Sorry guys you’re stuck in the goblins grisly nightmare,” said someone from the mouth of the cave. A penguin was perched on a boulder with a hint of daring in its golden-green gaze.. recognized the voice, which was more ladylike than you’d expect from an arctic, flightless bird. “Sage! ” I cried. The penguin bobbed its head. “May I come in? ” I figured that was her way of asking if any freaky monsters, goblins, or trolls were plotting in the shadows. “All clear. ” “Awesome. ”
She hopped off the rock and waddled inside. “Like the duds? “Sure,” I replied. “But why a penguin? ” “Well, I saw one at the zoo and loved its sophisticated looks. Besides, black-and-white is the new red for fall. ” She patted her torpedo-shaped hips. “So I tried the body for size and … well, it just felt right. Had to have it. They’re chic fowl, don’t you think? ” “Ah yeah, sure,” Mason agreed. “Chic is the first word that pops into my mind when I think of a macaroni penguin. ” Sage grinned peering down at our empty fists. “A little birdie told me you were searching for the scepter. ”
I began to explain about the wolf and the castle but was interrupted by voices from outside the cave. Sage rustled her feathers. A tuft of fire curled from her long red beak. “Oh, no… I can’t hold onto this stiff for much longer. The body will self-destruct in ten minutes. ” She hiccupped a wisp of smoke. “Gotta go. Good luck. ” She flew between some swaying candelabras and zoomed past Cotton on her way out of the cave. The gnome stumbled toward us, bleary-eyed. “What’s going on? ” I showed him the pile of black-and-white tail feathers that had landed on the cave floor.
“Sage. She’s such a gifted shape-shifter,” he said, turning one over in his hand. “Did you find the scepter? Have a clash with the goblin? Or,” || added just because, “was the castle booby-trapped? ” “So many questions. ” Cotton smiled. “Come on. I’ll explain outside. ” *** There he was. He was instantly recognizable, sitting on a weathered block of stone, his ivory fangs clamped firmly around the Scepter of Sirethiel. His snow-white fur teased by the breeze, his pale, pale, gaze ghostly—so much white, white on white, made whiter by the fat, satisfied moon’s bright and silvery light.
Behind him, the serrated ridge of Shadow Mountain sparkled, and beside him, a pack of seven wolves prowled between the thickets, dagger teeth bared in amused grins, yellow eyes darting from Mason to me. He limped over and dropped the scepter at my feet. My eyes were drawn to his haunted expression. “How did you —? ” “Very carefully,” whispered a wolf who, apart from its shadow, could not be seen.
“We fought our way past ogres, a hitch of uncertainty, even fear, spread through their ranks. They gradually began turning away from us, running in different directions. “Behind the ogre army, trebuchets manned by trolls shot orange and yellow fireballs into the sky,” Hob explained. “Plumes of smoke rose from scorched craters in the ground. Monstrous one-eyed Cyclops warriors entered the battle and collided with trolls charring the mangled corpses left in their wake.
Somehow we forced our way down several long, narrow stone passageways and zigzagged through a labyrinth of twisting corridors dimly lit with a greenish light. ” “Anyway, the castle was rigged with all sorts of traps. ” One of the smaller wolves smiled. We rendered most of them inoperable, but every now and then we had to leap over fiery pits that opened in the floor or swerve when spears shot from the ceiling. Mural images of goblins slid off the dungeon walls, formed into eerie ghouls, and wasted away. ” “Wow. ” Mason looked impressed. “So you’re like some kind of wicked commandos silently creeping through the grass and just kicking rump on anything that moves. That’s pure awesomeness. ” “Where’s Zander? ” Hob sounded upset, and still slightly out of breath. “Tying up some loose ends,” Cotton replied.
Leaves rustled as something green slithered between my feet. It scurried past and hissed at me from behind a bush. I jumped back, my heart shifted out of idle into tenth gear, revving like a go-kart around the track. Cotton nudged me with his elbow. “It was a garter snake. ” “Right. ” I said, backing nervously away from the trees. “Hey how did you unlock the dungeon door? ” He dangled a brass skeleton key. “Oh. So how did you get a hold of the scepter? ” Hob ignored my question. “Aiden, look at me. ” I did, and I wasn’t sure what I saw in his furry face. There was no clear sign of trust or conviction.
Nothing to egg me on. It was like the weather in Pixie Dust, some days, you could tell if was going to rain. But most days, it could go either way. Many a gambler had lost big time betting on such a risky wager. “Follow the path,” Hob told me, “and return the scepter to its rightful owner. ” I knelt down and picked up the long gleaming stick. It was a made of solid gold and adorned with rare and precious gemstones that glittered in the moonlight. Suddenly it shocked me—no mere spark it was a chain reaction that shot through my hands, up my arms, and into my bones.
Absolute terror wrapped its icy fingers around my throat for a moment, then the fear gave way to something else. A razor-sharp clarity—so acute it was almost surreal-sharpened senses as if my mind had been honed and polished. I became intently aware of my surroundings. I could taste the tang of tree sap and the smell of the iron embedded in the soil. My hearing improved too. I clearly perceived the gnashing of termites pincers and I could feel the white wolf’s heart beat as if it was my own. Then, about fifty feet in front of me, I saw a green shimmering path that swished and swayed like a coiled serpent.
Cotton gave us a little salute—as if to wish us luck—and we were on our way, tearing through the trees. I passed Mason like an antelope, hurdling fallen logs and ducking low branches, tracking the path until my lungs blazed. Finally, the woods fell away and we broke into an open field. I was deep in thigh-high grass when cracks appeared in the ground. Where I had been standing, the earth dissolved, rocks crumbling as if broken apart by an unseen sledgehammer, chinks of the sky fell around us like confetti.
The whole landscape was bending and caving in, the essence of life unraveling. Look out! ” Mason warned. An ancient oak tree crashed and crumpled to dust, scattering in the wind. We barely made it to the other side before the field, sank into a chasm. “We need to hurry,” Mason said. “Yeah, but there’s no path. ” Behind us, someone cleared his throat. Gordok leaned against a nearby pine tree, his glittery spaghetti strapped tank top, and metallic Speedo gleaming silver in the sunrise. Mason cracked his knuckles. “Get ready to come face-to-face with the hideous. ” “You-who, I’m sorry to intrude, but, uh … look at what I found in the woods. The goblin had Cotton by the neck and was savagely shaking him like a caged lion shaking the bars of his prison. He beamed and tossed the gnome against a rock. The Goblin loomed over him, his arms crisscrossed in a knot of annoyance.
“Tell your friends to give me the scepter you filthy creature. ” Cotton groaned in the grass, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Fury took the place of my fear. Newfound strength blazed in my limbs—the same gust of get-up-and-go I’d gotten when the waitress revealed her yellow talons. “Back off, ugly. ” “Well, now isn’t this nice. ” Gordok, lips were drawn back in a disturbing grin. I always admire courage, even if it leads to death. Just be a good boy and give me the scepter. ” I waved the stick. The goblin lunged at me, but before he could strike, I tossed it to Mason. “Aiden tell your friend to hand over the scepter and in return you can have anything you want,” Gordok continued, trying to sound reasonable. “I’ll give you power beyond your wildest dreams. ” Did I mull over it? I suppose I did, if only for an instant.
But one look at my friends, their faces etched with fret, expelled any temptation. He sighed. “I should warn you: If you keep it up, I’ll kill all three of you. Mason chucked the scepter and I caught it. “Well,” Gordok screamed, froth dripping from his black lips. “Have it your way. ” He lunged at me, but before he could strike the scepter flashed, pushing back the green beast. “Run, Aiden! ” Mason screamed at me. “Run! ” But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the goblin charged, his arms outstretched to seize me no matter which direction I tried to dart. Time slowed down. I couldn’t jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, using the monster’s head as a launch pad to execute a triple backward somersault in mid-air and land on his back.
He hit the ground, his eyes crossed, and he rolled around grunting. “Hah! ” | shouted, triumphantly. “Take that, you lousy buffoon! ” I thrust my fist into the air, turned and grabbed Cotton’s wrist. We tore through the trees, leaves crunching beneath our feet as we darted deeper and deeper into the forest. All around us, the dense gnarled undergrowth was a hodgepodge of splintered squeals echoing and colliding off lofty ridges, until suddenly everything grew still and then just as suddenly the hush was broken by lurid twigs snapping and I knew without looking who was lurking in the stand of dark trees.