Seth kept his eyes on his plate, wordlessly shoveling food into his mouth.
"You don't need to act shy about your new love of reading," Kendra continued. "You know what? I could help you get a library card, then you can add some variety to all those boring old-"
"It was an emergency!" Seth blurted. "Read my lips emergency reading-not some demented idea of fun. If I were starving, I would eat asparagus. If somebody held a gun to my head, I would watch a soap opera. And to save Fablehaven, I would read a book, okay, are you happy?"
"You had best be careful, Seth," Grandma said. "The love of reading can be very contagious."
"I just lost my appetite," he declared, rising from the table and storming out of the room.
Kendra shared a laugh with Grandma.
Grandpa came into the kitchen, glancing over his shoulder in the direction Seth had departed. "What's eating him?" "Kendra accused him of voluntarily reading," Grandma said gravely.
Grandpa raised his eyebrows. "Should I telephone the authorities?"
Grandma shook her head. "I'll not have my grandson subjected to the humiliation of his reading habit becoming public. We have to cope with this disgrace discreetly."
"I have an idea, Grandpa," Kendra announced.
"Board up the windows so the paparazzi won't catch him in the act?" Grandpa guessed.
Kendra snickered. "No, a real idea, about Fablehaven."
Grandpa motioned for her to proceed.
"We should talk to Lena. If what happened to Patton's uncle is a secret, and Kurisock was involved, maybe Lena could fill in some details. We need to find out all we can about the demon."
Grandpa wore a knowing smile. "I agree so much that I've already planned to stop by the pond for that very reason. Not to mention that I'd love to learn whether she has heard of the artifact Patton supposedly brought here."
"I speak their language," Kendra said. "I could talk to her directly."
"I wish I could accept your help," Grandpa said. "You're bright and capable. I expect you would be an asset in reaching Lena. But this plague is too dangerous-we could both be transformed into shadows en route. The provision under which I am allowing you and your brother to remain at Fablehaven is that you not venture outdoors until we better understand what is happening out there. You two have already jeopardized your safety too much."
"You're the boss," Kendra said. "I just thought I might have better luck getting Lena to talk. We need information."
"True," Grandpa said. "But I must decline the offer. I will not allow you to become a shadow. Do I see extra pancakes?"
"You already had plenty," Grandma said.
"More than three hours ago," Grandpa replied, sitting down in the seat Seth had vacated. "Even after a late night, we old-timers rise with the sun." He winked at Kendra.
Warren came into the room carrying a coiled rope. "More pancakes?"
"Just working on some leftovers," Grandpa said.
"Are you heading to the pond with Grandpa?" Kendra asked.
"At first," Warren replied. "Then Hugo and I are going on a reconnaissance mission. I'll get as close to Kurisock as I can."
"Don't get so close that you return as a shadow," Kendra admonished.
"I'll do my best to remain intact," he said. "If I do become a shadow, don't worry, I won't be resentful that my final wish for a few more apple pancakes went unfulfilled."
"All right," Grandpa said. "Grab a plate. I'll share."
That night Kendra reclined in bed scanning a journal, stealing glances at Seth, who was leafing through pages of his own at a brisk pace, pausing occasionally to study a passage. She tried to focus on her reading, but the sight of him hunched forward intently kept drawing her gaze.
"I can see you watching me," he said without looking up. "I should start charging admission."
"Find anything interesting?"
"Nothing useful."
"Me neither," Kendra said. "Nothing new."
"I'm surprised you ever find anything, you go through the book so slowly."
"I'm surprised you don't miss everything, flipping through pages so fast."
"Who knows how much time we have?" Seth said, closing the journal and rubbing his eyes. "Nobody found anything today."
"I told Grandpa he should let me talk to Lena," Kendra said. "She wouldn't even make an appearance for him."
"We could sneak down to the pond tonight," Seth offered.
"Are you insane?"
"I'm kidding. Mostly. Besides, Hugo and Mendigo would never let us out of the yard. I was relieved to hear Grandpa saw Doren at the pond. I was sure Newel would have caught him."
Kendra closed her book. "Grandpa got good info from some of the satyrs and dryads."
"Just confirming what we already know," Seth argued. "News flash-the plague is everywhere."
"Warren made it back safe from Kurisock's domain."
"With no new info except that a fog giant is standing guard. He didn't even reach the tar pit."
Kendra reached for the bedside lamp. "Should I turn off the light?"
"Might as well. I think my eyes will melt if I try to read any more."
She clicked off the light. "I don't get why you were so upset about being caught reading."
"It was just embarrassing. What if people found out?"
"They'd just think you were normal and smart. Most people worth knowing enjoy reading. Everyone in our family does it. Grandma taught college."
"Yeah, well, I was making fun of you before, so now I look like a hypocrite."
Kendra smiled. "No, you look like you finally wised up."
He gave no reply. Kendra stared at the ceiling, assuming the conversation had ended.
"What if we can't fix this problem?" Seth asked as she was starting to fade off to sleep. "I know we've survived some scary situations in the past, but this plague feels different. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. We don't really know what it is, let alone how to repair the damage. And it spreads so fast, turning friends into enemies. You should have seen Newel."
"I'm worried too," Kendra said. "All I know for sure is that Coulter was right-even when you try your best to prepare, these preserves can be deadly."
"I'm sorry some of the people at Lost Mesa didn't make it," Seth said softly. "I'm glad I wasn't there for that." "Me too," Kendra said quietly.
"Good night."
'"Night."
"Kendra, Seth, wake up, don't be afraid." The voice boomed through the dark room, as if emanating from the walls.
Kendra sat up bleary-eyed but alert. Seth was already propped up on one arm, blinking in the darkness.
"Kendra, Seth, this is your grandfather," the voice said. It did sound like Grandpa, only magnified. "I'm speaking from the secret attic, where Dale, Warren, your grandmother, and I have taken refuge. The brownies have become infected, and have turned against us. Do not open your door until we come for you in the morning. Without adults in your room, you will be totally safe from harm. We expect to pass the night without incident here as well."
Seth stared at Kendra, not quite into her eyes. She realized that he could not see her as distinctly as she could see him.
Grandpa repeated the message, using the same words, presumably in case they had not been awake the first time. Then he reiterated the message a third time, adding more at the end. "The brownies are only permitted in the house from sunset to sunrise, so we'll evacuate in the morning. We're sorry we didn't see this coming. The brownies are an insular community, virtually never in contact with other creatures at Fablehaven. Their habitations beneath the yard enjoy many of the same protections as this house. Even so, we should have known the plague would find a way. Sorry to disturb you. Try to get some sleep."
"Yeah, right," Seth said, switching on the bedside lamp.
"Just what we needed," Kendra sighed. "Evil brownies."
"I wonder what they look like."
"Don't even consider peeking!"
"I know, of course not." Seth got out of bed and jogged to the window.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking something." He pulled the curtains aside.
"Tanu is out here. His shadow."
"Don't you dare open the window!" Kendra commanded, rising from her bed to join her brother.
"He's motioning for us to stay put," Seth reported.
Looking over Seth's shoulder, Kendra saw nothing on the roof. Then a fairy glided into view, glowing a deep violet shade as if illuminated by a black light.
"He's pointing at the fairies and signing to keep the window closed," Seth said. "See, there are more fairies just beyond the roof. They're tough to make out, they're so dark." He gave Tanu a thumbs-up and closed the curtain.
"No evil fairies have shown themselves for a while. I bet this was a trap. The brownies were supposed to flush us out so the fairies could transform us."
"I thought Grandpa banned fairies from the yard," Kendra said, returning to her bed.
Seth started pacing. "It must not have worked for some reason. I never knew Grandpa could make announcements to the whole house."
"They have all sorts of cool stuff in the secret attic."
"Too bad they don't have a door to our side."
"It doesn't matter. They'll come get us in the morning. We should try to sleep. Tomorrow will probably be hectic."
Seth put his ear against the door. "I can't hear anything."
"There are probably ten of them patiently waiting on the far side, ready to pounce."
"Brownies are shrimps. All I'd need are some heavy boots, a pair of shin guards, and a weed whacker."
The image made Kendra giggle. "You said the nipsies are much smaller than brownies, but that didn't stop them from contaminating Newel."
"I guess," Seth said. He opened a wardrobe and pulled out some clothes.
"What are you doing?" Kendra asked.
"I want to get dressed in case we have to make a hasty getaway. Don't watch."
When Seth was done, he returned to his bed. Kendra gathered her clothes, turned off the lamp, warned Seth not to peek, and changed. She climbed into bed with her shoes on.
"How am I supposed to sleep?" Seth asked after a couple of minutes.
"Pretend nothing is happening. They're so quiet, it could just be a regular night."
"I'll try."
"Good night, Seth."
"Don't let the brownies bite."
Seth slept lightly the rest of the night, often waking with a jolt, body rigid, feeling flustered and disoriented. A few times he clicked on the lamp to make sure there were no savage brownies scampering around on the floor. He even leaned down to peer under the bed, just in case.
Finally he awoke to find pink light bleeding through the curtains. He got out of bed without disturbing Kendra, crossed to the window, and waited for the increased light of the sun clearing the horizon. He noticed no fairies while he waited.
A few minutes after direct sunlight brightened the morning, Seth heard the attic stairs creaking. He shook
Kendra awake, then went to the door. "Who's there?"
"Glad you're awake," Warren called. "Don't open the door."
"Why not?"
"It's been booby-trapped. Actually, on second thought, if you want, you can pull the door open swiftly, just stay behind it and off to the side. Make sure Kendra is positioned out of the way as well."
"Okay." Kendra got out of bed and stood beside the door. Seth gripped the knob, turned it slowly, then yanked the door open, staying behind it as he lunged to the side. Three arrows whistled into the room and thudded high against the far wall.
"Nicely done," Warren approved. "Take a look at the stairway." Seth peeked through the doorway. Numerous wires crisscrossed the stairs, high and low, horizontal and diagonal. Many of the wires ran through pulleys or hooks that had been affixed to the walls. Several crossbows had been rigged in high corners of the stairwell, most pointing at the attic door, others defending it. Down in the hall, a shotgun propped on a cleverly designed rack was aimed up the stairs. Warren crouched against the wall a third of the way up the steps, having already threaded past several tripwires.
"Where did all the weapons come from?" Kendra asked from behind Seth.
"The brownies raided an arsenal in the dungeon," Warren said. "Many additional weapons were custom-made. This stairway is only the beginning. The whole house has been booby-trapped. I've never seen anything like it."
"How do we get down the stairs?" Kendra asked.
Warren shook his head slightly. "I was planning to disable the traps, but the cords are complicated. Some are rigged to trigger multiple traps at once; some are decoys. I'm having a hard time making sure which wire does what.
When you pulled the door open, one of the arrows grazed my ear. I didn't see it coming."
"Maybe we could go out on the roof and get down that way," Seth suggested.
"At least a dozen dark fairies are waiting in ambush. Going outside is not an option right now."
"Didn't Grandpa ban fairies from the yard?" Kendra asked.
Warren nodded. "Before he banned them, dark fairies must have hidden near the house. The register won't expel creatures who have already accessed the yard. It will only prevent new ones from entering."