The Great Ice Battle Read online

His voice was lost in the howling wind.

  “The storm is getting worse!” said Julie.

  “And it’s nearly nighttime!” Neal shouted. “Perfect time for this kind of nightmare!”

  Still, the six-legged pilkas galloped on. They stormed through an icy forest. Icicles fell like daggers from frozen branches. Tall trees cracked in half, their black limbs heavy with silver ice.

  “This place ­really is cursed,” said Julie.

  Neal cupped his hands together. “King Zello!” he yelled. “Oh, man, he’ll never hear us. He ­could be miles away. He ­could even be —”

  “Don’t say it!” Eric cried, standing in his saddle. He called out even louder. “Zello! Zello!”

  The wind roared like Sparr’s deep laughter.

  Eric’s arms and legs ached. He felt cold. He felt like going to sleep. Frost began to form on all their cheeks. It was getting darker. And colder.

  “No!” Eric cried, snapping the reins again. “We have to do this! We have to make it right! Keep yelling, ­everybody! Keep yelling!”

  “King Zello!” they shouted at the top of their lungs. “King Zello!”

  Then, they heard it. A faraway sound.

  A familiar noise above the wild snowstorm.

  Hrrr!

  “Hey! I’d recognize that sound anywhere!” Julie shouted. “It’s Leep!”

  “Yes!” Eric cried. “And where Leep is, there’s — King Zello! Zello!”

  A dark shape galloped suddenly ­toward them.

  It was Leep. And on the sled behind him, King Zello.

  The king pulled up sharply on the reins.

  “Galen is frozen!” Eric cried, jumping from his pilka. “And Sparr and Keeah are fighting! There are lots of Ninns, too. A whole army of Ninns!”

  “I have an army, too,” the king said. He waved his hand behind him.

  “Whoa!” Eric exclaimed.

  Behind the king, riding on their own sleds, were dozens of men and women. But mostly there were children. Lots and lots of children.

  “Wow, an army of Droon kids!” Neal said.

  “But how will we fight the big Ninns?” one young girl asked.

  Julie jumped down from her saddle. “Hey, I just thought of something. With this curse, we almost forgot the best thing about snow.”

  Neal frowned. “What’s that?”

  Julie dug her hands into a high drift and grinned. “The good old Upper World … snowball!”

  The children of Droon crowded around them.

  “We’ll help, too,” one of them said. “We want to keep our city free.”

  “And maybe we can use these!” one boy said. From his coat he pulled a Y-shaped stick.

  “A slingshot?” said Ned. “Cool! But you have to remember rule number one. When you’re fighting Ninns, you pack your snowballs hard!”

  The children of Droon dug into the snow eagerly. Soon ­everyone had made dozens of snowballs. They filled their pockets with them.

  “To the palace!” the king called out. At once his sled thundered across the snow.

  “Yahoo!” Eric said as he snapped the reins of his pilka. “Sparr and his Ninns will never know what hit them!”

  The armored red warriors were waiting on the palace steps as the sleds and pilkas roared into the city.

  “Come on, ­everybody!” Eric said, gathering the kids of Droon together. “Snowballs out!”

  “Snowballs out!” the kids replied.

  “Ready,” said Neal. “Aim —”

  “And … fire!” shouted Julie.

  Splat! Splat! Splat!

  “Aggkh!” the Ninns cried. Half of them dropped their bows. The other half fell to the steps, clutching their shoulders and knees.

  “Yes!” Neal whooped. “Kids one, Ninns zero!”

  “To the throne room!” King Zello shouted, rushing past the Ninns and into the palace.

  Blam! Crash! Kkkk! Poom!

  When they entered the round room, Keeah and Sparr were flinging lightning bolts at each other.

  “Whoa!” said Eric. “Keeah is awesome! I guess she figured out the magic!”

  A band of angry Ninns rushed at the kids, but the red wolves lunged, forcing the Ninns back.

  Then Max swung down from the ceiling and sprayed sticky silk on them.

  “Excellent!” Julie shouted. “Come on, kids, let’s finish the job!” She and the children of Droon pelted the tangled Ninns with snowballs.

  King Zello led the grown-ups in a charge at Sparr. “Keeah, help Galen!” he boomed.

  Keeah rushed to the old wizard, reaching for her velvet pouch.

  Fwing! A Ninn arrow whizzed by her side. Keeah looked down. The pouch was slit in half.

  The sparkling dust spilled across the floor!

  “Oh, no —” she cried.

  Blam! Sparr hurled a bolt at Keeah, knocking her roughly into her father. They fell to the floor.

  Eric looked around. “I’m going for the amulet!” he cried. “Neal, cover me!”

  “You got it!” Neal yelled. “Finally, I get to try my twisty fastball!” He pelted Sparr with snowballs all the way.

  Splat! Splat! Splat! The sorcerer fell back.

  Eric took a long slide ­toward the amulet.

  Suddenly — kkkk-blam!

  A beam of green light shot out from the amulet’s crystal. Its light blasted the stone floor.

  “Umph!” Eric was thrown backward into Neal. They hit the floor hard. Near them, the giant map of Droon glowed where the beam hit.

  Sparr began to laugh wildly. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  “What, what, what?” Neal snapped.

  “The Dust Hills of Panjibarrh!” the sorcerer howled. “That is where great Zor lies sleeping!”

  “Sleeping?” said Eric. “But isn’t he dead?”

  “The giant shall rise again!” Sparr cried. His fins turned black. He pulled his sword out of the floor. Then he towered over Eric and Neal.

  “Um … any ideas, pal?” Eric mumbled.

  Neal shrugged. He dug his hands into his pockets. “Sorry, man. Out of ammo.”

  “I’m not!” Keeah cried. In a single motion, she twirled to her feet, faced Sparr, and thrust out both of her hands. Before he ­could move —

  KKKK-BLAM! The room went totally white.

  “Ahhhhh!” Eric screamed, shutting his eyes.

  “Yeeooww!” Neal yelped, covering his face.

  But when the light vanished, Sparr was slumped against the wall.

  “You!” he shrieked at the princess. “You have wounded me!” He fell to the floor, yowling in pain like an injured animal.

  He clutched the amulet tightly. “All of you will pay for this!”

  Ninns surrounded him and pulled him to his feet. Waving their weapons at the kids, they dragged Lord Sparr quickly from the room.

  The red wolves howled and chased them to the gates of the city. A moment later, the wolves trotted back.

  Sparr was gone.

  “Hooray!” the children of Droon cheered. They jumped for joy. “We did it! He’s gone!”

  Neal rushed over to them. “Slap me five, Droon kids!” he cried. They slapped Neal’s hands. Then they did the same to one another.

  Suddenly, the throne room went quiet.

  Keeah looked up at Galen. She held the empty velvet bag. “I have failed you again. My magic is gone. I am not worthy of ­being a wizard.”

  Everyone stared at the old man’s icy face. Max covered his own.

  Then the stony silence gave way to another sound.

  The sound of wings.

  The white falcon descended from the frosty air. She hovered above their heads.

  “Keeah, my daughter!” the falcon said. “Zello, my king!”

  Zello gazed up. “I have missed you!”

  “Mother!” the princess said. “Sparr is gone, but his curse remains.” She held up the empty velvet bag. “Galen is frozen. My ­people are frozen! The magic is all gone!”

  “Keeah, my time here is a
lmost done,” the falcon said, fluttering up. “Already I have begun to change. I cannot help you now.”

  Eric, Julie, and Neal crowded around Keeah.

  “How can I cure Galen?” she asked.

  The falcon flapped her wings just above the princess. The bird’s feathers started to shed. “Remember this always — you are the magic! Look into your heart, my child, and you will know.”

  The bird rose slowly up to the ceiling. Feathers fell away with ­every flap of her wings. They whirled around like snow­flakes in the cold air.

  “When next you see me, I shall be in another form. Many trials lie ahead before I can undo this curse. Before I can be your mother again.”

  “You are my mother always!” Keeah said.

  “Soon, I shall see you again!” her mother called out. “Soon, Keeah! Soon, my brave king!”

  A moment later, the falcon was no more than a sparkling blue light vanishing to nothing.

  “Wow,” Eric whispered.

  The last white feather fluttered down slowly. Keeah reached up, clutched it, and held it tight.

  Her father whispered to the air above them, “We will find you, my queen. We will help you.”

  Finally, Keeah looked at the old wizard. “A lightning bolt isn’t going to help me now.”

  Max scuttled over to her. “Queen Relna said if you look into your heart you will know.”

  “I just thought of something else,” said Neal. “I tasted the magic sugar after your mom zapped it. It was good, but pretty regular.”

  “Yes?” Keeah said.

  “Well, I was thinking,” Neal said. “What if the magic sugar was just, you know, sugar?”

  “It worked when I unfroze the wolves,” the princess said.

  “But maybe for you, what you touch is magic,” said Eric. “Because you are who you are.”

  Julie nodded. “It’s like your mother said: ‘You are the magic.’”

  Keeah blinked. “By myself? With no spells?”

  “Yes!” the kids said together.

  King Zello put his arm around his daughter. “I believe you can do it. I’ve watched you. You are your mother’s daughter.”

  “Even Sparr said so,” Neal added. “And he was scared of you.”

  Keeah took a deep breath. Then she bent down to the floor. She filled her hand with powdery flakes of snow. She stepped over to Galen and sprinkled the flakes over him.

  The flakes danced slowly as they came down.

  The ice began to melt from Galen’s cheeks. His forehead. His eyes.

  The old wizard’s face softened. He smiled.

  “Keeah!” he said. “I am alive again!”

  “Master!” Max said, jumping up and down. “Welcome back to the world of the living!”

  Keeah’s eyes were wide with amazement. “If it works for you, then …” She rushed outside. The city around her lay frozen and white.

  “My ­people! My city!” she called out.

  Taking another handful of snow, she tossed it into the air. All at once, the whirling flakes became the soft white petals of apple blossoms!

  The clouds swept away. Golden sunlight flooded the square.

  Crrrack! Fountains suddenly crackled and spurted with fragrant water. Ice melted from the trees. Their bright green leaves swung loose. The air was full of sweet-scented flowers.

  All the ice and snow across the city vanished under the warm sun.

  “Spring is back in Jaffa City!” King Zello exclaimed. “Keeah, you have done it!”

  Everyone who had been turned to ice began to move again. Soon there was laughter coming from ­every corner of the vast city.

  “Awesome!” Eric said, smiling.

  “Now, that’s what I call true magic!” Neal said.

  The kids shed their spider-silk coats and stood in the bright sunshine.

  “This is more like it!” said Julie.

  “And look!” Max pointed to the sky over the city’s golden walls.

  In the bright pink sky above a nearby hill were the rainbow-colored stairs.

  The stairs to the Upper World.

  The stairs back to Eric’s house.

  “I guess it’s time,” said Neal.

  “We’d better go,” Eric added, “so we can come back again as soon as possible!”

  “Thank you for ­everything!” Galen said. “Once again, you have helped our world.”

  “And,” boomed the king, “I proclaim that the next time you come to Jaffa City, it will be Eric and Julie and Neal Day!”

  “It’s a deal!” said Neal.

  Everyone cheered. The crowd followed the three Upper Worlders to the foot of the magic stairway.

  “Good-bye, for now,” Keeah said, hugging her friends. “And come back soon!”

  “That’s a deal, too!” Eric said.

  The three friends ran up the stairs. They entered the small room at the top.

  Neal clicked the light switch. The room lit up.

  Whoosh! The stairs vanished and the basement floor appeared beneath them.

  The world of Droon was secret once more.

  “What do you think Sparr’s going to do with that amulet?” Neal asked when they slipped quietly out of the small room.

  “I think we’ll find out real soon,” Julie said.

  Sunlight streamed through the basement windows. The clock told them no time had passed.

  Eric picked up the softball and tossed it. “Even though today was dangerous, I have to admit, it was pretty cool.”

  “Correction,” said Neal, grabbing the ball and tossing it himself. “Cold, very cold.”

  “The word I would use is icy,” Julie said. Then she stole the ball from Neal and ran up the stairs. “Last one in the backyard is a rotten egg!”

  Eric and Neal shot looks at each other.

  “Me first!” they both cried as they dashed up the stairs after her.

  Bing-bing-bing!

  It was early Saturday morning.

  Eric Hinkle bounced up from his bed and shut off the alarm. He stared into the dim light, trying to recall his dream. Then he remembered it.

  “Oh, no,” he groaned. “Another night without dreaming of Droon!”

  Dreaming was important.

  After Eric and his friends visited Droon, Princess Keeah told them that their dreams would tell them when to return. But it had been two weeks since anyone had dreamed of Droon.

  That meant something was wrong.

  Very wrong.

  “The magic has to keep working,” Eric said to himself. “It just has to!”

  He dressed quickly and snuck down to the kitchen. He tiptoed to the back door and unlocked it. His best friend, Neal Kroger, slid in quietly.

  “What’s to eat?” Neal asked.

  Eric stared at him. “Never mind food,” he said. “What did you dream about last night?”

  Neal took a deep breath. “The usual. Pizza.”

  Eric moaned. “Pizza? No wonder you’re hungry.”

  “In my dream I was sitting in the middle of a humongous pizza,” Neal said. “And I had to eat my way out to the crust. What about you?”

  Eric sighed. “I was hitting a metal garbage can with a broomstick. Bing, bang, bong all night.”

  “Did it wake your parents?” Neal asked.

  Eric gave him a look. “No. Then I woke up and realized it was just my alarm going off.”

  Neal shook his head as they tramped down the stairs to the basement. “Doesn’t sound like we’ll be going to Droon today,” he said.

  “I can’t believe this,” Eric groaned.

  He remembered the first time he, Neal, and Julie discovered the magic entrance to Droon.

  They were cleaning up Eric’s messy basement when they found a small closet hidden under the stairs.

  They went inside, flicked off the light, and — whoosh! — the floor turned into a rainbow-colored staircase.

  Of course they went down the stairs.

  Soon, they met Princess Keeah and the
wizard Galen. They helped them fight a wicked and very powerful sorcerer named Lord Sparr. They had gone on lots of adventures since then.

  Until now.

  “What about the soccer ball?” Neal asked.

  Princess Keeah had put a spell on their soccer ball. It would float in the air and become a globe of Droon when she needed them most.

  Eric shook his head. “It’s busted. Look.”

  He picked up the ball from its place on the workbench. He dropped the ball to the floor.

  Boing! It bounced back.

  “This ball is only good for playing soccer.”

  Neal twisted his face into a frown. “Keeah said we’d return to Droon as long as the magic keeps working. I guess we’re not going back.”

  “Oh, man!” Eric whined. “Julie will be sad.”

  “Or mad,” Neal said. “We’d better tell her.”

  “Tell me what?” Julie said as she ran down the stairs. “Your mom said it was okay to come down, Eric. Am I too early?”

  “More like too late,” Eric said, shooting a look at Neal. “You didn’t happen to have a dream about Droon last night, did you?”

  Julie shook her head. “No ...”

  “That’s it,” Neal said. “Good-bye, Droon.”

  Julie grinned. “I mean, no, it wasn’t just any dream....” She headed straight for the door under the stairs.

  “What?” Eric turned to her. “You mean —”

  Julie laughed. “Last night I had the ultimate dream about Droon! I was floating high over the countryside. Then I saw a bunch of crowns — gold crowns — just sitting on a hilltop in the middle of nowhere!”

  “Cool!” Neal exclaimed.

  “But,” Julie continued, “the coolest part was that I had a crown, too. I was Princess Julie! It was so awesome. We are definitely going back. Now!”

  “Yes — yes — yes!” Eric yelled. “Let’s do it!”

  Julie quickly pulled open the small door. She waved her hand in. “Enter.”

  They all piled in. Neal closed the door.

  Julie flicked off the light.

  Click! It was dark for an instant. Then —

  Whoosh! The floor vanished beneath them. In its place was the top step of the magical rainbow-colored staircase. The staircase to Droon.

  Eric jumped. “It’s so good to be going back!”

  “What can I say?” Julie said. “I’m special.”