Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(63)

"Demon attack house," Hugo replied, pounding through the forest.


The golem trampled a path through the lush, spring foliage, tearing branches aside and bulldozing through shrubbery. Minutes passed like hours. Flashes of light accompanied feral growls and distant sounds of demolition. Realizing that he was unarmed, Seth wished for his emergency kit.


When the yard came into view, the barn was already ablaze. Devouring flames raged up most of one wall and across much of the roof. Mooing like a foghorn, eyes rolling in terror, the immense form of Viola the cow stamped across the yard, giant hooves leaving deep impressions in the lawn. By the nightmarish light of the burning barn, Seth could see that half the house had collapsed, smashed in as if by some natural disaster. He did not see Graulas, but could hear glass breaking and wood splintering within the house.


"To the house!" Seth shouted.


Hugo took off across the yard with leaping strides. A great crash sounded within the house. The golem vaulted onto what remained of the back porch and entered the ruined house, striding over the remnants of missing walls.


"Coulter," Hugo said in a concerned rumble. The golem waded through rubble-strewn rooms to the entry hall, where they found Coulter pinned beneath a beam. Dust covered his mostly bare scalp. His little tuft of gray hair was matted with blood. He was mumbling, semiconscious.


"Get the beam off of him!" Seth cried.


The golem gripped the heavy beam, shifting rubble as he raised it. Grabbing Coulter beneath his arms, Seth slid him out from underneath. Coulter jerked his head toward Seth. "Run!" Coulter urged weakly.


"Demon gone," Hugo said.


Coulter clutched at Seth. "Seth? He got it. Graulas got the Chronometer. He also had the Translocator. He destroyed the foundational treaty. He used a spell to summon the safe that contained it. It hurried to him like a trained dog. He destroyed the documentation and undid the magic. I couldn't stop him. He smashed through the defenses in no time."


"It's my fault," Seth admitted wretchedly. "I was a prisoner at Living Mirage, and somebody snuck the Translocator and the Sands of Sanctity into my cell. I'd promised Graulas I would heal him if I could, so on my way back here, I stopped by his cave. As soon as I healed him, he stole the artifacts before I could react. He was so quick!"


Coulter closed his eyes, one cheek twitching. "I see." When he spoke again, he sounded more in control of himself. "Seth, you must listen to me. I don't have much time."


"Don't talk like that," Seth said.


"Hush," Coulter insisted. "I'm no tenderfoot. I've had plenty of injuries in my time, and I know what this is. Things got crushed, parts deep inside. I have minutes, maybe seconds. Listen. While Graulas attacked the barn, I grabbed the Chronometer. As he tore into the house, I watched from a window, trying to formulate a strategy. After I glimpsed you at the edge of the woods with Hugo, I used the Chronometer."


"Used it how?" Seth asked.


Coulter coughed wetly. "I visited Patton. Told him the Chronometer was about to be taken. Told him you were around."


"You should have run!" Seth said.


"I did run. Visiting Patton cost me no time. I didn't even make it to the front door. There was no escaping what happened. Graulas is too powerful. But listen. Since we knew you were around, Patton promised to leave you some advice. A passageway beneath the old manor leads to a secret grotto. Down in the cellar, beneath the manor, you'll find a fireplace against one wall. Step inside and say, 'Everybody loves a show-off.' That will open the way."


"Then what?" Seth asked.


Coulter grimaced, his breath hissing through clenched teeth. "We hope Patton has an idea."


"Where are the others?" Seth asked urgently. "Where is Grandpa?"


Coulter shook his head. "Gone. If they lost the Translocator, they were all captured tonight."


"All of them?" Seth asked incredulously. "Stan, Ruth, Kendra, Tanu, Warren ... all of them. I was ...holding down the fort. Vanessa is still here, down in the Quiet Box. Maybe she could Coulter gasped and coughed. "I grunted. "Do your best."


Hot tears flowed freely down Seth's cheeks. "I'm so sorry,


Coulter."


The old relics collector patted his hand. His eyes cleared for a moment and locked with Seth's. He seemed intent on speaking, but the words resisted. "Not your fault," he finally "' sputtered. He gripped Seth's wrist, "You're a good boy. They tricked you. You were ... showing mercy. Maybe we can get them yet."


"I will. I promise, I will, I really will." Coulter laid his head back, closing his eyes. His chest shook as if trying to cough, but only a faint strangling sound came out. His eyelids fluttered. His hands jerked. Seth looked up at Hugo. "What do we do?" Coulter exhaled one last time and then went limp and silent. Seth felt for breathing at his mouth and tried to find a pulse in his neck and chest. There were no signs of life. Trying to recall the first-aid basics he knew, Seth started rhythmically compressing Coulter' chest. Then he pinched Coulter's nostrils shut and breathed into his mouth a couple of times. He repeated the compressions and the breathing exercise, but Coulter remained inert