by Tony Abbott
It was Khan himself, his many-pointed crown perched nobly on his head. As soon as he saw them, the king of the Lumpies slid off his saddle and ran over. “Welcome, my dear friends! I’m just on my daily patrol!”
“The Creepy Orb of Doobesh has kidnapped Max,” said Neal. “He’s lost. You gotta help.”
Khan stood there, his legs wobbling in the sand, speechless. Finally, he sputtered, “Our little Max? Brave weaver and pie maker? Gone?”
Keeah nodded. “We don’t know where, but with your help, Khan, we can find him.”
“Mostly we need your nose,” said Neal, “because it can sniff out danger and evil and stuff.”
“And since we’re pretty sure Sparr is involved,” said Eric, “there’ll probably be busloads of danger. And a whole big bunch of evil.”
The Lumpy king nodded firmly. “Of course you shall have my help.” He pulled several bulging leather pouches off the pilka. They had spouts at one end. Khan popped one open and sniffed. “Good,” he said. “Let us go.”
“What do you have in there?” asked Julie.
Khan grinned, then held the leather pouch over his mouth and squeezed it. A thin stream of dark juice ran straight into his mouth.
“Gizzleberry juice,” he said. “It stains terribly. But it’s the favorite drink of Lumpies on the go. Besides, it’s what makes us so purple —”
He stopped. His round plum of a nose began to twitch. “Aha!” he whispered.
“What is it?” said Keeah.
Khan jerked almost completely around. “I smell … danger! And not on distant shores. But nearby! Right here in fact! Follow me! At once!”
With many little strides, Khan scurried up the side of a giant sand dune and carefully peered over. “So …”
Holding a finger to his lips, he waved the children up to him. “Already our adventure begins. Look what we find in my own backyard.”
He pointed out across the rolling desert. Next to a grove of palm trees was a crooked red tent.
Khan knew about red tents.
So did the children.
Red tents meant only one thing.
Ninns.
“Ninns!” Eric hissed between his teeth. “What are Sparr’s warriors doing in Lumpland?”
Khan grunted. “That’s what I’d like to know.”
“When Sparr went into hiding, the Ninns scattered everywhere,” said Keeah. “If Sparr is behind what happened to Max, we’d better find out what they are up to.”
So the five of them — Keeah, Neal, Julie, Eric, and Khan — padded carefully across the sandy dunes. When they were in the shadow of the palm trees, they heard a snuffling noise from the other side of the tent. Three flying lizards with saddles were lying outside the tent, their long necks stooped to a pool of crystal-blue water.
“Groggles,” whispered Khan. “As nasty as the Ninns who ride them. They’re thirsty, which means they’ve been traveling. Better steer clear.”
As the children crept closer, they heard someone humming a tune.
Keeah frowned. “Ninns don’t hum. They grunt. There must be someone else in there —”
Fwap! The tent flaps burst open and a wild bundle of arms and legs and fur came flying out.
“Yeowww!” it screamed as it slammed right into Neal and Eric, sending them all tumbling into a palm tree.
Just then, the tent flaps opened again.
“Uh-oh!” Keeah’s fingertips shot a spray of sparks — kkkk! — and the entire crew was instantly swept up to the top of the palm tree.
“Yikes!” gasped Julie, clinging to the trunk.
“Shhh!” said Keeah. “Look!”
Out of the tent poked the snarling red faces of three very large Ninn warriors. Their tiny black eyes darted around. Their big cheeks puffed up.
“Where he go?” grunted the first.
“Ha! I toss him good!” snarled the second.
“Better tell Sparr, Lord of Evil,” said the third.
The Ninns made a terrible chuckling noise, then slipped back inside the tent. Keeah let out her breath and, with another spray of sparks, lowered everyone to safety behind a high dune.
When she did, a small wiry creature tumbled to the sand next to her.
The creature had a friendly ratlike face, with a pointed snout and shiny whiskers. His arms were wiry but muscular. He wore a silky green tunic and slippers with curled-up tips.
He hopped to his feet and bowed low. “Thank you for saving me from the Ninns! My name is Shago, master thief, at your service —” He stopped. He frowned. He grinned. “My word, I know you!”
“And we know you!” said Eric with a start. “We met you in Agrah-Voor, the city of ghosts!”
“So you did,” said the thief, grinning so wide his teeth seemed to stretch from ear to ear.
“In order not to become a ghost myself,” he said, “I must spend a week each year outside my city. When I’m here, I must practice snitching.”
He held up three purses full of Ninn coins. “But only from Ninns, of course.”
“Of course.” Keeah raised her eyebrows, then checked to see that she still had everything.
Speaking softly, the children explained why they were there, each adding details to the story.
Even before they finished, Shago offered his services. “Certainly I will help you find Max,” he said. “I shall do it for the honor of Droon!”
“Hush. The Ninns,” said Khan, peering over the top of the dune. “They are on the move.”
They all watched as the Ninns, grunting and growling, tore down the tent and packed it messily onto the back of one of the groggles. Within minutes, they were flying up into the air, heading over the desert to the eastern lands of Droon.
Khan sniffed loudly. “My nose tells me we haven’t seen the last of our chubby red friends.”
“That reminds me,” said Shago, twisting his whiskers. “Before I was thrown out of the tent, I heard the Ninns grunting about something.”
“What did they grunt?” asked Neal.
“It seems that Ninns from all over Droon have been called by Sparr,” said Shago. “I didn’t hear where. But the sorcerer is cooking up something very big.”
“And probably very nasty,” said Julie.
“And very evil, no doubt,” said Keeah. “We’d better get back to the ship right away. Let’s go.”
When they arrived on board, Galen was pacing the deck excitedly, his hands full of papers.
He greeted Shago and Khan, then waved his papers high. “It was right here all along. Back in the dark days of ancient Goll, I came across this Ruby Orb of Doobesh. But I knew nothing of its powers. Now, reading my old stories, I remember what else I discovered.”
“What?” asked Keeah, her eyes brightening.
“That the Ruby Orb has a twin!” Galen said. “Yes! It’s called the Sapphire Star of Doobesh! And with a simple charm, the two Orbs can be made to seek each other across many miles!”
“Oh, my gosh!” said Julie. “Then this Sapphire Star can lead us straight to where Max is!”
“Exactly!” said Galen. “Except …”
“Except what?” asked Eric.
“Except no one has seen the Sapphire Star since the end of the Goll empire,” said Batamogi, scratching his ears. “And Goll was destroyed four hundred years ago —”
“Ahem …”
Shago, who was at that moment leaning against the mast, began to buff his fingernails on his tunic and chuckle softly. “I say … ahem!”
They all turned to him.
“Yes, Shago? What is it?” asked Keeah.
“I was just thinking how lucky it is that you enlisted me for this little voyage,” he said. “For I happen to know where your Sapphire Star is!”
Galen’s face lit up. “Shago, you master thief, you! Tell us what you know! Where is the Star?”
The thief grinned with excitement. “The Sapphire Star of Doobesh is locked up on the island of Mikos. In the treasure house of Bazra, Q
ueen of Robbers. An old enemy of mine, I might add.”
“Bazra!” sighed Batamogi. “I’ve heard of her. She steals from everyone and locks up the treasure in her fortress. No one has ever gotten in!”
Shago coiled his whiskers. “My dear sir —”
“And her guards have two heads!” said Khan. “Two dog heads! And they growl and bark and carry spears with lots of blades on them! We’ll never get into her fortress, never —”
“My dear sir!” Shago said, wiggling his fingers in the air before him as if he were playing an imaginary instrument. “You would never get in. But I am here to show you how!”
Everyone stared at him in awe.
Shago pretended to yawn. “Now, unless you wish to praise me some more, I suggest we go!”
With no more discussion, but with lighter hearts, the crew took their places. Batamogi rushed to the top of the mast with Khan. Eric, Neal, and Julie clambered up the rigging and let down the sail. Galen took position on the bow.
“And we’re off!” the wizard cried.
At that, Friddle leaped to the wheel and in a flash the Jaffa Wind was on a course for the island of Mikos.
And the treasure fortress of Queen Bazra.
The sun was just going down when they spotted the rough gray cliffs of the island of Mikos.
Eric watched icy waves break over the rocks. “Not a very friendly place,” he muttered.
Keeah wrapped a cloak around her. “Queen Bazra is not a friend to anyone. We’ll go ashore under cover of darkness.”
“Perfect,” said Neal. “That way, nobody can see how scared we are!”
A half hour later, they docked behind an outer bank of high rocks. Friddle and Batamogi kept watch over the ship. Shago and Galen led the others up a twisting path to the top of the cliffs.
From there, they beheld a vast building made of glazed blue stone. Several guards, each with two dog-shaped heads, patrolled the high wall. They wore silvery armor and carried nasty-looking spears.
“Let’s not mess with them,” Neal whispered.
Shago chuckled softly. “Bazra’s treasure house is not open to the public. But it will open for us!”
He crooked his finger and the crew followed him over the rocks and up to the fortress wall.
When all was clear, he untied a rope from his belt and tossed it up. It uncoiled and hung magically in the air. “Don’t try this at home,” he said, a wink in his eye. “Now … follow me!”
One by one, the crew climbed the rope over the wall and onto the roof of the fortress. At each corner stood a tall dragon-shaped tower. Shago scanned the silver rooftop, picking out a small dark spot nearby. “An air vent. We shall enter there.”
Suddenly, a fiery light shone down from the towers.
“Searchlights,” said Julie. “They’ll spot us.”
“No,” said Galen. Mumbling words under his breath, the wizard raised his hand at the nearest tower. The searchlight blinked and went out. Guards left their posts and ran to the tower.
“I will keep them busy. Go!” whispered Galen.
The crew trotted across the roof. Though it was dark, the roof was still warm from the sun’s heat. Eric grinned at Neal and Julie as they made their way to the small opening.
They were all thinking the same thing.
Adventure. That’s what Droon was all about.
The opening was just large enough to get through, but was covered by a grate of iron bars.
“We have grates like this in school,” said Julie.
“Air vents,” Shago said with a chuckle. “To keep Bazra’s ‘hot’ collection well cooled. Khan?”
The Lumpy king pulled a small tool from his pocket. With a few turns he removed the grate.
Lowering his rope into the opening, Shago slid down. The others followed.
It was cool in the fortress, and hushed. The floor was made of large white and black squares.
Shago glanced around. His whiskers twitched. “The main room is straight ahead —”
Khan stuck out his arms. “Wait.” He bent to the floor and sniffed. “Walk on only the white tiles. The black ones are booby-trapped. They will sound an alarm!”
Shago grinned. “Good to have you aboard this adventure, Khan.” He scampered along the hushed hallways, leaping from one white square to the next.
They passed displays of golden shields, silver helmets, and jeweled necklaces shimmering in the moonlight that streamed through the high windows.
“Nice stuff,” muttered Neal. “It’s like the art museum my parents take me to.”
“Queen Bazra’s fortune is built on wealth stolen from others,” whispered Shago. “It’s time we took some back. Hush now, here we are….”
The room before them was as tall as it was wide and long. Hundreds of tiny silver bells dangled from the ceiling above, waiting for the slightest breeze to disturb them.
“Clever alarm system!” said Keeah.
“Yes, we must be like ghosts here,” said Shago. “Ghosts who steal back … the Sapphire Star!”
“And there it is,” whispered Eric.
In the center of the giant room, basking in a shaft of silver moonlight, was a round crystal ball. It shone deep blue in the moon’s light.
“The Sapphire Star!” said Keeah. “It is like the Ruby Orb, only it’s blue. Max, it won’t be long now —”
Clunk.
Eric turned. “What was that?”
Clunk. Sounds were coming from another, smaller treasure room at the far end.
Julie nudged Eric and Neal. “Let’s check it out. If it’s guards, we’ll come back to warn the others.”
“Good idea,” said Keeah. “But be careful.”
Julie, Eric, and Neal darted across the white tiles to the far room. They heard grunts and thuds coming from inside.
Julie sidled up to the doorway and peered into the dark room. “It’s not guards. Take a look.”
Inside the small chamber were the same chubby Ninns they had seen in the desert. Two were crouched on the floor while the third was standing on their shoulders, prying something loose from the wall above him.
“Wow,” said Neal. “Today must be the day when people steal stuff. Haven’t they heard about the dog-headed guards?”
Julie chuckled. “I guess not. Let’s go back.”
“No,” whispered Eric. “We need to see what they’re stealing. It’s probably for Sparr.”
The Ninn on the top was grunting and groaning as he tugged and pulled and wiggled. The thing he was tugging and pulling and wiggling was a giant hammer mounted on the wall. The hammer was nearly as tall as the Ninn himself, and the head of it was the size of a barrel.
As the red warrior yanked on it, the hammer finally came loose. “Ugh … oww … ooof … !”
Crash! The pyramid of Ninns tumbled to the floor, and the hammer bounced from one white square to another right into the shadows. It stopped an inch from Eric’s foot.
“Yikes!” he cried. Without warning, his fingers let out a wild burst of blue sparks.
They lit up the room.
The Ninns jumped back with a grunt. “Children!” Then they put their chubby fingers to their lips. “Shhh! Guards with two heads. Tiny bells. Shh!”
With that, they picked up the giant hammer and tiptoed out of the far end of the room.
Eric gasped. “What … what just happened?”
“The Ninns … let us go,” said Neal.
“Let’s get back before they change their minds,” said Julie.
The three of them ran back to the main room in time to see Shago lifting the Sapphire Star out of its case. “Aha!” said the thief. “And now we will find our spidery little friend.”
“We saw Ninns in the other room!” Julie whispered to Keeah. “They were stealing a big hammer or something. Eric got scared and did the sparky thing with his fingers.”
“Uh-oh,” whispered Khan. “I see it.”
“Uh-oh, you see what?” asked Eric.
&nbs
p; “Uh-oh, I see that!” Khan pointed to the ceiling where the last of Eric’s sparks was zipping around and around in the air. Finally it flared brightly, then expired, tapping ever so lightly one of the tiny silver alarm bells.
Ding!
Even before the kids could breathe —
Wham! Wham! Heavy wooden doors blasted open, and dozens of two-headed guards in silver armor stomped in.
“Thieves!” barked some of the heads.
“Get them!” barked the other heads.
“Oh, sure!” snapped Neal. “They didn’t hear the clutzy Ninns dropping giant hammers all over the place. But the two-heads heard that tiny bell? It’s just too weird —”
“Weird or not,” said Julie, dragging Neal with her, “those two-heads are coming to get us!”
In a flash, the crew ran to Shago’s magic rope. They climbed up, shot out the air vent, and popped out onto the roof.
“Get them!” the rooftop guards growled.
Galen ran to the kids. “Let’s not waste our time with spells. I suggest we simply — run!”
With Queen Bazra’s dog-headed guards hurling spears at them, the crew of seven ran with all their might back to the ship.
“Friddle!” Galen cried out, his robes flying up behind him. “Get us out of here!”
“Oh, dear, dear!” Friddle gave the ship’s engine a jolt just as the crew tumbled aboard.
Vooom! The Jaffa Wind jerked and sped out to open sea amid a hail of many-bladed spears.
“Yes! We made it!” cried Eric. “There’s teamwork for you!”
Soon the barking of the guards had died away, and the ship was safely speeding across the sea.
“And now to find Max,” said Galen. Taking the glassy blue ball in one hand and his papers in the other, the wizard read out an ancient spell. At once, the Orb began to glow, dazzling brightly like a many-pointed star.
“It pulls on my hand!” said Galen. “Go, Sapphire Star, find your twin! And find our Max!”
With that, he tossed the glowing ball into the air. It hovered overhead for a moment, then — zzzz!-zzz!-zzzz! — it whizzed around the ship three times and shot off into the distance.