Page 19 (1/2)

As if in response, the wall at the back of the cell ru a white glow

"Did you hearto myself?"

"No," Bracken said "But don’t worry,with ourselves on occasion All part of the fun How did it go?"

"He took "

"I wish"

"Are you all right?"

Seth shrugged "They didn’t beatin my mind She can talk like you, telepathically She acted like she wanted to teaet inside my head Wait a minute"

"What?"

"When I use that coin, you can read hts you send to me"

Seth went and plopped on the cot It swayed and creaked beneath his weight "How do I know that’s true? How do I know you’re not scouring uess you don’t," Bracken said "You don’t have to use it"

"What’s with everybody reading minds around here?"

"You could hear her, but she couldn’t read your mind unless you let her"

"Like I let you"

"I see your concern"

Seth leaned back on his cot He placed his hands behind his head "Now I feel like I’ist"

"Tell me about your childhood," Bracken joked

"I’ve heard wraiths and zombies in my mind," Seth said "But I’ve never mentally talked to a friend Kendra used to describe what it was like talking to the Fairy Queen"

"Your sister? She spoke with the Fairy Queen?" He sounded keenly interested

"Whoops Maybe I shouldn’t get into that I guess it’s no big secret anymore The Sphinx knows that she’s fairykind"

"You mean fairystruck?"

"No, fairykind The Sphinx was the first to diagnose her, actually I probably shouldn’t talk about that stuff Sounds like Maddox and the others haven’t"

Bracken reached out a hand and hoisted Seth to his feet "Whether or not the Sphinx knows about your sister, you’re right that you should keep that kind of infornificance of a hu fairykind That status is very rare, and shows a tremendous amount of trust from the Fairy Queen She has never bestowed trust easily"

"Do you know her?"

Bracken looked inexplicably uncomfortable "All unicorns know the Fairy Queen" After a brief pause, he smiled and clapped Seth on the arured you could use so up after your interlude with the Sphinx"

Seth followed Bracken out into the passage They travelled the opposite direction froh a secret door, up a crude stairway, through a crawl space, out a hidden hatchway, and down a cramped hall Near the end of the hallway Bracken stopped

"I’m about to show you my favorite place"

"Okay," Seth said, suitably curious

"I et it"

Bracken simultaneously pressed and turned two stones, and a section of the wall swiveled open, turning on a central pivot As Bracken led the way through the entrance, he extinguished his stone and felt along the wall He flipped a switch and overhead lights turned on, along with a few la fans

"No way," Seth breathed Five pinballon another A pool table helped fill the middle of the roo table and a Foosball table On one side of the room, three leather couches huddled around a flat-screen television A large weight machine dominated the far corner of the rooe jukebox stood to one side of the secret entrance

Seth wandered over to the Foosball table Indians versus cowboys

"Recognize it?" Bracken asked

"Why?"

"Because you went straight to it, and it just barely showed up"

Seth nodded "I think I played Foosball against the Sphinx on this table when I first met him Or one just like it Kendra did too"

"This room is our best evidence that the Sphinx knoe sneak around down here," Bracken said "In fact, hat you mentioned about the Foosball table, we can consider it a certainty He uses this roos disappear Sometimes the room is left empty As we behave, iteed that this place exists Welcoeon rec center"

"Does the TV work?"

"Everything works The TV gets lots of channels"

"How did he get electricity down here?"

"Wires?"

"Right" Seth walked over to a pinball machine He tapped the flipper buttons

"The yellow button starts the gah score?"

"Me On all of the to take you down"

"I’d like to see that," Bracken chuckled "I have pretty good reflexes, and I’ve been playing them for alood at pool"