Rise of the Evening Star

The class was growing silent as the exchange continued.

Case smirked. I’ll take that bet. Five hundred dollars. That would be, what, three years’ earnings?

Case opened the door. The substitute stood up. You’re not going anywhere!

Case exited and dashed down the hall. The substitute remained impotently by the desk. What’s his name? he asked, bewildered.

Casey Hancock, Alyssa reported. But you can call him dog breath.55 Seth was heading for the bus when he recognized afamiliar man in an outmoded suit. He diverted from his course to speak with Errol.

Did you hear? Seth said. Kendra gave Case the package this morning and he left immediately.

Errol nodded. I followed the kobold out of town. You will never see him again. A kobold seldom travels far unless compelled.

Thanks for your help, Seth said. I better catch my bus.

Can you spare a moment? Errol asked. You did an exceptional job at the funeral home last night. Better than many of the trained professionals I have partnered with in the past. I could use some assistance with one other task.

What?

A similar mission, actually. I need to recover an amulet from a member of the Society of the Evening Star. It would issue quite a blow to their organization.

They’re the people trying to destroy all the magical preserves like Fablehaven, Seth said. And free the demons.

Sharp lad.

Is it a vampire again? Seth asked.

Nothing so exotic, Errol assured him. The amulet is on a houseboat. The owner is out of the country, so the boat is currently vacant. The only catch is, we’ll have to drive a few hours to get there. It would take all night. If we left at ten or so, I could have you back before six in the morning.56 Tonight is a school night, Seth said.Which is why I was planning on tomorrow night, Errol said. The school year will be over. Your sister can help with this one. The barrier on the houseboat functions only against those eighteen and older.

I’ll talk it over with her. How should I confirm?

I will be at the service station tomorrow night. Come as close to ten as you can. Show up before ten-thirty, and I’ll be waiting. Otherwise I’ll assume you declined.

Got it. I better go; the buses will leave any minute.

By all means, Errol said. By all means.

* * * *

Kendra placed a period after the final sentence of the final essay of her final exam. English. She knew she had aced it, just as she had sailed through the others. Once she handed in the test, middle school would be officially over. It was Friday afternoon, and there were almost three months between her and the next homework assignment.

Yet as Kendra turned in the exam, she did not experience the euphoria she had earned. Instead she was weighed down by the question of whether she should sneak out of her house to break into a houseboat hundreds of miles away with a virtual stranger and her younger brother.

As of that morning, she still had not reached her grandpa by telephone, and he still had not replied to the letter she had mailed Tuesday. She had told Seth that until she confirmed the identity of Errol Fisk with Grandpa, they were not going on a road trip with him in the middle of the night.57 The thing with the kobold had been a desperate situation.Now they could afford to wait a day or two.

Seth had ranted about her being a traitor and a coward.

He had complained that if there was a chance to harm the

Society of the Evening Star, they had better take it. He had finished by threatening to join Errol with or without her.

Having completed the exam early, Kendra had about twenty minutes before the buses would be leaving. She went to her locker and took her time loading everything she wanted to keep into her backpack, including the pictures she had clipped from magazines and taped to the inside of the door. Maybe Seth had a point. Checking with Grandpa was more of a formality at this stage. Errol had already helped them dispose of the kobold. If he had wanted to harm them, he’d had his chance when he took them to the mortuary.

Kendra tried to be completely honest with herself. She was afraid of going to the houseboat. If it belonged to somebody from the Society of the Evening Star, it would be very dangerous. And this time she would have to go inside, not just wait in the van.

She zipped her backpack. What she wanted was for

Grandpa Sorenson to tell her that Errol was a friend but that stealing amulets from houseboats in the middle of the night was no job for children. Or teenagers. And it was true!

Barriers or no barriers, it seemed peculiar that Errol recruited kids for tasks like this.

She headed down the hall and out the doors. The sun was shining. The buses idled in a line along the curb. Only a58 few kids were on them. Ten minutes remained before schoolwould officially let out.

Was Seth right? Was she a coward? She had been brave on the preserve when she sought help from the Fairy Queen and rescued everybody. She had been brave when trying to get rid of the kobold. Brave enough to sneak out of the house and go with Errol. But those were emergencies. She had been forced to be brave. What happened to her courage without an immediate threat? How dangerous was sneaking onto an empty houseboat? Nothing had happened at the mortuary; Seth had gone in and out. Errol would not take them to the houseboat if it was too dangerous. He was a professional.

Kendra climbed onto her bus, walked to the back, and plopped down onto a seat. Her last bus ride from Roosevelt

Middle School. She was now in high school. Maybe she ought to start acting more like an adult and less like a scaredy-cat.

Seth whistled as he inventoried his emergency kit. He clicked the flashlight on and off. He examined an assortment of firecrackers. He inspected the slingshot he had received for Christmas.

Kendra sat on his bed, chin in her hand. You really think firecrackers are going to come in handy? she asked.

You never know, Seth answered.

I get it, Kendra said. Somebody might want to have an early Fourth of July celebration.60 Seth shook his head in exasperation. Yeah, or we mightneed a diversion. He ignited a flame with his cigarette lighter to make sure it worked. Then he held up a couple of dog biscuits. I added these since the mortuary. I might have been eaten alive without one.

I can’t believe you talked me into this, Kendra said.

Neither can I, Seth agreed.

Mom opened the door, holding the cordless telephone.

Kendra, Grandpa Sorenson wants to speak with you.

Brightening, Kendra jumped off the bed. Okay. She took the phone. Hi, Grandpa.

Kendra, I need you to go someplace where you can speak freely, Grandpa said, his tone urgent.

Just a second. Kendra rushed into her room and shut the door. What is it?

I fear you and your brother may be in danger, Grandpa said.

Her grip tightened on the phone. Why?