5. A Hidden Village

CHAPTER Five A Hidden Village "The storm went that way!" Keeah said, pointing to the highest range of hills. "We have to find Julie. And we need to hurry. Come on!" "What about Galen?" Neal asked. "He is Droon's greatest wizard," said Max, already scampering up the hillside after Keeah. "Galen Longbeard can take care of himself!" The four friends raced into the hills, following the track of the dust storm. Hill after hill they climbed. Higher and higher they went. "What if we can't find her?" said Neal, breathing hard as he scrambled up a rocky hillside.

"No way!" Eric snapped. "Julie's special. We'll find her. We've got to keep going. We've got to." Max spun a spider silk rope and swung from ledge to ledge, moving ahead of everyone. Suddenly, he stopped and pointed his pug nose in the air. He sniffed. "Smoke," he said. "Smoke usually means people," said Keeah. Neal nodded. "Be careful. Careful is good." They followed the smoky smell until they came to a break between the hills. Clustered along one hillside were dozens of small houses. They had domed roofs made of dried mud. Smoke wafted up from their chimneys. "A village," Eric whispered. In the exact center of the village was a large round platform. It looked like a giant wheel lying on its side. And in the exact center of the wheel was— "Julie!" Keeah said. Surrounding Julie were hundreds of small creatures covered in red fur. Each one was about three feet tall. They had doglike snouts covered with whiskers, except for small black noses at the tips. Their ears were pointy and very long. "She's a prisoner," Neal said. "And we're outnumbered. Any ideas?"

"Perhaps a little magic will help," Keeah said. She waved her hand over the four of them. The air turned a misty pink. "The fog of invisibility!" Max chirped. "Galen taught you well, Princess. Come, let us enter." Hidden by the pink fog, the four friends crept quietly into the village. No one saw them. The largest of the strange, furry creatures stepped across the giant wheel to Julie. "Now…" he said, curling and uncurling his nose whiskers, "…now, you will get it!" Julie shook her head. "No… please…" Eric stole a look at Neal and Keeah. "She's in trouble. We need to get her out of there—now!" "Bring the black helmet!" the furry creature commanded. "I, Batamogi, King of the Oobja, shall put it right on her head!" Eric couldn't stand it anymore. He jumped out of the pink fog and ran up to the platform. "Stop!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Julie is our friend. You leave her alone!" All the pointy-eared creatures turned. Julie blinked over their heads. "Eric?" The small, furry king turned. "Who is Eric?" "I'm Eric!" said Eric. "And if you hurt Julie, we'll be all over you like… like…"

Neal jumped out of the fog next to Eric. "Like cheese on a pizza!" "So don't hurt her!" Keeah shouted, jumping out of the fog with Max. Batamogi stumbled backward. "Hurt her? But… Julie is our new princess! She has come to help our people. We are going to crown her." Eric frowned. "What? Oh, sure. Crown her. With something nasty called the black helmet?" The fox-eared leader held up the shiny helmet. It was covered with beautiful jewels. "Black goes better with her hair," the king said. "We have a nice pink helmet and two powder-blue ones. But I think black is her color." Eric blinked. "Oh… um… well…" Julie laughed and jumped over to her friends. "These people aren't hurting me," she said. "The storm set me down in their village. They've been really, really nice! And it's just like my dream!" She turned to the crowd. "Everybody, meet Eric, Neal, Keeah, and Max." The furry king bowed nearly to the ground. "I am Batamogi, King of the Oobja. We are the mole people of the Panjibarrh hills."

Batamogi bowed again to Keeah. "Welcome, Princess. All of Droon knows you. But there is another princess here, too. Princess Julie." He handed Julie the shiny black helmet encrusted with jewels. Julie laughed. "I'm really just a regular kid." The king tapped his furry head. "All mole people can sense things. We can tell when someone has powers even before they do. And believe me, Julie, you have powers. You will help us, you'll see." Julie blinked as she slid the jeweled helmet on. "Cool," she said. "But I still don't believe it." Keeah turned to the fox-eared, red-furred king. "We have come here to find Lord Sparr." The mole people gasped and pulled back. "Sparr!" Batamogi snorted with anger. "We do not like him. We are peaceful people. But Sparr demanded we show him where Zor's tomb is. We have known for ages that Zor lies in the ancient realm of Goll. It is right under these hills. When my brothers refused to tell Sparr, he took them away. He said that he would hurt them if I didn't show him where the giant was buried." Batamogi sniffled and wiped his snout on his furry wrist. "I had to do what he asked!"

"That's why we're here," Eric said. "We need to stop Sparr from bringing Zor back to life." The Oobja king sniffled once more, then stood up straight. "Then I will show you where Sparr and his Ninns are. Yes! But first, we feast. Come, my people. Click-clack!" The Oobja people laughed softly to themselves and scurried away on their short legs. Moments later they were back, carrying a flat, round bread as big as the big wooden wheel itself.