2 Troubled Trolls

CHAPTER 2

Troubled Trolls The next morning Lucas returned to the balcony with Ruskin. He noticed that the great cloud was still there. He wondered again about floating castles. Then he shook his head. He was about to go back inside, when he heard a few knights talking down below. He stood still and listened. "The trolls are in an uproar," he heard one of the knights declare. "What seems to be the trouble?" asked another. Lucas leaned against the railing.

"Their prized enderberry crop has been nearly wiped out," said the first knight. The second knight gasped. "By what?" "Nobody knows," the first knight replied. "We should investigate." Lucas cupped his hand over his mouth. Oh no! he thought. I have to tell Clara about this!

The prince and Ruskin hurried over to Clara's house and told her what they had heard. Clara put down the broom in her hand. "What are we waiting for?" she asked.

They ran down the hill and over the long stone bridge to Burth. All of the enderberry bushes grew in the meadows just over the bridge. Lucas, Clara, and Ruskin slipped into the enderberry grove and began to inspect the bushes for clues. All they found were clusters of empty stems. Bush after bush had been picked clean of berries. "Someone or something sure was hungry," said Lucas.

Clara shifted some branches and peeked deeper into the bush. "There isn't a single berry in here!" she exclaimed. Then they heard a rustle in the bushes. Ruskin squawked. "Get away from my bushes!" boomed a gruff voice behind them.