But it would be so simple. The letter was right in front of her, conveniently sticking out of the open envelope.
Nobody would know. She tipped the envelope up and found there was no address or return address. The envelope was blank. Hand-delivered. Had Maddox brought it?
Probably.
After a final glance to ensure Grandpa still looked comatose, Kendra slid the cream-colored paper out of the envelope and unfolded it. The message was written in bold script.
Stanley, I trust this missive finds you in good health.
It has come to our attention that the SES has been exhibiting unusual activity in the northeast of the United States. We remain uncertain whether they have pinpointed the location of Fablehaven, but one unconfirmed report suggests they are in communication with an individual(s) on your preserve.
Mounting evidence implies the secret is out.
I need not remind you about the attempted infiltration of a certain preserve in the interior of Brazil last year. Nor the significance of that preserve in connection with the significance of yours.
As you well know, we have not detected such aggressive activity from the SES in decades. We are preparing to reassign additional resources to your vicinity. As always, secrecy and misdirection remain top priorities. Be vigilant.
I continue to search diligently for a resolution to the situation with Ruth. Do not lose hope.
With everlasting fidelity, S Kendra reread the letter. Ruth was her grandma's name.
What situation? SES had to be the Society of the Evening Star. What did the S at the end of the letter stand for? The entire message seemed a bit vague, probably deliberately.
Look at this, Seth whispered from the kitchen.
Kendra jumped, every muscle in her body tensing.
Grandpa smacked his lips and shifted on the couch. Kendra stood temporarily immobilized by guilty panic. Seth was not looking at her. He was stooping over something in the kitchen. Grandpa became still again.
Kendra folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, trying to situate it as she had found it. Moving stealthily, she joined Seth, who crouched over muddy hoofprints.
Were they riding horses in here? he asked.
It would explain the racket, she murmured, trying to sound casual.
Lena appeared in the doorway, dressed in a bathrobe, hair awry. Look at you early risers, she said softly. You caught us before cleanup.
Kendra stared at Lena, trying to keep her expression unreadable. The housekeeper showed no indication of having seen her spying at the letter.
Seth pointed at the hoofprints. What the heck happened?
The negotiations went well.
Is Maddox still here? Seth asked hopefully.
Lena shook her head. He left in a taxi about an hour ago.
Grandpa Sorenson shuffled into the kitchen wearing boxers, socks, and an undershirt stained with brown mustard.
He squinted at them. What are you all doing up at this ungodly hour?
It's after seven, Seth said.
Grandpa covered a yawn with his fist. He held the envelope in his other hand. I'm feeling a little under the weather today-might go lie down for a spell. As you were. He shambled off, scratching his thigh.
You kids may want to play outside this morning, Lena said. Your grandfather was up until forty minutes ago. He had a long night.
I'm going to have a tough time taking Grandpa seriously when he tells us to show respect for the furniture, Kendra said. It looks like he drove a tractor through here.
Pulled by horses! Seth added.
Maddox enjoys a celebration, and your grandfather is an accommodating host, Lena said. Without your grandmother here to rein in the merriment, things got a little too festive. Didn't help that they invited the satyrs. She nodded at the muddy hoofprints.
Satyrs? Kendra asked. Like goatmen?
Lena nodded. Some would say they liven up a party too much.
Those are goat prints? Seth asked.
Satyr prints, yes.
I wish I could have seen them, Seth mourned.
Your parents would be glad you didn't. Satyrs would only teach you bad manners. I think they invented them.
I'm sad we missed the party, Kendra said.
Don't be. It was not a party for young people. As caretaker, your grandfather would never drink, but I can't vouch for the satyrs. We'll have a proper party before you leave us.
Will you invite satyrs? Seth asked.
We'll see what your grandfather says, Lena said doubtfully. Maybe one. Lena opened the refrigerator and poured two glasses of milk. Drink your milk and then run along. I have some heavy cleaning ahead of me.
Kendra and Seth took their glasses. Lena opened the pantry, removing a broom and dustpan, and left the room.
Kendra drank her milk in several deep swallows and set her empty glass on the counter. Want to go for a swim? she asked.
I'll catch up, Seth said. He still had milk in his cup.
Kendra walked away.
After finishing his milk, Seth peeked into the pantry.
So many shelves packed with so much food! One shelf featured nothing but large jars of homemade preserves. Closer investigation revealed that the jars were lined up three deep.
Seth backed out of the pantry and looked around.
Reentering the pantry, he removed a large jar of boysenberry preserves, pulling another jar forward from the second row to disguise the absence. They might miss a half-empty jar from the fridge. But one of many unopened jars from an overstuffed pantry? Not likely.
He could be sneakier than Kendra knew.
The fairy balanced on a twig protruding from a low hedge beside the pool. Arms extended to either side, she walked along the tiny limb, adjusting as it wobbled. The further out she got, the less stable she became. The miniature beauty queen had platinum hair, a silver dress, and glittering, translucent wings.
Seth sprang forward, slashing downward with the pool skimmer. The blue mesh struck the twig, but the fairy darted away at the last instant. She hovered, shaking a scolding finger at Seth. He swung the skimmer again, and the nimble fairy evaded capture a second time, soaring well out of range.
You shouldn't do that, Kendra said from the pool.
Why not? Maddox catches them.
Out in the wild, Kendra corrected. These already belong to Grandpa. It's like hunting lions at the zoo.
Maybe hunting lions at the zoo would be good practice.
You're going to end up making the fairies mad at you.
They don't mind, he said, creeping up on a fairy with wide, gauzy wings fluttering inches above a flowerbed.
They just fly away. He slowly moved the pool skimmer into position. The fairy was directly beneath the mesh, less than two feet away from captivity. With a flick of his wrists, he slapped the skimmer down sharply. The fairy dodged around it and glided off.
What are you going to do if you catch one?
Probably let it go.
So what's the point?
To see if I can do it.
Kendra boosted herself out of the water. Well, obviously you can't. They're too fast. Dripping, she walked over to her towel. Oh my gosh, look at that one. She pointed at the base of a blossoming bush.
Where?
Right there. Wait until she moves. She's practically invisible.
He stared at the bush, unsure whether she was teasing him. A bobbing distortion began warping the leaves and blossoms. Whoa!
See! She's clear like glass.Seth edged forward, clutching the pool skimmer.
Seth, don't.
Suddenly he charged, opting for a rapid assault this time. The transparent fairy flew away, vanishing against the sky. Why won't they hold still!
They're magic, Kendra said. The fun is just looking at them, seeing all the variety.
Real fun. Kind of like when Mom makes us go on drives to look at the leaves changing color.
I want to grab some breakfast. I'm starving.
Then go. Maybe I'll have better luck without you squawking.
Kendra walked to the house wrapped in her towel. She entered the back door and found Lena dragging a broken coffee table into the kitchen. Much of the surface of the table had been made of glass. Most of it was broken.
Need a hand? Kendra asked.
Mine are plenty.
Kendra went and grabbed the other end of the table.
They set it in a corner of the spacious kitchen. Other broken objects rested there as well, including the jagged fragments of the ceramic pot Kendra had noticed earlier.
Chapter Nine
Why pile everything here?
This is where the brownies come.
Brownies?
Come look. Lena led Kendra to the basement door, pointing out a second little door at the base, about the size a cat would use. The brownies have a special hatch that admits them to the basement, and they can use this door to enter the kitchen. They are the only magical creatures with permission to enter the house at will. The brownie portals are guarded by magic against all other creatures of the forest.
Why let them in?
Brownies are useful. They repair things. They make things. They are remarkable craftsmen.
They'll fix the broken furniture?
Improve it if they can.
Why?
It is their nature. They will accept no reward.
How nice of them, Kendra said.
In fact, tonight, remind me to leave out some cooking ingredients. By morning, they will have baked us a treat.
What will they cook?
You never know. You don't make requests. You just leave out ingredients and see how they combine them.
How fun!
I'll leave out a bunch. No matter what strange combinations you leave, they always invent something delicious.
There is so much I don't know about Fablehaven, Kendra declared. How big is it?
The preserve stretches for many miles in some directions.
Much bigger than you would suppose.
And there are creatures throughout?
Through most of it, Lena said. But as your grandfather has warned you, some of those creatures can be deadly. There are many places on the property where even he does not dare venture.
I want to know more. All the details.
Be patient. Let it unfold. She turned to the refrigerator and changed the subject. You must be hungry.
A little.
I'll whip up some eggs. Will Seth want some?
Probably, Kendra said, leaning against the counter.
I've been wondering: Is everything from mythology true?
Explain what you mean.
I've seen fairies, and evidence of satyrs. Is it all real?
No mythology or religion that I know of holds all the answers. Most religions are based on truths, but they are also polluted by the philosophies and imaginations of men.
I take it your question refers to Greek mythology. Is there a pantheon of petty gods who constantly bicker and interfere in the lives of mortals? I know of no such beings. Are there some true elements to those ancient stories and beliefs? Obviously. You're talking to a former naiad.
Scrambled?
What?
The eggs.
Sure.
Lena began cracking eggs into a pan. Many of the beings who dwell here existed gracefully when primitive man foraged in ragged tribes. We taught man the secrets of bread and clay and fire. But man became blind to us over time. Interaction with mortals became rare. And then mankind began to crowd us. Explosions in population and technology stole many of our ancient homes. Mankind held no particular malice toward us. We had simply faded into colorful caricatures inhabiting myths and fables.
There are quiet corners of the world where our kind continue to thrive in the wild. And yet the day will inevitably come when the only space remaining to us will be these sanctuaries, a precious gift from enlightened mortals.
It's so sad, Kendra said.
Do not frown. My kind do not dwell on these concerns.
They forget the fences enclosing these preserves. I should not speak of what used to be. With my fallen mind, I see the changes much more clearly than they do. I feel the loss more keenly.
Grandpa said a night is coming when all the creatures here will run wild.
Midsummer Eve. The festival night.
What's it like?
I'd better not say. I don't think your grandfather wants you kids worrying about it until the time comes. He would rather have scheduled your visit to avoid the festival night.
Kendra tried to sound nonchalant. Will we be in danger?
Now I've got you worried. You will be fine if you follow the instructions your grandfather gives you.
What about the Society of the Evening Star? Maddox sounded worried about them.
The Society of the Evening Star has always been a threat, Lena admitted. But these preserves have endured for centuries, some for millennia. Fablehaven is well protected, and your grandfather is no fool. You needn't worry about speculative rumors. I'll not say more on the subject.
Cheese in your eggs?
Yes, please.
With Kendra gone, Seth got out the equipment he had bundled in his towel, including his emergency kit and the jar he had smuggled from the pantry. The jar was now empty, washed clean in the bathroom sink. Taking out his pocket knife, Seth used the awl to punch holes in the lid.
Unscrewing the top, he gathered bits of grass, flower petals, a twig, and a pebble, and placed them in the jar. Then he wandered across the garden from the pool, leaving the skimmer behind. If skill failed, he would resort to cunning.
He found a good spot not far from a fountain, then took the small mirror from his cereal box and placed it in the jar. Setting the jar on a stone bench, he settled in the grass nearby, lid in hand.
It did not take the fairies long. Several flitted around the fountain. A few drifted over, lazily orbiting the jar.
After a couple of minutes, a small one with wings like a bee landed on the edge of the jar, staring into it. Apparently satisfied, she dropped inside and began admiring herself in the mirror. Soon she was joined by another. And another.
Seth moved slowly closer until he was within reach of the jar. All the fairies exited it. He waited. Some flew off.
New ones came. One entered the jar, followed quickly by two more.
Seth pounced, slapping the lid onto the jar. The fairies were so quick! He expected to catch all three, but two whizzed out just before the lid covered the opening. The remaining fairy pushed against the lid with surprising force.