Rise of the Evening Star

Seth noticed a box of tissues on the nightstand. He removed a tissue. It made a slight sound as he pulled it from the box, but Vanessa did not twitch. Seth stared at the tissue, but it vanished along with the rest of him as he held still.

Wiggling his hand, he stared again at the tissue, figuring out the best way to let it hang. This would be risky. He might very well wake Vanessa up. But he had to make her shift positions. She showed no sign of budging on her own.

Leaning forward, Seth moved the dangling tissue toward her face. Slowly but surely it came closer, until a corner of the tissue brushed her nose. Vanessa smacked her lips and scratched her face. Seth jerked his hand away and held still.

Vanessa twisted her head back and forth, hummed softly,336 and then her regular breathing resumed. She did not alterher position. The key remained mostly beneath her.

Seth waited for a long time. Then he leaned forward with the tissue and again let it gently brush her nose.

Vanessa snatched the tissue and her eyes opened suddenly.

She had been waiting for it this time! Seth froze, his invisible hand less than a foot from her face. She glanced at the tissue, squinted in Seth's direction, then turned to look the other way. When she looked away, Seth jerked his hand back, flickering momentarily into view. Fortunately her eyes were not on him. It reminded him of playing Red Light ----

Green Light when he was younger. He and Kendra had to sneak up on their dad while his back was to them. If he caught them moving when he turned around, they got sent back to the start. The stakes were higher, but the game was the same.

Vanessa sat up. Who's there? she asked, eyes darting around the room. She looked straight through Seth several times. Errol? she called loudly, reaching for her blowgun.

On the way to her blowgun, the side of her arm brushed against Seth. She yanked her hand back. Errol! she yelled, kicking the sheet off of her.

Striking quickly, Seth jabbed the tiny dart he was holding into her arm. Her eyes widened in surprise when he flashed into view, but she had no time to react. She had been rising out of bed, but instead she hesitated, lips corn'

pressed, and then collapsed heavily to the floor. Seth grabbed the long key off the bed. It was quite heavy, and337 several inches taller than him. He was glad to see that it disappearedalong with him when he held still.

Seth could hear Errol thumping down the hall. He leapt away from the bed and stood still as Errol raced through the doorway and saw Vanessa on the floor. Intruder! Errol shouted.

Seth realized that Errol would probably suspect he had already fled, so he held perfectly still. Errol briefly surveyed the room, then ran out into the hall. Seth heard the front door opening downstairs, followed by heavy footfalls on the stairs. Would the imp smell him? What should he do?

He heard a door downstairs slam shut. The imp on the stairs grunted urgently. Seth heard Errol dashing down the hall. In the study! he shouted. Bring the intruder to me!

Seth heard Errol racing down the stairs. Kendra had created a diversion, but now she would have everybody right on her heels. Seth didn't like her chances. Leaning the key by the door, he picked up a terrarium full of dark blue salamanders and ran down the hall. He could hear them ramming the door to the study.

From the top of the stairs, Seth heaved the terrarium over the banister into the entry hall. He did not stay to watch it hit the floor, but he heard glass shattering like a bomb and Errol shouting. Seth hastily retreated to Vanessa's room. Picking up the key, he crossed the room, unlocked the window, and threw it open.

Vanessa's room was above the back porch. Seth dove through the window onto the roof of the porch. He could only hope that the commotion had already brought the imps338 stationed on the porch into the house. Otherwise he wasabout to be caught. He closed the window, hoping his pursuers might not be sure where he had gone. For all they knew he could have retreated to any of the rooms, or even gone up to the attic.

He heard Kendra screaming for Mendigo from the side of the house. She sounded desperate. Seth hurried to the edge of the porch roof. The porch was raised above the level of the yard, so even the lowest part of the porch roof was a good ten feet above the ground.

Seth tossed the key onto the grass. Then he found a portion of the roof that stuck out over a thick bush. Turning and crouching, he grabbed the lip of the roof and stepped off, hoping to dangle before dropping. The weight of his body was too much, and he lost his grip, falling awkwardly on his side, but landing in the bush.

Hitting the bush sideways turned out to be a lucky way to fall. He mashed the bush down, and it absorbed the brunt of the impact. Shaken, heart racing, Seth rolled out of the bush, picked up the key, and sprinted for the woods, his oversized bathrobe flapping behind him.

After waiting in tense silence, Kendra knew they were in trouble when Vanessa started calling for Errol. She opened the window so she would be ready for a quick exit.

Then Errol yelled about an intruder, and she realized Seth had not been caught. She heard the front door open and the imp charge up the stairs.339 She had to create a distraction. Kendra ran to the studydoor, opened it, and banged it shut. She locked it and rushed to the window, wishing she had more to wear than a sheet.

She put her legs through first, so she was sitting on the windowsill, then turned around and boosted herself backwards.

Her bare feet sank into the rich, soft soil of a flowerbed. She dropped the letter opener in the process.

Through the window, she could hear somebody beating on the study door. Wood splintered as the door was rammed with greater force. Not bothering to look for the letter opener, Kendra started running across the grass toward the woods. She heard a tremendous crash behind her from inside the house, like a huge vase shattering. Glancing back, she still saw nobody in the study window.

On the manicured lawn her bare feet did not impede her speed. In fact, she was pretty sure this was the fastest she had ever run, energized by sheer terror. In the woods it would be another story.

She heard something growl behind her. Looking back, she saw a thin, wiry imp in pursuit, having apparently just come through the window. She was about halfway across the yard to the woods, but the imp was running fast.

Mendigo, Kendra screamed. Meet me in the woods and protect me from the imps! Mendigo, hurry!

Off to her left, Kendra noticed the mellow glow of some fairies, bobbing and weaving in a colorful cluster. Fairies, please stop the imp! Kendra called. The fairies stopped moving, as if they were now watching, but did not come to her aid.340 At the fringe of the yard, a few paces from the woods,Kendra glanced back again. The wiry imp had gained, but remained twenty paces behind her. Behind the wiry imp,

Kendra saw an extremely fat imp scrambling through the window. He barely fit, and fell headfirst into the flowerbed.

Facing forward, Kendra dashed into the outskirts of the woods. Mendigo! she cried again. Sharp rocks and sticks jabbed at her bare feet. She crunched through leaves and undergrowth. In some places the ground was squishy.

She heard the imp closing in behind her, snapping twigs and tromping through shrubs. Then she heard a rustling from off to one side. The wiry imp was now only about five paces behind her. Kendra had no hope of outrunning him.

She heard footfalls from the same direction she had heard the rustling, only nearer now. Some nearby bushes parted, and Mendigo appeared.

A bundle hit Kendra in the chest, and it took her a moment to realize that it was her and Seth's clothes along with Tanu's pouch. Mendigo took flight, launching himself in a flying tackle that leveled the thin imp just a couple of paces from Kendra. They tussled on the ground.

Mendigo, stop the imp, Kendra said. But don't kill him.

Looking back toward the yard, Kendra could see that the lumbering, obese imp had almost reached the trees. Mendigo had wrapped up the wiry imp in what looked like a complex wrestling hold. Clutching the bundle of clothes, Kendra tried to decide her next move. What would happen when the fat imp reached them? He was much bigger than the341 wiry imp. Maybe she could outrun him; he was certainlyslower. Neither was the same imp Kendra had seen in the dungeon. Of the three, the imp in the dungeon was the most muscular and looked the most dangerous.

Something else was crashing toward her through the woods from the opposite direction Mendigo had come from.

After a moment, she saw that the something was wearing a bathrobe. Seth! she cried.

He was carrying a metal staff that had to be the artifact key. He looked at Mendigo wrestling on the ground and then at the rapidly approaching fat imp. Mendigo, Seth ordered, break his arms.

What? Kendra exclaimed.

We have to stop them somehow, Seth said.

Mendigo shifted his grip, placing a wooden knee against the wiry imp's back, and then wrenched one of the imp's arms into an awkward position and jerked it briskly. Kendra looked away, but heard the hideous snap. The imp howled.

A second crunch followed.

Mendigo, Seth said, break his legs, then do the same to the other imp. Kendra heard more disgusting sounds.

She opened her eyes. The wiry imp was writhing on the ground, limbs askew, and the fat imp had almost reached them, plowing through the undergrowth. Mendigo rushed to meet the fat imp. The oversized puppet dodged a punch and flung himself at the creature. The fat imp caught Mendigo in the air and hurled him aside.

Up close, Kendra realized that this imp was not only much broader and thicker than the other imp, he was at342 least a head taller. Mendigo, scuttling on all fours, dove atthe imp's legs, trying to trip him. The big imp stomped at him, then seized Mendigo and slammed him into a tree.

One of the puppet's arms came unhinged and spun to the ground.

Seth, who had been invisible, suddenly appeared and bashed the imp in the side of the head with the key. The huge imp staggered sideways and dropped to his knees, releasing Mendigo. The puppet hastily retrieved his arm.

The massive imp turned and rose, wheezing, rubbing the side of his head, and glaring with furious eyes. Seth held still, invisible once again.

Mendigo, Seth said, use this key to hurt the big imp.

Seth flashed into view as he tossed the metal staff to

Mendigo. The imp rushed at Seth, but Mendigo sprang into action, swinging the key with much more force than Seth had been able to muster.

The imp raised an arm to block the blow, but his forearm buckled on impact. Whirling, Mendigo clubbed the imp's bulging belly, and then whacked him across the shoulders when he doubled over.

Mendigo, Seth said, break his legs, but don't kill him.

The puppet set about bludgeoning the fallen imp, quickly hobbling him. That's enough, Mendigo, Kendra said. Only hurt them more if they keep after us.

You're going to pay for this, the wiry imp snarled through clenched teeth, glaring fiercely at Kendra.343 You asked for it, Kendra said. Mendigo, pick us upand get us away from the yard as fast as you can.

And don't lose the key, Seth added.

Mendigo hoisted Kendra over one shoulder and slung

Seth over the other. The puppet ran away from the scene faster than either Kendra or Seth had seen him run before.

Mendigo, Kendra said softly after they had left the crippled imps behind, take us to back to the cottage as quickly as you can.

Did you say the cottage? Seth asked.

There's another imp, and he looked like the worst of the three, Kendra said.

Right, but won't they look in the cottage? Seth asked.

Imps can't enter the cottage, Kendra reminded him.

All right, Seth said. I knocked Vanessa out with one of her own darts.

Then they probably won't be after us right away.

Mendigo, if somebody chases us and gets close, put us down and beat them with the key.

Mendigo showed no sign that he heard, but Kendra felt sure he had. He continued at a tireless sprint. She did not mind the branches whipping past her and tearing at her sheet. It was much preferable to running barefoot.344Diverging Plans

Kendra and Seth sat at the table with Warren. Seth was finishing a second peanut butter and honey sandwich.

Kendra was dumping lemonade powder into a pitcher full of water. She stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon.

The key lay on the table. It was mostly smooth, fashioned out of a dull gray metal. One end had a grip like the hilt of a sword. The other end had little notches and grooves and irregular protuberances. Kendra and Seth could only assume that the complicated end was meant to be inserted into an intricate keyhole.

Outside in the night, Mendigo stood watch, clutching a hoe in one hand and a rusty cowbell in the other. He was under orders to raise the alarm with the bell if any strangers approached, and then to use the hoe to cripple any imps or people who came along.345 We can't stay here, Seth said.I know, Kendra replied, pouring lemonade into a glass.

Do you want some?

Sure, Seth said. I have a plan.

Kendra started filling a second glass. I'm listening.

I say we go back to the grove, get past the revenant, use the key, and retrieve the artifact.

Kendra took a sip from one of the glasses. Just barely too strong, she said.

Seth picked up the other glass and took a drink. A little weak, if you ask me.

What is your plan again? Kendra asked, rubbing her eyes. I'm so tired, I feel like I can barely concentrate.

We should go after the artifact, Seth restated.

And how do we get past the revenant? I thought it totally froze you.

Seth held up a finger. I already figured it out. See, we have that courage potion in Tanu's pouch. You know, the bottled-up emotion. I think if I take a big enough dose, the courage will counteract the fear from the zombie.

Kendra sighed. Seth, he has to mix in all sorts of stuff to get the emotions to balance each other out right.

The fear from the revenant will balance it out plenty.

You heard Vanessa and Errol. I just have to pull out the nail.

I know I can do it!

What if you can't?

Seth shrugged. If I can't, I end up an albino like the others, and you'll have to make a new plan.346 After everything that has happened, do you think theriskiest plan imaginable is the best way to go?