“Can we tell him?”
Agatha shook her head. “If he figures it out, then that’s one thing. But the secrets of the Underworld don’t belong to you. You can keep their secrets, but it’s not your right to tell them.”
Elliot lay back on his bed. “Why did you save me from the Goblins? Ever since I met you, all you’ve done is curse me.”
“Yes, and you’re still cursed.” Agatha stood and brushed her hands together. “But I didn’t curse you to die by being scared to death, now, did I? What kind of hag would I be if you died before I’d finished cursing you?”
“Oh,” Elliot said. So maybe the fact that Agatha had saved him wasn’t such good news after all. “But your curse came true. You told me I’d face the leader of the Goblins, and I think he was there last night.”
Agatha shook her finger at him. “You’re not getting out of the curse that easily, young man. I didn’t curse you to lose—and trust me, you were losing very badly. I cursed you so that you’d face your fears and win.”
“Looks like my fears are going to face me, whether I want them to or not.” Elliot took a deep breath and then asked, “Do the Brownies know what happened?”
“Yes. Mr. Willimaker has been here several times since last night. He’s very worried about you. Fudd visited you too. He didn’t stay long, just checked your heartbeat and banged his head on the wall. I’m sure Mr. Willimaker will visit again soon.”
“I’m sure he will.” Elliot had seen more of Mr. Willimaker lately than his own family. “So that’s what it’s like, being scared to death, huh?”
“You were only mostly scared to death. Trust me, there’s a big difference. But the Goblins will be tired after that big show. You’re probably safe for the rest of the day.”
Probably safe. That also didn’t sound like good news. Elliot chewed his lip and then asked, “Agatha, is there someone in the Underworld named Kovol? Fudd said something about him, that he’s asleep.”
Almost all of the color drained from Agatha’s face. All of the color but a strange shade of yellow, which was very unsettling. Elliot was relieved when the color returned and she said, “Kovol. Why would a nice boy like you want to know about him?”
“I just want to know. He’s pretty evil, right?”
Agatha frowned. “He’s a demon, not a kitty cat. Of course he’s evil.”
Elliot leaned up on his elbows. “Is he someone so scary that nobody even dares to say his name aloud?”
“Are you kidding? We say his name all the time!” Agatha chuckled. Then her face darkened and she added, “But seriously, though, he is scary. He’s the last of the Underworld demons. He’s been asleep for the past thousand years, and the last I heard, he was still sleeping peacefully. You don’t have to worry about him, Elliot. Just worry about the Goblins. They’re trouble enough for one human boy.”
Uncle Rufus returned with the water and handed it to Elliot. At about the same time, Mr. Willimaker appeared at the foot of Elliot’s bed, scaring Elliot so much he jumped and spilled water all over the room.
“I’ll…uh, get you another glass,” Uncle Rufus muttered. Obviously, he couldn’t see Mr. Willimaker. “This time I’ll bring one with a lid.”
Agatha winked at Elliot as she followed Rufus out of the room. He wondered if she winked because she could see Mr. Willimaker, or if she were closing her eye to keep her bulging eyeball from falling out of her head.
Elliot turned to Mr. Willimaker, who bowed so low his nose nearly touched the blankets. “Your Highness, I can’t believe what happened. Had I known—”
“Had you known, then what?” Elliot interrupted. “Could you have protected me from the Goblins?”
Mr. Willimaker shook his head. “Well, no, I’m afraid not. The Goblins are much stronger than us Brownies. It seems they are stronger than you too.”
Elliot stubbornly folded his arms. “No, they’re not. I just wasn’t ready for them last night. Now I am, and that’ll never work on me again.”
Mr. Willimaker smiled and sat on Elliot’s bed. “I believe you, Your Highness, and admire your bravery. What are your plans now?”
“I dunno. Get better and hope they don’t try to kill me again before I go back to school tomorrow? My Uncle Rufus takes good care of Agatha, so I don’t have to worry about her being here.”
Mr. Willimaker smiled. “Yes, I saw Agatha when I poofed in here. She seems happier.”
“She saved me from the Goblins. I think she’s going to get her cursing powers back. When that happens, we’ll find a way for her to curse them once and for all.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Mr. Willimaker asked.
Elliot hadn’t thought about that. “This war has to end before the Goblins get me,” he said. “Better start thinking, Mr. Willimaker, because if Agatha doesn’t get her cursing powers back, it’ll be up to you and me to solve this problem.”
Mr. Willimaker swallowed a lump in his throat. If Elliot needed his help to solve this problem, then they were definitely in trouble.