The Goblin King

by Linda Chapman

  There was only one thing for it. Jumping to her feet, she threw him over her back in a fireman’s lift.

  “Stop it!” Anthony shrieked as she hurtled towards the shed’s open door. “Put me down!”

  “Sure!” Sophie dumped him inside the shed, pulled the door shut, slammed the bolt across and dusted down her hands.

  “Let me out! I’ll tell Grandpa! LET ME OUT!” Anthony hammered on the door, but Sophie had other things on her mind. The four goblins were hurrying towards the open front door.

  “You stop right there!” shouted Sophie, marching over to them.

  “Be careful!” Sam called anxiously from the driveway.

  The goblins all swung round. Ug rolled his black eyes. “Oh, not you again.” He looked warier than before, but he didn’t back away from her. “Shouldn’t you be in your bedroom making fairy wings?” The other three goblins sniggered.

  Getting between the goblins and the porch of the cottage, Sophie slammed the door shut and folded her arms over her chest. “You’re not going in Mrs B’s house,” she told them.

  “Oh, but we are,” said Ug. “You see, we were on our way to your house when I noticed something.” He held the key out. It was tied on a chain round his neck, and was shining with a green light. “When we got near this house, the key started to glow… and the closer we’ve got to the door, the brighter it has become. Now, why would that be?”

  Sophie bit her lip. The key must glow when it was close to the missing gems. Grandpa hadn’t warned her about that!

  “And why would you be so keen to stop us going inside if there wasn’t something very special in there – something you didn’t want us to find?” The King’s lumpy face looked crafty. “Ug’s clever, he is. Too clever for you! There’s a shadow gem in that house and Ug’s going to get it.”

  “Just try it,” said Sophie, not moving.

  “She can’t count!” chortled Ug to his cronies. “Look, little girl, there’s…” he turned to the other goblins and counted them, “one, two, three, four of us. How exactly are you going to stop us when there’s… let me see, just one of you?”

  “I’m here too!” called Sam, skating closer. “Sophie’s not on her own. If you want to get in there you’ll have to get past me as well!”

  Ug rubbed his hands. “You know, I was really hoping you’d say that!” He glanced at Flaky Face and nodded.

  Before Sophie could do anything, the ugly goblin had lunged at Sam, lifting him off his board and throwing him through the air. Sam yelled in surprise as he landed at the bottom of the tree that held up Mrs Benton’s washing line.

  “Sam!” Sophie gasped as the goblins all whooped and laughed.

  “I’m OK,” Sam called, starting to scramble to his feet.

  Sophie felt a wave of hot anger. “Right, that’s it!” she said furiously. “You’re asking for trouble!”

  “Oooh, I’m so scared!” mocked Ug. “GET HER, YOU THREE!” he yelled.

  The three other goblins charged forward, Flaky Face in the lead, Big Feet and Potato Nose just behind.

  Wait, wait… Sophie told herself, remembering all her tae kwon do lessons.

  She didn’t move until Flaky Face was so close she could smell the scent of rotting compost coming from him. Now! she thought. She kicked out with her left foot, following immediately through with her right in a double kick. Thwack! Thunk! Her feet thudded into Flaky Face’s chest with all her superstrength, sending him shooting backwards.

  “ARGH!” he yelled as he collided with the water butt. It toppled over, spilling slimy green water all over him.

  “Way to go, Sophie!” Sam shouted, punching the air.

  The other two goblins had paused, but now they roared and came at her. Sophie spun round, kicking out with her back foot and catching Potato Nose on the shoulder. He sprawled over just as she sent Big Feet flying with a second double kick. He landed among the flowerpots with a crash and sat up groaning, a pink petunia sitting on his head.

  Sam laughed in delight. “Loooosers!”

  Sophie turned to Ug, grinning broadly. “You were right, you know. It wasn’t a fair fight, was it? But now it’s just you and me.” She twirled the end of her long, blonde ponytail and looked at him. “Unless of course you think you’d rather leave.”

  As Ug backed away, she saw his eyes flicker over her shoulder. “Ah well, maybe we should be sensible about this—”

  “Sophie! Potato Nose is up!” Sam yelled.

  Sophie heard the sound of feet behind her and jumped to one side. Potato Nose’s arms closed on empty air. But the sudden move had unbalanced Sophie, and Potato Nose swung round, butting her in the stomach with his head. The air whooshed past her as she flew backwards, landing with a thud on the ground near the tree with the washing line. Potato Nose started running towards her.

  “Get on the other side of the washing line!” Sam’s voice yelled. He sounded as if he was somewhere above her.

  Sophie quickly did as he said, and as Potato Nose reached the tree, the line came tumbling down. The next minute the goblin was stumbling about, caught up in Mrs B’s dresses and tights. “Gaaah!” he shouted, batting away a long, frilly nightie.

  “Yes!” exclaimed Sophie.

  “Got him!” Sam hollered at the same time.

  Looking around, Sophie saw Flaky Face staggering to his feet, drenched with slimy water. Nearby, Big Feet was groaning as he climbed out of the broken flowerpots. Potato Nose still had a pair of tights dangling from his shoulder and a pair of Mrs B’s large pants caught on one of his ears!

  “Right, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Sophie told the three goblins firmly. “Either you go now or Sam and I fight you some more. Which is it to be?”

  They all shuffled backwards.

  “I’ll give you five seconds to decide,” Sophie said. “One. Two… Oops, sorry,” she said. “I forgot that you told me I can’t count, can I? FIVE!” she yelled, and started running towards them.

  Shouting in fear, the three goblins stampeded down the drive. Sophie grinned. “We did it!” she said as Sam joined her on his skateboard. “We got rid of them.” They high-fived.

  “Wait a minute,” said Sam suddenly. “Where’s Ug?”

  Sophie had assumed that the goblin king had run away as well, while she was fighting the others. She grinned as she glanced around. “Oh, he’s probably still run…” She slowly trailed off, her eyes widening in horror.

  Behind them, the front door stood wide open.

  Chapter 8

  Saving the Day

  Sophie and Sam ran into Mrs B’s cottage. “This way!” cried Sophie, heading for the kitchen. As they entered the room, she saw that the door to the cellar stairs stood open. A ghostly green light was shining upwards. Ug was in there!

  They thudded down the wooden staircase. Mrs B’s cellar had stone walls and was filled with odds and ends. Ug was stalking around the room, waving the glowing key about as he searched for the gem.

  “Stop right there!” bellowed Sophie.

  Ug spun round. “You again!” he snapped. “You really are a very tiresome child. Well, you’re not going to stop me now!”

  “Want to bet?” Sophie demanded. But even as she was speaking, Ug was running the key along the wall. As the key touched a small, loose-looking stone, the green light suddenly grew so strong that Sophie gasped, shading her eyes.

  “Got it!” crowed Ug. He prised the stone out of the wall with his long, thin fingers… and to Sophie’s dismay, there was a green gem!

  “NO!” she shouted. Just as Ug reached for the gem, she launched herself through the air at him, spinning round in a high kick. Thwack! The goblin went skidding across the floor. The gem rolled out of his hand.

  “Sam, grab it!” cried Sophie. Sam started forward – but before he could reach the gem, Ug had snatched it up again.

  “Give me that gem back,” said Sophie in a low voice. She took a step towards him.

  “Stay away, little girl – or else!�
� sneered Ug. Snatching up an empty bucket, he started carefully squeezing the edges of his arms. Black gunge dripped into the plastic bucket.

  “Ew, disgusting,” breathed Sam.

  Sophie stopped in her tracks, watching in horrified fascination. Then suddenly she remembered what Grandpa had told her. That inky goo could burn their skin!

  Ug held up the bucket, his black eyes gleaming. “I’ve had it up to my ears with you two. No one is going to stop Ug from leaving with this gem. No one!” And holding the bucket high, the goblin king took aim… and fired.

  Sophie stood frozen as the dark, poisonous contents of the bucket came hurtling towards her. She could hear the black goo bubbling, like boiling water. Her superstrength couldn’t help her against this. She was about to be burned!

  “No!” Sam yelled.

  Grabbing an empty paint can, he leapt into the air with it outstretched. The gunge made a splattering noise as it landed inside the can. Taking aim, Sam chucked it straight back the goblin. “Take that!” he shouted.

  “ARGGHH!” howled Ug as the black goo splashed on to his pale skin. He dropped the gem as he shrieked and danced about. It rolled across the room, and Sophie quickly scooped it up. It was small and many-faceted, like a glittering marble.

  “Sam, that was brilliant,” she gasped, spinning towards him. “You actually caught the goo!”

  He looked stunned. “I’ve never caught anything in my life!”

  Meanwhile, Ug was still yelping in dismay. The black splodges were fizzling as they spread all over his body, like ink on damp tissue paper. “Look what you’ve done to me, you stupid children!” he bellowed. He shook his fist at them. “You’ll be sorry for this! You’ll be sorry!” He ran away up the stairs.

  Sophie shoved the gem into her jeans pocket. “Come on, after him!”

  She and Sam raced back up the stairs and through the house. As they burst outside, she saw Ug pelting down the driveway. Just then, Grandpa turned into the drive with a carrier bag in his hands. Ug dodged past him, disappearing into the woods on the other side of the lane.

  “Grandpa!” cried Sophie, running to meet him.

  “What’s been happening?” He strode towards them in alarm. “That was Ug!”

  “Yes, we’ve been fighting him and the others,” she burst out. “They were trying to get the green gem!”

  “Did you stop them?” Grandpa asked anxiously. Sophie dug into her jeans pocket and held the gem up. It winked in the sunlight. Her grandfather heaved out a sigh. “Well done!”

  “LET ME OUT!” came a voice from behind them.

  Grandpa swung round. “What’s that noise? Is there a goblin locked in the shed?”

  She and Sam looked at each other. “Um… no. That’s Anthony,” said Sophie. “It’s a long story.” As they told Grandpa what had been happening, a faint smile crossed his gruff face.

  “You both did well,” he said. “Ink Caps are some of the easier goblins to fight, but it was brave of you to tackle all four of them.” His expression became more serious again. “But I hope you’ve learned some valuable lessons, because next time you might not be so lucky. Never take your eyes off a shadow creature, and never go into battle without weapons.”

  “We did have weapons – Mrs B’s washing and an old paint can,” said Sophie. “Plus, Sam actually caught something for the first time in his life!” she teased, nudging her friend. He grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

  Grandpa didn’t look amused. “This is no laughing matter. You must remember the three vital words when it comes to fighting goblins: Prepare, prepare, prepare…”

  Sophie frowned. “Um, that’s just one word, Grandpa.”

  He shook his head in exasperation and strode away to unbolt the shed door. Anthony came stalking out, his hair dusty and full of cobwebs. “What did you do that for, you—”

  He broke off as he saw who it was. “Grandpa! Sophie locked me in the shed! I was in there for ages.” He shot Sophie a look as if to say, Now you’re in big trouble...

  Grandpa patted Anthony’s shoulder. “Well, well, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” He turned round and wagged his finger. “Sophie, you mustn’t lock your brother in sheds. Do you understand?”

  Sophie bit back a grin. “Yes, Grandpa. Sorry.” She sounded about as sorry as Anthony had when he’d apologised for sneaking a look into her birthday presents. Anthony glared at her.

  “We’ll say no more about it then,” Grandpa declared.

  “But Grandpa, you’ve got to punish them! They were going to get into Mrs B’s house to look for something hidden in the cellar. I heard them say it!”

  “Something hidden…” Grandpa shook his head and laughed. “Oh, dearie me, you should know better than to believe your sister’s games, Anthony.” He looked at Sophie and Sam. “Now, you two, did you go into Mrs B’s house looking for something?”

  “No,” Sophie answered honestly. They had gone into the cellar to stop Ug, not to look for the gem.

  “That’s because they were too busy playing stupid games out here, locking me in and making loads of noise – and look!” Anthony’s voice rose as he pointed to the broken flowerpots and the disturbed washing. “What’s Mrs B going to say about that, huh, Sophie?”

  Sophie’s heart sank as she looked around her. Anthony had a point… though she was more worried about the splatters of black goo in the cellar!

  “It certainly seems as if you two have some clearing up to do,” said Grandpa to her and Sam. “Stay here and try and get everything in order, please. I’m taking Anthony home. If there’s… er, anything else that needs doing, I’ll help you with it when I get back. Do you understand?”

  Sophie nodded in relief. Picking up the key from the ground, Grandpa locked the front door and slipped the key into his pocket. “Mrs B really shouldn’t leave this lying around. There’s no knowing who might try and get in. Oh, and Sophie…” Grandpa threw the plastic bag in her direction, “this is for you.”

  “Thanks.” Sophie caught it. Giving her a wink, Grandpa steered Anthony away.

  “What is it?” Sam asked as soon as Grandpa and Anthony were out of earshot.

  Looking inside the plastic bag, Sophie pulled out a GPS watch and a black sleeveless jacket with lots of pockets. “Oh, wow! Cool!” She took off her backpack, put the jacket on and slipped The Shadow Files into one of its pockets. Suddenly she felt like a proper Guardian.

  “Can I borrow the watch sometime?” Sam asked.

  “Of course you can,” said Sophie, strapping the watch on. She turned her wrist from side to side, admiring it. “We can share it.”

  Sam started to pick up the washing. “It was lucky Mrs B wasn’t at home today. We’ll have to hide this gem somewhere else now. It’s not safe to keep it here any longer.”

  “I don’t think anywhere’s going to be safe now the goblins know the key glows like that when they’re near a gem,” said Sophie. She frowned. “I think I should keep it with me.”

  “But then they’ll come after you!”

  “I know, but my superpowers will let me know when they’re around, and help me to defend myself.” She put the gem away in one of the inside pockets of the jacket and looked at him. “It makes sense. We should try and solve the riddles and get all the gems back. Then when we’ve managed to get the key from the goblins we can maybe hide them in safe places again.”

  Sam nodded slowly. “We absolutely can’t let Ug get his hands on them. I wonder if other shadow creatures will hear about the key, and if we’ll have to fight them too?”

  Sophie pulled the book out and flicked through its pages. “Look – Fog Trolls, Slime Imps, Swamp Boggles, Bat Goblins…” As she looked at the different pictures of the menacing, ugly creatures, she swallowed. Grandpa had said Ink Caps were some of the easiest to fight. How was she ever going to defeat all these other horrible-looking shadow creatures?

  Sam saw her face. “We’ll be OK,” he said, but his voice shook just slightly.

  “Of course w
e will. I mean, all we’ve got to do is fight a load of big, mean creatures, stop them finding six magic gems, which they want to use to unlock a gateway into the Shadow Realm that they really want to open…” Sophie had to grin at the thought. “What’s so hard about that?”

  “Nothing – nothing at all.”

  As Sam grinned back, Sophie felt better. Whatever shadow creatures came along, she knew she and Sam would be waiting for them and would face them side by side. She gazed down the drive towards the woods. “We’re ready for you, all you goblins, boggles and trolls!” she declared.

  “And you imps, sprites and gnomes too!” Sam joined in bravely. “Any time you want!”

  Sophie flicked back her ponytail. “Just bring it on!”

  Deep in the trees, Ug glared angrily at the splodges on his skin as he plotted and schemed. He’d had one of the shadow gems right in his hand! How dare those irritating children get in the way of his plans? Well, he would have his revenge on them… and find one of those gems to fit into the key, no matter what it took!

  “The new Guardian and her friend haven’t seen the last of Ug,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together. “Ug will be back. Oh, yes, Ug will be back…”

  What’s next in store for Sophie?

  Turn the page for a sneak peek…

  Sophie’s toes began to tingle. The feeling surged up through her legs, her body, her arms and into her head. She felt a crazy urge to jump and fight as her Guardian powers kicked in. There had to be a shadow creature nearby for her to feel like this!

  She set off at a super-fast run. The little cul-de-sac came to a dead end, bordering on to the woods. There was a footpath running alongside the trees, and a small white, fluffy dog with a blue bow perched on its head and a sparkly collar was sniffing around the trail of slime. Sophie skidded to a halt beside it. The trail went straight into the trees. She picked up the pampered-looking little dog and moved it well away from the horrible slime.