Kendra Kandlestar and the Crack in Kazah
Page 18
She pulled out her wand and sent a plea across the wind. Uncle Griffinskitch? Are you there? We’ve fallen to the ground. We’re down in the Forests of Wretch!
Then she heard a reply: We’re coming. At least, she thought that’s what she heard. Perhaps it was my imagination, Kendra thought anxiously. It was so bitterly cold she could hardly concentrate. She tucked the wand back into her belt and buried her hands inside her robe.
They trudged onwards. The sky was growing dark and gloomy, and soon the snow swirled about them, obscuring their vision.
“We wouldn’t see the cloud ship if it was right above our heads,” Oki complained. “What are we going to do?”
Kendra didn’t know. Then some dark shape caught her eye through the whirling flakes and she squinted hard. In the next moment, Jinx materialized from the haze of falling snow and came skidding to a halt right in front of them.
I hope it’s not the happy, kind Jinx, Kendra thought. Otherwise we’re not in the right timeline.
“Well, well, well,” Jinx said with a scowl. “If it isn’t Madame Braid-Brain and her trusty sidekick, Sir Eeksalot. How in the name of all things Een did you two halfwit, maggot-minded muddle-heads manage to fall out of your cribs all the way to the ground? What a couple of snow-sucking snotheads! I’ve been freezing my ankles off all morning looking for you.”
“Oh, thank the ancients!” Kendra exclaimed.
And she rushed forward and threw her arms around the tiny grasshopper.
THERE’S NOTHING SWEETER than a reunion with old friends. Once Kendra was aboard the cloud ship, she made a great fuss over the crew. She was glad to see that they were exactly as they should be. Jinx’s words were sharp, the Professor’s were long, and Ratchet’s were full of nonsense. As for Uncle Griffinskitch’s words—well, they were mostly humphs. This made Kendra perfectly happy, of course, because it meant he was alive. She couldn’t bear to think of the alternate timeline where he had perished. Indeed, she hugged the old wizard so tightly that she nearly squeezed him right out of his beard.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you,” he grunted.
“Oh, Uncle Griffinskitch,” she said, gazing at him in earnest. “I have so much to tell you.”
“Humph,” he muttered softly, a knowing look in his eye. “All in good time. For now, you need rest. And a bath.”
Kendra smiled. She knew she looked a sight, with her robe in tatters and her hair a tangle. She passed the broken Kazah stone over to her uncle and said, “Here, keep this for me.” Then she went with Oki below deck where they devoured bowls of delicious carrot soup, took hot baths, and collapsed into their beds.
How long Kendra slept, she didn’t know, but when she awoke it was to find Oki’s bed empty. She assumed her industrious friend was already up and relating his adventures to Ratchet. Kendra’s clothes had been washed and mended, and were now waiting for her at the end of her bunk.
The work of Professor Bumblebean, I suppose, she thought.
It felt wonderful to put on something clean. After she had dressed, Kendra slipped out into the corridor of the ship and almost immediately bumped into Jinx. The grasshopper was carrying a steaming bowl of soup.
“There’s more in the galley if you want it,” the grasshopper announced. “This one’s for Agent Quirk.” She gestured at the door to the nearby storage room.
“Oh,” Kendra said with a start. She had almost forgotten that Leerlin Lurk was still their prisoner. “Here,” Kendra said, reaching for the bowl. “I’ll take it to him.”
“Suit yourself,” Jinx said with a shrug. “Your uncle put a spell on the door so that he can’t sneak out—plus another one to make sure the invisibility cloak won’t work inside the room. But be careful—that boy is still dangerous.”
Kendra nodded. After an anxious moment of staring at the storage room door, she turned the handle and stepped inside. There was Leerlin Lurk, hunched in the corner, gnashing his teeth. He looked more loathsome than ever for, of course, Kendra now had the picture of the golden-haired Leerlin in her mind, that handsome Teenling who had paraded so arrogantly before Oki’s council.
“What do you want, girl?” Agent Lurk hissed, his one good eye burning with fury.
“I brought you something to eat,” she said, setting the bowl down on the floor and stepping away. She couldn’t help but to treat him as if he were a wild animal; in so many ways he looked like one.
Lurk skittered forward, sniffed at the contents of the bowl, then began to slurp it down. He didn’t even bother to use the spoon.
“Are you going to sit here all day and stare at me?” he growled between gulps. “I guess you like a good freak show.”
“I’m not staring,” Kendra said. “And I’ve been in a freak show myself. There might be a way to help you, you know. Uncle Griffinskitch helped the peryton once. In the Rumble Pit. He fixed his antlers and healed his wings.”
“So what?” Lurk scowled. “I wouldn’t let that old fool of a wizard anywhere near me with his wand. Magic can’t fix everything.”
“I know,” Kendra said, remembering the words her old, blind self had once told her. “But we could try to help. You don’t need to be in pain.”
“Pah! My only pain, girl, is to sit here and listen to your worthless babble,” he retorted. “You think you are so wise. What do you know about the world?”
Kendra sighed. “More than you give me credit for,” she said. “And in many ways, it’s thanks to you.”
Lurk’s only reply was to hiss. He finished his soup and dropped the bowl to the floor with a clatter. Kendra collected it and left the troubled boy to glower. After returning the bowl to the galley, she made her way up to the deck of the ship.
It was a cold day, and the skies were clear and crisp. She stood at the railing and stared across the clouds. After a moment she heard footsteps and turned to see Professor Bumblebean approaching her.
“I do say, Kendra,” the cheerful scholar greeted. “You do look better for your rest.”
“Thank you,” Kendra replied.
“By the way,” Professor Bumblebean said, “I discovered this in one of your pockets when I was laundering your robe. How did you happen upon it?”
He was holding the ragdoll rabbit.
“Oh!” Kendra remarked, taking the scruffy toy. “I . . . well, it was a gift.”
“It’s an Een toy,” the professor said. “Very special.”
“I never had one as a child,” Kendra said. “What makes it so special?”
“My word! Een toys are invested with rare magic,” the Professor explained happily. “They are stuffed with the cotton of the famous cloudtail plant. That cotton, you see, absorbs all the love of the mother who constructs the toy. That toy then binds itself to the first child who loves it. I do say, an Een toy offers bountiful comfort to an Eenling, especially if the mother is absent. So you see, Kendra, you have received a very special gift—though, I might say, you seem somewhat old for dolls.”
Kendra laughed. “Yes . . . I know.”
“Well, I best coordinate my latest calculations with Ratchet,” the professor declared. “I think I might have discovered the exact location of this mysterious City on the Storm. With any fortune, we shall maunder no further, and our journey will come to an expeditious conclusion.” With this said, he gave a cheerful whistle and ambled across the deck, leaving Kendra to her thoughts.
Kendra stared down at the ragdoll and touched one of its long, floppy ears. Was it really magical? She held it close to her chest—and at once felt the most amazing sensation flood through her body. It was almost impossible to describe. The only way Kendra could think of it was as if someone had suddenly lifted her from her feet and dunked her into a giant pool of comfort and joy. She wasn’t sure she had ever felt such warmth before. Then she knew at once: those feelings came from her mother.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Kendra? Are you okay?” It was Oki, who had come to join her at the railing.
“Well, here we are,” Oki said presently, “standing on the Big Bang and gazing out at the clouds. Just like before. It’s like nothing happened.”
Kendra looked at him and smiled. “Except for everything,” she said.
Timeline of important dates in the history of Een
Note: Dates are arranged according to the Een calendar and have no correspondence with history as recorded by the outside world.
The FIRST AGE of EEN (The DAYS of EEN)
Year 1: The Lands of Een founded by the Elves from the West
Year 446: Leemus Longshanks born.
Year 515: First council of Elders formed, consisting of the seven brothers of Een.
Year 522: Grendel Greeve banished by the Brothers of Een.
Year 524: Grendel Greeve builds the Door to Unger and his temple maze.
Year 525: Leemus Longshanks and his brothers travel to the temple of Grendel Greeve with a grand armYear Grendel Greeve casts his curse upon his brothers and their army; only Leemus Longshanks escapes. Founding of the five monster tribes: Ungers, Krakes, Goojuns, Orrids, and Izzards. Leemus Longshanks returns to the Lands of Een to build the Magic Curtain, hiding Een from the outside world. Creation of the Een guard and appointment of the first Captain of the Guard, Clovin Cloudfoot. End of the First Age of Een.
The SECOND AGE of EEN
Year 1: The first Jamboreen is held on the banks of the River Wink.
Year 27: Leemus Longbraids passes away.
Year 76: Construction of the Elder Stone is completed.
Year 125: Flavius Faun arrives in Een.
Year 130: The first celebration of Ald Meryn’s Eve.
Year 140: Flavius Faun passes away; the town of Faun’s End is named in his honor.
Year 998: The elders construct the Box of Whispers.
Year 999: Discovering that a dragon egg is about to hatch in the treasure chambers of the Elder Stone, the sorceress Esme Evermoon is sent to cast the egg into the wilds of the outside world.
Year 1275: Byron Bumblebean founds the Library of Een in the town of Faun’s End.
Year 1920: Gregor Griffinskitch is born.
Year 1950: Gayla Griffinskitch is born; her parents, Galia and Grumbel Griffinskitch pass awaYear
Year 1977: Gayla Griffinskitch marries Krimson Kandlestar, changing her name to Kayla Kandlestar.
Year 1980: Kiro Kandlestar is born.
Year 1987: Kendra Kandlestar is born.
Year 1988: The Kandlestar family disappears in the outside world; Gregor Griffinskitch adopts Kendra.
Year 1998: The Box of Whispers is stolen (late summer); Gregor Griffinskitch leads a company into the outside world to recover it.
Year 1999: Kendra travels to the Greeven Wastes to seek the Door to Unger (late spring). The temple maze and the Door to Unger are destroyed (early summer). A war amongst the five monster tribes erupts. Kendra apprentices to Gregor Griffinskitch to study Een magic and receives her own wand of Eenwood (late summer). Kendra takes the shard from Greeve’s cauldron and travels to Krake castle to seek her brother. Kendra fights in the Rumble Pit.
Year 2000: Kendra and the crew of the Big Bang seek the City on the Storm. End of the Second Age of Een.
The THIRD AGE of EEN
Year 1: The new Council of Elders is formed.
Year 46: Shaden Shiverbone born.
Year 86: Leerlin Lurk born.
Year 99: Leerlin Lurk steals the Kazah Stone and the shadow cloak from his master, the wizard Shiverbone.
Readers Respond
to Kendra Kandlestar
Lee Edward Födi shares some of his favorite letters
Hi, it’s your Eeny fan (ha ha). Well, I think Eens are real. I’m going to be an Een for HallowEEN, maybe Kiro or Uncle Griffinskitch. I’m glad you’re making a fourth book.
~ Sarang, age 11
I love your books! I have read all three. My favorite character is Jinx. She is really funny. I also like Kendra and Oki. I really don’t have a favorite of your books. They are all fantastic. I have one question. How did you come up with the Rumble Pit, and all of the other places Kendra and her friends go? Please, keep writing I can’t wait until your new book comes out.
~ Iris, age 9
I just finished your books. I hope you make another book. I like Kendra, Oki, Captain Jinx, Uncle Griffinskitch, Professor Bumblebean, and Ratchet.
~ Ryan, age 10
You are my favourite author. Your books are too awesome! I think I got Kendra Kandlestar fever. My favourite book is the third book. You are also the greatest illustrator I know.
~ Herald, age 10
This is the most greatest book ever written in the world. My favorite book is Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard from Greeve.
~ Abigail, age 9
My friend got me to read your books and I LOVE them! I am only on the first book but it is my favourite book for now in the series. My favourite character is Kendra of course. You are an awesome writer! From your number one fan!
~ Emily, age 11
Last Semester, I made Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard from Greeve the topic of my project. Everybody, including myself, was gratified to discover such a good work. I liked the fact that Kendra had seven braids; it is highly unusual. My favorite character is Oki, while my classmate’s favorite character is Queen Krake! I am excited about your fourth book!
~ Jessie, age 10
I really liked Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger, I also liked the Witch of Wastrel Alley in number 3; she was really cool. I can’t wait until number 4 is going to come out. I’ll be the first one to buy it!
~ Sarah, age 10
Wow! I just finished your book a few days ago (The Box of Whispers). It was more amazing than I would of thought. I like Captain Jinx, Kendra, and Uncle Griffinskitch. I remember last year when you came to my school and did a presentation about your books! You are amazing at drawing and writing. It’s so cool how you made up all their names and adventures.
~ Sofia, age 9
Kendra Kandlestar is a great book for anyone. I love how it’s filled with magical creatures and magical things.
~ Kendra, age 11
Dear Mr Wiz. I absolutely LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE your books. I read all the three books in just two days! Please write the series until it reaches one thousand. Or I’ll send you a whole carton of eggs and ketchup.
~ Angela, age 12
I just finished the third Kendra Kandlestar book and it was great! I just have a few questions to ask you. First of all, how is your fourth book of Kendra Kandlestar going? After I read the third one, I couldn’t bear to wait for the next one. Secondly, has any monsters except for Prince Peryton and Trooogul been good, or will be good in your next few books? I really wanted a Krake or something a bit like it, but isn’t as fat to be maybe used as a horse for Eens and is the suitable size for them. Lastly, is your fourth book cover going to be purple?
~ Matthew, age 10
Dear Mr. Fodi, your books are so splendidly amazing! My favourite book is The Shard from Greeve. I absolutely enjoyed the part when they entered the Rumble Pit. My favourite character is Prince because he is such a majestic creature!
~ Jordon, age 10
I read the first book. It was awesome. I’m reading the second book. There should be a movie. My favourite part was when the great worm attacked the heroes. I like Ratchet.
~ Shane, age 10
Hi Mr. Fodi, I was wondering if you will make a fourth book. I am really eager to find out if they find out if they find Kiro or not. I love all three of your Kendra Kandlestar books. I have re-drawn some of your pictures and made them look a lot like the ones in the books. Thanks, from one of your biggest fans.
~ Haylee, age 10
I love your books and my favourite
characters are Honest Oki, Kendra and Prince Peryton.
~ Kathy, age 10
My favourite book was The Box of Whispers. After I read the book I was amazed. My favourite characters are Oki, Elder Woodsong, Kendra, Jinx and Professor Bumblebean because they are all very brave Eens!
~ Camelia, age 8
I love the Kendra Kandlestar books. My favourite one is the Door to Unger. My favourite character is Oki.
~ Salimah, age 10
I love all of your books! My FAVORITE character is Honest Oki he is sooo cute! I love it in The Door to Unger when Ratchet tied him to the firework. I can’t put your book down!
~ From Jessica, age 10
Dear Lee Edward Fodi, I LOVE LOVE LOVED Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard from Greeve. Hope you write seven books more. I really hope you do. The Kendra Kandlestar series are the best books I know of. They are too good.
~ Piper, age 8
I really, really, really, loved your Kendra Kandlestar series! My favorite character is Kendra’s uncle because he always said ‘Humph’. Keep writing!
~ Andrew, age 12
I have now read all your books. I still can’t believe that the thing Oki is most scared is a pickle! Or was it because he was thinking about (or NOT thinking about them) pickles? Plus, I don’t think that Ratchet inventions are rubbish (In fact I would help him work out the kinks!).
~ Yash, age 9
I love your book The Shard from Greeve. It’s amazing! I hope you write like one thousand more books! The Box of Whispers is very interesting! The Door to Unger; well, I was addicted to it! I also love all your illustrations from all three books.
~ Ella, age 9
Can you put this message in your next book? I just love the Kendra Kandlestar series! I’m the book’s biggest fan! I even have a costume!