Braver

by Suzanne Selfors

  Teddy raised his paws to get everyone’s attention. “Is there any new information to report? Places we might have overlooked?”

  “Baby!” Blue scampered to his feet.

  “No one is calling you a baby,” Melvin told him. “We’re trying to solve a very important mystery and you’re making a scene.” He tried to grab Blue’s flipper, but Blue slipped away.

  “Baby, baby, baby!” The penguin began jumping up and down, evading Melvin’s snatching paws as he tried to quiet the little upstart.

  “Oh dear, oh dear, we’ve looked everywhere,” one of the echidnas said.

  A small platypus burst into tears. “The queen is gone.”

  “BABY! BABY! BABY!” Each of Blue’s exclamations was louder than the last. He pecked at Lola’s feet, trying to get her attention. Was he just being annoying? Or was he trying to tell her something?

  Baby? The last time Blue had said that, he’d had his head stuck inside Tobias’s grandfather clock.

  A shiver ran down Lola’s back. Her fur prickled, from the tips of her ears all the way down her legs.

  Where would a wombat hide something small that he wanted to keep secret?

  “Blue,” she said, crouching in front of the little fella. “Blue. What did you see inside the grandfather clock? Did you see a very small critter?”

  Blue nodded.

  Could it be that Blue’s wandering had come to good? Perhaps the greatest good in an entire generation? Lola looked up at her uncle’s confused face. “Uncle Teddy, I think Blue found the queen!”

  25

  BLUE TO THE RESCUE

  The room went dead silent in the wake of Lola’s exclamation. Then everyone encircled Blue, looking at him with expectant and hopeful eyes.

  “Was this baby the size of a plum?” Head nod. “Did this baby have a furry tail?” Head nod again. “Did this baby have big blue eyes?” Big head nod over and over.

  “You found her?” Teddy said. “You … found her?” In a very unwombat-like way, he picked Blue up and held him above his head for all the critters to see. “He found her!”

  “YAY!” everyone cheered. Blue clapped his flippers and kicked his webbed feet, sending feathers adrift like snowflakes. Lola and Melvin clapped along with him.

  “Tonight we save the queen,” Teddy said, setting Blue back on the stone floor. “Long may she live!”

  “Long live the queen!” everyone cried.

  The gathered maids, butlers, window washers, and floor sweepers began hugging one another. Happy tears were shed and the underground room suddenly felt warmer and brighter. Blue rushed into Lola’s arms and she whispered to him, “Good boy. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Sir.” Snarl stepped forward, his voice loud enough to interrupt the celebration. “We must act immediately, before Tobias moves Her Majesty to a new location.”

  “Agreed.” Teddy waved his paws and the critters sat, their heads tilted up as he began to pace before them. “Resistance fighters, our goal is the same: to return Tassie Island to its peaceful existence by capturing the rebel devils. There are three dozen total, including the overseer and the taskmaster. I suggest we—”

  Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. A pounding arose as if thunder were rolling in. Teddy grabbed Lola’s arm and, with a burst of speed, yanked her toward the door he’d used to enter the chamber. “Get inside!” he said. Before she could ask what was going on, she was inside. Melvin next, then Blue. Then Snarl.

  “Keep them safe,” Teddy ordered Snarl. He thrust a candle into Snarl’s paw.

  The thunder increased in volume. Tassie devils began to stream into the chamber. Lola squealed at the terrifying sight. Melvin, too. Snarl threw himself against the door and pushed it closed. Then he slid three deadbolts into place. He, Lola, Blue, and Melvin stood in the darkness, listening to the sounds of scurrying on the other side. Voices filled the chamber, cries of fear. Then a voice rose above the others that made Lola shudder.

  “My, my, my. What have we here?”

  A small peephole had been drilled into the door, allowing whoever stood behind it to see into the underground chamber. Lola pressed her eye to the hole, watching as the events unfolded inside. “Wha—” Melvin clamped a paw around Blue’s beak to keep him quiet. He and Snarl pressed their ears to the door to listen.

  Over a dozen Tassie devils had surrounded Teddy and the others, pushing them toward the center so that they were huddled in a group. “Is this reception for me? Such a nice gathering of tasty critters.” Overseer Rake presented everyone with an openmouthed grin, her tongue running slowly over her deadly fangs. But where was her shadow, the taskmaster?

  Teddy, who towered above everyone, spoke in a calm manner. “Rake, there is no need to make threats,” he said. “You know very well that if you ate any of us you would be breaking the law of the island.”

  “Breaking the law?” The overseer smoothed her long robe, then spoke in a sickly sweet manner. “You dare tell me about laws? You, who lead an organization that is attempting to overthrow the government, the very source of said laws?”

  “You have misjudged us.” Teddy clasped his paws behind his back. “We are but humble servants of the palace and have gathered for a birthday celebration.”

  “Liar!” the overseer cried in a burst of rage. “The grand governor’s birthday isn’t being held down here, in the bowels of the palace.”

  Teddy remained calm. “We are celebrating my birthday. Have you forgotten that the grand governor and I are twins? I was born first, so it seems fitting that I should celebrate first.”

  Overseer Rake narrowed her black eyes. “I do not see a cake. Nor presents.”

  “We lowly palace servants do not have the funds for such things,” Teddy said humbly. The others nodded solemnly. “Now, call off your servants and leave us in peace. Please.”

  “I shall do no such thing.” She pointed to a fat mouse who wore a window washer’s cap. “You are a plump one. Perfect for a stew.” She reached out and grabbed the mouse by the tail. The mouse squealed and kicked his legs.

  Lola gasped, her paws flying to her mouth. “The overseer’s going to eat a mouse. We’ve got to do something.”

  Snarl and Melvin could only hear what was happening. “Let me see,” Snarl said. Lola was about to step aside but movement caught her eye. A looming shape had entered the chamber. Rays like sunlight announced his presence, the reflection of candlelight on gold.

  “Uncle Tobias,” Lola whispered.

  Melvin and Snarl held their breaths, their ears still pressed to the door, trying to catch every word. Blue squeezed between them and pressed his little earhole to the wall.

  Tobias Bottom, the grand governor of Dore, was dressed in his finery for his birthday celebration. Gold encircled his wrists, his fingers, his neck. His vest was embroidered with golden thread, his golden slippers were curled at the tips. He stood beside the overseer and looked quizzically at the scene. “Overseer Rake? What’s going on down here?”

  The overseer let go of the mouse’s tail. The mouse darted behind Teddy. “This is the uprising I’ve been telling you about, Your Excellency,” she said.

  “Uprising, you say?” Tobias looked sadly at his twin. “Hello, my dear Teddy.”

  Teddy maintained a calm exterior. “Hello, Tobias. This is a surprise. You rarely leave your luxurious quarters. I see you’ve been using taxes to purchase more gold.”

  “How your government uses its hard-earned taxes is no concern of yours,” Tobias said. “But is it true? Have you been leading some sort of ragtag conspiracy against me?”

  Teddy did not reply.

  “They are all traitors,” the overseer hissed. “They are guilty of treason against you.”

  “We’re not traitors, we’re not!” The mouse who had delivered the earlier speech stepped forward and stood firmly in front of Tobias. “We’re loyal to her majesty, Queen Myra, we are.” Though she stood on her hind legs, her ears only reached to Tobias’s knees.

  �
��How dare you speak.” Overseer Rake pulled out her whip and sent it lashing toward the mouse. But a large paw blocked the strike. Silence rolled over the chamber. Small beads of blood pooled on Teddy’s outstretched paw, then dripped onto the cold stonework. The move infuriated the overseer, who let loose a shriek so loud even Tobias cringed. “Take them to the tower!” she ordered. “Toss them in with the pelicans!”

  Pelicans? Lola scrunched her face. The messenger pelicans were imprisoned in a tower? Is that where they’d been all this time?

  The critters began to shuffle. A few made a run for it, only to be grabbed. The others went peacefully, allowing themselves to be marched from the chamber, leaving Teddy and Tobias standing nearly nose to nose. Twins, on opposite sides of a deepening chasm.

  Tobias shook his head. “Mine own brother conspiring against me? Oh, what a terrible world we live in where familial blood means nothing. And you poor little misbegotten mouse, how can you be loyal to the queen when she’s long gone? I am your ruler; your loyalties should lie with me and me alone.”

  Lola wanted to holler at her uncle Tobias. He was the one who didn’t care about family! And Teddy spoke her exact thoughts. “Who are you to speak of familial blood? You, who tore our sister from her burrow and sent her to a coal mine.”

  Tobias frowned. “I had nothing to do with that. Yes, I agreed that wombats would make excellent coal diggers, but not against their will. It was a miscommunication.”

  “It’s not too late,” Teddy said. “You don’t have to work for the rebels.”

  “Work for them?” Tobias snorted. “They work for me. I am the grand governor now. And with the queen’s retirement, I will become king in her stead. I can show you the proclamation.”

  “A proclamation you forged,” Teddy said. Tobias narrowed his eyes. “Brother, rethink this. The overseer is using you. She will turn on you.”

  “What do you know of politics? You chose to push a mop. I chose to move up in the world and in society. Soon, I will rule and make Dore the most beautiful golden city the world has ever seen.”

  Lola couldn’t believe what she was seeing and hearing. Identical twins and yet so opposite.

  “Overseer Rake will not turn on me, for I have given her what she wants.”

  Teddy’s shoulders stiffened. “You’ll allow her to hunt?”

  “Hunt? Of course not.” Tobias grimaced at the notion. He tucked his thumbs into his vest’s lapel. “How little you must think of me, brother. I’ve promised freedom, transportation, and gold coin to buy whatever the devils desire.”

  “What they desire is meat.”

  “You’re wrong.” Tobias swallowed dryly. “The overseer has said nothing about hunting.” A tremor of doubt ran beneath his words. “She’s satisfied with the deal we’ve struck. You see, this is why I am the grand governor. I know how to control Tassie devils. I would never allow hunting.”

  “Never allow hunting? Oh dear, oh dear.” The overseer had reentered the chamber, followed by a tangle of her followers, who slinked in and surrounded the twins.

  “They’re back,” Lola whispered to Snarl and Melvin. “Six of them.”

  “Teddy can’t defend himself against six devils. I need to go back in there.” Snarl reached for a deadbolt. Melvin grabbed his arm.

  “You can’t fight that many.” He kept his voice hushed. “Teddy told us to save the queen. We can’t save her if we get captured.”

  Snarl nodded. “You are correct.”

  “Baby,” Blue whispered.

  “Shhhh,” Lola said. “Teddy is talking.”

  Melvin, Snarl, and Blue pressed their ears to the wall again.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Tobias asked, his eyes widening.

  “If you will not allow hunting, then I regret to inform you that this is the end of our relationship,” Overseer Rake said with a truly joyous smile. “You and your brother will be taken to the tower, to join the other unfortunates.”

  Four Tassie devils lunged forward and grabbed Tobias. “How dare you!” he cried. “I’m the grand—”

  “You are a grand fool. Even a rat would think twice before taking the deals you did,” Overseer Rake said.

  “Fool? Why, you—” Before Tobias could get out another word, the devils heaved him upon their shoulders and began carrying him from the chamber. Tobias kicked and fought, but they held tight. “Rake! I order you to call off your thugs! Rake!”

  Overseer Rake did not respond. Rather, she calmly folded her arms behind her back and watched the proceedings.

  “Rake! This will not stand! I own you, Raaaaaaaaa—” And his voice faded into the tunnel’s depths. The remaining devils turned to Teddy. More agile than his brother, Teddy managed to get a couple of kicks in, sending one devil sprawling onto his back and another flying against the wall. But the rest soon mobbed him and tied his arms to his sides with a whip.

  “The citizens of Dore will rise up and outnumber you,” Teddy said, gasping as he tried to catch his breath.

  “Outnumbered by mice? How terrifying.” Overseer Rake laughed. “Besides, I have an army of rats at my disposal. Did you forget the Royal Guard?”

  “Rats aren’t evil. They’ve always been loyal to the queen.”

  “Ah, this is true. But I have learned that rats will work for whoever feeds them. The royal kitchen is currently overflowing with food for your brother’s birthday party. Such an elaborate feast means scraps and waste the likes of which most rats have never seen.” She began to strut slowly around Teddy. “Once I am satisfied that you and your fellow traitors are securely locked in the tower, I will open the royal kitchen to all rats, allowing them to gorge themselves. In exchange for their loyalty to me, of course. And by the time any of those rats wake up to what’s happening around them, it’ll be far too late for them to stop me.”

  “It’s a good plan,” Melvin whispered.

  “Brilliant,” Snarl agreed.

  “And then the grand governor will get the biggest surprise of all. For his birthday celebration is about to become my coronation ceremony.” Before Teddy could say another word, Overseer Rake clapped her paws. “Take him away!”

  With his arms and legs firmly tied, Teddy couldn’t defend himself. As the six Tassie devils carried him from the chamber, Teddy looked over his shoulder, straight at the spot in the wall where Lola and the others were hiding, and said one word.

  “Baby!”

  The overseer paused, taken aback. “What a strange thing to say.”

  But it wasn’t strange, for Lola, Snarl, and Melvin knew exactly what he meant.

  26

  LONG LIVE THE RESISTANCE

  With his final word, Teddy had made it very clear that he wanted Lola and her companions to save the queen. There was no time to lose.

  Snarl held the candle aloft. Wax dripped down its side. The light flickered off the tunnel’s walls and ceiling. “Follow me,” he said. “This passage leads up to the servant’s quarters. Use your paws along the wall to feel your way.”

  They moved as quickly as possible in the low light. “Cobwebs,” Melvin said with disgust. “Right in my mouth. Blech.”

  “Blech!” Blue hollered, his voice echoing up the tunnel while he clung to Lola’s back. The passage began to angle upward and formed a steep stairway. At the top they had to crouch beneath a low ceiling. Snarl grunted as he pushed something heavy. A section of the ceiling opened, and light filtered in.

  It was a trapdoor, and once Snarl had climbed out, he reached back in and grabbed Blue. Lola climbed out, followed by Melvin. They emerged in flickering lamplight to the servants’ quarters. The walls were lined with barrack-like rows of bunk beds, each tidily made. Snarl blew out his candle and set it aside. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—one fishier than the others. For the moment, they were safe. “What do we do now?” Melvin asked as he picked strands of cobweb off his ears.

  “The city will fall to Overseer Rake if we do not act quickly,” Snarl said. “We need to get the queen, a
nd find those with the strength to stand with us. Tobias’s office is not far from here, just a few hallways and stairways. If we run into guard rats, I will tell them that you are my prisoners.”

  Lola didn’t ask the question that frightened her the most—What if the queen is no longer inside the grandfather clock? If that were true, all might be lost.

  “What do we do after we get the queen?” Lola asked. She set Blue on one of the beds, where he proceeded to bounce.

  Snarl paused, deep in thought. “I am … unsure.”

  “We need the rats,” Melvin said. Lola and Snarl looked at him expectantly, waiting for his explanation. “We could use the overseer’s plans against her. We could spread the word, to all rats, that the queen is opening the royal kitchen to reward them with a feast. And to announce that she is not retiring and will rule the Royal Guard once again. But they must swear their loyalty to her and not to the overseer. That should work.”

  “Wheeee!” Blue hollered, still bouncing.

  “But we’ll need to spread the word to all rats, right away, before the overseer leaves the tower,” Lola said. “How can we—?”

  A deeper shadow fell over them. Snarl rushed to the window and opened it. Dawn had not yet come, but the amber glow of the factory and the glow of the streetlights revealed a large shape hovering above the palace courtyard. “That’s Bogart’s balloon,” Lola said. “Hey, I have an idea.” She stuck her head out the window. Melvin squeezed next to her. “Bogart! Captain Bogart!”

  The gondola floated above them. Lola called once more and was answered with a “Squwhaaaaat?” A sharp-beaked bird hopped onto the gondola’s rim and looked down at her. “Oh, it’s you. Mighty good to see you. Did you find the baby penguin?”

  “Not a baby!”

  “Yes, we did,” Lola said, thinking, No thanks to you. “He’s fine.”

  Bogart smiled. “That’s good news. I was worried about the little fella. Did you get me a meeting with the queen? So I can show her my astounding invention?”

  “The queen’s life is in danger,” Lola told him. “Will you help us save her?”