Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger Read online

  She pulled herself up to the lip of Trooogul’s cage with a grunt of effort. For a moment she rested there, on her knees, staring into the dark cave that was the Unger’s prison. At first she couldn’t see the creature, but after a moment she realized he was sitting in the back corner, quietly watching her. He must have heard her approach and now, even though she could only make out his faint outline in the blackness, she knew that he was watching her, waiting to see what she would do next.

  “Trooogul?” she called, and she could hear the tremble in her own voice.

  He didn’t reply and Kendra wondered if he had heard her at all. She was just about to speak again when his voice rumbled up through the darkness, sending a shiver to the very tips of her braids.

  “Youzum,” he grunted. “Whozum are you?”

  IF YOU HAVE EVER had a chance encounter with an old friend, only to have him or her stare at you blankly, then you might know how Kendra felt at that moment. How could Trooogul not remember her? She had saved his life, only last summer, and now he didn’t even recognize her. Kendra was so shocked that she couldn’t even speak.

  Slowly, Trooogul lumbered out of the shadows. He walked on all fours, and looked terribly dangerous as he entered the faint light cast by the dungeon torches. Though he was not yet as big as the adult Ungers, Kendra noticed he had grown since she had last seen him—he now seemed to tower over her. Trooogul gazed upon her with small vacant eyes, but he didn’t seem to recognize her at all.

  “Whozum are you?” he repeated, and there was a threatening growl to his voice.

  Instinctively Kendra clutched the pouch of sneezing powder. There was a row of thick iron bars separating her and Trooogul, but she knew he could reach between them and easily seize her, if he so desired.

  “Don’t . . . don’t you remember me?” Kendra stammered, tugging nervously at her braids.

  Trooogul sat down on his haunches, like a wolf, and stared at her curiously. Their eyes locked and Kendra found herself hoping against hope that he would somehow know her. Then Trooogul’s thick brow furled, as if some memory from a long-forgotten past suddenly reached him. Then, slowly, his giant mouth opened. “Youzum,” he said after a moment, a hint of accusation in his voice. “Youzum little Eeneez that rescuezum Trooogul. Long time agozum, beforezum Trooogul becomezum slave.”

  “Yes,” Kendra said, stepping forward excitedly. The bars were spaced wide enough for her to slip through, and she did, putting herself right inside the cage with the Unger.

  “Whyzum comezum here?” Trooogul demanded.

  “I didn’t mean to,” Kendra said. “We just ended up here, in these terrible mines of Umbor. But now I’m here. Now I can free you.”

  Trooogul snorted, though with laughter or anger, Kendra could not tell.

  “Youzum! Little Eeneez!” he said. “Youzum can does nothing forzum Trooogul.”

  “I have these!” Kendra said, shaking the keys indignantly.

  “Fatzum little Dwarfzum wearzum belt still?” Trooogul asked, scratching his claws against the rocky floor.

  “Why, yes, I suppose,” Kendra said. “Why? Is that how he captured you? With the belt?”

  “Yeezum,” Trooogul replied solemnly. “Cannot disobeyzum beltzum. Itzum magiczum! Makezum Dwarfee’s wishees comes truezum.”

  Kendra shook her head. “We have to try anyway,” she said. “The belt didn’t work on us. I think it was because of Uncle Griffinskitch’s own magic. His wizard staff protects us from the belt. So all we have to do is get Uncle—,”

  “Nozum!” Trooogul interrupted angrily. “Dwarfee catch hundredzum of Ungers with beltzum. Goojuns, Krakes and others toozum. Escape no so easyzum.”

  “Listen here!” Kendra said. “I can help you . . . and you can help me.”

  Trooogul’s great brow twisted in a knot. “Howzum? Howzum Trooogul helpzum Eeneez?”

  “I’m looking for something,” Kendra said.

  Trooogul rose back up to all fours as if in great alarm. “Whatzum?” he asked suspiciously.

  “A d-door,” she said, pulling anxiously on her braids again. She felt beads of perspiration rolling down her face, but she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or excitement. This was her chance to discover the secret that could lead her to her family. But part of her was also afraid—for if Trooogul knew nothing of the Door to Unger, then maybe it didn’t exist at all. Maybe it was all just a fantasy and she had led her uncle and the rest of her companions on a wild bumblebee chase.

  “Doorzum?” Trooogul grunted. “What doorzum wouldzum Eeneez seek?”

  “It’s called the Door to Unger,” Kendra said, tugging yet harder on her braids.

  “Whoazum!” Trooogul exclaimed. “How does Eeneez knowzum of doorzum?”

  “It exists, then?” Kendra asked excitedly. “Tell me it does!”

  Trooogul sat back down on his haunches and glared at her for a moment. Then he said, “Doorzum is real. But no Eeneez shouldzum seeks doorzum.”

  “Why?” Kendra asked.

  “Trooogul no surezum,” he answered slowly. “But this muchzum Trooogul knowzum. Many Eeneez taken tozum Door to Unger. Yetzum, no Eeneez returnzum.”

  “But why?” Kendra urged. “Just what is the Door to Unger? What does it do?”

  Trooogul shook his great head. “Not knowzum. Strangezum magic powerzum is at doorzum.”

  “You must take me there,” Kendra announced.

  “Nozum!” he bellowed. “Youzum blindzum? Notzum seez that Trooogul izum Unger?”

  “Of course I do,” Kendra said angrily. “But I’m going to set you free. I’ll set all you free.”

  “Neverzum!” Trooogul roared ferociously. “Ungers and Eeneez enemies!”

  “But last time you said that you didn’t hate Eens!” Kendra cried. She felt another drop on her cheek, but it wasn’t perspiration this time; it was a hot and angry tear. “Now you’re saying we’re enemies!”

  Trooogul leaned close to her and hissed, “Of course Trooogul hate Eeneez. All Ungers hate Eeneez. Just sayzum that last timezum to make little Eeneez feel bad, to chasee awayzum.”

  “You’re just a liar, then,” Kendra said.

  “And youzum,” Trooogul said, spitting at her in anger, “youzum just Eeneez.”

  Kendra was growing desperate. She felt that Trooogul would somehow be her only chance to find her family. Somehow, she had to get him on her side. “Look,” she urged, raising her hand so that he could see her palm. “I met an Unger. One of your Elders, I think. He said I was marked.”

  This act did not have the effect Kendra desired. For now, Trooogul’s eyes went wide and he backed away from her, as if she could somehow hurt him. Even in the faint light, Kendra could see his great limbs tremble.

  “You see it, don’t you?” Kendra asked. “You can see the mark on my palm!”

  “Itzum forbidden for any Unger to touchzum Eeneez markzee withzum star!” Trooogul uttered in a voice that was as close to a whisper as he could get.

  “Why?” Kendra asked.

  “Eenee with starzum will destroyzum Unger,” Trooogul said, casting his eyes wildly about, as if he was looking for some desperate way to escape her presence. “Unger prophecy sayzum so. Now Eeneez must leavezum.”

  “Please!” Kendra urged, stepping towards him.

  “NO!” Trooogul roared. “Leavezum now.” And the great gray beast turned his back to her and scuttled quickly to the back of his cage.

  Kendra just stood there, crying. She wondered how he could treat her so. Was this mark on her hand—a mark that she herself could not even see—so frightening? Only a moment ago, she had felt so close to discovering the next clue about the Door to Unger, a clue that could lead her to her family. But it seemed that Trooogul had dashed all her hopes just as quickly.

  But Kendra had been through enough adventures to know that feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t get her anywhere. With a determined yank on her braids, she composed herself. Trooogul’s great bony back was still turned to her, bu
t even so, she raised her head high and marched out of the cage and stood on the lip of the rock. Then, before she could think better of her actions, she quickly thrust one of the keys into the lock of the Unger’s cage. With some luck, the very first key worked, and with a groaning creak the door swung inwards.

  Trooogul whirled around, his eyes wide with surprise. “Trooogul toldzum Eeneez! Trooogul no helpzum! Whyzum Eenee setzum Trooogul freezum?”

  Kendra wiped the tears from her eyes and glared at him. “Selfish beast!” she said. “You have no idea how much it cost me to save your life last time! And if you think that I did it just so you could toil the rest of your days as a slave to these greedy Dwarves, then . . . then . . . well, you truly are a monster!”

  And with these words, she turned away from him and clambered down the rock. She was still holding the key ring in her hands as she turned to face the wall of cages. Her heated words had brought all the slaves scuttling to the doors of their pens, and now they clutched the bars with their gnarled claws as they glared at her. The beasts looked wild and frenzied, but Kendra’s heart was now beating like a hornet’s nest, and she did not care. She flung the keys as hard as she could and one of the wretched creatures reached out and greedily caught them.

  “You’re free!” Kendra shouted, running down the length of the dungeon. “You’re all free!” Now the tears were streaming freely from her face, though she hardly understood why. She could hear a great clamor of noise; it was the doors swinging open as the keys were tossed from cage to cage, releasing slave after slave.

  She stopped and turned. Creatures were now spilling out of the holes in the walls, a tidal wave of crooked limbs and wild, leering faces. Kendra gasped, for now she realized that this horde of beasts was stampeding straight toward her in their attempt to escape the dismal dungeon. She couldn’t help but wonder what had become of Oki and Ratchet, but before she could quite complete this frantic thought, she heard someone yell, “STOP,” and the rumbling tide of escaping slaves came to a sudden, eerie halt. Kendra stared into their faces. But they weren’t looking at her, but rather behind her.

  Slowly, the tiny Een girl turned around. There, standing on top of a large rock and glowering down upon the cavern, stood the hunched and golden-robed figure of Pugglemud.

  ONE MIGHT IMAGINE Pugglemud to be quite alarmed by finding such a throng of gruesome creatures swarming, free and angry, through his dungeon. But to the contrary, he seemed quite amused by the whole affair, and now he smiled upon Kendra and the cavern full of monsters as if he knew something they did not. Then Kendra noticed that with one hand, Pugglemud was holding a large sack that seemed to wriggle and kick, and with his other, he was pulling back his cloak so that all could clearly see his magic belt.

  That’s why everyone obeyed his command, Kendra thought. Pugglemud is using his belt to control us.

  Even as this occurred to her, Kendra could feel her mind growing thick and heavy. It was as if she was being locked out of her own mind; it was the power of his magic belt, and she was helpless to resist.

  “Good evenin’,” Pugglemud said presently. “Well, it looks like we got ourselves a—hiccup—troublemaker here!”

  “Does my master still struggle with the hiccups?” Kendra asked, frowning even as the words left her mouth.

  “Don’t ya—hiccup—know it,” the Dwarf King said. “They’re a real bother. I’ll have ‘em for—hiccup—days, I reckon.”

  Just then a band of six Dwarves appeared at Pugglemud’s side. Most were holding spears and swords (they were soldiers, Kendra guessed), but two of them were clutching two squirming prisoners—Ratchet and Oki!

  “We found these rascals hidin’ behind the rocks, King Reginaldo,” one of the Dwarves reported.

  “Good work,” Pugglemud said, opening the sack he was holding. “We’ll put ‘em in with the old—hiccup—wizard and the others.”

  Kendra let out a gasp as her friends were dropped into the sack. “But how could you catch them?” she asked. “What about Uncle Griffinskitch’s . . .”

  “Ya mean this?” Pugglemud asked smugly, reaching into one of his pockets to produce Uncle Griffinskitch’s wizard’s staff. “Yer old uncle ain’t so—hiccup—powerful without this, I reckon!”

  Kendra felt her heart sink, and despite the fog that was weaving its way through her mind, everything became clear to her. Kendra knew the Dwarf king must have slipped some of his own Snore Galore into their dinner to put them all asleep. Of course, Ratchet, Oki, and Kendra hadn’t eaten any of the disgusting turnips, but Uncle Griffinskitch and the others certainly had. They had fallen into such a deep slumber that it had been easy for Pugglemud to sneak into their room, steal the magic staff, and capture them. He had betrayed them.

  Or is it betrayal? Kendra asked herself. He’s the king. He should be able to do whatever he wants. He is, after all, my master.

  “No!” Kendra screamed out loud, clutching at her braids as if she could somehow conquer the spell. “It’s your cursed belt! It’s . . . it’s . . .”

  “Makin’ ya do what I—hiccup—want, eh?” Pugglemud chortled. “Hee hee! Now that I’ve—hiccup—gotten yer pesky uncle and his—hiccup—magic out of the way, you can’t be stoppin’ the power of the—hiccup—belt, don’t ya know.”

  He was right, Kendra knew. She felt she must obey him.

  “Now what d’ya—hiccup—have to say fer yerself?” Pugglemud demanded.

  “I-I-I am sorry, King Reginaldo, for my treachery,” Kendra declared, kneeling before him. “Please forgive me.”

  “That’s—hiccup—a good slave,” Pugglemud said. “You’ll make a fine—hiccup—slave, jus’ like the—hiccup—rest of them. But how I—hiccup—wish someone could cure me of these durn hiccups!”

  Kendra looked strangely at the Dwarf. In her foggy mind, so controlled by the magic belt, Kendra knew it was her duty to obey King Reginaldo’s wishes. Then she thought of Ratchet’s Easy Sneeze powder, stuffed away in her cloak. Why, I can cure King Reginaldo’s hiccups, Kendra thought. In fact, I must cure them, for he has wished it so.

  She reached into her cloak, found the pouch containing the powder, and approached the Dwarf king.

  “Eh? Whatchya doin’?” Pugglemud asked.

  “I will help you, my king,” Kendra said obediently—and she cast a handful of the powder upon the Dwarf.

  “What the heck is—,” Pugglemud said, but before he could finish his sentence, he let out a loud “ACHOO!” It was a sneeze so strong and violent that it blew the Dwarf king right off his feet and caused him to drop Uncle Griffinskitch’s staff and the sack of Een prisoners.

  “How does this help?!” Pugglemud demanded, picking himself up from the ground.

  “Why, your hiccups have stopped, haven’t they?” Kendra asked innocently.

  But before Pugglemud could muster a reply, he erupted into a fit of sneezes. Each sneeze was louder and stronger than the last, and finally, one came that was so mighty that it threw Pugglemud right against the wall of the dungeon, snapping his precious belt and causing it to fly from his fat waist and land with a dull thud upon the floor.

  Instantly the fog cleared from Kendra’s mind. Gone was the grip that Pugglemud’s power had had upon her only seconds before. She was free!

  “My pants!” Pugglemud cried, for without his belt, he had lost his trousers and now was standing in his under shorts.

  In any other situation, Kendra might have laughed at Pugglemud’s predicament, but now several things seemed to happen at once. The other Dwarves in the cavern all scrambled towards the magic belt and were soon ensnared in a great fistfight as each tried to get his greedy hands upon the enchanted prize. Then, there was the horde of creatures behind Kendra. All this time, they had been frozen under the spell of Pugglemud’s belt, standing still as statues. But now that they were free of the Dwarf king’s power they burst forward in a racket of claws and roars, all clambering over one another as they stormed to freedom. It was if a great battle had suddenl
y erupted in the cavern—and Kendra was right in the middle of it.

  There was not a moment to lose. The first thing she had to do was get to her friends, for they were still inside the sack that was now abandoned on the floor, right in the path of the escaping monsters. Frantically, Kendra rushed towards the sack, doing her best to dodge the feet of the Goojuns, Ungers, and other terrible monsters. But before she could reach it, one of the monsters—an Unger—grabbed the sack in his crooked claw and swung it over his shoulder.

  “NO!” Kendra screamed, but her cry was lost in the din of the cavern.

  Then she saw her uncle’s staff lying on the ground, where Pugglemud had dropped it. Quickly, she scampered towards it, but it, too, fell victim to the stampede of monsters and was crushed to splinters beneath their great bodies.

  There’s no magic for us now, Kendra thought, but there was no time to dwell on this sad fact. For now, she found herself in the thick of the stampede—a tiny speck amidst a sea of giants. The ground trembled underneath the pounding of so many feet and claws. It was like an earthquake and Kendra knew at any moment she would be crushed, ground to pieces, just like her uncle’s staff.

  Then, suddenly, Trooogul appeared before her. He was holding a strip of cloth—a ragged cloak dropped by one of the Dwarves—and now he lifted it towards her, as if he meant to cover her with it.

  “What are you doing?” Kendra shrieked.

  “Shutzum!” Trooogul snapped. “Don’t makezum Trooogul touch Eeneez.”

  Being ever so careful not to touch her with his bare claws, Trooogul used the cloak to pick up Kendra. Then, using the cloak as a makeshift sack, he slung the tiny Een girl over his shoulder and charged through the underground tunnel of the Dwarves, following after his fellows.