Kingdom Keepers VI(73)

The woman stepped over the log and crushed Charlene’s hand. Charlene bit back the cry that wanted to escape. The man passed below her. The woman didn’t feel the bones beneath her boot; she trudged onward through the forest.

The two crunched ahead, ten yards past. Now twenty. Charlene couldn’t know for certain what they were up to: bandits preparing to rob tourists? Agents of the Overtakers? Security for the company running the mountain activities, protecting their guests, not stalking them?

She did not dare move until they vanished into the trees. Then she gradually followed, staying well back. Followed, even as the two caught a glimpse of the ship passengers currently on the path and broke into a jog. Clearly they had wanted to see only the two girls—Charlene and Willa. But Charlene revised this opinion as they hunkered down behind a giant upended root-ball from a fallen tree, now with a clear line of sight to the path. They were awaiting someone else.

Charlene backed up gingerly and found her way back down. She waited for a family to come along and took the far side where the two who were spying would not be able to see her clearly. She moved in unison with the family, averting her head as they neared the section of trail she believed was under watch.

Ten minutes later, she caught up with Willa, who was waiting by the third zip line platform.

“I thought…I don’t know what I thought,” Willa said. “I thought something had happened to you.” She said it too loudly for Charlene’s comfort zone.

“Let’s get across,” Charlene said. “They can’t follow us that way.”

“They? Who? What’d you find out?”

“Later,” Charlene said.

Once across the ravine, Charlene explained what she’d seen.

“So they work here?”

“Who knows? Some kind of security, maybe?”

“There’s a lot of forest out here,” Willa said. The mountains were nothing but green. “They could have crossed onto the property. They could have been hired to come after us.”

“By who?”

Some fellow passengers approached down the trail.

“Later,” Willa said.

Two hours later, smiling Dream passengers boarded the bus back to the ship, buzzing about their adventures on the zip lines. Their mood festive and excited, they shared photos and stories, laughter and cheers. Creatures of habit, most people sat in the same seats they’d occupied earlier, including Charlene and Willa. From below came loud noises—coolers and equipment bags being loaded onto the bus.

Charlene cried out as Willa gripped her arm. Given all the noise and chaos, hardly anyone took notice but Charlene, who felt as if a tourniquet had been applied.

“That’s not Philby.” Willa released her hold as Charlene pried her fingers free.

The boy who boarded the bus looked surprisingly like Philby, but wasn’t. It appeared to be a clever disguise. Coming down the aisle, this boy kept his hat brim low.

Willa came out of her seat to confront him; Charlene pulled her back down. The boy sat in the seat immediately across the narrow aisle. The hat brim lifted slowly. Both girls covered their mouths to stifle their shock. It was Kenny Carlson, the volunteer DHI, his face made up to look like Philby’s.

“I can’t find him,” Kenny said. “I waited, but he never showed up.”

“Who?” Charlene said sharply, not wanting the answer she felt certain she’d hear.

“Dillard.”

“Dillard?” Both girls, simultaneously.

“Playing Finn.”

“Playing?”

They waited for two older people to push past and find seats.

“Wayne’s orders. We…Dillard and I…kind of detained Finn and Philby and took their places.”

Charlene exhaled a sigh of relief, only to hate herself for it. Finn’s gain seemed to be Dillard’s loss.

“We’ve got to tell the Cast Member in charge!” Willa said.

“I did. That’s why we’re delayed. We were supposed to board thirty minutes ago. The staff is supposedly running all the trails looking for him. I guess it happens often enough that they have a system. Twisted ankles. That sort of thing. But I know where I lost him, and they’re already past there.”

“After the second line, before the third platform,” Charlene said.

Willa gripped her arm again.

“How’d you know that?” a stunned Kenny asked.

The girls shared panicked expressions. Willa whispered dryly, “They’re not going to find him.”

Charlene said, “We’re not leaving without him.”

“The same guy told me it’s happened before,” Kenny said. “People get lost. When they find them, they drive them to the ship.”