2 The Silver Ship

CHAPTER Two The Silver Ship Eric reached up, grabbed the twisted hatch, and pulled it down over them. "Okay, we're on a flying ship. But whose flying ship? And where is it going?" They looked around. They were in a narrow corridor. The walls were made of the same shiny metal as the outside of the ship. "My bug senses are returning," said Neal. Then he pointed ahead of them. "I hear voices this way. But I can't tell who." "Let's find out," said Julie.

Carefully, they crept along the corridor. Neal's bug foot clomped on the floor. Eric followed behind. They rounded a corner in the narrow hall. Julie stopped. "Uh-oh…" Hanging on the wall ahead of them was a row of shiny black armor, glinting in the light. "That's Ninn armor!" Eric said. "There are Ninns on board! Maybe even Lord Sparr!" "We're in enemy territory, folks," Neal added. The ship rumbled noisily around them. It seemed to be changing direction. The three friends quietly inched their way to a large metal door with a wheel on it. "A Ninn-sized hatch," Eric whispered. "Here goes nothing." He turned the wheel and opened the hatch slightly. They peered into a large circular cabin filled with Ninn warriors. The Ninns were working the giant ship's controls. Eric shivered. His friends huddled closer. One Ninn stepped over to a red chair. The kids couldn't see who was in the chair. "King Zello and his daughter are heading for the city of Ro, my lord," the Ninn grunted. "What shall we do?" "Set course for the valley!" snarled a familiar voice. "It's Lord Sparr!" Eric whispered.

"Soon we shall have the magic diamonds—millions of them," the Ninn grunted happily. "The diamonds will be useful," Sparr said. "But what I really seek in the city of Ro is a single word…." Eric frowned. A word? What word? The pink clouds thinned as the giant ship began to slip down through them. The cabin windshield showed a world of white mountains. Here and there were slithering silver rivers. A broad, flat valley directly ahead was circled by forests of violet and blue trees. The world of Droon. Pop! Neal's other sneaker began to split. "Oh, man!" Neal moaned loudly. Too loudly. Sparr bolted up from his throne and turned around. His dark eyes flashed when he saw the children. "Spies! Seize them!" Instantly, three large Ninns rushed over and grabbed the children. The red guards' grips were like steel. "Let us go, Sparr!" Julie exclaimed. Sparr laughed. "That's exactly what I intend to do! Ninns, take them to the platform!" The sorcerer's bald head gleamed as if it had been polished. And small dark fins grew behind each ear. "Do you expect us to talk?" Eric asked.

"No, I expect you to… fly!" Sparr replied. Without another word, the big red warriors hustled them roughly into the corridor. "Where are you taking us?" Neal asked. "You'll find out!" one Ninn laughed. He pressed a button on the corridor wall and—whoosh!—a door in the side of the ship opened. The children found themselves on a small metal plank jutting out from the ship.

The wind howled around them.

"Okay," said Eric, "I'm guessing that this platform is not a good thing." "We call it the tossing platform!" one of the guards said with a grunting sort of laugh. His black eyes seemed like tiny marbles in his puffy red face. "We toss, you fly!" another Ninn said. "And what if we can't fly?" Julie asked. "Splat!" The third Ninn laughed. The kids all looked at one another. "Okay, now I'm worried," Neal said. "And you weren't up till now?" Julie cried. Suddenly—zzzzzz-blam!—the ship rocked. Ka-blam! Boom! The sky lit up with sparkling blue beams. Dozens of plump purple ships swooped out of the clouds. The ships were small and round and very fast. Two wings stuck out on each side of a clear bubble. "The Lumpies!" Julie shouted. The Ninns grunted and ran inside. The iron door closed behind them. The kids were trapped outside the ship. "Now I'm really worried!" Neal said. "We really are going to go splat!" Suddenly, one of the purple planes swept underneath the platform. It pulled up sharply. Its cockpit bubble opened.