Part 3 (1/2)

Sorry, I needed an opener. I have three watches. A watch can be a great place to hide a coin. Errol squeezed his wrist and then held up a silver dollar. He put his glove back on, and the coin vanished in the process.

So you do have a pocket watch, Kendra said.

Errol held up the empty chain. Sadly, no, that was true. I p.a.w.n shop. I needed to buy combs for my girlfriend.

Kendra smiled, getting the reference. Errol did not explain it to Seth. So, do I pa.s.s inspection? he asked.

Kendra and Seth looked at each other. If you get rid of the kobold, Kendra said, I'll believe anything you say.

Errol looked a little concerned. Well, see, the thing is, I'm going to need your help to do it, so we're going to need to trust one another. You could call your grandpa, and he could tell you about Coulter, at least. And then he could get in touch with Coulter, who would tell him about me. Or maybe Coulter has already contacted him. For now, consider this-your grandfather has hardly told a soul that you were fairystruck, and I am certain he urged you to keep that information private as well. Yet I am privy to that knowledge.28 29What do you mean by fairystruck? Kendra asked.That the fairies shared their magic with you. That you can see whimsical creatures without a.s.sistance.

You can see them too? Seth asked.

Sure, if I use my eyedrops. But your sister can see them all the time. I got that information directly from Coulter.

Okay, Kendra said. We'll check with our grandpa, but until we hear back, we'll trust that you're here to help.

Fabulous. Errol tapped his temple. I'm already hatching a plan. What are the chances of you two sneaking out tomorrow night?

Kendra winced. That's going to be tough. I have finals the next day.

Whatever, Seth said, rolling his eyes. We'll pretend to go to bed early and slip out the window. Would it work to meet around nine?

Nine would be nearly perfect, Errol said. Where should we rendezvous?

You know the service station on the corner of Culross and Oakley? Seth suggested.

I'll find it, Errol said.

What if Mom and Dad notice we're missing? Kendra said.

Which would you rather do: risk getting grounded, or keep putting up with your ugly friend? Seth asked.

Seth was right. It was a no-brainer.30Extermination Procedures The sky was nearly dark when Kendra and Seth entered the service station's convenience store. Inside, one of the fluorescent bulbs was flickering, interrupting the harsh, even glow. Seth fingered a candy bar. Kendra turned around in a circle. Where is he? We're almost ten minutes late.

Play it cool, Seth said. He'll be here.

You're not in a spy movie, Kendra reminded him.

Seth picked up the candy bar, closed his eyes, and smelled it from end to end. Nope. This is the real thing.

Kendra noticed the headlights of a battered Volkswagen van flas.h.i.+ng in the parking lot. Maybe you're right, she said, approaching the window. The lights flashed again.

Squinting, she saw Errol behind the wheel. He motioned her over.

Kendra and Seth crossed the parking lot to the van.31 Are we really going to drive away with him in that thing?Kendra mumbled.

Depends on how badly you want to get rid of the kobold, Seth replied.

The creature had not caused any new commotion that day at school, although he had taunted Kendra with several knowing looks. The horrid imposter was reveling in his victory.

He kept hanging around with her friends, and there was nothing she could do about it. Who knew what his next act of sabotage might be?

Kendra had continued to try to reach Grandpa Sorenson, and had repeatedly gotten the recorded message that the call could not be completed as dialed. Had he stopped paying his phone bill? Maybe he had switched telephone numbers?

Whatever the cause, she had still not been able to speak with him to confirm whether Errol could be trusted.

Errol leaned across the van and pushed the door open.

Once again he was wearing his rumpled, antiquated suit.

Kendra and Seth climbed inside. Seth shut the door behind them. The motor was already running.

Here we are, Kendra said. If you're going to kidnap us, tell me now. I can't handle the suspense.

Errol put the van into gear and pulled out of the service station onto Culross Drive. I'm really here to help you, Errol said. Although, if I had kids, I'm not sure I would want them climbing into a vehicle late at night with a man they'd just met, no matter what story he told them. But do not fret, I'll deliver you safe and sound to your home before long.32 Errol turned onto a different street. Where are wegoing? Seth asked.

Nasty vermin, kobolds, very tenacious, Errol said. We need to get something that will enable us to drive the interloper away permanently. We are going to steal a rare item from a wicked and dangerous man.

Seth leaned forward on the edge of his seat. Kendra leaned back with her arms folded. I thought you said you were a kobold exterminator, Kendra said. Don't you have your own gear?

I have expertise, Errol said, turning onto a new street.

Exterminating a kobold is a trifle more complicated than spraying your yard with chemicals. Each situation is unique and demands improvisation. Be glad that I know where to get what we need.

They rode in silence for a few miles. Then Errol pulled off to the side of the road and switched off his lights. We're already here? Seth asked.

Fortunately, what we need is close by, Errol said. He indicated a stately building half a block down the road. A sign out front read: MANGUM.

FUNERAL HOME.

SINCE 195533 We're going to break into a mortuary? Kendra asked.Are we going to steal a body? Seth said, sounding too eager for Kendra's liking.

Nothing so morbid, Errol a.s.sured them. The owner of the mortuary, Archibald Mangum, lives on the premises. He owns a stylized figurine in the likeness of a toad. We can use the figurine to drive away the kobold.

He wouldn't just lend it to us? Kendra asked.

Errol smiled. Archibald Mangum is not a kind man. In fact, he is not a man at all. He is a vampiric abomination.

He's a vampire? Seth asked.

Errol c.o.c.ked his head. Strictly speaking, I have never encountered an actual vampire. Not like you see in the movies, turning into bats and hiding from the sun. But certain orders of beings are vampiric in nature. These beings are probably where the notion of vampires originated.

So what exactly is Archibald? Kendra pressed.

Hard to say for certain. Most likely a member of the blix family. He might be a lectoblix, a species that ages swiftly and must drain the youth of others to survive. Or a narcoblix, a fiend capable of exerting control over victims while they are asleep. But given his residence, my best guess would be that he's a viviblix, a being with the power to temporarily reanimate the dead. Like the vampires of legend, blixes connect with their victims through a bite. All varieties of blixes are highly uncommon, and here you are, with one just a few miles from your home!

And you want us to break into his mortuary! Kendra said.34 My dear, Errol said. Archibald is away. I wouldn'tdream of sending you anywhere near his funeral home if it were otherwise. It would be far too perilous.

Will he have zombie guards? Seth asked.