"A pair of satyrs just took off running," Seth reported.

"They'll want to... spread the word... that Kendra can overcome the darkness," Coulter panted. He sat up, taking deep breaths. Gradually he appeared to relax.

"Did you see my light?" Kendra asked.

Coulter chuckled. "Did I see it? I was scalded by your light, Kendra, blinded by it. I thought it might consume me. It scorched me differently than sunlight. Sunlight only inflicted pain. Cold pain. Your light beckoned as well as burned. It gave me warmth along with the pain, the first warmth I've felt since the shadow fairies transformed me. I could feel the darkness that possessed me cringing away from your light, and that gave me hope. I thought if I could just get close enough to your light, I would either perish or be cleansed. Either way, my frigid existence would end."

"What was it like as a shadow?" Seth asked.

Coulter shivered. "Colder than I could ever describe. A normal human body would go numb long before it could experience the cold I felt. Sunlight intensified the cold into agony. As a shadow, it was tough to focus. My emotions became confused. I felt desolate. Utterly empty. My mind wanted to shut down. I was constantly tempted to collapse and wallow in my emptiness. But I knew I had to fight those inclinations. Tanu helped me keep my mind whole after he was changed."

"Where is Tanu?" Kendra asked. "And what about the others? Have you seen Grandma or Grandpa?"

Coulter shook his head. "Gone, all of them. I met up with Warren and Dale briefly. As fellow shades, we could communicate, more like telepathy than speaking. They warned me she was after them, that she had already taken Stan and Ruth away. We split up, with plans to reunite at a rendezvous. None of the others ever arrived. I came here, hoping to warn you what had happened to the others. You were shining, I approached, and here we are."

"What did Ephira do to them?" Kendra asked.

"Is that her name?" Coulter asked. "Warren and Dale suspected she was imprisoning them somewhere. Stashing them away. Hard to say for sure. Tell me, Kendra, why you were shining so brightly."

"I'm not shining anymore?" she asked. Coulter scrutinized her. "I expect you are, but not to my eyes."

She eyed the dark satyrs, who had retreated even farther from the gap in the hedge. "We'll give you all the details later, in a place where we won't be overheard. The Fairy Queen gave me a gift full of light energy." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "It might help us stop the plague."

"It certainly cured me," Coulter said. "Hurt plenty, though. I expect it will rank right up there with my least favorite memories." He stretched his arms. "I guess it's up to the three of us to rescue the others."

"We also have Patton Burgess helping us," Seth said.

Coulter snickered. "Right, and I expect Paul Bunyan will also be lending a hand. We should check if Pecos Bill is available."

"He's serious," Kendra confirmed. "Patton came forward through time. He's here. When Lena saw him, she abandoned the pond again, so we have her too."

Coulter failed to resist a broad grin. "You're pulling my leg."

"Would we kid around during such a dangerous time?" Seth asked.

"I was raised on stories about Patton Burgess," Coulter said, eagerness entering his voice. "I've always dreamed of meeting him. He died not long before I was born."

"I don't think you'll be disappointed," Seth assured him.

"Can you walk?" Kendra asked. "We could bring him here."

Grunting, Coulter tottered to his feet. Seth steadied him as he swayed. "Now, don't start coddling me," Coulter griped. "I just need half a second to get my bearings."

Coulter started walking toward the tent, his measured steps a bit wobbly. Seth stayed near him, ready to catch the older man if he stumbled. Coulter's paces grew more confident, and his posture became more natural.

"Here they come," Kendra said, pointing across the field. Holding hands, Patton and Lena were swiftly approaching.

"What do you know," Coulter murmured. "Who could have guessed I would meet Patton Burgess in the flesh?"

"You found a friend," Patton called to Kendra and Seth.

"Coulter!" Lena cried. "It has been far too long!" She danced forward and took his hands, sizing him up.

"You look young," Coulter marveled.

"Patton Burgess," Patton said, extending a hand. In a daze, Coulter gripped the hand and shook it.

"Coulter Dixon," Coulter managed, his mannerisms unabashedly starstruck.

"I take it you were a shadow?" Patton asked.

"I staggered as close as I could to the space between the hedges, drawn by Kendra's light. When she reached out and touched me, her radiance purged the darkness from me."

Patton assessed Kendra. "I suppose a risk that paid off was a risk worth taking. Then again, had you become infected yourself, we could have been finished before we began."

"How did it go with the others?" Seth asked.

"We can expect considerable assistance tomorrow," Patton forecasted. "You willing to join us, Coulter?"

"Absolutely," he said, nervously running a hand over his mostly bald pate, smoothing down the wispy tuft of hair in the middle. "I'm relieved you're here."

"Glad if I can help," Patton said, "but our hope resides in Kendra. We should adjourn to the tent so we can fill you in on the details. Tomorrow we will decide the fate of Fablehaven."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Darkness

The morning was already hot when Kendra awoke alone in her tent. She felt bleary, having slept late. Patton and Lena had spent the night in the big tent, Seth and Coulter in the other. Lying on her back with a sleeping bag tangled around her legs, Kendra felt sticky with sweat. How had she remained asleep when her tent was this stifling?

The egg-shaped pebble remained in her palm, held the same way as when she had fallen asleep. She fingered the smooth stone, which gave off no heat or light that she could perceive, but had empowered her to restore Coulter from his shadowy state with a brief touch. Would her touch retrieve any creature from the darkened state? The others seemed optimistic.

The task awaiting Kendra made her wish she could return to her dreamless slumber. If the Fairy Queen was right, whoever connected the light pebble with the dark nail would die today. She hoped that Seth and Patton had found a loophole, that throwing the stone or some similar trick would resolve the problem without a fatality. But if all other attempts failed, if nobody else could accomplish the feat, Kendra wondered whether she would have the courage to sacrifice herself. Losing her life would be worth it to save her friends and family. She hoped she would be brave enough to take the necessary action if the decisive moment arrived.

Slipping the pebble into her pocket, Kendra pulled on her shoes and tied them. She crawled to the door of her tent, unzipped it, and stepped outside. The fresh air, though hot, was a relief after the stale confines of the tent. Kendra tried her best to blindly arrange her hair with her fingertips. Sleeping in her clothes had left her feeling in desperate need of a shower.

"She's up!" Seth hollered, jogging toward her, wearing the backpack with the Chronometer. "Looks like we can do it today after all."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Kendra accused.

"Patton wouldn't let us," Seth said. "He wanted you rested. We're all ready."

Turning, Kendra beheld an impressive crowd of satyrs, dryads, dwarfs, and fairies occupying the field between the tents and the gap in the hedge wall. They were all staring at her. Her eyes swept across the gathering. She was keenly aware that she had just emerged from a hot tent dressed in the same clothes she had worn yesterday. Hugo approached from a distance pulling the cart, flanked by Cloudwing and Broadhoof. Patton, Lena, and Coulter rode in the cart.

"Where did Hugo get the cart?" Kendra asked.

"Patton sent him to retrieve it at dawn," Seth replied.

"The centaurs are joining us?" she asked.

"Almost all of the creatures are coming," Seth enthused. "For one thing, Patton told them how the defenses protecting this area will collapse after we pass beyond the hedge. For another, they all respect him, even Broadhoof."

"Good morning, Kendra," Patton boomed joyfully as Hugo came to a stop near the kids. He looked dashing standing with one foot on the side of the cart. Had his clothes been laundered and mended? "Are you rested and ready for our outing?"

Kendra and Seth walked around Hugo to the side of the cart. "I guess so," she said.

"I found a trio of volunteers willing to help us join the talismans should the need arise," Patton said, gesturing at three fairies hovering nearby.

Kendra recognized Shiara with her blue hair and silver wings. She also recognized the slender albino fairy with black eyes who had helped carry her into battle against Bahumat. The third was tiny even for a fairy, with fiery wings shaped like flower petals.

"Greetings, Kendra," Shiara said. "We are willing to give all we have to carry out the final wish our Queen imparted through this hallowed shrine."

"We'll be holding you in reserve," Patton reminded them. "You three must remain hidden throughout the battle. We won't ask for your assistance unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

"We will not fail our Queen," squeaked the red fairy in the tiniest voice Kendra had ever heard.

Patton jumped down from the cart. "Hungry?" he asked, holding out a napkin piled with nuts and berries.

"I don't have much appetite," Kendra admitted.

"You'd better eat something," Coulter encouraged. "You'll need your energy."

"Okay," Kendra relented.

Patton handed her the napkin. "You know, if sufficiently motivated, the fairies could outfit Hugo for battle."

Kendra chewed on a crunchy mouthful of nuts and berries. The nuts tasted bitter. "You sure these are safe to eat?"

"They're nutritious," Patton assured her. "I asked the fairies to assist with equipping Hugo, but most were unwilling."

"I offered to help," chirped the albino fairy.

"We need you three to save your strength. Kendra, the majority of the other fairies would need to participate in order to get the golem soundly outfitted."

"You want me to issue a command?" Kendra asked around a second unpleasant mouthful.

Patton cocked his head and touched his mustache. "The effort will tire them, but having Hugo in top form would be very useful."

Kendra spit out the nuts she had been chewing. "I'm sorry, these are making me gag. Do you have any water?"

Lena tossed a canteen to Patton from the cart. He unstopped it and passed it to Kendra. She guzzled several swallows. The warm water had a metallic tang. She wiped her lips with her sleeve.

"Well?" Seth asked, glancing over at Hugo.

Would the fairies really respond to her demand? She supposed there was only one way to find out. "This command does not apply to you three," Kendra told the reliable trio of fairies hovering nearby.

"Understood," Shiara responded.

"Fairies of Fablehaven," Kendra called out, using her best authoritative voice. "For the good of the preserve, and in the name of your Queen, I command you to outfit Hugo the golem for battle."

Fairies streaked toward them from all directions. They skirled around Hugo, forming a scintillating, multicolored tornado. Some fairies flew clockwise, others counterclockwise, weaving past each other without colliding. Vivid bursts of light began zapping the golem. Scores of fairies detached from the twirling vortex to form wider rings. While some fairies continued to frantically orbit the golem, the stationary halos of hovering fairies twittered in dozens of overlapping melodies.

The ground rumbled. Jagged stones erupted through the turf at Hugo's feet. The golem staggered as the earth beneath him began to churn. Ropelike vines snaked up his body. Upturned soil flowed up his sturdy legs and Hugo swelled, becoming broader and thicker and taller.

The whirling column of fairies began to disperse and the chanting diminished. Numerous fairies fluttered slowly to the ground, clearly spent. The patch of soil where Hugo stood grew more stable.

Hugo let out a fearsome roar. He had grown a few feet taller, and considerably more massive. Brown vines with long thorns crisscrossed his torso and limbs. Rocks shaped like spearheads jutted from his shoulders, legs, and arms. Serrated plates of stone projected from his back. A group of fairies presented the golem with an enormous club made from a sturdy length of wood and a boulder the size of an anvil.

After delivering the club, more exhausted fairies spiraled to the ground. The fairies who retained sufficient vigor to fly coasted about languidly. A few of the earthbound fairies lapsed into unconsciousness.

"How do you feel, Hugo?" Seth yelled.

The golem's gravelly mouth formed a gaping grin. "Big." His voice sounded deeper and rougher than ever.

"All fairies who wish to move out with us should pile in the wagon," Patton called. "I encourage those capable of movement to assist those who have fainted." Removing a small ivory box from a pocket, he beckoned Shiara and the other two emergency fairies. "You three belong in here." The fairies compliantly flitted into the box.

Lena hopped down lightly from the wagon and began gently scooping up unconscious fairies. Coulter, Patton, and Seth assisted as well. Many fairies alighted on the wagon under their own power.

At first, Kendra watched the others in silence. At her behest, the fairies had expended their energy until they were exhausted. Their weakened state could lead to hundreds of them being converted into dark fairies in the upcoming conflict, and yet none had resisted the order. The power to compel others to obey her commands was sobering, even frightening.