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"The ceiling collapsed in part of the stairway up to the house," she replied "A section of the ceiling in the first hall fell in as well The et up here The rest of the dungeon see he needed was all those dangerous prisoners going free He wondered how eon

"I think we’ll leave Vanessa in the Quiet Box for now," Seth decided "I ht want her help later Can we keep Coulter in Vanessa’s cell with you?"

"Sure, I’ll watch over his body"

"Hugo, would youup Coulter

"I’ll wait here," Seth said "Hugo, youis hurt"

Hugo picked up the stingbulb in his other hand and lu underfoot Seth plopped down on the remnants of a couch Graulas e the house He had destroyed too ic must have been involved

Seth considered his assets The loyal golebulb, a see froht Kendra have replaced it in his roo her, it would be in its place under his bed Unless she had taken it to Living Mirage in order to return it to him

He took the coin froht of talking to the unicorn made him shiver How could he tell him that he had already lost the Translocator? No, he would reach out to Bracken later

What about Dale? Might he have joined the rescue mission? Coulter hadn’t specified Seth had never known Dale to go abroad on a mission He was probably around here soht be in trouble Seth would ask Hugo

Before long, heralded by heavy footfalls, the goleed couch

"Do you knohere Dale is?" Seth asked

The gole? Was he listening? Seth wasn’t sure how the golem saw and heard, or if his senses worked soolem said "Safe rooarded the golem How could he know Dale was at the stables? "Do you see hiers into the eo tapped his temple "See here"

"With your mind?"

"Yes"

"So Dale is safe for now?"

"Yes"

"Can you see Grandpa?"

Hugo raised his head searchingly, leaning first one way, then another "Too far"

Seth hadn’t expected it to work, but it had been worth a try "I need to look for o" The staircase from the entry hall had collapsed, but the hall at the top partly reo picked up Seth, walked over to where the stairs had once stood, and lightly tossed hiolem did not have to throw hi with the rest of the house, leaving an open view of treetops and stars The attic stairs were the other way

Passing gaps in the walls, Seth hustled to the attic stairs, which he found h the stairwell The playroo ood portion of the ceiling There were so under his bed, Seth instantly spotted his eency kit He checked inside and found the contents in place, including the figurines of the leviathan and the tower he had brought froo’s reaching grasp "I got it Noe can head for the h the back Glaring firelight brightened the night, the entirety of the barn now blazing Another portion of the structure collapsed, sending a ind of sparks above the towering flames Even from a distance, Seth could feel the heat of the inferno

As the goleed from the woods "Seth?" cried Doren "Seth!" shouted Newel

The satyrs gao slowed

"You’re all right!" Doren yelled "I knew it!"

"What’s happening?" Newel exclaiolem complied "I escaped from the Society and healed Graulas"

"You healed Graulas?" Newel yelled "Did the Society a as he died," Seth said "Instead he stole the artifacts I had and went on a rao The Society now has all the artifacts to open Zzyzx"

"And the treaty is down," Doren added "We felt the boundaries fall"

"Right," Seth confirh the woods," Newel said "This is going to be pandemonium Where’s Stan?"

"There’s nobody around" Seth explained how the others had been captured when trying to rescue him

"Quite a pickle," Newel lamented, hands on his woolly hips

"What happens now?" Seth asked "Will the creatures leave Fablehaven?"

Newel and Doren exchanged a glance "Many of the satyrs are fleeing toward Grunhold," Doren said "The domain of the centaurs will stand even with the treaty down Of course, the centaurs will now be coht depart But most have their homes here now It will be some time before many stray beyond the outer fence"

"Without a caretaker to cale," Newel guessed "They’ll offer safe harbor to other creatures in exchange for land They’ve always been sore they weren’t running the place"

"What about the dark creatures?" Seth asked

"Hard to say," Doren said "The deets older and battier every day The dark creatures will lack leadership The minotaurs could cause trouble if they decide to leave their territory, but I doubt the centaurs would allow it Without a leader, the goblins, hobgoblins, and iiants love their swaes in the upheaval Many of the darkest creatures hibernate except for on festival nights You’ll know better than anyone if the undead are on the ," Seth said "That’s a relief," Doren said

"What about you guys?" Seth asked

"We wanted to get a grasp of the situation," Newel said

"And now that you know ?"

"It would be fun to catch a oats inside?"

"No theaters will let goats in," Seth affiruy solanced at Doren "We could wear boots and baggy pants"

"Or you could help me try to save the world," Seth said

"You have a plan?" Doren asked