Vanessa lowered her blowgun. Grandma engaged the safety on her crossbow.

Why don't you explain to everyone? Grandpa suggested.

Dale was on his stomach. The net was so tight it squished his features and only allowed him to partially turn his head to try to face them. His arms were crossed awkwardly on his chest, and his legs were bound together.

I went to sleep and woke up like this on the floor, Dale a.s.serted. Simple as that. I know it looks bad. Honestly, I had no intention of stealing the key. I must have been sleepwalking.252 Dale looked and sounded desperate. Grandpa narrowedhis eyes. Went to sleep and woke up here, he repeated thoughtfully. Understanding dawned in his gaze. The traitor is clever enough to realize that I now know the secret, so it will do no good to pretend otherwise-the clues lead to an obvious conclusion. Trusted friends acting out of character.

Drumants released to explain the bite marks. And now Dale a.s.serts that his strange behavior happened in his sleep.

I should have connected the dots earlier. I'm afraid this will end in a scuffle. Dale, I'm sorry you're stuck in a net. Tanu, we mustn't blow this.

Grandpa threw his knife at Vanessa. Raising the blowgun to her lips, she arched her body, barely dodging the knife, and fired a dart at Tanu. The large Samoan caught the dart on his pouch. Vanessa lunged gracefully at Grandma, swinging the blowgun like a switch and knocking the crossbow from her grasp. Tanu charged Vanessa. She dropped the blowgun, producing a pair of tiny darts, and p.r.i.c.ked Tanu on the forearm as he reached for her. Instantly his eyes went wide and his knees turned rubbery. His potion pouch tumbled from unfeeling hands and he fell hard to the study floor.

Grandma reached for her fallen crossbow, a red welt already rising on her hand. Vanessa sprang at her, stabbing her with the other tiny dart. As Grandma swayed and toppled, Kendra dove, s.n.a.t.c.hed the crossbow, and tossed it across the room to Grandpa an instant before Vanessa slammed into her.

Grandpa pointed the crossbow at Vanessa, who scrambled behind the desk, putting herself out of his line of253 fire. Kendra saw Vanessa close her eyes. Her face becameserene.

Clutching the crossbow, Grandpa rose from his bed and hopped toward the desk. Careful, Kendra, she's a narcoblix, he warned.

Moving swiftly, Tanu pulled out the dart lodged in his potion pouch and pounced at Grandpa, tackling him and wrenching the crossbow from his grasp. Get away, Kendra!

Grandpa cried as Tanu p.r.i.c.ked him with the dart. Vanessa remained trancelike on the floor.

Tanu had left the potion pouch behind when he attacked Grandpa. Kendra grabbed the pouch and dashed out the door. She hadn't digested all the details, but it was clear that Vanessa was controlling Tanu. Run, Grandpa panted groggily.

Kendra raced to the back door and out to the porch. She jumped the railing to the gra.s.s below. The yard was dark.

Most of the lights in the house were off. Kendra ran away from the porch through the garden. Glancing back, she saw Tanu burst out of the doorway and vault the railing.

Kendra, don't be rash, come back! he called.

Kendra offered no reply and ran even faster. She could hear Tanu gaining behind her. Don't make me hurt you!

he shouted. Your grandparents are fine; I just put them to sleep. Come back, we'll talk. His voice sounded strained.

Kendra sprinted toward the woods, taking the most direct route she could, tromping through flowerbeds and knifing between blossoming shrubs. The thorns of a rosebush raked her arm. Playing soccer during the previous school254 year had led to a habit of jogging. She appreciated her addedspeed and stamina as she reached the woods well ahead of the hulking Samoan and still going strong.

The woods are deadly at night! Tanu hollered. I don't want any harm to come to you! It's pitch black, you're going to have an accident. Come back. His phrasing was labored as he tried to run and yell at the same time.

The woods were dim, but Kendra could see well enough.

She jumped a fallen limb and dodged around some th.o.r.n.y briars. There was no way she was going back. Vanessa had staged a coup. Kendra knew that if she could get away, maybe she could return later with a plan.

Kendra no longer heard Tanu pursuing her. Chest heaving, she paused and looked back. Tanu stood at the edge of the woods, hands on his hips in a feminine stance. He looked hesitant to enter. I really am your friend, Kendra. I'll see that no harm comes to you!

Kendra had her doubts. She stayed low and tried to pick her way more quietly, worried that if she gave away her exact location Tanu might be encouraged and give chase. He held his hands up to his eyes, as if he was having trouble seeing. It was apparently more shadowy where she was walking than where he stood. He did not come after her, and Kendra worked her way deeper into the woods.

She was not on a path. But this was roughly the route she and Seth had taken when they first came upon the naiad pond. If she kept going straight, she would reach the hedge surrounding the pond, and from there she knew how to find255 a path. Not that she had any idea where she should go fromthere.

Walking briskly, swerving through the bracken, Kendra tried to piece together what had happened. Grandpa had called Vanessa a narcoblix. She remembered that Errol had told her and Seth about blixes before Seth snuck into the mortuary. There was a type of blix that drained away your youth, and another that could animate the dead.

Narcoblixes were the kind that could control people in their sleep.

Which meant that Grandpa was right-Coulter was innocent. He had been under Vanessa's influence. Vanessa didn't care if Seth got eaten or if Coulter was turned into a mindless albino. She was just doing reconnaissance on the grove so she could figure out how to get to the artifact. She may have even wanted for Seth to be eaten in order to get Olloch out of the way.

Kendra was seething. Vanessa had killed her brother.

Vanessa! She never would have guessed it. Vanessa had saved them from Errol and acted so kindly. And now she had backstabbed them and taken over the house.

What could Kendra do? She considered going back to the Fairy Queen, but something deep inside warned against that course of action. It was hard to explain-it simply felt wrong. She had a quiet certainty that if she returned, she really would end up turning into dandelion fluff, like the ill-fated man who had ventured to the island in the middle of the pond in the story Grandpa had told her last summer.

Were Grandma and Grandpa really all right? Was256 Vanessa going to hurt them? Kendra wanted to believe thatVanessa meant it when she said she meant them no harm.

There was reason to hope she was sincere. Taking a life on Fablehaven soil would strip Vanessa of the protections afforded by the treaty. She couldn't have that happen if she planned to go after the artifact, right? The need to respect the treaty should protect her grandparents if nothing else.

Then again, Vanessa had already indirectly killed Seth by leading him out of the yard. Maybe that didn't count, since Olloch had actually done the killing.

To make matters worse, somewhere Vanessa had an accomplice-the unseen intruder, Christopher Vogel. How long before he found out she had usurped the house and joined her there? Or was he off working some other aspect of a plan more complex than Kendra could guess at?

Kendra had to do something. Where was Hugo? Would he help her if she could find him? He didn't have to take orders from her, but his free will was blossoming, so maybe she could persuade him to lend a hand. On second thought, Vanessa had been authorized to issue commands to Hugo, so chances were the treacherous narcoblix could instantly turn the golem into an enemy if Kendra brought him near.

There was n.o.body else. Grandpa, Grandma, Dale, and Tanu were captured. Coulter was an albino just like Warren.

Seth was dead. She tried not to let the thought derail her.

What were her a.s.sets? She had grabbed the potion pouch, although she wasn't very confident which potion was which. She wished she had paid closer attention when Tanu257 was showing Seth. At least the potions couldn't be usedagainst her.

What about Lena? The thought sent a thrill of hope through her. Kendra was headed toward the pond. She hadn't seen her former friend yet during this return visit to Fablehaven. The last time Kendra had seen her, Lena was a full-fledged naiad again and had tried to drown her. After the full-sized fairies saved Fablehaven from Bahumat, while undoing much of the harm the demon had caused, they restored Lena to her state as a naiad. Decades ago she had voluntarily left the water and married Patton Burgess. The decision had made her mortal, although she had aged more slowly than he. After he pa.s.sed away, she toured the world, eventually returning to Fablehaven with plans to end her days at the preserve. Lena had resisted the fairies when they hauled her off to the pond. But once she was back in the water, she had appeared content.

Maybe Lena could be tempted to leave the water if Kendra explained the dire situation! Then Kendra wouldn't have to face the situation alone! It certainly beat having no plan. New purpose entered Kendra's stride.

Before long Kendra reached the tall hedge. She knew that the hedge ringed the pond, and if she followed it she would eventually reach an opening with a path. When she and Seth had first visited the pond, he had found a low opening where they had managed to crawl under the hedge.

She kept an eye out for such an aperture, since it would certainly save some time.

She did not travel too far along the thick hedge before258 she noticed a p.r.o.nounced indentation. When she investigatedmore closely, she found it was impa.s.sable-the foliage was too dense. The next indentation she noticed was less obvious, but when she crouched she found it went all the way through.

She wriggled through the hedge on her belly, wondering what other animals or creatures used this cramped entrance.

At the far side she stood and surveyed the pond. A whitewashed boardwalk connected a dozen wooden pavilions around the dark water. Face tilting toward the sky, Kendra noticed there were no stars, and no moon either. It was overcast.

Still, enough light was apparently filtering through the clouds to illuminate the night, for although the clearing was gloomy, she could make out the contours of the lawn and the latticework of the gazebos and the foliage on the island in the middle of the pond.

Kendra crossed the lawn to the nearest gazebo.

Somebody certainly took pride in caring for this area. The gra.s.s was always tidy, and the paint on the woodwork was never peeling. Maybe it was the result of a spell.

Projecting from the boardwalk below one of the pavilions was a little pier attached to a floating boathouse. The last time Kendra had seen Lena was at the end of that pier, so it seemed as good a place as any to call for her.

Kendra noticed no evidence of life in the clearing. At times she had seen satyrs and other creatures, but tonight all was silent. The tenebrous water of the pond was still and impenetrable. Kendra tried to walk quietly, out of reverence for the silence. The tranquil night was ominous. Somewhere259 below the inscrutable surface of the pond waited Kendra'sold friend. With the right plea, hopefully Lena would renounce life as a naiad and come to her aid. Lena had decided to leave the pond once-she could do it again.

Walking along the pier, Kendra kept away from the edges. She knew the naiads would enjoy nothing more than to pull her in and drown her. Kendra gazed at the island.

Again a sense of foreboding filled her. Returning to the island would be a mistake. The feeling was so tangible that she wondered if it had something to do with being fairykind.

Perhaps she could sense what the Fairy Queen considered permissible. Or maybe she was just scared.

Stopping just short of the end of the pier, Kendra licked her lips. She felt hesitant to speak and desecrate the silence.

But she needed help, and could not afford to waste time.

Lena, it's Kendra, I need to talk.

The words seemed to die the instant they left her lips.

They did not carry or reverberate. The dark pond remained inscrutable. Lena, this is an emergency, please come speak to me, she tried in a louder voice.

Again, she felt she had spoken for her own ears alone.

There was no hint of response from her shadowy surroundings.

Why is she back again? a voice said from off to her right. The sound came up out of the water, the words soft but undistorted.

Who said that? Kendra asked.

'She's here to show off, what else? another voice answered from directly below the pier. Mortals get so proud260 when they know our language, as if speaking it weren't theeasiest and most natural ability.

I'll allow that it beats her clumsy honking, a third voice giggled. Barking like a seal.

Several voices giggled from under the obscure water. I need to speak with Lena, Kendra pleaded.

She needs to find a new hobby, the first voice said.

Maybe she should take up swimming, the third voice suggested. Laughter rippled all around her.

You don't have to talk like I'm not here, Kendra said.

I can hear every word just fine.

She's an eavesdropper, the voice under the pier said.

She should come closer to the water so we can hear her better, said a new voice near the end of the pier.

I'm just fine where I am, Kendra said.

Just fine, she says, said another new voice. A big clumsy scarecrow glued to the ground, plodding around on stilts. The comment initiated the longest bout of t.i.ttering yet.

Better than being trapped in an aquarium, Kendra said.

The pond became silent. She is not very polite, the voice under the pier finally said.

A new voice chimed in. What do you expect? Her feet are probably sore. Kendra rolled her eyes at the giggles that followed. She suspected the naiads would gladly trade insults all night.

Fablehaven is in danger, Kendra said. The Society of the Evening Star has taken my Grandma and Grandpa262 prisoner. My brother Seth has been killed. I need to talk toLena.

I'm here, Kendra, said a familiar voice. It was slightly more light and musical, slightly less warm, but it was definitely Lena.

Hush, Lena, said the voice under the pier.

I'll speak if I choose, Lena said.

What do you care of mortal politics? one of the earlier voices chided. They come and go. Have you forgotten what mortals do best? They die. It's the one talent they have in common.

Kendra, come close to the water, Lena said. Her voice was nearer. Kendra could vaguely see her face beneath the surface of the pond to the left of the pier. Her nose was nearly breaking the surface.

Not too close, Kendra said, squatting well out of reach.

Why are you here, Kendra?

I need your help. The preserve is at the brink of falling again.

I know you think that matters, Lena said.

It does matter, Kendra said.

It seems to matter for a moment. Just like a lifetime.

Don't you care about Grandma and Grandpa? They could die!

They will die. You'll all die. And at the time it will seem like it matters.

It does matter! Kendra said. What do you mean, nothing matters? What about Patton? Did he matter?

There came no answer. Lena's face broke the surface of the water, gazing up at Kendra with liquid eyes. Even in the weak light, Kendra could see that Lena looked much younger. Her skin was smoother and more evenly colored.

Her hair had only a few strands of gray. The water around Lena sloshed and churned and she vanished.

Hey, Kendra said. Leave her alone.

She's through talking with you, said the voice under the pier. You are not welcome here.

You pulled her away! Kendra accused. You jealous little airheads. Waterheads. What do you do, brainwash her?

Lock her in a closet and play songs about living under the sea?

You do not know of what you speak, said the voice under the pier. She would have perished and now she will live. This is your final warning. Go face your fate. Leave Lena to enjoy hers.

I'm not going anywhere, Kendra said resolutely. Bring Lena back. You can't do anything to me if I stay away from the water.