Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger (13 page)

WE ALL KNOW that there is nothing that can prepare one for the sudden chill of water when you dive into a lake or river. Thinking about it first never helps, but thankfully for Kendra, she hadn’t been given the time to think. One minute she was standing at the lagoon’s edge with Trooogul, and the next, he had grabbed her and leapt into the cold murky water.

As soon as she hit the water, it was if all of Kendra’s senses were suddenly shut off. Instantly her whole body went numb with shock and the world went dark. The shouts of the hunters became muffled before they faded away all together. Trooogul’s arms grasped the Een girl tightly, and she could feel the water swirl around them as the Unger kicked his strong legs, propelling them forward along the bottom of the lagoon. Kendra felt as if her lungs would burst. How long would she be able to hold her breath?

Then, the next thing Kendra knew, she was lying on a floor of rock, panting heavily as the water dripped from her body. It was so dark that she couldn’t see a thing.

“Where are we?” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. Her voice echoed.

“Thiszum secret cavezum,” Trooogul said, though she couldn’t see him in the darkness. “Hiddens beneathzum water. Safe nowzum. Humans no findzum Trooogul and Eenee.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kendra asked between chattering teeth.

“Humans lazy creatures,” the Unger said. “Soon givezum up chase.”

“It’s pitch black in here,” Kendra said.

“Waitzum,” Trooogul said, and Kendra could hear him rummaging around in the darkness.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Therezum supplies herezum,” the Unger replied. “Trooogul findzum torchee.”

“I guess we’re not the first ones to use this place,” Kendra remarked.

A moment later, the cave became aglow with a faint light, and Kendra could see Trooogul holding a stick of burning wood. She also noticed that he had a large gash in one of his arms—he had obviously been hurt during their fall to the forest floor.

“You’re bleeding,” Kendra said. “Here, let me look at you.”

She reached for the great Unger, but he pulled away, nervously.

“What?” Kendra asked. “It’s not this curse nonsense, is it? You just carried me halfway across the forest! I think you would have shriveled up by now if my touch was so cursed.”

Trooogul grunted.

“I guess you’ll just have to learn to trust me,” Kendra said.

Trooogul glared at her and at last sat back on his haunches to let Kendra attend to his injury. The Een girl searched through the small store of supplies where Trooogul had found the torch and soon produced a few strips of cloth that she could use to make a bandage.

“No tiezum bandage too tightzum,” Trooogul grumbled as Kendra dressed his wound.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Kendra said.

“Eeneez speakzum too muchzum,” Trooogul retorted. “Maybe Trooogul no despizum Eeneez so much if Eeneez just shutzum mouthzum.”

“Well, you’re an Unger and I’m an Een,” Kendra remarked mockingly. “We’re supposed to hate each other.”

Trooogul grunted again.

“You do sound just like my Uncle Griffinskitch,” Kendra returned. Despite the fact that she was cold and wet (and still trembling from their escape from the humans), she suddenly found herself cheering up. Maybe it was because she knew she was no longer alone. “How did you know this place was here?” Kendra asked as she finished with Trooogul’s repairs. “You must have been here before.”

“Trooogul no rememberzum coming to cavezum,” the Unger replied. “Cannot explainzum. Maybezum herezum long agozum . . . whenzum just Ungerling.”

“But why?” Kendra persisted.

Trooogul shook his head, clearly quite confused. “No knowzum. Itzum likezum . . . likezum dream.”

“Lucky for us, in any case,” Kendra declared. “Well, come on. Let’s explore this cave; maybe we can find a way out of here.”

As she moved, her foot happened to brush against something on the ground that made a sharp clink. “What was that?” she wondered.

Trooogul held the torch to the rocky floor and there they saw a tiny round metal object. Kendra stooped to pick it up.

“It looks like a pocket watch,” Kendra remarked, raising it to the light. “And it’s small, like an Een-sized gadget. But what would it be doing
here?
”

“Openz it,” Trooogul suggested.

The object was tarnished and rusty, and it took Kendra a moment to make the clasp release—but when it did she let out a cry.

“Whatzum?!” Trooogul asked.

“It . . . it’s a compass,” Kendra stammered. “There’s an inscription:
‘To Kiro, on your fifth birthday, so you won’t get lost. From Uncle Griffinskitch’.”

Trooogul looked at her, puzzled, but for a moment Kendra couldn’t speak. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions. This entire journey had been based on nothing more than a strange story given to her by an Unger in the middle of the night. But now, at last, she had a real clue about her family. The compass was something she could touch, something she could hold. It proved that her family—or her brother, at least—had been in this very cave. It meant she was on the right track.

“This . . . this was my brother’s,” Kendra finally told Trooogul.

“Brotherzum?” the Unger asked incredulously.

“Y-yes,” Kendra uttered. “Uncle Griffinskitch must have given it to Kiro before he and my parents disappeared. But . . . but . . . how did it come to be in this wretched cave?”

“Eenee’s brother mustzum have been in this cavezum, many moonzum ago,” Trooogul said, staring at the compass. “Maybe Eenee’s brother dropzum compass herezum.”

Kendra glared at the great beast. “Did you know him?!” she demanded angrily.

“Youzum brother?” Trooogul cried. “How Trooogul knowzum brother?”

“You knew this cave was here!” Kendra said in an accusatory tone. “How? You must have been here before, all those years ago! You were with the Ungers that captured my family and took them to the door!”

“Eeneez talking crazies,” Trooogul retorted. “Trooogul say no rememberzum being here! Maybe little Eeneez should cleaneez earzum!”

“Then how did you know this cave was here?” Kendra asked, jabbing a finger at him. “You’re not telling me something.”

“Trooogul tellzum everything Trooogul knowzum!”

“I don’t believe you!” Kendra insisted.

“Trooogul no carezum!” Trooogul barked. “If Trooogul takezum family, why savezum little Eeneez now? Why helpzum?”

Kendra sat there, glowering at him. By the flicker of the torchlight, he looked to her more terrifying and horrific then he ever had before. Somehow, he knew what had happened to her family. He
had
to.

“Trooogul tellzum truth,” Trooogul said after a moment. “Maybezum needzum trust Trooogul.”

Kendra felt a tear run down her cheek. She ran her fingers over the words etched inside the compass. In so many ways, the tiny compass was the closest connection she had ever had with her brother. Uncle Griffinskitch had always told her so little about her family. Now here in front of her was a piece of Kiro, a piece of her family. She imagined Kiro receiving the gift from her uncle. She imagined her brother as a small boy, holding the compass in his hands, just as she was now.

“You don’t understand,” she murmured, turning to look back at Trooogul. “You don’t know what it’s like to not have a family.”

“How doezum little Eeneez know howzum Trooogul feel?” the Unger snapped, rising to all fours. “Youzum! Youzum know nothingzum of Trooogul. Trooogul havezum no clanzum!”

“Why?” she asked, trembling as she spoke. “What happened to your clan?”

Trooogul glared at her. “Unger Elders sayzum Eeneez kill Trooogul’s clanzum when Trooogul just Ungerling.”

“That’s impossible!” Kendra cried.

Trooogul let out an angry snort. “Maybe little Eeneez own family killzum Trooogul’s clanzum! Youzum ever thinkzum that?”

“That can’t be!” Kendra said. “You’re twisting things!”

“Stupid little Eeneez,” Trooogul huffed, backing off into the dark shadows of the cavern. “Youzum! Youzum think knowzum everythings.”

Kendra watched the large monster disappear into the darkness. He extinguished the torch and the cave was cast back into utter darkness. Kendra pulled her wet cloak tight against her body and just sat there as her mind swelled with a thousand thoughts. Could she trust Trooogul? Did he truly know nothing of her brother? Or was he lying? Did he know exactly what had become of him and was just tricking her now, to lead her to the same fate?

Maybe I should just leave behind the wretched cave and take my chances with the humans
, she thought, tugging fretfully on her braids. But she couldn’t make her legs move. After a while she began to hear the loud snores of Trooogul from the other side of the dark cave. If she was to escape, now would be the time. Then again, Trooogul could be the only link to her brother, maybe to her entire family.
What should I do?
Kendra asked herself. This question coursed through her mind, but before she could quite find an answer to it, she slipped into a deep sleep, her hand clenched tightly around her brother’s compass.

WHEN KENDRA AWOKE many hours later a small fire was burning in the center of the cave and there was a branch of wild berries resting next to her. Trooogul was awake, sitting near the fire and watching her.

With a nervous tug of her braids, Kendra sat up and returned his gaze.

“Where did the berries come from?” Kendra asked.

“Trooogul go outzum already,” the Unger said. “Getzum breakfast forzum Eenee.”

“Th-thank you,” Kendra said. She tucked her brother’s compass into her pouch and moved closer to the warm fire to nibble on the berries.

For a while they sat in silence. Then Kendra asked, “Do you know anything about your family?”

“Nozum,” came the gruff reply.

“You have no memory of them at all?” she asked.

“Nozum,” the Unger repeated. “After meetzum little Eeenee last year, Trooogul beginzum asking Elders questions aboutzum land of Eeneez. Elders tell Trooogul thatzum Eeneez killzum Trooogul’s clan.”

“It just can’t be,” Kendra murmured.

“It nozum matter,” Trooogul said. “Trooogul clanzum dead. Thatzum all that matterzum.”

“You’re an orphan, just like me,” Kendra said quietly.

“Nozum,” Trooogul said. “Youzum have clan stillzum; Eeneez havezum uncle.”

“Yes,” Kendra said. “But just like you, I have no memory of my mother or father—or my brother. And now Uncle Griffinskitch is gone too.”

“Trooogul go with little Eeneez to Doorzum to Unger,” Trooogul announced abruptly.

“What?” Kendra cried in surprise. “Why?”

“Trooogul mustzum,” the great creature said. “Whole lifezum, Trooogul knowzum nothing aboutzum clan. Now Trooogul’s friends shuns him too. Trooogul havezum nothing. No friendzum. No clanzum. Many questions Trooogul havezum. Just likezum Eeneez.”

Kendra fiddled with her braids, deep in thought. The most important thing, she knew, was to find the Door to Unger. Being chased by the humans had meant she had lost Creeegun’s trail through the forest—now, if she was to find the door, she knew she’d probably need to trust Trooogul. That, of course, was the hard part.

“Did you know Oroook?” Kendra asked Trooogul. “The Unger who came to see me in Een?”

Trooogul shook his head. “Nozum. But many Unger no likezum Oroook.”

“Why?” Kendra asked.

“Sayzum Oroook have strangezum ideas,” Trooogul replied.

“And what do you think?” Kendra asked.

“No knowzum anythingzum anymore,” Trooogul said, casting his dull eyes to the ground.

“Oroook said the door is located in the Greeven Wastes,” Kendra said. “Is that true?”

“Yeezum,” Trooogul replied. “What elsezum Oroook sayzum?”

“That he knew my mother,” Kendra replied. “And that the Door to Unger would be the key to finding her and my family. He said it was the door to truth.”

“Then we mustzum finds it,” Trooogul said gravely.

For the next week Kendra and the great beast trekked northward, towards the Greeven Wastes. They did not know the exact way, for Trooogul himself had never been there (or so he said), but he did seem to have a sense of the general direction.

It was during these days of weary travel that Kendra came to learn more about Trooogul and the way of Ungers. At first the beast was not inclined to speak to Kendra any more than he had to, but she chattered at him so much that he eventually softened and started to speak about his life. He explained how he had been raised by the Elders in his village and that he had no memory of his real family. He also told Kendra about the day he, Creeegun, and a few of his other friends had been captured by the Dwarves. They had been swimming in a lagoon near the Hills of Horm when Pugglemud had suddenly appeared with his belt and commanded them to follow him. Of course, they could not resist the magic of the belt, and were led straight into the dreadful mines of Umbor. That had been months ago—and he had been a slave ever since, up to the moment when Kendra had rescued him.

There were a few things that Kendra didn’t want to know about Ungers. For instance, she was terrified to know what Trooogul ate. Kendra herself existed off seeds, berries, and nuts, but the Unger rarely partook of these things. She knew that Trooogul disappeared for a few hours each night after she had fallen asleep and she assumed it was during these times that he filled his belly.

Then finally, her curiosity got the better of her. One night after he returned, Kendra asked, “Where have you been?”

“Wherezum Eenee thinkzum?” he grunted. “Trooogul gozum hunting.”

“That’s horrible!” Kendra said. “What do you hunt for?”

“Little creatures,” the Unger replied.

“How can you?” Kendra cried. “They’re my friends!”

“No eatzum Eenee critters!” Trooogul returned. “You thinkzum Trooogul some sortzum monster? Only eatzum dummee animalzum.”

“Dumb animals?” Kendra asked. “What do you mean?”

“How comezum Eenee no knowzum difference?” Trooogul asked impatiently. “Eenee critters canzum talk. Canzum do thingzum other animalzum no dozum. Itzum because of magic in landzum of Eeneez.”

Kendra twirled one of her braids around a finger as she tried to recall her history lessons from school. She had learned that the magic of Een had changed the animals inside her enchanted land over hundreds and hundreds of years, so that they were different from the animals of the outside world. What she had never known was
how
they were different.

“Itzum crimezum for Unger to eatzum any intelligentee critter,” Trooogul explained.

“A crime?” Kendra asked incredulously. “I would have thought Ungers would eat anything.”

“That’s becauzum youzum Eeneez,” Trooogul snorted. “And Eeneez thinkzum knowzum everything.”

“You know, you could be a whole lot kinder,” Kendra told the beast.

“Trooogul no kindzum to annoying littlezum Eeneez that he despizum,” came the reply.

“Fine,” Kendra said. “Just so you know, I don’t like you very much either. Especially right now.”

“Goodzee,” Trooogul uttered. “Thatzum way supposed to be betweenzum Unger and Eeneez.”

Kendra threw her hands into air. “FINE,” she said. “Be that way.”

As it turned out, there was less and less eating for both of them in the following days. For now the landscape began to change. The forests thinned, and soon the only trees were thin and short, with brown and brittle leaves. The bushes turned gray and drooped over as if thirsting for water, of which there seemed to very little. There were very few berries or seeds, and scarcely a critter to be found amidst the failing countryside.

If she had not known better, Kendra would have thought winter was arriving. Then she remembered the words from the
Legend of the Wizard Greeve
: “ . . . and in that place the plants withered, the rivers shrank, and the great trees fell.”

“We must be getting close,” Kendra told Trooogul. “This place is dark and desolate—just like the Greeven Wastes are said to be.”

The nights became colder. Trooogul thought a fire would not be a good idea, so most times Kendra shivered herself to sleep. Then, one night, she awoke to the sound of her own teeth chattering.

“I’m freezing!” she moaned.

She looked over at Trooogul, hunched over and sleeping soundly. He looked like a great boulder. Slowly she crept over to his big body and touched him. How warm he was! She gave her braids a nervous yank. Traveling with the Unger was one thing; curling up next to him was another. But she was too cold to dwell on the idea, so she quickly nestled against his thick gray body.

“Whatzum doing?” Trooogul murmured, stirring from his slumber.

“I’m freezing,” Kendra told him.

Trooogul opened one large, sleepy eye and gave her an inquisitive look.

“Really freezing,” Kendra said.

“Okayzum, Little Star,” he muttered groggily.

“What did you call me?” Kendra asked.

“Hmm? Whatzum?” Trooogul grunted.

“You called me ‘Little Star’,” Kendra told him. “It was almost kind.”

“Trooogul half-asleepzum!” the Unger grunted angrily. “Little Eenee shouldzum shutzum and go sleepzee toozum.”

Kendra shrugged and snuggled in close to Trooogul. She felt the coldness melt from her body and happily, she sighed. That night she had her best sleep in a week.