Wizard or Witch?

  Ortha nodded. A small smile came to her lips. “First, the wingwolves need to know they aren’t welcome here.”

  Twee glanced at his sister. “How about some nuts?” He chuckled.

  Neal blinked. “A snack before fighting? Cool phase one. I like how you guys think.”

  “Not a snack,” said Twee. Giggling, he and Woot leaped away with all the other monkeys.

  A moment later, they were back, carrying mounds of small, shiny nuts.

  “These nuts are only good for one thing,” said Woot.

  “To make a wingwolf think twice about trying to move in!” Twee added.

  My hands were growing hotter by the second. “Phase two is up to me,” I said.

  While everyone took nuts and quietly surrounded the city, I moved carefully out to the edge of a long branch.

  When we were in position, Ortha gave a loud shout. “O — lee — lee!”

  Thonk! Flang! Whizzz! The hard nuts rained down on the wingwolves.

  “Gaaaakkkk!” The creatures roared as the nuts struck their big furry heads and their giant clawed feet. They leaped for cover, bumping into one another, catching their wings, and falling.

  “Take that!” yelled Eric.

  “Nuts for the nuts!” cried Julie.

  “Now phase two,” I said. “This is my job —”

  I leaped from the end of the branch and grabbed a vine. While my friends kept hurling nuts, I swung away through the trees.

  As I had hoped, the Hakoth-Mal saw my sparks. More and more of them flitted through the air after me. When I swung to the ground, I dashed between the trees until I flew out of the forest.

  I turned to the Hakoth-Mal. “I can use magic here!” I aimed my hands, my sparks flaring.

  Then I spoke. “Pen-ga … zo … thool!”

  The air rang suddenly with shrieks and howls.

  But instead of diving at me, the creatures flashed their claws and flew higher, then higher.

  I didn’t understand the words that I heard in my head, but I knew what they meant to the wingwolves. “Go away!”

  The creatures howled again and again even as the sound of their flapping wings grew faint.

  I searched the sky until I couldn’t see them anymore.

  They were lost in the dark air.

  The wingwolves were gone.

  “O — lee — lee!” A cheer rose from the forest. A crowd of monkeys came running out to us, led by Eric, Neal, and Julie.

  “You beat them,” said Eric. “They’re gone.”

  I couldn’t stop trembling. “The wingwolves are gone. But I didn’t beat them. I think … I just … sent them away. And the journey isn’t over. I heard them talking.”

  “You heard them?” said Eric. “All they do is grunt and growl — when they’re not attacking!”

  “Don’t ask me how, but I understood their words,” I said. “More monsters are coming from the Dark Lands. To a place called Rivertangle.”

  “Let me guess,” said Julie. “It’s not a cool water park, is it?”

  “Please don’t mention water,” said Neal.

  Ortha smiled. “No. Rivertangle is a place where five rivers come together. It is near the deserts of Lumpland. Keeah, I told you your mother’s journey was dangerous. You helped our forest. Perhaps now I can help you. I will come.”

  “Our queen will go with Keeah!” yelled Twee. “I will come, too. And Woot, too!”

  “But my powers,” I said. “The red sparks —”

  “Red sparks. Blue sparks,” said Woot. “We love green most of all!”

  Eric grinned. “It looks like our troop is growing. Good thing we have a big car!”

  It turned out to be even bigger than we thought. When Ortha, Woot, and Twee climbed in, the long yellow car amazingly stretched out even longer, adding another whole row of seats.

  “Car — to Rivertangle!” yelled Eric.

  Together there were seven of us as we roared away from the forest.

  Mile after mile, we rumbled south across the plains. It wasn’t long before I heard words in my head again.

  But this time I wasn’t the only one who heard them.

  “Keeah, your pouch!” said Woot. “Look!”

  The Wizardbook’s stone was glowing.

  I pulled out the book. In the stone, we saw what looked like waves moving wildly on a vast blue sea.

  Crouching closer, we spied an enormous ship, its dirty sails billowing with wind. It sailed along a rocky shore ahead of many smaller ships.

  On the side of the hull was a single word:

  Stinkenpoop

  “Oh, my gosh,” I said. “That’s a Ninn ship —”

  “And I know that coastline,” said Ortha. “They’re sailing north … to Jaffa City.”

  “Sparr really is trying to take over!” said Eric.

  The image on the stone closed in on a fat barrel lashed to the main mast. As the ship drove over the waves, the barrel’s top wobbled slightly, and a head popped up from inside.

  A head covered with messy orange hair.

  I jumped. “It’s Max! He’s all right!”

  My heart beat wildly to see Max again. He glanced around the ship carefully, then stopped. His mouth hung open. His eyes widened.

  Then we saw what he was looking at.

  The crew of chubby Ninns was leaning close together.

  They slung their big arms around one another.

  And they began to sing.

  Yo-ho-ho! Yo-ho-ho!

  We grunt and pull the heavy oar

  across the seas that splash and spill!

  We sail and sail and sail some more

  to our new home in Spa-arrville!

  We listened in shock as the warriors grunted and growled their song.

  “Sparrville?” Neal snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think so! Not with Max standing in your way. Well, okay, he’s hiding in a barrel, but still!”

  As Eric followed the map, zooming the yellow car through the grassy plains, the Wizardbook’s stone showed us what was happening on the ship.

  Ninns lurched across the deck, some dragging ropes, some hauling giant cartons, still others clambering up the rigging to trim the ship’s sails.

  As they did, Max turned carefully around in the barrel, spying everything.

  “Well, well,” we heard him whisper. “Of all the places I could have been sent, it had to be here.”

  “I’m so sorry, Max!” I whispered, wishing he could hear me.

  A cluster of Ninns plodded by the barrel and climbed to a crooked wheel on an upper deck.

  A smile crossed Max’s lips. He blinked his eyes and twitched his nose. “One spider troll, lots of Ninns? Seems about right!”

  Looking both ways, he gripped the sides of the barrel and was out in a flash. Leaning back in for a moment, he came out with four of his eight paws clutching plump yellow bananas.

  Neal grumbled as we raced along. “Why do I never eat before I come to Droon? I can practically smell those bananas.”

  Max chuckled. “Ninns may like to sail, but they also like fruit! Let’s see how much!”

  “He’s got a plan,” said Julie. “Go, Max!”

  Peeling one of the bananas, Max darted behind a bundle of furniture — bedposts, a mattress, an armchair, a twisted lamp, and a cradle.

  “They really want to set up shop in Jaffa City,” said Eric. “Don’t worry, Keeah. They won’t.”

  Max looked around. “Spider trolls,” he whispered. “Orange hair, people think. Big noses, people think. Furry and cuddly, people think!”

  He giggled suddenly. “True enough. But when we are pushed to the limit, watch out. I’ll stop this ship. And the whole Ninn army, too!”

  “Yay, Max!” Twee cheered. “But be careful!”

  Max tossed the empty peel near the barrel. Opening another banana, he tossed its peel not far away.

  “And here they come!” he whispered.

  Two large Ninns stomped heavily up to the barrel and popped it open.
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  They blinked.

  “Empty!” the first one growled. “Sparr said treats. How do we sail with no treats?”

  Max giggled, peeling and eating a third banana. “What can I say? When I’m hungry — I eat!”

  “I wish I could,” whispered Neal.

  The second Ninn kept staring into the barrel, frowning. “I only came for treats. And to help Sparr fight the baddies and take over.”

  The first Ninn snorted. “We’re the baddies.”

  “Well, you are!” said the second Ninn.

  “No, you.”

  “Nuh-uh, YOU!” He pushed hard, sending the other Ninn back onto one of the banana peels.

  Wump! The red warrior thundered to the deck in a heap. “I get you!” he roared.

  He kicked out, and the second Ninn slipped on the other peel and landed faceup.

  “Owww!”

  That’s when a dozen more Ninns stumbled up from below. They spotted Max’s hiding place and began shouting. “Get the furry rat!”

  “Rat? Rat!” said Max. “Well, I never ever heard such a thing…. Rat? Well, follow this rat!”

  He leaped to the mattress, bounced once, and flung himself into the rigging. Then he clambered up to the very tip of the giant mast.

  “Get him!” shouted the Ninns.

  The warriors on the upper deck charged up after him, leaving the ship’s wheel spinning.

  The thick ropes sagged under the Ninns’ weight. The ship began to wobble on the waves.

  Even as the Ninns followed, Max scampered across the rigging as if it were a spiderweb.

  “I must get to the wheel!” he shouted. “Must help Keeah! Turn — ship — from Jaffa City!”

  “He’s amazing!” said Julie. “Even against all those Ninns, he can do anything!”

  “And he hasn’t lost faith in me,” I said.

  “Of course not!” said Twee.

  “Who could ever?” said Eric.

  My heart raced to hear them say that.

  Max sprayed a stream of spider silk at the Ninns, snaring them in a thick web.

  More red warriors climbed up from below. They followed Max over the rigging until he had all of them tangled in his spidery goop!

  The Ninns howled. They shouted. They shook their fists. But they were stuck to the rigging.

  “Yahoo!” cried Eric. “Take that, Sparr!”

  Max laughed at the tangled Ninns. “I was going to ask for help sailing the ship, but I see you are all tied up! Now, watch this!”

  Clutching the top of the mainsail, Max dug his paws into it and slid down to the deck, tearing the sail in two all the way down.

  “Hey! Way to go!” shouted Neal.

  “He is a great little warrior,” said Ortha.

  With its sail ripped and its wheel spinning, the giant ship twisted in the wind. The smaller ships behind it began to follow it in circles.

  Max stormed up to the ship’s wheel. “Galen always told me of the power of words! Well, here’s a word you Ninns won’t forget — Max! That’s me! How’s that for a yo-ho-ho — oh!”

  Suddenly, the hull rose on a wave and the ship went careening toward the shore. It lurched straight at the rocks that lined the coast.

  “Oh, dear, dear!” cried the spider troll. “I fibbed! I can’t really sail a ship! Someone, please help! Oh, Galen! Oh, Keeah! Oh, help!”

  “He’s in trouble!” shouted Woot. “Max!”

  “Don’t they have a brake on that thing?” said Neal.

  The ship began spinning quickly. Giant waves broke over the deck, driving the ship right at the jagged rocks.

  Max pulled the wheel. “Keeah — good thing you taught me to swim — oh!”

  “Max!” I shouted.

  Krrkk! The hull struck the rocks and cracked.

  “Stinkenpoop sinking!” cried one Ninn.

  “Ninns — wet!” boomed a second.

  As wave upon wave crashed over the ship, they seemed to splash against the inside of the Wizardbook’s stone, washing away the scene.

  “Max! Max!” I said. “This is all my fault —”

  “He’ll be okay,” said Julie. “He has to be. He’s … Max.”

  Eric nodded. “If anyone can escape a shipwreck and a bunch of Ninns, he can. I know he will.”

  “I know it, too,” said Ortha. “But right now, look. We’re here!”

  In a valley just ahead were the blue waters of several rivers, twisting and splashing together.

  “Rivertangle,” said Twee. “We found it —”

  “We found them, too,” said Neal, pointing up.

  Three dark shapes swooped down from the massing clouds and flew over Rivertangle.

  As we raced closer we saw their scaly skin and giant heads. We saw their pointed red noses, whiskers, long gray hair, blazing eyes, and broken teeth. We’d seen the creepy creatures before.

  “Haggons!” I whispered. “Hag dragons fresh from the Dark Lands. What do they want here?”

  Twee jumped straight up. “Look in the river!”

  Bobbing in the wild water was a boat. Inside, flailing wildly with a tiny oar, was what looked like a small purple pillow.

  “Khan!” I said. “It’s the King of the Lumpies!”

  The haggons pointed their claws at the boat, and the largest one cackled, “I smell lunch!”

  “Our last meal was hours ago!” growled the second.

  “And I need my beauty snack!” said the third.

  “No, you don’t!” said Eric. “Car! Go! Now!”

  But as we roared to the river, the ugly sisters dived at Khan, shrieking their own terrible call.

  “Haggons! Attack! Now!”

  Ooga! The car’s eight tires shot waves of dust behind us, and we raced even faster.

  “They’re almost at the river!” yelled Julie.

  “Haggons, get lost!” shouted Eric. Silver sparks burst from his fingers. He fired. Blam!

  The hag sisters ducked the blast and clacked their jaws angrily, but kept diving for Khan.

  Angrily, I pounded the dashboard. “Faster!”

  As if the car heard me — floink! — a small panel flipped down from the dashboard. On it were two buttons, one green, one yellow.

  Suddenly, my fingers sparked red. The hag sisters must have seen it. They slowed their dive.

  “Keeeeeahhhh!” gargled the lead haggon.

  “Never mind her,” cried Julie. “Press one!”

  “Okay, but —” I pressed the yellow button.

  Vrrr-rrrt! Two giant webbed fins, like Sparr’s own, jutted from the back of the car. A second later, we shot straight up from the road.

  “Weeee!” shouted Twee. “I like this!”

  “Me, too,” said Eric. “But we’re on the haggons’ turf now. And they know how to fly!”

  “Let me try —” I said.

  Right, left, up, and down, I flew us away from the river into a range of hills. The haggons followed, but every time we thought we’d lost them, they swooped from behind another hill.

  “Wherever we go, they’re there!” cried Julie.

  I drove the car straight up into the clouds. The haggons followed us. Then I circled around and around, but they stayed on our tail.

  Faster and faster I drove, until the haggons’ eyes began to spin around in their heads.

  “Yes!” said Eric. “Keep doing that! Make them dizzy!”

  I kept flying the car around until, finally, the three sisters pulled up short and began coughing. Their heads wobbled, and their wings drooped.

  “Good, Keeah!” said Ortha. “Now, to Khan!”

  I dipped the car below the clouds. Khan’s boat was hurtling into the worst part of the river.

  The crashing of giant waves nearly drowned out his calls for help.

  “Press the green button!” cried Woot. “We love green!”

  Vrrrrt! The fins on the back flipped in, and the car dived. Right into the water.

  Sploosh! The tires became fatter, and long hulls slid o
ut from under the car. We splashed down onto the lurching waters and raced to where Khan’s boat was sinking under the waves.

  “Oh, dear, help!” cried the little Lumpy king.

  “Grab on!” I shouted. As we pulled up, Khan jumped from his boat, landing softly in the car.

  “Keeeeeaaaahh —” the haggons shrieked from beyond the clouds.

  It was a sound that made me shiver. “Oh, no.”

  “Hey, I saw a movie once where people who were being chased hid in a tunnel,” said Neal.

  “Good idea, Neal!” said Khan. “There are tunnels all along Rivertangle!” He pointed to a cavern on the riverbank, hollowed out by the waves.

  “So let’s get out of here!” said Eric.

  With the haggons still in the clouds, we raced to the tunnel and drove in. We stopped.

  The tunnel was dark and quiet.

  “Khan, are you okay?” whispered Julie.

  “Only because of you!” he said, still huffing and puffing. “The hags attacked Lumpland and chased me into Rivertangle. What is going on?”

  “The dark powers are rising,” I said. “Starting with me.”

  “It’s happening all over Droon,” said Twee.

  “Hush now,” said Ortha. “The haggons are close. Let them pass by.”

  We heard the flap of leathery wings.

  And I heard words again. When I glanced at my fingertips, they were sprinkling red sparks. That’s when it came to me.

  “We can’t hide,” I said. “The haggons know where we are. Someone’s telling them.”

  “Who?” asked Julie.

  I breathed deeply. “Me.”

  “Princess, no!” Khan cried.

  “I hear words in my head,” I said. “Strange words of old magic. I don’t know where they’re coming from, but the haggons understand. It’s like with the wingwolves. Wait here.”

  I jumped from the car to a path running down the side of the tunnel.

  “Keeah, where are you going?” asked Eric.

  I didn’t answer. When I got to the entrance, the three haggons were already there, flapping down over the water, flashing their claws.

  I heard everyone gasp when I spoke.

  “Plah — no — thloom.”

  Still hovering, the haggons bowed.

  Then the largest of the three spoke. “What would you have us do … our princess?”

  “Leave us alone,” I said, my sparks flaring.