lizette stepped aside, and patton led the others between the somber dryads. although temporarily appeased, the towering women clearly remained unsatisfied.

when seth, kendra, and lena reached the tent, patton followed the others inside, dropping the flap to cover the opening.

"what happened?" seth asked.

"the fairy queen destroyed the shrine in order to make this." kendra held up the pebble.

patton squinted. "no wonder you have been gleaming so much brighter."

"i don't see any light," seth complained.

"only some eyes can see it," lena said, eyes narrowed.

"why can't i?" kendra asked. "the pebble only looked bright while the fairy queen was making it."

"the light of the stone must have united with your inner light," patton said. "your own light can be difficult to distinguish. i imagine you can see in the dark."

"i can," kendra said.

"whether or not you recognize it, kendra, you carry much light within you," patton said. "with the stone, your radiance has grown even more brilliant. to those who can perceive such light, you glare like a beacon."

kendra curled her fingers around the stone. "the fairy queen filled the stone with all of the power protecting the shrine. when i remove the stone from this area, dark creatures will be able to enter. if we touch the pebble to the nail in the tree, the objects will destroy each other."

"all right!" seth exclaimed.

"there's a catch," kendra said. "the fairy queen said that whoever connects the objects will die."

"not a problem." patton dismissed the concern with a wave of one hand. "i will personally resolve this dilemma."

"no you won't," lena said anxiously. "you have to return to me. your life can't end here."

"what we shared already happened," patton said. "nothing i do here can change that."

"don't you try to con me, patton burgess," lena growled. "i've put up with your pacifications for decades. i know you better than you know yourself. you're always stretching for an excuse to protect others at your expense partly out of a noble sense of duty, mostly for the thrill. you're well aware that if you fail to return to the past, you may wipe out the majority of our relationship. my whole history could change. i refuse to lose our life together."

patton looked guilty. "there are many uncertainties with time travel. to my knowledge, the chronometer is the only successful time travel device ever created. most practicalities remain untested. keep in mind, in your past, i returned after i traveled through time. some would argue that nothing i do now can possibly contradict that reality. if i die during my visit here, somewhere else, along some alternate timeline, there might be a lena i won't see again. but your history is secure. regardless of what happens to me, you will very likely persist here as if nothing in your past has changed."

"sounds like a flimsy theory," lena refuted. "if you're wrong, and you fail to return, you could completely alter history. you have to go back. you have important duties to perform. not only for my sake, for the good of countless others. patton, i've lived a full life. if any of us must expire, it should be me. i could move on with no complaints. seeing you again is the perfect culmination of my mortality." she gazed at patton with such undisguised adoration that seth averted his eyes.

"why does anybody have to die?" seth asked. "why not throw the stone at the nail? then nobody would actually connect the objects."

"we could try," patton said. "it introduces an additional element of risk. merely getting close enough to the tree will be a challenge."

"i could do it," seth said.

lena rolled her eyes. "as candidates for uniting the talismans, you and kendra are out of the question."

"am i?" seth asked. "what if we get there and everyone but me ends up paralyzed by fear?" "ephira may not be able to radiate magical fear as readily as she could inside of her lair," patton said. "she may not even be able to reach kurisock's domain. besides, as a dragon tamer, i'm fairly resistant to magical fear."

"you froze back at the house," seth reminded him.

tilting his head, patton gave half a nod. "if needed, you can hold my hand and get me close, then i'll take the stone the rest of the way."

"i'm supposed to hold the pebble as long as i can, to keep it stable and fully charged," kendra said. "maybe i should do it."

"no, kids," patton emphasized. "my newest goal is to go my entire life without any children sacrificing themselves on my behalf."

"as part of being fairykind, i can command fairies," kendra said. "is there something they could do?"

"since when can you command fairies?" seth blurted.

"i just found out," kendra said.

"then have a fairy connect the pebble and the nail!" seth said enthusiastically. "the fairies have always hated me. maybe you could have all of them destroy the nail together!"

"seth!" kendra exclaimed chidingly. "that isn't funny!"

"forcing a fairy to undertake a suicide mission could have serious repercussions," patton cautioned. "i don't like it."

"i love it!" seth reaffirmed, grinning.

"maybe i could ask for volunteers," kendra suggested. "you know, so it won't be me compelling anyone."

"this line of thinking is futile," lena said. "no creatures of light will be able to enter kurisock's domain."

kendra held up the egg-shaped pebble. "the fairy queen said that as long as i hold the stone, an umbrella of light will help protect those near me."

"now, that is useful information," patton mused. "if the power that keeps this area a sanctuary of light were to enter a stronghold of darkness, the influx of positive energy might allow light creatures to enter."

"let's recruit some fairies," seth said, clapping his hands together eagerly. "better them than us."

"we can try the fairies as a backup," patton replied. "but be forewarned-fairies are notoriously unreliable. and we should leave intentionally compelling a fairy to die on our behalf out of the question. i am more excited that we might be able to cajole some more responsible allies into joining us and helping us win through to the tree."

"if all else fails, i'll finish the task," lena vowed. "i'm young, i'm agile, i'm strong. i can do it."

patton crossed his arms. "permit me to revise my latest goal-i also want to go my whole life without my wife dying on my behalf. if a fairy fails to voluntarily destroy the talismans, i'll throw the stone. i have excellent aim. then nobody will be touching the objects when they connect."

"and if you miss?" lena asked.

"we'll worry about that if it happens."

"which is pattonese for you will unite the objects yourself," lena huffed.

patton shrugged innocently. "have you ever considered that you might be worth more to the world alive than dead?" lena groused.

"if i were going to die doing something dangerous, it would have happened a long time ago."

lena swatted at him. "i hope i'm not there the day all your cocky words return to humble you."

"you'll be there," patton said, "scoffing and pointing."

"not if you're in a coffin," lena grumbled.

"when should we do this?" seth asked.

"daylight is failing," patton said. "we'll want the sun with us when we embark on this murky venture. i recommend we sally forth in the morning, with as many companions as will join us."

"and i get to come, right?" seth confirmed.

"we can't leave you behind unprotected from dark influences," patton said. "this final gamble is all or nothing. whether we triumph or fail, we will do it together, pooling our talents and resources."

"speaking of talents," lena said, "seth had better get to the gap in the hedge, so he can see if any shadow people come to us with information."

only then did seth notice how much the glow of the yellow and purple tent walls had reddened with the setting sun. "i'll go right now," he said.

"i'll join you," kendra offered.

"lena and i will go rally support among the other citizens of fablehaven," patton said. "our story will be that the

fairy queen has given us the power to attack kurisock and reverse the plague. we do not want to be any more specific, in case the information reaches unfriendly ears."

"got it," seth said, stepping out of the tent. the others followed. while patton was mobbed by satyrs, dryads, dwarfs, and fairies, kendra and seth slipped through the crowd and headed for the main entrance. a few fairies flitted along behind kendra, as if hoping to approach her, but when patton began explaining the situation, they zipped away in his direction.

when kendra and seth reached the opening in the hedge, the dark satyrs stationed there backed away a good distance, a couple of them bleating angrily. they squinted at kendra, fuzzy hands raised to shield their feral eyes.

"looks like you're blinding the freaky satyrs," seth said. "do you think your rock will keep grandma and grandpa away?"

"maybe my shininess will help them find us," kendra said.

seth plopped down in the grass. the sun hung just above the treetops west of the field. "they'll be able to come soon."

"who do you think will show up?"

"hopefully all six of them."

kendra nodded. "too bad i won't be able to see them."

"well, i guess one person can't have every single magical ability the universe has to offer. you aren't missing much. you can't really recognize them except by their outlines."

seth started plucking at the tiny blue flowers in the grass. kendra sat with her knees scrunched up to her chest, hugging her folded legs. shadows crept across the field until the sun went down and twilight engulfed the clearing.

kendra appeared content with silence, and seth could not muster the effort to spark a conversation. he stared through the gap in the hedge, hoping to see a familiar shadow join the dark satyrs lurking beyond the opening. as the vivid sunset dimmed, the temperature faded from hot to warm.

finally a single black form emerged from among the restless satyrs. the silhouette plodded toward the gap in the hedge as if resisting a mighty wind. seth sat up. "here we go."

"who do you see?" kendra asked.

"he's short and thin. might be coulter." seth raised his voice. "that you, coulter?"

with apparent effort, the figure raised a hand to display the missing fingers. he kept trudging forward, each step seeming to demand greater effort than the last.

"he's struggling," seth said. "must be your light."

"should i back away?"

"maybe."

kendra rose and walked away from the gap in the hedge.

"wait!" seth cried. "he's waving his arms. he's motioning for you to come back. no, not just back, he wants you to come toward him."

"what if it isn't coulter?" kendra worried.

"he can't pass through the gap," seth said. "just don't get within grabbing distance."

seth and kendra walked toward the gap, stopping two paces from the entrance. coulter hunched forward, trembling with the effort of each arduous step, but managed to keep his feet moving.

"where is he?" kendra asked.

"almost to the gap," seth said. "he looks like he's about to pass out."

coulter slogged forward another few steps. pausing, he leaned forward, bracing one hand against his thigh. quivering, he strained to lift the other arm, but failed to hoist it very high.

"he's reaching for us," seth said. "step a little closer."

"i can't let him touch me!" kendra exclaimed.

"just a step," seth said. "i think he's come as far as he can."

"why don't i back away?"

"he wants you near him."

kendra took a cautious half-step forward, and suddenly seth glimpsed flesh flickering beneath the shadow.

"i see him!" kendra shrieked, lifting her hands to her lips. "part of him, anyway, faintly."

"me too," seth said. "i've never seen any of the shadow people do that. i think you might be healing him. yes! he's nodding. get closer!"

"what if he contaminates me?"

"just a little closer. he still won't be able to reach you."

"what if he's faking how far he can reach?"

"he fell to his knees!" seth cried.

"i can see," kendra said, taking another half-step toward the gap in the hedge. coulter flashed into clearer view, slumped forward, both hands buttressed against his thighs. his face looked anguished, contorted by tremendous effort. he tried to keep his head up, but it was slowly bowing.

"help him!" seth yelped.

kendra stepped into the gap between the hedges and seized coulter's shoulder. instantly he came into full view and flopped through the gap in the hedge to lie panting on the path.

"coulter!" seth exclaimed. "you're back!"

"barely," he wheezed, face ruddy from the recent exertion. "just barely. give me... a minute."

"we're so happy you're alive!" kendra gushed, tears blurring her vision.

"we should... stay back... from the entrance," he gasped, crawling away from the gap in the hedge.