by Tony Abbott
As the walls parted, they saw the hundreds of ruined columns, fallen walls, and broken stones that were the remains of an ancient empire.
But by far the most amazing sight was the giant snake that lay coiled amid the ruins. It gave off a dazzling light as if its scales were on fire. Its great flat head sat staring at Sparr.
“Um … I think we found Kazoo,” said Neal.
“Kahfoo,” whispered Julie.
“Bless you!” said Max.
Behind the snake was a twisted path through the ruined stones far into the shadowy distance.
Sparr strode into the blazing cavern, the jagged V-shaped scar on his forehead turning red in the light.
“Kahfoo the Great!” he cried. “Take me to the heart of the underworld. Let me see its old palaces and temples where old secrets will be revealed to me. It is a path of danger, yet my magic cloak will protect me. I will find what I seek! I will conquer everything!”
“Oh, get a life!” whispered Julie. “The guy isn’t happy having a bunch of Ninns obey him, he needs everybody else to do it, too?”
Neal snorted. “He definitely has issues.”
“Kahfoo … arise!” said Sparr.
At his command, the snake slowly lifted its head and began to uncoil, hissing menacingly.
It slithered through the ruins to its full length, stopped, turned its head to Sparr, and waited.
“Enough!” snarled Galen, his fingers sparking. He burst out of hiding and jumped into the cavern. “Sparr — you shall not find what you seek!”
The sorcerer turned. His eyes flashed. “You!”
The fins behind Sparr’s ears turned from purple to black. “You cannot scare me, old man. You or your little army. Part one of my plan is already complete —”
Neal growled. “What is your dumb plan?”
“And how many parts does it have?” asked Khan.
Sparr laughed cruelly, then stared right at Eric. “It’s nice to know that one of us will help me find my destiny.”
“Hold your tongue, Sparr,” Galen hissed.
Eric shivered. One of us?
Keeah clutched his arm. “Eric, remember that you are not alone. And you will not help Sparr!”
In Keeah’s face, he saw the strength he had seen so many times before, but it was different now. Somehow, it made him feel strong, too.
A single spark flashed from her hand to his.
“Enough talk,” said Galen. “We shall show you what we are worth — three against one!”
Keeah and Eric jumped to one side, Galen to the other, and together they sent blast after blast at the sorcerer. Kkkk-boom-boom-boom!
Sparr wrapped his new cloak around him and backed into the cave. “Ninns, get the children!”
At his word, a squad of the red warriors rushed up to a ledge and began hurtling rocks at Neal and Julie. They ran for shelter while Shago sent his magic rope coiling around the Ninns.
With a quick yank, the Ninns came bouncing to the floor below. Then Max and his fellow trolls swiftly twirled a spider silk net over them.
“Score one for the good guys!” yelled Neal.
Khan and Batamogi together were more than a match for any single Ninn. Friddle, who did not fight, kept score on his scratch pad.
“We are winning!” he said. “Yes, we are!”
“That’s because we are one awesome team!” Neal whooped.
With each blast, Sparr edged closer and closer to the giant snake. But even as the kids seemed to gain the upper hand, Eric felt his hands weakening, as if he were growing tired.
“Keeah, something’s wrong,” he said.
“I feel it, too,” she said, fighting alongside him. “Even Galen seems to be tiring —”
The sorcerer laughed. “Yes! Yes! You feel it, all of you. It is the magic of the old empire. The longer you stay in Goll, the weaker you become. At the same time, I become more powerful!”
He leaped onto Kahfoo’s fiery back, protected from the flames by his magic cloak. “So you see, both ways, I win.”
“Not always, Sparr!” chirped Max’s little voice. “In five … four … three … two …”
Whoompf! A tongue of flame leaped from the snake’s back and onto Sparr’s cloak. The cloak burst into flames. Sparr howled, “But … but … how?”
Max jumped up and down with glee. “I did that! I did that! I wove a little something extra into the cloak. Serves you right for forcing us!”
As Kahfoo slithered into the distance, Sparr tried to put out the fire. “Ooh! Ouch! Ackkk!”
Galen burst out laughing. “Oh, Max! You have done well. This is one for the Chronicles!”
“Ninns!” yelled Sparr. “Follow me! Ouch!”
Blindly obeying their master, the Ninns jumped onto Kahfoo’s fiery back, too. “Ooh! Agg! Ackk!” they cried. “The things we do for Sparr!”
Finally, the twin Orbs of Doobesh, spinning around together, followed the snake into the underworld of Goll.
And Sparr cried out his last, strange word.
“Koo — ko — sah — lah — temm!”
“What does that mean?” asked Max.
Vrrrt! The giant stone doors began to close.
“I think we know what it means!” said Neal. “And I think we’d better run — now!”
The crew raced from the Room of Kahfoo and slipped through the closing doors. But Galen turned, staring back at the fiery snake.
“Master,” said Max. “Let’s go, quickly.”
Galen shook his head. “Sparr is on a terrible quest. Perhaps I can discover a secret in Goll that will defeat him once and for all. I must follow him. It may be Droon’s only hope.”
Trembling, Max clung to Galen’s robe. “But master … you can’t leave … you … you have no magic cloak.”
“And you heard Sparr,” said Keeah. “You’ll lose your powers in the underworld.”
The earth thundered and the great black doors inched closer together.
“I have the love of all of you,” said the wizard. “What better gift can a person have?” Then, winking, he said, “Besides, there are still some tricks up my sleeve! As for you, your journey lies elsewhere. Your adventure together has just begun. Now don’t worry, we’ll meet again in the blink of an eye!”
With that, Galen leaped back through the crack of jagged stone. Rushing toward the fiery snake, he jumped onto its back. It twitched and slithered and carried him away, deep into the underworld of Goll.
“Master!” Max cried. “I’ll make a great big pie for your return! A huge pie, the best pie —”
A moment later, the doors shut with a resounding booom. And Galen was gone.
Everyone stared at the blank wall of stone.
“Oh,” Max whimpered. “Oh.” His head sank and his legs collapsed beneath him.
Keeah tried to comfort him. “Galen will come back, Max. He always keeps his word —”
Friddle scampered up the tunnel, waving his pad. “I’ve finished my calculations. The mountain will sink again in … three minutes!”
Eric turned to Keeah. “You’re captain now.”
The princess took a breath. “To the ship!”
By the time they got to the mouth of the cave, giant waves were surging to and fro, knocking the ship from side to side.
“Aft engines on,” cried Keeah. “Set sail. Everyone to the oars. We need as much speed as we can get!”
“Aye, aye, Captain!” shouted the crew.
With only moments to spare, the Jaffa Wind cleared the cave.
The instant the ship launched out to the open sea, the giant mountain of Kahfoo crashed completely beneath the waves.
“Hooray!” Max chirped. He jumped into Keeah’s arms. “You have saved the ship. You are a great captain. Galen would be proud. Now, let us make a course for home and try to find him!”
“No winds or waves or beasts shall hinder our voyage,” said Keeah. “Batamogi, harp, please!”
The king of the Oobja plucked a delicate son
g on the harp and a blue glow surrounded the Jaffa Wind. Its bright sails spread in the morning sun like giant wings, and the ship gathered speed as never before.
From his place in the rigging, Eric looked down at Keeah standing where Galen had stood.
He knew she was probably afraid. He was scared, too. But he remembered what Galen had told them, and he said it aloud.
“Our adventure together has just begun.”
Neal grinned. “I love the way that sounds.”
“It means we’ll all be together for a long time,” said Julie. “Keeah, too. That’s the best part.”
They climbed down the ropes to the deck.
With his mind focused only on his power, Eric sent a single spiral of blue light over to the princess. It lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
Keeah turned and smiled as the three kids approached her.
“We want to help,” said Eric.
“A lot,” said Julie.
“You are helping,” Keeah replied. “More than you know.”
The four friends stood together against the railing, looking out over the sea. The sky was a shimmering rainbow of purple and pink and blue.
Four days and nights, they sailed back over the seas toward Jaffa City. On the way, Khan, Batamogi, Shago, and the spider trolls all went back to their homes. On the fifth day, Max sighted the many-colored towers of the royal city.
“Land ho!” cried Neal.
“I saw it first,” said Julie. “Land ho, for real!”
When the ship sailed into the harbor, King Zello was there with hundreds of well-wishers.
“Welcome!” he boomed. “You are all safe!”
Keeah tried to hold back her tears as she told him what had happened. “Galen is gone.”
Zello broke into a strange smile. “Er, not quite. He’s been on his magic mirror all morning, giving us instructions and telling us to help you —”
Max jumped. “Oh, let me see him!”
Queen Relna was waiting for them in the tower when they rushed in. “Everyone, look!”
On the mirror was Galen’s face. His white hair was being blown about by a mysterious wind. The air around him was red. There was a terrible crashing and booming noise in the background.
“Max, Keeah, children,” said Galen, turning to them, “please sharpen more pens for my return. I shall have much to write in my Chronicles!”
“I shall, master, I shall!” chirped Max, sounding very much like his old self again.
“Together,” said Galen, “I want you to find something called the Moon Scroll. It will explain everything. Now more than ever, you will need to know the truth. Do not fail!”
“The Moon Scroll,” said Eric. “We’ll find it.”
“Once you find it, you shall begin the adventure of a lifetime,” said the wizard.
“As if it’s been boring so far,” Neal joked.
“We won’t fail to find the scroll,” said Keeah.
“Just as long as we find you, too!” added Friddle.
“Find me you shall!” said Galen. Then, grinning, he added, “But one more word. Max?”
“Here!” chirped the spider troll.
“We shall have our berry pies, my friend,” the wizard said. “But while I am gone, you know what to do, remember? You have the key.”
“I do!” the troll chirped, clapping his eight furry feet together. “I shall do it right away.”
“Then all is well!” With that, Galen sped away into the noisy distance and the mirror faded.
Queen Relna turned to Max. “What did Galen mean when he said that you have the key?”
Max chuckled. “The key to the tower closet.”
“What’s in there?” asked Keeah.
Max scurried over to a narrow door in the wall and from a hidden compartment next to it, he pulled a key. Inserting it into the door, he turned it, and the door popped open.
Everyone gasped.
“Galen?” said Julie.
It was the wizard, or at least a double of him, exact in every detail from his tall blue hat to the curled velvet slippers on his feet.
“Amazing!” said Keeah. “But … but … why … ?”
Max chuckled. “Just a little something my master whipped up for emergencies, so the dark forces of Droon would not think he is gone for good.”
“This is wonderful!” boomed King Zello. “It will be as if our Galen is not away at all!”
“A perfect likeness,” declared the queen.
Max pressed a jewel on the wizard’s wrist and this new Galen whirled around in the closet, strode backward into the room, did a half flip, and landed on the ceiling.
“Snibble-ibble-flit-blit!” the wizard squeaked. “You are pleased to meet me! Allow me to shake your feet! Good-bye!” With that, he went quiet.
“Um, he seems a little backward,” said Neal.
Keeah laughed brightly. “Our pretend Galen is not so perfect after all.”
Max’s face fell into a frown. “Hmm, I can see he’ll need some work. Quite a bit, actually!”
At that moment, the rainbow-colored staircase appeared just outside the tower window.
“That’s our cue to go home,” said Julie. “We have a soccer game to finish, remember?”
Eric began to smile. “But this team needs to play again, too. So we’ll definitely be back.”
“Besides,” said Neal, “where else could we go on such a cool boat ride?”
Julie grinned at Keeah. “He means ship ride.”
“It’s called a voyage!” said Friddle.
Laughing together, the three friends charged up the stairs, already wondering about their next adventure in the secret world of Droon.
“And here’s you, the first time you smiled!”
Eric Hinkle was squeezed tight between his parents on his living room couch, looking at pictures. Pictures of himself. As a baby.
“Such a cute smile,” said his mother.
“Mom, please,” he said.
Eric wasn’t exactly smiling now. He was trying to understand something that happened the last time he was in Droon.
Droon was the secret world he and his friends Julie and Neal had discovered one day beneath his basement.
It was a land of wondrous magic, a realm of danger and mystery and excitement. Together, the three friends had gone there many times.
But on their last adventure, Lord Sparr, the wickedest sorcerer in all of Droon, had told Galen Longbeard, the greatest wizard who ever lived, that Eric was … “one of us.”
One of … us!
Galen, Eric, and Sparr!
“What does it mean to be one of … us?” Eric mumbled under his breath.
“It means you’ve got the Hinkle nose!” said his father, pointing to a picture of Eric at six months old, his tiny face dripping with drool.
“Such a cute nose,” said his mother.
Eric laughed. After all, it was true. He did have the family nose. He was certainly a Hinkle.
But he was something else, too. He had been something else for several weeks. Something even his parents didn’t know about.
Eric was a wizard.
Yes, a wizard! With powers!
Ever since he was struck by a blast of magic from Princess Keeah — one of his best Droon friends — Eric had been able to do things. He could move stuff just by pointing at it. He could shoot blue light from his fingers. He could even send thoughts into his friends’ minds.
But even though his powers made him different, Eric, Julie, and Neal were closer than ever.
He smiled when he thought about how much fun they had in Droon. Galen had even said that their adventures together were just beginning.
This was a good thing, especially since Galen was off chasing Sparr through the ancient evil underworld known as Goll. Now Keeah would need the three of them more than ever.
The bad part was that they could only get back to Droon if they dreamed about it or if Keeah sent them a secret backwa
rd message. And so far, there were no dreams and no messages.
Mr. Hinkle jumped up suddenly. “Forget this little photo album …”
“Great,” said Eric. “Can I go now — ?”
“Let’s get the big album!” his father finished.
“What?” said Eric. “More pictures?”
“More cuteness!” said Mrs. Hinkle delightedly. “Eric, don’t you dare run away.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hinkle rushed from the room.
Eric sighed. “I’m trapped now … unless …”
He wondered whether he could speak silent thoughts to his friends from a distance.
Julie, Neal, if you can hear me, come over now.
Just then — dingdong! — the doorbell rang.
“Whoa,” said Eric, bouncing happily up from the couch. “It worked. I love these powers. No more baby pictures. I did it. I really did it!”
Eric ran through the kitchen to the side door. But even before he could turn the knob, the door burst open and Julie stomped in.
She was nearly in tears.
“What’s wrong?” asked Eric.
“Let’s go to you-know-where right now,” Julie said. “Come on. Let’s go —”
“Did you have a dream?” Eric asked.
Julie flicked away a tear. “A nightmare,” she said. “Only not about Droon. Look!”
She pulled Eric out the door and pointed across the street to her house. A man was on her front lawn pounding a sign into the ground.
In bright red letters, the sign read:
FOR SALE
Eric was stunned. “Wait, you’re … moving?”
“My dad got a new job,” said Julie, a tear rolling down her cheek. “He starts next week. We have to move closer to it.”
“But … but … Julie … you … can’t!” Eric protested. You and Neal are my best friends. You know the real me! And Galen said our adventures were just beginning. You can’t go away!”
Bang-bang-bang. The man finished pounding the sign into the ground.
Julie turned away. “Tell that to him.”
“This is crazy,” said Eric. “There must be some magic to make this go away.”
“It would have to be super magic to change things now. I mean, my dad got a new job!”