Part 18 (2/2)
Jack said a wordless prayer of thanks.
And then there was a roar. A roar that has never been described accurately, in all the times this tale has been told. A roar that shook the walls and the roof, that caused waves in the lava sea, that made Jack and Jill fear their eardrums would burst, that made their very bones vibrate and ache within their bodies, that was felt in a tremble not only up in the Goblin Kingdom, but indeed, even on the surface of the earth above that. Jack and Jill fell back into the tunnel, covering their ears and burying their heads between their knees and wis.h.i.+ng, wis.h.i.+ng, wis.h.i.+ng the sound would stop.
And then there was heat. It scorched the children's faces and arms, turning their skin red and blistery in an instant. Flame followed the heat, and it rolled up against their little tunnel like a beast that was too big to chase them any farther. The flame was red and yellow and blue and pale green, and Jack and Jill would have thought it was one of the most magnificent things they had ever seen in their lives-if their heads hadn't been clamped firmly between their knees.
Finally, the flame subsided. The children peeked out from their protective positions. The frog had fallen from Jack's pocket and was curled in a ball on the ground.
The children leaped to their feet. ”GO!” Jack cried.
But the frog cried, ”Wait!”
Jill hesitated, but Jack was already sprinting away, his spear discarded, his arms flailing wildly as he ran. ”Wait!” said the frog again. ”He only wants to know who we are!”
Halfway down the hall, Jack slowed to a jog.
”Excuse me?” said Jill.
”He was asking who we are,” said the frog.
Jill was staring at the frog in an attempt to determine if he had lost his mind. Jack had very much the same look on his face.
”He speaks Amphibian,” said the frog, and shrugged his little froggy shoulders.
”You're joking . . .” said Jack.
”You're certain?” said Jill.
”Sure,” said the frog. ”It's my language.”
The floor began to shake, the air heated to boiling, and Jack and Jill clamped their hands over their ears as another roar rocked the tunnel, the cavern, and the earth miles and miles above.
When it had subsided, Jill asked the frog, ”Well? Was that Amphibian, too?”
”Yeah,” said the frog. ”He wants to know where we went.”
Jack started laughing hysterically, and Jill was pretty sure that both of her companions had suddenly lost their minds.
”Let's go talk to him,” said the frog. Jack continued to laugh insanely.
Jill looked back and forth between the two and, since Jack wasn't giving her any better options, she followed the frog back to the very edge of the cavern.
The mountain had moved. It had turned and raised a humongous, grotesque, fleshy, pink head. This head was roughly the size of the rest of its body, excluding its long, thick tail. It had tiny black eyes that sat where you might have expected ears to be, just above the upward curves at the end of its wide mouth.
”Oh boy,” said the frog.
”What?” Jill whispered.
”It's a salamander.”
Jill stared. ”It is?”
The frog nodded.
”Is that bad?” Jill asked.
The frog shrugged. ”Well, they're not terribly clever.”
The mountainous salamander stared at them out of the tiny black eyes on either side of his head.
”I'm going to introduce us,” the frog said. Jill nodded as if this made sense. Jack walked up to them, giggling and mumbling about all the king's horses and all the king's men putting his head back together again. Then he tried to make his elbow touch his nose.
The frog croaked again. The beast opened his mouth, revealing a big pink tongue. Then out poured a roar that seemed to never end. Jill curled up in a ball and covered her ears. She thought they might be bleeding.
”He says his name is Eidechse von Feuer, der Menschen-fleischfressende,” said the frog.
”Yeah,” said Jill, ”we figured.” Then she said, ”Can you ask him not to talk so loud? I think I'm going deaf.”
”Sure,” said the frog. So he croaked at Eidechse von Feuer, der Menschenfleischfressende. The giant salamander roared a roar that hurt Jill's ears and blew her hair back but did not force her to curl up into a ball and want to die.
”Better,” she mumbled.
”He said his name is Eidechse von Feuer, der Menschenfleischfressende again.”
”Yeah,” said Jill. ”We got it.” Jack giggled and tried to fit his fist into his mouth.
”Also,” added the frog, ”he said he prefers to be called Eddie.”
Jill was about to say something and then realized that there was absolutely nothing to say to that.
The frog croaked some more. ”Eddie” roared back. ”I just introduced you two,” said the frog. ”He wants to know what's wrong with Jack.” Eidechse von Feuer, der Menschenfleischfressende's head was held alertly up, and he seemed to be studying Jack curiously with his tiny black eyes. Jill turned around to see Jack trying to fit his left leg over his head.
Jill took him by the shoulders and shook him. Then she slapped him across the face. He shook himself. He said, ”What happened? Where am I?”
Jill pointed to Eidechse von Feuer, der Menschenfleischfressende. ”He's a salamander. His name's Eddie.”
Jack started to giggle again, so Jill slapped him across the face again. Again Jack shook himself. ”Sorry. What?” He looked up. ”Oh.” And then, again, he said, ”Oh.”
The children stared up at the beast of the translucent skin and the putrid odor. After a moment, Jill said, ”Well, I guess we should ask him about the Gla.s.s?”
The frog said, ”Right. Good idea.” So he croaked up at Eddie. The salamander roared.
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