Kingdom Keepers IV(92)
Charlene searched for something—anything—resembling a weapon: a hose; a steam valve? There had to be some way to help Maybeck.
Hugo called out again. The sound generated by the machinery altered pitch, groaning lower. Charlene felt it in her teeth.
The holograms, including her own, sputtered and dimmed. Red lights flashed on the wall like those from a police car.
Charlene moved closer, now near enough to see through the Queen, almost like an X-ray. In the Queen’s translucent right hand, she held the fob—the Return. The device appeared solid, seemingly unaffected by the loss of electric power.
“I said not yet!” The Queen appeared ready to throw a spell at Hugo, if he wasn’t already under the effect of one.
Hugo made adjustments, and the pitch in the room climbed higher. The red lights stopped flashing. The holograms and their outlines returned.
But by the time the DHIs strengthened, two things occurred: first, Maybeck used the moment of his faded image to slip past the gorillas, who no longer had hold of him; second, Charlene stepped out from behind the pipe and picked up a shining stainless steel sheet, part of a metal box connected to the turbines. She held it behind her like a surprise gift and moved bravely toward the Queen, who turned in her direction at the last second.
Maybeck vanished into the machinery. The gorillas appeared dumbfounded; to them it was like he was suddenly invisible.
Just as the Queen raised her hand to throw a spell while saying, “Well, what do we have here?” Charlene pulled the stainless steel panel from behind her back and held it up like a mirror in front of the Queen’s face.
“Oh…my…what a beautiful, beautiful face that is.” The Queen reached out to vainly take the mirror and, as she did, loosened her hold on the fob.
Like a magician or pickpocket, Charlene swept the fob out of the Queen’s hand, replacing it with the edge of the mirror, and pocketed the fob.
Maybeck appeared from behind her, grabbed her arm, dragging her into the control room. He closed and locked the door.
“We can’t allow them to kill the power,” he said. “I just realized what they’re trying to do.”
* * *
Just as Finn caught up to Amanda, he lost her: she shimmered, sputtered, and disappeared. As quickly as she’d vanished, she reappeared.
“That was so weird,” she said. “You just kind of broke up and disappeared.”
“You, too,” he said, holding his hands in front of his face. “They look okay now.”
“Very strange.” She reached out and pulled him down hard, behind a rock. “Careful,” she said, pointing. “Another pirate. This side of Superstition Bridge.”
“What was that about?” Finn said. “What just happened?”
“The projectors?” Amanda said.
“I guess. Or maybe Philby tried to Return us, but we’re too far from the hub so it didn’t work.”
“Might be.”
“Never seen anything like it.
“The pirate’s significant,” he said, turning back to the issue at hand. “Too many of these guys, too much going on for it not to mean something.”
“I agree.”
“The fort,” he said.
She nodded.
“You don’t have to go with me.”
“I want to,” Amanda said.
“It could be…it’s probably dangerous.”
“I know that.” She paused. “Two is better than one.”
“Isn’t that a song?”
“Shut up.”
“We don’t know what we’ll find. It could be nothing,” he said.
“You don’t believe that.”
“No.”
“Then don’t say it.”
“Aye, aye,” said Finn.
“It’s just…” She sounded frustrated. “We both know this is it. A fort? How perfect is that? A remote fort at that, and on an island? Give me a break! You guys should have figured this out a long time ago.”
“We were close. We just didn’t know it. We didn’t figure it out.”
“Stitch,” she said, remembering the story.
“Yes.” He considered this a moment. “The thing is…I like Stitch. Stitch is cute. Mischievous, but cute. I could never quite see him looking so mean and chasing me and Maybeck like that. But now, I’m thinking: spell. I’m thinking the Evil Queen can make us do just about anything she wants. Cute or not. Look at what’s happened to Luowski and the others! She feeds off people’s ambitions and desires.”
“Makes sense to me.” Amanda sneaked a peek around the rock. “How are we going to do this? Alligator-infested water. A pirate the size of the front door of Mrs. Nash’s house.”