Kendra Kandlestar and the Door to Unger Read Online Free PDF Page B

They had all journeyed together in the world outside of the magic curtain. Now Uncle Griffinskitch had a plan to lead them on another adventure, this time to find the mysterious Door to Unger.
    As the candle burned down through the night, the old wizard told the company of the strange visit by the Unger, and of the creature’s mysterious message. There were many gasps and looks of astonishment, but all were quiet as Uncle Griffinskitch spoke.
    At last the old and whiskered Een finished by saying, “So, now you see my purpose in calling you all here this night. Kendra and I are leaving Een to find this Door to Unger. Hopefully this will lead us to our family. And we need your help.”
    “I’m in,” Ratchet said immediately. “I’ll go with you, Kendra, wherever you would go.”
    “Thank you,” Kendra said, feeling better just knowing that the large raccoon would be at her side.
    “You can count on me too,” Jinx said, raising her sword in salute to the mission. “I’d rather fight monsters along you, Kendra, than end up in Burdock’s dungeon—which is sure to happen if I stay here. It’s taking all my will to stop myself from charging into the Elder Stone and sticking my swords, one by one, into Burdock like the fat pincushion that he is.”
    Kendra smiled in the candlelight. Good old Jinx; her tongue was sharper than her swords, but her courage and strength would be a welcome addition to their quest.
    “I do say, you won’t go on this journey without my company,” Professor Bumblebean declared. “I suspect you will need my books and great learning, after all.”
    That left only Oki. Everyone turned to look at the small gray mouse. “There’s nothing I can do,” Oki squeaked. “Of course I’d like to come. But my parents will never let me leave Een again. Not after all the dangers we ran into last time.”
    “But Oki,” Kendra spoke up. ”You’ve already had your twelfth birthday.”
    “I don’t see how that helps,” Oki said.
    “Once you’re twelve you can apprentice with a master,” Kendra explained. “And if your master goes somewhere, then you must follow him.”
    “But I don’t have a master,” Oki said.
    “I would certainly take you,” Professor Bumblebean remarked. “However, I’ve been engaged in teaching our Captain Jinx—or should I say former Captain Jinx—now just Jinx, I suppose, in learning the art of letters.”
    Everyone just stared at the professor, for he loved to use such big words that few could ever understand him.
    “I think what Professor Bumblebean is trying to say is that he is teaching Jinx how to read,” Oki said after a moment.
    “Of course that’s what I said,” Professor Bumblebean remarked. “I do say, how could I have been much clearer? Our poor Jinx never learned properly how to read, so I have taken it upon myself to instruct her.”
    “All right, that’s enough,” Jinx said shyly. “I don’t know how I manage to spend so many hours with you at once, Bumblebore. ”
    “My word,” Professor Bumblebean said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I thought we discussed, dear Jinx, that you would no longer make fun of my name.”
    “Sorry,” Jinx said with a shrug. “Old habits die hard.”
    “The point is, we need a master for Oki,” Kendra said.
    “Well, heck I’ve always wanted a slave,” Ratchet declared. “I’ll take Oki.”
    “No, not a slave, Ratchet,” Kendra told him. “An apprentice. You have to teach him things.”
    “Oh, of course,” Ratchet said.
    “Well, what are you going to teach him?” Uncle Griffinskitch asked.
    “Inventing of course,” Ratchet said indignantly, with a slight scowl on his masked face.
    “Oh dear,” Oki murmured.
    “Look, do you want to come with us or not?” Ratchet said. “And besides, who wouldn’t want to learn from me? I’m a wizard of sorts, after all, and an inventor of—,”
    “Yes, yes, we know,” Uncle Griffinskitch interrupted. “An inventor of