The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet (4 page)

“Take Leep at once,” Galen told Eric and his friends as they stood outside the tower. “And take this invisible cloak. It may come in handy.”

“And take me!” Max twittered. “I may come in handy, too. Besides, I know the way to Plud.”

Galen smiled. “Good luck, my young friends, and remember what I am about to tell you. Droon is a secret to your world. When you return home, tell no one about us. Also, you must not take anything from Droon with you, not leave anything from the Upper World behind.”

“Why?” Eric asked.

“For every object left here, a thing from Droon will appear in your world,” the wizard replied.

“And it may not be a good thing!” Max added.

Neal blinked. “You mean like…a Ninn?”

“Or worse,” Galen said, “Now I must go to Jaffa City and you to Plud. Be careful!”

Then, without another word –
zamm!
– Galen Longbeard, first wizard of Droon, vanished.

And his tower vanished with him.

Hrrr!
The shaggy pilka whinnied.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” said Eric.

With the three children on her back and Max sitting on her head, Leep galloped out of the forest. She rode across open meadows while the pink sky darkened into late afternoon. It grew colder as the light faded.

A shape moved across the sky above them.

“Groggles?” said Julie.

Neal looked up. “No,” he said. “A falcon. A white one. I think I saw it before, too. I remember falcons from our zoo trip last year.”

Eric watched the bird soar away. “This one was in the forest when we first saw Sparr.”

Hrrr!
Leep whinnied sharply and slowed her gallop.

“Hush now,” Max whispered. “We are close.”

He pulled the reins, and the pilka plodded up a low hill to a jagged ridge.

The high black walls of a large city loomed before them. The sky was thick with clouds. The air smelled of smoke.

“Let me guess,” Neal said. “This is Plud.”

The three riders slid to the ground in a grove of trees. Max jumped down with Leep’s cloak. “Don’t forget this. Invisibility might be useful.”

“So would a magic key,” Julie said. “Those walls are super high. How do we get in?”

Rrrr!
The ground began to rumble.

“A car?” Eric whispered. “Yes, Sparr’s car! The gates will open for him. He’s our way in!”

Ooga!
Sparr’s car roared loudly up the road.

Hrrr!
The pilka reared, spooking at the sound.

“Leep, wait!” Max shouted. But the animal broke away from him. He scurried down the hill after her. “Leep! Leep!”

“Come back, Max,” Julie said. “We need you!”

The car roared by. The gates of Plud opened.

“We’re losing our chance,” Eric hissed. “Come on!” He grabbed Neal and Julie.

The three of them dashed in after the yellow car. They jumped behind a low wall just as –
chong!
– the huge black gates closed.

Sparr’s car screeched to a stop in a courtyard. A group of Ninns raced out to greet their master.

“The princess is in the main tower,” one said.

Without a word, Sparr stomped into the fortress. The Ninn guards marched in after him.

“Okay,” Eric whispered. “Let’s go. Quietly.”

They slipped into the fortress. The hallways were as narrow and dark as the streets outside. Ninn footsteps echoed loudly on the stone floors.

Julie stopped. “Wait. Do we have a plan?”

Eric peered into the dark. “There are some steps ahead. If we sneak up to the main tower, maybe we can get to Keeah before Sparr does.”

Neal nodded. “And get back out, too. Right?”

“Of course,” Eric said.

“Sounds good,” said Julie. “Lead on.”

They tiptoed up the long stairway. After what seemed like hundreds of steps they reached the top of the main tower. At the end of a short hallway was a door. Two big Ninns in black armor guarded it.

“Do we have to…fight them?” Neal whispered, out of breath.

Eric shook his head. “No. Now we use some magic.” He pulled Galen’s cloak over himself.

“I like it,” Julie said. “Poof, you’re gone!”

“Hide in the shadows,” Eric said. Then, completely invisible, he slipped down the hall.

He jabbed one of the guards in the shoulder.

“Stop that!” the Ninn yelled. He swatted the other Ninn in the arm.

“I didn’t do anything!” the second Ninn cried. He whacked the other on his shiny black helmet.

“I’ll get you for that!” the first Ninn yelled.

“Not if I get you first!” the other growled, butting the first one on the head and chasing him right past the kids and down the stairs!

A moment later, the hallway was clear.

“Great job!” Julie said as Eric pulled off the cloak and looped it around his belt.

“I’ll stand guard outside,” Neal said. “You two go in and get the princess.”

Eric and Julie unbolted the door and pushed it open. They entered a small, dark room.

Princess Keeah was sitting on the floor. She looked up and jumped. “The boy in the woods!”

Eric grinned. “We’ve come to rescue you!”

Keeah smiled. “I knew someone would come.” Then her smile faded. “But If we’re going to get out of here at all, we need to hurry!”

As quickly as she had run through the forest, Keeah scampered from the room and down the hallway. Eric, Julie, and Neal followed her.

“Sparr thinks I have the Red Eye of Dawn,” Keeah whispered. “With it, he plans to conquer all of Droon!”

“And so I shall, Princess Keeah!”

The four children froze in the dark hall.

Out of the shadows stepped Lord Sparr.

Eight
Prisoners!

Clomp! Clomp!
The children were marched to a room at the top of another tower. A dozen Ninn warriors in shiny black armor surrounded them.

Clang!
The iron door was bolted shut.

They were prisoners.

Lord Sparr paced back and forth before a thick blue curtain that covered one of the walls.

“Princess Keeah,” he began. “You and your friends spoiled my plans to attack Zorfendorf Castle. And Galen discovered my little raid on Jaffa City. No matter. Having
you
as a prisoner is far more valuable. Besides, you have something that belongs to me.”

The princess backed away. “Let us go, Sparr. My father is on his way here right now.”

Sparr laughed. “Neither your father nor your mother will ever see you again.”

“My mother died,” Keeah said. “And my –”

The sorcerer smirked. “Your mother is –” Then he stopped. His eyes flashed. “That leather pouch on your wrist…”

“What?” Keeah said.

Sparr grabbed the pouch from Keeah.

“My mother gave me that!” she cried, trying to take it back.

But Sparr held it high. His fins turned inky black. He began to shake. “O jewel, if it be you, show me now your shape so true!”

At once, the pouch began to shrink in Sparr’s palm. It shriveled to the size of a small egg.

Then it turned very smooth.

Then it turned red.

It began to glow.

“No…” Keeah gasped. “No…no!”

Sparr howled. “The Red Eye of Dawn! You had it all along! Now I have it. The First Power is mine once again!”

“Give it back to her, you smelly fish head!” Eric yelled. He rushed at Sparr, but one of the Ninns grabbed him and pushed him roughly into Julie and Neal. Then the sorcerer spoke words that made their blood turn to ice.

“I…know…you…three….”

“What?” Julie said. “How could you –”

“You are from the Upper World. You

have found the stairs.
My
stairs.” Sparr pointed at Eric. “They are…in your house!”

Eric shuddered. “How do you know that?”

“I know many things about you,” Sparr said. Then he reached back and tore the blue curtain aside.

“Uh-oh,” Neal whispered.

Behind the curtain was a tall display stand. On the stand was a round black-and-white object.

“Our soccer ball!” Julie exclaimed.

“I have learned much from this object,” Sparr said, hovering over the ball. “But not as much as I shall learn…when I am done with you.”

Suddenly, a voice cried shrilly from the window. “You are done right now, Sparr!”

Everyone turned to see a mop of orange hair scurry down the wall.

“Max!” Julie cried.

“The one and only!” Max jumped to the floor and quickly spun a sticky web of threads around the Ninns’ feet. “Ha-ha!” he chittered.

“G-g-g-guards!” Lord Sparr stuttered. “Take them all to the dungeon!”

His red warriors lunged at the children.

And tripped on Max’s gooey web!

“All right!” Eric cried, leaping for the soccer ball and tossing it high. “Neal! Your famous bad kick! Just like in my basement!”

Neal grinned. “Heads up, everybody!” He jumped at the ball and kicked it hard.

“Akkk!” One Ninn groaned. “My nose!”

“Serves you right!” Julie shouted. She snuck up and kicked the ball again. This time, it went straight for another Ninn’s stomach. He fell back into two others, knocking them to the floor.

“Score!” Eric said, diving for the ball.

“I’ll get the Red Eye of Dawn!” Keeah cried.

But Sparr spun around and raised his fist.

Kla-blam!
A bolt of red fire shot from his hand. He staggered backward as the fire blew past Keeah, punching a hole straight through the wall to the hall outside.

“We’ll get the Eye later!” Eric shouted. “Everybody out!” He jumped through the hole in the wall with Neal and Keeah. Julie and Max ran after them. They all rushed down the hall.

But the Ninns were right on their heels.

“This way!” said Eric, tumbling through a narrow door. He tossed the soccer ball to Julie and slammed the door behind them.

“Uh-oh,” said Neal as he looked around.

Dim light from a high window showed that they were in a small room.

A very small room.

“Uh-oh is right,” Julie said. “I think we found a dungeon all by ourselves!”

Nine
Into Thin Air!

Wham! Wham!
The Ninns battered the door, but Eric and Neal held it as tight as they could.

“Dungeons don’t have exits,” Max said, crawling to the window. “This is a storage room.”