Rise of the Evening Star

If they hear you rustling around, we could all die.

There’s plenty of food at the cabin. I say wait.

What if they end up catching us? Seth asked. Then we’ll be stuck eating glop! Did you smell that stuff?

If we get caught, we’ll have bigger problems than what to eat.

I bet I could make a sandwich about ten times quieter than you whisper, he accused.

Are you trying to make me angry?

Are you trying to make me hungry?

Fine, Kendra said. Go make a sandwich. We’ve got an hour, maybe you can bake some cupcakes too.

I’ve got a better idea. I’ll make us smoothies in the blender. With lots of ice.

I wouldn’t be surprised.

Fine. You know what? You win, Kendra. I’ll sit here and starve.

Good. Starve quietly.

Time crawled. Seth spent most of the hour sitting invisibly on the couch. Kendra tried to picture what escape route she would use if things went bad. Eventually the hour passed.

Can I go get the keys? Seth asked.

Do we need more of a plan? Kendra said.

My plan is to be really quiet and bring the keys downstairs,

Seth said.

And then only one of us should go to the basement, so at least one of us can get away, she said. We don’t want to both get trapped down there.

Okay. What if somebody wakes up and sees me? Seth asked.

Run for it, Kendra said. I’ll play it by ear. Just because they see you won’t mean they’ll know I’m in the house.

Maybe I can lie low and save the day after things settle down.

Or maybe somebody else will save the day for a change, Seth said. Besides, if they find me I bet they’ll search the house.

Where’s the best hiding place on this floor?

If I were you, I’d hide in the study, like behind the desk.

You’ll have quick access to a window that will take you outside.

Going out through the side should give you a chance to avoid the imps. If they catch me, you should probably take off. Maybe you can leave the preserve and try to find the Sphinx.

We’ll see, Kendra said.

Wish me luck. Hopefully my growling stomach won’t give me away.333 Wrapped in her sheet, Kendra walked to the entry hallwith her brother. As he started climbing the stairs, staying close to the wall and treading lightly, she went to the study.

She unlocked the window and squatted behind the desk.

She noticed a letter opener on top of a pile of papers. She picked it up. It felt comforting to have some sort of weapon in her grasp.

All she could do now was wait. Maybe she should be the one wearing the glove and creeping into Vanessa’s room.

Seth would never have let her, since sneaking around was more his specialty. But it was an awful lot of responsibility to give to somebody who liked sticking French fries in his nostrils.

At the top of the stairs, Seth moved stealthily down the hall to Vanessa’s door. A light had been left on in the bathroom, so the hall was fairly bright. The door to Vanessa’s room was closed. There was no light shining underneath it.

Cupping his ear against the door, he waited invisibly, but heard nothing.

Gently he turned the knob. It made a faint clicking sound, and he paused. After several slow breaths, he turned the knob the rest of the way and eased the door open. The room was darker and more shadowy than the hall, but he could still see fairly well. Vanessa was lying on her side on the bed beneath her sheet. The blankets were folded at the foot of the bed. Containers full of strange animals were everywhere.334 Seth took a slow step toward her bed. A low croak disturbedthe silence. Seth froze, turning invisible. Vanessa did not stir. Apparently she was accustomed to animal sounds in the night. That should work in his favor.

Her bed was on the far side of the room. He decided that instead of crossing the center of the room, he would work his way along the perimeter. That way if she woke up, there would be less chance of her accidentally bumping into him.

Seth crept along the edge of the room taking small, quiet steps. The sheet did not cover Vanessa’s shoulders, so he could see that she had not changed out of her clothes.

Staring at her, he had a hard time picturing her as a traitor.

She was so pretty, her dark hair spilling over her pillow.

Seth glimpsed a metal pole under her chin. It had to be the artifact key! She was sleeping right on top of it!

A bird chirped and he halted, watching the narcoblix intently. Satisfied that she remained asleep, he worked his way along the wall, passing numerous cages. Vanessa was facing him. All she needed to do was open her eyes while he was moving and all would be lost. Finally he reached the nightstand beside her bed. Her blowgun lay on the nightstand, along with three small darts. What if he picked up a dart and pricked her? Did narcoblixes have immunity to sleeping potions? It wasn’t worth the risk. But he picked up a tiny dart anyhow, for backup.

Another step closer and he was standing over Vanessa.

If she stretched out her hand she could touch him. If he reached out his hand he could touch her. There was no way335 he could get to the artifact key. She was partly on top of it.He would have to wait for her to shift positions.

While he waited, he scanned the room for the dungeon keys. There were many surfaces where they could be resting, on top of cages or terrariums as well as on tables or dressers. He did not see them anywhere. They could be in her pocket. Or tucked away in a secret spot. Or Errol might have them.

Vanessa continued to breathe evenly, showing no sign that she would ever change positions. Maybe narcoblixes were really deep sleepers. She might not move all night.

There was simply no possible way he could slide the long key out from under her without waking her up. Most of it was under the sheet with her.

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 —-