by Tony Abbott
“Quickly! Quickly!” Khan shouted to the pilkas. The shaggy creatures nudged the black gate. Again and again they pushed against it.
Max sat on Leep’s head, urging her on. “Hurry, the water is drying! The gate will disappear!”
Errr, errr! The giant door began to creak open.
“Yes!” Eric gulped. “We’ve done it.”
Everyone slipped through.
Klang! The gate closed loudly behind them.
Right away, the air was hotter. It was hazy and brown and bad-smelling. Not clear and pinkish-blue like over the rest of Droon.
“We’ve entered Sparr’s hidden empire,” Max chirped. “This is the nasty land of Kano!”
“Stinky,” Khan mumbled to his fellow Lumpies. “As I expected.”
Galen nodded to himself and smiled as he looked around at the smoky brown air. “Yes, this is good. Very good!”
Neal coughed. “Excuse me, sir, but what’s so good? This place is so smelly I can hardly breathe!”
“There are no Ninns at the gate,” the wizard replied. “That means that Lord Sparr does not yet know we are here. But we must hurry.”
They climbed back on the pilkas and rode ahead. Before long the small band found itself standing on a steep ridge. A sudden wind swept across them. The dark air cleared for a second.
They stood above a deep, black valley.
The ground was dark and burnt for miles. It was easy to see the reason why. In the middle of the valley was a giant black cone.
It looked like a tall mountain, except that its top was torn open. And a huge pool of lava splashed and spurted and bubbled in the middle.
“A volcano!” Julie gasped.
“That is the heart of Kano, the black mountain home of Lord Sparr,” Galen told them. “Come.”
The wizard galloped into the lead. Max clung to his pilka’s mane, while Leep, with the children on her back, trotted alongside. Khan and his purple Lumpies rode close behind them all.
They made their way quietly but quickly to the center of the valley.
“Maybe Sparr’s not home,” Neal whispered. “That would be pretty good.”
“I hope Sparr is here,” Keeah said as they rode closer. “I want to fight him as he fought my mother. Besides, wherever he is, the Eye is, too.”
Neal, Eric, and Julie knew Keeah blamed Sparr for the disappearance of her mother, Queen Relna. Two years before, the queen had fought Sparr in a fierce battle. She was never seen again.
Galen spurred his pilka quickly to the mountain. “Khan and I will scout for the entrance to the volcano palace. In the meantime — beware of fire monsters!”
Neal blinked and looked at Julie. “Did he say fire monsters?”
Eric clambered up onto a long, crusted rock that lay in front of the mountain. “Maybe the entrance is behind these big stones.”
“What do you see?” Keeah called out.
“Not much,” Eric said. “Wait, there is an opening! We can go in — hey! This rock just moved!”
“Uh, I don’t think it’s a rock,” Julie said, pointing to a big green eyeball flicking open just under Eric’s foot. I think it’s … it’s … a monster!”
Hrooosh! A column of fire spurted from the beast’s mouth, burning the black ground blacker.
“A fire monster!” Neal shouted.
Suddenly, another stony-gray shape shook itself. A large green eye opened on it, too. It thrust its head up into the air. Hrooosh!
“Two fire monsters!” Neal shouted.
Galen charged over. “Get inside!” he yelled to the children. Then he leaped onto the back of one monster and began wrestling with it.
“Lumpies, help the wizard!” Khan called out. Instantly his Lumpies jumped on the second monster. They pinched it and poked it with all their might.
“Max, Khan, lead the children through!” Galen shouted.
The stone-skinned monsters thrashed and twisted, but Galen and the Lumpies kept on fighting.
“We can’t leave you!” Keeah cried.
“You must!” the wizard commanded. “Find the Eye! It is the only way to save —”
The rest of what the wizard said was lost beneath the howling cries of the fire beasts.
“Galen can take care of himself,” Max chittered.
Khan rushed up to the entrance. “Hurry, everyone! Into the mountain!”
The four kids, with Max and Khan leading the way, charged between the raging fire monsters.
They ran into the opening.
They entered the world of the volcano.
They dashed through the dark entrance and found themselves in a vast cavern. The red glow from a lava pool lit the high walls around them.
“Phew! It smells burned in here,” Neal whispered, creeping up behind Eric and Keeah. “Sort of like that brick oven pizza place back home.”
“Without the good pizza smell,” Eric added.
“Sparr is good at burning things,” Khan said. “I hope to repay him for attacking my village.”
Julie shivered. “You know, most people don’t go inside a volcano. I hope we can get out.”
“If we’re careful, we will,” Keeah said. “Now, first things first. Which way do we go?”
The cavern around them was dark and smoky. But it was empty. In the flickering red light, they saw a rough path dug out of the rock.
The path wound downward into the earth.
Eric knew where it led.
He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew.
It led to the center of the volcano.
“We have to follow that path all the way down,” he said. “I have a feeling that’s where Sparr keeps the Eye. Down there.”
“How can you be sure?” Julie asked.
“Because the center is probably the scariest place anybody can think of,” Keeah replied. “And Sparr would want to make it as hard as possible for anyone to find the Eye.”
Max nodded. “And it will be harder, once he knows we are here.”
Eric wondered how long it would take Sparr to find them poking around his secret hiding place. And what he would do when he did.
Khan sniffed. “Danger this way. Let’s go on.”
They all started down the winding path. It led below the level they had entered on, passing boiling pools that hissed and bubbled loudly.
They were being as quiet as they could be.
“The rock is getting hotter,” Max said, crawling along the jagged walls of the path. “I wonder how we’ll know when we reach the center.”
“That’s where they keep the lava,” Neal said.
“Phew!” Julie sniffed. “What’s that smell?”
Neal looked down. “My sneakers are on fire! Yikes! Now I know where my dream came from!” He stamped his sneakers until the fire went out. “Oh, man, that really hurt!”
“So do Ninns!” Eric hissed. “Quiet!”
The kids crept down to still another level.
The air was even hotter and smokier. It smelled worse. Keeah stopped. She held up her hand. “There’s a cave up ahead,” she whispered. “Something’s moving. I saw a shadow —”
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the cave.
“Guards, seize them!” a man said in a deep, snarly tone. The man was Lord Sparr!
“Whoa!” Neal gasped. “Let’s get out of here!”
Everyone rushed back up the path, but Julie didn’t move. She seemed frozen to the spot.
“Guards, seize them!” the sorcerer repeated in the same deep tone as before.
Eric dashed back to her. “Julie, come on! Sparr’s the bad guy! Do I have to drag you out?”
“Wait a sec,” Julie whispered.
“Wait?” Eric cried. “For big greasy Ninns to come clomping over and grab us? Come on!”
But Julie wouldn’t budge. Seconds passed and there were no clomping footsteps. No greasy Ninn claws grabbing them.
Instead, Sparr turned stiffly and walked back into the cave. He appeared to touch the cave wall,
but didn’t quite touch it.
“See?” Julie murmured. “That’s not him —”
“We’ll be caught, you two!” Max cried, scampering up behind them with the others.
Julie laughed. “No, look. That isn’t Sparr. I mean, it’s not really Sparr. That is — I don’t know what — special effects or something.”
The figure strode forward again, not even blinking. Neal cringed as it stared icily at them.
“Guards, seize them!” Sparr repeated.
“Ha!” Julie said. “I don’t think so, Sparr.” Then she leaned forward and slapped the sorcerer in the arm. Her hand went right through!
“Whoa!” Neal whispered.
“See what I mean?” Julie said.
Keeah nodded. “Maybe Sparr created a double to take his place because the jewel burned him. Maybe the real Sparr is hurt.”
“Maybe it’s done with mirrors,” Eric said.
“Weird,” said Neal, peering around the figure. “He’s Sparr, but he’s fake.”
“Well, they aren’t!” Max suddenly chirped.
The spider troll pointed at two giant red-faced Ninn soldiers. They came clomping down the passage right toward them.
“I thought I smelled something bad,” Khan snorted, starting to run.
The Ninns grunted and hissed.
They pulled out big swords.
“GET THEM!” yelled the Ninns.
“Get the small ones!” the Ninns shouted. “And the purple Lumpy king, too!”
The kids shot down the passage like rockets.
They dived into the first cave they came to.
The two Ninns didn’t see them. They charged away down the passage, thumping their big feet.
Eric breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked around. “Uh … who picked this cave?”
“You did!” Neal answered.
Instead of a hot, red cave, the space inside was tinted blue. A cool breeze blew through it.
And in the center was a large pool of the bluest water imaginable.
The surface of the water glistened and sparkled like glass.
“Whoa!” said Julie, peering around. “This is the place from my dream! This is what I saw!”
“Do you think it’s regular water?” Eric asked.
“I don’t see anything yucky,” Neal said.
“I don’t like it,” Khan murmured.
Keeah stepped closer. “Let me test it out.”
Keeah had told the kids she had powers. But they weren’t exactly sure what she could do.
“Careful,” said Eric. “This is Kano, don’t forget. Sparr’s home base.”
Keeah reached for the water.
Suddenly, something with scaly skin slithered toward her from the far side of the pool.
“Watch out!” Julie cried. “A sea monster!”
Keeah jerked back from the edge of the pool.
A long, green, scaly tail broke the surface with a loud splash. It slapped down hard, and seconds later a head popped up out of the water.
It was the head of a woman!
“A mermaid!” Eric whispered.
Her skin was white, her lips were black. She had long, wet, green hair. Her shoulders were dark and scaly. And her deep blue eyes narrowed as she looked from one child to the next.
“No,” said Max. “Not a mermaid.”
The woman spoke. “Who — are — you?”
Her voice was eerie and deep.
It seemed to come from every corner of the cave. Each word echoed off the stony walls.
Keeah glanced at her friends, then turned to the woman. “Uh … we … I am Keeah, Princess of Droon. And these are my friends.”
The woman’s eyes didn’t move. “Friends from the Upper World. Sparr has spoken of you.”
Julie shuddered. “What did he say about us? What does Lord Sparr know about us?”
But the woman didn’t answer. She turned to Keeah. “You have come for the Eye of Dawn.”
Eric jumped. “How did you know that?”
“I am Demither,” the woman said. “Some people say I am a witch. I know many things.”
Her spiked tail flipped up suddenly. Water splashed on the cave walls and hissed.
“I’ve heard of you,” Max twittered. “My master, Galen, has spoken of your evil deeds.”
“Some choose to be evil,” the witch said. “Some are forced to be evil.” Demither clenched her teeth and dove under the water again.
“Something’s weird,” Eric said. “She looks like she’s in pain or something.”
“I am still afraid to trust her,” Max said.
Splash! Demither rose again. “The Eye is in the Room of Fire!” She closed her eyes and groaned. “Cross the Bridge of Ice, and you will find it.”
Keeah stepped to the edge. “If you know things, can you tell me how my mother died —”
“Your mother is alive!” the witch cried sharply. “Like me, she is cursed, in prison!”
Keeah gasped. “Prison! Here in the volcano?”
“Not here … everywhere!” the witch cried. “Find her. Help her — as no one has helped me!”
The four kids all stared at Demither.
“So it’s true!” Keeah exclaimed. “My mother is alive. I knew she was! I knew it!”
“Why are you helping us?” Eric asked the witch. “I thought you were a friend of Sparr.”
“Friend!” the woman shrieked. She rose up ten feet in the air. Her scaly skin rippled and twisted as she curved up toward the cave’s ceiling. “I — am — a — friend — of — no — one!”
“Wait,” Keeah pleaded. “I need to know —”
But the witch’s scaly body slithered back silently into the dark pool. The water hissed loudly as she passed under it.
Then the surface went still.
Demither was gone.
The kids looked at one another for a long time.
“It sounds like Sparr is forcing the witch to do bad stuff,” Julie said finally. “Maybe he cursed your mother, Keeah.”
“I don’t like it,” Max said. “Demither could be lying to us.”
Keeah stared at the pool. “We need the Eye.”
“Can the Eye do good things, too?” Eric asked her. “Can it, like, heal people and stuff?”
Keeah nodded. “Galen told me once that the jewel does what its owner wants it to.”
“Cool,” Neal mumbled. “I wish my dog did.”
“But it is dangerous, too,” said Khan. “Even Sparr was hurt by its power.”
Eric turned to Keeah. “We’ll get the Eye back for you. We’ll do it, I promise. No matter —”
He never got a chance to finish.
Clomp, clomp! Heavy footsteps rushed toward the blue cave from the path outside.
“Hurry, or we’ll be trapped!” Julie cried. She and Neal slipped out, with Max and Khan scrambling behind. But Eric and Keeah couldn’t make it.
“Behind these rocks, quick!” Eric said to her.
They jumped behind a low pile of rocks near the cave entrance.
In marched ten Ninns. In between them crawled a strange, dark beast. It snarled and growled at the nervous-looking Ninns.
The beast stopped at the pool’s edge.
“What is that thing?” Eric whispered to Keeah.
The princess shook her head. “I don’t know.”
The beast yowled sharply, as if it were hurt.
In the dim light, Eric could see that the creature had four thick, clawed legs and a long body.
Its skin was black and bumpy from its large head all the way to its long, spiked tail.
On the top of its head were rows of large, pointed ears, like bat’s ears.
Eric’s stomach turned just looking at the ugly thing. He swallowed hard. “It’s some kind of weird, horrible monster.”
“Is this Sparr’s secret weapon?” Keeah asked.
Eric struggled to keep his food down. “Maybe this is his secret. The one in my dream. The secret Sparr thoug
ht I knew. He keeps a monster for a pet.”
Suddenly, the creature charged forward and leaped to the pool. It began to slurp loudly.
“Let’s get out of here,” Keeah whispered. “That thing could turn on us.”
Eric began to tremble. “Wait …”
They watched the beast drink and drink.
Eric turned to Keeah. She looked at him.
Then they looked back at the creature.
Their eyes went wide with amazement.
“No!” Eric gasped softly. “It … can’t … be!”
As the beast slurped from the pool, it began to change. Its dark, spiky hide shrank away. One by one, the sharp claws shriveled. Two became hands, two became feet.
Pale, smooth skin formed over the head.
The creature’s arms and legs began to grow longer.
Suddenly, the thing stood upright. Like a man.
All that remained of the monster were two pointed fins growing behind the ears.
Eric caught his breath. “Holy crow!”
The man threw his powerful arms into the air.
Deep, frightening laughter filled the cavern.
The man was Lord Sparr!
Without taking a breath, Eric and Keeah crept from the cave and ran quickly down the path.
“I can’t believe it!” Eric whispered. “Sparr’s a monster! A creature! A creepy beast thing!”
Keeah shivered. “Remember what Khan told us? The Eye of Dawn burned Sparr. Maybe it did worse things. Maybe it made him like this.”
“Yeah, and he drinks from the pool to make himself human again,” Eric said. “Because if he doesn’t, he changes back into this — thing! Maybe that’s his secret! Just like in my dream!”
Julie, Neal, Max, and Khan ran up to them.
“Are you guys okay?” Julie asked.
“You’ll never believe what we saw!” Keeah said. “There was a —”
But Keeah didn’t get to finish.
Lord Sparr stepped out of the shadows.
“Ninns! I have found them!” the sorcerer said in a snarly tone. His eyes flashed at the kids.
Neal laughed suddenly. “Oh, look. Mr. Special Effects is back! Guys, let me handle this.”
“Neal, no!” Eric began.
Neal stuck his hands behind his ears and wiggled them as if they were fins. “Fake Sparr! Fake Sparr!”