Elliot and the Goblin War (19 page)

Mr. Willimaker nodded, and then both he and Grissel disappeared.

Elliot turned to Fudd, who wiped a tear from his eye.

“I suppose you’ll want me to have chocolate cake now too,” Fudd whimpered.

“You helped me save Patches,” Elliot said. “If you still wanted me dead, that would’ve been your chance.”

“I’ve changed,” Fudd said. “I hope I can show you that.”

“It will take me a long time to trust you again,” Elliot said. “If anyone tries to get me, you have to understand that I might wonder if you’re involved.”

Fudd scrunched up his face. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say that no one ever blew up my house until I met you.” Elliot frowned as he said it, but Fudd thought he might have seen a slight grin as Elliot looked his way.

“It will take me a long time to prove that I can be trusted,” Fudd said meekly. “But if you give me the chance, I’ll be a much better advisor than before. I’ll be a much better Brownie than before. Tell me what I can do to fix things.”

Elliot pointed to the mess of his exploded home. “To start, you can get the Brownies to build me another home. I don’t need it fancy or new. I don’t care if the stairs still squeak. I just want a place for my family to come back to.”

For the first time since Elliot had become king, Fudd Fartwick gave him a real bow (which is not easy when one is hanging upside down with a rope around his leg). “Your Highness, it may not be fancy or new, and the stairs might still squeak, but you are a king and the Brownies will build you a castle.”

“Then I release you,” Elliot said. “You may poof out of that trap.”

Fudd snapped his fingers and landed upright on the ground. He bowed to Elliot again and then quickly ducked into the trees as someone behind them yelled, “Penster!”

Elliot turned and saw Tubs Lawless running across his lawn, dragging the trunk he’d taken behind him. Tubs dropped the trunk in the middle of the yard and said, “Penster, it’s a good thing your house blew up!”

“Why?” Elliot asked.

“It was probably full of those big green rats I found in this trunk.”

“Did they get out?”

“They’re back in the trunk now. Finally.” Tubs shook a fist at Elliot. “But watch out. I’ll get you for letting me steal those things.”

“No,” Elliot said firmly. “You won’t.”

Tubs’s lip curled in anger. “What did you say?”

“You won’t chase me through town. And you won’t throw rocks or toys or even your bicycle at me. I’m not going to do your homework for you or let you flush me down the toilet. You are done being a bully.”

“Who’s gonna make me stop?”

“Me. And those big green rats will help me if I need them. They’re my friends now.”

Tubs stumbled back a few steps. “Fine. Just keep that trunk away from me!” He turned and ran, revealing long claw marks down the back of his pants.

Elliot smiled as he watched Tubs scramble away. Then, with a happy sigh, he grabbed a hose and walked toward the trunk. A king’s work was never done.

Acknowledgments

Thanks always to Jeff, my best friend and true companion. To Ron Peters and Tom Horner, talented authors and friends, for keeping their critiquing axes sharp and honest. Thanks to Ammi-Joan Paquette and Dan Ehrenhaft, for catching the vision of Elliot.

And a final thanks to turnip farmers around the world. Some may say that “hero” is too strong a word for you, but I don’t think so. Neither do the Brownies.

About the Author

Jennifer A. Nielsen lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a fat lizard. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. Although she has never actually met any Underworld creatures, she did see someone once who might have been a Troll. Learn more at her website:
www.jennielsen.com
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About the Illustrator

Gideon Kendall graduated from the Cooper Union for Science and Art with a BFA and has since been working as an artist, illustrator, animation designer, and musician in Brooklyn.