Fablehaven_ Rise of the Evening Star Part 5

The study cl.u.s.ters re-formed rapidly. The kobold collected his things, placing the statue in his backpack, and walked toward the door, giving Kendra a final venomous glare.

Hey, where are you going? the subst.i.tute asked.

The rest room, Case replied.

You need a hall pa.s.s, the subst.i.tute said.

Ten to one I can manage without one, Case sneered.

The subst.i.tute could not have been older than thirty. He had a laid-back air and did not look accustomed to having students behave with such insolence. Ten to one you're heading to the princ.i.p.al's office, the sub said, his face becoming stern.

The cla.s.s 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 subst.i.tute stood up. You're not going anywhere!

Case exited and dashed down the hall. The subst.i.tute remained impotently by the desk. What's his name? he asked, bewildered.

Casey Hanc.o.c.k, 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 a.s.sistance 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 a.s.sured 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 a.s.sume 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 a.s.signment.

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 ident.i.ty 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 s.h.i.+ning. 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 a.s.sortment 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?

I have just received reports of some disturbing activity in your area.

Kendra relaxed a little. I know, I've been trying to call you. There was a kobold in my school.

A what? Grandpa exclaimed.

It's okay, a guy named Errol Fisk helped us get rid of it.

He knows your friend Coulter.

Coulter Dixon?

I guess. Errol said Coulter found out about the kobold and recruited him to help us get rid of it.

When did this happen?

This week.

Grandpa paused. Kendra, Coulter has been here at Fablehaven for more than a month.

She squeezed the phone, knuckles white. A sick feeling was creeping into her stomach. What do you mean?

I'll confirm with Coulter, but I'm sure this man approached you under false pretenses. You must not go near him.

Kendra was silent. She looked at her digital clock. It was 8:11 P.M. In less than two hours they were supposed to meet Errol at the service station. He was going to pick us up tonight, she said.

Pick you up?

To take us to steal an amulet from a houseboat. He said it would harm the Society of the Evening Star.

Kendra, this man is almost certainly a member of the Society of the Evening Star. They recently stole something from a friend of mine.

Kendra's mouth was dry. Her heart was sinking. What did they steal?

No matter, Grandpa said. The problem is- Not a little statue of a frog, Kendra said.

Now Grandpa was silent. Oh, Kendra, he finally muttered.

Tell me what happened.

Kendra recounted how Errol had told them the only way to get rid of the kobold was to acquire the statue. She related how he had told them the owner of the mortuary was an evil viviblix in order to convince Seth to steal the frog.

So that's how they did it, Grandpa said. There was a61 spell on the mortuary that would have prevented all butchildren from entering. Archibald Mangum is an old friend.

He is no blix. He was away at his eightieth birthday party in Buffalo the night Seth stole the statue from his house. He phoned me a few minutes ago.

I've been trying to call you all week, Kendra said.

And I wrote you a letter Tuesday.

There has been foul play, Grandpa said. I have not received your letter. I suspect it was intercepted, perhaps from my mailbox. I didn't know the phone was down until yesterday. We hardly use it except for emergencies. The phone company came out to fix it a few hours ago. They found where the line had been damaged, not far beyond the front gates. I asked if it looked like the line had been deliberately cut, and they said no, but I have my doubts. When Archibald called, my worries were multiplied. He has quietly kept an eye on you and Seth for me. Of course, I realized that any action taken against him could also involve you, but I did not expect this. The Society of the Evening Star is on the move.

What do I do? Kendra asked, feeling unbalanced.

I have already set a plan in motion, Grandpa said.

Now I see that my suspicions were more warranted than I had antic.i.p.ated. I told your mother that I was in an accident, and asked if you and Seth could come stay with us while I recover.

What did she say? Kendra asked.

Your parents are willing as long as you and your brother want to come, Grandpa said. I told her I wanted to invite62 you myself. a.s.suming you would agree, I already dispatchedsomebody to pick you up.

Who?

You have not met her, Grandpa said. Her name is Vanessa Santoro. She'll give you a code word: kaleidoscope.

She should be there within a couple of hours.

What should we do until then?

You said this Fisk character is expecting to meet you tonight?

We haven't confirmed with him, Kendra said. I wanted to talk to you first. She deliberately neglected to mention that although she had not confirmed the rendezvous, she had already resolved to go. He's going to wait for us at a gas station near our house. If we aren't there by ten-thirty, he'll know we aren't coming.

I don't like the interest the Society is showing in you, Grandpa said pensively, as if talking to himself. We'll have to puzzle that out later. For now, pack your things. Vanessa should arrive around ten-thirty herself. Be on the lookout.

It may be tough to antic.i.p.ate how Errol will react when the two of you fail to keep his appointment.

Can you tell your friend to hurry?

She'll hurry, Grandpa said, chuckling. For now, let your mother know your decision. Then I'll need to speak with her again, get her used to the idea that a friend of mine is going to swing by and pick you up tonight. I'll tell her Vanessa is a trusted neighbor who happens to be returning from a trip to Canada.

Grandpa?63 Yes?You weren't really in an accident? she asked.

Nothing life-threatening, but yes, I'm rather banged up.

There have been many interesting developments over the past months, and whether I like it or not, you are becoming involved. Right now, as dangerous as Fablehaven can be, it is the safest place for you.

Grandma's not a chicken again or anything.

Your grandmother is fine, he a.s.sured her.

What about Mom and Dad? What if Errol Fisk goes after them?

Oh, no, Kendra. Don't worry about your parents. Their ignorance of the secret world we know about should be all the protection they need. With you and Seth out of the house, they will be much safer than any of us. Now, pa.s.s me off to your mother.

Kendra found her mom and handed her the telephone.