Grip of the Shadow Plague

"The thunder woke me. Do fairies often stay up all night?" "Not all of us. Not me, usually. But I hate to miss a rainstorm. We get so few. I adore the monsoons."

The rain was already falling more gently. Kendra stretched out a hand to feel the fat drops on her palm. Lightning flared up in the clouds, farther away than before, muted by the intervening mist. Thunder followed a couple of heartbeats afterward.

Kendra wondered what Warren was doing at the moment. He had departed for the vault with Dougan, Gavin, Tammy, and Neil about an hour before sunset. He might have returned already, for all she knew. Or he could be in the belly of a dragon.

"My friends might be out in this weather," Kendra said.

The fairy tittered. "The ones trying to climb the mesa?"

"You saw them?"

"Yes."

"I’m worried about them."

The fairy sniggered again.

"It isn’t funny. They’re on a dangerous mission."

"It is funny. I don’t think they went anywhere. They couldn’t find a way up."

"They didn’t climb the mesa?" Kendra asked.

"Getting up there can be problematic."

"But Neil knows a way."

"Knew a way, from the look of things. The rain is relenting."

The fairy was right. It was barely sprinkling now. The earthy, humid air smelled wonderful. "What do you know about Painted Mesa?" Kendra asked.

"We don’t go up there. Near the mesa, sure, the whole formation has a lovely aura. But there is old magic woven into that place. Your friends are lucky they couldn’t climb it. Good night."

The fairy leapt from the windowsill and buzzed off into the night, veering up over the roof and out of sight. After the company, Kendra felt lonely. Lightning pulsed somewhere above her. Thunder growled a few seconds later.

Kendra closed the window and slid back into bed. Part of her wanted to check if Warren was safe in his room, but she felt uncomfortable intruding if he was asleep. She was sure to hear in the morning about what had happened.

Kendra had never tried huevos rancheros, but found she liked them a lot. The thought of mixing eggs with fresh guacamole had never occurred to her, and she had been missing out. Warren, Dougan, and Gavin sat eating with her while Rosa puttered in the kitchen.

"So you couldn’t find a way up," Kendra said, cutting into her food with the side of her fork. She had found them eating after she awoke and showered. None of them had mentioned the mission yet.

"What tipped you off?" Warren asked.

"No bite marks," Kendra said.

"Very funny," Dougan said, checking over his shoulder as if worried somebody might be eavesdropping.

"Seriously," Warren said.

Kendra realized she shouldn’t be telling Dougan and Gavin that she could talk to fairies. "One look at your faces told the whole story. You were acting too normal."

"Neil said the mesa can be fickle," Warren explained. "There are many ways up, but none are constant. They open only to certain people at certain times."

"Rent a helicopter," Kendra said, taking another bite.

"Neil says the mesa would never allow it," Dougan said.

"I believe him," Gavin said. "Y-y-y-you can feel the magic of the place; it makes you drowsy. You should have seen Tammy’s face when the path wasn’t there. She said it was unmistakable last time."

"Neil didn’t like it either," Warren said. "I guess his way up has been pretty reliable."

"Ascending the mesa has always been a challenge," Rosa said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she approached the table. "I warned you it might not be easy. Especially after the others went and disturbed things."

Kendra thought of the revenant guarding the entrance to the vault at Fablehaven. Here, was the mesa itself the guard?

"The way to the top may be closed for some time," Neil said, coming into the room, holding his white cowboy hat in one hand. He was wearing jeans and hiking boots. "There have been periods lasting fifty years or more when no pathway was available."

"We can’t wait," Dougan said. "We need to get up there."

"Forcing the mesa is impossible," Neil said. "Don’t lose hope yet. I want to take Kendra and scout around the base." "Kendra?" Warren asked.

"She saw the fence around Lost Mesa before we entered the preserve," Neil said. "If the Twilight Way is closed, eyes like hers might help spot one of the other paths."

Kendra noticed Gavin and Dougan regarding her with interest. "I’d be happy to look, if you think it might help," she said.

"I’ll come with you," Warren said.

Neil nodded. "Mara will join us as well. When will you be ready to leave?"

"Give us twenty minutes," Warren said, glancing at Kendra to make sure that was acceptable.

"Sounds good," she said.

Warren hurried through the rest of his food, and Kendra did likewise. When they were done, she followed him to her room. He closed the door.

"How did you really hear we couldn’t find a pathway up Painted Mesa?" Warren asked.

"A fairy told me last night," Kendra said.

"I’m sure the others didn’t believe your comment was based solely on intuition, but I doubt they’ll openly pry.

Remember to be careful about hinting at your powers. Dougan knows you can recharge magical items. That’s it. The others don’t even know that much."

"Sorry," Kendra said. "I’ll be careful."

"We have to be cautious. I think we can trust Dougan and Gavin, but I don’t want to take anything for granted. I’m positive the Society has people in place to make sure the artifact ends up in their hands. Remember, at Fablehaven, the original plan was for Vanessa and Errol to steal the artifact themselves. The traitor here might be somebody who has lived on the preserve a while. Or it could be Tammy or Javier."

"Hopefully it was Zack," Kendra said.

Warren grinned. "Wouldn’t that be nice? I’ve done some digging. Tammy is along because she has a talent for finding and disabling traps. Javier is a seasoned ingredient collector, used to work for a couple of the top dealers. He has a lot of experience getting out of dodgy situations. Their reputations are solid, but so was Vanessa’s."

"Are you worried about Neil or Mara?" Kendra asked.

"If the Sphinx is a suspect, anyone is a suspect," he said. "Trust no one. Try to stay inside the hacienda unless I’m with you."

"Think I’ll be able to find a trail?" Kendra asked.