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"Awake?" Grand bed "Yeah You too?"

"I’ve been up for so about hotel rooms has alwaysthe rooht "Any word from Grandpa?"

"He phoned earlier The raid on the Sphinx failed The house was vacant except for a series of traps and a few old men"

"They found Haden?"

"Yes," Grandhts have a substantial fund set aside for victims of circumstances like these"

"So the Sphinx and Torina and all of theot away?"

"Vanished without a trace"

"Did they take the stingbulb?" Kendra wondered

"No phony Kendras were found, so probably"

"Hoas Midwinter Eve?"

"According to your grandfather, boisterous but safe Considering what happened, we ht at Fablehaven and endure the coht"

Tanu came out from the bathroom in a T-shirt and shorts, his hair damp "We lived to see a new day," he said with a broad smile

"Good work," Grandma said "Stan thinks we may as well head horounds all night," Tanu said "Everything stayed quiet Seth’s ability to see the goblin assassin really foiled their plot The wolf and the gargoyle were only there as backup"

"You think we’re under the radar?" Grandma asked

"Looks like the Society has lost track of us Still, we’ll all be safer back inside the walls of Fablehaven"

Grandoblin?"

"We loaded hied We’ll press hieon"

"Let’s start collecting our things"

Kendra went to the bathroos were packed and waiting She strolled with Seth to the elevator, rolling her suitcase behind her Seth looked pensive

She leaned into hi invisible assassins?"

"I’ to wonder ifzombie voices because I was crazy"

"I wouldn’t write off the crazy theory without further investigation"

"At least I wasn’t kidnapped by a duplicate of myself"

"It does sound a little schizoid" They reached the elevator Kendra pressed the down arrow button

"Why do you get to push the button?" Seth complained

"What are you, like three years old?"

"I’ht up"

"You’re a goofball"

The elevator doors opened The car was empty Warren hustled to catch up

"Is it really e froles

"Very funny," Seth replied "I think so"

Warren joined them in the elevator Seth pushed the L button Then he pushed 5, 4, 3, and 2 "Race you down," he said, dashing out of the elevator before the doors closed, leaving his suitcase behind

"I think he’s going to beat us," Warren said, leaning against the wall

"If he doesn’t get kidnapped on his way down the stairs"

"Tanu is already down there Ruth will be along in a minute"

The doors opened to a similar view on every floor On the second floor soot on When the doors opened in the lobby, Seth stood there waiting, trying to look bored

"I got to push thehis suitcase

"Plus you earned fifty idiot points," Kendra said "A new record"

"What you call idiot points, I call awesoht the SUV to the front doors of the hotel Sparse snowflakes fluttered down fros, and Kendra cli since Tanu hadn’t slept

The ride back to Fablehaven was boring The roads were clear, but Grandma drove cautiously To make matters worse, they had to listen to Seth complain about the heater for the second half of the drive Eventually Grandma turned it down

Finally they left the road and started along the driveway Kendra had her head dohen Grandma exclaimed, "What is that?"

Kendra raised her head and saw a car sate, the hood badly cru fronize the vehicle

"Stop the car," Warren barked "Get Stan on the line"

Grandma slammed on the brakes and the SUV skidded to a halt They could hear the horn of the crushed car blaring endlessly

"This has to be a trap," Tanubefore Grandma could dial She answered "We’re here, we see it how long ago? okay, we’ll wait"

Grand up and shifted the SUV into reverse "The car just slaet back on the road until he figures out what is going on"