Kingdom Keepers V(115)

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The question of whom Maybeck had cornered turned out to be a what, not a whom. The hyenas. He wasn’t exactly sure why it was working, only that it must have something to do with Disney. When you were a Keeper, it turned out everything had to do with Disney.

The truth was, he hadn’t thought about it. It was not some brilliant plan the way Philby and Willa hatched brilliant plans. It was not some insanely creative solution the way Finn came up with them. Confronted by two drooling hyenas, both the size of a Great Dane and the demeanor of a pit bull, he’d just grabbed for the object nearest to him, which turned out to be a papier-mâché lion’s head, a prop from one of the live stage shows. And not just any lion’s head—Scar’s head.

Seeing this, the hyenas cowered into a corner, sat back on their haunches, and looked away, the way a dog does when scolded by his master. They went from vicious, blood-seeking, four-legged killers to simpering, whimpering mutts that looked as dangerous as a pair of gerbils.

But if Maybeck moved the head to the wrong angle, their necks snapped around, their eyes popped out of their heads, and they appeared ready to tear a chunk of flesh from him the size of a holiday ham. So he kept the mask extended, arms tiring, wondering, “What now?”

“Psst! How’s it going?” Amanda called to him. He had rescued her and Jess, believing at the time that at least one of the girls he saw was Charlene.

“It’s a bit of a stalemate,” Maybeck answered. “If I take a step back, they take a step forward. I’ve held them here since you left. But the slightest movement, and I get the feeling I’m going to be puppy chow. Factor into the equation,”—an expression he’d heard Philby use repeatedly, and one he thought sounded particularly smart—“that my arms are tiring…I’m not saying I’m weak, but this mask is huge and it’s heavy…”

“What do you want us to do?” Jess asked.

“I think you should get out of here,” he said.

“Seriously, Maybeck,” Charlene said, “what are the odds of me leaving you here?”

“I could drop it and run, but my guess is they’re about five times faster than any of us.”

An amber light on the wall behind the hyenas flashed.

“It’s Philby,” Charlene said.

“Freeze! And don’t say a word!” Jess whispered harshly, having nearly forgotten what had led her and Amanda down the stairs to begin with. The Evil Queen and Cruella were headed to the lower-level staging area and the crate. She’d seen it in a dream, along with Charlene being down there at the time of their arrival.

The kids remained absolutely still. The clip-clop of a woman’s heels percussed across the darkened stage. The two grown women stopped only yards from the three girls.

“Happy? Howly?” Cruella called out. Then again. “Come here, my little laughers!” A pause. “Boys?” Another pause. “Well, that’s as odd as a one-eyed parrot. I left them here to patrol.”

“So maybe they’re off patrolling,” said the Evil Queen, impatient with her partner. “What is the problem?”

“The problem is I left them here, and those boys obey.”

“You think every animal dances to your tune, including most people. Well, not this person.”

“You are hardly a person!” Cruella complained.

“Shush! Let’s make sure our guest is comfortable. You can work your magic on him, my dear.”

“That’s the idea,” said Cruella.

“I wouldn’t get too cocky, if I were you. He’s no hound, as you’ll soon find out. How are you with bats, anyway?”

“While I adore most nocturnals, the winged variety find little support from me. Though I’m loath to admit it, I find them frightening.”

“Well, at least we have something in common! You live in the woods or drafty old castles, you come to tolerate the things, but accepting them is different. If left up to me I’d banish them for eternity!”

“You can do that, can’t you? I envy you, Queeny. How I wish I could conjure. Could you teach me?”

“Shut it, will you? Are you quite done blowing your dog whistle? I’d like to get on with it.”

“At your disposal.”

The two trundled off in the direction of the staircase and descended.

When the witch and the woman were well gone, Amanda, looking up, said softly, “I have an idea.”

“Let’s hear it,” Jess said.

“You’re a climber, aren’t you?” she asked Charlene.

You know I am, Charlene felt like saying, but she held her tongue. She knew Amanda had a thing for Finn, knew Finn had a thing for Amanda, and knew that Finn found it easy to flirt with her and that the flirting drove Amanda crazy. There were few secrets among the Keepers. Everyone had known that Charlene had had a crush on Finn for quite some time. But it was over now, and Amanda didn’t need to pretend they barely knew each other.