The Mysterious Island (4 page)

But the groggle kept dodging them.

Its sharp claws dug and scratch at one end of the ledge Eric was clinging to.

The rock began to break away, tumbling down the mountain to the trees below.

“Oh, man!” Eric groaned. “Get me out of here!” He glanced to his left. The ledge narrowed to nothing only a few feet from him. On his right, the groggle was ripping the mountain away in huge clawfuls.

There was nowhere for him to go.

His friends kept throwing rocks at the beast.

“Hold on, Eric!” Neal shouted to him.

But Eric couldn’t hold on.

There was nothing to hold onto.

Kaww! Kaww!
The groggle lunged again.

The ledge crumbled away.

Eric grasped wildly at the air.

He fell.

Seven
The Glove of Power

“Nooooo!” Eric screamed.

The earth seemed to swoop up at him as he plummeted toward the jungle. In seconds he would crash into the treetops.

Suddenly something hard and bony wrapped around him. It tightened on his waist. It was a groggle’s thick claw grasping him tight.

“Let me go!” Eric cried as the lizard lifted him high into the air. “Well… I mean, don’t actually let me go, but –”

Kaww! Kaww!
the huge beast shrieked.

“– let me go!”

The groggle flapped quickly past Eric’s friends. They yelled something out to him, but he couldn’t hear what it was.

“Probably good-bye!” Eric groaned, twisting in the groggle’s grip.

The beast soared up the mountain, then slowed and hovered over a broad, flat ridge.

Looking down, Eric could see a large mound of sticks and other junk in the middle of the ridge. The pile had a dip in the center.

“A nest!” he whispered to himself. “Please don’t eat me!”

Kaww!
The groggle swooped over the nest. It loosened its claws and dropped Eric.

“Oomph!” he groaned when he hit bottom. The groggle circled once, then flew off.

“Probably going to tell his friends that lunch is read. Yeah? Well, no way!”

Eric scrambled to his feet. The thick nest surrounded him like a huge bowl. The walls of it, he figured, were about ten feet high. He could get out fairly easily.

“And I sure can’t stay here!”

Eric dug his right foot in and hoisted himself up with his tired arms.

The nest was made of tangled branches and vines. In with them Eric noticed strips of polished wood and red-and-yellow cloth.

He knew what they were.

The remains of Keeah’s ship.

“Robbers!” he snarled. Then he noticed something else. Something shiny and black. He stopped climbing. He peered down.

“The armored glove…” he whispered. He leaned into the branches, untangled the glove, and dragged it out. Carefully, he turned it over.

The setting for the jewel was broken.

The Red Eye of Dawn was not there.

Crack!

Eric froze. Sounds were coming from outside the nest. He crept up the rest of the way and peered over the top.

He laughed. He waved.

“Eric!” Neal squeaked, scrambling over the top of the ledge. The others followed close behind. Eric jumped from the nest and ran to meet them.

“We’re safe,” Keeah said, “but not for long. The groggles made such an incredible fuss that now the Ninns are coming.”

“Oh, man!” Eric said. “Can’t we ever get a break?”

Clomp! Clomp!
A pack of fat Ninn soldiers hustled around the other side of the broad ledge.

“Guess not!” Neal yelped. “Yikes!”

Max squeaked. “May I suggest we go the opposite way?”

“You get my vote!” said Julie.

The heavy red warriors wasted no time, either.

They quickly loaded their bows.

“Aim!” one of them shouted.

“Yikes again!” Neal squeaked. “Duck everyone!”

“Fire!” the Ninns yelled.

Thwang! Thwang!
Flaming arrows whizzed by the kids. They skidded along the ground and crashed against the rocks. The Ninns growled and reloaded.

“Hey, Ninns, let me give you a hand!” Eric shouted. He threw the armored glove right into the center of the pack of Ninns.

The Fat warriors paused to look at it.

“And we’re out of here!” Julie yelled.

The kids dashed around the nest to the far side of the ledge. Max shot in front, scampering as quickly as his eight legs could carry him. Neal raced right behind him.

They circled around the side of the mountain.

“A cave!” Neal said. “I see a cave!”

They all leaped through the mouth of the cave and ran inside. They dashed into the shadows and held their breath.

Max held up one of his legs. “Listen. The Ninns aren’t following. We’ve lost them.”

“I think there’s a reason,” Julie whispered.

Eric turned to look. “Oh, man!” he groaned. “Isn’t there at least
one
place on this island that isn’t dangerous?”

Coming out of the cave depths were several large fuzzy legs and long twitching feelers.

“Here we go again,” Neal said with a sigh.

Sssss!

Eight
Cave of Bugs

Ssss! Ssss!

The kids huddled in the shadows as two large brown-shelled bugs clambered out from the back of the cave.

“Your family, Neal,” Julie whispered.

The bugs hissed and groaned. Their feelers twitched in the air. Then the kids saw why.

In the thin light streaming from the cave’s opening, they saw a giant pit.

A giant pit full of eggs.

Julie sighed. “Been there, done that.”

Sssss!
The bugs hissed again more loudly than before. Their tongues flicked at the eggs.

“Listen, people,” Neal whispered. “The bugs don’t see us yet. Maybe we should just fight the Ninns, one on one.”

“Ten on one, you mean,” Max chittered.

“Holy cow,” said Eric. “There it is!”

He pointed to the pit full of round pink eggs. One egg was smaller than the rest.

It was shiny.

It glowed bright red.

And it was shooting off red sparks.

“The Red Eye of Dawn!” Keeah whispered. “My gosh! We found it!”

The bugs circled the pit, hissing and flicking.

Julie bit her lip. “Can’t they tell the glowing red one with all the sparks is not an egg?”

“They’re bugs,” Neal snorted. “They aren’t that smart. Believe me, I know.”

The red jewel sparkled again.

“Now I’m sorry I threw the glove away,” Eric said. “How are we even going to touch that thing? It’ll burn us for sure?”

Keeah shook her head slowly. “Maybe there’s a way. Galen said it was Sparr’s anger that makes the Eye dangerous.”

Neal’s three eyes stared at the Eye. “And that mean…”

“I know,” said Julie. “It’s like, if
you’re
angry, The
Eye
is angry.”

Eric nodded. “And maybe if you’re the opposite of angry, the Eye won’t shoot the deadly red beams everywhere.”

“What’s the opposite of angry?” Neal asked. “Being happy? Like laughing and stuff?”

Sssss!
The bugs hissed and flicked again.

“That’s the problem,” Keeah whispered. “I don’t feel happy. I just feel scared.”

Julie turned to Neal. “Do bugs get scared?”

“Don’t look at me,” he replied. “I’ve been blasted once already. Besides, you definitely do
not
want to smell fried insect.”

“No, it’s my job,” Said Keeah. “I’m a wizard, sort of, halfway, at least.”

“But how will you get past
them
?” Max said, nodding toward the bugs.

Julie held up her finger. “Wait, I have a plan.”

“What plan?” Eric asked.

“The one where Neal pretends to be their baby bug. You know, to distract them.”

Neal backed up as far as he could. “I don’t think so! I may be a dumb insect, but I’m not
that
dumb!”

“But, Neal,” whispered Julie, “they’ll be so excited to see you, Keeah can grab the jewel. It’ll be perfect.”

“Perfectly nuts!” Neal grumbled. “They’ll lick me with those creepy tongues! No way!”

“We need the Eye to help free Galen,” Keeah said. “Only Galen can make you yourself again.”

Neal was quiet. His feelers twitched and quivered. He cleared his throat with a tiny cough. “Myself again? Really?”

“Plus it’ll be funny,” said Eric. “Keeah will laugh so we won’t blow up.”

Neal sighed. “I guess so. But next time, someone else can be the bug!”

He fluttered his feelers once, took a squeaky breath, then scuttled out of the shadows.

“Mama! Papa!” he cried. “I’m home!”

The big bugs swung around, opened their feelers wide, and lunged for Neal.
Yeeeee!

Keeah laughed as she scurried to the eggs.

The bugs completely surrounded Neal, squealing with delight.

“Hurry!” Neal yelled. “They’re licking!”

Keeah laughed harder. Her hands closed firmly around the glowing jewel.

“She’s got it!” Max chirped. “And it’s not shooting red bolts!”

“Neal,” Eric cried. “Get out of there!”

In a flash, the five friends dashed out of the cave. The bugs hissed and squealed, but the kids shot around the ledge and up the side of the mountain before they could catch up.

Higher and higher they went, until there wasn’t any more mountain to climb.

They crawled over the last rise.

A sharp wind passed over them.

They found themselves standing under a dark open, sky.

They were on the edge of a white cliff overlooking the vast sea of Droon.

Galen was there, wrapped in chains.

A hundred Ninns were there, guarding him.

And Lord Sparr was there, too.

“Give me the jewel… or die!” he snarled.

“Uh… is there a third choice?” Neal asked.

At once –
whoom!
– a wall of raging flames shot up around the kids.

“Trapped again,” said Eric.

Nine
At the White Cliff