dale was helping kendra to the house. she felt euphoric and distant. she was glad her family was safe. but she felt so inexplicably blissful, and the troubles of the evening seemed so remote, that she began to wonder whether it had all been a surreal dream.

grandpa was holding hands with grandma. i'm sorry it took so long to get you back, he said softly.

i can guess at the reasons, she said. we need to talk about you eating my eggs.

they weren't your eggs, grandpa protested. they were the eggs of the hen your mind was inhabiting.

i'm glad you can be so detached.

there may still be a couple in the fridge.

chapter twenty-five

kendra stumbled on her way up the porch steps.

grandpa and dale helped her onto the porch and into the house. the furniture was back! nearly all of it had been restored, with some alterations. a couch had been reconstructed as a chair. some lampshades were made of different material. jewels had been added to a picture frame.

could the brownies have worked so fast? her eyes were drooping. grandpa was holding grandma's hand, whispering something in her ear. seth was chattering, but the words made no sense. dale held her shoulders, guiding her.

they were almost to the stairs, but she could not keep her eyes open. she felt herself falling, and hands catching her, and then consciousness fled.

farewell to fablehaven kendra and grandpa reclined in the wagon while hugo pulled them down the road at a leisurely pace.

the morning was clear and bright, with a few thin, high clouds barely clinging to existence, accidental brush strokes on a blue canvas. the day would be hot, but for now it was pleasant.

a couple of fairies drifting alongside the wagon waved at kendra. she waved back and they sped away, weaving around one another. the garden now teemed with fairies, and they paid kendra a lot of special attention. they seemed pleased whenever she acknowledged them.

we haven't really gotten to talk since it all happened, kendra said.

you were sleeping half of the time, grandpa replied.

it was true. she had slept for two days and two nights straight after the ordeal-a personal best.

all those kisses knocked me out, she said.

you excited to see your parents? asked grandpa.

yes and no. it was the third day since kendra had awakened. her parents were coming to pick them up this afternoon. going home will seem bland after all this.

well, you'll have fewer demons to worry about.

kendra smiled. true.

grandpa folded his arms. what you did was so special, i don't know how to speak about it.

it barely seems real.

oh, it was real. you mended an irreparable situation, and saved all of our lives in the process. the fairies have not gone to war for centuries. in that state, their power is virtually unrivaled. bahumat did not stand a chance. what you did was so brave, and so doomed to failure, i can't think of anyone i know who would have even tried it.

it felt like my only hope. why do you think the fairy queen helped me?

your guess is as good as mine. maybe to save the preserve.

maybe she sensed the sincerity of your intentions.

your youth must have helped. i'm sure fairies would much rather follow a little girl into battle than some pompous general. but the truth is, i never would have guessed it would have worked. it was a miracle.

hugo stopped the cart. grandpa climbed down and then helped kendra. she held the silver bowl that she had taken from the island. they started down a faint path toward an archway in a tall, unkempt hedge.

weird how i don't have to drink the milk anymore, kendra said. on the morning she awoke after the fairy kisses, when she went to the window, she saw fairies fluttering about. it had taken a moment to register that she had not yet consumed any milk that day.

i'll admit that it worries me somewhat, grandpa said.

creatures of whimsy are not solely confined to the preserves.

the blindness of mortals can be a blessing. take care where you look.

i'd rather see things how they are, kendra declared.

they passed under the archway. a group of satyrs were playing tag with several slender maidens wearing flowers in their hair. the paddleboat was adrift in the middle of the pond. fairies skimmed the surface of the water and soared among the gazebos.

i'll be curious to know what other changes the fairies wrought in you, grandpa said. i've never heard of such a thing. you'll let me know if you discover any other oddities?

like if i turn seth back into a walrus?

i'm glad you can joke about it, but i'm serious.

they walked up the steps to the nearest pavilion. just toss it in? kendra asked.

i think it would be best, grandpa said. if the bowl came from that island, you should give it back.

kendra threw the bowl like a frisbee. it landed in the water. almost immediately a hand shot up and snatched it.

that was quick, kendra said. it will probably end up down with mendigo.

the naiads respect the fairy queen. they'll make sure the bowl ends up where it belongs.

kendra looked at the pier.

she may not know you, grandpa said.

i just want to say good-bye, whether she gets it or not.

they walked along the boardwalk until they reached the gazebo adjoining the pier. kendra walked out to the end of the pier. grandpa stayed a few steps behind her.

remember, not too close to the water.

i know, kendra said. she leaned forward to look down into the pond. it was much clearer than it had been at night. she jumped a little when she realized that the face looking up at her was not her reflection. the naiad looked like a girl of about sixteen, with full lips and a profusion of golden hair swirling about a face shaped like a valentine.

i want to talk to lena, kendra said loudly, over pronouncing the words.

she may not come, grandpa said.

the naiad kept staring up at her. get lena, please, kendra repeated. the naiad swam away. she'll come, kendra asserted.

they waited. nobody came. kendra studied the water.

she turned her hands into a megaphone around her mouth.

lena! this is kendra! i want to speak with you!

several minutes passed. grandpa waited with her patiently. then a face rose almost to the surface of the water, right at the end of the dock. it was lena. her hair was still white with a few black strands. though she looked no younger, her face had the same ageless quality.

lena, hi, it's kendra, remember?

lena smiled. her face was barely an inch from the surface.

i just wanted to say good-bye. i really enjoyed our talks. i hope you don't mind being a naiad again. are you mad at me?

lena motioned for kendra to come closer. she put her hand by her mouth like she wanted to share a secret. her almond eyes looked mirthful and excited. they did not match the white hair. kendra bent down a little.

what? kendra asked.

lena rolled her eyes and motioned for her to come closer. kendra crouched a little more, and in the same instant that lena reached up for her, grandpa sorenson pulled her back.

i told you, grandpa said. she is no longer the woman she was back at the house.

kendra leaned forward just enough to peer over the edge again. lena stuck her tongue out and swam away. at least she isn't suffering, kendra said.

grandpa walked her back to the gazebo in silence. she told me she would never choose to return to life as a naiad, kendra said after a while. she said it more than once.

i'm sure she meant it, said grandpa. from where i stood, it didn't look like she went willingly.

i noticed the same thing. i worried she might be suffering.

i thought maybe she needed us to save her.

are you satisfied? grandpa asked.

i'm not even sure she remembered me, kendra admitted.

at first i thought she did, but i bet she was faking, trying to get me close enough to drown me.

probably.

she doesn't miss being human.

not from her current point of view, grandpa agreed.

much like how being a naiad did not sound very fulfilling to her from a mortal perspective.

why would the fairies do that to her?

i don't think they saw it as a punishment. lena was probably a victim of good intentions.

but lena was arguing with them. she didn't want to go.

grandpa shrugged. the fairies might have known that once they restored her, she would change her mind. looks like they were right. remember, the fairies experience existence like the naiads. from their point of view, lena was out of her mind wanting to be mortal. they probably thought they were curing her insanity.

i'm glad they restored everybody else, kendra said.

they just restored lena too much.

are you sure? she was a naiad to begin with.

she didn't like the idea of aging. at least she won't die now. or get any older.

no, she won't.

i still think she would rather be human.

grandpa frowned. you may be right. truth be told, if i knew a way to reclaim lena, i would. i believe once she was mortal again, she would be grateful. but a naiad can only descend to mortality voluntarily. in her current state, i doubt she would make that choice. i am sure she is very disoriented. perhaps in time she will gain some perspective.

what's it like for her?

no way to be sure. for all i know, this is a unique occurrence. her memories of mortality are apparently distorted, if she retains them at all.

kendra unconsciously twisted the sleeve of her shirt, a pained expression on her face. so we just leave her there?

for now. i will do some research and give the matter considerable thought. don't tear yourself up about it. lena would not want that. the alternative was being devoured by a demon. she looked all right to me.

they started back toward the wagon. what about the society of the evening star? asked kendra. are they still a threat? muriel said she was in contact with them.

grandpa pinched his bottom lip. the society will be a threat as long as it endures. it is difficult for an uninvited guest to gain access to a preserve-mortal or not. some would say impossible, but the society has shown repeated resourcefulness at circumventing so-called impossible obstacles. fortunately we foiled their attempt to use muriel to free bahumat and overthrow the preserve. but we now know they have learned the whereabouts of fablehaven.

we will have to be more vigilant than ever.

what secret artifact is hidden here?

it is unfortunate that your grandmother had to share that secret with you. i realize it was a precaution in case both of us were incapacitated, but the knowledge is a terrible burden to place on children. you must never speak of it. i have tried to impress that idea on seth as well - - heaven help us all. i am the caretaker of fablehaven, and i know little about the artifact save that it is hidden somewhere on this property. if members of the society of the evening star are aware that the artifact is here, and we have every reason to believe they are, they will stop at nothing to penetrate our defenses and lay their hands on it.

what will you do? kendra said.

what we always do, grandpa said. consult with our allies and take every measure to ensure that our defenses remain intact. the society has known the location of dozens of preserves for centuries and yet has failed to infiltrate them. they may pay us extra attention, but unless we let our guard down, there is little they can do.

what about that ghost lady? the one who escaped while the fairies were trapping bahumat?

i do not know her story, except that she was obviously colluding with our enemies. i have never met many of the dark beings who lurk in the inhospitable corners of fablehaven.

they reached the wagon. grandpa boosted kendra up and then climbed in himself. hugo, take us home.

they rode in silence. kendra considered all they had discussed-the fate of lena and the impending threat of the society of the evening star. the fateful night that had seemed like the end of her problems was starting to look like the beginning.

up ahead, off to the side of the road, dale was chopping a fallen tree into firewood. drenched in sweat, he swung the ax aggressively. as the wagon rolled by, he glanced up at kendra. she smiled and waved. dale gave a tight smile and looked away, returning to his chore.

kendra frowned. what's up with dale lately? do you think being turned to lead traumatized him?

i doubt he felt a thing. he's beating himself up over something else.

what?

don't say a word about this to him. grandpa paused, glancing back toward dale, then went on speaking. he feels bad that his brother warren wasn't present when the fairies were curing everybody.

grandma said dale's brother is catatonic. i still haven't met him. could the fairies have helped?

grandpa shrugged. considering that they put lena back in the water, changed imps back into fairies, and remade hugo out of a pile of rubble, yes, i imagine they could have cured warren. theoretically, any magic that can be done can also be undone. grandpa scratched his cheek. you have to understand, last week i would have said there was no possible way of curing warren. believe me, i have investigated the subject thoroughly. but i've never heard of an imp changing back into a fairy, either. it simply doesn't happen.

i wish i'd thought of it, kendra said. warren didn't even cross my mind.

not your fault in the slightest. warren just wasn't in the right place at the right time. i'm grateful the rest of us were.

how did warren get like that?

that, my dear, is part of the problem. we have no idea. he disappeared for three days. on the fourth he returned, white as a sheet. he sat down in the garden, and hasn't said a word or responded to anyone since. he can chew food, and walk if you lead him. he can even do some simple chores if you get him started. but no communication.

his mind has flown.

hugo stopped at the edge of the yard. grandpa and kendra climbed down. hugo, see to your chores. the golem hauled the cart away.

i'm going to miss this place, kendra said, taking in the bright flowers attended by glittering fairies.

your grandmother and i have waited a long time to find somebody like you among our posterity, grandpa said.