Good Ogre (8 page)

He crossed paths with a squirrel

Who told him what's what,

But Melvin was bested

By a tiny walnut!

Then Dirk began to dance as Glenn joined in and the two of them belted out the chorus together:

A tiny walnut! A tiny walnut!

The elf had a lump

From a tiny walnut!

“Hey, that's not exactly true!” Melvin cried out, his hand drifting unconsciously to his Band-Aided forehead.

“Dirk!” Sarah shouted, and the music stopped at once. “Seriously?”

“I couldn't help it,” Dirk replied.

“I should save the entire elf army the trouble and cut you down myself,” Dwight threatened Dirk, shifting his axe from one shoulder to the next. But before Dirk could respond back, the ranks of squirrels began singing.

He crossed paths with a squirrel

Who told him what's what,

But Melvin was bested

By a tiny walnut!

Dirk broke into a grin and strummed his lute loudly, joining in:

A tiny walnut! A tiny walnut!

The elf had a lump

From a tiny walnut!

This continued for several more rounds, each chorus growing louder and more raucous. When it was finally over (to Melvin's great relief), the lead squirrel approached Dirk and removed its helmet. “You have immortalized us in song,” the squirrel announced. “You have honored us, great minstrel.”

Dirk nodded and leaned against the rock wall. “Yeah, it's what I do.”

“What's happening?” Wayne asked, looking confused.

“I honestly don't know,” Sarah replied.

“Now and forever,” the squirrel continued, “we shall gather and sing of the besting of Melvin the Frail.”

“Great,” Melvin sighed.

The squirrel continued. “For this Melvin will represent all whom we defeat, and his song will be sung by our children and our children's children. You may pass now, humans. And you shall sing this song wherever you go.”

“Done and done,” Dirk agreed.

“I don't get it?” Sydney asked Puff, who was standing next to her.

“You can only win a battle once,” Puff answered. “But immortalize it in a song, and the battle is won a hundred times over.”

“Neat,” she responded.

“Yeah, terrific,” Melvin said. “Can we get out of here now?”

The sea of squirrels parted.

“What happened to the humans?” Max asked as they prepared to leave. The squirrel knight motioned to the tower in the distance.

“They have been undone by the Malaspire.”

“You mean our school?” Melvin asked.

“It is the Malaspire now.”

“I thought it was creepy when it was just called middle school,” Dirk added.

Sarah, however, had other things on her mind. “What do you mean by ‘undone'?”

The squirrel shrugged. “I do not know the words to describe it.”

“Do you mean dead?” Megan asked, a lump catching in her throat as she got the words out.

The squirrel shook its head. “No, not that. Not yet.”

“Can we save them?” Sarah pressed.

“I do not know,” the squirrel confessed. “We have our own affairs to see to. But if there are answers to your questions, you will find them in the Malaspire.”

“Come on, then,” Dwight urged. “Let's get going.”

Puff came up to Sarah and rubbed against her leg. “Don't give up hope,” he told her. “In all that I have read about the Cataclysm, there is time to reverse its effects.”

Sarah reached down and absentmindedly patted Puff on the head. “Thanks.” Puff only recoiled a little at the unauthorized petting.

The group made their way through the ranks of the squirrel army. They were followed by thousands of eyes largely hidden in the shadows of their tiny helmets. “They're just so cute!” Sydney said. “Can I keep one?”

“Not if your life depended on it,” Dwight answered. “And it probably does.”

Dirk smiled as they passed the last of the rodent ranks. “Score one for the bard.”

“First time anyone's said
that
in an adventure,” Melvin muttered. “Ever.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

MEET THE NEIGHBORS

T
HEY RESTED BENEATH THE MERMAID
weather vane and the remains of Old Man Peterson's house. At first it looked as if the place had survived the severe transformation of the Cataclysm, but as they drew near, they saw that the entire house had been sheared in half: The earth having dropped away to expose a sudden, unexpected cliff. Several other houses were likewise ripped apart, and whatever was left of Max's neighborhood had disappeared into the thick forest hundreds of feet below. Max found a spot and took a seat, looking through the
Codex
for anything useful, while Sarah and Melvin picked their way through the house's remains. The others watched the great storm slowly churn in the distance.

“This is strange,” Sarah announced as she stepped
over the rubble from a collapsed wall. “There're no electronics left: no televisions or appliances or anything like that. Not even an old clock.”

“It's part of the Cataclysm,” Wayne replied. He was sitting in his chain mail, his shield at his side and his axe across his knees. He wore a dark expression that seemed to mirror the storm. “Those things unique to the Techrus will not survive.”

“Dude!” Dirk exclaimed, jumping up. “He's talking about game consoles! And satellite TV!”

“None of that matters,” Megan added. “It's the people who used to live here—that's what we need to be worried about.”

“Hey, Dwight,” Dirk called out, “how you going to order those old-timey Sears Toughskins if there's no Internet?”

Dwight grunted. “I told you not to talk about my special pants.”

“Guys, let's try and stay focused here,” Max suggested.

“Sure thing, Gramps,” Dirk added. Sydney giggled before clapping her hands over her mouth and looking horrified that Max might have heard her. Max
scowled—it was hard enough walking around in a dress, but the whole white-hair thing was starting to bug him.

“Listen here,” Max said, turning to the
Codex
and reading:

On the umbraverse

EVERY PLACE OF SIGNIFICANCE WILL
have a part of town worth avoiding. In Wallan, it's the Inflatable Pigpens of Zerhem; in the Mesoshire, it's Spenderwick's “One Day from Retirement” Café; and in the Techrus, it's Arby's. Slightly worse than those, however, is the umbraverse—a mysterious nether plane where the well-established rules governing decorum and good taste don't apply (see also “New Jersey”). Because of the umbraverse's habit of bending time and space, many time travel enthusiasts do their best to get there. Such interdimensional pursuits have generally been disastrous, albeit a financial windfall for the warlocks who sent them there (all fees are due prior to departure).

As a result, the Wizard's Tower declared such expeditions criminal and possibly world-ending, theorizing that should the barrier between the
umbraverse and the three realms be broken, the umbraverse (being older and more dense) would seep into the other realms with disastrous results.

In the unlikely event that Shadrus magic is used to penetrate the barrier between the umbraverse, a truly horrific event called the Cataclysm may ensue. If you're reading this because you're facing said Cataclysm, best to close the book and give it as an offering to whatever shadow-based overlord is set to rule. You may spend the rest of your days as a slave, but better that than a long and torture-filled death.

“Well, that wasn't very helpful,” Melvin said, watching as Max put the
Codex
away.

“Yeah, tell us something we don't know,” Dirk replied, motioning toward the old book. “It's a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, then covered in old newspapers and buried under a broken garden gnome in my neighbor's backyard.”

“That's awfully . . . specific,” Megan said.

“Guys, I think we have other problems,” Sarah announced. She had moved to a section of the wall where five long gouges ran for several feet. They tore across the drywall before ending in a mangled pile of wood where a door used to be. The others moved in for a closer look,
but it wasn't until Dirk put his hand against them that Max realized what they were.

“Oh . . . ,” Megan said, catching her breath. “A
hand
did that?”

“Something shaped like a hand, only bigger. And sharp enough to cut through drywall like it was paper,” Sarah said.

“I thought you were going to say ‘butter,'” Max admitted.

“Max always appreciates a good butter reference,” Dirk added.

Melvin took a closer look at the shattered frame. “More than just sharp—strong, too.”

“This doesn't make sense. Old Man Peterson was a frail old guy who used to yell at me when I rode my bike across his lawn,” Dirk said, looking over the damaged wall.

“Not anymore,” Wayne announced from behind them. They turned to see the giant of a boy staring at the marks. “Near the village where I grew up, there was a cave called Night's Throat, and it ran deep into the earth. So deep, in fact, that many believed it touched the Shadrus itself. On the shortest days, when night ruled
the winter sky, we could sometimes hear sounds coming from inside. We called those who made such sounds ‘howlers,' and when we heard their screaming, the elders gathered us together in the main hall to wait out the night—our warriors at the ready. The next day we found our livestock slaughtered and missing. And all around were marks like these.”

As if on cue, a great wailing rang out. Wayne lifted his axe.

“I have a bad feeling—” Dirk started to say, but Sarah slugged him in the shoulder.

“Don't say it,” she warned.

“But it's tradition!”

“Hurry, outside!” Wayne shouted. They followed him through the ruined house, the links of his chain mail flowing around his large frame as he picked his way through the debris, carefully scanning for any signs of movement. Max retrieved the
Codex
and flipped it open to a fireball spell. It was one he pretty much had memorized, and he began uttering the incantation under his breath, joining the others as they formed together in a circle.

“My staff . . . ,” Megan said, looking up. “It's glowing.”
The end of her staff was pulsing in waves of light blue.

“Probably a healing staff,” Dirk announced as he looked it over. “But on second thought, better not point it at anyone until you're sure.”

“It's pretty, though,” Sydney added, her wings fluttering behind her.

Sarah drew her sword while Dwight hefted his axe from one hand to the other and squinted through his ­helmet.

Puff regarded Wayne. “I've never heard of a human encampment near Night's Throat. Where did you say you were from again?”

“I didn't,” Wayne grunted, dismissing the fluff dragon as he continued to scan the area. The howling came again, this time joined by a chorus of others.

Max didn't like the panic he was starting to hear in Wayne's voice. When you were as big as Wayne, you weren't supposed to be afraid of things. It didn't seem like a particularly good sign.

The cries of the howlers crashed over them again; this time it was as if the creatures were right on top of them. Sydney screamed and Megan pulled her sister to her.

“Are they invisible or something?” Dirk shouted. But
it was Puff who worked it out first. He spun around, looking back in the direction of the ruined house and the cliff beyond. He saw the first deformed hand, outstretched and sprouting long talons, reaching over the edge.

“They're climbing the cliff!” he shouted.

They whirled as one, weapons at the ready and hearts pounding. The first of the creatures bounded over the edge of the cliff and landed in the remains of Old Man Peterson's living room. It had long limbs with oversized feet and hands, and was covered in grayish skin. The head held extra teeth along its elongated jaw and it wore a pair of overalls. The creature regarded the group with cold, black eyes.

“I think that might be Mr. Peterson,” Dirk said, recognizing the clothing.

In response, it lifted its hand and pointed at Dirk, crying out in a voice that hissed like air through a punctured hose, “Get off my lawn, Dirk!”

“Yep, that's him all right.”

Thwuump!
The sound cut through the air as Melvin loosed an arrow.

“No!” Max cried. The last thing he wanted to do was stick poor old Mr. Peterson—even in horrible monster
form—with an arrow! But just before it struck, a beam of blue light knocked it from its trajectory, sending the arrow spinning over the edge of the cliff. Max turned to Megan, her staff pointed in front of her.

“He's still one of us,” she said.

“That was awesome!” Dirk exclaimed. “Double zero roll for sure.”

Melvin, however, looked flushed, and was reaching for another arrow. “You're wrong, Megan. It's
not
one of us! Not anymore!” But Sarah put her arm gently on Melvin's and stayed his hand. She leaned over to look Melvin in the eye.

“I refuse to believe that,” she said.

Suddenly more cries broke forth as other howlers climbed over the cliff's edge. They had on the tattered remains of whatever clothing they had worn the day before. One howler, wearing a purple bathrobe and a head full of curlers, was waving a rolling pin in its hand.

“Mrs. Frankelburt?” Max asked. She was his elderly neighbor, who gave Max a handful of hard candy in exchange for mowing her lawn each week (which was something his mom made him do whether there was candy involved or not).

“You smell delicioussss,” the monster version of Mrs. Frankelburt hissed, licking its lips with a forked tongue.

Wayne stepped forward. “We must press our attack while their backs are to the cliff. We can't let them get around us.”

Max knew there wasn't much time. He pushed his mind into the
Codex
and found one of the Prime Spells: Liquidity. It would be impossible for him to describe how he knew which of the powerful forces was the right one, since the recognition came from the very blood that flowed through his veins. He felt himself shudder as he grabbed hold of the spell, ripping it from the
Codex
. Max could see the howlers rushing toward them. He also saw Wayne and Dwight out of the corner of his eye, leading their own charge. Max knew he only had one chance to get it right. He let it go, feeling the spell drop into the ground surrounding the ruined houses. There was a powerful thud, and a wave of energy pushed outward like a ripple in water. Then the earth beneath the houses bubbled and turned to mud.
Liquidity—to make flow.

“Everyone, back!” Max managed to yell.

Wayne and Dwight scrambled backward as the row of houses were torn apart, caught in the massive current of
the muddy earth. The howlers screamed in rage as they found themselves stuck, fighting desperately to get free. One managed to move within striking range of Wayne, but he brought his shield up in time to deflect the razor-sharp talons.

“Over here!” Sarah cried. She dropped her sword and ran to where Wayne and Dwight were starting also fighting with the mud. The two of them scrambled to pull themselves free as the howler pressed its attack, hammering blow after blow on Wayne's shield. Dwight yelled at the monster, getting its attention long enough for Wayne to bring his foot up and kick the beast square in the chest. The impact sent the howler flying backward and out of reach. Suddenly Dwight fell forward, the flowing mud catching hold and dragging him down. Wayne hurled himself forward with a grunt, grabbing the dwarf's foot and keeping Dwight from slipping farther toward the cliff.

Sarah rushed after them, just managing to grab Wayne, who was now stretched out on his stomach and holding fast to Dwight. Puff arrived next, biting down on Sarah's cloak and pulling backward. Melvin and Dirk ran through the mud after them, finally reaching
Sarah and seizing her cloak. They struggled to hold on to each other as crashes filled the air as the last of the houses disappeared over the collapsing cliff. The howlers screamed as they fought to free themselves, but they could do ­little as the ground melted under the power of the Prime Spell, turning into the world's largest mudslide. Max started to run toward his friends, plowing through the ankle-deep mud.

“Don't let go, boy!” Dwight shouted to Wayne. The big kid grimaced, beads of sweat breaking out on his ebony skin. He had to turn his head and fight for air as the mud flowed around him like a river.

Sarah groaned, pulling with all the strength she had. She knew they were in trouble. She thought back to the tugs-of-war her judo sensei would set up after class. In the end, it didn't always matter where the bigger and stronger kids ended up—what mattered was which team was pulling together. And that was exactly what they needed to do now! Sarah tightened her grip on Wayne's foot and yelled, “We have to work together! Everyone, pull with me!”