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Now that they had the leprechaun, silence no longer s he snapped, Seth dashed to join the satyrs Now all they had to do was prevent the leprechaun fro as they kept hold of hiic was useless Patton had provided an extensive list of warnings and advice

Doren opened thethe littleto the flask of whiskey

"Unhand edly

"Hi, Corards" The letter had proet the leprechaun’s attention

The littleHe looked stricken "Patton, you say? He gave you my name? Who are you? What is this?"

Seth set the leprechaun on the sand, but kept hold of one ar the whiskey flask

"The bag’s e inside

Cormac scowled up at him "Of course it’s eold coins," Newel corrected

The little ht, but I’m not so slow that I would miss the chance to pocket a coin or two"

"Or seventy!" Doren said "And thirty along the bank of the stream How many pockets do you have?"

The leprechaun perly cried "We weren’t the ones stealing"

"Who was stealing?" Cormac protested in a hurt tone "I find a coin in the woods, I pick it up Any honest chap would do the sa"

"This could have been our ca"

"Aye, but you weren’t off hunting," the leprechaun corrected with a wink "You were skulking in the bushes, professional villains hoping to entrap an honest citizen of Fablehaven and extort his wealth You’re con men You’re extortionists I demand to be released at once"

"Sorry, Corive us some items Patton left with you"

The leprechaun huffed and shook his head "I’ items for friends, let alone archenemies Do I look like a warehouse foreo handler? It’s like I said, you’re extortionists, and I won’t stand for it"

"Call us whatever na to do ant"

"You can start by returning our coins," Newel pressed

Corave him a blank stare "Coins, you say? My memory is faulty of late I’ fellow I aold, and I have no lair I’m a humble cobbler by trade I could repair a shoe or two, I suppose, if you require recompense to spare my life"

"We don’t have a lot of time," Seth said "Maybe we should just take your coat and call it even"

Cor Seth could feel hi "Very well," he said cordially "I can see you’re no novices What would you have ," Seth said "You’ll take us to your lair, give us ant, then escort us back out I’ ed at his beard with his free hand "Patton Burgess," he spat like profanity "Will the scoundrel ever quit haunting rave he reaches out to take what’s mine"

"No," Seth said "We just want the iteold back," Newel re his head, his body liainst Seth, who maintained a firm hold of his arht and flicked the leprechaun sharply on his ear The little rily, shifting his grip to hold the leprechaun’s legs "Take his coat off"

"With pleasure," Newel said, going to work on the tiny gold buttons

Doren snatched away the whiskey flask

"No!" Cormac bellowed "Please! I submit! You’ll have the bell, the call, and the ers old!" the leprechaun proh, Newel," Seth said The satyr stopped unbuttoning the coat Seth held up Cormac so they could stare eye to eye "Any other trick, any other attempt to escape, the coat comes off, no questions asked Then we’ll shave your whiskers And then Ilure Don’t test me I’ve had a really bad week"

For the first ti "You’ll have no more trouble out ofa few angles? Tell me your name"

"Seth Sorenson"

"Well, Seth, for the first tiess, I seem to have met my match I have not formally introducedthis for fun," Seth said "We really need those items We don’t mean to harass you"

"Which way to your lair?" Doren asked

"Behind the waterfall," Cor upstream "We’ve checked that waterfall for caves!"

The leprechaun gave hiic"

Seth carried the leprechaun upstreae Corster I needhold of o ive you my word as a leprechaun not to slip away"

"Patton warned ," Seth said "And I warned you not to try any more tricks I’ll hold you by your beard Patton said that will free you to open your lair without enabling you to use ainsthis chin whiskers between thuers and the waterfall stopped flowing A tunnel, square with rounded corners, appeared in the rock face behind

Seth picked up the leprechaun and pulled out a flashlight Treading carefully over loose rocks, he ducked into the tunnel The low ceiling forced him to walk in a crouch Newel and Doren followed

The earthy corridor reeked of pipe se, uncut emeralds lay scattered on the floor and embedded in the walls

"Look at those stones," Newel said "I know a jeweler who could make them sparkle"

"Who, Benley?" Doren asked

"No, Sarrok, the troll No one at Fablehaven has a keener eye or a steadier hand" Newel crouched to study a dull emerald the size of a new bar of soap

"The instructions warned us to touch nothing in here," Seth reives us"

"Waste of resources," Newel grumbled

The tunnel broadened into a rounded rooainst one wall A low table sat beside a still pool of water in the center of the room

"The items," Seth prompted

"Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a crock of gold?" Cormac asked "Much more traditional"