beds.
Seth plopped down on the other. "What happened in the dungeon clearly rattled you."
Seth bounced the ball, tossing it forward with a spin that brought it back to him. "You could say that."
"Hearing spectral voices strikes me as an experience that would normally excite you." Grandpa stared at him searchingly.
"It does. I mean, it's really cool that I could hear them. They offered to serve me, and part of me would love to have a zombie servant. Who wouldn't? But it felt wrong. Too creepy. Grandpa, what if destroying the revenant made me evil? I don't fear deadly creatures. I can see invisible shadow people. I hear whispers from your freakiest prisoners."
"Recognizing dark elements imperceptible to others doesn't make you evil," Grandpa said firmly. "Neither does having courage. We all possess different gifts and abilities. How we use those gifts determines who we are."
"I didn't feel any fear," Seth said. "Not the paralyzing kind. The voices were freaky, but I could get used to it. That's what scares me. The voice kept flattering me, calling me wise and powerful. I don't want phantoms to admire me! I'm sure it was setting me up for some nasty trick. I don't know if I can trust myself, Grandpa. I wanted to peek in the cell. If you guys weren't there, I probably would have!"
"You've always been more curious than most," Grandpa said. "Curiosity doesn't make you evil. Neither do flattering words from sinister entities. The wraith hoped to use you to get free. Nothing more. The fiend would have said anything to convince you."
"The worst part is, I really am curious. Sick as it sounds, I'd love to go hear more of what the wraith has to say. Not because I intend to let it out. It's just interesting. See why I can't trust myself? I'd go down there because I'm interested, and then that thing would probably find a way to trick me or hypnotize me, and pretty soon Fablehaven would be under attack from evil wraiths."
"But here you are instead, anticipating the possible dangers," Grandpa said. "You're doing what any sane and responsible person should do. Just don't succumb to your curiosity."
"Why exactly can I hear them?"
"I honestly don't know. But I do know that there is a difference between hearing and listening. You can't always help what you hear. But you can control what holds your interest, what you choose to dwell on."
Seth tossed the ball up and caught it. "I guess that makes sense. The whole thing still creeps me out."
"Now that we're aware of this ability, we'll keep you away from similar circumstances. In fact, that is part of the reason I came to speak to you. Do you know what day tomorrow is?"
"I was wondering when you'd bring this up. Tomorrow is the winter solstice."
Grandpa held up a hand. Seth tossed him the rubber ball, and he started bouncing it. "I didn't want to mention it too early and get everybody flustered. Things have been hectic enough without fretting about tonight being a festival night."
"Don't we have to make preparations? Carve pumpkins and all that?"
"The jack-o'-lanterns are an extra precaution, and not a very convenient one in this weather. I was thinking more along the lines of having your grandmother take you and Kendra to a hotel for the night."
Seth motioned for the ball, and Grandpa bounced it to him. "Isn't it dangerous to leave the preserve? The Society could come after us."
"We've weighed the pros and cons. I don't relish the idea of putting you beyond the protections offered by Fablehaven, but festival nights seem to be getting increasingly violent. If the Society intends to hit us where we live, it will probably happen tonight, when sinister creatures are free to cross boundaries and enter the yard. The voices you heard in the Hall of Dread have made the decision easy. Too many apparitions and shades roam the preserve on festival nights. I won't have you here if their voices can reach you. We'll send along Warren and Tanu to make sure you stay safe. You'll pay cash. It'll be just one night."
Seth nodded. He bounced the ball off the wall, missed the catch, and watched it roll away across the floor. "I can live with that. I'm not up for a whole night with monsters whispering crazy stuff to me. Speaking of Tanu and Warren, where are those guys?"
"While we were pursuing the messages from Patton, they were interrogating Vanessa with your grandmother."
"About what?"
"We're