Fablehaven: The Complete Series by Brandon Mull Page A

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.