Read Online Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard From Greeve by Lee Edward Födi - Free Book Online

be seeing us again!”
    Then, with a long finger, the ghostly figure of Leerlin Lurk beckoned the guards, and the motley crew disappeared into the darkness. Quickly, Kendra closed the door and locked it.
    “Now what?” Oki asked, coming out from behind Kendra’s cloak.
    “I don’t know,” Kendra admitted.
    “I do say, this is a terrible affair,” Professor Bumblebean declared, stuffing his crumpled handkerchief into his pocket. “But we shan’t give up hope yet. I shall return at once to the library, for I wish to study the codices of Een law. Perhaps I can discover some ancient document that proves Burdock’s actions to be unlawful.”
    “That won’t get us anywhere,” Jinx protested. “We need to fight.”
    “And that’s what I intend to do,” the professor replied. “But there are ways to win a battle other than with a sword. In any case, Jinx, I’m going to ask you to remain here tonight with young Kendra and Oki.”
    “Sure,” Jinx muttered, ambling over to sit by the fire.
    “We’re old enough to look after ourselves,” Kendra told Professor Bumblebean as she escorted him to the door.
    “I know it,” the tall Een said, leaning forward to whisper so that Jinx couldn’t hear. “But in truth, I ask you to just pretend that you need her.”
    “Why?” Kendra asked.
    “I do say, it just might keep her out of trouble,” the professor said. “The last thing we need is Jinx attacking the Elder Stone at full moon!”



IT TOOK HOURS for Kendra to fall asleep that night. She tossed and turned, her mind engulfed by the day’s events. When at last she met her slumber, she found herself in an uneven land of dreams—there Ratchet, Winter Woodsong, her brother Kiro, and old Uncle Griffinskitch were calling out her name from behind iron bars. Kendra! Kendra!
    She writhed in her sheets, trying to escape the dream, but the voices only grew louder and more desperate.
    “Kendra! Kendra!”
    She sprang up in bed, perspiration dripping from her forehead.
    Someone really was calling her name! Confused, Kendra looked about her pitch-black room. Where was the voice coming from? Then she noticed a glint of light from her bookshelf, near the window. The maiden’s mirror!
    She leapt from her sheets and rushed over to pick up the enchanted glass. Sure enough, there was the goatlike face of Effryn Hagglehorn, staring back at her from the mirror. The hairy ears of the chubby little Faun were twitching nervously as he spoke.
    “Well shear my shin hair!” Effryn brayed. “You are there!”
    “It’s the middle of the night!” Kendra cried, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “And where have you been? I’ve been waiting months to hear from you.”
    “I’ve . . . er, had some difficulties,” Effryn stammered uneasily.
    “What kind of difficulties?” Kendra asked.
    “The Krake kind,” the Faun replied earnestly. “I’ve been rotting away in the dungeons of their wretched castle—until tonight that is. I managed to escape, sure as your shorn! I’m just lucky that Queen Krake didn’t make me fight in that awful Rumble Pit of hers!”
    “Rumble Pit? What’s that?”
    “’Tis an awful place,” Effryn replied with a shudder. “One giant gladiator pit, that’s the best way to describe it. Queen Krake catches all sorts and makes ’em fight in there. Giants, Centaurs—even dragons!”

    Kendra sat down on her bed, cradling the mirror in her lap. “How did you end up in such a mess?”
    “I was just coming to that,” Effryn said. “Kendra, do you have any idea what’s been happening in the world since you destroyed the Door to Unger?”
    “My uncle says there’s a war going on.”
    “Wax my wool! A war indeed!” Effryn cried, his eyes wide with excitement. “It’s madness, I tell you. It’s monster against monster out here, clan against clan. Ungers, Goojuns, Izzards, Orrids, Krakes—all five clans, just clawing and snapping at each other.”
    “My uncle thinks it has to do with