Grip of the Shadow Plague

Several moments later, Seth detected the heavy footfalls of Hugo’s approach. Before long, the golem crashed into view, crunching through the undergrowth. An apelike figure fashioned out of soil, clay, and stone, Hugo had a thick build and disproportionately large hands and feet. Currently one arm was somewhat smaller than the other. Hugo had lost an arm in a battle with Olloch the Glutton, and despite frequent mud baths, the limb had not quite finished reforming.

The golem came to a stop towering above Seth and the satyrs, who barely reached his massive chest. "Set," the golem intoned in a deep voice that sounded like huge stones grinding together.

"Hi, Hugo," Seth replied. The golem had only recently begun attempting simple words. He understood everything anyone told him, but rarely sought to express himself verbally.

"Good to see you, big guy," Doren said brightly with a wave and a broad smile.

"Will he cooperate?" Newel asked out the side of his mouth.

"Hugo doesn’t have to obey me," Seth said. "I don’t officially control him like Grandma and Grandpa do. But he’s learning to make his own decisions. We’ve done some private adventuring together over the summer. He’ll usually go along with whatever I suggest."

"Fair enough," Doren said. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them briskly. "Newel, my fellow gold digger, we may be back in business."

"Will you finally explain what we’re doing?" Seth begged.

"Have you ever heard of the nipsies?" Newel asked.

Seth shook his head.

"Tiny little critters," Doren elaborated, "smallest of the fairy folk." The satyrs watched Seth expectantly.

Seth shook his head again.

"They’re most closely related to brownies, but stand at only a fraction of the height," Newel said. "As you know, brownies are experts at mending, salvaging, and inventively recycling. Nipsies are also master artisans, but they tend to start from scratch, tapping into natural resources to acquire raw materials."

Doren leaned close to Seth and spoke confidentially. "Nipsies have a fascination with shiny metals and stones, and a knack for finding them."

Newel winked.

Seth crossed his arms. "What will stop them from taking their treasure back?"

Newel and Doren burst out laughing. Seth frowned.

Newel placed a hand on his shoulder. "Seth, a nipsie is about this big." Newel held his thumb and forefinger half an inch apart. Doren snorted as he tried to resist further laughter.

"They can’t fly, and they have no magic to attack or harm." "In that case, I still don’t see why you need my help getting the gold," Seth maintained.

The chuckling subsided. "What nipsies can do is prepare traps and plant dangerous vegetation," Doren said. "The little nippers apparently took umbrage at the tributes Newel and I demanded, so they erected defenses to keep us away. Hugo here should have no trouble getting us into their domain."

Seth narrowed his eyes. "Why don’t the nipsies get help from Grandpa?"

"No offense," Newel said, "but many creatures at Fablehaven would endure considerable hardship to avoid human interference. Don’t worry about the pipsqueaks appealing to Stan-he won’t hear about this from them. What do you say? Shall we grab some easy gold?"

"Lead the way," Seth said. He turned to the golem. "Hugo, are you willing to help us visit the nipsies?"

Hugo held up an earthen hand, the thumb and forefinger almost touching. He gave a slight nod.

They tramped forward through the undergrowth until Newel raised a cautionary fist. From the edge of a clearing, Seth saw a wide meadow with a grassy hill in the middle. The sides of the hill were steep, but ended abruptly about twenty feet above the ground, as if the top were flat. "We’ll need Hugo to get us into the hill," Newel whispered.

"Would you?" Seth asked the golem.

Hugo effortlessly placed Newel on one shoulder, Doren on the other, and cradled Seth in his larger arm. The golem set off across the meadow, crossing to the hill with long strides. Near the base of the hill, the weeds at Hugo’s feet began to writhe and snap. Seth saw thorny vines curling around the golem’s ankles, and the green heads of carnivorous plants striking at his shins.

"Part of the problem right there," Doren pointed out. "The little nippers cultivated all sorts of venomous plants around the outskirts of their territory."

"Underhanded vermin," Newel grumbled. "I was limping for a week."

"We were lucky to get away with our skins," Doren said. "We need to reach the other side of the hill."

"The slopes of the hill are full of traps," Newel explained. "A sealed entrance awaits on the far side."

"Take us around the hill, Hugo," Seth said.

The aggressive plants continued lashing and squirming and biting, but Hugo strode forward heedless of the onslaught. On the far side of the hill, they found an irregular boulder as tall as a man embedded at the base of the slope. A gooey mass of yellow slime pooled around the stone.

"Have Hugo shove the stone aside," Doren suggested.

"You heard him," Seth said.

Hugo stepped onto the slick slime, which slurped against his huge feet. With his free hand, Hugo thrust the boulder aside as if it were made of papier-mache, revealing the mouth of a tunnel.

"Put us down in the entrance," Newel said.

"And then keep the slime at bay," Doren added.

"Do it, please," Seth implored.

Hugo placed Seth at the entrance to the tunnel, then set the satyrs beside him. The golem turned and began kicking away the slime, which splashed through the air in sticky globs and strands.

"He comes in handy," Newel acknowledged, nodding toward Hugo.

"We need to get one for ourselves," Doren agreed.

Seth stared at the walls of the tunnel. They were made of polished white stone with veins of blue and green. Intricate carvings etched the entire surface from floor to ceiling. Seth traced a finger over the elaborate designs.

"Not too shabby," Newel commented.

Seth stepped back from the wall. "I can’t believe all the detail."

"Wait until you see the Seven Kingdoms," Doren said.

The three of them proceeded along the short tunnel. The roof was just high enough that none of them needed to crouch.

"Watch your step," Newel said. "Take care not to crush a nipsie. Their lives are just as real and valuable as anyone’s. If you accidentally kill a nipsie, the protections of the foundational treaty of Fablehaven will no longer be yours."