Grip of the Shadow Plague (Page 22)

Grandpa and Grandma had taken the news hard, becoming even more protective of Seth than usual. Technically, his three-day period prohibiting even chaperoned excursions was over, but they had forbidden him from accompanying Coulter and Tanu on their assignment this afternoon.

Grandpa had been monitoring the nipsies while the others were gone, and had found that the warlike nipsies were relentless in their thirst to conquer the others. Nothing he tried could dissuade them. In the end he decided that the only way to save the untainted nipsies was to relocate them. Coulter and Tanu were currently searching for a new habitat for the good nipsies. A routine assignment, but Grandpa had suspended Seth from the woods until they figured out the story behind the new subspecies of dark creatures.

Mendigo returned the ball to Seth, who threw it to the right, lower than his previous toss. Mendigo started after it and then halted, letting the ball drop to the grass and roll into a flower bed. Seth put his hands on his hips. Unlike Hugo, Mendigo had no will-he only followed orders. And the current order was to play catch.

Continuing to ignore the ball, Mendigo rushed toward Seth at full speed. The action was baffling. Once, Mendigo had served Muriel the witch, but some fairies had helped Kendra break that connection earlier in the summer. Mendigo only took orders from the staff of Fablehaven now. He had proven so useful that Grandpa had arranged for Mendigo to be allowed past the barriers protecting the yard and house.

So why was Mendigo charging him? "Mendigo, stop!"

Seth cried, but the puppet paid him no heed. Grandpa had issued Mendigo a standing order not to allow Seth out of the yard. Was the limberjack confused? Seth was nowhere near the edge of the lawn.

When Mendigo reached Seth, he dipped a shoulder, wrapped both arms around his legs, hoisted him into the air, and sprinted for the house. Slung over the wooden shoulder, Seth looked up and saw a group of dark fairies streaking toward them. They were unlike any fairies Seth had ever seen. Their wings did not glisten in the sunlight.

Their raiment did not sparkle. In spite of the clear sky and the hot sun, each of the dozen fairies was shrouded in shadow. Faintly, a thin, dark contrail followed each one. Instead of light, these fairies radiated darkness.

The fairies gained swiftly, but the house was not far away. Mendigo swerved to avoid inky streaks of shadow hurled from the fairies. Wherever the black energy struck, vegetation instantly withered. Grass turned white and sere, blossoms wilted and faded, leaves crumpled and dried. A dark streak zapped Mendigo on the back, and a black circle appeared on the brown wood.

Bypassing the stairs, Mendigo clambered over the railing of the deck and clattered to the back door. The puppet dropped Seth, who thrust the door open and ordered the limberjack inside. Yanking the door shut, Seth hollered for Grandpa.

Seth now understood Mendigo’s behavior. The puppet had one permanent command above all others-to protect the people of Fablehaven. The limberjack had sensed the fairies coming, and had known they meant trouble. Seth had a queasy feeling that if not for Mendigo, he might be a brown, shriveled corpse out on the lawn, the human version of a spoiled banana.

"What is it, Seth?" Grandpa asked, emerging from the study.

"I was just attacked in the yard by evil fairies," Seth gasped.

Grandpa glowered at him. "Have you been trapping fairies again?"

"No, I promise, I didn’t do anything to provoke them," Seth insisted. "These fairies are different. They’re wild and dark. Look out the window."

Seth and his Grandpa went to a window. The dismal flock of fairies were working their magic on a row of rosebushes, turning green leaves brown and vivid petals black. "I’ve never seen such a thing," Grandpa breathed, reaching for the door.

"Don’t!" Seth warned. "They’ll come after you."

"I have to see," Grandpa said, pushing the door open.

At once the fairies darted toward the deck, firing shadowy streaks. Grandpa promptly retreated indoors. The fairies hovered just beyond the deck. Several were laughing. A couple made faces. They desiccated a few potted plants on the deck before flitting away.

"I’ve never heard of anything like these creatures," Grandpa said. "How did they get in the yard?"

"They flew in as if they belonged," Seth replied, "just like any fairy would."

"Fairies are creatures of light." Grandpa spoke weakly, uncertainly, as if hesitant to believe what was happening. "Some of the nipsies turned dark," Seth reminded him.

Frowning, Grandpa rubbed his chin. "These fairies aren’t in a fallen state. When a fairy falls she becomes an imp, and would be banned from the yard. These fairies are in a darkened state-an undefined alteration that leaves them with full access to the gardens. I’ve never heard of anything like it. Perhaps I ought to place a temporary ban on all fairies, until we get this sorted out. I’m not sure I can exclude only the dark ones."

"Is Grandma still shopping?" Seth asked.

"Yes," Grandpa said. "She won’t be back for at least an hour. Dale is down at the stable. Tanu and Coulter are still out scouting for a place to relocate the good nipsies."

"What should we do?" Seth inquired.

"I’ll telephone Ruth," Grandpa said. "Warn her to be careful when entering the yard. I’ll send Mendigo to fetch Dale."

"Can we get in touch with Tanu and Coulter?" Seth asked.

"No, but they have Hugo with them," Grandpa said. "We’ll have to trust that they can take care of themselves." He turned to address the big puppet. "Mendigo, at full speed, go retrieve Dale from the stables, keeping him safe from harm. Steer clear of any dark creatures like those fairies."

Grandpa opened the door, and Mendigo raced out onto the deck, vaulted the railing, and sped across the lawn. "What should I do?" Seth asked.

"Keep watch from the windows," Grandpa said. "Don’t go outside. Let me know if you see anything unusual. After I call your grandmother, I’m going to make a more concerted effort to get the Sphinx on the line."

Grandpa hurried away, and Seth went from room to room, checking through all of the windows, trying to spot the dark fairies. After three laps, he gave up. Apparently they had flown away.

To test his assumption he opened the door and ventured out onto the deck. Hadn’t Grandpa done the same thing a moment ago, but with the fairies in sight? Seth was ready to retreat, but no gloomy fairies attacked. Had Grandpa already banished them from the yard? Seth sat down in a chair, gazing out at the garden.

He realized this was the first time he had been outside unsupervised since getting busted for visiting the nipsies. He felt an instant itch to bolt into the woods. Where would he go? Maybe to the tennis court to check in on how Doren and Newel were doing. Or to the pond to chuck rocks at the naiads.