by Tony Abbott
“We may not know who he is,” said Max, studying the charts spread out on the deck next to him, “but we do know where he is. From this chart I can tell where he’s taking Sparr … and us….” Clinging to the wheel, the spider troll pointed to a strangely shaped island on his map. “There.”
Galen looked from the map out to the far-off sea. He groaned under his breath.
“There, indeed,” he grumbled. “There … again!”
In the distant sea off the port bow stood a stone island with the likeness of a head.
It was the head of a giant snake, ready to pounce.
“Kahfoo Mountain?” gasped Keeah.
“Just so,” snarled King Zello.
Kahfoo was the primeval snake that Sparr had befriended long ago. The snake itself was no more, but its island home remained in the very center of the Serpent Sea.
Neal grumbled, “Did you ever notice how bad guys like making giant models of their heads around here? I mean, haven’t they ever heard of taking pictures?”
“Look,” said Julie, pointing to the wisps of purple fog drifting around the island. “As if we needed any proof, Shadowface is definitely there.”
“Steady now,” said Zello as they pulled closer. “Lower the sails. Cut the power!”
Max shut off the steam engines, and everything went quiet except for the lapping of waves against the wooden hull.
Drifting around the coast, they saw the back of Sparr’s ghostly ship disappearing into a high, arched cavern beneath the island.
“An underground grotto,” said Galen. He held his staff tightly. “We must follow him in. Hurry now. With every moment, Sparr is in more danger.”
“I’m afraid for him,” said Relna. “He’s under this creature’s control.”
Right, thought Eric. I hope we can get to him in time!
Within minutes, the Jaffa Wind slipped inside the grotto. Stealthily, the ship followed the purple fog under the island, worming its way between the cave’s jagged walls.
Galen’s eyes strained to pierce the gloom ahead. “Whoever Shadowface is, he possesses a dark will, darker perhaps than any I have known.”
Waving away the drifting purple fog, Eric couldn’t get Sparr’s last look out of his mind. It was hopeless, angry, and frightened all at once. “Hurry,” was all he could say. “Hurry.”
There was the sudden sound of a wooden hull thudding against stones. Then came the hesitant patter of footsteps.
Kem whimpered and pointed.
“There!” whispered Keeah, following the dog’s gaze.
On the far side of the channel, they saw the Skorth ship docked and unmoving. The black-cloaked boy was running up a set of stairs hewn from the rock, then pausing as if drawn against his will.
“Sparr!” called Zello. “Sparr, wait! You need us with you —”
“I doubt he can hear us anymore,” said Galen. “His mind hears only the words of Shadowface’s commands now. Come!”
Leaping down onto the bank before their ship had even docked, the group of friends ran straight to the steps. But the moment they began to climb, three massively armed Skorth warriors appeared at the opening at the top of the stairs. Their jaws hung open, and they seemed to be grinning.
“More bone boys?” murmured Neal. “I thought there were only nine.”
“Unless Shadowface has conjured more of them,” said Max.
Clack — click — clack! The warriors began to descend the steps.
Relna’s hands were already sparking. “Children, Galen, follow Sparr. The king and I will handle this.”
“We’ll keep them busy!” said Zello, unslinging his giant club and twirling it in his hand. “Come on, smiley boys, wipe those grins off your faces!”
As Relna crouched and sent a blast of blue sparks into the midst of the Skorth, Zello rushed right at the warriors, whacking any who managed to make it past the queen.
No sooner had the Skorth fallen to pieces than they began to reassemble themselves.
“That’s my arm!” growled one bone creature. “Here’s your foot!”
And as quickly as they came together again, the teamwork of the king and queen blasted them apart.
“Keep them busy, indeed!” said Galen with a chuckle. “There’s old-fashioned Droon bravery! Come, children, Kem. Up the steps. Now!”
As the battle continued, the eight companions jumped through the black opening and into a winding passage. Following it, they felt themselves moving up toward the center of the island. The air was heavy, clammy, and hard to breathe. Every now and then, they could hear a familiar humming sound echoing off the walls of the passage.
“Hurry! Time is running short!” urged Max.
They charged ahead faster, slowing finally before an opening in the passage. A faint purple light flickered deep within.
“So,” Galen whispered. “Here we are, in the presence of great evil. Let’s enter together. Side by side, if it helps.”
“Oh, it does,” said Julie, shivering.
One, two, three silent steps, and the group of friends was inside the eerie chamber. Tall columns supported a ceiling in which two red stones, the eyes of the stone snake head, stood fixed and glowing.
The little band slid into the shadows and remained still, barely breathing.
Crouched on the floor in the center of the room lay the dark heap of a boy — Sparr. He did not move. Nothing did. It seemed to the children as if time had stopped dead inside the awful chamber.
Kem whimpered softly, but Neal hushed him, holding him back.
Eric whispered, “Sparr?”
But no sooner had the name left his lips than a coil of purple mist appeared among the shadows and began to take shape.
As the purple fog whirled before their eyes, Galen spoke silently, Max, Shago — follow me. Children, keep hidden. Watch for my signal.
The wizard, the spider troll, and the thief slid to the left of the opening and moved silently away, while Keeah, Julie, Neal, Kem, and Eric darted to the right.
Moments later, Shadowface seemed to materialize out of the purple fog. He stood looming over the boy, a hazy, frightening form of swirling smoke and tattered rags.
“S … S … Sparr …” he whispered from under his hood. “You un … understood my c-c-command, didn’t you, boy?”
Sparr moved on the floor, then went still.
“What a memory is locked in th-that young head of yours! Nyora peskah … toth. You recalled the words as only you c-c-could —”
The old man wheezed. The sound of his swallowing was like marbles tumbling down a long drain.
Sparr, we’re here, said Eric silently, spying the others hiding in place behind Shadowface. We’ll help you. Make a sign if you can hear me….
The boy raised his head slightly but did not turn toward Eric.
“Give me the V-V-Viper,” Shadowface commanded.
When Sparr lifted the golden crown, the man’s arm rose to receive it. As it did, his sleeve slid back, revealing a pale hand, thin and bloodless.
Eric felt his own hands warming, his fingertips ready to spark.
In one swift move, Shadowface snatched the Viper away from Sparr. Immediately, the boy seemed released from his trance.
“Shadowface!” he snarled, shaking his head as if to clear it. “What just happened? How did you make me steal the Viper? How could you? And how do you know that language? I’m the only one alive who knows it. Who are you?”
In the near silence that followed, Eric heard that strange humming once more. Whatever was making the sound was moving closer.
Shadowface didn’t answer Sparr, but as he stared at the boy, the purple fog around him grew darker and denser.
Sparr staggered, clutching his chest.
“What’s wrong with me?” he asked, panicked.
“Ooh, ooh, I know!” said Shadowface, his voice growing deeper, less breathy. “And so do you. Remember the Isle of Mists? You suffered a transformation there. A change. You became young. But such
was the power of this Viper that something else happened, too. Someone else happened….”
Keeah gasped. Eric, what does he mean?
“Part of Lord Sparr was thrown back to his childhood….” Shadowface said, raising his white hand and moving it up toward his head.
Part of him? said Keeah silently.
“That part of him,” said Shadowface, “became a boy. That part of him became you….”
“What are you talking about?” said Sparr, breathing hard. “It’s not true —”
“The other part of the dark lord,” Shadowface continued, “was thrown ahead to the end of his life. Instead of being young and fresh and bright like you, he woke up old, withered, used up, at the very edge of death.”
“No! I don’t believe it!” said Sparr.
“You never knew you were half a person, did you, boy?” Shadowface snarled.
Sparr tried to speak, but Eric heard only the boy’s breathing. It was labored and shallow.
“While you joined with your new friends to battle Ko and Gethwing,” said Shadowface, “the old half of you scuttled away from the Isle of Mists like a crab. He fed on the darkness, hoping to restore himself to who he once was. He has been waiting, boy, for the right time. That time has come.”
As the figure paused to take a long, deep breath, Galen spoke silently. Ready yourselves!
“Who are you?” asked Sparr fearfully.
“Come now, boy. You’ve known me your whole life!”
Shadowface’s pale hands slowly reached up, one on either side of his face, and began to pull the hood back.
Eric felt his blood turn to ice. His heart thundered in his chest.
“I …” Shadowface began.
The hood snagged for a second before sliding back.
“I am …”
He paused as the hood revealed first one, then a second withered black fin sticking up from behind his ears.
“I am … you!”
Sparr quaked suddenly, then slumped to the ground. “No, no, no!”
Removing his hood completely now, Shadowface looked as Sparr himself might have looked if he were centuries old. The fins behind his ears were ancient and torn, ragged and lifeless. His skin was pale, almost see-through, and wrinkled beyond belief.
Eric’s head throbbed.
Could this possibly be true? Is Shadowface really the other half of Sparr? Even in a magical place like Droon, is that even … possible?
“There was someone else on the Isle of Mists, wasn’t there?” Shadowface continued. “Someone else who was split in two.” He turned slightly and gave out a low, broken whistle.
There came a tired growl, then an old beast loped slowly out of the shadows. A beast with two heads.
Oh, my gosh! thought Eric.
Sparr gasped. “Kem? Kem!”
It was Kem. Or rather it was Kem as he would look if he were hundreds of years old. His twin heads drooped, his hide sagged. One of his heads stared glassily to one side, while the other lifted itself painfully, tentatively to watch what was happening in the room.
From the moment the old dog appeared, Neal had kept his hands over the puppy’s mouths to keep him silent. “Shhh, boy, shhh.”
Spotting the boy on the floor, the old dog limped over on three legs, dragging the fourth to the side, and drooling all the way. He sniffed Young Sparr, then slumped on the floor next to him.
“Knowing that Ko was about to begin his final assault on free Droon,” said the man, “I used what power I had to steal the Skorth bones. If I could help Ko with his battle, I could bring Droon to its darkest moment. This island is where the Empire of Goll began ten centuries ago. Here is where evil is at its most terrible. Here is where I can unite the two parts of myself again —”
“But I’m not part of you!” shouted Sparr. “I’m not … I can’t be!”
“Oh, but I did it for you!” Shadowface pleaded in a mocking tone. “I led you here so you and I could become ourself again. Lord Sparr!”
“No —”
The sound of explosions and yelling came from outside the mountain. The friends exchanged glances in the shadows.
The battle is just outside, thought Eric. But there’s an even bigger battle in here.
“I have assembled an unbeatable force,” said Shadowface. “More Skorth than anyone could ever imagine. They shall be my army! Ko and Gethwing will fight each other soon. One will lose, and the winner will fall to me. Only one person stands in my way now. Or rather, he crouches in my way….”
“You’re cracked,” groaned Sparr.
“In two!” said the man with an icy laugh. “But we’ll end that right now! What broke us apart will put us back together again —”
With that, Shadowface raised the Coiled Viper over his head. Beams of brilliant blue light engulfed the boy.
“No!” cried Sparr, frozen in the fierce light.
“No is right!” cried Galen at last, leaping from the shadows. “Sorcerer, you shall not win! Everyone, now!”
At once, the three wizards charged Shadowface, their blasts blazing, while Neal conjured a net of chains that he threw over the man. But Shadowface was ready for them. Sidestepping Neal’s net, he threw a lightning bolt of red flame at Galen, knocking him, Shago, and Max across the room into Eric, Julie, and Keeah. Breaking free, Kem leaped over to Sparr and the old dog.
“Ha-ha! Already my strength begins to return!” Shadowface laughed.
“Blast him again!” cried Keeah. She, Eric, and Galen scrambled to their feet and sent a barrage of lightning bolts at Shadowface with all their might. But one after another, he parried them as more explosions burst outside. They were followed by the sound of wood splintering and of men and beasts falling and splashing into the Serpent Sea.
“Skorth!” shouted Shadowface. “Keep them from us — until we become … me!”
Whoomp! A burst of purple fog filled the room.
“My eyes!” cried Julie. “It stings!”
“And stinks!” added Neal, pinching his nose.
Keeah blew out a charmed breath and cleared the chamber. But Shadowface had vanished. So had Sparr. So had both Kems, young and old. In their place were row upon row of Skorth warriors. They were all grinning and all armed.
“Uh-oh,” whispered Max. “I think we’ve stayed too long.”
Nodding their skulls in agreement, the bone warriors charged.
“Behind me, children!” shouted Galen, raising his shimmering staff. “You men of bone and iron were made from dark things. And to dark things you shall return — now!”
Galen swung his staff and knocked two bone warriors to the ground. Their pieces clattered across the floor, but they instantly began to reassemble themselves.
“Attack!” cried Shago.
Together, the seven friends launched themselves into the rows of Skorth warriors. They battled them out of the chamber, down the passages, up the stairs, out of every tunnel, and through one hall after another.
Up and down, right and left, backward and forward, the band of seven fought the fearful warriors, and slowly but surely coiled up farther inside the monstrous snake’s stone head.
All the while, the sounds of the surrounding sea battle grew louder.
With a great triple blast from Keeah, Galen, and Eric, the friends managed to blow the Skorth into a pile of loose bones, trapping them in a narrow tunnel.
Neal searched his scroll furiously, then stopped with a grin. “We can’t hurt them, but we can stop them!” With a quick murmur of words, he surrounded the bones in an enormous block of ice, sealing them in the tunnel.
“Skorth on ice,” he said. “I like it!”
“Now — to Sparr!” said Eric. “Hurry!”
Following Galen’s lead, they bolted up to the island’s summit.
Bursting out the top of the snake’s head, they saw Shadowface standing across from Sparr. The two dogs faced each other next to them. The sorcerer held one hand menacingly over the boy, while the other held the Coi
led Viper. Its blue light enveloped Sparr like a cloud.
“We don’t care who you are, Shadowcreep,” shouted Neal. “Guys — blast him!”
Instinctively, the wizards sent a spray of multicolored sparks at the tall sorcerer.
Shadowface only laughed. For when the combined blasts struck, they seemed to have no effect on him, while young Sparr crumpled to his knees and howled in pain.
“It isn’t working!” said Keeah. “Eric, Galen, again —”
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The air over the island blazed with blue, violet, and silver light.
But with every blast, Shadowface seemed to grow more defined and real, while the boy faded.
“Stop! Stop!” cried the boy finally, writhing on the ground, trapped in the Viper’s blue glow. “Don’t you see? It’s me you’re attacking! He wants you to hurt me! He wants me to fade away to nothing! I’ll be no more and he’ll be young again —”
The old man laughed a chilling laugh. “He’s right, you know! Care to fire again?”
As the Viper’s light continued to fall over Sparr, the boy’s cloak began to change from pitch-black to dark gray. At the same time, the old sorcerer’s skin took on more color. Blood rose in his cheeks. He became younger and began to fire back at the children.
Ka-blam! Fooom!
Eric staggered back from the summit with his friends, taking shelter behind a mound of stone.
“Guys, what are we going to do … ?”
He stopped. No sooner had he asked his question than Eric knew what they had to do. He lowered his sparking hands.
“Eric —” said Keeah.
“We have to stop,” he said. “The more we fire at Shadowface, the more we hurt Sparr.”
“But he’s draining our friend away to nothing!” cried Max. “I can’t watch. He’s evil, pure evil!”
The old sorcerer’s attack on them did not cease. Wha-boom! Blam! Bolt after bolt of red flame exploded on their hiding place, while young Sparr grew still more blurry and lifeless. Kem, too, underwent the same change. His younger self lay weak and trembling next to the boy, while the old beast grew more hearty and youthful.
Even as anger rose in him, Eric felt his throat begin to sting. He turned to the wizard. “Galen, if we let them join together, could there, I mean, could there still be some of our friend in him? Could he … survive?”