6 Working for Lord Sparr

CHAPTER Six Working for Lord Sparr Eric tugged at the skin on his arm. It was rough and thick and oily. "Yuck," he muttered. Neal, Julie, and Keeah pinched their skin, too. "I'd rather be a bug!" Neal whispered. "King Zello and the Lumpies have landed," Sparr said. "How is our attack going?" "Um… really good," Neal said with a grunt. "Good?" Sparr repeated. "Lots of Lumpies ran away." "And…" Sparr said.

"King Zello has fallen back," Keeah said, groaning in a deep voice as a Ninn might do. "And the wizard, what's his name?" Julie boomed. "Galen," Sparr said with a snarl. Eric snorted. "Don't expect to see him for a while!" Sparr smiled evilly. "You have done well. Go gather diamonds with the others." Then he turned to Bodo and Vasa. Vasa hissed as Sparr approached. "You won't get away with this, Sparr…" "Ah, yes, the Guardians," Sparr scoffed. "Last of the peace-loving knights of Droon's distant past. You are no threat to me, you… fossils!" Bodo narrowed his lizardy eyes at the sorcerer. "Beneath the cloak of invisibility, Ro has prospered for centuries. Beneath the cloak of peace lies great power." Lord Sparr's face went pale. "We shall see how powerful you are when I use your diamonds to create an invisible army!" Then he snapped his fingers. Another troop of Ninns wheeled in a long wooden cart brimming with the most dazzling white jewels Eric had ever seen. Magic diamonds.

"Have you found them all?" Sparr growled.

The Ninn bowed his head. "Not all, my lord." Eric looked at his own hands again. They were big and red and puffy, with six fingers. He started to feel sick. A wave of dizziness came over him. He felt hot and cold at the same time. His stomach rumbled. Then he felt himself shrinking inside his Ninn armor. He was changing back! He looked over at Julie, Neal, and Keeah. They, too, were beginning to change. In a moment, they wouldn't be Ninns anymore! Eric grunted. Even his voice was changing. Sparr flashed a look at him. "What is it?" "We… um… better check on our groggles," he said, hoisting up his leather pants, which were beginning to slip down on him. "Gotta give them biscuits or they get mad." Sparr squinted. "Biscuits?" "Um, right!" Keeah blurted out, her voice not so deep anymore. "Then we'll go find those pesky kids. And that princess. You know, the junior wizard. She's powerful, but we can take her." Eric's eyes gaped. He nudged Neal. Neal's foot was turning back into a bug foot. "If you find the children, throw them off the side!" Sparr boomed. "Go! We leave Ro soon!"

Neal grabbed Eric, Julie, and Keeah. They clomped out the door and ran until they were out of breath. "Bodo and Vasa could have told us we were on a timer!" Eric exclaimed when they were far away from the Guardians' room. Julie bit her lip. "We need to split up. You guys head to the Tower and find Neal's cure. I'll see if I can help Bodo and Vasa. We'll meet at the front steps in an hour." "Half an hour," Keeah said. "Ro will disappear very soon. Look." They all looked out a window in the hall. Outside the palace, the sky was turning a deep blue. The moon shone through puffy white clouds. "It's nearly midnight," Keeah said. "We haven't much time." "I'll go with Julie," Neal said. "My bug sense may help us stay away from Ninns. Real Ninns." "Neal, you'll be normal again soon," Eric said, patting his friend on the back. Then he stopped. Neal's back was as hard as a shell. Eric swallowed hard. Neal was getting worse. Much worse. "Come on, Keeah," Eric said. "To the Tower!" The gang split up. With Ninn footsteps echoing all around them, Eric and Keeah threaded their way toward the

center of the palace. To the giant Tower of Memory.