Kingdom Keepers III(72)
“Everyone okay?” she asked.
“Where did you come from?” Jess asked.
“What was that?” Willa said.
“Gymnastics,” Charlene answered. “A vault without the follow-through.” She smiled widely. “I always wondered if I’d get a chance to use any of it.”
Willa said, “We’d better get out of here.”
“And fast,” Charlene said, agreeing. “I left the jesters halfway to Morocco. At some point they’ll figure out I circled back.”
“We just leave?” Jess asked.
“Not enough excitement for one night?” Charlene teased.
“We find the others,” Willa said. “The Overtakers know we’re here now. There isn’t much time.”
“We’ve got to warn them,” Charlene added.
“If we can,” Willa said.
* * *
“What’s going on?” Amanda asked. She and Finn had been on their way around the east side of Epcot—past the Universe of Energy pavilion, Mission Space, and the abandoned Wonders of Life—when Finn had grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her down behind a gift cart.
“Look low to the ground.”
She gasped.
“Our friend the python.”
“Where’s it going?”
“Away from Wonders toward the east side of the park.”
“Jess!”
“Yes…France is over there.”
“But then—”
“They’re in trouble.” Finn took out his phone and texted Charlene.
snake comin ur way
They stayed hidden, awaiting Charlene’s reply.
ovrtkrs evrywehr need help tell me when da snake croses da bridge…
“We need to follow him.”
“I was afraid you were going to say something like that.”
“At a distance. It’ll be all right.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“I can leave you off at the arrival point, if you want.”
“Alone? Hello? I don’t think so!”
“Okay. Stay low.”
Finn and Amanda followed the snake for the next several minutes, staying well behind him. Finn kept licking his finger and holding it up when they paused.
“Wind direction,” he explained. “He’s going to smell us before he hears or sees us. But with the wind coming off the lake as it is, we’re fine.”
They reached the central fountain, and tucked behind its low wall.
“He’s just so disgusting,” she said of Gigabyte.
“He’s a twenty-foot snake. What’d you expect?”
He hurried out across the plaza and Amanda followed. They turned right toward Canada, from where Finn had a good view of the bridge to France.
Gigabyte slithered along, moving with astonishing speed.
snakes crosin da bridge…
tell me wen hes ovr
“Finn…to the left…” Amanda said.
Finn looked across the water, where he saw the pair of Segways at Showcase Plaza coming toward them.
uhoh more ovrtakrs…dont move
He hoped he’d sent the text in time.
But suddenly Charlene appeared from under the bridge. Then Jess. Then Willa.
“I don’t believe it!” Amanda said. “Where’d they come from?”
“They aren’t going to make it!”
At that moment, the two dummies on the Segways changed course, spotting the girls.
“They’re going to get caught!” Finn said, standing up. He looked around trying to think what to do.
Amanda stepped out alongside of him. She closed her eyes, raised her hand, palm up.
The Segways briefly lifted off the asphalt as if they hit a speed bump, but then continued to scoot along normally.
“Not the same,” Amanda mumbled. Finn could feel her concentrating. Being a DHI had lessened her powers. She was trembling as she squinted her eyes and lifted her outstretched hand for a second try. This time the Segways rose and floated, went off-balance and fell to the asphalt. The two dummies went flying and broke into pieces as they landed. One lost a leg and an arm. The other, both arms.
The one that still had its legs stood back up, turned its head back around a hundred and eighty degrees to face the front again and went off in search of its missing arms.
The girls took off at a sprint, joining Finn and Amanda, who were already running away. Finn glanced back to see the two dummies piecing themselves back together. It would be a few minutes before they were able to ride the Segways again.
“Was that you?” Jess asked Amanda.
“Sorry. It was a little bit strong,” Amanda said.
“It did the trick,” Finn said.
Charlene was well out in front of the others, since she was a much faster runner.
“Where to?” she called out.
“Norway!” Finn shouted, suddenly concerned that he hadn’t heard from either Maybeck or Philby.