Kingdom Keepers II(80)

“How are you with small spaces?” he asked.





61


THE TWO TIGERS VANISHED IN MIDAIR. As did four of the six monkeys and two of the orangutans.

The big tigress from the shadows remained and so did the massive tiger that had come through the hatch. Finn counted two monkeys and two orangutans.

DHIs, Finn realized. Two of the tigers and several of the monkeys and apes had been holograms. No wonder his blows with the stick hadn’t done much.

Amanda’s climb had distracted the charging animals just long enough for Finn and Jez to get past them. Meanwhile, Philby’s team was about to defeat the second server.

Now it was time to get out of there.

Finn took off running. A caged-in jungle Jeep appeared from over the rise, a flashing light atop its roof.

The orangutans moved to intercept Finn. Jez ran toward Charlene and the wall.

Incredibly fast, and easily as big as he was, the apes came at Finn with wild eyes and drooling snorts of intention. The first of the two bounded toward Finn, made one gigantic leap, and would have torn his head off with its outstretched hand had the tigress not sprung. The cat scared the orangutan. The ape rolled into a ball, came to standing, and saw the cat bearing down on it once again. Forced to choose between pursuing Finn or confronting the cat, the orange ape turned to escape. Now, faced with a Jeep coming at it headlong, the orangutan sprang for the bamboo grove and disappeared, the huge cat following hotly on its tail.

The second ape saw its partner flee and beat a hasty retreat. Thankfully for Finn, that retreat took it into the path of the Jeep, which veered sharply to avoid a collision. The Jeep skidded to a stop near the open hatch, away from Charlene, who remained poised, her stilts pressed at an angle against the wall. Jez was nowhere to be seen. She’d made it over the wall.

“How about a lift?” Finn shouted.

Charlene bent low and offered her cupped hands as a boost.

Finn climbed up, lay flat, and offered Charlene his hand. She took it, stood, and, as rangers hurried from the Jeep, shook her legs violently, managing to kick loose first one, and then both of the stilts. Some of the ivy that connected her costume with the stilts tore loose. She left the rangers with a pair of stilts in their hands as she and Finn both lowered themselves down off the wall.

Dozens of guests had gathered to observe the excitement. Some applauded as the Kingdom Keepers dropped to the path, but they didn’t stick around to take a bow.

Charlene said, “This way!” and led the others directly across the formal gardens and into the jungle on a route she now knew well.

But just before they entered the dense jungle, Jez pulled to a stop, transfixed by something to her right.

All the kids stopped and looked in that direction. They saw a snowcapped peak of a towering mountain.

“That mountain was in my dream,” she told Finn. “The dream I told you about.”

“King of the Mountain” Finn said. “Where you and Amanda were under attack.”

“Yes.” Jez reached out and took Amanda by the hand. She said nothing, but the look that was exchanged between the two “sisters” would have quieted even the most cynical person.

“That’s Expedition Everest,” Charlene said.

“Then, like it or not, that’s where we’re headed,” Jez said. “Never once, not once, has one of my dreams lied to me.”





62


HAVING RECONNECTED ON THE DS’S, all the Kingdom Keepers, along with Jez and Amanda, reunited in a small patch of jungle. Behind them towered Expedition Everest, and screams were heard periodically as the roller coaster thrilled its riders. After a quick celebration of Jez’s return, Finn brought up the daydream she had had while trapped in the tunnel.

“But so what?” Maybeck asked. “We had two things we had to do: get Jez back and kill the second server. We’ve done both. I’m so tired I can barely stand. Let’s get out of here while we still can.”

“You all can go. It’s all right,” Amanda said matter-of-factly. “We will never be able to repay you for all you’ve done.”

“But your dream,” Charlene said. “The giant attacking you. Finn in his hands.”

“All the more reason,” Maybeck said, “we should just boogie and forget about all that.”

He looked to the others for agreement but saw only vacant faces.

“Come on, people!” Maybeck chastised. “Quit while you’re ahead. Ever heard of that?”

“Leave no stone unturned,” Finn said, “might be more appropriate. Wayne has gone missing.”

“Philby cut the data lines. Who knows how that affected the data flow in the Park? Besides, it wasn’t Wayne. It was his VMK avatar! Are you kidding me? We’re going to stay and try to find a missing avatar? Are you serious? Half the Park is out looking for us.”