Reprimanded
Kendra watched as fairies fluttered around Tess, sometimes alighting on her head, shoulders, and arms. To her younger cousin, the tiny winged women looked like common hummingbirds, butterflies, and dragonflies. But Tess seemed elated nonetheless.
"They think I'm a real fairy!" Tess said in an excited whisper. "Look how the butterflies follow me! This never happened to me before."
"She really does worship us," said a lithe, golden fairy.
"Isn't it adorable how she tries to look like us," a scarlet fairy chimed in.
"Pathetic and insulting," accused a white, furry fairy. "She puts on a set of dumpy cosmetic wings and fancies herself one of our sisters."
"Hopeless and flattering," giggled a fairy with dragonfly wings. "She aspires to heights she could never climb."
Several other fairies tittered.
Kendra folded her arms and held back comments. She didn't want to disturb Tess's happy mood with responses that might hint at what the fairies were saying about her. She also didn't want to look like she was scolding hummingbirds.
"I can almost hear them laughing," Tess said with a smile, raising a fairy on her finger to her nose. Judging by the wings, Kendra assumed the tiny woman looked like a butterfly.
The fairy kissed the tip of Tess's nose. "You're a cutie," the fairy said, then dove from her finger in a gliding swoop.
Tess blinked. "Did you hear that? I felt like I heard her talking."
Several of the fairies scattered. Those that remained hovered at a greater distance.
"She couldn't have heard us," the golden fairy said.
"She hasn't had any milk," the scarlet fairy added.
Tess looked around at the fairies. "They seem startled. Did I scare them?"
"It's hard to guess what butterflies are thinking," Kendra hedged.
Tess squinted at them. "I don't think they're normal butterflies."
Part of Kendra wanted to tell her little cousin to follow her instincts. She was perceptive! But Kendra knew it wasn't her place to reveal the big secret of Fablehaven. "Maybe they just—"
Seth came dashing out of the woods, face red and sweaty, eyes wide with alarm. He glanced back over one shoulder before collapsing onto the grass. From the forest came huffing gasps and the splintery crack of branches snapping. Something big was crashing toward the yard.
"What did you do?" Kendra called. Her brother hadn't appeared this flustered in a long time.
"Nothing," Seth said, getting back on his feet, still breathing hard. He wiped sweat from his eyes. "Just having a race."
A massive ogre erupted from the trees and charged onto the lawn, fierce eyes intent on her brother. Tess shrieked. Kendra stared in shock. The founding treaty of Fablehaven prevented creatures like ogres from entering the yard uninvited. How was this happening?
"Oh, no!" Seth cried, darting toward the house. "This isn't fair!"
It shortly became apparent that Seth would not make it. The ogre was closing too quickly. The bloodthirsty brute would overtake her brother within ten steps or so.
Then another giant figure emerged from the woods on the other side of the yard, rocky limbs flailing.
"Hugo!" cried Seth.
Roaring like a landslide, the golem loped across the yard with long, bounding strides, racing to cut off the ogre before he flattened Seth.
The ogre turned to confront the new challenge just before Hugo sprang at him. Though the ogre was taller than the golem, Hugo was broader through the shoulders, with bigger hands and feet. Plus, Hugo was mostly made of stone.
A rocky fist bashed the ogre, knocking him through a neatly trimmed bush. The ogre rolled to his feet and started grappling with the golem. Muscles bulging, the ogre grimaced and snarled as Hugo wrenched him from one position to another.
Before long, the golem had the ogre on his knees, one huge hand clutching the brute's brawny neck, the other poised to punch his face. Hugo stared down at the ogre with empty eye sockets. "Yield," the golem said in a voice that reminded Kendra of boulders grating against one another.
"No," the ogre spat, face contorted with anger. "I will have my prey."
Hugo slapped his free hand down on the ogre's head and began to squeeze. The ogre groaned and tried to struggle, but Hugo just tipped him off balance and kept tightening his grip.
"I yield," the ogre conceded with a grunt.
Hugo stood him up and shoved him toward the woods. "Go."
As the ogre trudged away, Kendra noticed an arrow jutting from his bloody calf. The ogre left the yard without looking back.
"What is that?" Tess asked in a small voice, her eyes on Hugo.
Kendra had almost forgotten her young cousin in the excitement. "What do you see?"
Tess swallowed hard. "It looks like a little tornado filled with dirt. But it went right after the bear. And now it's over by Seth."
"Sorry," Hugo said to Seth. "Late. Came when heard trouble."
"It's not your fault, Hugo," Seth said.
"I have strong suspicions about where the fault lies!" came the voice of Grandpa Sorenson as he hustled across the yard from the house. "Seth Sorenson, what was an ogre doing in the yard?"
"Ogre?" Tess asked.
"Grandpa calls bears ogres," Kendra explained loudly.
"Yes, a bear," Grandpa said. "What have you been up to, young man?"
"Knox is fine," Seth said.
"You involved your cousin?" Grandpa asked, his face turning a shade redder.
"I protected him," Seth assured him.
"Why did he need protecting?" Grandpa asked through gritted teeth.
Seth hesitated. "I had this really good idea."
"Enough," Grandpa said, glancing at Tess. "We'll continue this in my office." He started to lead Seth away.
"Is Knox okay?" Tess asked.
"He's fine," Seth said. "I bet he thinks Fablehaven is a little less boring now."
"Did he call it boring?" Grandpa asked, his angry tone thawing a little.
"What about the whirlwind?" Tess asked Kendra, staring at Hugo.
The golem noticed the attention and started to tiptoe away.
"I'm sure it'll blow someplace else soon," Kendra said.
Tess squinted at it. "It went right for the bear and scared it away. Could it be a bunch of fairies? No. It looks too dusty. Nothing sparkles."
"We sometimes get strange winds here," Kendra said. "It was probably just good luck. Let's go over by the fountain. It usually attracts lots of butterflies."
Kendra caught up with Seth in the upstairs hall. His head was down and he kept banging his fist against the side of his leg. He was heading toward the attic playroom.
"How'd it go with Grandpa?" Kendra asked, approaching her brother.
"What do you think? I'm Grandchild of the Year again. He gave me a medal."
"A medal of shame?"
He gave a token chuckle. "Pretty much."
"How was the ogre able to come into the yard?"
"I was trying to get some treasure back."
"You stole from an ogre? You know better than that!"
"The treasure wasn't the problem," Seth said. "We only took items the satyrs knew the ogres had stolen. They have no claim if we grab stolen property."
"What went wrong?"
"A few weeks ago, while making our escape, we dropped the treasure near the edge of the ogres' domain. We knew the ogres were watching it, so I sent Knox in to get it."
Kendra gasped. "That's what you meant in the yard? About Knox being fine? Where is he? Is he really all right?"
"He's back," Seth said. "Just kind of shaken up. The satyrs led him home."
"You introduced him to Newel and Doren? Grandma told me not to let them in on the secrets of Fablehaven. They have to learn for themselves."
"Calm down. To Knox, the satyrs just seem like really smart goats. Grandma brought Knox into the den while I was talking to Grandpa. Knox thinks he survived a bear attack."
Kendra shook her head. "You could have gotten him killed."
"I was the one in danger," Seth said. "I thought I was home free when I reached the yard. Thank goodness for Hugo."
"I'm more worried about our cousin."
"Knox doesn't have a clue what's going on here," Seth said. "I knew the treaty would protect him. The ogre couldn't touch him."
"The treaty is complicated, Seth. Sometimes innocent people can get attacked for trespassing."
"I brought Newel and Doren, just in case."
"How would they have stopped a rampaging ogre?"
"We always think of something."
"Clearly it was a flawless plan. Good thing nothing went wrong—like an ogre in our yard! You practically scared Tess to death."
"It couldn't have hurt anybody," Seth said. "The ogre could only cross boundaries to come after me."
"Why?"
"Grandpa explained," Seth said. "Since I sent an innocent person someplace I couldn't safely go, the treaty makes me the guilty one. The ogre was free to chase me anywhere inside of Fablehaven unless he yielded the right."
"Even into the yard."
"Obviously."
"Hugo made him yield," Kendra said.
"So now I'm off the hook," Seth said. "I should have brought Hugo in the first place."
"But you were afraid he might tell Grandpa," Kendra said.
"It crossed my mind. He's not great with secrets."
"What's the punishment?" Kendra asked.
Seth lowered his eyes. "Grandpa took away my adventuring rights. I can't leave the yard without an adult human escort."
Kendra knew that would sting. After they had all returned from the battle of Zzyzx, Grandpa Sorenson had granted Seth limited permission to roam certain parts of Fablehaven with the satyrs or Hugo. It was his favourite pastime.
"I'm sorry, Seth," Kendra said. "What was so special about the treasure?"
"Just treasure. Gold and jewels."
"You risked your cousin for some gold?"
"I didn't risk him. I was right that he was safe. I risked myself."
"Why risk anybody?"
Seth tossed up his hands. "If you have to ask, how am I supposed to explain? Because it's treasure, and I figured out a way to get it! What's the point of exploring if you never do anything cool?"
"Except now you can't explore anymore."
"Which is better? Getting grounded from exploring? Or being able to explore but never doing it?"
"I go all over Fablehaven," Kendra pointed out.
"Do you find treasure?"
"This whole place is a treasure."
"I mean actual treasure," Seth said.
"To me, the fairies are much more of a treasure than gold or jewels. And the brownies. And Hugo. Even the satyrs."
Seth shook his head. "I like all of that too. But what about liking those things and also finding gold?"
"Why do I need gold?"
Seth rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? Have you heard that it's valuable?"
"Our family has plenty of money," Kendra said. "Why would I stir up trouble with the ogres for a little extra gold? Why would I endanger people for it?"
Seth closed his eyes and pounded a fist against his forehead. "Most fun things are risky! You can get hurt playing sports. You can get hurt climbing a mountain. But it's challenging and exciting. People do those kinds of things without getting gold. The gold is a bonus."
"You like running from ogres? You like endangering your cousin?"
"I like exploring. Stuff happens. Sometimes you have to improvise."
Kendra shook her head. "I give up. You're never going to change. You should be banned from Fablehaven."
Seth folded his arms in a huff. "Then Coulter should have been banned. He was a professional relics collector. He spent a lot of time exploring. Patton too. Maddox. These preserves need people like me. You killed the Demon King. Good for you. But who brought the sword?"
Kendra almost asked Seth who got Coulter killed. For the sake of the argument, she wanted to say the words, but it was too true and too painful. In a time of great upheaval, Seth had treated a demon kindly, and the demon had brought down Fablehaven.
"You're sometimes useful," Kendra said, trying her best to be diplomatic. "But we're not talking about finding a magic sword to save the world. We're talking about risking your cousin's life because you're bored."
"He was the bored one," Seth said.
"You always have an excuse," Kendra said. "It doesn't change the fact that you have caused some major disasters."
"And fixed some," Seth said. "It evens out."
Kendra started walking away. Arguing with him was so pointless! But she stopped. "Seth, you matter to me. Please be careful."
"I'm grounded," Seth said. "When I sneak out I'll have to be way more careful."
"You have serious psychological problems."
"I'm logical to psychos?"
"Probably."
"At least somebody gets me."
The next day at the pool behind the house, Kendra watched as Tess splashed in the water, several fairies orbiting her. Despite their many protests about Tess, the tiny winged women couldn't resist that she was fascinated by their favourite subject—themselves.
Kendra had wondered whether Tess would grow tired of pretending fairies inhabited Fablehaven. Instead, her interest in the game seemed to steadily increase. She routinely addressed the bumblebees and dragonflies around her as fairies, and she continued to catch glimpses of their actual natures, humming a melody a fairy had sung or accurately commenting on the colour of a dress.
Knox had been in the pool tossing balls at the bin that held some of the pool equipment, but now he was roaming the edge of the patio, whacking rosebuds with a stick. Kendra scowled as she watched blossoms falling to the ground.
"Don't do that to the flowers," Kendra scolded.
Knox turned, eyebrows raised. "There are about a billion flowers here. Nobody is going to miss a few."
"They belong to Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson and they look pretty. Leave them alone."
He swished his stick, knocking off another one. "I finally find a decent game and you want to wreck it. Same old Kendra."
"Are you going to take that?" asked a shimmering silver fairy with wings like mirrors.
"Want us to teach him a lesson?" asked another.
"Not much you can do," Kendra muttered under her breath. "He's protected."
"What was that?" Knox asked, casually chopping off another rosebud.
"I'll have a talk with Grandma Sorenson," she said loudly, as if repeating herself. "She likes her flowers intact."
"I brought lemonade," Seth declared, approaching the pool area holding a tray topped by four glasses, each with a plastic straw. He set the tray on a poolside table.
Kendra was happy for the distraction. Knox tossed the stick aside and hurried over to the table. Kendra strolled that way as well.
"Are they letting you out?" Knox asked.
"I'm not allowed to swim today," Seth said. "And I'm grounded from the woods."
Knox took a sip from the straw. "Not bad. Thanks, Seth."
"Least I could do after almost getting you eaten by a bear. Come get some, Tess. This is a special blend that might help you see the fairies more clearly."
Kendra glared at her brother. She understood he was trying to be funny, but that was a little too close to the truth.
"How did you know the bear would be there?" Knox asked.
"I wasn't sure," Seth said. "I'm really sorry."
"I'm just lucky you're such a scaredy-cat," Knox said. "You ran away so fast that it went after you."
"You were running too," Seth said. "You were just too slow. Bears like a challenge."
"The bear was scary," Tess said, dripping on the patio as she claimed a glass and took a sip. "Do you get many of them?"
"Hardly ever in the yard," Kendra said.
"You must get some," Knox said. "Didn't you mention bear traps in the woods?"
"We see a few," Seth said vaguely.
"Smart goats, though," Knox said. "They're like dogs. Stayed with me all the way back to the yard."
"Good old Newel and Doren," Seth said. "What happened to the duffel bag?"
"I left it in the woods," Knox said. "The deal was to bring it to you. But you ran off, and it was heavy. Felt like bricks. Was the heaviness supposed to slow me down? You must have known a bear cave was nearby. Did you expect it to chase us?"
"I was just goofing around," Seth said. "I wasn't expecting a bear."
"Whatever," Knox said. "At least it ended up chasing you. The power of karma. You owe me ten bucks."
"A deal is a deal," Seth agreed. "How far did you get with the bag?"
"Just past where you were waiting for me," Knox said. "The goats returned and hurried me along. I was worried the bear might double back."
"Right," Seth said. Kendra could hear the concern behind the word. Her brother was hoping the treasure was safe.
"So when are you going to pay up?" Knox asked.
"Are you planning to take the money in the pool?" Seth replied. "I'll get it to you. But first I need to borrow Kendra."
"I was just about to jump in the water," Kendra said.
"That'll have to wait," her brother answered.
"Since when do you tell me what to do?" Kendra asked.
Seth leaned in close and whispered, "Since Agad showed up. He wants to talk to us."