by Cavan Scott
“The fact that I’ll be trapped here with you?” Kaos asked innocently. “Yes, it did cross my simply STAGGERING MIND, which is why I invented . . . THIS.”
Kaos threw a small box into the air. It hovered for a second before bursting into bright green light.
“Gentlemen, may I introduce my latest invention,” Kaos announced as the cube began to unfold. “The compact, convenient, completely and utterly portable travel portal. Accept no substitutes. Patent pending.”
With a thud, the now fully grown portal slammed down to the trembling floor and flared to life.
“Instant travel back to any secret lair you choose. Come on, boys, it’s time to skedaddle.”
All around, the trolls started racing toward the portal, leaping over the fissures in the marble floor below and avoiding the crushing feet of the chaotic robot above. One by one they leaped onto its surface and vanished.
“We’ll be leaving you now,” gloated Kaos. “I’d like to say it was fun.”
“You need to take us with you,” yelled Spyro as a huge section of masonry narrowly missed him before crashing to the floor.
“Hmmm, let me think about that.” Kaos actually seemed to consider it before a spiteful smile stretched across his face. “Nah, don’t think so. Glumshanks, we’re off!”
“But what about this guy?” the butler shouted from where he was still suspending Flynn above the leaping flames.
“Let him roast. You can eat later.”
Glumshanks shrugged, released the rope, and pelted for the portal. With a terrified yell, Flynn plummeted toward the fire.
Eruptor was off like a shot, rolling himself toward the moat like a demented bowling ball. He toppled over the edge, straight into the fire, and caught Flynn before the flames could do any real damage. In a flash, Gill was beside them, dousing the pilot’s smoldering clothes with water from his pack.
It was just the distraction Glumshanks needed. The gangly troll was through the portal before anyone could stop him. Spyro knew he had to move quickly. As soon as Kaos escaped, the portal would be useless. He prepared to pounce, but Kaos spun around, magical energy crackling from his fingertips.
“Oh no you don’t, Spyro.”
The lightning lanced across the already weakened floor, splitting it in two. Giant flames plumed into the air between Spyro and the portal. “Nice try, Skyfool,” Kaos shrieked, “but you are, to coin a phrase, doomed. Enjoy being BURIED ALIVE!!”
Chapter Thirteen
Escape
The Machine of Doom’s bulky fist smashed down from above, crushing the portal beneath its steel-capped knuckles. Kaos let out a noise that was somewhere between a scream and a squeak and looked up. The giant one-armed robot loomed over them. It had lost its head and looked on the brink of breaking apart, but in the middle of the control cabin, Boomer was sitting in a spider’s web of cables, which he yanked this way and that.
“Sorry about that,” the troll apologized over the robot’s loudspeaker system, a wild grin plastered across his face.
“It took a while to rewire this thing, but I’ve got the hang of it now.”
“No!” shouted Kaos, falling to his knees beside the pulverized escape route. “My compact, convenient, completely and utterly portable travel portal. What have you done?”
“Fellas, I don’t think this lash up will last forever,” Boomer yelled over the noise of the collapsing pyramid. “If we’re going to get out of here, we have to do it now.”
“What are we waiting for, then?” bellowed Eruptor. “Give us a hand up.”
Boomer yanked the cables to his right and the Machine of Doom’s remaining arm swung around. Eruptor and Gill helped Flynn onto the robot’s upturned palm and were carried high into the air to join Boomer in the control cabin.
“Are you coming, Spyro?” Gill shouted down as Boomer pointed the automaton’s massive cannon at the floor.
Spyro looked at his friends and then to Kaos, who was scrabbling around on his knees, desperately trying to piece together his portal. He knew Kaos deserved to be left here in the very same trap he’d tried to spring, but he also knew what Master Eon would do. Making his decision, the little purple dragon launched himself into the air and, as he swooped by, grabbed Kaos by his cloak. His wings straining with the load, Spyro flew toward his friends, dodging falling masonry and tumbling beams.
Just when he thought he couldn’t make it, he saw Gill reaching down to him. He spun in midair, thrust his tail high, and felt the Gillman’s hands grab hold. Gill hauled Spyro and Kaos into the control cabin as Boomer fired the cannon straight into the chamber floor.
The recoil from the cannon blasted the Machine of Doom up into the air. It rocketed through the collapsing ceiling and burst out into the night sky. Beneath them, the pyramid finally tumbled into a pit.
For a second, it felt like they were hovering high above the devastation.
And then gravity took hold.
The Machine of Doom finally broke apart as they plummeted down. The Skylanders clutched onto anything they could as they fell, screaming all the way (except for Boomer, who seemed to love every minute).
For the second time that day the ground rushed up to greet them and . . .
WOOMPH!
Spyro opened his eyes to see Gill sprawled on his back, laughing hysterically. To his right Eruptor was standing on his head, while Boomer was leaping up and down on the thick, springy cloud that had broken their fall.
“Again, again!” the troll yelled as Flynn took off his flying helmet and scratched his head.
“Almost as good as one of my landings.”
A shadow fell over Spyro. He turned to see Eon silhouetted against the moon. The Portal Master waved his staff and the mist he’d conjured to catch them faded away.
“Are you well, young dragon?” Eon asked as they were gently lowered to the ground.
Spyro broke into a massive grin. “I am now. But how did you get here?”
“I’m not sure exactly what you’ve been up to, but the fog that shrouds the Forest of Fear cleared enough for me to open a portal.”
“Wait a minute,” chimed in Eruptor. “Where’s short, pale, and ugly?”
“Kaos!” Spyro remembered, looking around the crash site. Their adversary was nowhere to be seen.
“He got away?” moaned Boomer. “After all that?”
“You told us not to underestimate him,” Spyro remembered. “I won’t do it again.”
“We all underestimated Kaos,” Eon said solemnly. “Myself included. By the looks of things, he’s more dangerous than ever, and he won’t rest until he’s destroyed the Core of Light.”
“That’s a shame,” rumbled Eruptor, “because, boy, does he ever need his beauty sleep.”
Spyro couldn’t help but smile, although he knew Eon was right. This was only the beginning. Kaos would strike again, but next time they’d be ready.
“What a ride, though,” whistled Gill. “It’s not every day you face invisible trolls, get chased by living statues, and escape inescapable traps.”
“I don’t know,” said Spyro with a laugh. “Sounds like the norm to me.”
Gill wasn’t having any of it. “I still think it’s the kind of day they’ll write songs about.”
Eruptor’s face fell. “Don’t you dare, fish face.”
“In fact, I think I’ll start now . . .”
And with that, Gill Grunt began to sing.
Epilogue
Glumshanks poked his head around the door.
“Do you need anything else before bed, master?” he inquired, only to have a mug of hot cocoa thrown in his general direction. The china smashed on the doorframe, splattering the butler in steaming brown liquid. “I’ll take that as a no.”
The troll shut the door behind him.
/> In the middle of his evil lair, sitting in his evil chair by his evil fireplace, Kaos sat and sulked an evil sulk.
It had been a foolproof plan, and yet those goody-goody-two-shoe-wearing Skylosers had managed to escape.
At least they hadn’t captured him. At the last minute, as they’d tumbled from the sky, he’d managed to activate a fragment of the compact, convenient, completely and utterly portable travel portal and got himself home.
Still, he could imagine them laughing at him from Eon’s ivory tower.
They’ll be laughing on the other side of their faces soon enough.
Kaos grabbed a heavy book from his side table, cursed as it slipped through his fingers, and swore loudly as it landed on his stocking foot. Rubbing his aching toes, Kaos heaved the book back onto his lap and read the words emblazoned on the dark leather cover.
“101 Ways to Become Lord of Skylands.”
With a bitter snarl, he flicked the book open, snatched up a pencil, and scribbled out the words on the first page: “Plan One: The Machine of Doom.”
Then the corners of Kaos’s thin, cruel mouth twitched into a smile. The smile turned into a smirk and the smirk turned into a manic giggle.
This wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning.
Kaos turned the page . . .
END