Fragmented Truths [Alpha Draft] - Chapter 24

[keybearer]

Chapter 24: Reckless Rescue

“Guys, c’mon!”

Riku cast a glance down the path, watching as guards and detective Heartless alike slinked close to one another. Biting his lip, he pointed the Keyblade towards the floor, lighting the room with a blue glow that left a clear, slick coating along the floor. In just a matter of seconds, the Heartless’ feet shuffled and slipped, sending them sliding back into stacks of blocks, the chess board, and down onto the floor. Once again, Riku motioned towards the window before jamming his weapon into a clockwork horse.

Swerving between two Neoshadows’ claws, Basil squinted and peered towards the rafters. “No, no. We simply can’t leave now! If the Heartless are here, then that fiend can’t be too far…”

“But, Basil,” said Dawson, “think of the child! Would it not be safer to let these four handle the fighting?”

“Nonsense!” He shook his head and leaped over a lunging Shadow, pinning it down beneath his shoe. “I’ve come too far to let any trace of Ratigan slip between my fingers. And besides…” He cast a glance towards one of the Heartless sleuths, deflecting its light blasts with a chess pawn. “These heinous beasts are making a mockery of my profession!”

Wow. Was he seriously that obsessed with solving a case? Even in the middle of mortal danger? A low growl escaped Riku’s throat, and he bashed one of the guards in the head before slamming his Keyblade into the floor. Spikes of wood shot up from the shelf, hurling Heartless into the air. Once they hit their peak, Goofy leaped up and whacked them down onto a mine field. Even then, dozens more continued to creep up over the edge, leap down from the ceiling, and burst out from the shadows.

Riku felt the hard metal of his weapon digging into his palm. He lowered his brow, twisted to the side, and locked eyes with Basil. “Look, now isn’t the time to mess around. If you’re that desperate to find Fidget, run while there’s still room to escape!”

“Escape?” Basil grinned, throwing himself onto one of the horse’s backs. “My boy, I have no intention to escape. Pursuit, on the other hand, is my current goal. And no amount of danger shall thwart me in my—”

Steam spewed out of the horse’s snout, and it threw its hind legs into the air with a sudden jerk. But rather than scream, Basil burst into a fit of hearty laughter, stretching his arms towards the next shelf up. He just barely reached the edge and hoisted himself up, performing a quick bow before adjusting his hat.

“Now, as I was saying…”

Not bad. If nothing else, Basil sure knew how to improvise. And with the detective safe up above, Riku dashed to the side, sweeping the Keyblade left and right to cut through a wall of guards. In the corner of his eye, he caught Goofy ducking and bobbing between two charging horses, while peeking up at the shelf.

“Gawrsh,” he said, “that sure was some fancy footwork!”

But before Basil got the chance to respond, more light blasts rocketed towards his face, forcing Goofy to fling his shield into the air to deflect the blasts. Except five more whizzed his way, as if his last stunt lit their fuses. Flailing his arms, Goofy lunged behind a nearby sack of marbles and covered his eyes. And, while Riku pulled back his Keyblade to dish up some wind, he stopped once he caught the light blasts bouncing straight off of the marbles and crashing into three of the Neoshadows, roasting them on the spot.

Rolling his eyes, Riku glanced back at Goofy.“And that was the exact opposite, but I’ll give you an A for effort.”

“Ah, you mustn’t be too hard on him!” Basil shrugged. “It was only by measuring the exact trajectory of that beast’s motion that I was able to ascend so easily.”

“Well, you better get goin’ if you’re serious about that bat!” Donald huffed, letting fire engulf the tip of his staff.

With one swing, he sent one of the horses screaming and sprinting towards a towering doll. An abrupt crash pulled Riku’s attention straight towards the toy, and he gasped at the sight of it teetering back and forth. Its head descended right above Olivia and Dawson. Without even thinking, he pulled back his weapon and prepared to freeze it in its tracks.

The doll’s motion slowed before he got the chance. Kairi launched herself at the two and shoved them aside. Bits of china scattered less than a second later, followed by a rising heart. Teeth chattering, Olivia latched onto Dawson, who silently stroked her head. With the two of them safe, Riku let out a great big sigh.

“Nice one, Kairi. Just… try not to break anything next time.”

“Oh, you’re no fun.” Her cheeks puffed up a little, and she pointed at Riku’s shoulder. “Besides, there’s a Heartless to the left of you with the exact same idea.”

“What?”

Turning around, Riku gawked at the sight of one of the guards. With one sweep of its bayonet, it sliced through the marble bag, sending its contents rolling across the floor. Before he knew it, Riku felt his head crash into the shelf, and that wasn’t even the end of it! More marbles rolled over his chest, and judging by the nearby squawks and yelps, he wasn’t the only one struggling. And just to make things worse, a flash of blue washed over him, sending searing pain creeping across his skin.

Wincing, he flung himself forward and wrapped a whirlwind around his body. Then, with a glare, he bolted towards the Heartless horse, Keyblade pointed towards the clock on its chest, when the sound of ticking made his eyes widen, and—

One moment he was rushing in for an attack. The next, he lay flat on the ground, a bombardment of hooves, light, and claws making him scream and writhe. Yet, even over the sound of his own screams, he still managed to pick up a high pitched shriek up ahead. And the flash of metal followed by an electrifying bolt that sliced and charred his attackers. With their hearts free, Riku pushed himself back to his feet, panting, and skimmed his surroundings.

The Heartless numbers had dwindled slightly, but about two dozen still remained. The shelf up above appeared empty—no Basil in sight; he must’ve run off during all the ruckus. Dawson, on the other hand, stood petrified, unblinking, with his mouth wide open. The glow surrounding him accompanied by floating clock faces made his condition crystal clear. That, and the ability of those horses…

Stop magic. To think the Heartless could turn it against them. Riku felt his heart wrench at the thought, and he swung his weapon into the nearest Heartless with both arms, eradicating it on the spot. Then, he turned his gaze back to the rest of the shelf. To the sea of marbles dotting their path, to the remaining hordes slipping closer and closer. He caught Kairi, Donald, and Goofy slicing, battering, and pounding them away. Flashes from both the sleuths and Kairi made him shut his eyes tightly until the light finally faded. It was then that he finally noticed the absence of a certain little girl, which grabbed his attention with a fearsome tug.

“Guys!” He flung his arms to his sides. “Where the heck is—”

“Good heavens!” Dawson finally budged, grasping his head with both hands. “Olivia! Where is she?”

Took the words right out of Riku’s mouth. If Olivia wasn’t here, then the Heartless could’ve dragged her off! And if that was the case, they couldn’t just sit around and speculate. Shaking his fist, Riku turned towards Dawson’s direction, eying a trail of muddy hoof and footprints.

“Forget it! Let’s just find her before it’s too late!”

Hopping right in Riku’s path, Donald shook his head and spread out his arms. “We’ll go look for her, Riku! You keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

“What?” Riku blinked and took a step back. “Donald, c’mon! If we all go, we’ll cover way more ground.”

Donald raised an eyebrow, tapping his foot. “And what if she winds up back here? Or if Fidget sneaks by while we’re off lookin’?”

“I’ll—” He paused, and his eyes fell on the floor. “…You’re right. For all we know, this could be a diversion.”

Goofy placed a hand on his shoulder as he slipped over to Donald. “And that’s why we’ll handle it, Riku! Between me, Donald, and Dawson, I think we’ll be able to save her.”

“Besides,” said Kairi, “we’ve still got to clean up these Heartless, you dork.”

He looked to the left. Two of the guards flung themselves onto the back of the last Heartless horse. To his right, three detectives twirled their magnifying glasses as a glow wrapped its way around them. The gap in the horde near Donald and the others began to squeeze itself shut with two columns of guards marching towards one another. If they were serious about booking it, now was the time. So, with a nod, Riku shoved his shoulder against the horse, hurled his Keyblade at the closing crowd, and rolled over to Kairi’s side.

“Just try to hurry, okay?”

“Aw, phooey! You know us better than that, Riku.”

With that, Donald turned around, raising his staff above his head. With one wave of his hand, he led the others through the narrow path with Goofy at Dawson’s tail. And as they vanished into the thick of the Heartless, Riku shielded his eyes from the flashing lights accompanied by Donald’s shouts. Even after they vanished from sight, he could still hear the dull clanging of metal for a few more seconds and caught smoke trails rising from the dwindling crowd.

They’d be all right, even without him. And if they were willing to throw themselves headlong into danger just to save Olivia, he’d gladly play his part by clearing the crowds. So, taking a deep breath, Riku sprung back into the fray, blasting flames, striking down on the heads of those stupid detectives, and dashing left and right with a fury of slashes. Light beams spread from Kairi’s sword, sweeping through the mob. Those that escaped incineration sprung into the air, suspended helplessly as the two of them battered them to bits.

One by one, the Heartless fell. Now it was up to Donald and the others to pull through.

x.x.x

“I-I say, Donald! Are you certain this is wise?”

“Aw, pipe down, will ya? It’s like I said, we’re professionals!”

Round and round the corners they ran—or slid, to be exact. With trampling horses and vicious guards on their tail, running would only slow ‘em down, and he wasn’t about to mess this up. Cackling, Donald stood on Goofy’s back with Dawson right behind him. With his staff pointed down at the floor, he grinned as a slick coating formed all around them. And slipping wasn’t an issue at all! Goofy’s shield provided just the right traction, turning him from a clumsy knight into a living bobsled that breezed across the shelves, far ahead of any stupid Heartless.

This was gonna be the easiest rescue ever! So easy, in fact, that Donald kept his eyes away from the path ahead and instead locked on the Heartless behind him, whose hooves and feet shuffled and slipped, sending them crashing into each other in a gigantic heap! And just to be a little merciful, Donald flicked his staff forward, launching a big wave of flames to clean ‘em up. If nothing else, it’d save ‘em the embarrassment of tripping again.

But just as one horde vanished, more of this dumb detectives leaped down from the shelves, landing on the belly of a huge, plush bear. Immediately, Donald banged his staff against his palm and growled at the sight. That was cheap! And just how many of those stupid things were in this shop, anyway? Shoulders shaking, Donald flailed his arms, sending lightning, ice, and fire crashing all around him! …and completely missing each and every Heartless. Drat!

“Why, you little…!” He puffed out his chest, giving those pests a vicious glare. “You better stop movin’, or you’ll really be asking for it!”

“Uh, Donald. Don’t ya think ya oughta look where we’re—”

He didn’t bother looking. Instead, he twirled his staff around and around, launching a whirlwind at those phony sleuths. When he felt Dawson tapping his shoulder, grumbled and sneered.

“Aw, can’t you see I’m busy?”

“But, Donald, Goofy is trying to warn you about—”

CRASH!

A shower of wooden blocks made Dawson’s point very clear. One after another clonked Donald on the head, and he could just feel his face reddening and his muscles tightening. And to make matters worse, Goofy continued to slide well after the fact, covering his face when he should’ve had his eyes on his surroundings! If he’d actually paid attention, he would’ve spotted the toy wheel with a rabbit inside rolling their way. Unfortunately, the stupid thing flew straight for Goofy’s face and, with no other choice, Donald scrambled to the side, his feet colliding with his very own ice rink!

And while he fumbled his staff around in an attempt to melt it all off, he soon found himself flying straight towards a mechanical fiddler plastered on top of a music box. Not long after, a faint ticking sounded from behind, and—

Bayonets slammed into his back, while his beak pressed into the wall. Lights closed in from the sides. Each hit made Donald scream at the top of his lungs, and he fumbled around for his staff. Once he scooped it up, he shut his eyes, tightened his grip, and twisted his way between those stupid Heartless. Then, with a low growl, he pulled back his arm, pressed his feet firmly against the floor and let the whole surrounding area go up in smoke!

Fire wormed its away around all of ‘em! Those cheap horses with their dumb time tricks, the guards and their overly fluffy hats, and those obnoxious detectives, who dropped their stinking magnifying glasses in a panic. But, oh, Donald wasn’t finished yet. Eyes bloodshot, he grimaced and threw himself on top of one of the horses, shattering its clock face, pounding its head, and electrifying its surrounding allies. In his rage, he wiped ‘em all out, leaving black smudges all over the shelf and the toys all around ‘em!

A few embers crept their way onto the stuffed animals and wooden figures close by. After catching his breath, Donald sighed and whipped up a breeze to douse the flames. Shaking his head, he wandered along the shelf, keeping his eyes peeled for Goofy and Dawson. Unfortunately, neither one of ‘em appeared among this maze of toys, and when he shouted their names, he didn’t get a single response.

“Rats,” he said, kicking a marble aside. “I bet that stupid bat planned this all along!”

Bad enough that Basil’d gone off by himself. Now Dawson and Goofy were who-knows-where, with Riku and Kairi still out front. If Donald had hair, he would’ve torn it all out by now! But, no. He had to stay on guard, with or without the others and, biting back his frustration, he stomped down the path. Along the way, he spotted a trail of bubbles floating around the corner and… wait. A small figure in blue and red zipped right after ‘em!

Narrowing his eyes, Donald lit the tip of his staff and pointed it straight ahead, following the bubbles past some weird looking elephant toy with humungous ears. Big enough to be wings, actually… But whatever. Rather than dwell on it, he picked up the pace, scurrying behind the figure in blue until, finally, he noticed the long, skinny tail and rounded ears poking up from around her hat. At that moment, Donald jerked forward, nearly dropping his staff in the process.

“Olivia!”

She must not’ve heard him because she didn’t say word. No, she decided to keep on running towards a rocking baby carriage, as if danger didn’t even matter! Didn’t she care about all the Heartless? Clenching his fists, Donald marched right after her, half-tempted to give her a serious scolding. Olivia, in the mean time, continued right to the very edge of the carriage and peered over the edge with a smile. Donald was just a few steps off now, but he froze in his tracks once he heard a familiar, gurgling laugh.

In the blink of an eye, a wing reached up from within the carriage. Olivia shrieked! Biting down hard, Donald lifted his weapon, but words failed him when that same wing seized Olivia by the arm, while another burst out of the carriage with a brown sack in hand. The huge, floppy ears, dirt-ridden clothes, and jagged teeth revealed Fidget clear as day, and with a mad cackle, he stuffed Olivia down into the bag and hoisted it over his shoulder.

Bouncing up and down, Fidget snapped his fingers and turned towards the wall. The shadows around the toys meshed together, stretching into a swirling cloud of black and purple. Donald knew that shape all too well after fighting the Heartless and other darkness-loving goons! And seeing the corridor there, he took a sharp breath, pulled up his sleeves, and lunged at the bat, reaching for his neck.

He slammed into Fidget’s back, pushing the two of them and the bag forward. Together, they rolled straight into the darkness.

x.x.x

When the last Heartless faded, Riku fell back against the box of toy soldiers, breathing in and out. He wiped a hand across his forehead and peered up at the shelves. Still no sign of Basil, Fidget, or the others for that matter. Brow furrowed, he looked to the trail of mud, half tempted to take off after them, but after going toe-to-toe with so many Heartless, his heart pounded and the fur on his cheeks felt damp from his sweat. If he could avoid pushing himself, he would. He had to. Once again, he looked down at Sora’s necklace, then to Kairi’s charm. That incident with Fidget was bad enough. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

Instead, he turned towards Kairi, who paced back and forth with her sword in hand. “So, what do you think’s holding them up?”

“I don’t know, Riku.” Her eyebrows knit together, and she squeezed her necklace. “But something isn’t right. We took care of the Heartless, so…”

“Unfortunately, my dear, it isn’t that simple.”

“Basil?” Riku stumbled forward, eyes locked on the shelf above. Sure enough, Basil appeared, crouched over the edge with something in his hand. Squinting, Riku stood up on his tip toes, trying to identify the object. The curved shape and what looked like zippers made him stop and stare. That looked like…!

“Wait a second!” Kairi frowned, dropping her sword on the ground. “Basil, what are you doing with Donald’s hat?”

“Unfortunately,” he said, “I uncovered it down below amidst a mess of footprints that seemed to end quite abruptly. The placement suggested a scuffle of some kind, and Donald’s hat lay just at the edge of said prints.” He slid over the edge, landing near the unclothed toy soldiers. His shoulders hung low, and he inched towards the two of them with his eyes on the hat. “My only conclusion is that…”

“Fellers!” Goofy leaped out from behind the broken doll. “Me an’ Dawson looked all over the place, and—”

“…Let me guess.” Riku cringed. “You couldn’t find Donald?”

Goofy slumped, lumbering over to the others. He sniffled and sighed, rubbing the tip of his nose. “Gawrsh, how’d ya guess?”

“It’s quite simple, my friend.” Basil extended his arm, holding out the hat for all to see. With his other hand, he scooped his pipe out of his pocket, giving it a puff. “As I told the others, I discovered Donald’s hat not too long ago, and without its owner. And to make matters worse…” His expression darkened, and he turned his gaze towards Dawson. “I saw not hide nor hair of miss Flangerhanger.”

If the mood wasn’t so dark, Riku probably would’ve corrected Basil, but why bother at a time like this? They had way more important things to worry about, like Donald’s whereabouts, and Olivia’s for that matter! Just thinking about the implications made Riku bang his fist against the toy soldier box. This was not what they planned! Now, not only did they lose Olivia, but it was completely possible that Donald got dragged off for good measure. And how were they supposed to even…?

Before he could say a word, he felt Kairi tap his shoulder. Grinding his teeth, he looked to her and watched as she silently shook her head.

He needed to cool down. This wasn’t the time for any outbursts, either so, instead, he fell silent and still.

Dawson, on the other hand, stepped up to Basil with his head low and his eyes dark. “We tried to find her, Basil, but those Heartless intercepted us. And there is so little I can do when they use magic and—”

“Yes, yes, you’ve made your point quite clear, Doctor.” Basil groaned, flexing his fingers. “You all said you would take responsibility for the child, and look what happened! We’ve not only lost her, but your friend as well! And with not a single sign of their location. No footprints to track, no convenient oversights…”

“…I know.” Dawson slouched, and he averted his eyes from the group. “Compared to the rest of you, there’s so little I can offer. Perhaps I shouldn’t have accompanied you to begin with.”

“...Ah, that wasn’t what I meant, old chap.” Basil shook his head, placing a hand against Dawson’s back. “It’s simply… difficult, you see. All this riffraff about darkness and magic lies beyond even my expertise.”

“He’s right,” said Kairi. “And besides, Olivia was our responsibility, too. It’s just as much our fault as it is yours—maybe even more, since we’re used to the Heartless.”

…Definitely. They shouldn’t have stayed behind in the first place, if this was gonna happen. Not when Riku and Kairi were the ones caught up in the diversion! If only he’d put up a fight, then they wouldn’t be in this mess…

“Whatever the case, we’re still at square one.” Basil sighed. “It’s as if Ratigan himself has pulled the silk over our eyes…”

“But we can’t give up now, Mr. Basil! What if Donald winds up with that mean ol’ Ratigan?”

What if he already did? Donald was strong, sure, but even he had limits. But what about Ratigan himself? If Fidget could whip up a Heartless army, his boss probably had the power to whip up ten. Or maybe even twenty. Or worse! How were they supposed to know? Basil was right about the lack of evidence. They could only speculate now. Grasp at straws. Unless Fidget somehow left another clue…

Wait.

Stepping away from the others, Riku eyed a small slip of paper by the edge of the chess board. And not just a slip, but a note! Bringing a hand to his chin, he reached down and grabbed the paper, eying the scribbled mess of cursive. It read…

Get the following: tools, gears, girl, uniforms…

Gears… uniforms… girl!

“Guys! Hold that thought.”

Riku rushed back over to them, holding up the note. “Looks like that idiot forget to cover his trail.”

“Let me see that, Riku.” Basil grabbed at the note and pulled out his magnifying glass. As he read it aloud, Kairi, Dawson, and Goofy leaned over his shoulder. With each word, his lips twitched just a little, and by the time he finished, he wore an enormous grin and thrust the message high above his head. “My friends, we’ve not a moment to lose! We must return to Baker Street posthaste, before that scoundrel makes another move!”

He didn’t even give the others a chance to respond before he bounded over to the window and shoved it wide open. But, if Basil found the list that significant, who were they to argue? With friends in danger and nowhere else to turn, Riku followed the detective back outside. If all went well, maybe they’d catch up with Donald and Olivia before things got out of hand.

x.x.x

Luxord leaned against the wall, tossing a pair of dice up and down and catching them with a swift move of his palm. Just a few feet away, an older mouse leaned over his mechanized creation with an oil-coated wrench gripped his hand. Both his eyebrows and snout bore bushy, red fur, and he had sideburns to match. Grease stains coated his brown overalls, and his bowtie hung lopsided. Between the bags under his eyes and the film on his glasses, old Flaversham was, quite simply, a mess. His creation, on the other hand…

Well, a twisted screw with a pair of unblinking eyes formed the framework of its face. Its accordion-like body swayed as he tightened the bolts, and its arms resembled crab claws more than a mouse’s limbs at this stage. A cage-like metal frame formed the basis of a dress, while a long wire trailed across the room to a podium topped with levers and buttons to command this monstrosity. Aside from Flaversham’s creation, gears, cogs, nuts, and bolts gathered in the corner, while blueprints and sketches of a very plump queen hung from the wall.

And over by the doorway, Ratigan kept his now glowing eyes locked on the old mouse, his hands laced together and his expression firm. Quite charming, really. That old fool truly believed he still had command over the situation. Rather than argue, though, Luxord merely continued to fiddle with his dice.

“Time is of the essence, Mr. Flaversham… Any moment now, your daughter will arrive, and we wouldn’t want any, mm… accidents, now, would we?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold bell, baring his pointed teeth.”

Mr. Flaversham shuddered and tightened a bolt. “…Please, I’m working as fast as I can. You mustn’t hurt Olivia!”

“Oh, you poor, pitiful fool…” Ratigan chuckled and grabbed him by the chin. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. With just a few hours remaining until tonight’s big event…”

A sudden pounding on the door brought Ratigan’s speech screeching to a halt, and, with a sneer, he reached for the handle, when—

“No, no, stop! No more, no more! You can’t have the girl! You can’t!”

“Oh yeah?! Well, how do you like THIS?!”

Flames crashed into the floor, forcing Ratigan to stomp them out. Not even a second later, that poor, inept bat came rushing in, flailing his one free wing helplessly as he dove to his master’s feet. Behind him, Luxord caught sight of a bird clad in blue, zipper-laden garments with a staff gripped between his fingers. The brown and black feathers around his face suggested a sparrow of some kind, but the shape of his bill combined with his fiery temper made Luxord doubt his appearance. While the disguise may have fooled Ratigan and his minion, Luxord saw through the disguise. That bird was none other than the Keybearer’s ally…

How delightfully ironic.

As he burst into the room, Donald slammed his staff against the back of Fidget’s head not once, not even twice, but four times in a fraction of a second. The poor bat, in the mean time, whined, squirmed, and looked up at Ratigan with his eyes open and his lips quivering.

“Stupid bird followed me, sir! Came through portal! I saw him with—ow!”

“Pipe down, you big palooka!” Donald growled, turning his gaze towards Ratigan. “And you! You’re that Ratigan punk Basil talked about.”

“Basil?” Ratigan hissed, swiping his hand at Donald’s face. He missed the mark, however, and soon a burst of flames crept up his cape, forcing him to roll along the floor.

“B-Boss!” Fidget gasped, fanning the cape with his wings. “Oh, you’ve done it now, bird! I hope you like cats, ‘cause that’s where you’re goin’ next!”

“Hah! That was just a warm up.” Smirking, Donald twirled his staff, flinging icicles at both Fidget and his master. “And I’m not stopping ‘til you let Olivia and her father go!”

And, speaking of Olivia, while Ratigan and Fidget dealt with Donald’s spells, they left the bag completely unattended. And after a bit of squirming from inside, the girl poked her head out of the top and dashed for her father, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

“Oh, daddy! Daddy, you’re okay!”

“Oh, Olivia, darling… I’m so sorry. I had wished with all my might that you wouldn’t end up here with this…”

“Silence!” Ratigan snarled, grabbing at Donald’s staff. With a sharp tug, he yanked it free of his grip and held it up high, out of reach. “I’ve had enough of this charade.” He took several deep breaths before, with one snap of his fingers, he sent a blast of purple flames flying at Donald’s chest. The blast threw him against the wall, and Ratigan seized him by the arm, pulling him to eye level.

“Why you! Lemme go!”

“Mmm, I don’t think you understand…” Ratigan giggled, staring straight into Donald’s eyes. “You’ve just upset me. And when somebody upsets me…” He raised the golden bell once again.

While it was tempting to see how Donald fared with Ratigan’s overweight cat, Luxord finally stepped away from the wall and cleared his throat. “Ah, before you make any snap judgments, might I suggest an alternative route?”

“Alternative route?” Ratigan narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on Donald’s wrist. “And what are you suggesting?”

“Simple, really.” Luxord folded his hands together, uttering a soft laugh. “You see, this unwieldy sparrow is the associate of someone even more threatening than Basil. A boy who traverses entire worlds in pursuit of justice…”

Eye twitching, Ratigan tucked the bell away. “Other worlds? I’d almost question it were it not for what you’ve already shown me this evening. But what difference does it make, Luxord? If I dispose of this cretin, I’ll have my satisfaction knowing that one more thorn in my side has been eliminated.”

“Or you could take the more strategic route and keep him alive. After all, the Keybearer is not one to abandon his comrades. And, like a moth to a flame, he will pursue you just as Basil will.”

“Mmm… True.” Ratigan stroked his chin, turning his gaze back to Donald. “And you did mention Basil, which means that second-rate detective and your friend can’t be too far behind…”

“So set the trap,” said Luxord. “Let them think they’ve got the upper hand before you give them the royal flush…”

For a few short moments, Ratigan remained eerily silent. He looked from Donald to Flaversham, Olivia, and Fidget, while a black aura crept up from his back. Though Donald continued to squirm, he refused to let go of his prey. Tossing the staff into a corner, Ratigan nudged the door open with his elbow and dragged the poor fowl outside.

“Fidget, get the girl.” He cackled and marched out into the darkness of the sewers. “After all, we do want to give our guests a warm welcome…”

TO BE CONTINUED