A stunned silence swept over the collective.
“It’s Chernabog,” Philby said.
“But…why?” Willa said.
“That’s what we need to figure out,” Finn said. “It all comes back to the stolen journal.”
“A ritual,” Charlene said.
“And a ceremony,” Willa added.
“We are way in the deep stuff,” Maybeck said. “I’m not talking knee deep, I’m talking neck deep.”
“That’s gross,” Amanda said.
“Disgusting,” Charlene agreed. The two exchanged a thoughtful look. Both grinned.
“And you’re here because?” Willa asked, turning to Jess and Amanda.
“Wanda Alcott wanted us available. Warned us we might cross over when we went to sleep at night. Jess had this dream—”
“About Charlie getting caught by the Evil Queen and Cruella,” Jess said. “Other stuff too, but I haven’t put it together.”
“The link I installed,” Philby said to the others. “I thought Wayne wanted it installed so we could help out at Base. Looks like he wanted to use it as an uplink, going the other direction.”
“We need to return at some point,” Jess said. “Mrs. Nash will check the rooms around six. We need to get some sleep before then.”
It had been a long night, already past one.
“I can return you,” Philby offered.
“We have the autographing tomorrow,” Finn reminded them. “Walt Disney Theatre. It might give us another chance to check out the crate.”
“That sounds risky,” Storey said.
“Not if we make it look like one of us just wandered off in the wrong direction looking for a bathroom.”
“That could work,” Willa agreed.
“Unless Howly and Happy are out for a walk,” Maybeck said.
“Not during the day,” Charlene said.
“I know that,” Maybeck said. “I was making a joke.”
“Ha ha,” Willa said.
“We need to decipher the journal,” Finn said. “And locate the OT server. I’d love—love, love, love—to lock fat face in the Syndrome for a couple of days.”
“Like forever,” Maybeck joined in.
“We’re talking about Luowski, I take it,” Professor Philby said.
Everyone laughed.
“Have you considered he’s more valuable to us as a captive?” Philby said. “If we could find his lair while he’s crossed over and be there when he returns…”
“We don’t kidnap people,” Willa objected.
“Who said anything about kidnapping? We just play a game of twenty questions with him when he wakes up from the return.”
“With a couple of us holding him down,” Maybeck said, clearly approving of the plan.
“The entire crew has been searching for the stowaways for over a day now,” Storey Ming said. “I don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but they know the hiding places on the ship a lot better than any of you—or I.”
“True enough,” Philby said. “But we have technologies they lack.”
“Such as?” she asked.
“Maybe later,” he answered, not fully trusting her.
“Not yet,” Finn told her, using the same phrase she’d used on him.
Amanda caught the exchange between the two and studied them disapprovingly.
“How many days at sea?” she asked.
“Two,” Philby answered. “Two sea days and then Aruba.”
“They could have brought Chernabog on at any of the ports,” Amanda said, “so why now?”
She silenced them once again.
A sleepy-eyed guest entered wearing a robe and slippers. He poured himself a glass of milk from a half fridge, drank it down, and left. He gave no indication he’d seen eight kids in the corner. The door thumped shut.
“Why indeed?” Willa said.
“They waited until Castaway,” Maybeck said, “because the Canaveral port is probably too well managed. I’ll bet someone knows exactly what and who gets on the ship. Security especially.”
“Agreed,” said Philby.
“Castaway offers a way around that,” Maybeck said. “It’s different than Aruba, the canal, Costa Rica—any of the other stops.”
“But why bring him aboard at all?” Amanda asked.
“It’s got to have something to do with what’s in the journal,” Finn said.
“You’re going around in circles,” Storey Ming said.
“It’s late,” Charlene said. “We need sleep. We need to keep our heads clear.”
“We’re two days in. Thirteen to go,” Willa said.
“Just hearing that makes me tired,” Philby said.