would endure considerable hardship to avoid human interference. Don't worry about the pipsqueaks appealing to Stan-he won't hear about this from them. What do you say? Shall we grab some easy gold?"
"Lead the way," Seth said. He turned to the golem. "Hugo, are you willing to help us visit the nipsies?"
Hugo held up an earthen hand, the thumb and forefinger almost touching. He gave a slight nod.
They tramped forward through the undergrowth until Newel raised a cautionary fist. From the edge of a clearing, Seth saw a wide meadow with a grassy hill in the middle. The sides of the hill were steep, but ended abruptly about twenty feet above the ground, as if the top were flat. "We'll need Hugo to get us into the hill," Newel whispered.
"Would you?" Seth asked the golem.
Hugo effortlessly placed Newel on one shoulder, Doren on the other, and cradled Seth in his larger arm. The golem set off across the meadow, crossing to the hill with long strides. Near the base of the hill, the weeds at Hugo's feet began to writhe and snap. Seth saw thorny vines curling around the golem's ankles, and the green heads of carnivorous plants striking at his shins.
"Part of the problem right there," Doren pointed out. "The little nippers cultivated all sorts of venomous plants around the outskirts of their territory."
"Underhanded vermin," Newel grumbled. "I was limping for a week."
"We were lucky to get away with our skins," Doren said. "We need to reach the other side of the hill."
"The slopes of the hill are full of traps," Newel explained. "A sealed entrance awaits on the far side."
"Take us around the hill, Hugo," Seth said.
The aggressive plants continued lashing and squirming and biting, but Hugo strode forward heedless of the onslaught. On the far side of the hill, they found an irregular boulder as tall as a man embedded at the base of the slope. A gooey mass of yellow slime pooled around the stone.
"Have Hugo shove the stone aside," Doren suggested.
"You heard him," Seth said.
Hugo stepped onto the slick slime, which slurped against his huge feet. With his free hand, Hugo thrust the boulder aside as if it were made of papier-mache, revealing the mouth of a tunnel.
"Put us down in the entrance," Newel said.
"And then keep the slime at bay," Doren added.
"Do it, please," Seth implored.
Hugo placed Seth at the entrance to the tunnel, then set the satyrs beside him. The golem turned and began kicking away the slime, which splashed through the air in sticky globs and strands.
"He comes in handy," Newel acknowledged, nodding toward Hugo.
"We need to get one for ourselves," Doren agreed.
Seth stared at the walls of the tunnel. They were made of polished white stone with veins of blue and green. Intricate carvings etched the entire surface from floor to ceiling. Seth traced a finger over the elaborate designs.
"Not too shabby," Newel commented.
Seth stepped back from the wall. "I can't believe all the detail."
"Wait until you see the Seven Kingdoms," Doren said.
The three of them proceeded along the short tunnel. The roof was just high enough that none of them needed to crouch.
"Watch your step," Newel said. "Take care not to crush a nipsie. Their lives are just as real and valuable as anyone's. If you accidentally kill a nipsie, the protections of the foundational treaty of Fablehaven will no longer be yours."
"He's just saying that because of the time he stepped on a supply wagon and knocked the driver senseless," Doren confided.
"He made a full recovery," Newel replied stiffly.
"I don't see any nipsies here in the tunnel," Doren reported after bending down to study the smooth marble floor. "Then tread lightly at the far side," Newel recommended.
When Seth emerged from the far end of the tunnel, he unexpectedly stepped out into the sunlight. There was no top to the hill-the entire center had been excavated, leaving the slopes to form a circular wall around a unique community. "Look at that," Seth mumbled.
The entire area inside the hill was landscaped in miniature, bristling with tiny castles, mansions, factories, warehouses, shops, mills, theaters, arenas, and bridges. The architecture was complex and varied, incorporating soaring spires, swooping rooftops, spiraling towers, fragile arches, cartoonish chimneys, colorful canopies, columned walkways, multitiered gardens, and glistening domes. The nipsies constructed with the finest wood and stone, adding a gleam to many of their fanciful structures with precious metals and gemstones. Radiating out from a central pond, an elaborate irrigation system comprised of canals, aqueducts, ponds, and dams