Rolf threw up his shield, but the rock struck it with a tremendous crash, knocking him back.
Groaning, the knight staggered, rolled his eyes, then slumped to his knees.
On the bridge.
The children gasped. “Rolffff — get off —!”
The bridge creaked and swayed and wobbled.
The iceman leaped at Rolf in a flash. But together they were too heavy for the ice.
K-k-r-r-e-e-k-k! The bridge shattered into a hundred pieces and fell into the chasm below.
“Groooo?” howled the iceman.
He went down first.
“Oy!” snorted Rolf.
He fell, too.
“Ooof! Ugh! Oyyyyy! Grooo!”
The two giants bounced noisily every inch of the way to the snow-filled dark depths below.
“Rollllfffff!” Julie cried at the top of her lungs.
“Stop-p-p … K-K-Krog!” came the response.
The words rang up from the chasm, echoing over and over again. Then there was nothing.
“The ribbon breaks,” said Julie, looking at the broken bridge. “Just like the harp sang. Rolf fought the beast for us and now he’s gone.”
“Just like Max,” said Keeah.
Eric half expected the iceman to fly Rolf up from the depths, but there was only silence.
“I can’t believe it,” he murmured.
“Then you won’t believe that, either,” said Neal.
Everyone looked up.
On the mountain’s peak just above them were the walls and towers of a giant castle made of ice and snow. Set high in the walls were windows flickering with warm orange light.
“Where did that come from?” asked Keeah.
“I don’t know, but it’s beautiful,” said Julie. Her eyes wide in disbelief, she took out her watercolors. Dabbing her brush in the snow, she quickly began painting a picture.
“This is so weird,” said Eric. “We’re supposed to find the dreaded ice caves of Krog. Instead we see a nice warm palace sitting on a mountain on an island in the middle of a snowstorm?”
Neal laughed. “And you’re complaining? If it’s warm in there, we’re going in. Come on!”
Together, the small band climbed the last few steps to the castle. Neal pushed open the doors.
Whoosh! Warm air flooded over the children.
“Welcome!” shouted a high voice. “Come in!”
The children turned to see a short, squat man tramping down a long hall toward them. He wore a bright red cape and giant red boots.
“So glad you could come!” said the man.
Keeah took a step. “We’re looking for —”
“Krog, Krog, yes, I know,” said the little man, whipping his cape around him. “Beast of beasts. He fought the Prince of Stars —”
“You know about the prince?” asked Eric.
“Wonderful man. Eyes as green as emeralds!”
That’s what Motli said, Eric said to himself. What’s going on here? More… magic?
“Now come,” said the man. “First you must eat, then it’s off to find Krog! Look him in the eyes and — ka-pow!”
He waddled down the hall. “Come! Food!”
The kids looked at one another, even as they followed the little man. Entering a large room, Neal stopped short, then jumped.
“Food?” he cried. “Look at all the doughnuts!” He jumped to a table heaped high with platters. “I’ve been thinking about doughnuts all day!”
“You do that every day,” said Julie. “But I don’t see any doughnuts. All I see is corn chips, which is okay by me.” She popped a handful of chips into her mouth. Crunchhh!
Eric scanned the table. He saw nothing but plates of apple pie. “Hey, what’s going on —”
“Droon potato soup!” said Keeah, lifting a big bowl to her lips. “I am so hungry … mmm ….”
Even as he slid a slice of pie into his mouth and munched, Eric looked around. “Did you see where the man went? This is kind of strange.”
“Nothing’s strange about me and doughnuts,” said Neal. “Don’t you get it? We’re seeing our favorite foods. Jelly-filled? Jelly is good.”
“Good?” said Julie, putting down the chips. “Actually, I’m not sure I feel so goo … ooo … oood … oh!” She flopped onto the table — plunk! — and began to snore.
Keeah looked over. “Julie?”
Eric felt his ears beginning to buzz. He felt hot. “I think something’s wrong —”
“It’s a trick,” said Keeah suddenly. “The food … the test of the … stomach-aches …”
“What? Keeah —”
The princess slumped to a chair, then rolled to the floor, fast asleep, her harp toppling. Ploing!
Before you tumble off to sleep,
The crumbs from heaven’s table sweep!
Eric slid into a chair, feeling heavy. “Sleep? No … Neal … the food is making us … sleep!”
Neal was on his knees. “Too much … jelly.”
Eric tried to reach him. “Crumbs from heaven’s table … Neal … what do the words mean?”
His friend rolled to the floor. “Heaven’s table? Maybe … the sky? Crumbs … snowflakes —”
Neal’s head hit the floor. He was asleep.
There was a sudden sound of flapping. Looking up, Eric saw that the ceiling was a dome of ice. Amid the snow whirling over it, he thought he spied a bird circling in the flakes.
Snowflakes, he thought. Like crumbs from the sky … from heaven’s table …
That’s when he knew.
They needed snow.
Even as he closed his eyes, Eric aimed his fingers up at the icy dome. As if someone whispered to him, words came flooding to his lips. They sounded silly, but he said them anyway.
“Chengo … la … moop!”
Zzzzang! A silver beam of light left his fingers and shot like an arrow to the dome.
Whooooomf! The ceiling melted away.
His strength gone, Eric fell to the floor as tiny flakes of snow spilled into the room, swirling and whirling in the air all the way down to the four children.
The snow melted to cold water on their faces.
Eric felt himself falling and falling. Everything was going dark around him.
Suddenly, a voice was shouting in his ear.
“Up you go! Come on! Hurry!
The next thing he knew, his eyes were opening and Keeah was pulling him up from the floor.
“Eric, you did it!” she cried. “You saved us. The snow woke us up. Now, come on. The palace is disappearing!”
“What?” Eric shook his head clear. His friends were all scrambling up, and on every side of them the huge palace of ice was melting away.
Tsss! A flake of snow landed on the table of food. Tsss! The table dissolved to nothing. Tsss! Snow struck the floor. Tsss! The icy floor melted.
Tsss! Tsss! Tsss! In seconds, the walls, the doors, the great ice palace itself were nothing more than damp splotches on the mountaintop.
“Where did my doughnuts go?” asked Neal.
“Where did it all go?” asked Julie.
The four friends were outside again.
Everything had vanished around them, leaving only the snow and the night and the cold.
“We were tricked,” said Keeah. “The palace was enchanted. It was all a magic spell, a spell that has ended.”
“But this is real,” said Eric. “Look.”
Where the palace had been now stood a tall open arch cut deep into the mountain’s peak.
“The ice caves,” said Eric, fully awake now. “We found the ice caves of Krog —”
As if in response, a terrible roar sounded from within. Rooaaaw-ooaaw!
Neal turned. “Do we really have to go in?”
Eric glanced at Keeah. She nodded.
“Neal,” he said, “we have to go in.”
The beast roared again, shaking the earth.
Rooaaarrrr!
Slowly, the four friends stepped i
nto the ice caves of the beast.
Darkness loomed ahead. Jagged icicles hung like a fringe of swords over their heads as the children entered the cave.
“Nice decoration,” said Neal, glancing at the icy spikes. “I just hope we don’t get the point!”
The walls were rounded on either side of them, forming a tunnel. Five steps in, it dipped and wormed its way deep into the mountain.
“It’s a long way down,” said Julie, peering into the tunnel. “And it looks even colder in there.”
Keeah gulped, then managed a smile. “At least the four of us are all together.”
Eric smiled, too. He recalled Relna’s words. Keep Keeah safe. He was glad she was there. He was glad all his friends were there.
Then he stopped smiling. Relna’s other words came to him again. Stop Krog.
He couldn’t help feeling that they had been brought to the ice caves by magic. The magic of the harp. The magic of the castle.
Would the caves turn out to be some kind of test, like the castle seemed to be?
Were his powers ready for Krog?
“Come on,” said Keeah. “We’ve come a long way for the beast. He’s in here. Let’s find him.”
The princess lowered herself into the tunnel, and the others followed, finding rough footholds and bumpy rocks to help them climb down.
“I wonder if Sparr knows about this place,” said Julie as they descended. “It’s dark enough and cold enough.”
Neal snorted. “And nasty enough. Like him.”
Thump. Keeah jumped down, landing on the ice at the bottom. “I see fire ahead.”
Lured by a growing light at the far end of the tunnel, the group crept on together. But as the tunnel widened into a cave, they stopped short.
The light Keeah had seen wasn’t from a fire.
It came from the cold shine of frozen metal.
Neal gasped. “Holy cow … gold!”
Heaps of goblets, piles of swords, stacks of chests, mounds of armor, spears, and crowns together formed a golden mountain in the ice cave.
“I have to paint this,” said Julie. “After the creepy picture of Krog, I can finally paint something beautiful.” Warming some ice with her hands, she dipped her brush in the water and quickly painted the vast treasure cave.
Krog roared again, closer this time.
“We should probably … ” Keeah paused. “We should find some … weapons.” From among the piles of treasure she pulled out a long silk rope. “Maybe we can tie him up.”
“How about this?” asked Julie, spotting a small wooden club. “It reminds me of Rolf. Maybe I can scare Krog with it.”
A deep green pouch nearby caught Eric’s eye. It wasn’t much of a weapon, he thought, but the color made him recall what had been said about the mysterious Prince of Stars.
That his eyes were the color of emeralds.
Neal sniffed the small pouch. “It’s filled with water, you know. But that’s okay. I’ll be thirsty after I defeat Krog with my amazing — torch!” He held a black cone high in the air. Leaping from the end of it was a vibrant yellow flame.
Then, while the treasure shone more brightly in the torch’s glow, Keeah gasped. “Rolf’s shield!” She ran right to a giant shield with a snowflake design on it. “Krog has him —”
Thwump-ump! A thunderous rumble came from the side caves. Ice cracked in the distance.
Neal gasped. “It’s h-h-h-him! It’s Krog! And he knows we’re here messing with his stuff!”
“He does now, Mr. Noisy!” said Julie, dragging Neal behind a rock. “Here he comes!”
Thwump! Suddenly, the cave itself quaked, and in the light of the treasure and the flames of Neal’s torch, the kids saw a monster with wings, a thick, jagged tail, and a massive body covered with long fur, scales, and knobby skin.
“Krog,” said Julie softly.
Neal staggered back. “And that painting of him isn’t half as scary as the real guy himself!”
The beast stared at the children one by one.
“He reminds me of … Sparr,” whispered Eric.
Keeah took a breath, then said loudly, “We’ve come to stop you, Krog. And we will —”
Bellowing a laugh, the beast uncoiled his huge length of tail and snapped its spiky end like a whip. Thwapp-appp!
Before anyone could move, Neal’s torch was pulled from his hand and dashed to the ground, and he himself was thrown to the wall in a heap.
“Everyone, charge now!” said Keeah. She looped her rope and threw it at Krog lasso-style.
Krog swung his head and sneezed out a fire.
Wumpf! Its bright flame charred the loop of Keeah’s rope and danced swiftly back at her.
“Keeah!” Eric cried, stumbling over the rocks to her, but Krog’s long spiked tail scraped along the treasure, hurling goblets and crowns at him.
“Don’t you hurt my friends!” Julie shouted. She flew across the cave, swinging her club high.
Slorpppp! Krog unraveled his tongue. Ripping Julie’s club from her hand, he pulled it right into his gaping jaws. Crunch!
“That’s rude!” Julie fell dazed to the floor.
Eric dodged the flying treasure and charged. Words were coming to him, forming in his mind. He raised his hands, even as the beast turned.
“Salba-maa —”
“Eric, blast Krog!” called Neal. “Do it!”
Wham! Krog’s clawed fist punched the cave wall hard. Giant chunks of ice crashed down from the ceiling.
“Eric!” cried Keeah. “Get back!”
As hard as he tried, Eric didn’t have time to run. Great pieces of ice tumbled at him, and he slid down into a dark side tunnel. “Keeah!”
Foooom-oom! Eric fell, covering his face as he went down. The ceiling thundered again and again with deafening roars. Luckily, Eric landed under a ledge, protecting him from the crash of tumbling rocks.
Finally, the noise stopped, and there was silence. Slowly, Eric lifted his head. He shook the ice and rocks off him and opened his eyes.
The heavy head of the beast turned to him.
Even in the dim light, Eric saw that he was in another cave. His friends were nowhere around.
Then he saw something else.
There was no way out.
Eric stood up, balancing on the broken stones, keeping his eyes fixed on Krog.
The beast breathed slowly, looking at him.
Krog was huge. Powerful. To Eric, he seemed like the most evil monster ever.
Like Sparr, almost.
Krog had destroyed villages. He had stolen treasure. He had battled the Prince of Stars. He had Rolf’s shield. Maybe he had Rolf himself.
As Eric watched him, Krog’s jaws opened wide. They dripped a thick, oozy liquid.
Then the beast’s mind seemed to speak right to Eric’s. Are y-y-ou h-here to d-d-defeat me, boy?
Eric staggered back. “So! You can talk?”
To y-y-you.
“That’s a pretty good wizard trick!”
I have t-t-two weaknesses-s-s.
Eric glanced around. There was no way out, but there was something….
Nearby, a bridge of ice ran across the cave. It was piled with huge boulders. If Eric could get onto the bridge and lure Krog to it, he’d be higher than the beast. He just might have a chance.
“Weaknesses, huh?”
The beast took a thundering step.
T-t-two. And-d-d they’re v-v-very smal-l-l!
Eric thought back. Had he shown Krog his power? His silver light? No. He hadn’t shown it.
The beast again moved toward him, but even in the freezing lair of the monster, Eric felt the great magic in his hands.
He was a wizard. He had silver power. Keeah had helped him to use it. And words were starting to come to him. But he needed to surprise Krog. To catch him off guard. To trick him.
He’d make Krog think he was just a kid.
Eric felt a smile move across his lips.
That’s it, he thought, j
ust a kid.
“You’ve got weaknesses, all right,” he called. “How about these — you’re green and dumb!”
Eric shot across the cave and climbed onto the bridge. He scrambled out to the big boulders.
D-do you like to w-w-walk tight-t-t- ropes?
Krog sent a flame at the bridge, melting it.
“Okay,” said Eric. “This is my big moment!”
He whipped his pouch around and emptied it. In the frigid air — slurrk! — the water froze into an icicle. Just as another flame shot at the bridge, Eric wedged the icicle under a huge rock.
“Say cheese!” Eric pushed down hard on the icicle.
The boulder wobbled, then fell. Before Krog could move — bloink! — the rock fell on the tip of his snout. The beast stumbled for an instant.
Holding his breath, Eric jumped, landing on Krog’s head. He aimed his fingers, prepared to send a stream of silver light at Krog. It would stop him for good. Eric stared at the beast’s face.
“Time’s up, Krog!” he cried.
The beast’s eyes were green.
“I’ll stop you!” Sparks shot off Eric’s fingers.
Eyes as green as emeralds.
“What — ?” Eric paused for an instant.
Zzz … His sparks fizzled to nothing.
Krog searched Eric’s face, but didn’t move.
“No … no …” Eric slid to the floor, staggering on his feet next to the beast. “Your eyes … your two weaknesses … I can’t believe it….”
Krog kept staring, as if he were reading Eric’s mind. Eric stared back until, finally, he spoke.
“You’re him. You’re … the Prince of Stars!”
As if the words themselves were filled with magic, the monstrous beast began to change.
His wings collapsed away on the icy floor, and the fur and scales that draped Krog’s body shrank into a cloak as blue-black as the sky itself. And a helmet, bronze and battered, formed over the head, shielding the nose and cheeks … of a man.
Krog the beast was gone.
In his place was a man, tall and cloaked and booted, with eyes as green as emeralds.
Quietly, he spoke. “You saved my life.”
Eric blinked. “You are the Prince of Stars….”
“Some call me that, yes.”
“But … how?” Eric said. “Who are you?”