Grip of the Shadow Plague

"A hermit troll?" Grandpa asked.

Tanu shook his head. "A hermit troll could not have entered the meadow. And this did not quite fit the description."

"We have a theory," Coulter affirmed. "We’ll get to that in a second."

"What’s a hermit troll?" Seth asked.

"The smallest of the trolls," Warren said. "They never stay in one place long, setting up temporary lairs anywhere from a quiet attic, to under a bridge, to inside a barrel."

"Go on," Grandpa encouraged Tanu. "We got inside the hill and found the Sixth and Seventh Kingdoms gearing up for war again, in spite of the extensive damage Newel had caused."

"Stan," Coulter said, "you wouldn’t have believed it. The Sixth and Seventh Kingdoms are draped in black, with most of the citizens bearing arms. The nipsies in those kingdoms were as Seth described, with gray skin, dark hair, and red eyes. They tried to bribe Tanu and me to assist them, and issued threats when we refused. If I didn’t know better, I would say they had fallen."

"But nipsies don’t have a fallen state," Grandma said. "At least nothing documented. Fairies can turn to imps, nymphs can become mortal, but who ever heard of a nipsie being transfigured?"

"Nobody," Tanu said. "But there they were. Which leads me to my theory. I think the creature we were chasing was some species of fallen dwarf."

"Dwarfs don’t fall either!" Grandpa huffed, clearly perturbed.

"Tell that to this one," Coulter muttered.

"It’s our best guess," Tanu said. "We interrogated the nipsies to see how all of this originated. Evidently it began when they were exploring the preserve, looking for ways to keep the satyrs out. That was how the dark ones met their new master."

"When we started fishing for specifics, they clammed up," Coulter said.

"What could make a nipsie fall?" Grandpa mused, as if speaking to himself."I’ve never seen anything like it," Coulter said.

"Nor heard of anything like it," Tanu added.

"Nor I," Grandpa sighed. "Normally, my first call would be to the Sphinx. Maybe it still should be. Friend or foe, he has always given sound advice, and none can match his knowledge of lore. Does the condition appear to be spreading?"

Tanu noisily cracked his knuckles. "According to some of the normal nipsies, after the Fifth Kingdom was invaded, a good portion of those nipsies were carried off and became like the others."

"Do you want Tanu and me to skip meeting with the Knights?" Coulter offered.

"No, you should attend," Grandpa said. "I want all three of you watching over Kendra and learning what you can."

"I overheard the fairies saying something strange today," Kendra said. "It might be related. They were talking about a way to be dark like imps, but beautiful. One fairy seemed enamored by the idea. The other flew away immediately."

"Strange things are certainly afoot at Fablehaven," Grandpa said. "I had better go make some calls."

Grandpa, Grandma, and Warren left the room.

"Seth, a word, if I may," Tanu said. Seth crossed to the hulking Samoan, who shepherded him into the corner. Kendra lingered to hear. Tanu glanced at her and went on.

"I noticed some interesting tracks in the meadow of the Seven Kingdoms," Tanu said casually. "Looked like the satyrs had some help gaining entry."

"Don’t tell Grandpa," Seth pleaded. "If we were going to tell him, we already would have," Tanu said. "Coulter and I figured you were in enough hot water already. Just keep in mind, Hugo is not a toy for helping satyrs steal."

"Gotcha," Seth said with a relieved smile.

Tanu looked at Kendra. "Can you keep this one under your hat?" His eyes demanded a yes.

"Sure," she said. "I’ve filled my daily quota for ratting on Seth."

Chapter Four

New Knights

When the baggage carousel jolted to life, passengers from Kendra’s flight pressed to be closest to the opening from which their belongings would emerge. A parade of suitcases commenced, many of them black and about the same size. Several had ribbons tied around the handles to help the owners differentiate between them. Kendra had placed smiley-face stickers on hers.

It was peculiar hanging out with Tanu, Coulter, and Warren at the baggage claim. She associated them with magical potions, enchanted relics, and supernatural creatures. This setting seemed much too common. Tanu dipped a pretzel into a small plastic container of molten cheese. Warren turned to the final page of his paperback. Coulter penned an answer on the crossword from the in-flight magazine. Around them waited a random assortment of passengers. A pair of business travelers stood nearest, wearing slightly rumpled suits and expensive wristwatches.

Kendra lunged forward when her suitcase appeared, darting between a nun and a grungy guy in a tie-dyed shirt and sandals. Tanu accepted the bag after she yanked it off the carousel. Their other luggage followed soon after.

Tanu wadded his napkins into his cheese cup and chucked it into a garbage can, then collected his baggage. Coulter threw out the magazine.

"Anybody want to read about a genetically enhanced superspy?" Warren asked, waving his paperback. "It’s a bestseller. Lots of action. Twist ending." He held it toward the trash receptacle.

"I might check it out," Kendra said, uneasy about the thought of discarding an undamaged book. She zipped the rescued paperback into her suitcase, then extended the handle so she could wheel the bag around.

The four of them headed away from the baggage claim toward a set of automatic doors. A man in a suit and a black cap was holding a sign with the name Tanugatoa printed in marker.

"We have a chauffeur?" Kendra asked, impressed.

"For going out of the city, a limousine cost only a little more than a taxi," Tanu explained.

"Why isn’t my name on the sign?" Warren complained.

"My name is the rarest," Tanu said with a smile. He greeted the man with the sign and waved him off from trying to help carry bags. They followed the man out to the curb and along a sidewalk to where a black limousine with tinted windows idled. The driver, a well-dressed Middle Eastern man, loaded their suitcases into the trunk and then held the door as they entered the vehicle. Warren kept his smaller suitcase.

"I’ve never ridden in a limo before," Kendra confided to Coulter.

"It’s been a while for me too," Coulter said.

She and Coulter sat on one side, facing Tanu and Warren on the other, with plenty of room between. Kendra ran a hand over the plush upholstery. The air smelled like pine, with a faint undercurrent of cigarette smoke.