Read Online Kendra Kandlestar and the Crack in Kazah by Lee Edward Födi - Free Book Online Page B

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,