Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers (12 page)

WHEN YOU HAVE NO WAY BACK, then you just have to keep going forward, and that’s exactly what the group had to do. The passageway, like everything else in the castle, was simply enormous, and Kendra felt tinier than ever. When anyone whispered, the voice echoed in the darkness. No one dared to speak too loudly. The passage was like the darkest, most uncomfortable basement you can imagine, the type that is cold and dank—even on the hottest summer day. As usual, Jinx led the way, holding a torch in one hand and her sword in another. The passage was so quiet that Kendra could hear Oki gulping and murmuring about onions. It only added to her own nervousness, and she was just about to ask him to be quiet when Jinx came to a sudden stop. Kendra bumped right into her.

“Careful,” Jinx whispered.

“What is it, Captain?” Uncle Griffinskitch said, shuffling up from the rear.

“I thought I saw someone looking at me,” Jinx explained. “But look. It’s just an eye painted on the stone. The entire wall is one giant mural.”

She held her torch close to the wall so they could all see. The painting was so big and the light so dim that it was hard to get a sense of it. But they could all clearly see the eye that had surprised Jinx. It was part of an enormous picture of a dragon. It was so life-like that Kendra had to keep telling herself that it was just a painting. The mural stretched down the entire wall for as far as she could see, and it showed every scale and detail. It was a deep orange color, which caught the light of Jinx’s torch and made it look even more realistic.

“Why, look,” Professor Bumblebean said. “The whole corridor is adorned with paintings.”

They walked ahead and gazed in wonder upon the artwork along the passageway. The murals depicted all sorts of strange and hideous creatures: dragons, Ungers, and some that they couldn’t even identify.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Oki declared.

“For once I agree with you,” Jinx said. “Let’s move on.”

They plunged ahead into the darkness, eager to leave the frightening paintings behind. They took many twists and turns. To Kendra it seemed as if the journey would never end. Then, at last, they turned a corner and saw a light shining from what looked to be the end of the passage. As they crept further up the hall, the light became so bright that Jinx extinguished her torch. She led the company into the light. Soon they were standing on a wide balcony. Kendra hurried over to the railing and found herself looking upon a palatial room with a high vaulted ceiling. But it wasn’t the ceiling that was so incredible, it was the floor, sparkling as bright as the sun.

“Treasure!” Kendra gasped, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

The rest of the company rushed to the railing.

“Not jus’ treasure!” Pugglemud exclaimed excitedly. “GOLD!”

“Come on!” Jinx called, waving them over to the far side of the balcony. “There’s a staircase here.”

Pugglemud was halfway down the stairs before the grasshopper even finished her sentence. It was slower going for Kendra and her companions; the stairs had been built for giants, of course, and it was not an easy descent for their tiny legs.

“Hey!” Jinx called after Pugglemud. “What about some help?”

But Pugglemud didn’t seem to hear her. He tore down the rest of the stairs and dove headfirst into the mounds of treasure. “Gold!” he cried, tossing the coins into the air so that they came back down and bounced off his head. (Though if they hurt, he hardly seemed to notice.) He began swimming through the piles of gold as if he were some sort of strange fish, giggling the whole while.

“Figures,” Jinx muttered, as she and her companions struggled down the remaining stairs.

After a few minutes, they reached the floor. If the vault had seemed spectacular to Kendra from above, it was even more so now that she stood amidst the sea of glittering wealth. To her, it seemed as if the giant chamber contained all the treasure in the world. The room was simply bursting with riches. And it wasn’t just gold, for there were other prizes too: shimmering mirrors, sparkling scepters, polished swords, hand-carved vases, gleaming goblets, casks of brilliant diamonds, and gems colored red, green, and blue. Then Kendra noticed something that no one else had yet seen: one small box, dark and purple and winking with yellow stars. It was sitting by itself on a pedestal, in the very center of the room.

“The Box of Whispers!” Kendra gasped, and the rest of the company all turned at the sound of her voice.

Kendra, of course, had never seen the magic chest before—but there was no mistaking it. Strange, magical, and mysterious, the box almost seemed alive as it radiated a soft halo of light and throbbed ever so gently on its quiet perch, as if it were struggling to contain thousands of voices harbored deep within its core. And, straining her pointed ears, Kendra could almost hear the voices, almost—but they only came across as muffled whispers, as if she were trying to listen to them from around a dark corner or behind a closed door.

Then Kendra noticed the key. It was long and gold, and it was hanging from a small hook on the pedestal. She remembered what the elders had said. It would be disastrous if the box were opened. But part of her couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to thrust the key into the lock and reveal its mysterious contents.

Then her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Uncle Griffinskitch’s deep voice.

“Thank goodness!” he muttered. “The box is safe.”

It seemed as if everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

After weeks of travel, they had finally found their prize.

“In one way, I can’t believe how easily we discovered it,” Professor Bumblebean remarked after a moment.

“It was almost too easy, if you ask me,” Jinx said. “No giants, no guards. There’s nothing protecting the box except that darn riddle door and a pile of bones.”

“Humph,” Uncle Griffinskitch muttered, and Kendra couldn’t help but think that it was the type of humph that meant he agreed with Jinx. She looked over her shoulder, half-expecting giants to suddenly appear. But the only sign of activity in the chamber came from Pugglemud, who was still gleefully frolicking in the treasure.

“I’m starting to get the creeps again,” Oki squeaked.

“Did you ever stop?” Jinx retorted anxiously.

“Well, I suppose we should be happy with so quickly finding the box,” Professor Bumblebean declared. “After all, our mission has been a success.”

“Let’s not congratulate ourselves quite yet,” Uncle Griffinskitch said. “We still have to find a way out of here. Let’s make haste.”

“Do you want me to take the box?” Jinx asked.

“No,” the old wizard replied. “It’s better for you to keep your weapons at the ready. Oki, you can carry the key, and Kendra, you take the box.”

“Me?” Kendra gasped. She couldn’t believe that her uncle would entrust her with such a responsibility. He usually seemed so disappointed with her, but now he was asking her to carry the fabled box of whispers.

“You can do it,” Uncle Griffinskitch said. “These are magic things, but they won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Oki took this as his cue and lifted the key from its hook. It was so long that when he held it upright, it was taller than him, but it was light enough for him to carry.

“I’m ready,” he announced.

All that was left was the box. Kendra stared at it, anxiously tugging her braids.

“Quickly,” Uncle Griffinskitch said. “Here, I’ll carry your pack for you.”

Wordlessly, Kendra passed her pack to her uncle and stretched her hand towards the box. It seemed to shudder as she touched it, and for a moment, she drew her hand back.

“Hurry!” Uncle Griffinskitch urged.

Quickly Kendra removed the enchanted chest from its pedestal. As she cradled the box within her arms, it seemed to throb with life, beating like a heart, as if it were alive.
What is in this thing?
Kendra asked herself as she tried to contain the box’s mysterious energy.

“C’mon!” Jinx urged. “Let’s get out of here.”

“What should we do about him?” Oki asked, pointing to Pugglemud. The Dwarf was so entranced by the piles of gold that he was completely oblivious to their presence.

“He won’t even know we’re gone,” Jinx said. “We’ve got our treasure; he’s got his. I’d say everyone’s happy.”

“I wonder which way is the best to take our exit,” Professor Bumblebean wondered aloud.

“There’s no sense going back up those stairs,” Jinx said. “That’ll just lead us back to a dead end.”

“There’s only one other way out of this vault,” Uncle Griffinskitch said, “and that’s through the front door.”

They scrambled across the treasure towards the massive door that stood at the far side of the room. It was slightly ajar, and gold coins spilled through to the passageway beyond.

“Well, here’s our way out,” Jinx said, sliding through the crack.

The others followed. They now found themselves in a passageway that looked much like the one that had led them to the vault in the first place. They forged ahead. Beads of sweat rolled down Kendra’s face, and she realized that the passage had grown suddenly hot. She felt like she could barely breathe, but there was nothing to do but stumble ahead into the eerie blackness.

“Look, here are more paintings,” Professor Bumblebean announced, pointing to the passage wall. “These giants possess certain artistic ability. Why, look at this dragon. This painting demonstrates such technique and realistic style.”

“Cut the chatter,
Babblebean,
” Jinx whispered over her shoulder.

They tiptoed past the dragon painting, and the box pulsed strongly in Kendra’s hands. It was almost as if it were trying to escape from her. Kendra gazed up at the towering wall of fire-red scales as she walked past what seemed to be the dragon’s long snout. The painting seemed so real. Though it was dark, she could see the outline of each scale. She could see the dragon’s nostrils. She looked way up and saw where the giants had given the beast a gigantic, closed eyelid.

“This must be exactly what a real dragon looks like,” Kendra murmured quietly.

Then, suddenly, the enormous eye opened.