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Spartacus Kilroy quieted the room with an announcement. First of all, congratulations. You
demonstrated intelligence, strength, and, I m pleased to say, good sportsmanship. You are all invited to
the next contest on Wednesday. That s in two days. It s called the Pro and Contest. We ll meet behind
the maze again at ten in the morning. Now give yourselves a hand.
The kids cheered. Kilroy quieted them again. Unfortunately, as you know, there was a terrible accident
in the prize pen today. Somehow, one of the aniballs turned out to be an angry rhinoceros. Three winners
were mauled, Bo Garth s leg was turned to stone, and Sue Penne was turned entirely to stone by Stoney
Rayson, who was trying to help.
Ezzy Mumbai, our castle doctor, is excellent. She assured me everyone will be fine. I m sure you can
imagine how disappointed these kids are not to be able to go on to the next contests, so please visit
them. And anyone who did not get an aniball because of the accident, see me.
Music filled the room. Kids talked about the contest, each sounding as if they knew the answers all along.
It was a room full of conquerors.
Erec went to the dessert table for another brownie. He had not spoken to his mother since the contest
because Jack and Oscar had been in the room. He was worried that Queen Posey had recognized his
name. Would she find him and lock him in a dungeon? Since he did not know magic, dungeon life might
not be as comfortable for him as it was for his mother.
Spartacus Kilroy bumped into Erec on his way out the door, mumbling something about being needed in
the castle. Bethany s pink kitten perched contentedly on her shoulder. It was so fluffy it looked stuffed. I
named her Cutie Pie. I found a shoebox for her bed, but I ll probably let her sleep on my pillow. What s
your dog s name?
Erec hadn t thought about it. I don t know yet.
Suddenly there was wild screaming at the other end of the room. Something was terribly wrong. Erec s
fists clenched, and he ran toward the noise. In the dim glow he saw kids running aimlessly, crashing into
each other.
A girl had blood on her face. Were the screams because she was hurt, or was she hurt from the
commotion? Had there been a fight? Erec took a deep breath. More shrieks rose, and kids ran around
him, frantic.
Then Erec heard a groan so deep it sounded like thick rust-covered hinges scraping open. Chills ran
through him as the noise turned into an unearthly howl. Then, between running kids, Erec saw it. The
minotaur. The same creature that had been sleeping in the maze was now in the party room, awake.
The minotaur looked wild-eyed, as disoriented as the kids. It knocked over tables, clawing chairs and
children. It thrust its horns toward a boy and charged. At the last second, someone yanked the boy to
safety. The minotaur paused for a breath and looked around into the chaos. Kids shook the doorknobs
and kicked the doors, but they were all locked.
Erec pounded a window, trying to break through, but his arms jerked to a stop. A pair of chilling eyes
appeared on the other side: Balthazar Ugry. Ugry had a horrifying look on his face, eyes flashing. For a
moment Erec was more afraid of Ugry than he was of the minotaur.
In the confusion, kids filled a bucket with water and threw it on the minotaur, making it angrier. Of
course& the MONSTER race today told us how to stop a minotaur, Erec thought. What was the correct
answer? Not water. The minotaur grabbed a girl and almost bit her, but someone threw a table at its
head. It dropped her and roared, spinning around.
Bethany shouted, Stab its eye! but there was no sword.
Suddenly, Erec felt faint and dizzy, like he was drifting over the crowd. His eyes jolted open. It was a
cloudy thought. He dreaded the feeling, the loss of control. A mixture of sickness and quiet command
took over him. He tried not to fight it.
The next thing he knew, he picked up a ceramic plate and threw it into the glass shelves behind the bar,
smashing them. The minotaur was crushing a boy in its giant hands. It turned to look for the cause of the
noise and then faced the boy again, licking its lips.
Erec leaped over the bar, grabbed a long glass shard, and charged. The beast looked at him right before
he plunged the glass deep into its eye. The beast howled, dropping the boy, whimpering and pawing at
the glass.
Just then a door burst off its hinges, and Spartacus Kilroy ran in with Balthazar Ugry glowering behind
him. Kilroy ran toward the minotaur, remote control outstretched, shouting strange words.
Nothing happened.
Ugry pointed with his staff and boomed, Aphantos.
Ugry pointed at the minotaur with his staff and it disappeared. Out! Ugry shouted at the contestants.
Out!
They ran to the doors, some limping and others crying.
Kilroy scooped up the boy who had been squeezed by the minotaur. Anybody hurt? Oh, my
goodness, he said, stunned by the disaster. I ll take you to the royal hospital. Come with me.
Ugry stood in the doorway, a foul look on his face.
What an awful night, whispered Bethany. Remember what those men in the maze said? The king s
AdviSeer ordered a hungry minotaur for a surprise. Some surprise.
Well, Ugry wants to end to the contests. Maybe this was his plan.
Jack looked shocked. But Balthazar Ugry is one of King Piter s AdviSeers. He s been dedicated to the
king since before we were born. He wouldn t hurt us.
Erec wasn t so sure. Have you ever seen him close up? He creeps me out. There s something not right
about him. It almost feels like he is looking right through me.
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