"Just checking to be sure. Yeah, I heard. But I have another question first." Elliot turned to Fudd. "How are you doing?"
"Blindness is a bit of a challenge," Fudd said. "But at least I don't have to see my face in the mirror each morning!" He smiled as if he had tried to make a joke, but his voice still sounded sad.
"I'm sorry, Fudd," Elliot said. "It's my fault that happened."
Fudd looked directly at Elliot, or where he thought Elliot was, which meant he was actually looking at a bedpost. "King Elliot, sacrificing my eyesight was the least I could do in return for all you've done for me."
"I
sn't there any way to fix your eyes?" Elliot asked. "I'd think with all the magic in the Underworld, healing an injury like this would be easy."
"That's just it," Mr. Willimaker said. "Fudd's eyes weren't injured that day. They were cursed. The only way to undo a curse like that and heal Fudd is for a creature to give away all his magic."
"And I'd never let anyone to do that," Fudd said. "It's just too big a sacrifice."
They fell silent for only a moment before Wendy called from downstairs, "Elliot! Your friend Cami is here. She wants to apologize about some doll!"
"Tell her everything's fine and to go away!" Elliot yelled back.
"Can I send her up to see you?" Wendy asked.
It was hard to hear her because of the noise of the twins running around downstairs. Elliot was glad they had not fallen into some giant sinkhole, but now he had to yell back to his sister even louder.
"No way, no chance, never!" he answered.
"Okay!"
Elliot turned back to the Brownies. "All right, I need some ideas about how we can stop Kovol."
Suddenly, Patches and Mr. Willimaker disappeared. In the same instant, Elliot heard the creak of his door behind him.
Fudd must not have heard the door creak. Still looking at the bedpost, he said, "Your Highness, I think--"
He had spoken about four words too many and failed to disappear about four seconds too late.
"What is that?" someone asked.
Elliot turned and saw Cami in the doorway of his room. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide as she stared at Fudd. For a moment, Fudd looked as if he wanted to poof away, but then he must have decided there was really no point in that now.
Elliot groaned. What did Wendy think "no way, no chance, never" meant anyway: "Sure, send Cami right up"? With the noise the twins were making downstairs, she might not have heard him.
"Elliot, what is that?" Cami repeated, pointing at Fudd. "It's looking at me."
"It is a he, and he's my friend," Elliot said. "And he's blind, so he isn't actually looking at you, but he can hear you just fine and you're being rude."
"Oh. Sorry," Cami said. "But you still haven't told me what it--what...he is."
Elliot sighed. "Come back, Mr. Willimaker and Patches. I guess you can show yourselves now." Then he turned to Cami. "I've got a sort of big secret. Sit down and I'll tell you everything."
Cami's eyes got wider and wider while Elliot told her all about the existence of Pixies, Goblins, and other mythical creatures, and about how he had come to be the king of the Brownies.
"This explains a lot," Cami said. "Like why you've been such an odd kid for so many years."
Elliot arched his head. "I've only been the Brownie king since last fall."
"Oh," Cami said. "Well, this explains why you've been odder than usual since last fall."
She crouched down to Mr. Willimaker and shook his hand. "So Elliot's your king, huh?"