The Golden Wasp

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1: The Moon in Droon

  2: Under a Spell

  3: The Grove of Portentia

  4: Door to the Past

  5: Surprise Guests at Plud

  6: The Sting of the Wasp

  7: The Locked Room

  8: Sparr’s Wicked, Wicked Plan

  9: Fire and Ice

  10: The Harp and the Wasp

  The Adventure Continues …

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “Grrr! Ruff-ruff! Eeegg!”

  Eric Hinkle and his best friends, Julie and Neal, jumped aside as a small dog raced across Eric’s basement floor.

  Except that it wasn’t really a dog. It had four sharp ears, bright blue fur, a snubby pink nose, and long teeth. It growled and snarled.

  And it came from another world.

  A world called Droon.

  “We’ve got to catch it, guys!” Eric cried. “We have a more serious problem, remember?”

  “I’m not an it! I’m a moonfox!” the creature snapped. Then it bounced to the shelf above the dryer and began to chew it. “Grrr-ruff! Ruff!”

  Julie swatted at it with a broom. “He’s eating everything! We need to get him back to Droon!”

  “And get my dad back here!” Eric cried.

  Right. His dad. Mr. Hinkle.

  He was the more serious problem.

  Mr. Hinkle was in Droon, the strange, magical, and secret world below Eric’s basement.

  Droon was a world of wonder and adventure.

  It was a world where an old wizard named Galen and a young princess named Keeah battled a terrible sorcerer called Lord Sparr.

  It was a world that only Eric, Julie, and Neal went to. Until now.

  “I’ll never go back!” the moonfox growled, scratching the window, then nibbling the frame.

  Eric glanced around in a panic as his mind raced through the last twenty minutes.

  He and Julie and Neal had just come back up the magical staircase that connected their world — the Upper World — to Droon. Then Julie noticed that she had left her charm bracelet behind.

  And the one she wore was from Droon.

  That was bad, very bad.

  Galen had told them never to bring anything back from Droon. If they did, things would start going back and forth between the worlds.

  And something did go. Eric’s father.

  First, he was here, then — poof! — he wasn’t.

  Unless they brought him back soon, other things might come here. Evil things.

  Maybe even Lord Sparr himself!

  Meanwhile, the charm on the Droon bracelet had come alive and was wrecking the basement.

  Crunch —spah! The moonfox bit off a piece of Mr. Hinkle’s tool bench, then spat it out.

  “Oh, man!” Eric sighed. “What can we do?”

  “Food!” yelled Neal suddenly.

  “Will you forget food?” snapped Julie. “We have to trap this thing —”

  “And food will do it!” Neal said. He dug into the seat of his favorite old armchair. He pulled out a handful of pretzels. “Good thing I’m a messy eater. Hey, moonfox, are you hungry?”

  The fox screeched to a stop on a ceiling beam. “Am I hungry? Do I look hungry?”

  Neal grinned. “Pretzels, here! Free pretzels!”

  “Yes!” cried the fox. It jumped for the food.

  In a flash, Eric grabbed a laundry basket and popped it over the fox. Julie piled some heavy cartons on top.

  “I’ll chew my way out!” growled the fox.

  “Not before we get back!” Eric said, heading for the closet under the stairs. “Next stop, Droon. Time to find my father.”

  “And my bracelet,” Julie added.

  “And more food,” said Neal as the three friends tumbled into the closet under the stairs.

  Before Eric closed the door, he looked out at the basement one last time. His father’s tool bench stood peacefully against the far wall. Sunlight fell through the window, flickering through the leaves of two apple trees outside his house.

  Suddenly, Eric felt not just scared, but sad.

  His father had taught him to climb those trees.

  “He was teaching me guitar chords, too,” Eric said. “I mean, what if Sparr finds him? What if somebody puts a curse on him? What if —”

  “Come on, Eric,” Julie whispered, pulling him into the closet. “We’ll find him. We will.”

  Neal closed the door behind them. Julie switched off the light. The little room went dark.

  Then — whoosh! — the floor beneath them vanished and they were standing at the top of a long rainbow-colored staircase.

  The steps shimmered in a pale light from below. It was moonlight from the land of Droon.

  They stepped quickly down the stairs. They never knew where the staircase would take them, only that it would soon fade.

  It always reappeared somewhere else in Droon when it was time to leave.

  “I see a city,” said Julie, peering down.

  The moon had started to turn pale. Morning sun glinted off a giant stone palace.

  Eric’s heart raced when he realized where they were. “It’s Jaffa City. Keeah will be here. She’ll help us for sure!”

  Jaffa was Droon’s grand capital city. Princess Keeah lived there with her father, King Zello.

  As they descended, the kids could see the palace courtyard bustling with people. Some were rushing here and there with blazing torches. Others were busily toting chests and bundles.

  “Something’s going on,” Neal said as they left the staircase. “The whole city is out today.”

  Groups of six-legged, shaggy beasts called pilkas were stamping their feet near the city gates.

  The sound of carriages squeaking on the cobblestones mixed with dozens of strange voices.

  And one voice rang out above the others.

  “Julie! Eric! Neal!”

  “Keeah?” said Julie, scanning the courtyard.

  “Here I am!” the princess called, waving from the crowd. Keeah wore a bright blue tunic and leggings. A jeweled crown sparkled on her long golden hair. She ran to greet the kids.

  With her was her father, King Zello, a fierce-looking man in a helmet with horns sticking out of it. But he smiled when he saw the kids.

  “It’s a wonderful day!” Keeah said. “All the kings and queens of Droon are meeting here. We are going to Zorfendorf for a celebration….”

  She stopped. “Eric, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s not a wonderful day in my world,” Eric said. “Something called a moonfox is loose in my basement. Plus my dad’s lost … in Droon.”

  The king’s smile faded. “We must tell Galen immediately. His magic tower is nearby —”

  Before they could move, a figure clad all in black jumped from the crowd. It ran so swiftly they couldn’t make out who or what it was.

  “Halt, creature!” Zello cried. “Who are you?”

  But the figure sprang quickly at the king. It showered a sizzling jet of red sparks over him.

  Then it lurched around and leaped at Keeah.

  “Get away from us!” she cried. She shot a bolt of blue light from her fingertips. The creature dodged it and bounded away across the courtyard, scattering sparks over everyone it passed.

  “What’s he doing?” Neal asked.

  “Let’s find out!” said Eric.

  Together they rushed after the dark shape. It bolted through the crowd toward the city wall.

  “We trapped him!” Eric shouted.

  The figure ran straight for the wall, then turned around to face them. Sort of.

  “Yikes!” Neal blurted out.

  Eric staggered back as the creature slid into the
shadows and vanished in a puff of smoke.

  Keeah and Julie rushed over to the boys.

  “Who was it?” asked the princess.

  “I don’t know,” Neal said. “But he had no —”

  “F-f-face!” Eric stammered. “He had no face!”

  Five minutes later, the kids were climbing to the top room of the wizard’s tower.

  They popped through a small door and into a large round room filled with clutter.

  “Hail, friends from the Upper World!” Galen boomed happily. But when they told him everything that had happened, he brooded solemnly, stroking his beard. Finally, he spoke.

  “Eric, your father must be found at once. The balance between our worlds has been upset. Julie’s bracelet stayed in Droon and another went to your world. As long as Mr. Hinkle remains here, someone from Droon can ascend the stairs.”

  Eric shuddered. “Someone? You mean Sparr?”

  The wizard nodded. “Sparr has always wanted to spread his evil reign to the Upper World. With your father here, he has his chance.”

  Neal gulped. “I think I speak for everyone when I say — yikes!”

  “Quite,” said Galen. “As for this faceless creature, I must look him up!” He pulled a thick book from a shelf.

  “The kings are nearly ready!” chirped a tiny voice. The kids looked up. Max, Galen’s spider troll helper, swung through the window on a thread of silk.

  Max’s normally wild orange hair was parted in the middle and combed down flat. His clothes were new and neat. “Master Galen, may our friends come to Zorfendorf Castle, too?”

  Galen shut his book. “I’m afraid our plans have changed. Children, the faceless creature you saw is called a wraith.”

  “What’s a wraith?” asked Julie.

  Max gasped softly. “A wraith is a victim of the Golden Wasp. Some pour soul stung by Sparr’s evil insect.”

  The kids stared at one another.

  On their last adventure, Lord Sparr had found an object of great magic called the Golden Wasp.

  Its sting gave him the power to control people’s minds. Now he was using it.

  For evil, of course.

  Eric had a sudden, frightening thought. “What about my dad?” he asked. “What if Sparr finds him? What if the Wasp stings him?”

  The wizard narrowed his eyes. “Sparr has made it more difficult to peer into his dark lands. I suggest we find Portentia. She is a truth teller, an oracle living in the Farne Woods. If anyone knows where your father is, it is she.”

  Der-der! A loud trumpet fanfare sounded from the courtyard below.

  “The majesties are leaving!” Max chirped. “Oh, the Lumpies will eat everything!”

  Keeah rushed to the window. “Father! Father!” she called out, waving her arms.

  The kids had just spotted their old friends — Khan, the purple, pillow-shaped king of the Lumpies, and Batamogi, the furry ruler of the mole people — when a second trumpet sounded.

  The pilkas thundered noisily toward the gate.

  “Let’s hurry and get down there,” said Julie.

  But by the time the children made it to the courtyard, the great royal caravan had gone.

  The square stood deserted.

  “My father was so excited,” Keeah said. “I didn’t even get a chance to say good-bye.”

  Eric sighed. “I know what that feels like.”

  “Come,” said Galen. “Our journey lies another way, far from Zorfendorf Castle.”

  They left the courtyard through a small gate.

  Beyond the walls lay a broad green meadow, and on its far side, a forest of tall trees.

  Galen and Max led the band across the meadow. They traveled as quickly as they could.

  “Eric, I think your father is safe,” Keeah said as they neared the huge woods. “I just feel it.”

  “I hope so,” said Eric. Just yesterday, his father helped him with his math homework. Then they played guitar together. Well, his father played, Eric mostly messed up. But it was fun.

  Now he imagined waking up tomorrow without his dad at home. Tears rushed to his eyes.

  “Hey, it’ll be okay,” said Neal, giving him a nudge. “We won’t leave Droon without him.”

  Eric rubbed his eyes. “Um, Galen? What exactly happens if the Wasp stings you?”

  The wizard turned to him. “You lose yourself, and your mind belongs to Sparr,” he said. “No matter how good you are, you can be made to do bad things. After a while, you become a wraith.”

  Eric wanted to ask more questions, but Galen walked on in silence. The small troop continued in silence until they reached the foot of the great woods.

  Everyone stopped. Julie and Neal looked at each other, then at the shadows of the forest.

  “Well, what’s stopping us?” Julie asked.

  “Fear,” said Neal. “Also fear. Plus … fear.”

  Keeah grinned. “So let’s be afraid together.”

  The moment they stepped into the woods, the scent of pine was thick around them.

  Galen and Max strode ahead. Cushions of brown needles rustled softly underfoot as they padded along. Tangled vines hung over the winding path. The kids rushed to keep up.

  “Um, guys?” said Neal, ducking under a low branch. “Did I ever tell you how much I don’t like dark and scary woods?”

  Eric couldn’t see Galen. He hurried his steps.

  “Well, I don’t,” Neal went on. “They remind me of those creepy movies where you’re walking along and suddenly —”

  “Help!” Max yelped.

  “It’s Max! And he’s in trouble,” Julie cried, rushing ahead.

  Two fierce, red-faced warriors had popped out of nowhere and were trying to pull Max into the bushes.

  “Ninns!” Keeah yelled.

  “Get away, you fiends!” Galen boomed, dashing down the path to Max. Six more large Ninns jumped from the shadows and grabbed him.

  “Run!” Galen told the children. “Find Portentia! Her home is deep in the woods! Hurry!”

  In a flash, a dozen more Ninns burst noisily from the bushes. “Get little ones!” they grunted.

  “Let’s move it!” Eric yelled.

  The four children raced down the path as fast as their legs could carry them. Vines whipped their faces as they ran deeper into the woods.

  Ten minutes later, out of breath, the kids stopped. Keeah raised her hand.

  Everyone listened.

  “No grunting, no stomping feet,” said Neal. “Sounds like we lost them.”

  Suddenly — kla-bamm!

  The sky exploded and the ground thundered.

  The children fell to their knees. A sudden shower of hot pebbles rained over them.

  Then a voice louder than the thunder boomed, “WHO D-D-DARES TO ENTER MY S-S-SACRED GR-GR-GROVE?”

  Before them stood a clearing. And at the back of the clearing sat a big gray boulder with a hole in the center.

  “A talking rock?” Neal whispered. “Okay, I am out of here —”

  “Don’t be a scaredy-cat,” said Julie.

  “I see you’re shaking,” Neal retorted.

  “S-S-SILENCE!” boomed the voice. As it did, another spray of pebbles spat out from the rock and fell over the grove.

  “Say it, don’t spray it,” Julie mumbled.

  “I AM P-P-PORTENTIA!” boomed the rock. “WHY HAVE YOU C-C-COME TO ME?”

  Everyone looked at Eric. Quivering in fear, he stepped forward.

  “We’ve come to ask you something,” he said. “It’s about —”

  “SILENCE!” Portentia boomed. “First I speak, then you seek! From the dawn of time, my riddles rhyme! The secrets of Droon shall not be known soon! I speak only truth, and … I can … I shall … you must … oh, fiddlesticks!”

  The stone began whispering and sputtering wildly. It sounded as if it was arguing with itself. Finally, a long sigh came from the hole.

  “Oh, dear …”

  “Portentia?” said Keeah. “Are you all right
?”

  “Oh, it’s no use!” the stone said, spitting another tiny bit of gravel on the kids. “I try to be scary and spooky and all that. People expect an oracle to be loud and mysterious. But I don’t really want to be. And you try rhyming all the time! Now, that’s hard work!”

  Julie started to laugh. Then Neal did.

  Portentia began laughing, too. “Oh, I love the sound of laughter, don’t you? Sounds are all I have, you know. I can’t see a thing. But I sense quite a bit. And right now, I sense a boy with a problem. What can I do for you, dear?”

  Eric stopped trembling. “Well, I need to know where my father is. Like me, he’s from the Upper World and he’s lost in Droon somewhere.”

  “Oh, dear, a lost father,” Portentia said, sounding concerned. “And from the Upper World, too. That’s not good. Is your father a king?”

  Eric shook his head. “No, he’s just a dad.”

  Portentia was silent for a moment, then said, “I see a man in plaid.”

  “That’s the guy!” Neal shouted. “He always wears those work shirts with red and blue —”

  “The man is hidden, in a city forbidden!”

  Eric shivered. “Forbidden? You mean —”

  “The fortress of Plud,” said Portentia. “Sparr’s home in the dark lands. Lots of wicked Ninns.”

  Eric remembered Plud from their first adventure in Droon. It was a horrible place. Dark and dreary.

  “Your father is not hurt,” Portentia said. “But you must find him soon.”

  “We will,” said Eric firmly. He turned to go.

  “Wait,” said the oracle. “I see a bracelet….”

  “My bracelet!” said Julie. “That’s what started it all.”

  “That’s in Plud, too,” Portentia replied. “And I also sense … a princess is with us?”

  Keeah bowed. “I am the daughter of King Zello and Queen Relna. My name is —”

  “Keeah!” Portentia cried. “Dear, dear, I knew your sweet mother. A great wizard of Droon.”

  The princess nodded. “She lives under a curse. I don’t know where she is now.”

  Portentia sighed. “She has a long journey ahead, but — wait! I feel a riddle coming! A door to the past! A spell that is cast! The future of Droon is found in a tune! And, and … oh, well. That’s all for today, I’m afraid. Most things I say don’t make sense to me. Have I helped at all?”