“Whoa!” Grundy said. He picked up a bone from under a pile of rotting clothes. He walked toward the woman. She looked down at Reese and pulled him to her. He opened his mouth and hung limply in her arms.

“That’s the kiss of death there Reese,” Grundy said. Reese didn’t seem to hear him, his eyes rolled back in his head as he and the woman began to kiss again. Grundy marched toward the woman and swung the bone. It shattered into splinters against the side of her head. She shook off the blow and swung her nails at Grundy. They barely gouged his tough skin. Grundy stepped closer and swung his fist.

The woman bared her fanged teeth in a hideous grin. She dropped Reese on the floor. She grabbed Grundy’s throat with her right hand. She lifted him off his feet. His thick legs kicked in the air. He clawed at her arm. His face turned purple as she tightened her grip on his throat. She effortlessly pulled Grundy toward her mouth. Jenna mumbled behind me. I looked around for something I could use as a weapon. The floor was littered with pottery, bones and twigs.

“Telle, duck,” Chastity said. I bent into a crouch and looked behind me. A black raven shot from Jenna’s hands. It sizzled as it fluttered over me and toward the thing. Grundy strained to avoid the woman’s kiss. She opened her mouth wide. A forked tongue licked across her lips and snaked out toward Grundy’s face. Grundy jerked his face to the side. The blur of black from Jenna’s hands shot past Grundy’s head and into the woman’s mouth.

She dropped Grundy and screeched. Her hands flew to her face. She spit and staggered backwards. Wisps of steam rose from her face and hands. Dots of black acid sprayed across the room.

“Ouch,” Reese said. He sat up. Two specks of acid hissed on his legs. Grundy fell across Reese as he scrambled away from the woman. By now, Freya had recovered her wits. She leapt through the air. Her right foot lead the way as she sailed over Reese and Grundy. Her foot struck the gnome woman’s chest with a crunch. The woman fell backward and landed on her back in the entrance to the room. Freya stood before beautiul, horrible gnome. The woman shook her head and spat. She pushed herself across the floor and slithered away from Freya. Freya advanced carefully. The woman slid back into the hallway. A click echoed through the room. Her eyes widened. Her lips were nearly melted away, exposing all her teeth in a horrible grin. She looked up. The gate plunged from its opening above.

Metal clanged against stone. The woman’s legs kicked spastically.

“Pryyyyaaack.” She gargled a mouthful of acid and blood spilled onto the stone floor. Her last screech echoed through the temple. Her arms flapped and her legs twitched. Finally she stopped moving. There was another click and the rattle of chains inside the stone walls. The gate slowly rose. Her smoking corpse was nearly cut in two.

“Why happened?” Reese asked. "I've never seen a half-satyr girl in my life! Is she ok?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Freya held one hand against the wounds on her face.

“That was a succubus you jackass, It appears as whatever you desire.” she said.

“You were on your way out buddy,” Grundy said. He rubbed his neck. Four red welts ran across his throat where the woman’s hand had gripped him.

Jenna ran to Freya and tended to the scratches across her face.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Jenna said. “Some of that healing water on our way out should fix you right up.”

“Why would a monster like that be in Kraken’s temple?” I asked. Jenna looked at Freya. Freya raised her eyebrows.

“What?” I asked.

"Ask Jenna" She said.

“We need to figure a few things out about this temple,” Jenna said, holding open the book of Lengnil.

“Oh yeah. Like what?” I asked.

“First of all, is it in the shape of a body?,” she said.

"What? Why?" I said.

"I have a good reason for asking" She said. "Is it possible the opening chamber was the head?"

"No thats silly" Drexel remarked. He looked back towards the other chambers and mapped with his fingers in the air. His eyes lit up,"But if we're looking for this to be the shape of a body, maybe the water-filled opening chamber was a big fused boot, the two hallways that led out were the legs, the sooty room with the snapping portcullis and succubus was, eh, the crotch, and we're in the stomach or chest. Now why would I be making such a ridiculous observation, Jenna?"

“That girl was so pretty,” Reese said softly.

"Is there something in the book of Lengnil about Kraken's temple?" I asked Jenna. "I knew it! I knew he must have been following Kraken's bidding."

“What next then?” Reese asked.

“If this is the stomach, then the chest. The arms will be on either side If im right, and then the head,” Jenna said.

“We’re in the body of Kraken,” I said.

“Something like that,” Jenna said. She gave me that smile again. It was the same smile she gave me in Falstaag’s dungeon. I explained Jenna’s observation to Gurloin. He looked uneasy.

“Telle,” he said. “I have led unbelievers into the temple. Now they are forming strange ideas.”

“Let’s go,” Jenna said. “We don’t have time to waste.”

“If they can see Kraken, they will believe,” I said to Gurloin. He nodded.

“This way then,” he said. He walked to the end of the room, opposite the passageway from which we’d entered. A ragged shroud hung over an opening that led into a dark tunnel.

I stepped into the darkness.

“By Kraken’s will, let there be light,” Gurloin said. We waited. No light came. We walked further into the darkness. There was the sound of grinding from behind. The light behind us vanished. We stood in darkness for a second. A rumbling came from above. Grundy struck flint on stone. I saw everyone’s faces in flashes between sparks. There was a tiny flame, and then the room lit up. Grundy held a small torch. Behind us was a solid stone wall. In front of us was another rock wall. We all looked up. The ceiling was moving slowly toward us.

“Where’s Drexel?” Grundy asked.

“How do we get out of here?” Freya said.

“We’re trapped,” Chastity said. She pounded her fists against the stone wall behind us. She looked up at the ceiling.

“We’ll be crushed!” She said. She looked up at the ceiling and then back at us. Her eyes darted back and forth.

"Like gallstones!" Drexel added from the chamber behind us, his voice muffled by the stone.

“Calm down, Chastity” Freya said. Gurloin cowered in the corner.

“I never should have led them this far into his temple,” he said to himself. He looked at the ceiling and shrank against the wall.

The ceiling slowly lowered. Freya looked at Jenna.

“Can you do something?” She asked. Jenna frowned.

“I don't think well under pressure,” she said.

“Now we'll never get back to Barry’s!,” Reese shouted. He panicked. His hooves clacked against the stone walls. The ceiling slid steadily downward. The room shrank. Reese had to duck.

“This can’t happen,” I said. I ran to Gurloin and grabbed his shoulders. He muttered his prayers to Kraken.

“Please forgive me powerful One. Please have mercy…” he said. I shook him so hard that the back of his head bounced off the wall. He looked at me. His warts quivered in fear. “What have I done?” He asked.

“Use your powers,” I said. “Kraken wants me here, he will give you the strength to save us,” I said. He looked up at the ceiling and then back at me. “I have offended him. His Horn strikes,” he said.

I bounced his head against the wall again. His hand went to the purple lump rising on the back of his skull.

“That trick with the lightning. Do something like that, Kraken wouldn't kill me like this!” I said. He took his hands off his head. He looked down at his palms and then up at me. He nodded.

“By the power of Kraken,” he said. He raised his hands. His voice was barely audible over the grinding stone.

“By Kraken, I command,” he said. His voice boomed through the room.

“Kraken over stone. By his flesh and bone!” He said.

Light glowed from his hands. A ball of light floated from his hands to the center of the room. He moved his fingers and shaped it into a column. A pole of solid light grew in the center of the room. It thickened until it was a pillar. The light spread from the top of the pillar and flowed along the entire ceiling. The light grew brilliant. The grinding stopped. The light held up the ceiling. There was ticking and grinding inside the walls. Then a snap, as if something had broken.

“Show us the way,” Gurloin said. The light flooded over the walls and floor. The walls behind us and in front of us were covered in brilliant light. Cracks appeared in the stone that blocked our way. The cracks spider webbed across the stone. There was a crunch and then both slabs of stone shattered outward in a million pieces. The light faded. We were left in the light of Grundy’s torch. There was a dull blue glow coming from the wide room ahead.

“Unreal,” Drexel said. He ducked into the room from behind us. Gurloin grinned. A bead of sweat ran down his nose and dripped off a wart at the end. His skin glistened.

“Kraken was with me,” he said. Tears ran down his cheeks. His greasy hair stood on end. His warts were a deep red across his dark yellow skin.

“That was amazing, how do you do those things?” I asked. I looked at the shattered wall behind us. Pieces of stone lay across the floor.

“Faith, young Telle, faith,” Gurloin said. He put his withered smooger hand on my head. He leaned in close to my face. His smooger breath washed over me. “Look in your heart and find Kraken’s will. Just do as he asks, and no harm will come to us.” He smiled.

“Unless it is his will that his horn strike,” I said. Gurloin nodded.

“Kraken’s horn may strike at any moment,” he said.

“Now we’re getting somewhere! Kraken's got a broad chest!” Drexel said. His voice came from the wide room in front of us. The others were already there. The ceiling was high above us. A fine layer of dust covered the marble floor. The floor was made up of giant black and white squares. The walls were perfectly smooth. Giant symbols ran across the top of each wall. These symbols glowed with a blue light. Gurloin dropped to his knees.

“Magnificent!” He said. He prayed to Kraken.

Jenna was at the walls. She stared at the symbols that ran across the top, referencing them with the book of Lengnil. She pulled a quill from her back and scribbled on some pages.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Translating. Be quiet,” she said.

“What’s this?” Reese asked. In the center of the room was a raised circle made of dark blue stone. It was a few inches off the ground. Around it were ancient bones. Stilt bones, smooger bones, and bones from animals that I did not recognize were all mixed together in a ring around the dark blue circle. High above the circle, a pole reached across the room. It was made of dark black stone. At the end of the pole was an imprinted hand. Inlaid designs of green stone ran across the ceiling and pointed at the spot above the hand.

“Do not step there!” Gurloin said. His voice had a strong note of confidence. He strode towards Reese. His toenails clicked urgently against the stone floor.

“’With a dead hand I woke Kraken.’ Said Theek,” Gurloin said. Gurloin pointed across the hall. A huge doorway reached from the floor to the ceiling. There was no handle, or obvious way to open it.

“Behind that door lies Kraken,” Gurloin told Reese, forebodingly. “One must have faith to touch the hand above to open the door,” he said.

“What’s that smooger saying to me?” Reese asked.

“He claims that if you push the hand up there, the door will open to Kraken,” I said.

“How do I get up there?” He asked.

“Wait. Just calm down,” Freya said.

“Wheres the arms?” Drexel said.

“What?” I asked.

"This is the Chest, but there are no side hallways here for arms. Jenna, does this blow your theory?" He asked

“Im convinced of my theory, now. But, you're right, the arms should be on either side of this room,” she said.

“This door must open up to the neck, at the end will be the head,” she said. She walked to the right side of the room. Then she vanished.

“Now I’m in one of the arms,” she said. Her voice came from the wall. I ran to where I’d last seen her. When I got closer the air seemed to move in front of the wall. “Walk toward my voice,” Jenna said. I took a step toward the wall. “Closer,” she said. I took another step. I faced the wall. I stuck my foot out. My leg disappeared up to my knee. I stepped forward, into the wall.

I passed through a curtain of haze. I stood in a narrow hallway. Stone pedestals were evenly spaced from one end to the other. Each stone pedestal held an object, within a column of light that came from the ceiling. The objects floated in the light. Drexel was already past me. At the end of the hallway, he licked his lips.

"Jackpot!" He said. In the beam of light in front of him was an amulet on a gold chain.

“There will be another arm on the other side,” Jenna said, peering at the book of Lengnil.

On the first pedestal, nearest to me, was a beautiful shining dagger. Its handle was intricately carved with symbols. The blade sparkled in the strange light that held it.

“Can you read what these symbols say?” I asked Jenna. She leaned toward it and squinted.

“Its the name of the dagger. A compound word in the ancient language. Translated, I'd call it The Goblinizer,” she said.

My eyes lit up. “Kraken has left it for me!” I said. I reached for it.

“Telle, no!” Jenna said. She grabbed my wrist. I yanked my hand from her grip. “Im sure there are traps,” she said.

“You don’t understand,” I said. “Kraken led me here. He wants me to have this,” I said. I felt his presence in my chest.

“Telle.” Jenna’s ears drooped at the sides of her head. “There is something you should know,” she said. I looked at the knife in the light. The blade was long for a dagger. The ornate carving on the handle was beautiful. It was my knife. Kraken had led me to it. I reached into the light and wrapped my fingers around the handle. A sound like an axe splitting a log came from the column of light. Drexel looked up. Jenna’s ears were smooth against her head. She looked annoyed.

“I couldn’t help it,” I said.

“You might as well finish it,” Jenna said. I pulled the knife out of the light. There was a sound of stone gears moving behind the walls. The dagger was lighter than any knife I’d ever felt. It made my hand, even my arm even feel light. The blade waved back and forth in front of my face almost by itself.

“Careful with that, Telle,” Jenna said. My palm tingled. A bolt of energy shot up my arm and into my chest. I gasped. Another ‘thwack’ filled the hallway. Drexel looked back at us with a pursed face. His hand was inside a column of light. He grasped the amulet.

"I figured Telle had already tripped the trap" He said shamefully. An orange jewel with a black dot in the center hung on a gold chain. He held his hand steady, so as not to advance the trap mechanisms any more.

“This could really complicate things,” Jenna said. Drexel winced and pulled the amulet from the shaft of light. When his hand left the beam, there was another sound like and axe splitting a log. More grinding sounds came came from the ceiling above.

“We're doomed,” Drexel said. He looked up at the ceiling. A circle appeared. The perfectly round piece of stone began very slowly to move. A drop of water came from the seam between the cylinder and the ceiling. It smacked against Drexel’s forehead.

Drexel sprinted for the chest chamber. More water dripped from the seam. Soon, a steady trickle splattered against the stone floor.

I barely noticed it. The Goblinizer had my full attention. “It feels so strong,” I said.

“Telle?” Jenna took a step back from me. The blade swished and sliced through the air. The energy pumped up my arm.

“Kill…smooger…kill…” More urges than actual thoughts pulsed through my mind. I held the Goblinizer tight in my hand. I was barely aware of more grinding. Another cylinder opened behind Drexel at the end of the hall.

I let the blade slice the air in front of me. My entire body was in tune with the knife. It was as if the dagger were merely an extension of my arm. Or even that I was merely an extension of the Goblinizer. Kraken’s will pulsed through my body. I was dimly aware of Drexel running back and grabbing other objects from the hall. The knife slipped through the air in front of me. It shot to the left and to the right. It was so light, so perfectly balanced. It was made for me.

Drexel quickly plucked the rest of the objects from the pillars in the hallway. The last object in the hall was a golden, gemmed staff. With two more ‘thwacks’ Drexel pulled the rod from the beam of light. The grinding continued from the cylinder at the end of the hall. A stream of water bounced off the floor.

“I’ll be in the other arm,” Drexel said. His feet splashed in water as we walked past. I followed him to the chest chamber.

“Telle, it is time!” Gurloin’s voice came from the middle of the vast room. The knife shot sideways at the sound of Gurloin’s voice. I ran back into the main room. Gurloin stood before the dark blue circle.

“I am ready to give Kraken my hand, as Theek did,” he said. He stepped forward and stood in the center of the circle. His eyes were closed. The floor vibrated slightly, as the circle slowly began to rise up from it. Reese, Freya, and Chastity stepped backward. Gurloin chanted Kraken’s name.

"Jenna we should stop him" Freya said.

"I don't think we should," Jenna said, "I think he's going to open this last door, and then we can find out once and for all who's 'Temple' this really is. It seems to be very similar to descriptions here in this book."

"No!" I shouted. Gurloin was rising up towards the outstretched hand. My dagger screamed.

“Kraken, I summon thee,” Gurloin shouted.

“You! Summon Kraken?” I asked. I ran for the rising column. The Goblinizer reached toward Gurloin. He stood with his face upturned. His eyes were shut. “No smooger will touch the holy hand of Kraken,” I said. The knife led the way as I sprinted across the enormous hall. By the time I reached Gurloin, his feet were barely above my head.

“Telle, what are you doing?” Freya asked. I could barely hear her.

“Stop!” Grundy shouted. I jumped and sliced with the knife. The tip of the blade nicked Gurloin’s ankle, slipping through his flesh like butter.

A jolt of energy shot up my arm. I felt the tip of the blade cut Gurloin’s skin as if it were my own finger that cut the smooger. My belly ached. The knife was hungry for more. Gurloin screamed in pain. His hands went to his face. He fell backwards off the column of blue stone. It stopped rising immediately. He rolled on the floor. His hands left his face and grabbed his ankle.

“It burns,” he said. He turned he head back and forth. “I can’t see. Young Telle? Where are you? Help me…” He said. He turned to face me. His eyes had turned gray. His mouth was twisted in agony. The knife almost jumped from my grasp as it tugged me toward Gurloin.

“Telle, Stop.” Freya said from behind me. Her feet pattered against the stone floor. I dove toward Gurloin. The blade struck his groin. He screamed a hideous cry. The knife easily sliced upward, through his stomach.

"Get him Telle!" Reese shouted.

When the blade reached his chest his scream ended in a gurgle. Green blood oozed from his mouth. I pulled the knife back and swung it once more. The tip cut deep into Gurloin’s neck. His head rolled back, leaving a meaty green smile in his neck where his throat had been. Chastity screamed.

“More,” the knife said. It wasn’t a voice. It was a compulsion. I swung around with the blade in front of me. I turned my head into the side of Freya’s foot. A crunch cracked through my skull. I staggered backward. I blinked.

“Drop the knife,” Freya said. Her fist was pulled back, ready to strike. I shook my head to clear it. I turned the knife so that it pointed downward. It fought to stay up, but I struggled to sheathe it in my belt. At the last second, my wrist flicked the moving blade sideways and the tip of the knife slit my side. I gasped in pain. I managed to tuck the blade into my belt. Freya let her fist fly into my face. I was suddenly dizzy on my back. A line of red oozed from my waist where I cut myself. It wasn’t a deep wound, but it sure stung.

“That was just barbaric,” Grundy said. He looked, remorsefully, at the mess on the floor.

“You have lost your mind, Telle,” Chastity said.

“Tears, for a smooger?” I asked. “This is Kraken’s home. He called me here. He gave me this weapon.” I patted my waist. The handle of the blade sent a shock up my arm. I inhaled sharply. “I’ll be damned if I’m letting a smooger meet Kraken,” I said.

"Telle listen very carefully" Freya said, hovering over me. "You are seriously disturbed. I truly hope you are being influenced by that perverse blade you hold at your side." She looked aghast. "This goblin had showed you nothing but mercy and kindness, and you repay him with this."

Jenna looked back at the letters and scribbled in her book. She frowned.

“Someone is still going to have to open that door,” she said.

“I’ll open it.” Reese walked to the door. He kicked it with all his might. His hoof bounced off the stone “Ouch,” he said. He ran his fingers over the door. “There’s no way,” he said.

“I think this is all of it.” Drexel’s voice came from beyond the other illusory wall. He stepped into the room. His arms were full of opulent weapons and objects. He wore two leather bracers on his arms. The amulet was around his neck. Pools of water from both sides of the room were spreading quickly across the floor. The grinding continued.

“Did he attack us?,” Drexel said, shocked. He looked at Gurloin’s gutted corpse. "How are we going to get out of here without that smooger's expertise?"

“What’s with the water?" Reese asked Drexel, "Hey can I have that nice sword you're holding?”

“When Drexel and Telle plundered the objects" Jenna said, several traps were triggered. They seem to be releasing a large source of water,”

“Is this gonna fill up the whole room?” Chastity asked.

“It appears so. From what I can gather, those stones may be holding back the source of the healing springs,” Jenna said.

“That’s a lot of water,” Grundy said.

“Great. Let’s hurry up then. I’m cant wait to get back to Barry’s,” Reese said. He walked toward the blue column.

“That is probably trapped, I fear Gurloin may have died even without Telle's help,” Jenna said.

“Don’t climb onto that,” Freya said.

“You two are always giving out orders,” Reese said. “Look,” he said. He pointed to the lines on the ceiling. Two inlaid arrows pointed to the hand above. “It’s pretty obvious that the only way to open the door is to shake that hand way up there. That’s what Gurloin started and that’s I’m going to finish. You’re not the only people who figure things out you know.” Before anyone could stop him, he jumped onto the blue stone column. His hooves clacked against the stone when he landed. It immediately began to rise. Jenna looked at the symbols above and frantically scribbled.

“Reese, I fear this was not meant for you,” she said. Reese rose higher into the air.

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” He said. He peeked over the edge and smiled down at us. He waved. He danced on the stone as it rose. “Telle, you look so small from up here,” he said. He laughed.

"Reese, jump down from the platform..Now!" Freya commanded.

"Reese, you've got to have faith in Kraken to open it!" I cried. Freya glared at me.

The column bore him toward the outstretched stone hand. Water still poured into the room from the arms. Reese looked down at us. "I believe in Kraken!" He shouted, "I believe in Kraken!"

Chastity and Freya watched from across the room. The air crackled. I felt my hair stand on end from a strange energy. Reese looked down. The hair on his legs stood straight out. The pillar stopped, midway to the hand. He started to laugh.

A hiss stopped his laugh. Balls of light shot from the wall above the door. They grew as they blasted toward Reese so that by the time they reached him, each fire ball was the size of his head. Eight or nine of them slammed into him, showering us with sparks and bits of charred flesh. I gagged from the acrid smell of burnt hair. His body shook as each ball slammed into him. Light shimmered around his body. He slipped and struggled to hang onto the raised pillar. Three more balls slammed into him. Smoke rose from his skin.

“Ouch! Owww!” He said. He struggled to keep from being knocked off the stone column. The fireballs stopped. “Oh that hurts,” Reese whined. His face was blackened. The column began to rise again. He looked himself over. “That must have been a test of faith" he moaned, pulling himself up to stand.

"It’s going to take more than that to get Satyrio off the case!” He said. As the column moved upward, it carried him to the stone hand. Reese raised his right hand.

“Telle, get ready to meet your maker!” Reese said. He reached for the inlaid stone hand. It depressed when he pushed it. For a second, nothing happened.

A blue ball slowly emerged from the ceiling above him. It jiggled for an instant and then took the shape of a fist. It slowly slid over Reese. It enveloped his body. He stood completely still. A wave of cold washed over me. He remained suspended, while the column lowered and slid back into the floor. Reese hung, held by the fist, high in the air. The fist became mist. Reese was dark blue.

"Telle..." He whispered, barely able to catch a breath.

He wobbled for a second in the air. His body was stiff as stone. Then he fell backwards. He turned gently through the air as he dropped. I stared at his falling body. I was too amazed by what had happened to think of moving. He seemed to move in slow motion. He hit the stone floor right next to me. He struck head first with a crystalline crash. The sound of shattering glass rang through the room. His body exploded into tiny shards. Freezing bits of Reese bounced into my face.

“Reese!” Freya shouted. She ran toward the pile.

The pile where he fell quickly turned from dark blue to red.

“It froze him,” Chastity said. She was in shock.

Grundy picked flakes of thawing Reese from his legs. The pile of ice where Reese had landed was red slush. Freya fell to her knees. She stoically stared at the remains. Grundy turned to me. I stood still, completely stunned.

“He barely missed you,” Grundy said. He reached into my collar and pulled out something cold and wet.

“Don’t think you want to carry this around,” he said. He held a thawing, wet ear.

“No,” I said, flinching. Reese was my friend. Why could't he have listened? I wiped him off my face and walked toward the door that led to Kraken. It was smooth stone with barely a seam that ran around it. Water continued to spread across the floor.

“We killed him,” Chastity said. Tears spilled out of her eye.

“All he wanted was to go to Barry’s,” she said. The red slush spread out in the rushing water. It was ankle deep. I could feel the pulse of Kraken in the water.

“Do you still doubt?” I asked. The others looked at me with bewildered expressions.

“Kraken knew that Reese didn’t have faith,” I said. I stepped toward the stone circle.

“I will open the door,” I said. “I am Kraken’s servant and I have been summoned!” I felt Kraken’s power flowing up my legs. I felt the pulse of his knife in my belt.

“Telle!,” Jenna said. “You’re going end up like Reese did if you step in that circle,” Jenna said. The Goblinizer tugged at my waist.

“You aren't the expert here Jenna” I said. “I am obeying Krakens will.” I moved to the circle.

“If you go up there, you will die,” she said. “Chastity must be the one,”

“Me?” Chastity asked.

“What are you talking about?” I asked. I turned toward her. My hand went to my belt. “You have been acting very strangely, Jenna,” I said. My fingers brushed the handle of the Goblinizer. It nearly jumped into my hand. I sprinted toward Jenna with the blade outstretched. She was so startled she just stood there.

"Who are you to get between me and Kraken!" I shouted.

Her ears stuck out from the side of her head in surprise. Freya jumped to her feet and ran to block me.

I dove the last few feet and tackled Jenna. She landed on her back with me on top of her. The water almost covered her face. I lay the edge of the Goblinizer across her throat.

“Kick me now and Jenna loses her voice,” I said to Freya. My arm ached from holding the Goblinizer back. It strained to cut into some flesh.

“What's your game?” I asked. My voice bounced against the walls.

“Telle, take a deep breath,” Drexel said from my right. I stared down at Jenna’s face. Her ears were flat against her head. The water was almost past her wide nose. Sweat stood out on her forehead.

“I’ll tell you, just don’t cut me,” she said. She looked more angry than afraid.

“Telle, take a deep breath.” Drexel said again. I inhaled. The knife pulled against my arm.

“I know you and Freya are keeping secrets,” I said. “I’m sick of it. We are in Kraken’s home! Do you understand? Kraken lives here!” I said. The knife sent shocks up my arm.

“That’s what we need to talk about,” Jenna said. “Let me go and I’ll tell you everything.” Her ears fluttered. I heard splashes behind me. I turned my head quickly and saw the others approach.

“I lost Cloda, Ragnar and now Reese." Freya said, "I will not lose two more people I have sworn to protect,” Her voice filled with emotion.

“You’re close to losing one,” I said. I pressed the flat side of the knife against Jenna’s throat.

“If you hurt her, I will kill you,” Freya said. “I do not want to lose two more friends. Reese is barely gone and now you’re threatening yet another murder.” Her voice was cool and steady. I took another breath.

“If you hurt Jenna, you’ll meet Kraken in a way you didn’t plan,” Grundy said. His feet splashed in the water to my left.

“This place is filling up. Quit messing around so we can get out of here,” Drexel said. He had a sword in his hands. Red inscriptions ran down a curved blade.

I lifted the knife from Jenna’s throat. She coughed and inhaled loudly. I fought the urge to slit her throat and tried to put the knife away. The tip twisted toward my side, and nicked the cut it had made before. I clenched my teeth and managed to get it into my belt. A twinge of regret twisted in my belly. I got off of Jenna. She sat up in the water and rubbed her neck.

“You promised,” I said.

"Keep him away from me" Jenna said, looking at Freya. Freya nodded.

“This is not the home of Kraken, not like you think,” she said. Trickling water echoed throughout the room.

“What are you talking about?” I asked. A fist of anger clenched in my chest.

“Telle your assumptions are wrong." Freya said. She stepped toward me.

Jenna cleared her throat. “Telle, I’ve been reading these symbols.” She pointed to the writing at the top of the walls. “And I’ve been reading the Book of Lengnil.” She patted the leather tome I'd taken from Tang. “The truth is, Telle, this is most likely not a Temple at all, but rather a tomb. The tomb of Lengnil the Conqueror,” she said. There was silence, except for the sound of water rushing into the cavernous room.

I swallowed. I bit my lip. I ran my fingers over the handle of the Goblinizer. It jerked in my belt.

“That’s impossible,” I said. I ran for Jenna. Freya sprang toward me and tripped me. I fell onto the floor. The water rushed over me. It was the holy water of Kraken. It gave me strength. I swallowed and then sat up. Freya’s right foot slammed into my neck. I fell sideways into the water. A foot found my neck and pinned me to the floor. I was under water. Hands ran over me. I felt a jolt from my side. The knife had been taken. The foot moved. I sat up and coughed. Freya stood over me, the Goblinizer was in her hand.

“You need to learn to control yourself,” Freya said. “I’m keeping this.”

“You have no right!” I said. I lunged at her. She stepped out of the way and tapped the back of my head with her foot.

“Don’t test me,” she said.

“You’ll answer to Kraken for this,” I said. I got to my feet and glared at her.

“Listen, Telle, around two hundred years ago, there was a war. Lengnil cleared this land of the goblins who lived here,” Jenna said.

“He was a servant of Kraken,” I said.

“Well it doesn't mention that in his book!" Jenna snapped. "He was a sorcerer who based his entire military career on race war. As a general, he specialized in wiping out all living things in his path. He killed elf children, gnome children. Anytime he happened to be fighting non-human forces, he burned their towns. It was all in the name of humanity. He retired to the tiny human village of Heedon, which was surrounded on all sides by endless tribes of goblins. He vowed to take this goblin land for the humans of the Bupinder Empire. What was left of the empires of elves, gnomes, and others joined together to oppose him. They didn't care much for goblins, but they all hated Lengnil for his war crimes. I'm paraphrasing, of course, this book is very pro-Lengnil."

“What’s all that got to do with Kraken?” I asked.

“Nothing, as far as I know,” she said. “Nothing at all.”

“Do you remember the tapestries about him?” She asked. I nodded. “That symbol was on each tapestry. It denoted Lengnil's name and property.” She pointed to a repeated symbol on the ceiling. Two slashes over a circle. It had been on the chest of the man who killed the goblins in the tapestries.

“That symbol means Lengnil's. That’s his symbol, this is his tomb. It's location was a secret, but it was meant to be found. Just not by you. ” she said. “Those weapons.” She pointed at the valuables that Drexel held. “That rapier, do you see the writing?” She said. The blade shone. It practically sparkled. “It's The Elfinizer,” she said. Drexel dropped the blade with a splash. "That axe," Drexel dragged a shining axe behind him. "The Gnomolester". The axe splashed into the water.

“The items in the arm hallways are magical arms of war, for Lengnil's ongoing war against all non-human races. Sub-human, if you believe the writing,” she said.

“I've translated part of the ceiling,” Jenna said. She pointed to some symbols across the top. The slashes over the circle appeared three times. “Lengnil's power is for humanity. Lengnil's hand destroys the unworthy. Lengnil's automatic guardian will let the worthy pass.” She read aloud.

“Chastity, enter the circle,” she said. “You can open the door.”

“No way,” Chastity said. She looked left and right. The water was up to our knees.

“We don’t have much time. You’re going to have to trust me,” Jenna said. Chastity looked at each of us. I sat in the water and felt Kraken’s power wash over my legs. Kraken would show these people.

“Be careful, Chastity,” I said. “His horn is mighty. You saw what happened to Reese,” I said.

“If this book is true, then there is something of value beyond our imagination in that final room,” Jenna said.

“Do it Chastity,” Drexel said. “Do it for the Twaddle Six.”

Freya looked at Reese’s thawing remains.

“Twaddle five! Who’s counting?” Drexel asked. “Step in the circle,” he said. He walked around the circle looking up at the ceiling. Chastity stood and stared at the circle.

The red slush had melted across the top of the water. Reese washed against our legs.

“Hey!” Chastity said. She stumbled forward. Drexel had snuck behind her and shoved her onto the circle. As soon as her feet touched the stone it began to rise.

Chastity looked down at Drexel and frowned.

“Are you sure about this, Jenna?” she asked. She sat on the column and put her legs over the side.

"I am fairly certain" Jenna said.

“Somebody catch me. Please,” she said. Her voice trembled.

“You’ll be fine,” Drexel said. The column stopped before the hand.

“No fireballs this time,” Grundy said.

“Touch the hand,” Jenna said.

Chastity climbed to her feet. She closed her eyes and reached for the hand. She pushed her fingers against the black stone. The column lowered back down to the floor. A glowing seam appeared around the great door. It slowly opened.

“So it worked,” Chastity said. She pushed Drexel. “Don’t ever try anything like that again,” she said.

“Let’s see what’s in there,” Drexel said.

Where was Kraken? I felt as if my stomach were falling into a deep hole. Could it be that this wasn't Kraken's home after all? Had the smoogers made a mistake? Why did they even think it was Him?

Freya led the way as we walked past the opening. Drexel held the golden jeweled staff in one hand. His loot was slipping. He handed a sword to Grundy. We filed down a gently sloping hall.

Water rushed past our knees, making a slight current. Light sparkled from glowing stones imbedded in the ceiling. The walls were inscribed with glowing symbols. We splashed our way down the hall for several minutes. The polished stone walls gave way to earth and dirt. We entered a giant, natural cavern. Stalactites hung from the ceiling high above. Steps that had been chisled into the ground led down into a deep pool of clear water. In the middle of the pool there was a glow. Hovering a few feet below the water's surface was an oblong box made of white, glowing stone.

Kraken was not here.

“His coffin glows,” Jenna said, "It must be in there. The Pearl. We need that coffin!"

Drexel stepped down into the underground lake. The lights dimmed. A stream of bubbles rose from beneath the coffin.

The bubbles grew larger until it looked as if the water around the coffin was boiling. Drexel stepped backwards, away from the lake. A dark, gigantic form appeared at the bottom of the pool. It slowly rose, amid the bubbles. The shadow grew larger still, and I could see a vast grey mass under the surface. Then the tip of His Horn broke the surface of the water.

“Kraken!” I said. I dropped to my knees in the water.

“Run!” Jenna said. She turned and splashed down the hall. Drexel ran. The water churned violently. Kraken’s head rose from the water. His head looked like the sculpture, like the statue on the altar of my childhood home. I pulled His Idol from my pocket and held it before me.

“Kraken, I have come!” I said. Kraken rose from the water. He nearly touched the ceiling he was so tall. He took a step toward me. When his foot hit the water the force of the splash knocked me backwards. My doll slipped from my hand an bobbed face down in the water.