“—AaAARGH!”
Frog sat up and opened his eyes. He was back in the real world – on the island in the Inbetween – and Sheriff Explosion was frantically bleating at him.
“Now – ow! – what?” groaned Frog, rubbing a bump on his head. Not far from the wrecked house, Frog saw General Kurg, sunder-gun in hand once more, closing in on his friends.
“Go ’way, horrid ay’lun!” cried Princess Rainbow, stamping up and down.
Frog struggled to his feet but a rush of blood to the head sent him tumbling back to the ground. He saw his sunder-gun lying a few paces away and reached out for it – but the general had already taken aim at Princess Rainbow.
“No!” uttered Frog. Then he felt something he hadn’t felt for weeks.
A tingle in his toes.
“What the … what?” he said.
A bolt of lightning struck the traceship behind General Kurg. The ship exploded in a great fireball, sending shards of metal flying through the air. As black clouds gathered above them and rain began to pour, another bolt struck the ground between the general and Princess Rainbow.
“Kroak’s teeth! It’s happening again! The planet’s turning on me!” cried General Kurg, stumbling back.
As more lightning streaked down from the sky, the general raced to the Inbetween, diving under the water to avoid the strikes. Frog looked up. Through the driving rain he saw something fléoat down from the sky.
It was a large house, built from blue stone.
“Man-Lor … is saved?” said Man-Lor, as he and Kryl watched the blue house – otherwise known as the Omnium Gatherum – come to a rough landing on the island. The thunderstorm vanished as suddenly as it had arrived. A moment later the front door swung open.
“Did someone call for a dramatic rescue?” said a voice. From the doorway appeared Nigel, a barrel-chested bragon with rainbow-striped wings, a covering of dark red scales and an impressive plume of purple hair. He peered over a small pair of spectacles, adding, “Sorry it took us a while to get here – who would have thought there was an ocean all the way up in the sky? It was the rarewolf who followed your trail – and made all the thunder and lightning, by gosh!”
“Yes, well, there are some benefits to being an ancient god of the storms,” grumbled the rarewolf, squeezing awkwardly through the door. The huge grey wolf was as tall as a horse, with curled tusks and eyes the size of plates.
“Rarewolf!” squealed Princess Rainbow, running over to him and hugging one of his legs. “I knew you’d save us! You’re the most bestest pet I ever had!”
“Not this again…” sighed the rarewolf, not sure what to do with the princess’s undying affection. “You do remember I’m the King and Queen’s sworn enemy and that they slaughtered my entire race…”
“But you’re soooo fluffy!” squeaked the princess, burying her face in his fur. “I’m going to cuddle you ’til you ’splode!”
The rarewolf groaned loudly. Frog, meanwhile, remained slumped on the ground, King Kroak’s words still burning in his brain.
“I’m going to blow that world of yours into a million dusty pieces, right in front of your face.”
“Frog, are you all right?” said Kryl gently. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was before now. I—”
“Oh, so the truth is out at last,” growled the rarewolf, trying to shake an adoring Princess Rainbow from his leg. “Well, good! If Frog is to fulfil his destiny and save the world, it’s probably best he knows the full story.”
“Leave him alone, beast,” chided Kryl. “Can’t you give your prophecy nonsense a rest for once?”
“Nonsense? The rarewolves’ prophecy is an omen for our time!” growled the rarewolf.
“You believe it, don’t you, Frog?”
But Frog wasn’t listening. He stared, motionless, at the wreckage of his home.
“None of it was real, was it?” he said, finally. “The island … Buttercup … my whole life was just made up to stop me from finding out I was supposed to end the world. And now the world’s ending anyway.”
“But you said you’d stop it,” said Princess Rainbow, crossing her arms. “I b’lieved you.”
“Baa,” added Sheriff Explosion, nudging Frog’s leg with his nose.
Frog looked down at his trusty steed and sighed. Finally, he said, “King Kroak is coming. He’s going to blow the world to pieces in one go.”
“King Kroak is coming here? To Kingdomland?” gasped Kryl. “But … why? When? How do you know?”
Frog thought about explaining that he’d dared his father to come to Kingdomland, thereby dooming the world to the worst of all fates … but he thought it might not go down too well. And anyway, he’d been lied to his entire life. So instead he said, “I just know.”
He held his arms wide apart. “And he’s got a spaceship this big … except a million times bigger.”
“Baa?” bleated Sheriff Explosion.
“The Farthership!” gasped Kryl, clamping her hand to her mouth.
“What’s a Farthership, by gosh?” asked Nigel. Under his breath he added, “Nothing pleasant, knowing our luck.”
“It’s the most powerful ship in the fleet,” replied Kryl. “Its super sunder-cannon can destroy an entire planet. If King Kroak is bringing the Farthership here … we’re doomed.”
Frog stared across the wreckage of his house. Destruction followed the Kroakans wherever they went … and it had to stop. Kingdomland was his home – and he wasn’t going to sit about and wait for it to be destroyed.
“Doomed?” he said, clenching his fists. “Not if we defeat King Kroak, we’re not.”