I'll be Indians, Kendra said. She had played some Foosball at the rec center back home. Seth usually beat her two out of three games.

Let me forewarn you, the Sphinx said, I am not very good. There was a mellow quality to his voice that evoked images of old-time jazz clubs.

Neither am I, Kendra admitted. My little brother usually beats me.

Would you like to serve the ball?

Sure.167 He gave her the bright yellow ball. She put her left handon the handle that controlled the goalie, dropped the ball into the slot with her right, and started wildly spinning her nearest Indians as it rolled across the center of the table. The Sphinx controlled his cowboys with more calm, using quick, precise jabs to counter Kendra's reckless spinning. It was not long before Kendra scored the first goal.

Well done, he said.

Kendra marked the goal by sliding a bead along a bar at her end of the table. The Sphinx took the ball out of his goal and served it through the slot. The ball rolled to his men. He pa.s.sed it up to his front row of cowboys, but the Indian goalie blocked the shot. The Indians spun madly, mercilessly pounding the ball at the cowboys until they scored a second goal.

The Sphinx slid the ball into the slot. Her confidence boosted, Kendra attacked even more aggressively with her Indians, and ended up winning the game five goals to two.

I feel like General Custer, the Sphinx said. Well played. Can I offer you something to drink? Apple juice?

Cream soda? Chocolate milk, perhaps?

Cream soda sounds good, Kendra said. She was feeling more at ease after trouncing him.

Excellent choice, the Sphinx said. He opened a freezer and withdrew a frosty mug with ice in it. From a small refrigerator he removed a brown bottle, uncapped it with a little tool, and poured the yellow soda into the mug. It was surprisingly foamy. Please, sit down. He nodded to a pair of chairs facing each other with a low table in between.168 Kendra took a seat and the Sphinx handed her the mug.Her first few sips were all froth. When she finally reached the soda, it was a perfect mix of sweet, creamy, cool, and bubbly. Thanks, this is delicious, she said.

The pleasure is mine. A miniature gong sat on the table between them. The Sphinx tapped it with a small hammer. While the gong vibrates, none can overhear our conversation. I have at least part of the answer you came here seeking. You are fairykind.

I am very kind?

Fairy... kind, he said, enunciating carefully. It is written all over your countenance, woven into your speech.

What does that mean?

It means that you are unique in all the world, Kendra.

In my long years and many travels, I have never met anyone who was fairykind, though I am familiar with the signs and see them expressed plainly in you. Tell me, did you sample the elixir you prepared for the fairies?

There was a hypnotic gravity to his voice. Kendra felt like she had to snap out of a trance in order to answer the question. Yes, actually, I did. I was trying to convince them to try it.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showing dimples in his cheeks. Then perhaps you gave them an incentive, he said. They had to either make you fairykind or watch you die.

Die?

The elixir you ingested is fatal to mortals. You would169 have eventually suffered a torturous death had the fairies notchosen to share their magic with you.

The fairies cured me?

They changed you, so that you no longer required curing.

Kendra stared at him. People have said I was fairystruck.

I have met individuals who were fairystruck. It is a rare and extraordinary occurrence. This is much more rare, and much more extraordinary. You have been made fairykind. I do not believe it has happened in more than a thousand years.

I still don't understand what it means, Kendra said.

Neither do I, not entirely. The fairies have changed you, adopted you, infused you with their magic. A semblance of the magical energy that naturally dwells in them now dwells in you. The diverse effects that could flow from this are difficult to antic.i.p.ate.

That's why I don't need the milk to see anymore?

And why Warren found himself drawn to you. And why you understand Goblush, along with, I imagine, the other tongues derived from Silvian, the language of the fairies. Your grandfather has been in touch with me regarding the new abilities you have been manifesting. The Sphinx leaned forward and tapped the little gong with the hammer again.

Kendra took another sip from her mug. This morning, Coulter was showing us a ball protected by a distracter spell.

Seth couldn't pick it up; he kept losing focus and getting170 redirected someplace else. But it didn't work on me. I couldgrab it just fine.

You have apparently developed resistance to mind control.

Kendra wrinkled her brow. Tanu gave me a potion that made me feel ashamed, and it worked just fine.

The potion would have been manipulating your emotions.

Mind control functions differently. Pay close attention to all the new abilities you discover. Report them to your grandfather. Unless I am mistaken, you are only beginning to scratch the surface.

The thought was thrilling and terrifying. I'm still a human, right?

You are something more than human, the Sphinx said.

But your humanity and your mortality remain intact.

Are you a human?

He smiled, his teeth shockingly white in contrast to his black skin. I am an anachronism. A holdover from long-forgotten times. I have seen learning come and go, empires rise and fall. Consider me your guardian angel. I would like to conduct a simple experiment. Do you mind?

Is it safe?

Completely. But if I am right, it could provide the answer to why the Society of the Evening Star has shown such interest in you.

Okay.

A pair of short copper rods rested on the table. The Sphinx picked up one and handed it to Kendra. Hand me the other one, the Sphinx said. After Kendra complied, he171 held his rod in both hands, one at each end of the rod.Hold your rod like me, he instructed.

Kendra had been holding the slender rod in one hand.

The instant her other hand touched it, she felt a sensation like she was falling backwards through the chair. And then it pa.s.sed. And she was inexplicably sitting where the Sphinx had been sitting, and he was seated in her chair. They had instantaneously switched places.

The Sphinx released one hand from the rod and then grabbed it again. The moment his hand came back into contact with the rod, Kendra felt her insides lurch again, and suddenly she was sitting back in her former chair.

The Sphinx set the rod down on the table, and Kendra did likewise. We teleported? Kendra asked.

The rods enable users to trade locations over short distances.

But that is not what makes what happened unusual.

Those rods have been dead for decades, useless, drained of all energy. Your touch recharged them.

Really?

Fairykind are known to radiate magical energy in a unique way. The world is full of burned-out magical tools.

Your touch would revitalize them. This amazing ability alone would make you tremendously valuable to the Society of the Evening Star. I wonder how they know. An educated guess, perhaps?

Do they have a lot of things that need recharging?

The Sphinx tapped the gong again. No doubt, but I refer more directly to the five hidden artifacts your grandparents told you about. The ones on the five secret172 preserves. If any of them lie dormant, as is likely, your touchwould reactivate them. All five would have to be functional in order for the Society to achieve their goal of opening Zzyzx and freeing the demons. Without your gift, reactivating talismans of such monumental power would be most difficult.

Here's what I don't get, Kendra said. Why have keys to the prison? Why not make a demon prison without keys?

The Sphinx nodded as if he approved of the question.

There is a fundamental principle of magic that applies to many other things as well: Everything with a beginning has an ending. Any magic that can be done, can be undone.

Anything you can make, can be unmade. In other words, any prison you can create, can be destroyed. Any lock can be broken. To construct an impenetrable prison is impossible.

Those who have tried have invariably failed. The magic becomes unstable and unravels. If it has a beginning, it must have an end.

The wise learned that rather than attempting to make a prison impenetrable, they should focus on making it extraordinarily complicated to open. The strongest prisons, like Zzyzx, were crafted by those who understood that the goal was to make them nearly impenetrable, as close to perfect as possible without crossing the line. Because there is a way to open Zzyzx, the magic that holds the demons bound remains potent. The principle sounds simple, although the details become quite complicated.

Kendra shifted in her seat. So if the Society just173 destroyed the keys, would that unravel the magic and openthe prison?

Nimble thinking, the Sphinx said, dark eyes twinkling.

Three problems. First, the keys are virtually indestructible-note that I say virtually; they were made by the same experts who created the prison. Second, if my research is correct, a fail-safe would cause any destroyed key to be reconst.i.tuted in a different form in an unpredictable location, and that process could go on almost indefinitely.

And third, if the Society were somehow to free the demons by permanently destroying an artifact, they would become victims like the rest of humanity. The Society must parley with the demons before their release in order to obtain any measure of security, which means they must open the prison properly rather than simply undermine the magic that upholds it.

Kendra drank the last of her cream soda, ice tumbling against her lips. So they can't succeed without the artifacts.

Therefore we must keep the artifacts from them. Which is easier said than done. One of the great virtues of the Society is patience. They make no rash moves. They research and plan and prepare. They wait for the ideal opportunities. They understand that they have an unlimited amount of time in which to succeed. To them, it is the same to achieve their aims in a thousand years as it would be to triumph tomorrow. Patience mimics the power of infinity.

And n.o.body can win a staring contest with infinity. No matter how long you last, infinity is just getting started.174 But they aren't infinity, Kendra said.The Sphinx blinked. True. And so we attempt to equal their patience and diligence. We do our best to stay far ahead of them. Part of that means moving an artifact once they learn its location, as we fear has happened with the artifact at Fablehaven. Otherwise, somehow, sometime, they will exploit a mistake and lay hands on it.

Grandpa mentioned another endangered artifact, in Brazil.

Some of my best people are working on it. I believe the artifact remains on the fallen preserve, and I believe we will retrieve it first. He threw up his hands. If the Society manages to recover it, we will have to steal it back.

The Sphinx gazed at Kendra with fathomless eyes.

Kendra looked away. What letter of mine did you read? he finally asked.

Letter?

All of my letters carry enchantments. They leave a mark upon those who read them surrept.i.tiously. You bear the mark.

At first Kendra had no idea what he was talking about.

When would she have read a letter from the Sphinx? Then she remembered the letter she had read last summer while Grandpa was sleeping after staying up late with Maddox. Of course! It had been signed S. For Sphinx!

It was a letter you sent Grandpa last year. He accidentally left it out in the open. You were warning him about the Society of the Evening Star. I read it because I thought it175 might have something to do with my grandma. She wasmissing.

Be glad you did not read it with malicious intent. The letter would have turned into a toxic vapor. He folded his hands on his lap. We are nearly finished. Have you any final questions for me?

Kendra frowned. What do I do now?

You return to your grandfather with the knowledge that you are fairykind. You do your part to keep Fablehaven safe while the artifact is recovered. You take note of any new abilities. You counsel with your grandparents as needed. And you take comfort in the fact that you now know why the Society is interested in you.

He placed a single finger beside his temple. One last thought. Though secret, and in many ways quiet, the struggle between the Society of the Evening Star and those who manage the preserves is of desperate importance to the whole world. Whatever the rhetoric on both sides, the problem boils down to a simple disagreement. While the Conservators' Alliance wants to preserve magical creatures without endangering humanity, the Society of the Evening Star wants to exploit many of those same magical creatures in order to gain power. The Society will pursue its ends at the expense of all humankind if necessary. The stakes could not be higher.

The Sphinx stood up. You are an extraordinary young lady, Kendra, with immeasurable potential. The day may come when you want to deliberately explore and channel the power the fairies have granted you. On that day, it would176 be my pleasure to offer guidance and instruction. You couldbecome a powerful adversary of the Society. I hope we can count on your a.s.sistance in the future.

Okay, wow, thanks, Kendra said. I'll do all I can.

He extended a hand toward the door. Good day, my new friend. Your brother can come see me now.

Seth reclined on a beanbag, staring at the ceiling.

Grandma sat on a nearby couch, leafing through a thick book. It seemed like all he ever did lately was wait. Wait for somebody to take him into the woods. Wait for the car ride to be over. Wait while Kendra talked forever with the Sphinx. Was the purpose of life learning to endure boredom?

The door opened and Kendra emerged. Your turn, she said.

Seth rolled off the beanbag and stood up. What's he like?

He's smart, Kendra said. He said I'm fairykind.

Seth c.o.c.ked his head. Very kind?

Fairy... kind. The fairies shared their magic with me.

Are you sure, dear? Grandma said, one hand over her heart.

That's what he said, Kendra shrugged. He acted sure.

Seth tuned them out and hurried over to the door. He opened it and shoved through the curtain into the room.

The Sphinx stood leaning against the Foosball table. Your sister tells me you are quite the Foosball player.

I'm okay. I don't own my own table or anything.176 177 I do not play often. Would you care to try your handagainst me?

Seth surveyed the table. I want to be cowboys.

Good. They were unlucky for me against your sister.