Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(117)

"I hear you," said a rough-hewn male face halfway up the left side of the wall. A knot in the wood disfigured one cheek like a scar.


"I hear you," said a shrewd, hooded face near the bottom right. Intricately carved, she had the most wrinkles of any totem.


"I hear you," said a young, beautiful face with high cheekbones near the top of the wall. The polished smoothness of her features betrayed little evidence of damage from the elements.


"I hear you," said the furry, bucktoothed face of a beaver just below the young woman. His voice sounded adolescent.


After this acknowledgment, the Totem Wall waited, all eyes on Seth. Shifting his weight from side to side, he clasped his hands behind his back. "I seek Vasilis, the Sword of Light and Darkness. I know you guard it. I want to enter and retrieve it."


Another outburst of muttered exclamations fluttered across the wall.


"Silence," demanded the Crone. "How do you know the location of Vasilis?"


"I paid a price," Seth said.


The Hunter spoke in a gruff tone. "Then you should understand that we grant favors only upon receiving an acceptable sacrifice."


"I understand," Seth said respectfully.


"Yet you have little of value," said the Beaver, "save perhaps the sword and the shield. They are unworthy shadows of the treasure we guard."


"Do not press him so hard," the Dancer fussed. "He is young." Her voice softened. "What have you to offer?"


"Along with the sword, you house great evil," Seth said. "Permit me to retrieve the sword, and I will purge the evil inside of you before I exit."


"Others have come to us in search of Vasilis," the Crone mused. "Rarely have they already suspected the location. We have admitted some. None have returned."


"The youth speaks with confidence," the Hunter approved.


"Any simpleton can speak with confidence," the Dancer said. "Sometimes the greatest fools have the most bravado. The boy is young and naive. He will come to harm, and he will not deliver on his promise."


"The wise do nothing," the Beaver complained. "The wise sit and advise. Their understanding prevents action. Do not underestimate the young."


"What deeds have you accomplished?" the Hunter asked.


Seth hadn't planned on turning in a resume. He tried to recall his highlights from the past couple of years. "I pulled a dark talisman from the neck of a revenant. I caught a leprechaun. I awoke Olloch the Glutton and put him back to sleep. I found the Chronometer, one of the keys to Zzyzx. I stole the horn of a unicorn from the centaurs at Grunhold. I have bargained with the giant Thronis and left him satisfied. I killed the dragon Siletta in order to retrieve an item from the dragons of Wyrmroost. I survived the Dreamstone at Obsidian Waste and helped retrieve the Translocator, another key to Zzyzx. And I've bargained with the Singing Sisters."


"He speaks true," the Crone said.


"And I'm telling you the truth now," Seth said. "I don't feel fear. I can get this sword and rid you of the evil hiding near it. And then I'll use the sword to save the world."


"He means what he says," the Crone said.


"Tootega knows truth," the Dancer admitted.



"He has accomplished much," the Hunter granted.


"We should not measure him by age or appearance," the Beaver said.


"He seeks no knowledge," the Crone murmured. "No divination is required. What say you, Kattituyok?"


The proud face who had spoken first answered in a booming voice. "The evil behind the Alder Door has plagued us for many summers. The youth has named the four who control the Alder Door. This seems a good omen."


"He may not return," the Dancer said. "He should leave us tokens."


"The sword and the shield," the Hunter said.


"And the magical items from his bag," the Crone added. "The tower and the fish."


"Won't I need my sword to fight?" Seth asked.


"Your sword and shield are well crafted from fine material, but they will avail you nothing beyond the Alder Door," Kattituyok said. "Leave behind the requested items to seal the pact."


"And I can reclaim my things if I succeed?" Seth verified.


"Purge the evil lurking beyond the Alder Door," the Crone said, "and you may depart in peace with Vasilis and the rest of your items."


"I say the same," the Hunter stated.


"I say the same," the Beaver echoed.


"I say the same," the Dancer sighed.


"Do you accept?" Kattituyok asked.


"I accept," Seth said, unbuckling his sword belt.


"The pact is made and sealed," Kattituyok thundered. His resounding words made the stump vibrate.


Seth set down his sword and shield. Then he fished out the onyx tower and the agate leviathan. He set the items down. A previously unseen door swung open near the bottom right of the wall. The Crone's withered face filled the center of the door.