Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard From Greeve

by Lee Edward Födi

  Then she heard a noise and quickly ducked low behind one of the eggs. It was a Krake. He was bustling through the shallow mud, prodding the eggs with a long pole that had a ball of soft cloth at the end. He seemed ever so cheerful, for as he tended to the eggs he clucked, “Koochie-koochie-koo-cha, little Krakeez!”

  This is no oven, Kendra thought. It’s one great big hatchery. She gulped and yanked so hard on a braid that it hurt. All she could think of was hundreds of Krake eggs hatching all at once. She needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

  She turned and started tip-toeing away when she suddenly felt the floor begin to tremble beneath her feet. She lost her balance and slipped into the thick, simmering mud. “Days of Een!” she exclaimed as she desperately crawled through the purple goo to take cover behind the nearest egg.

  “Ooo-cha!”

  Kendra froze. She wondered if the egg-keeper had heard her cry out, but when she peered from her hiding place it was to see the green beast scrambling to stand at attention. A massive, hairy shape appeared next to him, but Kendra couldn’t make out its form. To her it seemed like nothing more than a giant . . . foot.

  Then Kendra looked up—way up.

  It was the largest Krake she had ever seen.

  “Greety greety, Queen-cha!” the happy egg-keeper chirped, thrusting a claw to his brow in clumsy salute.

  The humongous Krake lowered her great head and grinned at the egg-keeper with a sharp and polished beak. “Erk erk erk!” she squawked.

  She was so big that Kendra’s knees knocked just to look at her. The little Een girl was reminded of the time she had faced Rumor the Red Dragon, but the queen somehow terrified her even more because, simply put, Krakes weren’t supposed to be that big. She was an elephantine thing, at least thirty times the size of her Krake drones. Her neck was long and thick, like the trunk of a tree, and her body was so round and corpulent that it sagged to the ground in great folds of flabby flesh. It was on this round body that Kendra could see many bald patches, revealing gray and wrinkled skin; otherwise, the rest of the queen was covered in the same feathery fur as the Krake drones, except hers was colored deep shades of purple. She wore no crown, though she was adorned with many trinkets: gems, pearls, and bands of gold; somehow these objects of beauty seemed to only accentuate the hideousness of the giant slurping beast.

  “Erk erk erk!” the great queen clucked. “Howzee Mama Krakee’s koochie-koos?”

  “Ooh-cha! Ooh-cha!” the egg-keeper twittered excitedly. “Little Krakeez fine-cha, oh greatzee Queen-cha!”

  The mighty Queen Krake shifted her weight to snuggle up to one of the nearby eggs. “Erk erk erk—Mama Krakee love-cha little koochie-koos,” she chirped. “Soonzee little Koochie-koos hatcha!”

  “Queen-cha!” came a cry, and Kendra saw another Krake scamper out of the shadows. It was the same one who had confronted her in the upper chamber.

  “Sergeant Yeeek!” the great queen bellowed. “Erk erk erk! How dare-cha disturbee Mama Krakee’s little koochie-koos?”

  “Sorry-cha!” the flustered Krake replied. “But Sergeant Yeeek bring-cha newzee!”

  “Newzee? What-cha newzee?” the queen demanded, rearing up high above her soldier.

  “Krakeez see little Een-cha inzee castle,” Sergeant Yeeek reported. “It-cha famous Eeneez: Kandlestar-cha!”

  “Queenzee alreadee know-cha!” the queen retorted. “Erk erk erk! Little Eeneez in-cha dungeon told-cha Queen Krakee!”

  Kendra frowned and shifted uncomfortably in the hot mud. What Een was in the Krake dungeon? Surely she didn’t mean Trooogul. She must mean Oki and Jinx, Kendra thought desperately.

  Then Queen Krake spoke again. “Listen herezee, Yeeeky! Little Eenee prisoner tell-cha Queeny that Kandlestar-cha havezee shard! Erk erk erk! Shard herezee! Inzee castle!”

  Kendra stifled a gasp. How could her friends betray her? A moment ago she had felt fretful anxiety at the idea of Oki and Jinx sitting in the Krake dungeons. Now she felt rage. Hot and irate, the shard rattled against her chest.

  “Erk erk erk—Sergeant Yeeeky, now-cha time to enactee Queeny’s plans-cha,” the enormous queen commanded, long strings of drool dripping from her beak as she spoke. “Now-cha! Go-cha dungeons, Sergeant Yeeeky. You-cha waitzee. Erk erk erk!”

  “But Queeny, Yeeeky thinkcha Eeneez here-cha,” the sergeant chittered. “Eeneez fall-cha down and—,”

  “Shutzee!” the queen shrieked. “Yeeeky obey-cha Queeny! Go-cha dungeons. Nowzee! Queeny meet-cha Yeeeky in few momenteez!”

  “Yeeeky no failzee Queeny,” the armored Krake vowed, cowering submissively before the threatening lash of her long tail. He shouldered his spear and scuttled off.

  Kendra didn’t hesitate. She climbed out of the purple mud and slipped into the shadows in pursuit of the sergeant. This was her chance to find her way into the dungeons, to find her brother. If Oki and Jinx were there, then she could find them too.

  Though I don’t know if they even deserve rescuing, she grumbled to herself as she left behind the hatchery.

  Sergeant Yeeek scuttled quickly, turning this way and that in the complicated maze of corridors that writhed within the bowels of the castle; Kendra had to nearly run to keep up. The passageways were long and dark, and she could only go by the faint glow of a torch that Yeeek had lit to guide his way. The temperature changed rapidly, and Kendra found herself shivering. Only a minute ago she had been sweating in the inferno of the hatchery, but now she could feel the beads of perspiration freeze against her skin. She pulled her cloak tight about her.

  If Sergeant Yeeek suspected that he was being followed, he did not show it. Ever downwards he wove, descending crooked staircases and crossing vast chasms by means of rickety bridges. Kendra saw no other Krakes; she guessed even those horrible beasties had no desire to linger in the dank belly of the castle. Presently, Sergeant Yeeek arrived at a tall door of wood braced with iron trusses. He opened it with great effort and made sure to close it behind him; but Kendra did not worry, for there was just enough of a gap beneath the door for her to squeeze through. However, by the time she did, Yeeek had disappeared. Hesitantly, Kendra looked about her. There were a few torches bracketed in the walls, so the passage ahead was dimly lit, but she knew instantly that something was different about this place. She could smell it in the air. It reminded her of the bottom of Dirtybeard’s galley, where the peryton had been kept. Then she noticed some gaps in the walls ahead, and each one was set with thick bars of iron.

  She had arrived in the dungeon.

  With an anxious yank of a braid, Kendra set forward into the gloomy shadows, gazing with dread upon each cell as she passed, hoping desperately to discover her brother.

  The passage was not straight but rather kept curving to the right in one long circle, with cages on only one side. The prisoners themselves were wretched creatures to behold. They came in all manner of species: dragons, Centaurs, and things that Kendra had never seen, not even in books. Some looked as if they had suffered greatly from battles in the Rumble Pit; others looked as if they had yet to fight, and their eyes betrayed a certain desperate terror. Kendra could not blame them. Part of her—a large part—wished she could help them. But her mind was set: She must find Kiro. There could always be time for other rescues later.

  The passage at last came to an end. Kendra saw a dark stairway leading down to another level. She was just about to descend when she noticed one last cage before the flight of stairs. It was a tiny cage, smaller than the others. Kendra paused and stared inside, but the back of the cell was shrouded in murky darkness. Then she saw something move; it wasn’t very big, and it was wearing a faded brown cloak, just like . . .

  It couldn’t be, Kendra thought.

  Then the figure spoke, his voice empty, hollow, and sinister. “So, Kandlestar, you come at last. Just like she said you would.”

  It was Agent Lurk.

  AT FIRST, Kendra was too startled to reply. Lurk shifted, and now she realized that each of his lim
bs was shackled to the wall. His cloak was tattered and torn, and Kendra knew at once he had endured some terrible trial. His face was still hidden within the folds of his hood, but Kendra knew he was glaring at her.

  “What are you talking about?” Kendra asked. “Who is ‘she’?”

  But instead of answering, Lurk asked his own question. “Do you have it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do not toy with me, girl. You know what.”

  Kendra felt the shard thrum beneath her robe, but she held her tongue.

  “I thought that fool of a Dwarf had thrown it overboard—like the mouse said,” Lurk continued, as if he did not require her reply. “Oh yes, I was there, the whole time, watching the scenes upon that wretched ship unfold from the safety of my invisible cloak. After you were captured by the Dwarf, I waited ever so patiently to reach the shore so that I might sneak off the ship in safety. And all the while, I delighted in the notion that the shard was lost to the sea, where no one would ever find it again. Then the scoptacus came and you unsheathed the power of that stone. Imagine my surprise! If I had known you still had it all along . . . well, let’s just say you should be thankful that I did not.”

  “Maybe you’re not as powerful as you think,” Kendra said, staring through the dungeon bars at the cloaked Een. “After all, the Krakes captured you.”

  “Only because I was so gravely injured in the battle with the scoptacus,” Lurk retorted.

  Kendra remembered the last time she had seen the vile Een; he had been trapped in the deadly coils of the scoptacus, just moments before she had used the shard’s dark magic to destroy the sea beast. “I saved you,” Kendra announced.

  “Is that what you call it, girl?” Lurk asked. “I think I would have taken my chances with that creature of the deep.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Kendra asked, taken aback.

  Lurk ignored her question. “I will not have that cauldron reassembled,” he snarled.

  “If . . . if that’s the case, then we’re on the same side,” Kendra told him, fiddling nervously with her braids.

  “No,” Lurk said, suffering a sudden fit of coughing. It took him several moments to recover, but when he did, he continued, “I would rather anyone have the shard—even Queen Krake. Anyone but you or the Unger.”

  “What do you know about the Unger?” Kendra demanded.

  “I know you will join him,” Agent Lurk rasped. “I know you will try to rebuild Greeve’s cauldron.”

  “Th-that’s a lie,” Kendra sputtered. “I would never do that.”

  “Fool!” Lurk gasped. “I know what you will do better than you do yourself! But I promise you, girl, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth to stop you.”

  “You’re hardly in the position to be making threats,” Kendra told him, speaking with a confidence that was bolstered by the shard.

  Then, before her very eyes, she watched the mysterious Een fade into invisibility. Kendra stared at the empty chains—then a moment later Lurk reappeared. “You know the power of this cloak,” he chortled. “These chains are but a momentary inconvenience. As soon as I’m free of them, I shall escape from this dungeon like a wisp of smoke in the wind.”

  “Or you just may end up in the pit.”

  “Perhaps so,” Lurk sneered. “But the cloak will give me advantage.”

  “Not over me,” Kendra retorted. “I’m not afraid of you.” And with these words (and with the shard thrashing), she turned and marched down to the next level of the dungeons. Behind her, she could hear Agent Lurk laughing loudly and maniacally. She had half a mind to unleash the fury of the shard upon him—but she knew she must not be distracted from her mission.

  She was now in another long circular passageway. Here she saw even more creatures caged within the dungeon’s iron teeth, including the hapless lot of pirates from the Golden Loot. Here was Squaggle and even old Pugglemud. The Dwarf had been stripped of his eye patch and captain’s hat, and now he looked more filthy and despicable then ever. As Kendra slipped past, the scurrilous fellow dragged his heavy chains to the front of his cell and cried out for her.

  “Lemme out! Lemme out!” he begged. “That Queeny done betrayed me, don’t ya know! Lemme free and ya can have all me riches!”

  But Kendra ignored him. She didn’t have time to listen to Pugglemud’s wails or false promises.

  Deeper into the dungeons she delved, her path marked by ancient bones, rusted chains, and spider webs draping to the ground in thick white curtains. Many a soul had met a dreary end here, Kendra knew. And still there was no sign of Kiro.

  Where could he be? she wondered.

  Then she found him. Just like that, she turned the bend and found an archway opening into a cavernous antechamber. She crept inside and there, sitting in a dingy, isolated cell that was far too small for him, was her brother. He looked like a giant chiseled boulder, hewn and hard, gray as rock. He was an Unger, after all. But she did not care; call him Kiro or call him Trooogul, he was still her brother—though the moment he looked at her, she could hardly recognize him for the Unger he had once been. As she cautiously approached his cage, she realized that his right eye was swollen shut, while one of his great tusks had been broken off and was now just a jagged stump. His entire body was covered with scars and bruises, and Kendra could see where a trickle of blood had hardened over the knots and bumps of his cavernous face. He was wearing a battered helmet on his head, a plate of metal on one shoulder, and a spiked gauntlet on the opposite forearm: the armor of a gladiator. Trooogul had been made to fight in the Rumble Pit, just as Effryn had said he would, and it showed in every fiber of his being. He looked starved and beaten, and it made Kendra’s heart ache so badly that tears began spilling down her cheeks.

  But Trooogul did not seem to share her affection. “Whatzum do herezum!” he bellowed, clutching the bars of his cage with his two massive fists. Even as he spoke his nostrils flared in fury. His one eye was angry and sharp, piercing Kendra like a dagger.

  “I’ve come to get you!” Kendra cried, reaching through the bars to touch his coarse skin. “Like I always do.”

  “Trooogul nozum matter!” he growled, yanking his muscular arm away from her touch.

  “But Kiro—,”

  “No callzum Trooogul thatzum!” he barked.

  Kendra stepped back, aghast. “But don’t you remember? Don’t you know—,”

  “Shutzum!” He leaned forward, his one open eye burning with intensity. “Little Star hazum shard?” he asked in a whisper—or what was the closest thing to a whisper for an Unger.

  “Y-yes,” Kendra stammered. Did he know who she was, after all? Did Trooogul remember he was actually Kiro? Didn’t he even want to know about her? “What’s happened to you?” she asked him. “Effryn says you’re obsessed with the shard, that you wish to repair the cauldron—,”

  “Therezum no timezum,” Trooogul interrupted. “Shard mustzum no fallzum into Krakee’s claws.”

  “Why? So your Ungers can win the war?” Kendra asked angrily.

  “Nozum!” Trooogul scowled. “Youzum no understandum. Now quickzum! Gozum! Takezum shard.”

  “To where?”

  “No safezum here. Earzum everywherezum. Youzum find City on Stormzum. Then knowzum.”

  “City on the Storm?” Kendra asked. “Where is that? And why would I go there?”

  “Eeneez in terrible dangerzum!” the great Unger insisted. “Must gozum!”

  “I will—with you,” Kendra said determinedly.

  She reached for the shard, but before her hand could grasp the cord, there was a series of loud whooshes; Kendra felt a rush of air, and the next thing she knew, three arrows had pinned her by her cloak and sleeves to a block of wood that had been set against the nearest wall.

  “NOZUM!” Trooogul thundered. He stretched a long crooked arm out between the bars of his cage, clawing at air; Kendra was out of his reach. Then, because he could do nothing else, he clenched the bars of his cage and
shook them until they rattled.

  “Wh-what’s happening?” Kendra murmured in panic. She strained to reach the shard, but her sleeves were stapled fast by the arrows. She struggled and squirmed like a fish on a hook, but it was no use. She was trapped.

  OUT OF THE DARKNESS came a soft cackle, so malicious, so bone-chilling that at once it caused both Kendra and Trooogul to freeze. Out of habit, Kendra tried to tug her braids—but she could not reach them of course. All she could do was stand there, pinned to the wall, and listen. The laugh came again.

  “Erk erk erk!”

  Kendra knew that sound. With a grimace, she looked upwards to see the monstrous Queen Krake lumber out of the dark recesses of the cavern. She was so large that she filled the chamber with her great flabs of flesh. Scuttling up behind her was Sergeant Yeeek and three Krake archers.

  “Ooh-cha!” Queen Krake chortled as she glowered down at Kendra. “Little Een-cha fallzee for Queeny’s trick-cha! Erk erk erk!”

  “What?” Kendra demanded.

  The great queen lowered her head, jabbing her beak so close to Kendra’s face that she could smell her rank breath and feel the splatter of her drool. “You-cha!” she squawked. “Queeny know-cha little Een-cha try savezee Unger! Erk erk erk! Little Een-cha so predicty!”

  Kendra could feel the shard thrash against her heart, hot and furious. “Just let me loose!” Kendra growled. “Then you’ll see how predictable I am!”

  “Ooh-cha!” Queen Krake exclaimed. “Afraidy not-cha!” Then with one of her massive claws, the Queen reached out and, with surprising nimbleness, removed the shard from around Kendra’s neck. To the Een girl, having the shard leave her touch felt as if someone was ripping off one of her braids.