47 - Legend of the Lost Legend (8 page)

Ivanna’s head bobbed up, then fell back to the table.

“Yes. It’s a windup key,” I told my sister.

Ivanna’s hands had drooped to the floor at her sides. I reached down and
grabbed one of them.

It felt soft and spongy. Stuffed with cotton or something.

I let the hand drop to the floor and turned back to Marissa. “Ivanna isn’t
real,” I told her, swallowing again. “She’s some kind of dummy or puppet or
something. Ivanna isn’t real, either!”

“Then what
is
real?” Marissa demanded in a tiny voice. “This is so
scary, Justin. Is it all part of a test, or what? How do we get out of here now?
How do we find Dad? If Ivanna isn’t real, then who is?”

I just shook my head. I didn’t know how to answer her questions. I felt as
frightened as she did.

My eyes fell on Silverdog back in the corner. The dog had his head buried in
his paws. He whimpered softly.

Then, suddenly, the dog’s ears perked up. He raised his head, his eyes
flashing excitedly.

I heard a sharp growl behind me. From the door.

“Hey—!” I spun around as the door swung open.

And a growling, snarling creature burst in.

Luka!

His eyes moved hungrily from me to Marissa. A pleased grin spread over his
wild face.

“No!” Marissa shrieked, backing away from him.

Luka tossed back his long hair with a shake of his head. He opened his mouth
in a long howl.

He leaped into the center of the room. Tossed back his head in a roar. And
hurtled toward us.

“Luka—stop!” I begged. “Don’t hurt us!”

Luka’s grin faded. He lowered his arms. He narrowed his dark eyes at me.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly.

Marissa and I stared back at him in shock. “You—you can talk?” I stammered.

He nodded. “Yes. I can talk. And the first thing I want to say is,
congratulations!” His smile returned.

He stepped across the room, walking upright like a human. He shook hands with
Marissa, then with me. “Congratulations to both of you,” Luka said warmly. “You
passed the test.”

“But—but—” I could only sputter.

Luka peeled a long strip of fur off his arm. Then he pulled the fur from
around his neck. “I’m happy to get this stuff off,” he said, peeling more fur
from his arm. “It’s so hot and itchy—especially when you’re running around
like a wild man in the forest.”

“I’m very confused,” I confessed.

Marissa nodded agreement. “Ivanna isn’t real,” she murmured. She motioned to
Ivanna, slumped over the table behind us.

Luka shook his head. “No, she isn’t. I built her myself. Just as I built all
the creatures you found in my Fantasy Forest.”

“But—why?” I choked out. “Why did you build all that?”

“As a test,” Luka replied simply. He stepped up behind Ivanna and pulled her
up into a sitting position. He brushed the dummy’s hair behind her head with his
hand. Then he propped the helmet back on her head.

“So many people come to the forest,” Luka continued, turning back to Marissa
and me. “They come searching for all kinds of treasures. Just as you two have.

“My family has lived in this forest for hundreds of years,” Luka explained.
“It became our job to protect many of the treasures. And so we built a test
forest, to keep out those who were unworthy. To stop the people who don’t
deserve the wonderful treasures.”

“You built the entire forest?” Marissa asked him.

He shook his head. “Just the part that isn’t real.”

“And how did we pass the test?” I demanded.

“By discovering what was real and what wasn’t,” Luka replied. “By surviving
and triumphing over the unreal.”

Marissa stared hard at Ivanna. The dummy’s green eyes gazed dully back. “Why
did you build Ivanna?” Marissa asked.

Luka grinned proudly. “She is my best creation. She keeps everyone from
guessing that I am in charge here. No one believes that a wild wolf man runs the
Fantasy Forest. It makes it so easy for me to watch everyone and see how they do
on my test.”

It all seemed very mysterious to me. But I was too happy it was all over to
argue with him.

“And now I shall give you the treasure you came for,” Luka announced. He
turned quickly and disappeared into the back.

Marissa and I exchanged glances. “I can’t believe it!” I whispered. “He’s
giving us the silver chest containing the Lost Legend! Dad is going to be so
amazed!”

“We’re going to be rich and famous!” Marissa exclaimed. “And Dad won’t be
able to tell us we’re not helpful—ever again!”

A few seconds later, Luka returned carrying a small silver chest.
“Congratulations again,” he said solemnly. “I am happy to award you the ancient
treasure that you came here to seek. And I wish you good fortune with it.”

He placed the silver chest in my hands. It felt lighter than I expected. The
silver gleamed in the light from the candle on the table.

My heart pounded. My hands trembled.

I suddenly felt so excited, I nearly dropped the silver chest! To think that
I held the Lost Legend in my hands!

“Thank you,” I managed to choke out.

“Yes, thank you,” Marissa said. “Now how do we get back to our dad?”

Luka snapped his fingers. Back at the wall, Silverdog leaped to his feet.

“Silverdog will lead you back to your camp,” Luka announced. “Stay close
behind him, and he will protect you.”

“Uh… protect us?” I asked, gripping the chest tightly.

Luka nodded. “There are many thieves in the forest. Some of them are real,
and some of them are not real. But they all would steal your treasure and make
it their own.”

“We’ll stay close to Silverdog,” I promised.

We thanked Luka again. Then we followed the big white dog out of the cabin
and back into the forest.

The afternoon sun had started to lower itself behind the trees. It cast an
orange glow over the forest floor. The air had already begun to carry an evening
chill.

Trotting steadily, the big dog kept his furry tail up high as he led the way,
like a flag for us to follow. I carried the chest carefully between my hands and
kept my eyes on the dog. Marissa followed close behind.

We walked along a curving path through a patch of tall yellow weeds. Then we
made our way around a high clump of evergreen bushes.

On the other side of the bushes, Silverdog led us onto a leaf-covered path.
Our boots crunched over the path as we hurried to keep up with the trotting dog.

I gripped the silver chest tightly. I couldn’t wait to pull open the lid and
gaze at the Lost Legend. To take it out and start to read it.

What was the legend about?

Who wrote it? And when was it written?

So many questions. And I knew they would all be answered as soon as we opened
the chest and removed the legend from its hiding place of five hundred years.

The sun lowered itself behind the trees. Our shadows grew longer. The leaves
crunched underfoot.

“Oh—wait!” I cried out when I heard leaves crunching behind us. “Wait—!”

Silverdog trotted on ahead of us.

But Marissa and I stopped.

And listened.

Listened to the crunching footsteps creeping up fast from the trees behind
us.

I felt a chill of fear sweep down my back. “Marissa—we’re being followed,”
I whispered.

“Luka warned us about thieves,” Marissa whispered.

The crunching footsteps came closer. I tucked the silver chest under one arm
as if protecting a football. My throat tightened. I could barely breathe.

I turned and saw Silverdog trotting on up ahead, his tail still raised behind
him. The dog disappeared behind a clump of tall weeds.

“We can’t just stand here,” Marissa whispered.

The footsteps were approaching faster now. Any moment, I knew, some thief—or
several
thieves—would burst out of the trees and grab the chest away
from us.

I turned to the tall weeds. I couldn’t see the dog at all now.

“We have to run,” Marissa whispered.

I listened to the crunching footsteps.

“We can’t outrun him,” I told her. “I can’t run very fast. I have to be
careful with this chest.”

Marissa’s blue eyes grew wide with panic. Then her expression changed. “I
have an idea, Justin. Let’s duck into those trees.” She pointed. “The thief will
run right past us. Then we’ll hide there till he’s out of sight.”

Was it a good idea?

A terrible idea?

We had no time to think about it. We had to
move.

We both spun around and started to run to the trees.
Toward
the
approaching footsteps.

Would we make it to safety? Could we hide in the trees
before
he came
rushing out at us?

I never found out.

About halfway across the grass, I tripped over a fallen tree limb.

“Ohhh!” I cried out.

And stumbled forward.

The silver chest flew from my hands.

“Noooooo!”

I desperately grabbed for it.

Missed.

Fell hard to my knees.

I watched the chest sail into the air.

And I stared in shock as a big man lumbered out of the dark shadows of the
trees, raised his arms, and caught the chest easily.

I stared at the silver chest. Watched the man’s hands pull it in, then hold
it tightly.

Our chest.

Our Lost Legend.

We had gone through so many horrors to get it. And now someone else had taken
it away.

I stared at the chest gripped so tightly in the man’s hands. Then I raised my
eyes to the man’s bearded face.

“Dad!” I cried.

“Dad!” Marissa echoed. “I don’t
believe
it!”

Beneath the beard, a grin spread quickly over Dad’s face. “I don’t believe
it, either!” he cried. “Where have you been? Why did you run away? I’ve been
searching the forest for you! Where were you?”

“It’s kind of a long story,” Marissa told him, rushing forward.

“Yes. Marissa and I have a legend of our own,” I said.

Dad set the chest on the ground, and we both hugged him. Dad was so glad to
see us, he had tears in his eyes. When we finished hugging, he hugged us both
again.

“I can’t believe I finally found you!” he exclaimed happily.

“And look what
we
found!” I declared, pointing to the chest.

Dad’s mouth dropped open. When he jumped out and caught the chest, I don’t
think he realized what he had caught.

“It’s—a silver chest!” he exclaimed.

“It’s
the
silver chest!” I told him. “The silver chest we came to
Brovania to find!”

“But—but—how?”

I never saw Dad so confused. Or so excited.

“The Legend of the Lost Legend,” he murmured. He carefully lifted the chest
off the ground. “This is the most thrilling moment of my life,” he said. “How
did you
do
this? How did you find this ancient chest? How did you—?”

His voice cracked. I think he was too excited to speak.

“I told you, Dad. It’s a very long story,” I said.

“At least you can’t say we weren’t helpful!” Marissa chimed in.

All three of us laughed.

“Do you realize what this will mean to us?” Dad asked, lowering his voice to
a whisper. “Do you realize what a thrilling discovery this is?”

He dropped down to his knees to admire the chest. He tenderly ran his hands
over the smooth silver of the lid.

“Beautiful. Beautiful,” he repeated, grinning.

“Can we open it?” Marissa asked, dropping down on the ground beside him.
“Please, Dad? Can we open it and see the Lost Legend?”

“We
have
to see it!” I exclaimed eagerly. “We
have
to!”

Dad nodded. “Yes. We
have
to!” He laughed. “Believe me, I’m even more
impatient to see it than you two are!”

He bent over the chest. I saw his hands tremble as he lowered them to the
silver clasp.

“Beautiful. Beautiful,” he murmured again.

His hands closed around the clasp. He turned it, then gave a sharp tug.

Slowly, slowly, he pulled open the lid.

And all three of us leaned close and gazed into the chest.

We leaned so close over the chest, our heads touched.

“I—I don’t
believe
it!” I gasped.

“What
is
it?” Marissa shrieked.

Dad’s mouth dropped open. He narrowed his eyes and gazed into the chest. He
didn’t say a word.

“It-it’s an
egg
!” I finally stammered.

The three of us were staring down at a large yellow egg with brown speckles.

“But—where is the Lost Legend?” Marissa demanded. “This can’t be it!”

Dad sighed and shook his head. “This isn’t the right silver chest,” he said
softly.

He reached inside and carefully lifted the egg. Then he felt around on the
bottom of the chest with his free hand. “Nothing else in here. Just an egg.” He
examined the egg, rolling it slowly between his hands. Then he carefully lowered
it back into the chest. “Just an egg,” he repeated sadly.

I let out a hoarse cry. “But Marissa and I passed the test!” I wailed. “Luka
said he would give us what we came here for!”

“Who is Luka?” Dad asked. He carefully closed the clasp on the chest. Then,
with a groan, he climbed to his feet. “Where can we find him?”

Before I could answer, I heard a rustling sound across the clearing. I turned
to see Silverdog come trotting out of the weeds.

“Silverdog!” I cried. I rushed forward and petted the dog’s big head and the
fur around his neck. “Take us back to Luka!” I ordered him. “Luka! Take us to
Luka!”

Silverdog wagged his tail. Did that mean he understood?

“Luka!” I repeated. “Take us to Luka!”

Still wagging his bushy tail, the big dog headed past us to the trees. Dad
picked up the silver chest. And the three of us followed the dog back through
the forest.