Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(7)

Dozens of zombies came out of hiding around the yard as the jeeps accelerated away from the house. Some had been crouched in holes or trenches, others beneath bushes, one in a barrel full of water. The shambling corpses approached from all directions, their hideous bodies in various states of decomposition. Trask and Laura gunned the engines and swerved to plow directly into the zombies who were attempting to block their escape. Kendra closed her eyes as grotesque bodies went flying.


A stocky zombie with curly orange hair lunged at Laura's jeep, catching hold of the side briefly until Vincent hacked off the freckled hand with a machete. Seth snatched up the severed, bloodless hand and chucked it out the back.


And then the zombies and the house were receding behind them. The Gray Assassin continued after them, but, quick as he was, he was no match for the jeeps once they got moving. Laura took the lead, with Trask close behind, as they raced toward the distant obsidian monolith.


Chapter 3 Dreamstone


Seth wished he had kept the zombie hand. What a perfect souvenir from his first official mission as a Knight of the Dawn! Instead he had thrown it out of the jeep almost reflexively. Hearing all of those zombie voices must have temporarily scrambled his reason.


The voices had been creepy. Hundreds of whispery, yearning zombies, eager to strike but held in restraint by a will stronger than their drive to feed. It had sounded like the zombies were all around them, but he had seen nothing. Until the monstrosities finally lurched out of hiding, Seth had worried that he might be losing it.


Mr. Lich must have been controlling them, instructing the zombies to lay low until the opportune moment. The tall Asian was a viviblix, capable of raising and controlling the dead, and also served as right-hand man to the Sphinx. If Laura hadn't helped them make a speedy escape, they would have all been zombie food.


As the jeep zoomed across a bridge spanning the Rainbow River, Seth continued to mourn for the lost hand. He could have hidden it beneath Kendra's covers. He could have tied a string around it and left it dangling from a showerhead. He could have displayed it proudly on a shelf in his room. He quietly vowed to keep all of these possibilities in mind if a severed zombie hand ever fell into his lap again.


Enormous trees lined the far side of the river, reaching hundreds of feet into the air. "Those trees are huge!" Seth exclaimed.


"Those are karri," Laura answered loudly. "A species of eucalyptus, one of the tallest types of tree in the world."


"What happened back there?" Vincent asked.


"Camira betrayed us," Laura said bitterly. "Last night she admitted several members of the Society to the preserve, along with dozens of zombies brought by that viviblix."


"You said Berrigan is under the control of a narcoblix?" Kendra asked. "Do you know which narcoblix?"


"He's back at the house," Laura said. "His name is Wayne."


Kendra looked over at Seth, relief in her eyes. He had been concerned about the same thing, wondering if Vanessa might have been helping their enemies.


They hit a spine-jarring bump, but Laura did not slow down. Looking behind them, Seth could detect no pursuers.


As they came out from under the towering karri trees, the obsidian monolith loomed back into view. The scale was amazing--the geological marvel looked like a black mountain that had been carved into a glossy brick.


"It shines like a rainbow," Kendra said.


"I don't see much color," Seth disagreed.


"The stone is black," Kendra said, "but the light reflecting off of it is very colorful."


"Her eyes may perceive something ours can't," Laura said thoughtfully. "We call it the Dreamstone. It is laced with deep magic."


Seth squinted at the obsidian monolith. It definitely had a bright sheen, but the gleam was white, not colorful. Why would Kendra see colors? Was the Dreamstone full of fairy magic or something? They drove toward the imposing block in silence.


Engine roaring, Laura finally closed in on the Dreamstone, piloting the jeep around to the far side. The monolith stood hundreds of yards tall, hundreds of yards wide, and the length exceeded the width by double. Seth marveled at the polished smoothness of the stone and the sharp perfection of the corners. They finally skidded to a halt near the only imperfection Seth had noticed on the unblemished surface: a bowl-shaped recess about the size of half a volleyball.


Trask pulled up alongside them. Seth watched as Tanu wrestled Berrigan from the jeep and pinned the young man to the ground. Trask trotted over to Laura. "What happened?"


"We were betrayed last night by Camira," Laura said.


"Members of the Society surprised us and captured the house. They thought the threat of harming their hostages was enough to convince me to lead you into their trap."


"There are no more hostages," Berrigan laughed. "Not after that little stunt! Your nephew is dead. So are your sister and her husband. Same with Corbin and Sam and Lois."


Laura's face went rigid. Her lip twitched. "You would have killed them either way. At least I managed to save some lives."


"You're still all dead," Berrigan assured her. "You're just prolonging your demise."