Jinx whirled around. “I didn’t like the sound of that chuckle,” she said, fumbling in her pack.
Kendra couldn’t see Jinx, but she could hear her rustling. “What are you looking for?” she asked the grasshopper.
“This,” Jinx said, producing a small torch, which she lit and held to the closed riddle door. “Hello!” she called. But there was no response.
“What seems to be the dilemma, Captain?” Professor Bumblebean asked worriedly.
“Look,” Jinx replied. “There’s no handle, no face, no door.”
“Where did it go?” Oki asked nervously.
“Nowhere,” Uncle Griffinskitch replied. “It’s a riddle door. You can only see it from the other side because it only goes one way.”
“What’s that mean?” Pugglemud asked.
“It means we’re not getting out of here the way we came in,” Jinx said grimly.
WHEN YOU HAVE NO WAY BACK, then you just have to keep going forward, and that’s exactly what the group had to do. The passageway, like everything else in the castle, was simply enormous, and Kendra felt tinier than ever. When anyone whispered, the voice echoed in the darkness. No one dared to speak too loudly. The passage was like the darkest, most uncomfortable basement you can imagine, the type that is cold and dank—even on the hottest summer day. As usual, Jinx led the way, holding a torch in one hand and her sword in another. The passage was so quiet that Kendra could hear Oki gulping and murmuring about onions. It only added to her own nervousness, and she was just about to ask him to be quiet when Jinx came to a sudden stop. Kendra bumped right into her.
“Careful,” Jinx whispered.
“What is it, Captain?” Uncle Griffinskitch said, shuffling up from the rear.
“I thought I saw someone looking at me,” Jinx explained. “But look. It’s just an eye painted on the stone. The entire wall is one giant mural.”
She held her torch close to the wall so they could all see. The painting was so big and the light so dim that it was hard to get a sense of it. But they could all clearly see the eye that had surprised Jinx. It was part of an enormous picture of a dragon. It was so life-like that Kendra had to keep telling herself that it was just a painting. The mural stretched down the entire wall for as far as she could see, and it showed every scale and detail. It was a deep orange color, which caught the light of Jinx’s torch and made it look even more realistic.
“Why, look,” Professor Bumblebean said. “The whole corridor is adorned with paintings.”
They walked ahead and gazed in wonder upon the artwork along the passageway. The murals depicted all sorts of strange and hideous creatures: dragons, Ungers, and some that they couldn’t even identify.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Oki declared.
“For once I agree with you,” Jinx said. “Let’s move on.”
They plunged ahead into the darkness, eager to leave the frightening paintings behind. They took many twists and turns. To Kendra it seemed as if the journey would never end. Then, at last, they turned a corner and saw a light shining from what looked to be the end of the passage. As they crept further up the hall, the light became so bright that Jinx extinguished her torch. She led the company into the light. Soon they were standing on a wide balcony. Kendra hurried over to the railing and found herself looking upon a palatial room with a high vaulted ceiling. But it wasn’t the ceiling that was so incredible, it was the floor, sparkling as bright as the sun.
“Treasure!” Kendra gasped, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
The rest of the company rushed to the railing.
“Not jus’ treasure!” Pugglemud exclaimed excitedly. “GOLD!”
“Come on!” Jinx called, waving them over to the far side of the balcony. “There’s a staircase here.”
Pugglemud was halfway down the stairs before the grasshopper even finished her sentence. It was slower going for Kendra and her companions; the stairs had been built for giants, of course, and it was not an easy descent for their tiny legs.
“Hey!” Jinx called after Pugglemud. “What about some help?”
But Pugglemud didn’t seem to hear her. He tore down the rest of the stairs and dove headfirst into the mounds of treasure. “Gold!” he cried, tossing the coins into the air so that they came back down and bounced off his head. (Though if they hurt, he hardly seemed to notice.) He began swimming through the piles of gold as if he were some sort of strange fish, giggling the whole while.
“Figures,” Jinx muttered, as she and her companions struggled down the remaining stairs.
After a few minutes, they reached the floor. If the vault had seemed spectacular to Kendra from above, it was even more so now that she stood amidst the sea of glittering wealth. To her, it seemed as if the giant chamber contained all the treasure in the world. The room was simply bursting with riches. And it wasn’t just gold, for there were other prizes too: shimmering mirrors, sparkling scepters, polished swords, hand-carved vases, gleaming goblets, casks of brilliant diamonds, and gems colored red, green, and blue. Then Kendra noticed something that no one else had yet seen: one small box, dark and purple and winking with yellow stars. It was sitting by itself on a pedestal, in the very center of the room.
“The Box of Whispers!” Kendra gasped, and the rest of the company all turned at the sound of her voice.
Kendra, of course, had never seen the magic chest before—but there was no mistaking it. Strange, magical, and mysterious, the box almost seemed alive as it radiated a soft halo of light and throbbed ever so gently on its quiet perch, as if it were struggling to contain thousands of voices harbored deep within its core. And, straining her pointed ears, Kendra could almost hear the voices, almost—but they only came across as muffled whispers, as if she were trying to listen to them from around a dark corner or behind a closed door.
Then Kendra noticed the key. It was long and gold, and it was hanging from a small hook on the pedestal. She remembered what the elders had said. It would be disastrous if the box were opened. But part of her couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to thrust the key into the lock and reveal its mysterious contents.
Then her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Uncle Griffinskitch’s deep voice.
“Thank goodness!” he muttered. “The box is safe.”
It seemed as if everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
After weeks of travel, they had finally found their prize.
“In one way, I can’t believe how easily we discovered it,” Professor Bumblebean remarked after a moment.
“It was almost too easy, if you ask me,” Jinx said. “No giants, no guards. There’s nothing protecting the box except that darn riddle door and a pile of bones.”
“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch muttered, and Kendra couldn’t help but think that it was the type of humph that meant he agreed with Jinx. She looked over her shoulder, half-expecting giants to suddenly appear. But the only sign of activity in the chamber came from Pugglemud, who was still gleefully frolicking in the treasure.
“I’m starting to get the creeps again,” Oki squeaked.
“Did you ever stop?” Jinx retorted anxiously.
“Well, I suppose we should be happy with so quickly finding the box,” Professor Bumblebean declared. “After all, our mission has been a success.”
“Let’s not congratulate ourselves quite yet,” Uncle Griffinskitch said. “We still have to find a way out of here. Let’s make haste.”
“Do you want me to take the box?” Jinx asked.
“No,” the old wizard replied. “It’s better for you to keep your weapons at the ready. Oki, you can carry the key, and Kendra, you take the box.”
“Me?” Kendra gasped. She couldn’t believe that her uncle would entrust her with such a responsibility. He usually seemed so disappointed with her, but now he was asking her to carry the fabled box of whispers.
“You can do it,” Uncle Griffinskitch said. “These are magic things, but they won’t hurt you. I pro
mise.”
Oki took this as his cue and lifted the key from its hook. It was so long that when he held it upright, it was taller than him, but it was light enough for him to carry.
“I’m ready,” he announced.
All that was left was the box. Kendra stared at it, anxiously tugging her braids.
“Quickly,” Uncle Griffinskitch said. “Here, I’ll carry your pack for you.”
Wordlessly, Kendra passed her pack to her uncle and stretched her hand towards the box. It seemed to shudder as she touched it, and for a moment, she drew her hand back.
“Hurry!” Uncle Griffinskitch urged.
Quickly Kendra removed the enchanted chest from its pedestal. As she cradled the box within her arms, it seemed to throb with life, beating like a heart, as if it were alive. What is in this thing? Kendra asked herself as she tried to contain the box’s mysterious energy.
“C’mon!” Jinx urged. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What should we do about him?” Oki asked, pointing to Pugglemud. The Dwarf was so entranced by the piles of gold that he was completely oblivious to their presence.
“He won’t even know we’re gone,” Jinx said. “We’ve got our treasure; he’s got his. I’d say everyone’s happy.”
“I wonder which way is the best to take our exit,” Professor Bumblebean wondered aloud.
“There’s no sense going back up those stairs,” Jinx said. “That’ll just lead us back to a dead end.”
“There’s only one other way out of this vault,” Uncle Griffinskitch said, “and that’s through the front door.”
They scrambled across the treasure towards the massive door that stood at the far side of the room. It was slightly ajar, and gold coins spilled through to the passageway beyond.
“Well, here’s our way out,” Jinx said, sliding through the crack.
The others followed. They now found themselves in a passageway that looked much like the one that had led them to the vault in the first place. They forged ahead. Beads of sweat rolled down Kendra’s face, and she realized that the passage had grown suddenly hot. She felt like she could barely breathe, but there was nothing to do but stumble ahead into the eerie blackness.
“Look, here are more paintings,” Professor Bumblebean announced, pointing to the passage wall. “These giants possess certain artistic ability. Why, look at this dragon. This painting demonstrates such technique and realistic style.”
“Cut the chatter, Babblebean,” Jinx whispered over her shoulder.
They tiptoed past the dragon painting, and the box pulsed strongly in Kendra’s hands. It was almost as if it were trying to escape from her. Kendra gazed up at the towering wall of fire-red scales as she walked past what seemed to be the dragon’s long snout. The painting seemed so real. Though it was dark, she could see the outline of each scale. She could see the dragon’s nostrils. She looked way up and saw where the giants had given the beast a gigantic, closed eyelid.
“This must be exactly what a real dragon looks like,” Kendra murmured quietly.
Then, suddenly, the enormous eye opened.
KENDRA STOPPED dead in her tracks, frozen with fear.
Oki, whose eyes were mostly squeezed shut, walked right into her.
“Ouch!” he cried. “Kendra, what are you doing?” Then he followed her gaze to see the giant blinking eye of the dragon.
“EEK!” Oki screeched.
“Quiet!” Jinx scolded. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Dr-dr-dr,” Oki stuttered.
“What?” Uncle Griffinskitch asked gruffly.
“Dr-dr-dr,” Oki stammered again, now shaking uncontrollably.
Kendra herself couldn’t find her voice at all. The box was now glowing brightly in her hands. She could feel it pulsate against her body.
“My word!” Professor Bumblebean cried impatiently. “Speak, little one.”
“Dr-dr-dr-DRAGON!” Oki finally cried, pointing upwards.
Everyone now looked up, just as the gargantuan dragon seemingly came alive and rose to his full height. Kendra could not have dreamed of a bigger, more ferocious creature. He was covered in thick red scales that clattered and clicked with the rippling of his muscles. Two long leathery wings were folded in sharp angles upon his back, though Kendra could not imagine how he could fly in the narrow passages of the castle. As for his claws, these were sharp and gnarled, and he had a long tapered tail that thrashed about the passage like a whip. Inside his mouth were rows of tiny, sharp teeth that dripped with rancid green saliva, and out of the back of his throat flickered a tongue so long and slithering that it reminded Kendra of a snake. And, of course, there were his eyes, large and yellow and gleaming like mirrors.
It was with these eyes that the dragon now gazed upon Kendra and her friends. Then, without warning, the monster unleashed a dreadful shriek, a sound so loud and piercing that at once everyone stumbled backwards. It was a shriek they had all heard before—on the very day the box had been stolen.
“Days of Een!” Uncle Griffinskitch exclaimed. “The Red Thief!”
“WHO DARES TO STEAL THE BOX OF WHISPERS?” the dragon bellowed. “For I am Rumor the Red Dragon, keeper of all treasures known to man or monster, and that box is my most prized possession!”
The dragon’s voice was so loud that it seemed to reverberate through the entire castle. Kendra gasped and her eyes went as wide as two full moons. She had heard Rumor’s voice before—in her dreams—a hundred times over the past days and weeks. As she stood before the dragon, a cold chill going down her spine, Kendra realized that it had been his voice all along: “Een has helped Unger! Een has helped Unger!” Now, the nightmare was real. She was facing her accuser. But how could it be? Her mind began to swirl with questions, but only for a moment. Jinx grabbed her by the arm and swung her about.
“RUN!” the tiny grasshopper yelled.
Kendra clutched the Box of Whispers and fled down the passage until she reached an enormous door. She had no choice but to stop. “What now, Captain Jinx?” she cried.
But there was no reply.
“Captain Jinx?” she asked, turning around. Uncle Griffinskitch, Professor Bumblebean, and Oki were at her side, panting from their run. But there was no Jinx.
“Where did she go?” Kendra asked, desperation in her voice.
“There!” Oki cried, pointing back down the passageway.
Kendra looked down the dark hall, but could see nothing but the giant dragon. Then she caught a glint of metal. It was Jinx, standing before the mighty beast, her tiny sword drawn in proud defiance.
With the immense monster looming over her, she looked smaller than ever. But this didn’t seem to stop her. She rushed forward, slashing at the dragon’s giant toes, but the instant she struck the tough, armored scales, her sword snapped in half like a twig.
Rumor let out a loud laugh, and the whole passage seemed to tremble. Then, he drew back and unleashed a jet of flames upon the passage.
“Uh-oh! Not good!” Jinx cried, squeezing her eyes shut.
But the flames never reached her. Before Kendra could realize what was happening, she saw Uncle Griffinskitch, with his magic staff, standing in front of Jinx. He had turned the fire into a shower of flower petals that now floated harmlessly to the ground. Kendra gasped. How had her uncle managed to get to Jinx’s side so quickly?
“Hurry,” Uncle Griffinskitch ordered the grasshopper. “Get out of here!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jinx shot back, pulling out another sword.
“The box!” Uncle Griffinskitch shouted. “Protect the box!”
Kendra had heard that tone from her uncle countless times. It meant, “No arguing!” Jinx seemed to know that too, for she turned and bounded down the passageway on her long, powerful legs. In the next moment, she had joined Kendra and the others at the end of the corridor, trapped against the door.
“There’s no way through!” Professor Bumblebean told the grasshopper frantically. “The door is too hea
vy to open, and there’s no room under it either.”
Jinx gritted her teeth and with all her strength hurled herself at the door—but it didn’t budge. With a fury, she threw herself at it again, but its massive timbers showed no response. “It’s no use,” she finally wheezed.
But Kendra barely heard her, for now she turned her eyes back to her uncle, down at the other end of the passage. The old white wizard had raised his crooked staff, and was holding it before Rumor.
“Now what’s he doing?” Oki said.
“He’s going to fight him,” Kendra said.
“Out of my way, old man,” the dragon snarled, smoke swirling out of his nostrils.
“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch muttered in reply. It was the type of humph that meant he wasn’t impressed.
“FINE,” Rumor growled. With a snap of his tail, he struck the ceiling and sent a shower of stones crashing towards the old Een wizard.
“He’ll be crushed!” Kendra screamed.
But Uncle Griffinskitch didn’t even blink. His staff flashed and the falling stones suddenly changed to soft white snowflakes, settling gently upon the ground.
“You’re starting to annoy me,” Rumor hissed.
“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch grunted, his eyes ablaze. The dragon came at him again, and this time his long pink tongue zipped out and curled around the wizard like a rope.
“He’s going to swallow him whole!” Kendra screamed.
Without thinking, she started to run towards her uncle, but Jinx grabbed her by the leg and pinned her to the wall.
“Just keep out of his way,” the grasshopper uttered. “He’s up to something.”
But it didn’t seem like it to Kendra. Her uncle didn’t seem to move a muscle, even though his hand and staff were free. Kendra held her breath as she watched the dragon pull the old Een right inside his gaping mouth. Then, at the last possible moment, Uncle Griffinskitch flicked his staff and fired a mighty zap of lightning down Rumor’s long throat.
Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers Page 10