Kendra Kandlestar and the Crack in Kazah (2 page)

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BOLTED AWAKE by an alarm or siren? Then you might know exactly how Kendra felt as she scrambled to her feet and followed her uncle to the ship’s deck. One second she had been sitting in a peaceful trance—and the next forced to spring into action. It was like wading knee-deep in mud and suddenly being asked to sprint.

Yet when they reached the deck the skies were calm and serene, and the rest of the crew seemed not the least bit alarmed. Here was Ratchet Ringtail, the large grey raccoon, piloting the ship and whistling a quiet tune. Here was Professor Bumblebean, the tall and gangly Een, muffled in a scarf and mittens as he cheerfully paced back and forth, studying one of his hefty books. Here was Jinx, the tiny grasshopper with the mountain of strength, sharpening her sword. And here too, was Kendra’s best friend, Oki the mouse, sweeping the snow that was beginning to pile up in little drifts upon the deck. It was the perfect picture of tranquility.

“I don’t get it,” Kendra said. “I thought—”

Uncle Griffinskitch didn’t let her finish. “Captain Ringtail!” he boomed. “Turn the ship about at once! We’re about to be attacked.”

“Eek!” Oki squealed, running over to hide behind Kendra’s cloak. “By what?”

“I do say,” Professor Bumblebean declared, peering over his glasses. “It seems a perfectly quiet morn, not a speck in the—”

Then the shriek came again, the same one Kendra had heard in her trance. Everyone rushed to the ship’s railing and peered into the clouds. Kendra could feel Oki pressing nervously against her legs.

“Don’t think of eggs, don’t think of eggs,” he murmured.

“Eggs?” Kendra asked.

“You know me,” he said timidly. “I always try
not
to think of something when we’re in danger. It helps me forget I’m scared.”

As far as Kendra was concerned, Oki’s technique never seemed to work. Tugging braids worked best for her, which is exactly what she did as she returned her gaze to the sky.

“I still don’t see anything,” Jinx murmured, her antennae twitching.

Then a squiggly black line appeared against the sky. It was soon followed by another, then another, until there were a dozen of the twisting shapes—each of them shrieking as loudly as the next and causing a monstrous cacophony.

“Skarm!” Jinx exclaimed. “A whole swarm of them!”

“Well, if we are to be precise,” Professor Bumblebean corrected, “in a group, skarm are normally referred to as a ‘senate.’ So what we have, my dear Jinx, is—”

“Oh stuff it,
Bumblenerd
,” Jinx retorted. “This is no time for a lecture!”

“My word, Jinx,” Professor Bumblebean said. “I do believe your fright has bested you. Under stress, you always seem to misspeak my name.”

“Listen here,
Dumblebean
. . . .”

Their banter continued, but Kendra didn’t hear it; she was far too absorbed by the sight of the approaching skarm. They were dreadful creatures, with long worm-like bodies and reptilian tongues that zipped in and out like whips. Each skarm had a pair of feathered wings, but—and this was their most alarming feature—only a single giant eye that blinked and twitched above a row of crooked fangs.

“I do say,” Professor Bumblebean declared, turning his attention away from Jinx. “This whole vessel is supported by one enormous balloon. If those skarm manage to puncture it with claw or tooth, we shall direly crash!”

“No one’s going to get diarrhea and crash,” Ratchet said. “I’m the best air pilot in Een.”

“Uh, Ratchet?” Oki said. “You’re the
only
air pilot in Een. And Professor Bumblebean didn’t say ‘diarrhea,’ he said—”

“Humph!” Uncle Griffinskitch interrupted—it was the type of humph that meant he had heard enough chatter. “We’ll have to fight,” the old wizard declared. “Jinx, prepare your weapons. Ratchet, does this ship have any defenses?”

“Of course!” Ratchet replied, seeming almost offended by the question. “The
Big Bang
comes armed with six powerful cannons.”

“What do they fire?” the wizard asked.

“A little something I call
Snot Shot
,” Ratchet replied with a ring of pride in his voice.

Kendra groaned. Ratchet considered himself an amateur wizard and an inventor of extraordinary talent. Most of his inventions were “remarkably absurd” (in Uncle Griffinskitch’s words), but Kendra knew that Ratchet was capable of coming up with an ingenious idea every now and then—especially since he had taken Oki on as his apprentice. The
Big Bang
was certainly a marvelous invention.
Snot Shot
, on the other hand, was something Kendra wasn’t so sure about.

“Er . . . Ratchet?” Kendra asked. “Please tell me
Snot Shot
isn’t what I think it is? You’re not going to be firing dragon mucus or some other nonsense, are you?”

“Of course not!” Ratchet said. “Yeesh!”

“It’s just a powder, Kendra,” Oki explained. “But if you get hit with it, your nose will start to itch and twitch—and then you start to gush . . . well, you know. Snot.”

“You bone-headed, burp-brained buffoons,” Jinx scolded. “How do think your stupid cannons are going to help? Do skarm even have noses?”

“We’re about to find out!” Ratchet declared, but now Kendra could barely hear him over the shrill of the approaching skarm.

Uncle Griffinskitch quickly organized everyone into position. Professor Bumblebean assumed command of the helm while Ratchet scrambled along the deck, clicking switches and springing hatches to reveal two rows of cannons on either side of the ship. Oki rushed behind, stuffing the barrels with tiny balls of crystallized powder (the
Snot Shot
, Kendra assumed). Jinx leapt to the railing, one claw clutching a rope for support, the other three brandishing weapons. As for Kendra and Uncle Griffinskitch, they readied their wands.

Aim for the eyes,
came Uncle Griffinskitch’s voice inside Kendra’s mind.
A simple zap—that’s all it will take to repel them. Remember: focus!

He made it sound so easy. Kendra allowed herself one last tug of her braids—and then the onslaught began.

If you have ever seen a flock of crows discover a scrap of food upon the road, then you know how they caw and claw—even at each other—as they shred their carrion to bits. It can be a beastly scene; but now imagine that the crows are skarm and the scrap of dinner the cloud ship, and you will get an idea of the deadly battle that erupted around Kendra.

There were so many skarm that their long wings blotted out the sun; everywhere Kendra looked there was a tongue, a claw, or an enormous, bulbous eye. The whole ship quaked and shuddered—at first Kendra thought it was just from the howls of the skarm, but then she realized that the monstrous worms were ramming the sides. The
Big Bang
bobbed and swayed like a leaf in a whirlpool.

Kendra clutched the railing of the ship, panicking. How could she focus amidst the chaotic roar of battle?

Try!
came her uncle’s voice.

She looked up and saw the old wizard in action, a whirl of white as he spun and sprang about the deck, sending out crackles of lightning from his gnarled wand. Kendra watched, spellbound, as one of the wizard’s zaps glanced off the wing of the nearest Skarm; it retreated slightly, then prepared to attack again—only to be struck right in the face by a sudden burst of
Snot Shot!

The skarm sputtered and coughed; for a moment it looked like nothing would happen, then suddenly it began to ooze green. It was a revolting sight, but one that filled Kendra with relief, for the skarm was soon so overcome with its own slime that it dropped out of view.

“One down!” Ratchet cheered in triumph.

It seemed to make no difference; another skarm quickly took its place and soared straight towards Kendra with its deadly claws extended.

“Don’t just stand there!” Jinx growled as she thrust a spear over Kendra’s head and right into the skarm’s open mouth. The immense worm howled in pain and veered away.

Kendra gave her head a shake and raised her wand of Eenwood. With the next skarm upon her, she found the words in her head:
Crackle of light, join the fight! Banish and blight, with all my might!
Her wand blazed with energy, but struck the skarm with little more than a spark—all it seemed to do was anger the great wriggler. With a roar it thumped the deck with its massive tail; the ship rocked wildly, and Kendra watched in horror as Jinx lost her footing and slipped over the side.

“JINX!” Kendra charged towards the railing where her friend had disappeared, but she never made it; a long skarm tongue zipped out and hit her squarely in the chest. She was sent sprawling across the deck and plowed right into little Oki. They ended up in a tangled heap—but not for long. Suddenly Kendra felt something wrap around her leg and yank her free. She looked back and, to her horror, saw a skarm tongue twisted around her like a vine. The menacing worm lifted her right into the air, towards its giant, gaping maw.

Even over all the noise, Kendra could hear Oki eeking from below. It helped her gather her wits—lifting her wand, she sent a bolt of lightning at the skarm and walloped it right in the eye. It dropped her immediately, and now Kendra was plummeting through the sky. With her wand in her right hand she desperately reached out with her left and caught hold of a broken suspension rope that was swinging from the
Big Bang
. She stopped with such a jerk that she lost grip of her wand; it spiraled away, through the sky below her.

“Days of Een!” she cried. “Uncle Griffinskitch is going to kill me.”

At least now she had two hands to cling to the rope. There she hung, twisting and turning in midair like bait on a hook beneath the shadow of the
Big Bang
, which lurched and listed in the ongoing attack.

It didn’t take long for one of the skarm to find her. As the rope twisted around, Kendra found herself staring right into the bulging eye of the biggest skarm she had seen yet. Drool gushed from its mouth like a waterfall and its tongue flickered with certain hunger.

Then something else caught Kendra’s attention and she let out a gasp of horror—for that something terrified her even more than the skarm. It was the worm’s rider. There, straddled upon the back of the skarm like some sort of knight upon a demented steed, was none other than one of Kendra’s greatest enemies: Agent Lurk.