Rise of the Evening Star

What do you use them for? Seth asked.

Depends, Tanu said. Sometimes people need a little dose of courage. Other times you want to cheer somebody up. And every now and then, you can avoid an unwanted confrontation with a little fear, or use a mix of emotions to extract information. We save those uses for the bad guys.

Can I try some courage? Seth asked.

You already have plenty, Tanu said. You don’t want to overuse these emotions. Their potency wears thin if they’re overused, plus you can put your natural emotions out of balance.

Artificial emotions are useful only in certain situations.

They must be combined by an expert. If you drink straight courage, you can become reckless and foolhardy. For a good result, you have to temper the courage with a little fear, a little calm.

That makes sense, Kendra said.

I know my trade, Tanu said, vials and jars clinking as he collected them into his pouch. I hope that you weren’t too shaken up by the experience. An occasional dose of fear or sorrow can be cathartic. Same with a good cry.

If you say so, Kendra said. I’ll probably pass next time.

I’d do the fear again, Seth said. It was sort of like a roller coaster. Except so scary, you don’t really like it till after the ride is over.

Tanu folded his hands on his lap and adopted a more formal air. Now that I’ve let you glimpse what I can do, I want113 to establish some common goals. They are the same goals Ihave set for myself, and if we’re going to work together, I

think we should share them. Assuming you want to work with me.

Kendra and Seth both enthusiastically agreed that they were excited to learn from Tanu.

My first goal is to protect the integrity of Fablehaven,

Tanu said. I want to keep this preserve safe from any dangers without or within. That includes protecting the people who live here. That objective stands as my top priority. Will you commit to help me do that?

Kendra and Seth both nodded.

Second, Tanu continued, I want to find the missing relic. It may be a tedious hunt, but working together I know we will succeed. And in accordance with our top priority, we must find the relic without putting Fablehaven or ourselves at risk. Which means we use sense and caution. Sound good?

Yes, Kendra and Seth said together.

And third, without jeopardizing our other missions, I

want to find a cure for Dale’s brother, Warren. I understand you two have not met him?

Nope, Seth said.

Grandpa told me about him, Kendra said. He said

Warren vanished into the woods. When Warren showed up a few days later, he was white as an albino, and catatonic.

Those are the basics, Tanu said. It happened almost two years ago. Truthfully, I think your grandparents have almost given up on ever healing him. But they are willing to114 let us try. If anybody can find a cure, I think we’re the teamto do it.

Do you know what happened to him? Seth asked.

Not yet, Tanu said. And it is hard to cure a malady without diagnosing the problem. I have put some thought into it, and I remain puzzled, so the cabin where Warren lives will be our main stop today. Dale has been waiting in the other room to take us. Sound like a plan?

Sounds perfect, Seth said.

Then we’re agreed on our goals? Tanu asked.

All of them, Kendra said.

Tanu grinned. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

The June sun glared down as Kendra, Seth, Tanu, and

Dale rounded a corner on the grassy cart track. Up ahead, a picturesque log cabin rested on the side of a slope, not far from the rounded crest of a gentle hill. A dilapidated outhouse stood a fair distance from the cabin, and Kendra spotted a hand-operated water pump near the porch. Off to one side of the cabin, the ground had been leveled, and numerous vegetables flourished in tidy rows. As a consequence of the slope, a retaining wall encompassed three sides of the garden, low in the front, high in the back. The area immediately around the cabin had been cleared, but trees bordered the yard on all sides.

That’s where he lives? Seth asked.

Warren doesn’t do well around people, Dale explained.115 He doesn’t respond well to commotion. We’ll want to speakin low voices inside.

I thought you said he was catatonic, Seth said.

Dale stopped. He hasn’t spoken since he turned albino, he said. But you can sometimes read reactions in his eyes. It’s subtle, but I can tell. And he responds to touch.

If you guide him, he’ll move around. If you put food to his lips and prod the corner of his mouth, he’ll eat. Left to himself, he’d starve.

Tell them about the hoeing, Tanu prompted.

That’s right, Dale said. One evening I started him hoeing out in the garden. I put the hoe in his hands and started moving his arms. After a while he was doing it on his own. I’d had a long day, so I sat down to watch him. He kept going and going, hoeing and hoeing. I rested my eyes, leaned back against the retaining wall, and fell asleep.

Next thing I know, I wake up in the dead of night, during the chill before dawn. Warren was still hoeing. He’d churned up the whole garden, and much of the yard beyond.

His hands were a bloody mess. I could hardly get the gloves off.

Chapter Six

How terrible, Kendra said.

Can’t say I’m proud of dozing, Dale said. But it taught me never to let him do anything unsupervised. Once you get him started at something, he just goes on and on until you stop him.

Is it safe for him to be here? Kendra asked. I mean, with all the creatures in the woods?116 The cabin enjoys the same protections as the house,Dale said. Although creatures can come into the yard.

What if he has to go to the bathroom? Seth asked.

Dale looked at him as if the question were perplexing.

Then the lanky man tipped his head back in realization.

Oh, you mean the outhouse. The cabin has an indoor toilet now.

Dale started walking again. They reached the plank porch of the cabin, and Dale used a key to open the front door. The cabin had a large central room with a door in the rear that led to another room, and a ladder that granted access to a loft. On pegs beside the front door hung a sombrero, a slicker, and an overcoat. A long table dominated the room, surrounded by six chairs. Pyramids of firewood flanked the dark fireplace. A bed stood against the wall, and a man was curled up under the covers, eyes staring flatly toward the door.

Dale crossed to Warren. You have some visitors,

Warren, Dale said. You remember Tanu. And this is

Kendra and Seth Sorenson, two of Stan’s grandkids. Dale pulled back the covers and straightened his brother’s legs.

Then he placed a hand behind Warren’s head and guided him into a sitting position. Warren wore a dark orange T-shirt and gray sweatpants. Contrasted against the shirt, his arms looked white as milk. Dale turned him so that he was seated on the edge of the bed. When Dale let go, Kendra half-expected Warren to topple over, but he remained seated upright, eyes vacant.