Kingdom Keepers VII

by Pearson, Ridley

  “Hold on tight!”

  It’s Amanda’s voice. Finn knows what’s coming. Lacing his fingers around the tree limb, he wraps his legs tight as well and locks his ankles. The leaves invert, their silver undersides bent into the shape of a thousand funnels as the force of Amanda’s telekinetic push hits both Finn and the Sabor, throwing the cat off the limb. Two claws remain stuck in the fabricated bark, separated from their owner.

  As the Sabor lands below, it returns to its sculpted form, perhaps as a result of being removed from its domain. Amanda and Willa follow the Dillard, who’s waiting below, up the stairs and reach Finn as he lowers himself to the main trunk and climbs down.

  He sights the direction indicated by the broken tree limb one last time, and then turns as Amanda and Willa throw their arms around him. The three celebrate with a hug.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Finn cries, leading the way down the stairs.

  The Dillard is prattling on about something to do with “seventeen seconds,” but Finn barely hears, his mind overcome with his discovery. He takes deep breaths to restore his calm, and hopefully, his all clear.

  “Jess needs us,” Amanda says.

  “Not now,” Finn says, determined to pursue the golden arrow.

  “Yes, now!” Amanda declares, with unusual firmness.

  Her tone stops the three others.

  “How could you possibly know that?” Finn asks.

  “Why would you have to even ask me?” she counters.

  Willa says, “Easy, you two! Seriously, Finn.”

  He describes his discovery of the partial hieroglyph and the golden arrow in a heated voice.

  “Whatever it is,” Willa says, “it’s been there a long time. It isn’t going anywhere.”

  Finn looks back to the Tarzan Treehouse, then into the girls’ faces and the Dillard’s holographic eyes. “Okay,” he says. “I suppose you can tell us where to find her.”

  “Do I know, exactly? No. But she’s somewhere in that direction.” Amanda points. Finn’s about to make a sarcastic comment when the ground shakes beneath their feet—a second tremor.

  “We’d better hurry,” he says.

  THE REUNION OF THE KEEPERS takes place in a copse of trees with a view of Casey Jr. Remy, Django, and a dozen of their relatives find Finn and company, and, on orders from Philby, lead them back to Philby’s group, which now includes hundreds more of Remy’s kin.

  As they meet up, all the Keepers begin to talk over one another while the Dillard looks on. The Dillard then demonstrates a particular aspect of his upgrade: the ability to record conversation and recite it like a script, so that when Finn asks Philby, “What’d you just say?” it isn’t Philby but the Dillard who answers.

  Then, prompted by Finn, the Dillard recites the other conversations, word for word.

  “Incredible,” Finn says.

  “Unavoidable,” Philby says, tugging Finn away. “It’s amazing he can do that, yes. But think about it. He can record everything we say.” Finn stares at him, silent.

  “Why would they program him like that? Why would the Imagineers add a ton of code to the Dillard’s program, enabling him to record multiple conversations?”

  “Oh, come on! Talk about paranoid!”

  “I heard you ask a question, and I heard the Dillard answer. Honestly, I’m not sure we’re supposed to know he has that ability.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  Philby’s nodding. “He’s spying on us, Finn. He’s recording—probably with video, too—everything we’re doing. Transmitting in real time would be my guess. The Cryptos knew you’d keep him around. They played you. Played us!”

  “You make it sound so…devious.”

  “It is!”

  “We don’t know that! And even if it’s true, what if it’s to protect us? Give them eyes and ears so they can bail us out or return us if we’re in trouble.”

  Philby rolls his tongue in his mouth, chewing on the idea. Then he shakes his head, never breaking eye contact with Finn. “‘The enemy within.’”

  Finn sucks air. “No.”

  “Yes. All it takes is one bad Crypto with access to the Dillard and the OTs know everything we do—everything we even talk about doing. Wayne said we’d be sabotaged, didn’t he?”

  “This is crazy.”

  “Finn, sabotage is done to a thing: a machine, a building, a road. Not to people, not to a group. Why did Wayne use that particular word? And what makes it so impossible? The Dillard’s your best friend.”

  “And I killed him.”

  “I didn’t mean that! I mean he’s the last person we’d suspect. Remember what Wayne said: ‘Suspect everyone. Trust no one.’”

  “Who can live that way? That’s insane!”

  “It’s war, Finn.”

  “Do you trust any of us?” Finn counters angrily. “That’s poison, Philby. You’re poisoning us!”

  “Am I?” Philby steps back, returns to the group, and raises his hand for silence. “Look at him. Find out what’s going on.”

  The Dillard is crouched down outside a cluster of trees, looking away from the Skyway Station. He’s posed like a scout, his head sweeping right to left, then back again. Finn looks around at the Keepers and Fairlies, all of whom are too busy talking to pay attention to what might be out there. It’s hard for him to imagine that the Dillard’s an Imagineer spy when the guy appears to be the only one who cares about their protection.

  Finn approaches quietly from behind.

  “There is someone coming, Finn.”

  It’s disquieting that the Dillard names him without turning, without seeing who’s approaching. Finn can imagine a GPS tracking system built into the hologram’s database, allowing it to track and account for each of the Keepers’ projections at any given instant. Again, Philby’s accusations hang in his mind.

  “Where?”

  “Eleven minutes ago, security video recorded a breach fifteen yards east of the main gate. There have been no accompanying security alerts, leading me to determine that the breach has gone unnoticed by all but me. Allowing for an average human walking speed of 3.1 miles per hour, the individual could arrive at any moment.”

  “Can you see the security video?”

  “I can.”

  “Description?”

  “The individual is alone. Five feet seven inches tall. Approximately one hundred thirty pounds.”

  “So, a girl?” Finn says.

  “Gender undetermined,” the Dillard says.

  “Current location?” Finn is learning to direct the Dillard by interrupting with questions.

  “Approximately one hundred seventy-five feet southeast, hunkered down in shadow.”

  “‘Approximately?’ ‘Hunkered?’ Really?”

  “Should I repeat?” the Dillard asks, missing Finn’s sarcasm.

  “No.” Finn wishes he could pet the boy on his head like a puppy. Their relationship is developing the feel of a master and his dog. Finn hurries back and motions the others to gather round him. “A visitor!” he says in a hush. “Stay here. Silence!”

  Finn turns and sneaks back up alongside the Dillard. “Dillard, how could this girl know where we are?” he whispers.

  “Gender undetermined.”

  “Get over it! Answer the question?”

  “The question is too broad. Can you limit the question?”

  “What are the top three ways the individual could determine the location of our holograms?”

  “Highest percentage: all projected holograms are currently geo-tagged and tracked.”

  Bingo, Finn thought. “The Imagineers can track us in real time?”

  “Disney programmers possess our precise locations at all times.”

  “Do they track us?”

  “Data not available.”

  “Next possibility?”

  “Second-highest percentage: visual identification. On the Disney side, this includes the naked eye and security video.”

  “We could have
been spotted.”

  “Correct.”

  “Explain what you mean by ‘Disney side.’”

  “Your adversaries may have spotted you.”

  Finn swallows away the suggestion. “Next.”

  “The individual’s agents, irrespective of your adversaries, could have spotted you.”

  Irrespective? Finn thinks, but says nothing. The Cryptos need to work on the Dillard’s vocabulary.

  “Individual sighted,” the Dillard says, duck-walking back into shadow.

  Finn whispers, “You can see someone? Really?”

  The Dillard points and Finn makes out a ripple in a shadow alongside a food kiosk. It looks like nothing more than a swirl of oil and water.

  “Whoa,” Finn murmurs, “you’re good.” He’s still wondering how this person found out about him and the others. Most likely—though the Dillard didn’t mention it—is that Charlene was spotted climbing the Small World spire. Her blue DHI outline would have been visible from a great distance. What’s still a question is the person’s intentions. Is he or she here to spy on them, warn them, or attack them?

  “Gender: female. Race: Asian,” the Dillard announces, unprovoked.

  “I know who it is,” Finn says. Spinning back toward the other Keepers gathered behind him in the trees, he hisses, “Storey’s coming!” He signals Maybeck to sneak up behind her and keep his eyes open for anyone else in the area. Then he and the Dillard watch Maybeck surprise the girl, creeping up on her in shadow.

  Ten minutes have passed by the time Storey is reunited with them. They talk quietly, standing in a tight circle under the trees, as Storey explains her mission.

  “The characters—the good characters—are talking about the Children of Light being in Disneyland tonight. You’ve been seen multiple times, and the Overtakers know you’re here, too.”

  “No kidding,” Willa says. “We’ve met quite a few tonight.”

  “Remy’s pack has spread the word that you may need help.”

  Remy crosses his little arms proudly at Finn’s ankle and salutes. The hundreds of rats follow suit, rising and balancing on their hind legs.

  “Now that’s adorable,” Storey says.

  “And?” Philby asks. “Do we have any support?”

  “Prince Phillip is organizing King Arthur’s knights from the carousel. You need horses.”

  “Why?” Philby says.

  “Aren’t you planning an attack? Don’t you know what’s up there?” Storey asks, pointing toward the hill.

  The Keepers shake their heads.

  “There are those among us—good sorcerers, Fairy God-mothers, fairies—who feel the dark magic. Like old people who know a storm’s coming.”

  The Keepers and Amanda look squarely at Jess.

  “Yes,” Finn says, speaking for all of them. “We know.”

  “Starting not long ago, about the time you all showed up, that dark power has grown stronger.”

  “Chernabog,” Willa says. “Tia Dalma. Cruella. The Evil Queen.”

  “It causes headaches, makes characters feel unwell or puts them in bad moods. The moment I heard you were over here, I made the connection. All the characters who’ve fallen ill are from Fantasyland, It’s a Small World, and the castle. You look at a map, they go out like spokes on a wheel from this hill, the—”

  “Skyway Station,” Philby says, interrupting.

  “Abandoned for twenty years,” says the Dillard, surprising everyone. They’d forgotten he was listening. “The Skyway once transported Disneyland guests from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland and back.”

  “Is that your friend Dillard?” Storey Ming asks, astonished to see him apparently alive.

  “Don’t ask,” Finn answers. “Long story.”

  “It was closed in 1994,” the Dillard continues, “when stress fractures were discovered in the tram towers inside the Matterhorn, through which the tram passed at that time.”

  “Hey,” Storey says to the Dillard, who looks back, curiously.

  “She’s saying hello,” Finn tells the hologram.

  “Hello,” the Dillard says, closing his eyes. Probably recording the expression in his voice recognition file, Finn thinks. When the Dillard’s eyelids fail to reopen, Finn crouches down beside him while the others continue talking.

  “The Overtakers are using the Skyway Station as a hideaway?” Amanda says.

  “There was a building like this in my dream,” Jess reminds them.

  “Are you okay?” Finn whispers to the Dillard.

  “So you’re telling us there are OTs up there,” Maybeck says to Storey. “Maybe the darkest of the dark. We’ve got a girl who can push telekinetically. Another girl who’s a gymnast. Me, of course. And a couple of brainiacs. Then there’s the OTs. They can cast spells, conjure, and transfigure themselves, and they’re maybe hiding a jumpstarted monster that can crush us like bugs. Supposedly there’s some Prince Charming—”

  “Prince Phillip,” Charlene corrects him.

  “Respond,” Finn commands the Dillard quietly. Nothing.

  “Whatever,” Maybeck continues. “He’s coming over here with some pint-size knights in shining armor on knee-high plastic horses. The OTs have the high ground—another advantage—and may know we’re coming.” He pauses. “Did I miss something?”

  Remy and all the rats nod.

  “Excu-u-u-use me,” Maybeck says. “Let’s not forget our secret weapon: gourmet rodents.”

  He laughs at his own joke, failing to win laughs from the others. Judging by Remy’s twisted snout, Maybeck has hurt his feelings.

  The Dillard’s eyes open and the hologram speaks confidentially to Finn. “I have identified only one Storey Ming in the White Pages. This is not she.”

  “It’s okay, Dillard. She’s probably under a pseudonym, kind of like the Fairlies. Reschedule query.”

  The Dillard blinks. His head shifts direction to take in the others.

  Philby says, “That sounds about right, Maybeck. Better odds than we’ve faced in the past.”

  “We’ve never stirred the hornet’s nest before, Philby. We’ve never faced all these guys at the same time, in the same place. Put on your professor’s cap! What are we supposed to do, arrest them? What’s the plan, Stan?”

  Storey Ming produces a book of matches. “Did I mention that the Skyway Station was very old, and made entirely of wood?”

  “No!” Willa’s almost shouting. “We are not setting that station on fire!”

  “It’s isolated on that hill,” Storey says, expertly flipping the books of matches between her fingers. She moves with extraordinary ease, as if she has eight fingers and a thumb, not four. “There’s no wind, and Disneyland has its own fire department.”

  “The Disneyland Resort Fire Department’s ladder company is located behind the Mad Hatter Store. It has an average park response time of under seven minutes,” the Dillard says.

  “We can’t possibly be considering this,” Charlene says. “It’s arson. Arson’s a crime.”

  “It’s the Overtakers,” Storey says. “Seven minutes? They’ll barely get a suntan.”

  “No one asked you!” Willa shouts.

  “Let’s keep our voices down,” Finn says. He eyes Philby, watching the gears grinding in his friend’s head.

  “We’re all clear,” Philby mutters.

  “We should tell the Cryptos,” Willa says firmly. “It’s their park, their battle.”

  “Then why did Wayne bring us here?” Maybeck says. He’s clearly leaning toward Storey Ming’s way of thinking. “Not to guide the guests, that’s for sure. He brought us here to solve—”

  “Never mind!” Finn doesn’t want Storey hearing about the Osiris myth or the Manto Manuscripts. It’s a knee-jerk, instinctive reaction to stop Maybeck. His own action confuses Finn. Wayne worked with Finn for years, encouraging him to trust himself as a leader. Why this particular switch has been thrown Finn doesn’t know, but following Wayne’s mentoring, Finn trusts it. “We get the poin
t.”

  “We don’t even know who’s up there,” Charlene says. She’s clearly agonizing.

  “I can do reconnaissance,” Maybeck says.

  “Not alone, you can’t,” Charlene says, putting a hand on his arm.

  And now Charlene’s upset all the more, because she and Maybeck have taken opposite sides. She’s pleading with her eyes, but Maybeck remains oblivious. Finn sees Charlene look away, hurt.

  “Dillard,” Finn says, “if the Evil Queen, Tia Dalma, Cruella de Vil, and Chernabog are up there, what are the odds of success?”

  “Define success.”

  “Capture!” Charlene says.

  Finn is thinking of Wayne and Toontown. “Capture or termination,” he says.

  “Without knowledge of the plan of attack—” the Dillard begins.

  Finn cuts him off. “Skip the disclaimers. Cut to the chase.”

  “The chase?”

  “The percentages, Dillard!”

  “I do not have the necessary data on Ms. Storey Ming—still searching. Present company has an eight percent chance of termination, a sixteen-point-nine percent chance of abduction, and a nineteen percent chance of some combination of these two outcomes.”

  “We’re toast,” a disappointed Maybeck says.

  “He doesn’t like our chances,” Finn informs the Dillard, who blinks, confused by the expression.

  “Your percentages increase narrowly with the assistance of Prince Phillip and the carousel knights. However, you lack sufficient powers to counteract those of your opponents. They, your opponents, possess formidable dark magic and physical strength.”

  “And we’ve got squat,” Maybeck says.

  “You don’t have to sound so crushed,” Charlene snaps, stepping away from him and crossing her arms. Maybeck sneers at her. Finn closes his eyes. He can feel everything falling apart.

  “We have this,” Jess says, reaching into her front pocket.

  The group looks at her.

  Jess is holding Walt’s pen.

  “I REMIND YOU,” Jess says, “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  A swirling ground fog continues to rise around them and throughout the park. It grows thicker by the minute.

  “Do whatever it was you did in Toontown,” Philby says. “You saw something, right?”