"It's not over here!" Reed said with only his head poking out of a thick bush. Tubs was a little farther away, but he was still searching too, so Elliot knew neither of them had it.
"Where's Cami?" Elliot asked.
Reed pointed to his right, and Elliot went running in that direction.
"Cami?" he called.
"Over here!" she answered. "I think it's close. I can see the broken branches where it must have landed, but it rolled away somewhere."
Elliot walked toward Cami's voice until he found her, and together they followed a trail as wide as the bottle down a steep hill.
He spotted the bottle first. "There it is!" He started toward it, then something hit him in the back and he yelled in pain and fell forward.
"Elliot!" Cami screamed, running beside him.
"I'm all right," he said, holding his back. "One of Kovol's shots must've hit me."
"Are you really all right?"
"Yeah," he muttered. "It's just--that sort of hurt. A lot."
"Let me look at it."
"No way," Elliot said. "Girl germs."
"Oh, good grief. There's no such thing." Cami lifted up his shirt enough to look at his back. "Wow, I see some sort of mark there about as long as my thumb. Are you sure you're okay?"
The hit had knocked the breath out of him and stung a little at the time. He had no idea what kind of mark was on his back, but as far as he could tell, he was fine.
"Call one of your Brownies to come look at it," Cami said.
"Maybe later," he said. "Just get that bottle."
"I think I know your plan," Cami said. "I'll take care of it if you can get Kovol there."
From the top of the hill, Kovol yelled, "Show yourself, Elliot, so that I can destroy you!"
Elliot couldn't think of a better reason not to show himself. But he didn't want Kovol aiming that magical energy at any of his friends or family.
Elliot slowly stood, but a voice behind him called, "Okay, but which of us is Elliot?"
Elliot turned and behind him saw...himself. In Elliot's form, Harold stood in front of Cami, blocking her body with his.
Kovol sent more balls of energy down the hill, but he wasn't sure which Elliot to fight, so he wasn't aiming well. It was easier for Elliot to dodge his attacks this time, which was good because his back still stung and he was moving slowly.
As Harold blocked the balls, he declared, "Cami Wortson, you are the love of my life. Give me an order and I will obey."
"Puff us away from here!" she cried. "I've got the bottle. Puff us away."
Harold turned to her. "Uh, my love, the correct word is 'poof.'"
"Then poof us!" Cami screamed. "Hurry!"
"Ah, the love of my life nags with the sweetest voice," Harold said, although Elliot thought the expression on his face as they poofed away wasn't exactly the most loving.
Kovol roared when they disappeared, but Elliot stood, ready to face him. That hit on his back was exactly the jump-start his magic needed. He felt the energy of the Pixies again, pulsing and vibrating inside his body like a humming engine. But he didn't plan on using it. Not yet anyway.
"Are you the real Elliot or another fake one?" Kovol yelled.
"There's only one way to find out," Elliot said, already backing away. "You'll have to catch me and see for yourself."
Just as before, he ran and Kovol followed, his feet pounding into the earth behind Elliot like miniature earthquakes. Luckily, this was the very spot where he and Tubs and Cami had played Capture the Flag only that morning, and Elliot knew the area well. He only hoped Cami had done her part. He wouldn't have time to make sure, and there were no second chances.
"No more waiting," Kovol said. "When I see you, I will eat you."
"You'd better," Elliot said. "Because I'm the most powerful wizard since Minthred a thousand years ago. The only way to become as strong as me is to eat me."
"No!" Cole darted out from the bushes where they had been hiding. He ran up and kicked Kovol in the shin. "You can't eat our brother!"
"Hush!" Elliot hissed.
Then Kyle ran forward and said, "You won't even like him. Last year when Elliot and I were in a fight, I bit his finger and it tasted awful."
Kovol laughed, then picked up Kyle and tucked him under his arm. "I'll eat you next."
"No, you won't!" Elliot swerved around with the idea to do magic. He could play the trick he had used on Fidget before of "This is a stickup!" and Kyle would be free. The sticks would lift Kovol up in the air just as they had with Fidget. But he didn't know how much magic he had left or if it was strong enough to lift Kovol. There had to be another way.
Maybe he didn't need magic to trick Kovol. He remembered how he had gotten away from Tubs earlier that morning.
"Get me!" Elliot yelled. "Just me. But only if you catch me!" Then he ran back to Kovol, who dropped Kyle in his hope to grab on to Elliot. But Elliot crawled between Kovol's legs while yelling for his brother to run. Kovol leaned low to reach Elliot and then, just as Tubs had done, tumbled into a somersault. Elliot waited to be sure Kyle had gotten away, then circled around and continued his race.
The somersault only slowed Kovol for a moment before he was back on his feet running again. Elliot wasn't as far ahead as he would have wanted, but he hoped it was enough. Two steps before he reached the clearing where he and Cami had hidden their flag that morning, Elliot took a hard left turn and ducked behind a tree.
A moment later, Kovol came to the same clearing and stopped. If Elliot had wanted to hide, he was doing a terrible job. For there he was, just standing still, with no expression of worry or surprise on his face. In fact, all he had was some strange smile, as if he had a great secret.
"This is the end," Kovol said, charging forward for a final attack.
He picked up Elliot's body and crushed it like a soda can, then dropped the entire thing in his mouth.
And not two seconds later, the evil Demon fell flat on his face, sound asleep.
Cami was the first to jump from her hiding place after Kovol fell. Harold came out behind her, and she even gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, causing him to turn redder than a raspberry.
Kyle came out next and quickly got a punch in the arm from Cole, who had run after Kovol to save his twin brother.
Elliot was the last to step out from the tree. Just as he had known would happen, Kovol had eaten the paper-mache Elliot doll in one bite. Inside that doll was a very large jar of turnip juice, goat spit, and earwax.
And Kovol was sound asleep.
Mr. Willimaker and Fudd poofed in next. Mr. Willimaker gave Elliot the lowest bow he'd ever made, and when he explained to Fudd what had happened, Fudd also bowed to Elliot. Then the other creatures who had fought the Shadow Men near the gripping mud appeared. They began cheering and dancing and singing.
Reed, Wendy, and Tubs ran in next. Wendy gave Elliot an enormous hug, and Reed patted him on the back. Tubs shoved his hands into his pockets and said, "That was pretty cool. Maybe you're not such a dork after all."
"We were so worried," Wendy said. "We saw Kovol hit you with that ball of energy and knock you over."
"It felt like he threw a bowling ball at me," Elliot said. "But other than a mark on my back, I don't think he did any damage."
"What mark?" Mr. Willimaker asked. "Let me see it."
Elliot turned and raised his shirt. "What does it look like?"
"It's a scar in the shape of a crown," Mr. Willimaker said. "Kovol tried to curse you, but whatever you were thinking about must have blocked the curse and saved your life."
"I was thinking that I didn't care what happened to me," Elliot said. "I only wanted to protect my family, and the Brownies, and the rest of the Underworld."
"That's a wizard's mark," Mr. Willimaker added. "Only the most powerful of all Underworld creatures ever get one of those."
"I'm no wizard." Then Elliot remembered that Minthred was only a goat herder. He probably never thought he deserved to be called a
wizard either.
"Truly you have the heart of a king," Fudd said. "And today you saved us all."
Patches poofed in and immediately hugged Elliot's leg. "Elliot--I mean, Your Highness! I just heard the news! We'll throw a big party in Burrowsville to celebrate. We'll have everything yummy to eat there--carrot soup, cabbage pies, cauliflower cookies, all the best foods!"
"Yum," Elliot said. Even Wendy's scariest menu had never included cabbage pies.
"We'll have that party tomorrow night," Mr. Willimaker said. "Can't you see how tired the king is?"
"I am tired," Elliot agreed. "A party tomorrow would be better. Besides, we still have to figure out what to do with Kovol."
The Elf Slimy Toe Jam, or whatever his name was, stepped forward. "We have a plan for that, King Elliot. We shall create a home for him deep in the Underworld seas, where the Mermaids will keep watch over him. Even if another Shadow Man does exist, he'd never get through all that water to rescue Kovol. We feel that Kovol will sleep there forever."
Forever sounded pretty good to Elliot. He nodded his permission at the Elf, and then thanked him for Minthred's journal. "Maybe one day someone will write a book about my story too," Elliot said.
Mr. Tojam laughed. "A book about an eleven-year-old human who becomes king of the Brownies and fights an Underworld war? Who'd ever believe it?"
Elliot joined in the laughter. "Yeah, that does sound pretty crazy. Thanks for taking Kovol to the Mermaids. And thanks again for letting me see Minthred's journal."
"You saved our world," Mr. Tojam said. "Thank you, King Elliot." He bowed, then snapped his fingers, and both he and Kovol disappeared.
"Until tomorrow night, then," Fudd said. "I'd offer to poof you home, but I know you still have Pixie magic, so you can probably get yourself there better."
"I could," Elliot said. "But for tonight I'll just walk home with my family. See you tomorrow." And that was the most ordinary thing Elliot had done all day.
Elliot remained pretty quiet for the rest of that night and through the next day. His parents got home sometime that morning, but nobody said anything to them about the Brownies or Kovol or the Underworld war. They had all promised Elliot they would keep his secret. And even though it wasn't much of a secret anymore, Elliot appreciated their promise.
It would take a long time for Sprite's Hollow to repair the many sinkholes throughout town, but at least there had been no new ones. All of the reporters got scientists to come on their news shows and explain that the sinkholes had been caused by a freak meteor storm several thousand light-years away. The scientists seemed to believe it, the reporters didn't seem to understand it, and everyone went on with their lives.
Elliot hadn't been the only one to notice that the sinkholes on Main Street were in the shape of his name. But then the mayor of Sprite's Hollow, Mayor George Fillat, convinced everyone that the sinkhole was in the shape of his name and said it was a sign that he should be reelected. His campaign slogan was immediately changed to "Protecting our town from all danger over and under the world!"
Elliot snorted when he heard that, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
That afternoon, Cami stopped by the house to check on Elliot. "You seem quiet," she said. "Everything okay?"
"Definitely," he said.
"I told Harold that I'm not the love of his life," Cami said. "I don't want to be the love of anyone's life right now, just their friend." She was quiet for a moment, then added, "Are we friends, Elliot?"
"Definitely." And in that moment, he didn't dislike her at all. Even calling her Toadface didn't seem so funny anymore.
"You want to play a game or something?" she asked. "And don't say definitely."
"Then I'll just say okay," he answered. They spent the rest of the afternoon in the backyard kicking a soccer ball around and then helping Cole and Kyle dig a hole for a new springtime mud puddle.
When it was time for the party that evening, Elliot invited his brothers and sister and Cami and Tubs to come along. The Elves would be in charge of poofing everyone down there, so he knew it would be a smooth ride.
The clearing in the center of Burrowsville was spread with tables and picnic blankets and food wherever it fit. Hundreds of creatures from every corner of the Underworld had come. Elliot recognized many of them as the creatures who had been turned to stone in Kovol's cave. With the Shadow Men gone, their curse had been lifted.
Standing near the front was Agatha, back into her usual Hag form. Elliot ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you, Agatha," he said. "Nobody else but you could've healed everyone."
She patted his back. "And I knew no one but you could've saved the Underworld. Oh...oopsie."
Something wet and squishy plopped onto Elliot's head. Whatever it was, Agatha immediately picked it up and Elliot jumped back. Agatha had her hand pressed over her left eye.
"Eww!" he cried. "Did your eye just fall on my head?"
With a little pop, Agatha squeezed her eye back into place and laughed. "Don't be silly. Eyes don't just fall out." He reached up to check the top of his head for leftover eye parts, but she pushed his arm down. "I wouldn't do that. One moment, dear." She blinked, and he felt a breeze pass through his hair. "Yes, that's better now."
"What did--" Elliot stopped. "Never mind. I won't ask."
She smiled. "I am a Hag, and these words you must know. I'll always admire you, wherever you go."
Elliot grinned back at her. "Thanks, Agatha."
Mr. Willimaker ran up to Elliot. "Your Highness! Here's your crown!"
The crown was small enough that it would have fit better on Elliot's wrist than his head, but he put it on anyway. His family was given their choice of seats, and then Mr. Willimaker led Elliot up to his toadstool throne.
Fudd was already sitting beside Elliot's throne. He was facing backward and hopelessly trying to find his cup of Mushroom Surprise drink when Elliot sat down.
Gently, Elliot put a hand on Fudd's shoulder and steered him to the correct position. Then he handed Fudd his drink.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Fudd said.
Elliot picked up his own cup of Mushroom Surprise--his favorite of all Underworld foods--and clicked it against Fudd's cup. "Cheers!" he said.
"What should we toast to?" Fudd asked. "To a long reign for King Elliot, of course!"
"I think a better toast is a lifetime of happiness for all Underworld creatures," Elliot said.
"Yes, Your Highness." With that, Fudd pushed back his chair and stood. For once facing in the correct direction, he raised his cup to the crowd in front of him and said, "When Elliot was made our king, I was the last Brownie to cheer for him. So I want to be the first of all Underworld creatures to officially thank him for what he has done. In honor of Elliot Penster, king of the Brownies, may we toast to a lifetime of happiness for all creatures who helped bring peace to the Underworld. And a lifetime of happiness to the human, King Elliot, and his family and friends."
At once, the entire audience clicked their cups together and said, "To all, a lifetime of happiness."
With that, the dinner was served. Elliot ate very little of what was offered to him, in part because most of it wasn't food he really liked, but also because the only thing he really wanted to do was look over the crowd and try to memorize as many faces as he could.
When dinner was over, Mr. Willimaker nudged Elliot on the arm and asked, "Is there anything you want to say, Your Highness?"
There was. Elliot stood and the crowd went silent. "You've all said a lot of nice things about me ever since I became king," he began. "That's been really cool, but I think none of those things were true until I became the king. I was just an ordinary kid before. And the thing is, I'm still an ordinary kid. But I had to learn that even someone ordinary can do something extraordinary."
The creatures in the crowd looked at one another as if they wanted to clap for Elliot. But something in the way he spoke suggested he didn't want them to clap. He only wa
nted them to understand. So they nodded softly and waited for him to finish.
Elliot's smile widened. "When I first became king of the Brownies, they were ordinary too. But you all saw the way they fought yesterday. They might not have the strength of the Goblins, or the sneakiness of the Pixies, or the grace of the Elves. But you saw their bravery and loyalty in the fight against Kovol. They've learned to be extraordinary too." Then he looked down for a moment. "And because we both understand that, it's time for the Brownies to have a new king."
A gasp spread across the audience. Patches stood up from her seat and yelled out "No!" then ran up the aisle near him. When she got close, her father took her hand and held her back.
"You know it's time for this, and so do I." Elliot said it to everyone, but to his friends most of all. He would miss the Brownies and they would miss him, but they also deserved a ruler who could always be here in Burrowsville with them. And he was ready to just be Elliot Penster, ordinary eleven-year-old kid, again.
"What will we do without you?" Mr. Willimaker asked.
"You will be the chief royal advisor," Elliot said. "Any time the ruler of the Brownies needs help, you are the first person to talk to. No one gives better advice, and no one has served me with more loyalty."
"But what if the Brownies get into trouble again?" Patches asked. "There's no one as clever as you, Elliot."
"Sure there is. Patches, you are smarter than anyone else I've met down here. I want you to be the chief royal scholar. If there's anything the ruler needs to know, you are in charge of figuring it out."
Patches bowed low. "Yes, King Elliot."
"I'll serve the new ruler any way I can," Fudd said. "Though I know with my blindness, I won't be as much help as I want to be."
"Your blindness only helped us to see you better, how good and loyal and strong you are," Elliot said. "But it won't be a difficulty for you any longer."
Fudd shook his head. "There's only one way to heal this curse of the Shadow Men, and that's--"
"That's for a magical creature to give up his magic," Elliot said. "I still have a little of the Pixie magic left."
Fudd shook his head. "No, Your Highness. If you're ever in trouble on the surface world, that magic can save you."
"I'll never be in as much trouble as I've had down here," Elliot said. "I don't need the magic. Just my friends and family."