“Morgana’s gone,” I said. “Can you believe her?”
“Yeah,” said Ileana. “And I thought Jezebel was conceited.”
Jez hissed at the princess.
“What now?” asked Wolf.
“Step away,” said my dad.
Then he reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the chain of keys he kept around his neck. He found the one he was looking for.
“That stone, Rune. Move it.” He pointed to a small round stone in the wall.
I reached up and pushed on it. The stone slid aside, revealing a keyhole. My dad took the key in both hands, fit it into the keyhole, then turned. With a click, the wall vibrated, then slid open, and we stepped into the study.
“It’s about time!” said the queen with a huge smile on her face.
Chapter Sixteen
What’s Bugging Doctor Do-Good
“Mom!” Ileana said, bounding across the room and embracing her mother.
“Would you be a dear and get me out of this chair?” asked Queen Catalina.
It only took Ileana two tries to find the right spell to free the queen.
“And how about these?” asked the queen, holding up her magical manacles.
“Um. I haven’t had the best luck with this style of handcuffs, but I’ll lend you my last hairpin,” said Ileana.
The queen worked to free her own wrists. Then my dad held up his.
“If you don’t mind,” he said.
“You couldn’t unlock them?” the queen asked Ileana.
Ileana crossed her arms and pouted her lips. “No.”
“Here, let me show you the trick.” The princess watched as her mother worked at the Dread Master’s chains.
“See?” asked the queen. “If you bend it this way and then turn it just a half turn.”
“Oh! I see!” said Ileana, taking over the job from her mother. A moment later, there was a tiny click, and my dad was free.
“And who is this?” asked the queen, pointing at the floating doctor.
“Long story,” I said.
“And there’s no time to tell it. Right now we have to fight off the superheroes and rid ourselves of Morgana,” said my dad.
“Right!” I said. “Let’s go!”
“Rune,” said my dad, holding out his hand.
I just looked at it. Was I supposed to shake it? Slap it? High-five? What? He seemed to notice my confusion.
“The crystal, Rune.”
“Oh.”
I reached into my cloak and fished out the crystal ball, handing it to my dad.
“Show us why the heroes attack us,” he commanded.
We all gathered around the crystal, where a scene unfolded. It showed Deven Do-Good rallying the superheroes.
“My fellow heroes!” said Deven. “The villain prisoner has escaped along with the other villains! But I have even graver news! They’ve taken our beloved mentor, my father, Doctor Do-Good, as a hostage! We must go to their cursed school and fight them! You followed my father. Now follow me to his rescue and to victory!”
There was a loud cheer from the assembled teachers and students of Doctor Do-Good’s school.
“Gather out front! We’ll leave immediately!” said Deven.
As the crowds were dispersing, he turned to his cronies Omnibrain, Vortex, and Aero-boy.
“We have to get to my father before anyone else does,” he said. “If he wakes up, he’ll tell the heroes about our plan to take over this school. We’ll be ruined! We have to get rid of him, and tell everyone the villains did it. Then we’ll crush their school! After that, no one will question our authority!”
“I dunno, Dev,” said Aero-boy. “Maybe we should just rescue your dad. If we do, he might forgive you and—”
“No! We’ve come too far for that!” Deven said.
“Yeah, Aero. Don’t be such a baby,” said Omnibrain. Aero frowned but kept silent.
“Let’s go!” said Deven.
The scene in the crystal faded.
“So, now what?” asked Jezebel, hands on her hips.
She looked defiant, but I could tell Jez was nervous. Whatever Morgana’s faults, she was right about one thing: An entire school of superheroes against four wayward villains? Even with the Dread Master and the queen thrown in, it still was not good odds.
“We have to get rid of Morgana, but we have to stop the superheroes, too!” said Ileana.
“How do we do that?” asked Wolf, nervously wringing his tail between his paws.
“Leave Morgana to me!” said Cat, her eyes flashing. I think Morgana had underestimated the queen as a villain—and an enemy.
“No,” said my dad. “I’m going with you.” For a brief moment, he and the queen locked eyes. Then he turned away quickly and cleared his throat.
“And what do we do?” I asked. My dad looked at the comatose Doctor Do-Good.
“Isn’t it obvious, Rune?” asked my dad. “You have to protect that superhero.”
“What?” My jaw dropped.
My dad sighed. “He’s the only one who can expose Deven Do-Good as a traitor to the heroes. You have to find a way to wake him up before the heroes destroy this school.”
With my dad and the queen gone, Jez, Wolf, Ileana, and I were left staring at the floating form of Doctor Do-Good. Ileana released the spell, and he fell to the ground, landing on Wolf’s tail.
“Aaarf!” Wolf barked in pain and surprise. He yanked his tail out from under the unconscious hero.
“Now what?” Ileana asked.
“We have to find a way to wake him up,” said Jezebel.
Wolf poked him in the ribs. “Wake up!”
“Uh, Wolf,” I said, “if dragons, spells, and villain abduction didn’t wake him up, I don’t think poking him is going to work. It’s like he’s under some kind of enchantment.”
“No,” Jez said. “Hero powers are different from villain powers. Heroes always have a weakness—one fatal flaw that drains their powers. If only we knew what Doctor Do-Good’s weakness was, then we could find a way to counter it.”
“Hang on a second,” I said. “Remember when we were following Deven at hero school? I watched him take out a jar of something, some kind of creature, and use it to subdue his father.”
“What was it?” asked Ileana.
“I couldn’t see. Maybe, maybe whatever it was is still on him. Search him.”
Outside the door of my dad’s study, we heard a thunderous explosion and the sound of feet pounding as students and teachers rushed to defend the school against attack.
“We don’t have much time. Hurry!” I said.
Everyone began to pat down the doctor, taking off his boots, searching his pockets. We couldn’t find anything.
“Help me get his shirt off,” I said.
“Aaaaa!” Jez shouted in alarm as Wolf and I removed Doctor Do-Good’s shirt.
“What?” I asked frantically. “Did you find something?”
“No, but cat-a-bats, does he have a hairy back!”
“What’s wrong with that?” Wolf asked with a frown.
“A_www! Look at this! It’s so adorable!” said Ileana in her cutesy voice that was reserved for when she saw a baby or was holding a kitten or something gross like that.
“What now?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “Don’t tell me! He has a tattoo of a baby dolphin.”
“No, Rune. But he does have this little guy hitching a ride behind his ear. Look.” Ileana held up her hand, where a tiny orange creature crawled lazily across her fingers.
“What is that?” asked Wolf, wrinkling his snout in disgust.
“Eww! It’s a bug! Squish it!” said Jezebel, backing away.
“No! Don’t hurt it. It’s just an itty-bitty caterpillar,” said Ileana.
Doctor Do-Good’s eyes fluttered open.
“What—what’s happening? Where am I?” he asked. Then he saw the caterpillar in Ileana’s hand. “Get that thing away from me!” Do-Good scrambled to his feet and backed away.
We all looked confused for a moment, then I realized what had happened.
“Of course!” I said. “Deven had a jar full of caterpillars! When they touched Doctor Do-Good, his powers were drained. Caterpillars are his weakness!”
Wolf snickered. “Caterpillars are your weakness? That’s just sad, man.”
Doctor Do-Good reached out his hand and lifted Wolf off the ground by the scruff of his neck. “What was that, young pup?”
“Uh, nothing. Sorry, sir,” Wolf said.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” asked the doctor, releasing Wolf. I handed him his shirt back.
“We need your help, Doctor Do-Good,” I said. There was another explosion, closer this time.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
We tried to explain everything to him, how Deven had made a pact with Morgana and kidnapped my father. How he’d betrayed the doctor, his own father, and planned to take over the hero community.
“And now he’s here, attacking our school. Please, won’t you do something?” I asked.
“I don’t know if I should,” said the doctor. “After all, this is a school of villains. Maybe I should let my heroes destroy all of you.”
I didn’t really have an answer for that, but thankfully Jezebel did.
“Oh, we’re the villains?” she asked, getting all up in the doctor’s face. “We’re the villains! Our school Master was kidnapped by your son. The same person who made a pact with a villain witch to deceive you. The same person who betrayed and imprisoned you, who used your one weakness against you.”
“And who was it that saved you from your tower prison?” added Ileana. “Who saved you from this?” she asked, holding up the little squirmy caterpillar.
Doctor Do-Good flinched away.
“You owe us,” Jezebel said.
“It seems I might have been mistaken,” said Do-Good. “You’re right. I will help you. This one time.”
“What’s the plan, Rune?” asked Wolf.
“We have to get Doctor Do-Good to explain to the heroes that Deven is a traitor. He can convince them to stop the attack. Let’s go.”
“Wait,” said Do-Good, reaching out his hand to stop me. “There’s something you should know first, in case anything happens to me.”
“What?” I asked.
“Deven’s weakness. I’ll tell you what it is, and you’ll be able to subdue his powers.”
We all exchanged glances, then I looked back at the doctor.
“Tell us.”
Chapter Seventeen
Villains Vanquished
Another explosion and more shouts echoed through the corridors. The sounds were getting much closer.
We rushed out the door into the hallway, and straight into Deven Do-Good and his gang.
“Deven!” Doctor Do-Good shouted.
“Father!” Deven looked alarmed, but quickly recovered. He rushed forward and hugged Doctor Do-Good. “Thank goodness you’re safe! We’ve been so worried!”
“Worried?” asked the doctor. “You tried to betray me!” He pushed his son away.
“What are you talking about?” asked Deven.
“You used my weakness against me, locked me in a prison. I had to be rescued by … by a bunch of villains!”
“No, that’s not true, Father. I would never do that. These villains put a spell on you!” Deven pointed an accusing finger at us.
Doctor Do-Good looked at us. I could tell he was confused. Behind him Deven smiled wickedly at me.
“He’s lying!” I said. “He’s trying to trick you. Don’t trust him.”
“Oh, of course, villain. As if my own father would trust a warlock’s word over his son’s. Father, they came to our school and kidnapped you. Do you remember anything?”
“I—I remember you betraying me, Deven.”
“Why would I do that? You had just welcomed me back after I brought you a villain Master as a prisoner, Father.”
“Yes,” said Doctor Do-Good, rubbing his temples. “I remember that, but … I just don’t know what to believe.”
“Then let me prove my loyalty to you, Father. Get them!” he shouted to Vortex, Aero-boy, and Omnibrain.
Vortex blasted us with a rush of swirling wind. I ducked to the right with Jezebel while Ileana shoved Wolf to the left. Immediately, Ileana shot a spell at Vortex.
While they struggled against each other, Omnibrain went after Wolf, and Aero-boy levitated toward Jezebel. I heard the tiny pop that meant Jez had changed into a bat, but I didn’t see it happen. My focus was on Deven Do-Good.
I tried to hex him, but he flew to the side and came up behind me. I spun around, throwing another spell, but again, he was too quick.
A scream distracted me. I turned to see Wolf Junior with his head in his paws, writhing in agony. Beside him, Omnibrain had his hands to his temples and was concentrating his energy on Wolf. I realized the big-headed hero was using some kind of mind power to torture Wolf. I ran to help my ally, but before I could, someone grabbed my wrists, and I found myself chained.
When I turned around, I was surprised to see Doctor Do-Good. He had captured me. Then he chained Wolf, who, being released from Omnibrain’s power, fell limply to the floor. It wasn’t long before all my allies were in chains. Even Jezebel had been captured. Aero-boy was dragging her down the hall toward us.
“Good work, Father!” said Deven, patting the doctor on the back. “Why don’t you take them back into the study while the boys and I rejoin the fight?”
“I’m sorry I doubted you, son,” said Doctor Do-Good as he shoved Wolf, Jez, Ileana, and me into my dad’s study.
“You couldn’t help it. You were deceived,” said Deven, coming up behind his father. He had something in his hands.
“Doctor Do-Good! Look out!” I shouted, but I was too late. Deven had dumped the entire jar of caterpillars directly on his father’s head. The old superhero collapsed to the floor, unconscious with a squirming mass of furry insects crawling all over him.
“Now I can finish you all off one by one,” said Deven, bearing down on us with an evil grin, but he was interrupted by an explosion just outside the door. The fighting had finally reached us.
Out in the hallway, hexes were flying around and so were superheroes. Sparks of fire sizzled against blasts of ice as villains and heroes faced off.
“We can’t let anyone see them,” said Deven to his gang. “Aero-boy, you stay here and stand watch.”
“But, but, Deven,” said Aero-boy, frowning at the comatose Doctor Do-Good. “Doesn’t this seem … wrong?”
“Aero,” said Vortex, “why are you always such a baby?”
“I’m not a baby,” Aero-boy muttered.
“Then do what Deven says, numbskull,” added Omnibrain, thunking Aero-boy on his skull-cap mask.
“When the fighting is over,” said Deven, “we’ll come back and finish them, and tell everyone my father was destroyed in a struggle to free himself.” He flashed another wicked grin at me. “But not before he took down four villain kids.”
Then Deven left with Omnibrain and Vortex, closing the door behind them.
“Don’t try anything funny,” said Aero-boy, levitating onto my dad’s desk.
“Why are you hanging out with a jerk like Deven?” asked Jezebel.
“He’s not a jerk. He—he’s a powerful leader,” said Aero-boy, looking down at his dangling feet.
“You don’t really believe that,” said Ileana. “You could be a powerful leader, Aero-boy.”
“You’re trying to trick me!”
“No, I’m serious. You have a chance to do the right thing here. Doesn’t he, Rune?” said the princess.
“Huh?” I asked.
Ileana raised her eyebrows meaningfully at me.
“Oh, yeah!” I said. “Why do you let Omnibrain and Vortex push you around?”
Aero-boy continued to stare at his feet. I glanced at Ileana. Behind her, Jezebel was plucking a hairpin from her head a
nd lowering it into the princess’s hands. I had to keep Aero-boy distracted.
“They totally pick on you, and Deven always takes those two guys along with him, and leaves you behind to sit and wait until the heroes get back. Aren’t you sick of it?”
“But—but Deven’s my friend,” said Aero-boy.
“He’s trying to get you in trouble. He betrayed your school Master and now he’s plotting to take over the entire hero community! He’s not your friend. He’s a villain!” I said. It pained me to give Deven the name of villain, but I had no choice. I had to keep Aero-boy distracted.
The hero looked uncertainly from the unconscious Doctor Do-Good, to me, then back to the doctor again, but before he could decide what to do, Ileana was free from the handcuffs and hexing him from behind. One spell and Aero-boy was slumped over and snoring on my dad’s desk.
“I did it!” Ileana said, holding up the magical manacles.
“Nice job!” Jezebel said. There was a moment of awkward silence.
“Did you actually just compliment me?” asked Ileana, breaking into a grin.
“What? It’s not like I want to be Best Fiends Forever or anything,” Jez said quickly. “I just meant nice job using my hairpin to pick the lock. That’s all.”
“And from behind my back, too,” said Ileana. “Man, I’m good.”
“Sadly, yes. You are good. Probably beyond cure,” said Jezebel. “And since you obviously think you’re the supreme princess of lock-picking, would you mind?” Jez held out her hands, and just like that things were back to normal between Jez and Ileana. Soon, the princess had freed all of us.
Wolf moaned in agony, clutching at his head.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, except for a raging headache. Let’s go. I can’t wait to get my claws into Omnibrain.”
“Hang on. What about him?” I asked, pointing to the doctor.
“Forget it, Rune,” said Jezebel. “He’ll just betray us again.”
“But how are we going to convince the heroes to stop the attack?” I asked. “We have to wake him up.”
“Even if he helps us, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to stop Deven,” said Ileana.
“Oh, I think there is. Remember what Doctor Do-Good told us. Jezebel? Can you help?” I asked, looking meaningfully at her.
Villain School Page 12
