"Good to know," Seth said.
Graulas paused, eyes still shut, his breathing loud. "Would you care for my insights on how the current trouble at Fablehaven originated?"
"Did it have something to do with the prisoner the Sphinx released?"
Graulas opened his eyes. "Very good. Do you happen to know the identity of the captive?"
"So the Sphinx really is a traitor?" Seth exclaimed. "No, none of us know who the prisoner was. Do you?"
Graulas licked his lips, his tongue a bruised color and marked by sores. "His presence was unmistakable, although most would not have been able to sense his true identity. He was Navarog, the demon prince, lord of the dragons."
"The prisoner was a dragon?"
"The foremost of all dark dragons."
"He looked human-sized."
"He was in disguise, naturally. Many dragons can assume a human form when it suits them. Navarog did not revert to his true shape while on this property. His business at Fablehaven was of a stealthier nature."
Seth sat back down on the corroded bookcase. "You say 'was.' Did he leave?"
"He left Fablehaven on the same day the Sphinx set him free," Graulas said. "He was never formally admitted to the preserve, and so the walls could not hold him. But he did not depart until after performing some mischief. First he went to the grove and retrieved the nail. The dark talisman had already burrowed deep into the ground, which is why Tanugatoa missed it, but it surfaced when summoned. Then Navarog took the nail to Kurisock."
"The other demon?"
"There are a few places my senses cannot penetrate at Fablehaven. One is the house and yard where you live with your grandparents. Another is the mansion that was once the residence of the caretaker. And a third is the tiny domain ruled by Kurisock. I cannot say precisely what Navarog did with the nail, but he had it when he entered Kurisock's domain, and when he left, the talisman was no longer in his possession. After delivering the nail, Navarog fled the preserve."
"Where'd he go from here?" Seth asked.
"Ever since I tied myself to this preserve, my sight does not carry beyond the boundaries," Graulas explained. "I have no guess where a dragon as mighty as Navarog might have gone."
"So to save Fablehaven, I have to stop Kurisock," Seth said.
"It would be intriguing to watch how you fared against him," Graulas mused with a glint in his eye. Something about the stare convinced Seth that the demon was somehow toying with him. "Do not ask me why Navarog went to Kurisock. If Kurisock has accomplished great deeds, I have not heard of them. He has wrought devastation on occasion, but lacks the faculties of a master strategist. There was a time when Navarog would have brought the talisman straight to me."
"Do you just want to use me to trip up a rival?"
"Rival?" Graulus rumbled, almost chuckling. "I long ago ceased measuring myself against others."
"How do I stop Kurisock?"
"Kurisock is more shadow than substance. To interact with the material world, he binds himself to a host. In return for a borrowed physical form, he imbues the host with power. Depending on whom Kurisock symbiotically unites with, the results can be impressive."
"Then he's not working alone."
"In my long years, I have never seen darkness transform beings as infectiously as is happening on this preserve. I do not know how it is being accomplished. By binding oath, Kurisock cannot go beyond the limits of his domain here at Fablehaven. He must have partnered with a powerful entity, and the nail must be amplifying his abilities."
"Would the nail do different things for Kurisock than it did for the revenant?"
"Undoubtedly," Graulas agreed. "The nail is a reservoir of dark power. Without it the revenant would not have been very intimidating. With it he was among the most dangerous and powerful creatures at Fablehaven. Kurisock was formidable without the nail. With the talisman, his abilities may have become sufficiently augmented to explain this virulent darkness." "You're a demon, right?" Seth said dubiously. "No offense, but shouldn't you be happy about this plague?"
Graulas coughed, moribund body heaving. "The pendulum swings back and forth between light and darkness. I lost interest long ago. What rekindled my interest was you, Seth. I am curious to see how you fare against this threat."
"I'll do my best. What else can you tell me?"
"You must figure out the rest with the help of your friends," Graulas said. "You do not have much time. The infectious darkness is spreading inexorably. There are only two safe refuges on the preserve, and even they cannot hold out indefinitely. I cannot see the shrine of the Fairy Queen. It repels darkness. Many of the creatures of light have sought sanctuary around her pond. And the centaurs, among others, have withdrawn to protected ground in a far corner of the preserve, within a ring of stones that will not admit darkness. Those will be the last places to fall."
"And the house," Seth added.
"If you say so," Graulas said. "Now I must rest. Take your grandfather and go. This is another triumph you can add to your list: Few mortals have entered my presence and lived to tell the tale."
"One more thing," Seth asked. "How did Coulter and Tanu know I could trust you?"
"Coulter was exploring, searching for the cause of the plague. He came to me. In his current state, though I can see and hear him clearly, I cannot harm him. I told him that I had information to share with you, and convinced him that I was a sincere admirer. Later I persuaded Tanugatoa as well. Fortunately for you, I was telling the truth. Go and rescue this wretched, ridiculous zoo, if you dare."
Graulas closed his eyes. His mushy, crinkled face drooped, and then slumped forward, as if he had lapsed into unconsciousness.
Letting the flashlight dangle from a cord around his wrist, Seth returned to Grandpa and grabbed him under his arms. The contact seemed to stir Grandpa out of his trance, and Seth helped him walk out of the cave. Coulter and Tanu were waiting outside. Once they were back in the moonlight, Grandpa flinched wildly, flailing his arms, and Seth released him.
"We're outside!" Grandpa gasped.
"Graulas let us go," Seth said. "Did you catch any of what he told us?"
"Bits and pieces," Grandpa said, brow knitted. "It was hard to focus. How did you withstand the fear? The cold?"
"Actually, it was kind of stuffy in there," Seth said. "I guess I'm immune to magical fear. Something to do with surviving the revenant. We need to have a long talk."
Grandpa bent over and brushed off his pants. "You realize we can't trust what Graulas told you."
"I know. But we need to consider it. I'm pretty sure he told me the truth. If he meant us harm, all he needed to do was sit back and watch us fail. At least this gives us some leads to pursue."
Grandpa nodded, walking toward Hugo and the cart. "First things first. Let's hurry home."
Chapter Fourteen
Homecoming
The rising sun bathed the top of Painted Mesa in golden light, the pueblo ruins casting long shadows beyond the brink of the nearest precipice. A scrawny lizard skittered along the top of a crumbling wall, its progress interrupted by unpredictable pauses. The thirsty ground and arid air had already sapped away the rainfall. A warm breeze and a few fluffy clouds suggested that the storm might have been nothing more than a dream.
Kendra, Dougan, Gavin, and Warren tramped across reddish stone away from the ruins. When they reached the edge of the mesa, Kendra peered down at a bird of prey wheeling in a wide circle, brown wings tilting in the breeze. The air was shockingly clear. The desert panorama expanses of dirt and stone gouged by gorges and overseen by craggy buttes-looked so crisp that Kendra felt as though she had put on a pair of much-needed prescription glasses.
Getting out of the cave had proven nearly as arduous as getting in. After extensive searching and experimentation, they had concluded that the artifact was not hidden or disguised-it really was gone. Warren had cautioned Kendra not to share her translation of the inscription on the altar with Dougan or Gavin. In the end, they each claimed several treasures from the chamber and departed.
Upon returning to Chalize's lair, Kendra had managed to keep her eyes off the metallic dragon, and Gavin had presented the coppery beast with a selection of the loveliest treasures they had pilfered. Later, Warren successfully tested the air in the cavern with the chokepods. Crossing the cavern was dodgy, but they all made it. Kendra had avoided looking at Neil, who Warren had reported was already mostly liquefied.
At the chasm, Kendra had fallen, but the swing to the wall had not been far, and Warren had pulled her up. The others traversed the gap without incident. When they reached the platform where they had started, Dougan inserted the key, and they spiraled up into the kiva.
Uncertain what enemies they might find waiting, venturing out onto the mesa was tense. But, with Gavin leading the way, they were relieved to find no trace of the creatures who had attacked them the night before.
Now, traipsing along the rim of the mesa, Kendra clung to the rain staff stolen from the coyote man. Jewels rattled in her pockets. Gavin had retained a heavy golden crown set with sapphires, which he now wore on his head. Dougan bore a chalice wrought of crystal and platinum. Warren wore several new rings and clung to a sheathed sword with a pearly hilt.
About halfway around the perimeter of the mesa, they found a pathway that descended the plateau in a steep series of switchbacks. They encountered no trouble on the way down. As the day grew hotter and the balmy breeze faltered, the mesa remained tranquil.
Once they reached the base of the mesa, Kendra was unsurprised when they looked back to see that the zigzagging path they had descended was gone. They hiked around the mesa toward the vehicles, until Gavin spotted Tammy's corpse lying between a pair of tall, bullet-shaped boulders. While Dougan and Gavin moved in for a closer inspection, Warren escorted Kendra along a route that kept the body out of view.
The Jeep and the truck were parked not too far beyond where Gavin had found Tammy. Warren and Kendra waited by the vehicles until Dougan and Gavin showed up carrying a bundled load between them. Warren jogged over to help. Together they carefully placed Tammy's remains in the bed of the truck.
"We don't have keys to the Jeep," Dougan said. "Those were lost with Neil."
"I'll ride in back," Gavin offered.
"Before we return to the hacienda, I have a proposal," Dougan said. "In case we still have a traitor in our midst, someone who works at the preserve, for example, I say we pretend the mission was a success." Dougan held up the platinum and crystal chalice. "I recommend we secure this item in our strongbox as if it were the artifact, on the chance that the decoy helps flush out an enemy." He wrapped it tightly in his poncho.
"Great idea," Warren approved.
"Plus, it can't hurt to send the message that the artifact was recovered," Kendra said. "The misinformation might prevent the Society from hunting for it elsewhere."
"If they weren't the ones who already snatched it," Gavin murmured.
"A possible scenario," Dougan acknowledged. "But until we learn more about the missing artifact, our best hope to mislead the Society is to claim victory."
Kendra sat between Dougan and Warren on the ride back to the hacienda. She felt a little guilty about not telling Dougan and Gavin that the artifact was probably not in the hands of the Society of the Evening Star, that it had been relocated to Fablehaven. They had paid a high price to reach the final chamber of the vault, and Kendra loathed leaving them with the feeling that the mission had been a total failure. But if the Sphinx was a traitor, she and Warren could not risk allowing vital information to reach him through Dougan and Gavin.
Kendra tried not to think about Tammy lying in the bed of the truck. She felt bad for Gavin riding back there with the corpse. She refused to think of Neil, brave and quiet, whose reward for a heroic rescue was to be slowly devoured by strange cave balloons. Kendra had spoken little all morning, and did not deviate from her pattern during the drive. She felt stretched. Her eyes itched. Danger had kept her on edge all night. Now that the peril had passed, her fatigue became harder to ignore.
Rosa, Hal, and Mara came out of the hacienda as the truck pulled to a stop. Hal sauntered forward, glancing in the bed of the truck as the others got out.
"Tammy?" Hal asked, his attention on the bundled corpse.
Dougan nodded.
"No Jeep," Hal remarked. "I take it Neil ran into trouble."
"Chokepods," Dougan reported.
Hal nodded, averting his eyes. Biting her knuckles, Rosa choked back sobs. She leaned against Mara, who kept a stoic expression, her dark eyes hard. Witnessing their grief made Kendra teary.
"He went inside the vault," Hal said, a statement with an implied question.
"We ran into serious trouble on the mesa," Warren explained. "Neil was a real hero. None of us would have made it to the cave without him. Weathering the night outside the vault would have meant certain doom, so he and Kendra entered with us."
"I reckon you saw he was a skinwalker," Hal said.
"He became a chestnut stallion and ferried us to safety," Gavin said.
"Did you find what you were after?" Hal asked. Dougan hefted the chalice, which was still wrapped in his poncho. "We'll leave you in peace as soon as we can schedule a flight."
"We'll radio Stu," Hal offered. "He can hop on the Internet and book your flights. You must have endured quite a night." He laid a hand on the side of the truck. "Go on inside; I'll take care of the young lady."