Fablehaven: The Complete Series by Brandon Mull Page B

“The fun is just looking at them, seeing all the variety.”
     
    “Real fun. Kind of like when Mom makes us go on drives to look at the leaves changing color.”
     
    “I want to grab some breakfast. I’m starving.”
     
    “Then go. Maybe I’ll have better luck without you squawking.”
     
    Kendra walked to the house wrapped in her towel. She entered the back door and found Lena dragging a broken coffee table into the kitchen. Much of the surface of the table had been made of glass. Most of it was broken.
     
    “Need a hand?” Kendra asked.
     
    “Mine are plenty.”
     
    Kendra went and grabbed the other end of the table. They set it in a corner of the spacious kitchen. Other broken objects rested there as well, including the jagged fragments of the ceramic pot Kendra had noticed earlier.
     
    “Why pile everything here?”
     
    “This is where the brownies come.”
     
    “Brownies?”
     
    “Come look.” Lena led Kendra to the basement door, pointing out a second little door at the base, about the size a cat would use. “The brownies have a special hatch that admits them to the basement, and they can use this door to enter the kitchen. They are the only magical creatures with permission to enter the house at will. The brownie portals are guarded by magic against all other creatures of the forest.”
     
    “Why let them in?”
     
    “Brownies are useful. They repair things. They make things. They are remarkable craftsmen.”
     
    “They’ll fix the broken furniture?”
     
    “Improve it if they can.”
     
    “Why?”
     
    “It is their nature. They will accept no reward.”
     
    “How nice of them,” Kendra said.
     
    “In fact, tonight, remind me to leave out some cooking ingredients. By morning, they will have baked us a treat.”
     
    “What will they cook?”
     
    “You never know. You don’t make requests. You just leave out ingredients and see how they combine them.”
     
    “How fun!”
     
    “I’ll leave out a bunch. No matter what strange combinations you leave, they always invent something delicious.”
     
    “There is so much I don’t know about Fablehaven,” Kendra declared. “How big is it?”
     
    “The preserve stretches for many miles in some directions. Much bigger than you would suppose.”
     
    “And there are creatures throughout?”
     
    “Through most of it,” Lena said. “But as your grandfather has warned you, some of those creatures can be deadly. There are many places on the property where even he does not dare venture.”
     
    “I want to know more. All the details.”
     
    “Be patient. Let it unfold.” She turned to the refrigerator and changed the subject. “You must be hungry.”
     
    “A little.”
     
    “I’ll whip up some eggs. Will Seth want some?”
     
    “Probably,” Kendra said, leaning against the counter. “I’ve been wondering: Is everything from mythology true?”
     
    “Explain what you mean.”
     
    “I’ve seen fairies, and evidence of satyrs. Is it all real?”
     
    “No mythology or religion that I know of holds all the answers. Most religions are based on truths, but they are also polluted by the philosophies and imaginations of men. I take it your question refers to Greek mythology. Is there a pantheon of petty gods who constantly bicker and interfere in the lives of mortals? I know of no such beings. Are there some true elements to those ancient stories and beliefs? Obviously. You’re talking to a former naiad. Scrambled?”
     
    “What?”
     
    “The eggs.”
     
    “Sure.”
     
    Lena began cracking eggs into a pan. “Many of the beings who dwell here existed gracefully when primitive man foraged in ragged tribes. We taught man the secrets of bread and clay and fire. But man became blind to us over time. Interaction with mortals became rare. And then mankind began to crowd us. Explosions in population and technology stole many of our ancient homes. Mankind held no particular malice toward us. We had simply faded