Fablehaven

Mendigo, bring me the boy! Muriel called.

The wooden servant charged toward Seth, racing on all fours. The imps had fanned out, several clustering near the door to prevent escape. Seth flung dust as Mendigo leaped.

The electric cloud repelled the puppet. At the same time, an imp darted in from behind, knocking the pouch from Seth’s grasp with a chopping motion.

The tall imp twisted Seth around, grabbed his upper arms, and hoisted him into the air so they were staring eye to eye. The imp hissed, mouth open, black tongue dangling grotesquely.

Hey, Seth said, recognition dawning. You’re the fairy I caught!

The imp draped Seth over its shoulder and ran toward Muriel. Another imp seized Grandma to bring her to the witch.

Kendra stood frozen with terror. Imps surrounded her.

Escape was impossible. Hugo had been reduced to a pile of debris. Grandma had missed with the arrow, wounding but not killing Muriel. Seth had done his best, but he and Grandma had been captured. There was no more defense.

No more tricks. Nothing between Kendra and whatever horrors Muriel and her imps wished to inflict.

Except that the imps were not taking hold of her. They stood all around her, yet they seemed unable to reach out their hands and grab her. They would lift their arms part of the way and then stop, as if their limbs refused to obey.

Mendigo, bring me the girl, Muriel commanded.

Mendigo shouldered through the imps. His hand stretched toward her and then stopped, wooden fingers twitching, hooks clinking softly.

They can’t touch you, Kendra, Grandpa called from where he hung shackled to the wall. You have caused no mischief, worked no magic, inflicted no harm. Run, Kendra, they can’t stop you!

Kendra pushed between a pair of imps, heading for the door. Then she stopped short. Can’t I help you?

Muriel is not bound by the laws restraining her minions, Grandpa shouted. Run all the way home, straight down the road you came by. Do no harm along the way!

Don’t stray from the path! Then get off the property! Ram the gate with my truck! Fablehaven will fall! One of us has to survive!

Muriel, clutching her wounded shoulder, was already in pursuit. Kendra raced up the stairs and dashed across the chapel to the front door.

Child, wait! called the witch.

Kendra paused at the threshold of the church and looked back. Muriel leaned in the doorway that led to the basement.

She looked pale. Blood drenched the arm of her gown.

What do you want? Kendra said, trying to sound brave.

Why rush off in such a hurry? Stay, we can talk this through.

You don’t look so good.

This trifle? Loosing a single knot will mend it.

Then why haven’t you done it?

I wanted to talk before you hurried away, the witch soothed.

What is there to talk about? Let my family go!

demanded Kendra.

I may, in time. Child, you do not want to run off into the woods at this late hour. Who can say what horrors await out there?

They can’t beat what’s going on in here. Why are you releasing that demon?

You could never understand, said Muriel.

Do you think it will be your friend? You’re going to end up chained to the wall along with the others.

Make no speeches about matters far beyond your comprehension, Muriel snapped. I have made covenants that will place me in a position of unfathomable power. After biding my time for long years, I feel my hour of triumph at hand. The evening star is rising.

Evening star? Kendra repeated.

Muriel grinned. My ambitions extend far beyond hijacking a single preserve. I am part of a movement with much broader objectives.

The Society of the Evening Star.

You could never imagine the designs already in motion. I have been locked away for years, yes, but not without means of communicating with the outside world.

The imps.

And other collaborators. Bahumat has been orchestrating this day since his capture. Time has been our ally.

Watching and waiting, we have quietly leveraged countless opportunities to gradually secure our release. No prison stands forever. At times our efforts have borne little fruit.

On gladder occasions, we have toppled many dominoes with a single nudge. When Ephira succeeded in coaxing you to open the window on Midsummer Eve, we were hopeful that events would unfold much as they have.

Ephira?

You looked into her eyes.

Kendra cringed. She did not appreciate a reminder of the translucent woman in the gauzy black garments.

Muriel nodded. She and others are about to inherit this sanctuary, a vital step toward reaching our ultimate ends.

After decades of persistence, nothing can forestall me.

Then why not just let my family go? Kendra pleaded.

They would try to interfere. Not that they could at this point-they had their chance and failed-but I will take no risks. Come, face the end with your loved ones, instead of alone in the night.

Kendra shook her head.

Muriel extended her uninjured arm. The fingers, red with her own blood, contorted into an unnatural shape.

She spoke in a garbled language that made Kendra think of angry men whispering. Kendra ran out of the church, down the steps, and over to the wagon. She paused to look back.

Muriel did not appear in the doorway. Whatever spell the witch had tried to cast apparently had no effect.

Kendra raced down the road. The sunset was still fairly bright. They had been inside the church for only a few minutes. Tears began to blind her, but she kept running, unsure whether she was being pursued.

Her whole family was lost! Everything had happened so fast! One moment Grandma was confidently offering assurance; the next, Hugo was destroyed and Seth and Grandma were captured. Kendra should have been captured as well, except she had been so overcautious since arriving at Fablehaven that she was still apparently shielded by the full power of the treaty. The imps had not been able to lay a finger on her, and Muriel had been too injured to give proper chase.

Kendra looked back along the empty road. The witch would have cured the injury by now, but would probably not come after her until freeing Bahumat, since Kendra had such a big head start.

Then again, Muriel could possibly use magic to catch up with her. But Kendra suspected that the urgency of unleashing the demon would prevent Muriel from giving chase for now.

Should she turn around and head back? Try to rescue her family? How? Throw rocks? Kendra could envision nothing but certain capture if she were to return.

But she had to do something! When the demon was released, it would destroy the treaty, and Seth would die, along with Grandpa, Grandma, and Lena!

The only possibility she could think of was returning to the house and trying to find a weapon in the attic. Could she remember the combination to the vault door? She had watched Grandma open it an hour ago, heard her speak the numbers aloud. She could not recall them, but felt she might once she saw it.