muddy.”

“And clog up the filter. You should have Hugo throw you in the pool.”

The golem turned his head toward Seth, who shrugged. “Sure, that would be fun.”

Hugo nodded, grabbed Seth, and, with a motion like a hook shot, flung him skyward. Kendra gasped. They were still thirty or forty feet away from the edge of the pool. She had pictured the golem carrying Seth much closer before tossing him. Her brother sailed nearly as high as the roof of the house before plummeting down and landing in the center of the deep end with an impressive splash.

Kendra ran to the side of the pool. By the time she arrived, Seth was boosting himself out of the water, hair and clothes dripping. “That was the freakiest, awesomest moment of my life!” Seth declared. “But next time, let me take off my shoes.”

Chapter 9

The Sphinx

Kendra stared out the window at a huge, derelict factory as the SUV idled at a stoplight. Rotting boards crisscrossed the lower windows. The yawning upper windows were nearly devoid of glass. Wrappers, broken bottles, crushed soda cans, and weather-worn newspapers littered the sidewalk. Cryptic graffiti decorated the walls. Most of the spray-painted words looked sloppy, but a few had been expertly rendered with gleaming metallic letters.

“Can I take off my seat belt yet?” Seth complained, squirming.

“One more block,” Grandma said.

“The Sphinx isn’t staying in a very nice part of town,” Kendra said.

“He has to keep a low profile,” Grandma said. “Often that translates to less than ideal accommodations.”

The light turned green, and they drove through the intersection. Kendra, Seth, and Grandma had been on the road quite a while in order to reach the coastal city of Bridgeport. Grandma took a much more leisurely approach to driving than Vanessa, but despite the gentle pace and pleasant scenery, the prospect of meeting the Sphinx had kept Kendra on edge for the entire ride.

“Here we are,” Grandma announced, activating the left blinker and turning into the parking lot of King of the Road Auto Repair. The run-down auto shop looked abandoned. There were no cars in the small lot, and all the shop windows were obscured by dust and grime. Grandma avoided a lone, rusty hubcap lying on the asphalt.

“What a dump!” Seth said. “You sure this is the place?”

The SUV was just coming to a stop when one of the three doors to the garage slid upwards. A tall Asian man in a black suit waved them inside. He was lean, with wide shoulders and a humorless face. Grandma pulled into the garage, and the man yanked the door down behind them.

Grandma opened her door. “You must be Mr. Lich,” she said. The man lowered his chin briefly, a motion halfway between a nod and a bow. Mr. Lich gestured for them to exit the vehicle.

“Come along,” Grandma said, descending from the SUV. Kendra and Seth got out as well. Mr. Lich was walking away. They hurried to follow him. He led them out a door into an alley where a black sedan was waiting. Bland features neutral, Mr. Lich opened the back door. Grandma, Kendra, and Seth ducked inside. Mr. Lich got up front and started the car.

“Do you speak English?” Seth asked.

Mr. Lich fixed him with a steady stare in the rearview mirror, put the car in drive, and started down the alley. None of them made further efforts at conversation. They followed a disorienting series of alleys and side streets before finally reaching a main road. After a U-turn, they were back on side streets, until Mr. Lich brought the sedan to a stop in a dirty alley beside a row of dented garbage cans.

He got out and opened the door for them. The alley smelled like taco sauce and rancid oil. Mr. Lich escorted them to a grimy door that read
Employees Only.
He opened it and followed them inside. They passed through a kitchen into a dimly lit bar. Blinds covered the windows. There were not many patrons. Two guys with long hair were playing pool. A fat man with a beard sat at the bar next to a skinny blonde with a pockmarked face and frizzy curls. Wispy strands of cigarette smoke twisted in the air.

Grandma, Seth, and Kendra entered the room first. The bartender was shaking his head. “No patrons under twenty-one,” he said. Then Mr. Lich appeared and pointed toward a stairway in the corner. The demeanor of the bartender changed instantly. “My mistake.” He turned away.

Mr. Lich ushered them up the carpeted stairs. At the top, they pushed through a beaded curtain into a room with shaggy, calico carpet, a pair of brown sofas, and four suede beanbag chairs. A heavy ceiling fan spun slowly. A large, old-fashioned radio stood in the corner, softly playing big band music, as if tuned to a station broadcasting out of the past.

Placing a hand on Grandma’s shoulder, Mr. Lich motioned toward the couches. He did the same for Seth. Turning to Kendra, he gestured toward a door on the other side of the room. Kendra glanced at Grandma, who nodded. Seth flung himself onto a beanbag.

After crossing to the door, Kendra hesitated. The silent car ride and unusual environment had already made her uncomfortable. The prospect of facing the Sphinx by herself was unsettling. She looked over her shoulder. Both Grandma and Mr. Lich motioned for her to enter. Kendra knocked softly. “Come inside,” said a deep voice, barely loud enough to be heard.

She opened the door. A red curtain fringed with gold tassels and embroidery blocked her view. She pushed through the velvet curtain into the room beyond. The door closed behind her.

A black man with short, beaded dreadlocks stood beside a Foosball table. His skin was not merely a shade of brown—it was as close to truly black as Kendra had ever seen. He was of average height and build, and wore a loose gray shirt, cargo pants, and sandals. His handsome face had an ageless quality—he could have been in his thirties or his fifties.

Kendra glanced around the spacious room. A large aquarium held a vibrant collection of tropical fish. Numerous delicate, metallic mobiles dangled from the ceiling. She counted at least ten clocks of eccentric designs on the walls, tables, and shelves. A sculpture made of garbage stood beside a life-sized wooden carving of a grizzly bear. Near the window was an elaborate model of the solar system, intricate planets and moons held in place by wire orbits.

“Would you join me in a game of Foosball?” His accent made Kendra think of the Caribbean, although that was not quite right.

“Are you the Sphinx?” Kendra asked, bewildered by the unusual request.

“I am.”

Kendra approached the table. “Okay, sure.”

“Would you prefer cowboys or Indians?”

Spitted on rods were four rows of Indians and four rows of cowboys. The cowboys were all the same, as were the Indians. The cowboy had a white hat and a mustache. His hands rested on his holstered six-guns. The Indian had a feathered headdress, and his reddish-brown arms were folded across his bare chest. The feet of each cowboy and Indian were fused together to better strike the ball.

“I’ll be Indians,” Kendra said. She had played some Foosball at the rec center back home. Seth usually beat her two out of three games.

“Let me forewarn you,” the Sphinx said, “I am not very good.” There was a mellow quality to his voice that evoked images of old-time jazz clubs.

“Neither am I,” Kendra admitted. “My little brother usually beats me.”

“Would you like to serve the ball?”

“Sure.”

He gave her the bright yellow ball. She put her left hand on the handle that controlled the goalie, dropped the ball into the slot with her right, and started wildly spinning her nearest Indians as it rolled across the center of the table. The Sphinx controlled his cowboys with more calm, using quick, precise jabs to counter Kendra’s reckless spinning. It was not long before Kendra scored the first goal.

“Well done,” he said.

Kendra marked the goal by sliding a bead along a bar at her end of the table. The Sphinx took the ball out of his goal and served it through the slot. The ball rolled to his men. He passed it up to his front row of cowboys, but the Indian goalie blocked the shot. The Indians spun madly, mercilessly pounding the ball at the cowboys until they scored a second goal.

The Sphinx slid the ball into the slot. Her confidence boosted, Kendra attacked even more aggressively with her Indians, and ended up winning the game five goals to two.

“I feel like General Custer,” the Sphinx said. “Well played. Can I offer you something to drink? Apple juice? Cream soda? Chocolate milk, perhaps?”

“Cream soda sounds good,” Kendra said. She was feeling more at ease after trouncing him.

“Excellent choice,” the Sphinx said. He opened a freezer and withdrew a frosty mug with ice in it. From a small refrigerator he removed a brown bottle, uncapped it with a little tool, and poured the yellow soda into the mug. It was surprisingly foamy. “Please, sit down.” He nodded to a pair of chairs facing each other with a low table in between.