Kendra Kandlestar and the Crack in Kazah (7 page)

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!”