4 Trapped with Friends

CHAPTER Four Trapped... with Friends Eric pushed and pulled as hard as he could to break out of the sack. The more he struggled, the more he got tangled in its sticky web. "Get me out of here!" he cried. And still he was pulled higher into the yellow trees. "Stop making so much noise!" hissed a voice from above. "Do you want the whole Ninn army to hear you?" Eric stopped going up. The sack swung back and forth from a high branch. A branch someone was sitting on. "Keeah?"

The princess smiled at him. "And Max, too."

"Of course!" Max chirped from the branch above. "Who do you think spun this little trap?" "Boy, am I glad to see you," Eric said. He told them quickly about the silfs. "I've heard of the silfs, but I've never seen them," said Keeah. "They told me the Red Eye is on this island," said Eric. "We need to find it." Thwomp! Thwomp! The Ninns crossed the beach and marched into the jungle right below them. "Galen is on the island, too," Keeah said. "But, look—" In the middle of the troop of Ninns was the wizard, wrapped from head to foot in thick chains. Galen was their prisoner! "My poor master!" Max whimpered. One of the red-faced warriors below held up his sixfingered claw. "Sparr said wait here." "He wants the old man alive," said another. "For now, at least!" a third said, laughing. The laughter reminded Eric of gargling. A cold wind blew through the trees. Keeah gritted her teeth as she looked up. "Sparr is coming!" she snarled. A groggle landed on the ground. Lord Sparr slid off its back. He pointed his magic staff at Galen. "You know where

the Eye is. Tell me." Galen stared at Sparr. "Never. You may put me in chains. But the children are brave and clever. They will trick you." "Demither's island has many dangers," Sparr said. "Anything can happen. In the end, the Eye will be mine." Galen struggled against his chains. "The children will find the jewel." A thin smile broke across Sparr's lips. "And they will give it to me, if they want you to live. If I find it, it's mine. If they find it, it's also mine. Either way, I win." Galen shook his head sadly. "You were not always so evil, Sparr!" The sorcerer turned to the Ninns. "Take the wizard to the white cliff. Wait for my orders." "At once, Lord Sparr," the head Ninn said. Then Sparr waved his hand and spoke a strange word. The whole troop of Ninns, along with Galen, vanished. "Oh, no!" Max whispered. "How will we find my master now?" Keeah put her finger to her lips as Sparr began to laugh. "Galen's 'brave' children will never get off this island alive!" Sparr jumped onto his groggle, kicked once, and flew away. As he did, the thick, dark mist all over the island seemed to grow thicker and darker.

"Never get off this island alive?" Eric snarled. "Ha!" Then he gulped. "We will, won't we?" "Yes, if we find my master," Max said. "And when we do, I will kick Sparr with each of my eight legs!" Then he quickly spun a strong rope of spider silk, and they all slid to the ground. Eric waved at the thick haze. "Now where do we go?" "Yikes!" a voice screamed suddenly. "Help us!" another voice screamed. "I think that just answered my question!" Eric said. "It's Julie and Neal!" Keeah said. "They're in the jungle. Let's go!" They crashed through the thick trees as fast as they could. The long vines whipped against their faces. The bushes scratched them. Suddenly they froze. Julie and Neal were standing on a rock in the middle of a clearing. Surrounding them were six nasty, icky, enormous—"Bugs!" cried Max.