Read Elliot and the Last Underworld War for Free Online Page A

enough for him, but it was the biggest private place the Brownies had. Being the super-smart king of the Brownies that he was, he tripped over a root at the entrance. Then he picked himself up and, without looking back to see if anyone was laughing, walked the rest of the way into the cave.
    By the time Fudd called for him a while later, Elliot had decided for sure that Kovol needed to be defeated, and he was double sure he didn’t want Earth destroyed. But the details of how someone might stop Kovol were still a little fuzzy. All in all, he hadn’t gotten nearly as much thinking done as he had hoped for, and he certainly didn’t feel super smart.
    “Everyone’s waiting for you,” Fudd said, walking beside Elliot.
    “Everyone?” That sounded like a lot.
    It was a lot. Maybe five times what he had expected. Crowded into the small open space of Burrowsville were hundreds of creatures of every kind. He thought Fidget was inviting only some of her friends.
    Near the front were the Dwarves, the full-grown ones about Elliot’s own height. They had long, thick beards and strong bodies. Most of them had picks or axes or other mining tools slung across their backs. Behind them stood a herd of half-human, half-horse Centaurs. They were large and muscular with bare chests and hair hanging past their shoulders. Their ears were slightly pointed and high on their head, as if unable to decide whether to be human or horselike, so they settled on something in between. Behind the Centaurs were several Trolls, including one who had half of his fist shoved up his nose in search of something there. Elliot recognized the Fairies up in the air, along with a couple of other flying creatures he didn’t know. There were also Elves and a few Yetis, and Satyrs, and even some Mermaids near the banks of the river running through Burrowsville. All waiting for him.
    “There are so many,” Elliot whispered.
    “They came to hear your plan,” Fudd replied. “They came to fight Kovol.”
    The crowd quieted when they saw Elliot. He sat on his toadstool throne and looked them over. These were magical creatures who were smarter than him—and mostly bigger than him.
    “Why me?” Elliot asked no one in particular. “I said I would help. But am I supposed to lead this battle?”
    “You are our king, and they’ve chosen you as their leader,” Fudd said. “You’ve defeated the Goblins and gotten past Kovol and his army once before. You’re the only one who can help us win this.”
    Elliot took a deep breath. As he looked around the crowd, he wondered how that could be true. Maybe it wasn’t about who was most capable of winning but who was most willing to try. He stood again and shoved his hands into his pockets. He knew that didn’t look very kinglike, but he didn’t care about looking like a king right then.
    “Um, I don’t know what to say,” Elliot began. “I guess I’m open to any ideas.”
    A murmur spread through the crowd. Several creatures turned their backs on him, ready to leave.
    “Your Highness, they need more than that,” Fudd said. “They’re here to follow you, but you must show them that you can lead this.”
    “But I’m not sure that I can lead this,” Elliot said. “I’m just a kid.”
    “I know you can, because you’re our king,” Fudd said. “It’s okay if you don’t believe that yet. But make them believe it.”
    “I’ll try.” Elliot raised his hands and started over. “A thousand years ago, Kovol was defeated the first time. It was your parents and grandparents and great-grandparents who fought him before, who made the Underworld safe for us. Now it’s our turn. We will beat him again, if we are willing to fight him together.”
    This time the crowd cheered, but Elliot didn’t feel much better. That speech had been the easy part. Now he was supposed to tell them how it would happen.
    “What are you really good at?” Elliot continued. “Look at your strengths. Figure out how you can use them