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Chapter One

Nipsies

On aa faint path, eyes scanning the lush foliage to his left Tall, mossy trees overshadowed a verdant sea of bushes and ferns He felt damp all over-the humidity refused to let his sweat dry Seth checked over his shoulder periodically and started at any sound in the undergrowth Not only was Fablehaven a dangerous place to roa spotted so far from the yard

His skill at sneaking into the woods had i summer The excursions with Coulter were fun, but not frequent enough to satisfy his appetite for adventure There was so out onto the preserve alone He had beco the randparents, he had proven to himself that he could explore safely In order to avoid deadly situations, he rarely strayed far from the yard, and he avoided the areas he knew to be most perilous

Today was an exception

Today he was following directions to a secret

Although Seth felt certain he had interpreted the instructions correctly, he was beginning to fret that he had somehow overlooked the final marker The trail he currently trod was one he had never roamed before, quite a distance fro the left side of the path

Many people had coone from Fablehaven over the summer At breakfast, Grandpa Sorenson had notified Seth, Kendra, Coulter, and Dale that Warren and Tanu would be returning ho Seth was excited for a reunion with his friends, but knew that the more people ere at the house, theto impede his unauthorized expeditions Today was probably the last time he would be able to slip out on his own for a while

Just as he was losing faith, Seth observed a stick topped by a large pinecone planted in the ground not far fro it-the tallbeside the stick, Seth took his coency kit, found northeast, and set off on a heading not quite perpendicular to the er trail

The ground slopedplants Birds twittered in the leafy branches overhead A butterfly ide, vibrant wings bobbed on the breezeless air Because of the , Seth kneas actually a butterfly Had it been a fairy, he would have recognized it as such

"Pssst," a voice hissed from the bushes off to one side, "over here"

Seth swiveled and saw Doren, the satyr, peering over a glossy shrub with broad leaves The satyr motioned him over

"Hey, Doren," Seth said in a low voice, trotting over to where the satyr crouched He found Newel hiding there as well, his horns sohtly more freckled, and his hair a bit redder than Doren's

"What about the brute?" Newel asked

"He proo is covering his chores at the stables"

"If he doesn't show, the deal is off," Newel threatened

"He'll be here," Seth said

"Did you bring theto sound casual, but unable to hide the desperation in his gaze

"Forty-eight size C batteries," Seth said He unzipped a duffel bag and let the satyrs inspect the contents Earlier in the suiven the pair dozens of batteries as a reward for helping hirandfather's home under dire circumstances The satyrs had already depleted their bounty watching their portable television

"Look at them, Doren," Newel breathed "Hours upon hours of entertainment," Doren muttered reverently

"The sports alone!" Newel cried

"Draaly

"So many lovely ladies," Newel purred

"Even the co," Doren enthused

"So ical marvels!"