The Mask of Maliban

by Tony Abbott

  “I cannot take them back!” Galen said, his lips forming a smile. “No one can take them. And I do not believe you won the powers by accident. There is a greater purpose here.”

  Eric’s mouth hung open. “Really? Whoa! But … there’s something else.”

  In a rush, he told them everything that Sparr had said to him. About Eric helping him. What the spirit Om had told him. Everything.

  Galen nodded. “So the mysteries deepen. My first job on returning to Jaffa City will be to delve into this new one. Ho-ho! There is never an end to mysteries and secrets in Droon!”

  Keeah laughed. “I think you have powers, Eric, because you’ll need them to be ready for Sparr. But between now and then, prepare to break a few things at home. My parents have a list of all the things I’ve broken.”

  “That list gets longer ever day!” said Max.

  “Maybe next time you can give me some extra help?” said Eric. “I’m sure I’ll need it.”

  “It’s a promise,” said Keeah.

  They stood at the foot of the shining staircase.

  “Bye, everyone,” said Neal. “It’s been so cool.”

  Julie nodded. “And very magical!”

  When the three friends started up the stairs, Keeah stopped Eric. “One more thing,” she said.

  She held out her hand and a spark leaped between their fingers. Then silently, without moving her lips, Keeah spoke to him.

  Can you hear me?

  Eric blinked. Wow! Yes. I can hear you!

  Then, no secrets, okay?

  No secrets, he said. Definitely. At that moment, Keeah seemed closer to him than ever. He liked the feeling. Eric turned to his friends.

  Neal? Julie?

  “I hear you!” said Julie. “Wow!”

  “Me, too,” said Neal. “But don’t start telling me secret jokes in class. I’ll burst out laughing and get into big trouble!”

  “That reminds me,” said Eric. “There’s a bunch of jelly doughnuts flying around my basement. If I don’t make them vanish, I’ll be in big trouble.”

  “Oh, we’ll help with that,” said Neal. “They can vanish right into my mouth!”

  Saying good-bye, Eric and his friends ran up the stairs. He lit the way with his fingers.

  As they turned one last time to wave to their friends, Julie said, “Something tells me we’ll be needed soon. Now that Sparr’s back in action.”

  Neal nodded. “Yeah. But it’s like Keeah said. We’ll be ready for the guy.”

  Eric smiled to remember that moment when Lord Sparr — the great sorcerer himself — was covered in jelly.

  “I like having powers,” he said. Plus, I’ll be able to talk to you guys whenever I want!

  Neal wiggled his fingers in his ears. “That is truly weird. It’s like you’re right inside my head. This is going to take some getting used to.”

  Weird or not, Eric thought that it was good to be that close to his friends.

  Closer than ever before.

  Yes, it was very good.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go home.”

  When they reached the top of the stairs, Eric flicked his fingers, and the door to their world swung open, where their life — and three dozen flying doughnuts — were waiting for them.

  “Kick the ball! Kick it now!”

  Eric Hinkle was running on the soccer field at school when a light flashed behind his eyes and he stopped dead.

  “Kick it, Eric!”

  Eric knew the soccer ball was coming his way, but it didn’t matter. He was having a vision.

  When he closed his eyes, he saw a small glowing red ball spinning around inside his head.

  He had seen that ball before.

  It was called the Ruby Orb of Doobesh.

  And it came from Droon.

  “Eric-c-c-c!” called his friend Neal.

  Droon was the world of amazing creatures and astonishing places he and Neal and their friend Julie had discovered under his basement.

  One of the first people they met in Droon was Keeah. She was a very cool princess and amazing junior wizard. Then there was Galen, the five-hundred-and-forty-three-year-old first wizard of Droon. And Max, the funny spider troll.

  Zzzz-zzzt! The Ruby Orb spun faster and faster in Eric’s mind. He remembered how they had discovered the Orb on their last adventure in Droon, and how Galen had said he would study it in his magical workshop.

  In fact, Droon was a land filled with magic and wonder. It was a world of strange secrets and mysteries. A realm of endless excitement and danger!

  “Watch out! They want the ball!” Neal cried.

  Most of the danger came from a sorcerer named Lord Sparr. He was wicked beyond belief. With his chubby, red-faced Ninn warriors, Sparr wanted to conquer Droon for himself.

  Zzz…. The Orb was beginning to fade now and as it did, Eric heard a dull cheering noise behind his back.

  “Oh man, will you stop dreaming!” Julie yelled.

  That was just the problem. It was harder and harder for Eric to stop dreaming. Because when Keeah once used her wizardry to save his life, Eric accidentally became a wizard, too.

  Yes! A wizard! With magical powers! Well, a few.

  “So far,” he mumbled, “I can speak into people’s brains, make my fingers spark, see weird visions, and make jelly doughnuts appear. I can even send lightning bolts around —”

  “But you can’t win a game,” shouted Julie, running to him. “The other team just tied it up!”

  The spinning Orb had faded completely. When Eric blinked and looked downfield, he saw the other team jumping up and down.

  “Never mind the game,” he told Julie. “We’ve got to get to Droon right away. I just had a vision —”

  Neal rushed over. “There’s a minute left before halftime. Could we at least break the tie?”

  Eric looked at his friends. He grinned. “Why not? A little silent teamwork might do the trick!”

  The play began with Julie kicking off. She passed the ball to Eric.

  Neal, move left! Eric said silently to his friend.

  Hearing the words, Neal drifted left just as Eric passed the ball to him. Neal stopped it under his foot and dribbled it downfield.

  Eric grinned. “It’s working….” He turned to his right. Julie, go all the way down the other side. Neal, pass it back to me. I’ll shoot to Julie.

  Neal doubled back, dodged two red uniforms, spotted Eric in the open, and shot the ball to him.

  Eric dribbled it forward, then turned.

  Julie, here it comes! Ready … now!

  She shifted to the right as Eric’s kick sailed through a gap in the other team straight to her. And in!

  Julie blasted the ball.

  Wham! It shot straight to the net for the score.

  “Yes! We lead!” cheered Neal, jumping up and down as the referee blew the halftime whistle.

  “We’ll be back in a minute!” Julie called out.

  “And we will, too,” Neal added. “Adventures in Droon don’t take any time at all.”

  “Let’s go,” said Eric.

  In a flash, they were across the school yard and through several backyards to Eric’s house.

  Racing through the kitchen and down to the basement, the three friends quickly pulled away some boxes hiding the closet under the stairs. Julie opened the small door and they crowded in.

  Eric turned. “You guys, I know I used my powers a little, but we were pretty awesome out there today. It’s all about teamwork.”

  Julie nodded. “We definitely are the best. Well, at least pretty good!”

  “So let’s have an adventure!” Neal hit the light. The room went dark for a moment, then —

  Whoosh! The gray floor became the top step of a staircase. It shimmered in a rainbow of colors.

  “I always get chills when that happens,” said Julie. “I wonder what Droon will be like today.”

  Eric grinned. “There’s only one way to know.”

  Togeth
er, the three friends went down the stairs, clinging to the railing on the side. As they did, the sky below lit up with bright fireworks.

  Poom-pa-poom!

  Pink-and-blue explosions filled the air.

  “Hey, someone’s having a party!” said Neal. “I wonder if they heard about our last awesome goal.”

  The staircase circled down over the calm harbor outside a great walled city.

  “Jaffa City,” said Eric. “Keeah’s hometown.”

  “And there’s her boat,” said Neal, pointing.

  “It’s a ship — not a boat,” said Julie. “I’m pretty sure.”

  Bouncing lightly in the sparkling water was the Jaffa Wind, Keeah’s royal sailing vessel. It had broad sails, a blue smokestack, and two wings sweeping back from the front to the rear. The kids had sailed on it once before.

  “Hello, friends!” sang a small voice from the deck. Friddle, the frizzy-haired royal inventor, waved the children over from the staircase.

  “The ship is so beautiful,” said Julie.

  “Boat,” said Neal. “The boat is beautiful.”

  Friddle blushed a deep red. “You are too kind. But swift as a falcon, she is, with not only sails, but a steam engine and oars. Truly, she is a fine oceangoing vessel, if I do say so myself!”

  “I’d like to take a cruise someday,” said Eric.

  “Me, too,” said Neal. “As long as there’s plenty of food on board.”

  “It happens that the king and queen will take just such a cruise around Droon!” Friddle said. “Everyone wants to see the queen after so long.”

  For years Keeah’s mother, Queen Relna, had been cursed to wander through Droon changing from one animal shape to another. Now the curse was broken and she was back to her normal self.

  “Up here!” called a familiar voice. The kids looked up. Leaning out of the highest window of Galen’s nearby tower was Princess Keeah, wearing her bright golden crown. Max, the spider troll, sat next to her, waving two of his eight furry legs.

  “Come up!” Max chirped happily. “Come!”

  Saying good-bye to the busy Friddle, the children rushed to the tower.

  Galen’s workroom at the top of the tower was cluttered with all sorts of odd-looking magical objects, curled maps, rolled-up carpets, thick old books, and stack upon stack of yellowing paper.

  “I love this place,” said Neal. “It’s the only place messier than my room at home.”

  “What are all these papers?” Eric asked.

  “My master is writing his history of Droon,” Max said, scampering to a bookcase and pulling a small brown pot from the highest shelf.

  “The Chronicles of Droon by Galen Longbeard,” said Julie, reading the title page. “I guess being five-hundred-and-forty-three years old, a wizard has lots of stories to tell.”

  “And more every day,” said Max. “Soon Galen and I will hunt gizzleberries in the woods. He loves my gizzleberry pie. It’s quite tasty and fat free!”

  On Galen’s worktable, Eric spotted the glossy red ball he had seen in his vision. “I saw this in my head today,” he said, turning to Keeah. “It was spinning all around. I don’t know why.”

  “The Ruby Orb of Doobesh is very old,” said Keeah. “No one knows what its purpose is, except that Sparr was going to use it for something. I’ve been reading Galen’s papers, but I haven’t found anything about it yet.”

  “Look,” chirped Max, hanging out the window. “There they are!”

  The children rushed to the window. The courtyard was filled with people who had come to see their king and queen off on their cruise.

  Keeah’s father, King Zello, stepped proudly from the palace. Zello was a warrior who always wore a helmet and carried a club, but he was also a kind man.

  Next to him strode Queen Relna in a long silver gown. Like Keeah, her blond hair was encircled by a narrow gold crown.

  Galen himself stood behind them, wearing his tall hat and blue robe covered with silver moons.

  “The queen is radiant!” sighed Max, leaning out next to Keeah. “And look what I’ve made her — a scarf! I wove it myself.”

  He gave Keeah the brown pot, then pulled from it a long colorful scarf. It was woven with a complex pattern of colors and textures, from thick deep blues to fine bright yellows.

  “It’s really beautiful,” said Julie.

  Max blushed. “One hundred percent spider silk,” he said. “I was quite a weaver in my day. Hats, coats, everything. Now, a box for it!”

  When Max spread the scarf on the table to fold it, he accidentally sent the Ruby Orb rolling off the table. But instead of falling to the floor, the Orb floated slowly up to the ceiling.

  And it started to spin.

  “Hey, look!” said Eric. “That’s just like my vision … but … oh, my gosh!”

  Without warning, the red Orb began to flash. Then it hissed and sparked as if it were alive.

  “Wh-wh-what’s … happening?” Max stammered.

  Before anyone could make a move, the red Orb shot out a stinging beam of light. It struck Max on the nose and his orange hair flew straight up.

  “Whoa, Max,” said Neal. “You’re getting … um … smaller …”

  “But I’m small enough already — oh, dear!”

  Max was shrinking. His legs, body, and face grew smaller and smaller until he was no larger than a mouse.

  Max squeaked in fear. “Oh! Help! Fetch Galen quickly. Tell him I — I — oh!”

  An instant later — thluuurrrp! — Max was sucked right into the spinning Orb.

  “Max!” Keeah screamed. “Max!”

  But the spider troll could not answer.

  The Orb spun around the room, then shot out the open window. It circled the courtyard three times, then raced across the sea, where it vanished into the dazzling light of dawn.

  Text copyright © 2001 by Robert T. Abbott

  Illustrations copyright © 2001 by Scholastic Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

  SCHOLASTIC, LITTLE APPLE PAPERBACKS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First Scholastic printing, October 2001

  Cover art by Tim Jessell

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-41826-3

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