“What’s wrong with you?” Gayla snarled. “Aren’t you going to ask me to dance?”
Krimson seemed at a loss for words, but he pulled himself to his feet, bowed slightly to Winter Woodsong, and whisked Gayla away into the crowd of dancers. Gayla’s face was painted with a scowl.
“She sure is mean to him,” Kendra murmured to Winter.
“Indeed,” the old woman said. “Love is a cruel master.”
Kendra wasn’t sure what Winter meant by these words; but that was the sorceress for you. She always spoke in riddles.
Winter took Kendra’s hand again, and together they frisked across the fairgrounds until they arrived at a small circular stage that had been erected near the riverbank.
“Ah, the Magicians’ Match shall start soon,” Winter declared. “I am the master of ceremonies, you know—so I suppose I now must take my leave. Perhaps I shall see you in the future, young sorceress.” She gave Kendra a cryptic smile and then, in a wink, was off.
Kendra gave her braid a tug and turned to see Oki scampering forward.
“Did you see who’s competing in the match?” the little mouse asked excitedly. “Look!”
He pointed up to the stage, where a few of the wizards were taking their places. One of them was a large grey raccoon. Kendra had to rub her eyes; why, for a moment she thought it was Ratchet! Then it occurred to her that not only was this raccoon thinner than her old friend, but he was also wearing a wizard’s cape and holding a staff.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Oki told Kendra. “It’s not Ratchet, though. It’s his gramps, Roompa Ringtail! He’s the one who designed our cloud ship. We built it based on his blueprints.”
“I always wondered why it flew without any hiccups,” Kendra remarked.
“I know,” Oki said. “But old Roompa knew what he was do—EEK!”
Kendra didn’t need to ask Oki what was wrong, for just then a hunched and growling Een strutted onto the platform. He looked a lot younger than the irascible Een Kendra knew from her own time, but there was no mistaking him: it was Burdock Brown, the wicked wizard who would one day crown himself the self-proclaimed Emperor of Een.
“Poopensnautch,” Oki squealed nervously. “We’re in trouble now.”
YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THE EXPRESSION, “Some people never change.” This was certainly true of Burdock Brown, for all it took was one glance at the mean-spirited wizard for Kendra to realize that while he looked remarkably younger, he looked no less terrible. He scoffed and snarled, giving hint of the cruel tyrant he would one day become.
“Oh, don’t think of eggs, don’t think of eggs,” Oki whimpered.
“Hush,” Kendra said gently, trying to calm her own nerves at the sight of Burdock. “Remember, we’re not his enemies here, not in this time. He doesn’t even know who we are.”
“Not yet, anyway,” Oki squeaked.
“What’s up with the furry fretter?” came a voice, and Kendra turned to see Gayla approaching.
“Oh . . . just the usual,” Kendra replied, tugging on a braid. “Er . . . I thought you were dancing with Krimson.”
“That pea-planting puddlehead?” Gayla growled, crossing her arms. “I punched him in the eye.”
“Why!?” Kendra cried.
“He said I looked beautiful,” Gayla explained. “What a jerk. Come on; let’s just watch the match. I sure hope Burdock doesn’t win.”
“Me neither,” Oki piped up.
The sun was now setting and Eens were streaming in from every corner of the fairgrounds to watch the Magicians’ Match. Before long, the first stars began to appear in the sky and Winter Woodsong glided onto the stage.
“I’m afraid we have a slight dilemma,” she said after a short introduction. “As you know, the Magicians’ Match is always among seven—no more, no less. And yet we are down to six, for Master Thistledown has taken ill. Too many pucker-pears, it seems.”
A light chuckle arose from the audience. After a moment Winter continued. “What magic-maker amongst you will join the match?”
“Maybe Uncle Griffinskitch can enter,” Kendra whispered.
“I keep telling you, Braids,” Gayla said. “He’s my brother, not my uncle. And besides, they stopped letting him compete after he won seven times in a row.”
“Well, why don’t you compete?” Oki asked.
“You know what, Eeks? That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.” And with that Gayla marched towards the platform.
“Oh dear,” Oki murmured. “What a mooflehead I am! What if this changes the timeline? EEK! If we all turn into eggs it’s going to be my fault!”
“No one’s turning into eggs,” Kendra insisted. “Let’s just watch.”
And watch they did, as Gayla strutted right up to the stage, brandishing her wand with a theatrical twirl. “I, Gayla Griffinskitch, shall compete in the Magicians’ Match.”
“You?” Burdock asked, his one eyebrow twitching. “You may be talented and beautiful, young apprentice, but you are not a wizard yet.”
“Hmph,” Gayla grunted. “Maybe you’re just worried you’ll lose.”
Kendra watched Burdock’s face burn red, though she couldn’t tell whether it was from embarrassment or pure rage. Whatever emotion was percolating inside his decrepit heart, the nasty Een seemed to find a way to contain it, for he eventually said, “I’m not worried at all, my dear. Not at all. But we wouldn’t want to make a mockery of the match . . . would we?”
Kendra pulled furiously on one braid; it looked as if Gayla wanted to punch Burdock. Or worse. But just then Winter Woodsong stepped between them and proclaimed in a loud voice: “At times such as these we must remember the words of old Leemus Longbraids, founder of Een: ‘Jamboreen is for one and all, the short and the tall.’ So I shall let young Griffinskitch compete!”
Burdock gnashed his teeth. The audience cheered. It was highly unusual to have someone so young compete in the match, and Kendra could instantly tell that Gayla had become a crowd favorite. The tempestuous Teenling raised her chin and proudly took her place at the end of the line alongside Roompa Ringtail, who offered her a smile of encouragement.
Then Kendra heard a humph and she turned to see her uncle standing next to her. She knew that type of humph. It was one filled with pride.
“It’s always good to have a Griffinskitch in the game,” he declared, though whether it was to her or no one in particular, Kendra wasn’t sure.
Winter Woodsong now quieted the crowd with the lift of her pale hand and announced, “Let me remind you of the rules. This is a contest of pure Een wizardry. No potions, elixirs, or other enchanted items may be used—only the magic you can muster from yourselves and your wands. There shall be seven rounds. After each round, the elders of Een”—here, Winter gestured to the side of the stage where some ancient Eens sat in a row—“shall confer, and the magician they deem has the least impressive trick shall be expelled, until at last we are left with our winner. Good luck to you all . . . and now, let the match begin.”
The first contest was called the Twilight Twirl. Here, each Een Wizard would call forth an element of nature and command it to perform upon the stage. Perla Proudfoot went first; she summoned a cloud of flower petals that arched into the audience like a beautiful rainbow. Roompa went next and brought a flurry of snowflakes that whirled in the shape of two dancing Fauns. It brought him much applause, and Kendra was almost sorry that Gayla had to follow him. But she performed well enough, singing with her strong mellifluous voice to command a cloud of white dandelion fluff to flutter in the whimsical shape of a winged horse.
“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch muttered to Kendra and Oki. “She will win the hearts of Eens with that voice; but it will hardly help her if she ever finds herself face-to-face with an Unger.”
After Gayla came Maybelle Moonbeam, Hektor Hootall, Dreydon Doon, and at last Burdock. He summoned a swarm of Een bees from the crowd—this was a particularly complicated feat, Kendra knew, to command a living, thinking
being, and the bees were hardly pleased about it. But it seemed to Kendra that the judges thought it was all in good fun. They quickly conferred to make their decision, and after the first round Dreydon Doon was asked to leave the stage. Kendra and Oki cheered—Gayla had passed!
The next round was Flower Fancy, in which each wizard was asked to conjure a magical plant from a large pot of soil. This time, Maybelle Moonbeam went first; her plant blossomed with flowers that exuded the scent of Eenberry Pie. Hektor Hootall summoned a plant that grew strange and wondrous fruits. Perla Proudfoot’s plant glimmered with light as bright as stars. Burdock Brown went fourth; he grew a thorn bush that snapped like a dragon and sent more than one Een scampering away (Oki would have fled too, but Kendra held his paw).
Then it was Gayla’s turn. As Kendra watched while toying nervously with her braids, Gayla stood in front of her pot, waved her wand, and with a chant conjured a beautiful flower with glowing, luminescent bells. It spun towards the moon, blasting out beautiful music until at last . . . .
It withered and died.
Gayla sighed in dismay, and lowered her wand in defeat as she stared at the brown and desiccated leaves that now drooped before her.
“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch muttered. “She went too quickly.”
Kendra opened her mouth to defend her mother, but one look at Uncle Griffinskitch made her change her mind. Instead, she focused her attention on the stage where Roompa was now ready to take his turn. The raccoon smiled at Gayla, told her she had given it a noble try, and then began to call and cajole, until from his pot there bloomed a strange and enchanting plant. It had bright red flowers and burst forth with tiny toys and trinkets that sent the Eenlings in the crowd squealing with delight.
It was no surprise to anyone that Gayla was expelled at the end of the round. Still, she held her head high as she left the stage.
“Pretty good, eh Beards?” Gayla asked as she rejoined the audience. “I’m the youngest ever to make it past the first round.”
“Aye,” Uncle Griffinskitch snorted. “But you might have gone further.”
“I thought you were sensational,” Kendra told Gayla, but all she received in reply was a scowl.
On the contest went. With each round, another magician was ejected. Roompa was clearly winning over the crowd—especially during the Shadow’s Duel. Here, the rascally raccoon coaxed his silhouette to tiptoe across the stage and, with much theatrics, kick Burdock’s shadow right in the rear, so hard that it went flying from the stage. Burdock had to go collect it while the audience roared in laughter.
“Burdock doesn’t look very happy,” Kendra said.
“That’s because Roompa’s beating him at every turn,” Gayla said. She looked over her shoulder to make sure her brother wasn’t listening, then leaned closer and whispered, “If you ask me, Burdock tried to cheat.”
“What do you mean?” Kendra asked in surprise.
“When I was up on stage I saw old Brownie sprinkle something on Roompa’s wand,” Gayla said. “Everyone else was watching Perla Proudfoot perform.”
“That’s not fair!” Oki squealed. “We have to tell someone!”
“Just calm down, Eeks,” Gayla said. “Whatever Burdock did, it hasn’t seemed to affect Roompa’s magic yet. I just wished I knew what he was up to.”
The final round was the Symphony of Stars, and to no one’s surprise, the last two contestants were Burdock and Roompa. Burdock went first, chanting and waving his wand with much aplomb. He lifted his arms to the air and gradually the stars began to sparkle and hiss, flaring to brightness as if they were tiny candles that had suddenly been transformed into bonfires. Soon the whole sky was booming with a thunderous and threatening shower of stars. Streaks of light fired down towards the fairgrounds, causing many of the Eens to duck or run for cover. It was an impressive display to be sure, but Burdock could not sustain it for very long. After just a few seconds, his fireworks came to an end.
Roompa now took his turn. He strode to center stage, closed his eyes, and began to murmur. At first Kendra wondered if he had simply run out of magic, but then Oki tugged her sleeve and she looked up to see the stars begin to twinkle in the sky. At first Kendra didn’t understand what was happening—then, suddenly she realized that Roompa was painting a picture with the stars, a wonderful constellation in the shape of the founder of Een, Leemus Longbraids. In one hand, the ancient wizard was holding his wand, and from it gushed a fountain of shooting stars.
“Wow,” Kendra murmured. “It’s beautiful.”
“There’s no doubt he’s won!” Oki squealed in delight.
The crowd was cheering, but quieted as soon as Burdock strutted to the front of the stage, a nasty snarl smeared across his face. He snatched Roompa’s wand from his paw and glared at it suspiciously “Wait a minute!? What is this?” Burdock demanded.
“You have some complaint to make, Master Burdock?” Winter Woodsong asked, flitting across the platform.
“Yes!” Burdock growled, angrily shaking Roompa’s wand. “I do indeed. This crooked critter—Roompa Ringtail—is a cheater!”
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS that sent the crowd into a stir. You know the type of moment, like when your principal suddenly makes a surprise announcement during assembly and everyone begins to whisper and murmur all at once. And Burdock loved it. This Kendra knew just from watching him strut across the platform, his chest puffing with importance. Roompa, on the other hand, looked completely flustered—Just like Ratchet, Kendra thought.
“Master Burdock,” Winter Woodsong said, “this is a most serious accusation.”
“I speak the truth,” the arrogant wizard hissed, passing Roompa’s wand to her. “Look, his Eenwood is covered with a powdery residue. And we all know Roompa experiments with all sorts of ridiculous potions and powders. I suspect he’s tried to magnify the magic of his wand.”
“Hmm,” Winter murmured.
Kendra looked over at Burdock. He looked so pleased with himself that she wanted to kick him in the shin or zap him with her wand—anything to wipe that smug expression from his face. But it was Gayla who took action. In the beat of an Een’s heart she was up on stage, confronting Winter Woodsong.
“No!” the girl blurted. “Don’t listen to him! Burdock is the one who cheated!”
“What!?” Burdock growled, his one eyebrow twitching. “My dear, you’re just upset because you lost.”
Gayla whirled around and glared at him, a look that could stop a giant in its tracks. “I’m not your dear,” she snapped.
The frenzied conversation from the crowd grew louder; Winter had to bang her staff against the stage to quiet them.
“Young Griffinskitch,” she said. “It is a serious affair to accuse a wizard of Een.”
“But he’s accusing Master Ringtail,” Gayla protested.
“That is Master Burdock to you,” Winter declared. “And he is an equal of Master Ringtail.”
“A wrong is a wrong,” Gayla said. “No matter who commits it.”
“Indeed,” Winter said (though not unkindly, in Kendra’s opinion). “So we shall let the elders decide this matter, in the privacy of the Elder Stone.”
“No!” Gayla exclaimed, grasping Winter’s wrist. “I’m telling you, Roompa won fair and square. Burdock is the liar and cheat!”
“ENOUGH!”
It was Uncle Griffinskitch. All this time Kendra had been tugging furiously on her braids, her eyes locked on Gayla, but now she turned to see her uncle bustling through the crowd. His ears were burning red with rage.
“Eek!” Oki squealed, tightly clutching Kendra’s sleeve. “This is all my fault! Oh, why did I tell Gayla to join the match?”
Uncle Griffinskitch quickly took to the platform and Kendra suddenly realized just how strong and imposing he looked. He hadn’t bothered to costume himself at all for Jamboreen, and his dark grey beard and somber clothes stood in strong contrast to the colors that filled the stage.
“Gayla!” he growled.
But the Teenling girl paid him no mind. “Listen,” she pleaded, still clinging to Winter Woodsong. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch grunted, grabbing Gayla by the shoulder and pulling her away. “Forgive my sister, Mistress Woodsong. She knows not her place.”
“If it’s to keep my mouth shut when I see someone doing wrong, then I know it well enough!” Gayla retorted, wrenching free of his grasp.
Uncle Griffinskitch glared down at her, his nostrils flaring. “You will apologize to Master Burdock.”
Gayla looked at her brother with an expression of horror painted on her face. Even from afar, Kendra could read the message in Gayla’s eyes. It said: Please don’t make me do this.
But Uncle Griffinskitch was not about to be defied. Something passed between them. At last, after a long tense moment, Gayla hung her head in defeat.
“I-I’m sorry, Master Burdock,” she blurted—then before another word could be said, she turned and fled from the stage, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I’m going after her,” Kendra told Oki. She lifted her robe to dart through the crowd—but she only made it two steps before a firm hand pulled her to a halt. She looked over her shoulder. Like a lightning bolt, Uncle Griffinskitch had managed to catch her.
“Let her go,” he said.
“She’s upset!” Kendra protested.
“Aye,” Uncle Griffinskitch grunted sadly. “Aren’t we all?”
Kendra cast a helpless glance in Oki’s direction. “Shuckleberries,” he murmured in response. “I guess this Jamboreen is over.”
Kendra and Oki slept in a proper bed that night—but not for long. Uncle Griffinskitch had them up at the crack of dawn, only a few hours after they had gone to sleep.
“If you’re going to stay in my house, you can earn your keep,” the ornery wizard grunted, as he finished the last of his dandelion tea. “The mousling can accompany me today when I go to the Elder Stone; I must attend the trial of Master Ringtail and I may need someone to run messages for me. Can you do that, mousling?”
Kendra Kandlestar and the Crack in Kazah Page 6
