“Look, everyone!” gasped Max. “Oh, look!”

Out of the spinning purple smoke, rose shapes.

First one wall sprouted from the empty sands as if it were alive. Then came a great curved tower, then a twisted dome. One after another, buildings rose up magically.

It was as if every shape and turn of the smoke suddenly hardened into solid purple clay when touched by the sun.

At last, a great rolling wall surrounded everything. Then came a deep and booming shudder, and the purple city stopped rising.

Julie gasped. “The city of Ut! It’s really real!”

Almost instantly, the noise of crowds yelling and pilkas whinnying drifted over the walls.

“It’s real, all right,” said Neal. “Real bad. I’m not liking it so much. Too … weird looking.”

“Quill doesn’t like it, either,” said Keeah, holding up the pad of paper as Quill wiggled wildly, then stopped. “He just wrote, black nets. Quill? Quill! He fell asleep again.”

“Perhaps he does write about what is to come,” said Galen, breathing heavily. He led the little troop quietly across the sand to the giant wall. “Ut is indeed a mystery, my friends. We may need Quill’s clues today, for trapped somewhere in this city is a friend.”

Stopping at the foot of the wall, Eric placed his hand on the purple clay. It was rough and hard and already soaking up the heat of the day.

“We need to be careful here,” he said, “and not give ourselves away. We should probably keep our magic quiet until we need it.”

“Good idea,” said Keeah. “And keep ourselves quiet, too. Come on, everyone.” Grasping a curved space in the wall, she lifted herself up and started to climb. Galen and Max went next, followed by Julie, Neal, and finally Eric.

Seeing all his friends clamber up the wall above him, Eric couldn’t help but smile. He thought of climbing up to Neal’s roof that morning.

And here he was again.

Sneaking into a city with a genie trapped inside. Ut was a mystery, all right. And if Sparr were involved, it would certainly be dangerous. And full of adventure. And exciting.

But that was why he loved Droon.

Ten minutes later, they reached the top of the wall together.

“Oh, my gosh!” whispered Julie.

Below them was a world of the strangest buildings they had ever seen. Shops and houses leaned this way and that over narrow alleys filled with amazing creatures.

There were little furry bundles in colored robes scurrying from one corner to the next. Tall green creatures with long arms and legs rode down cobblestone lanes on trotting black pilkas.

There were large dog-headed beasts here and there, too. They carried big black nets on the ends of long poles.

“Guards with black nets,” whispered Julie. “Just like Quill said.”

“Then let us enter silently,” said the wizard. “If I remember correctly, dogs have good ears!”

Without speaking, the small band hopped from the wall to a high, slanted roof. They slid down one roof after another until they finally dropped into an alley between two rows of short buildings.

Looking both ways, Keeah darted to the end and peered around the corner. After a moment, she called her friends over, one by one. Together, they crept to the next street, careful to stay in the shadows.

At an outdoor counter ahead of them, Eric noticed knobby-skinned creatures wrapping what looked like fruit in crinkly silver paper.

Next door to that was a crooked little shop that smelled like cheese. Nearby, dozens of sausages hung from the ceiling of a yellow awning. Hunks of bread were piled on low tables beneath.

“This is awesome,” said Julie.

“Breakfast!” shouted a voice. “One sneddle!”

Neal tugged Galen’s cloak. “Um … that guy said breakfast. I never got breakfast this morning.”

“Do not attract attention, Neal,” said Galen.

But before they could slip away, an orange chipmunklike creature poked its head out of the shop, spotted Neal, and blinked. “One sneddle for breakfast, but for you — free!”

Neal grinned at his friends. “What is Quill talking about, ‘city of dangers’? City of chow, maybe. Food is definitely the international language! I’ll just be a second. And I’ll come back with enough for everybody!”

“Neal —” said Keeah. “Neal, be careful!”

He gave a little wave and quietly entered the store.

Keeping an eye on Neal, the rest of the group walked on. Streets twisted and crisscrossed far into the distance.

“How are we going to find Hoja in all this?” asked Eric. “Ut is huge. I already feel lost.”

Taking out a small, curved telescope, Keeah gazed through the crowd. “I see a building two streets ahead that has thick bars on the windows.”

“Bars?” said Max. “Maybe Hoja really is being held prisoner.”

Galen smiled. “It will be good to see our friend again —”

He stopped. His eyes were fixed on the crowd moving past the corner ahead. “But wait. Look there! There!”

Max stared where Galen was pointing. “Is it Hoja? Do you see him?”

Without answering, the wizard bounded out of the shadows.

“Galen?” said Keeah. “Wait —”

Galen whisked through the crowded street, turned, paused, then flew around the corner.

“Was it something we said?” asked Julie.

“But we didn’t say anything!” said Max.

“Maybe he saw Hoja,” said Keeah. “Let’s go.”

Even as they rushed after him, Eric saw Galen point into the crowd ahead. Someone in a white robe flashed by, turned, then disappeared in the crush of people.

“Galen’s after someone,” Eric whispered. “Hurry up!”

Together, they charged ahead, not daring to call Galen’s name, but rushing after him as quickly as he followed someone else.

“He went in here,” said Keeah, running into a stable of pilkas.

The steaming breath of the animals and the smell of straw mixed with an almost sweet smell. But the wizard was nowhere to be seen.

Julie called out, “Galen! Where are you —”

“We’d better get back to Neal,” said Eric.

Keeah stopped short.

“What is it?” asked Max.

“The square,” she said. “Look!”

The far end of the stable opened onto a large square filled with people. In the exact center of the square was a huge design made of bright blue tiles. The design was in the shape of a blue flower.

“Blue flower,” whispered Eric. “It’s just what Quill wrote!”

“Guards,” said Julie.

“He didn’t write anything about guards,” said Max.

“No, I mean — guards!” cried Julie.

Suddenly — “woof-woof!” — a troop of armor-wearing dog-headed guards bounded down the street, barking loudly. They marched heavily on thick, furred feet. Above their heads, they twirled oversize black nets.

“Quickly, into the shadows!” hissed Max. “Let the guards pass —”

But the guards didn’t pass. They came to a sharp halt.

A big golden carriage pulled by two black pilkas rumbled up behind them and slowed.

As the kids watched — swoosh! — curtains on the carriage parted and a shiny metal hand came out. It was a glove made of silvery iron.

“HALT!” shrieked a voice from inside the carriage.

The carriage’s wheels scraped the cobblestones as it ground to a stop.

Everyone froze in the streets, waiting.

The curtains opened further and a boy’s head came thrusting out into the sunlight.

Eric staggered on his feet.

The boy’s hair was piled very high on his head. He wore narrow green glasses. He had little pink roses painted on his cheeks. His mouth was screwed up into a snarling frown.

But there was no mistaking his face.

Eric knew that face.

It was the face of his oldest friend.

“N-N-Neal? Is that you? We left you getting food. How did you —”

The boy glared at Eric. He wrinkled his nose to match his snarling mouth. “Neal? NEAL? I am not Neal! I am Duke Snorfo, Ruler of Ut! And you — are under arrest!”