by Debbie Dadey
3
Kirin crashed through thick underbrush. Dracula dodged limbs and branches. Penny, Luke, and Natalie hurtled through the woods after the two links. Buttercup clung to Natalie’s pocket.
“Stop!” Natalie finally gasped. “I. Can’t. Breathe.”
Luke and Penny slowed to a stop. All three kids bent over, grabbing their sides and gulping air.
Dracula circled overhead, searching the forest for goblins. “I think we’ve lost them,” he told Luke.
Kirin shook her head, sending leaves flying from her mane. “But not for long,” she warned. “We aren’t safe anywhere on this side of the border.”
“I hate goblins,” Natalie complained. “Why am I always the one getting slimed?” She shook her head and slung goblin slime into nearby bushes. Wherever slime landed, the bushes cringed and the leaves curled up.
“Slime! Slime!” Dracula said, landing beside them and bouncing with each word.
“Can’t you use that horn of yours to clean us up?” Natalie asked Kirin.
The unicorn looked at her as if she had just suggested they eat slugs for breakfast. “My horn is not a washrag,” she snorted.
“Then what good is it?” Natalie blurted.
“Leave Kirin out of this,” Penny told Natalie. “This is your fault.”
“Mine?” Natalie snapped right back. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did,” Luke said. “You sneaked out of Leery’s without waiting for us.”
Buttercup crawled out of Natalie’s pocket.
“Excuse me,” she said, but the kids were so busy complaining they didn’t hear.
Buttercup tugged on Natalie’s sleeve. “Excuse me,” she said again.
“Not now, Buttercup,” Natalie said, putting the rat down on a pile of dried leaves.
“You should be nicer to your link,” Penny said. “At least she’s not mad at you like we are. You nearly got us captured by goblins.”
“I told you, it isn’t my fault,” Natalie argued. “How was I supposed to know they’d be waiting for me as soon as I slipped through the border? If you ask me, it’s that little squirt, Bridger’s, fault. He should’ve been here. Isn’t he supposed to always be at our beck and call?”
“Don’t let Bridger hear you calling him a squirt,” Penny said.
“Elves serve no one,” Kirin added. “You’d better learn that lesson very fast.”
“Fast! Fast! Fast!” repeated Dracula.
“Whatever,” Natalie said. “We still need to find him.”
“Natalie has a point,” Luke said. “Bridger has always been here before. Where is he now?”
The kids looked around the woods. It was quiet. Too quiet. No chirping birds. No buzzing bees. Nothing.
“Where is everyone?” Penny whispered.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Buttercup said from her spot near Natalie’s sneakers. A back paw thumped impatiently. “They’re not here. But I know the way to their village. Follow me quickly.” Buttercup scurried down the trail.
“Wait!” Natalie said. “I have to go back and repack my suitcases.”
“No time,” Buttercup called over her shoulder. “There’s no time. You’ll just have to make do with what’s in your backpack.”
“Oh, rats,” Natalie huffed and snatched her backpack off the ground. Then she looked to make sure Buttercup hadn’t heard.
Luke and Penny hurried after Buttercup. Dracula zipped along overhead, his wings slashing at trees and causing leaves to rain down on them. Kirin snorted when leaves landed on her back.
Natalie’s arms were crossed and she stomped extra hard as she brought up the rear. “This,” she grumbled, “is not my idea of a good time. I can’t believe my hair is slimed again and my things are probably ruined. My father paid a fortune for those clothes.”
They walked for a long time in the shade of the tall timbers with Natalie grumbling the whole way. Finally, Buttercup paused beside an enormous silver rock. Natalie touched one of the hundreds of diamonds glistening in the boulder. The effect was like looking at thousands of tiny rainbows. “Oh, look how they sparkle,” Natalie said. “I must have one.”
“Stop her!” Buttercup screeched.
Whomp! Dracula hit her from behind.
Thump! Kirin pushed Natalie so hard she fell to her knees.
“Hey! Why’d you do that?” Natalie yelled.
“Those are mesmerizing stones,” Buttercup told her. “If you look directly into one for more than thirteen seconds you become entranced until Bridger decides to break the spell. It’s one of the magics the elves use to protect their village.”
“Then we’re almost there?” Penny asked.
“It’s a good thing,” Luke said. “The more time it takes us, the more danger for Mr. Leery.”
“And Mo,” added Kirin.
Penny twined her fingers in Kirin’s mane and rested her forehead on Kirin’s neck. “We’ll never forget about Mo,” Penny assured her link.
“Bridger will know what to do,” Luke said, trying to reassure everyone, including himself. “He’ll make everything okay.”
“Well, I wish he’d hurry up and get here,” Natalie said, wiping dirt from her knees.
“Me, too,” Penny said.
“Where is he?” Luke asked.
Buttercup’s ears twitched and she pulled on her whiskers. “He should be here,” she said. “It’s not like the elves to allow strangers to march into the village. Where are the sentries? Where are the archers?”
“Sentries?” Penny asked.
“Archers?” Luke asked.
“Of course,” Buttercup said. “You didn’t expect the most powerful elf in the Shadow Realm not to have protection, did you?”
The three kids looked around, searching for archers with arrows pointing at their hearts.
“Don’t bother,” Kirin said. “If an elf doesn’t want to be seen, he won’t be.”
“Besides,” Buttercup said, “there are no elves here.”
“What do you mean, there are no elves?” Natalie said. “You said you knew the way to the elves’ camp.”
“And I do,” Buttercup told her link. “The camp is straight ahead, but I don’t feel the presence of elves.”
“Well, come on,” Natalie said. “Let’s go find them.”
Natalie stomped past Buttercup and led the way down the trail. Buttercup scampered through the leaves, close on Natalie’s heels. Penny and Luke hurried after them. The path narrowed until Natalie had to push through an opening in the trees that formed a circle around a clearing.
“We’re here,” Buttercup said.
A thick canopy of branches concealed most of the tops of the trees, but Penny got a peek at several cottages nestled amongst high limbs. They looked like colorful doll houses, complete with shutters and miniature smokestacks. But today, no smoke rose from the chimneys.
Dracula hiccupped and Kirin’s tail flicked with unease. “Where is everyone?” Penny whispered.
Twang!
Twang!
Twang!
Three arrows whooshed through the branches, sticking upright in the dirt just in front of the kids’ toes.
4
Three elves jumped from the trees and landed in front of Natalie. “We’re under attack!” Natalie screamed. “This is the worst day ever!”
“We are not under attack,” Buttercup said. “If they had wanted to kill us, we would already be dead. They were just welcoming us.”
Natalie pushed a slime-covered piece of hair off her face. “Well, that’s a fine way to say hello. Do they poke you with swords to say good-bye?”
“Don’t tempt them,” Kirin warned.
Three short and rather plump elves wearing clothes made from tree bark and carrying bows stood before them. Quivers of arrows hung on their shoulders and their belts held knives of varying sizes. The elves were small, but tough. Very tough. The female elf spoke, but the words sounded like they were getting caught in her
throat.
“What is she saying?” Penny whispered.
“It’s Elfin,” Kirin explained. “I don’t speak it.” A male elf with a scar that ran from his ear to his chin stepped forward. His words were heavily accented, but the kids were able to understand them.
“We are scouts, sent by his most royal self, Bridger of Pleasant Rock.”
“Thank goodness,” Penny said. “We need Bridger’s help. Can we see him?”
“I am sorry,” the elf told them. “Bridger is gone.”
“Gone?” Natalie blurted. “But we need him! Something happened to Mr. Leery.”
“Mo, too! Mo, too,” Dracula added.
“We have to save them both,” Penny said. “Bridger is our only hope.”
“Can you take us to Bridger?” Luke asked. “Mo said Bridger could help us find Mr. Leery.”
“Bridger has taken our villagers to a secure location far away from the Queen and her magic. Too much time would lapse if we led you to him. Bridger instructed us to await your arrival and assist you in freeing Leery. He leaves it up to you to save him. To save us all.”
“See?” Natalie told Penny and Luke. “I told you I could do this. We don’t need Bridger.”
“But we don’t know anything about battling an evil queen,” Penny reminded Natalie.
The three elves bowed. “We will accompany you.”
“Let’s get a move on,” Natalie said. “Which way do we go?”
The three elves erupted into chatter. One pointed east. Another pointed north. The third pointed west.
“Great,” Natalie said. “We’re being led into the Shadow Realm by the Three Stooges.”
The one elf that spoke English glared at her. “The Realm is a land of many options. It is our desire to choose the safest.”
Luke shook his head. “Safe is good, but fast is better.”
The elves looked at each other as if they were passing secret messages between them. The female elf gave a tiny nod, finally making the decision, and the elf with the scar began to speak.
“Our spies within the Shadow Realm confirm that the Queen’s henchmen took him deep within her territory.”
Buttercup squeaked. “Anywhere but there!”
“It is like a dagger in my heart to tell you it is true,” the elf said. “We must cross the Snake River and head into the Goblin Lands—straight into the heart of the Queen’s domain. Even then, we do not know exactly where he is being held. Our only hope is that one of our spies will locate the most high Leery and find us in time to guide us on our path.”
“Snake River?” Natalie said. “That’s just a name, right? It’s not really full of snakes, is it?” Natalie even hated looking at a picture of a snake. The idea of a river full of them made her feel cold and clammy.
The elf looked at her for a full ten seconds.
“No need to worry about snakes until we get past the troll.”
“Troll?” Luke asked.
“Of course,” the elf told him. “But first, we must go north past Center Rock to Lost Lake. Once there, we’ll veer east to reach the river. You must beware. The evil queen sent henchmen through the Realm, infiltrating our lands and setting magic traps. It is most lucky that you made it this far without being captured.”
“Hello?” Natalie said, pointing to the goblin goop stuck in her hair. “Where do you think this came from!”
The elf bowed. “We are most glad you were able to escape. Let us hope goblin spit is the worst we encounter.”
As they turned to lead the way down the trail, Penny saw the grim look the elves gave to each other. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve said it was a look of complete hopelessness.
“Without Bridger, how will we know what to do?” Penny whispered to Luke.
“The scouts will help us,” Luke said.
The three Keyholders and their links silently followed the scouts, noticing that they led the way with caution. Their eyes constantly roved: left, right, up, down.
Maybe if a cloud hadn’t cast a shadow over them.
Maybe if Dracula hadn’t sneezed and set fire to a bush.
Maybe if the scouts hadn’t looked back to check for flames.
But a cloud did cast a shadow just as Dracula sneezed and the three scouts glanced back.
And it all happened at just the wrong time.
One, two, three. Each elf stepped into a circle of mushrooms growing on the forest floor. It was a small circle. A circle made just big enough for three.
The earth creaked and cracked. “NOOOOOO!” the lead elf cried, but then his voice shattered as if his vocal cords had turned to glass.
“Help them,” Penny cried and rushed forward. She would’ve dived right into the circle if Kirin hadn’t knocked her down.
“Don’t step inside the circle,” Kirin said. “It’s a trap.”
Buttercup scurried around the circle one way, turned, then came back. “Kirin is right. Oh, dear me. This is bad, very bad.”
“What is it?” Luke asked. He tried to be calm, but his voice was at least an octave higher than normal.
Buttercup grabbed one of Natalie’s shoelaces and gnawed through the plastic end. “Tell us,” Natalie said, pulling her foot out of reach.
“It’s a powerful spell. A rooting spell,” Buttercup told her. “There is nothing we can do to help them.”
“No offense,” Luke said, “but you’re only a tiny rat. What do you know about boggart spells?”
Kirin snorted and Dracula jumped up and down. “Tell them. Tell them,” Dracula said.
Buttercup shook her head. “Trust me, I know about rooting spells. These elfin scouts will be forever rooted to the ground like tree stumps. Only Leery or Bridger can help them now.”
“So to save them we must rescue Mr. Leery. But to rescue Mr. Leery we need the elves to show us the way,” Luke reasoned, his voice going up another octave.
Penny faced her link. “You’re from this side of the border. Don’t you know the way to where that awful queen lives?”
Kirin dipped her head low until her horn rested on the ground. “I am sorry. But Dracula and I are still young. We’ve heard of many parts of the Shadow Realm, but we haven’t been everywhere. Especially not to the Queen’s region.”
Dracula stopped fluttering and landed on Kirin’s back. “Why would we? We never wanted to go there!”
“Then we’ve failed,” Penny said. “We don’t know the way.”
“Not so fast,” Natalie said. “I haven’t failed at anything.”
“Oh, please,” Luke told her. “This is no time for bragging about how much better you are than us.”
Natalie shook her head. “For your information, I was not bragging. I was just going to mention that the elves told us exactly where we have to go. East past Center Rock to Lost Lake then north to Snake River. Once we cross Snake River we’ll be in the Goblin Lands where the Queen is keeping Mr. Leery. Remember?”
“She’s right,” Kirin said, lifting her head and looking at Penny hopefully. “We can at least get that far.”
“But then what?” Penny asked.
“We’ll think of something,” Buttercup said from Natalie’s shoe. “We have to.”
“Do you really think we can do this alone?” Penny asked.
“We’re not alone,” Luke reminded her. “We have each other.”
5
“Where are you going?” Luke asked his friends.
“This way,” Natalie said, pointing off to the side.
“But here’s a trail,” Luke said, looking around the stone-like elves.
Natalie squinted until she made out the narrow path leading through a thick growth of bushes. “That’s just an animal trail. This is the way we should go.” She nodded at a wide path cut through the woods on their right. “It’s the only way that goes to the east. Don’t you remember, the elves said to go east?”
Penny looked at Natalie’s path. It even had an old wooden sign that said East in strange flowery lette
rs. Then Penny looked at Luke’s trail. “Natalie is right,” Penny said. “That path is bigger.”
“Of course, I’m right,” Natalie said. “I’m always right.” She began marching down the trail, not even checking to see if her fellow Keyholders and their links followed.
The trail was wide, level, and grassy. The ground was soft beneath their shoes and the trees kept them shaded. “This does seem like an easier trail,” Luke said to Penny.
“Very easy,” Penny said.
“Too easy,” muttered Kirin.
“Wait!” Penny said, stopping in her tracks. “Didn’t the elves say to go north first? To Lost Lake? We haven’t seen a lake yet and the elves were taking us north.”
“Oops. Wrong way. Wrong way!” Dracula swooped in front of them to block their path.
“Get out of my way, you silly dragon,” Natalie snapped and walked around him. “I know what I’m doing.”
She took two more steps.
Crack!
The ground broke beneath her sneaker.
“AHHHHHH!” Natalie screamed.
Whoosh!
Dracula swooped down and clutched Natalie’s ponytail with his talons just as she fell into a deep hole. Dracula slung her back up onto the ground, then flopped down beside her, flinging tufts of blond hair from his talons.
Natalie scooted back from the hole screaming, “A trap! A trap! I could have died down there!”
Penny and Luke peered over the edge of the huge hole Natalie had fallen into. The kids couldn’t even see the bottom it was so deep.
“If Dracula hadn’t acted so fast, we’d all be at the bottom of that hole,” Luke said.
Penny nodded. “Someone covered the trap with branches so we wouldn’t see it until it was too late.”
“I think we should take the other trail,” Natalie said. She patted Dracula softly on the neck. “Thank you, Dracula. You saved my life.”
The kids backtracked to where they had left the elves. They carefully made their way around the circle of mushrooms and the frozen elves.
“Don’t worry,” Luke told them. “We’ll be back for you.” His hand firmly gripped Mr. Leery’s walking stick as he led the way into the unknown.