by Michael Dahl
Uzhk stared hard at the far end of the tunnel. Golden light gleamed steadily at the exit. It was the barrier to the gathool kingdom, a wall of golden light. It was merely a tiny section of a powerful, glowing sphere that lay buried in the Earth’s mantle. The sphere’s wall was thin, Uzhk knew, thinner than a finger on his friend Mara’s hand. “Thin as a piece of paper,” Dr. Hoo had told him. But the golden light was deadly to all trolls, the evil gathool and Uzhk’s drakhool brethren alike.
It had been many years since Uzhk had come this way, when he first left the kingdom of darkness for the world of light. The world of humans. Back then, he had help.
This time, he would have to pass through the wall by himself.
On the other side of the deadly wall were the two beings he had to find. One was a human. The other was the wearer of the Lava Crown, the general of the gathool army, the creature who had ordered the gathool invasion.
Uzhk struck his chest with his massive hands and bellowed out a war cry. He lowered his head and ran down the tunnel.
The steep angle added to his momentum. Faster and faster he ran. The golden rays burned into his rocky flesh. His eyes blazed with pain. He feared they would sizzle in their sockets and pop out of his skull. But he kept running.
Then, suddenly, the giant figure passed into the golden curtain of light.
Two unearthly beings skittered through the broken library window. Their burning breaths moved the curtains by the window, causing the fabric to catch fire as the creatures passed by.
Pablo thought the creatures looked like upright lizards. They had sharp claws, several eyes, and thick scales. Their skin glowed orange-red like coals beneath a smoldering campfire.
How many different kinds of trolls are there?! he wondered. These ones look like ferocious dinosaur-spiders.
Pablo, a voice whispered in Pablo’s mind. The voice was warm and cozy, like a fireplace on a winter morning.
Pablo … you know nothing … you can’t stop us.
“What?” Pablo yelled.
The monstrous trolls let out a terrifying collective hiss that each of the humans heard as a different sound. To Louise, the hiss sounded like her pet rabbit screaming. Zak heard the screech of tires as his parents cried out in pain. Thora heard her brother calling out for her help. Mara heard the doctor’s voice calling her foolish for letting the children enter the realm of the trolls.
The hiss tore through Pablo’s mind like a hot knife. To him, the voice sounded like Thora, but it was far crueler than she’d ever been. “You stupid nerd,” the voice howled. “It’s your fault we’re going to die here!”
The hiss stopped as a thunderous roar broke out beside him. The nimble trolls lurched back in surprise when a colossal silver bear reared up and roared, baring its gleaming fangs. Then the bear charged forward and swiped its massive paws at the trolls.
Pablo tried to warn Zak that the trolls might burn him, but the shout got caught in his throat. Somehow, his hand was once again grasping a sword, just as it had back at the silo.
Pablo smiled and dashed forward to fight alongside his friend, the marauding bear. The huge grizzly and his warrior companion stood before the fire trolls, attacking them with claws and blades and teeth.
Suddenly, a troll hissed. Below its burning eyes, a mouth filled with jagged teeth opened wide. A jet of flame spurted from the troll’s throat. “Look out!” shouted Pablo as he shoved the big bear to the side.
The fireball shot between him and Zak and burst into a bookshelf, turning it into a pile of smoldering ashes. Another stream of fire swooshed from the troll’s jaws and missed Louise’s long hair by mere inches. She ducked and jumped to the side, flying past Thora. She was hovering several feet above the floor!
Thora didn’t have time to marvel at this new demonstration of the younger girl’s powers. Instead, she turned her attention to the fire trolls. They moved carefully and quickly, barely making a sound — except when they belched searing flames. Bookshelves, furniture, and scientific artifacts were already wreathed in fire. The library’s ceiling had filled with thick, acrid puffs of smoke.
Mara had emerged from behind the bookcase. She was spraying a fire extinguisher on the table of Dr. Hoo’s books. Thora ran to her and helped pat out flames that danced along the books’ covers and spines.
Zak roared again and swung his paw at the fire trolls. Finally, he connected with one of the beasts and knocked the troll on its side. Searing pain ran up Zak’s bear-arm all the way to his shoulder. His skin and fur burned.
Zak howled so loudly that the air quivered like heat rippling off a hot road. The reverberation caused the fallen troll’s scales to crack and break. Hot magma oozed from the troll’s husk. It let out a final hiss and died.
Pablo swung his sword at the second troll, managing to slice off one of its limbs. When the troll opened its mouth and hissed, Pablo knew what was coming. He instinctively raised his left arm to protect himself — and a silver shield appeared. Its gleaming surface deflected the troll’s flames and sent the fire back in the beast’s face.
However, the troll kept moving forward. Then another troll crawled through the window and joined the fight.
Zak and I are barely slowing them down, thought Pablo. The trolls might not kill us, but the fire will.
Pablo turned to look for Thora. He saw her standing near the book table. Their eyes met. Pablo saw a sparkle in Thora’s eyes. As if she could hear his thoughts, Thora gave Pablo a quick nod.
Suddenly, a rushing breeze passed through the room as pages from the books were lifted up in a whirlwind. The pages circled Thora like a cyclone of paper. She grew taller as the flying pages clung to her skin and transformed into a silver gown made of flowing fabric. Ornate armor grew around her torso. A gleaming helmet graced the top of her head. The jar from the previous battle was not in sight, but Pablo knew that didn’t matter. Thora was ready for battle.
Thora aimed her arms at one of the fire trolls. A burst of wind sent the creature flying out the window.
Just then, Zak cried out in pain. Another troll had wrapped its long tongue around Zak’s bear-feet, tripping him to the ground. His furry skin sizzled where the tongue was latched onto his legs.
Pablo moved toward his friend and repeatedly hacked at the tongue with his sword. Another troll maneuvered itself behind Pablo. With his back to his enemy, he and Zak were left unprotected.
The troll’s jaws opened. It began coughing up a glob of searing flame.Then the entire room tilted toward the broken window. The trolls slid backward as the jet of flame erupted from the troll’s roaring mouth.
Since the troll had been knocked off-balance, the fire flew wide of its aim, narrowly missing Zak and Pablo.
How? thought Pablo. He looked back to see Louise floating above the floor, smiling. She looked like a beautiful teenage girl wearing clothes from an ancient era. Her eyes were closed, but she was moving her hands up and down. It seemed as if she were causing the floor to shift like the deck of a ship in water.
A wide wave of silver water slammed against the trolls in the form of a huge tidal wave. Thora aimed her arms at the trolls and a gust of wind struck the water, directing waves past Zak and Pablo and toward the hideous slugs. Higher and higher the water rose within the library. Waves circled the room like a whirlpool.
The trolls were hurled through the glass and out the window in a gust of bright foam.
Then the water began to recede. It leaked out the walls, the door frame, and through cracks in the floorboards. Louise slowly settled back onto the floor, standing on her own feet again. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Pablo stood, shaking his head, his Roman-style armor and weapons gone. Then he saw Zak holding his legs in pain, buckled over on the floor.
“Are you okay?” Pablo asked, rushing toward him.
Zak shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said through clenched teeth. His skin was red and blistered where the troll’s tongue had grabbed him. Blood seeped from the gashes.
Thora and Mara knelt next to him. “Maybe there’s a first aid kit somewhere in here,” Mara suggested.
“No,” said Thora calmly. “Let me.” She reached out and gently touched Zak’s ankles. He started to pull away in pain. “Hold still,” she said, smiling. Her hand closed over his burns as she looked into Zak’s eyes. Thora’s hand began to glow with a golden radiance.
“Ahh!” Zak cried out.
“Help me,” Thora said, looking first at Pablo, then at Louise. The two moved closer to Thora and placed their own hands on top of hers. The golden light from her hand grew instantly.
It wrapped around Zak’s ankles and began to enclose all of their hands. Soon, all four friends were encased in a sphere of light. The golden glow turned to a bright silver.
Starlight, thought Pablo. Suddenly, a blinding flash burst through the room.
“My leg!” cried Zak. He blinked tightly. As he opened his eyes, he held his leg up to see. His flesh was no longer red or burned. It was healed.
“Wow!” Zak said. Then he stared at Thora. “How’d you know how to do that?”
Thora shrugged and smiled. “Dunno, she said. “Instinct, I guess.”
Zak shook his head in disbelief. “I never felt anything like that before.”
Pablo nodded. He flexed his fingers. He noticed his hand felt empty and naked without a sword in it. The thirst for battle was growing inside of him, even though the trolls were gone.
Pablo looked over at Mara. “Did you hear their voices?” he asked. “When they first attacked? Like, in your head?”
“We are in the gathool’s world now,” Mara said. “Their powers are stronger here.”
“Do you think they’ll attack again?” Pablo asked.
“I don’t know,” said Mara. “But we have to move. The trolls know we’re here.”
Zak smirked. “You think?” he said. “The giant fire-dinosaur-spider troll attack made that pretty obvious.”
Louise stood. “The fire’s out,” she said. They glanced around at the charred remains of the library. Only one book had survived the flames. Mara cradled The Book of Stars in her arms.
Thora gazed out the windows. “There are fires burning everywhere in this world,” she said.
Pablo wasn’t surprised. He was sure they’d see much more fire — and fighting — before the day was over. They were in the trolls’ world now.
“Well, we might as well do what we came here for,” Zak said. “Let’s go save the doctor.”
Dr. Hoo shuffled along with the other humans.
Hroom … hroom …
His movements weren’t controlled by the powerful drumbeat like the others were. He knew exactly where the pull of the gathool was taking them. He had been there many times before. But it was important that the other humans thought he was the gathool’s prisoner, just like they were.
Suddenly, the marching stopped. Bryce Gamble, Thora’s brother, was next to him.
Farther back was Louise’s father, Mr. Tooker, followed by Zak’s parents, the Fishers.
They had all reached the entrance to the heart of the gathool kingdom. Their escort of powerful troll warriors stepped aside and pulled open the massive stone doors. The humans gasped and blinked at the countless crimson fires illuminating the jagged tunnel.
The entrance opened into a vast cavern a thousand times greater than any coliseum or stadium. Dr. Hoo saw Bryce gaze at it in awe. This is his first time here, Dr. Hoo thought. He probably feels like an insect that’s been plopped into the center of the old quarry outside Zion Falls. I know I did the first time I saw it.
As the travelers moved forward, the tunnel emerged into a rocky bridge. The bridge led toward a gigantic mesa thrusting upward in the center. They had entered a volcano’s magma chamber. The doctor glanced down the side of the bridge. Churning molten lava surrounded the mesa. Waves of lava rose and fell, crashing into each other in immense torrents of thundering flame. It was the source of the fiery light that illuminated the vast chamber.
The distant, curving walls were as tall as mountains. Lights and shadows played across their rocky surfaces. The ceiling of the coliseum was draped in shadows.
HROOM … HROOM …
The pulsing beat grew louder.
The humans marched involuntarily across the narrow causeway, heading for the mesa’s heart. Fear was written all over their faces, but they could not resist the beat of the drum.
Something glowed at the center of the raised rock, but it was still too far for anyone to see. The doctor knew they were close to its source, which gave it even more power.
Ooloom, a voice whispered inside the doctor’s head. Bow to Ooloom.
The humans looked at each other with confused glances. They all seemed to be asking themselves, “Did the others hear it?”
Then the whisper came again. All hail Ooloom, it said. The wearer of the Lava Crown.
Onward they marched, wide-eyed and fearful. Walls of heat rose upward from the vast sea and shimmered past them. Several times the doctor thought Bryce might faint, but the relentless drum pulled him forward anyway.
Hroom … Ooloom …
Unlike Dr. Hoo, the other humans didn’t know that the drumming sound was in their heads. It was a psychic whisper that the wearer of the Lava Crown sent into their minds, compelling them to come to him. The closer they were, the stronger his influence on them would be. A cold chill slid across the back of Dr. Hoo’s neck. He felt the Lava Crown’s influence beginning to affect him as well.
As they neared the center of the mesa, they all saw the glowing object at the center. A brilliant statue, with veins pulsing like lava, sat atop the great mesa. The humans all gasped and trembled. Atop its head rested a glowing ring of magma fashioned in the shape of a crown. Even the sight made Dr. Hoo shrink back. Its power was immense. Vast.
Dr. Hoo saw Bryce close his eyes as the fear burned within him. All the humans were starting to feel an overpowering sense of fear and dread. It’s fortunate the effect is half as strong for me, Dr. Hoo thought. Otherwise, I’d be powerless right now — just like them.
A commotion behind Dr. Hoo distracted him from his thoughts. A troll was racing toward the center of the mesa.
Other trolls tried to stop the figure, but it was relentless. It stormed forward, crushing and throwing aside everything in its path. The frantic creature looked as if it were carved from rock, with huge slabs for arms.
The troll kept pushing forward until it reached the front of the line — and the doctor. Dr. Hoo looked up into the creature’s face and frowned. “Uzhk!” he said. “What are you doing here?!”
The troll uttered rough, rasping sounds. “We are brothers,” Uzhk said in his own language. He lifted Dr. Hoo’s shirt, and pointed at the third arm protruding from his chest.
The crowd of humans gasped at the strange sight. “We are brothers by blood and magma, sons of one mother,” Uzhk said. “Our voices speak the same tongue. Together, we can stop this war! Unite with me!”
The doctor stared sadly at the friendly monster. He shook his head back and forth slowly. “I cannot,” Dr. Hoo said.
“But the prak tara —” said Uzhk.
The doctor raised his arms — all three of them — above his head and tensed his muscles. A flash of intense red light burst from his hands. Uzhk was hurled backward across the mesa. He crashed headlong onto the ground near the edge of a cliff, his face facing downward at the ocean of lava beneath them.
“We are … brothers,” moaned the troll. Several cracks ran through his rocky figure. Molten lava seeped out from the wounds.
“We were brothers,” the doctor said coldly. He gestured at his third arm. “But, as the saying goes, you’ve forced my hand.”
Uzhk’s rocky face turned dark. “Brother,” he croaked. “Please don’t turn your back on the drakhool. On the humans. On me.”
Dr. Hoo turned to the other humans, ignoring Uzhk. He snapped his fingers. Instantly, the golden chains that were latched around
his wrists vanished.
“Forward!” Dr. Hoo ordered the chained humans. “March … or die.”
The doctor watched Bryce struggle against his bonds. The boy whimpered in pain as the gold seared his flesh whenever he moved.
“Forward!” Dr. Hoo repeated.
Suddenly, with a rumble that threw the humans off their feet, the glowing statue rose from its seated position. It stood tall before them, pulsing with dark energy.
It grew higher and higher, like a hill of stone. And the bright crown on top grew larger with it. The creature’s red eyes were made of molten lava. Lava also shone brightly in its mouth. Its massive chest heaved in and out. With each long, mighty throb, the drumbeat sounded in the humans’ ears. Eerie words joined the rhythm. Ooloom. Ooloom. Ooloom.
Dr. Hoo knelt and bowed his head. Bryce glanced at the doctor’s third arm. “Who — what — are you?” Bryce sputtered.
For a moment, Dr. Hoo looked hurt. But before he or Bryce could say anything more, the crowned giant slowly turned its gaze toward Bryce. The roar of scraping rocks filled the chamber. Then an ugly voice whispered into their minds.
He is. My servant, it said. His task. Was to bring. You all. To me.
A spark of fire shot upward from the Lava Crown. Bryce and the other humans cried out in pain and fell, unconscious, to the rocky floor.
The living rock wearing the crown spoke directly into Dr. Hoo’s mind. You have. Done well, it said. Deceiver.
Dr. Hoo said nothing.
The tunnel angled sharply downward. Thora and the others carefully traveled over stony ledges and rough ridges. The rocky floor of the tunnel felt hot beneath Thora’s feet as she walked. The walls were warm against her palms when she leaned on them for support.
“I’m surprised we haven’t seen more trolls so far,” Thora said.
Zak grunted. “I’m not,” he said. “They’re probably just waiting for us to come to them.”
In the tunnel’s dim light, Mara held The Book of Stars close to her face, trying to make out the ancient scrawls traced on the book’s final pages. “If I’m reading this map correctly,” she said in a hushed voice, “then we’re almost there.”
