Dark Ride (34 page)

Chapter 128

Jack's breath is completely taken away. As impressive as the interior of the palace is, it has nothing on the sheer beauty of the Queen. With a fluid grace that enhances her all the more, she almost glides over in front of where the four kids and Victor stand. Long blonde hair cascades down her shoulders, and a golden dress flows over her figure. On her shoulder, perched and eating a nut, is a squirrel. Jack wonders,
Was this the squirrel from the Pied Piper Room
,
the one Mason told him about? The same squirrel he had seen watching them way back at the beginning of the ordeal? Yes, of course, he had been helping them along the way.

The Queen says, “Finally, you have come. We have waited for so long. I see you are no worse for the wear. None of you were harmed?”

However, before any of the teens can answer, she continues, “You are most welcome here. I assume that Victor has allowed you to enjoy my home?”

Again, before waiting for a response, she looks Jack square in the eyes and says, “Oh, my dear, you are even more handsome than I imagined.”

Jack's face is hot with embarrassment, but the compliment still makes him beam. His shoulders relax to a shrug and his backpack crashes to the floor.

Then the Queen turns to Mason and says, “Brave tailor, so valiant, so cunning. I am certain by the looks of you, that you are a gallant warrior. How else could the four of you vanquish some of our more unpleasant residents?”

Jack sees Mason gush as well. In fact, he slightly bows before the Queen and responds, “Thank you, uh…your majesty.”

The charm and pleasant aura of the Queen is unmistakable. She is clearly nice, but it seems so theatrical, like she's reading from a script and this begins to bother Jack.

“The wanderer,” she proclaims while petting the grey squirrel on her shoulder. “I could not have imagined such a cute little girl to be a part of our redemption. Thank you, my dear.”

Jack turns to Amy and sees a look of pride on her face.

At last the Queen turns to Scotty and says, “And we have here our apprentice—what a noble young lad. And there in your hands, the prize. You have truly saved us all. The prophecy is fulfilled. You are all to be rewarded.”

Amy quickly asks, “Then will you please get us out of here?”

Mildly irritated by the frankness of Amy, Jack speaks quickly before the Queen can take offense, “What she means is that for our reward, we only want to go home, your majesty.”

The hope of escape dangles before them. Jack thinks,
Is this it? Will we soon be free?
His excitement grows, but a voice inside his head tells him,
This is too good to be true. What about the book, the narrator?
Scotty and Mason look intently at the face of the Queen, hanging on her every word. Amy is still glowing from the compliments that the Queen paid her.

At this point, the Queen gently extends her arm toward Scotty and asks, “Noble apprentice, may I have the book? I shall take the proper steps for your departure.”

Without hesitation, Scotty hands the book to the Queen, who gives him a reverent nod and then says, “Victor?”

“Yes, milady.”

“Accompany our guests outside. I will finish the preparations so they can have their reward. I will be out soon to join you.”

Victor then gestures to his left and waltzes to the entrance. He bows to Amy and says, “Ladies first.”

As Jack walks through the doors he thinks. “We are finally going home!”

Chapter 129

Once the teens are outside, Jack is once again mystified by the contrast in size between the Queen's enormous sanctum and the quaint little gingerbread house. The room looks exactly as it had when they had first entered with two notable exceptions. Jack notices when he looks over to the corner that there is no longer a narrator robot standing where it once had been. Instead, something else catches his eye on the ground where the mannequin had once stood. The book the narrator had held lies upon the floor. To their left, Jack takes notice of a small camp fire. Who had prepared the fire and where it had come from is a mystery.

“We will stay here and await the Queen,” Victor states.

None of them says a word, but Jack can see the giddiness rising in each of them. Still, something is troubling Jack. His own expression is actually more confused than jubilant, and when he sees the doors on the other side of the room, more questions gnaw at Jack in his head:
What was all this about making preparations? Why could they not just walk through the door?
After all, it had been through those doors that they had entered this crazy place. The real ride, the real world is just beyond those doors.

“What is that for?” Amy asks, pointing to the fire.

“You will see,” Victor replies.

“More unanswered questions,” Jack responds.

“Leave it to Braddock to suck the life out of this moment,” Mason groans while elbowing Scotty.

Ignoring the typical Mason cut and looking back at the doorway to the original part of the ride, Jack thinks,
The door is so close. What is preventing me from going home? I should leave now.
His own thought surprises him but his instinct encourages him and the path is clear. Without saying anything to the others, he begins to step toward the door, one foot at a time.

“My little thief, you cannot go that way,” Victor advises.

“Why not?” Jack replies.

“Just be patient, Jack,” Amy coolly states.

Her voice stops him for a second.
Does she want me to stay?
he wonders. He replays her tone in his head. Nonetheless, Amy had been so cold and unresponsive earlier that not even her words could persuade him now, so he continues.

Victor smiles dismissively and says, “Go ahead and try, but unless the Queen changes the story, none of us can leave through that door.”

In spite of Victor's confident reproach, Jack saunters up to the door and attempts to push the bar and leave.

It's locked.

“I told you, there is no use,” Victor politely reminds Jack.

Undeterred, Jack turns to the others and asks, “Mason, do you still have the hammer?”

The other teens remain standing like mindless lemmings awaiting their leader.

Mason responds, “Braddock, what are you doing?”

“Just tell me, Mason. The hammer, please.”

Jack sees the wary Mason roll his eyes. Then, only to appease Jack, he answers, “Yes, it's here in the work belt, but, Jack, just chill out, okay. You're not going to screw this up for us. The Queen will show us the way out.”

“I'm not waiting for the Queen. Can't you see something is not right here? It's all too easy. ”

Walking back to them, Jack holds his palm out to Mason and says, “Look, you can stay and wait, but I'm trying to get out that door.”

Victor rubs his forehead as if suffering some vicious headache and attempts to reason with Jack, saying, “Come now, the end is so near.”

“What is wrong with you, Jack?” Amy questions.

“Here, Jack,” Mason says, extending the tool. “Take the stupid hammer. We're staying. Right, Scotty?”

Victor slowly walks toward the door.

Scotty replies, “Jack, I don't want you to leave without us.”

“Then come with me—now.”

And with hammer in hand, Jack marches back to the door. He ignores Victor who is standing beside the door and goes to work on the first hinge. Suddenly, he feels a hand firmly press down on his shoulder with the fingers burying themselves deep into his flesh. Then he is spun around away from the door.

Amy yells, “Victor, what are you doing?”

“My dear child, you have to wait for the Queen,” responds Victor. His voice is oozing with kindness in stark contrast to the firmness of his grip.

Jack reaches for the hand and tries to pry it off.

Victor says to Jack, “No matter what you do, the door will not open. Show some manners, boy. You are now an honored guest of the Queen. What will she think if you are over here trying to pry the door apart? No, please, just take a spot next to the others.”

Jack is in pain. In spite of the words, Victor's grip confides no politeness. The man forces Jack back toward the line with the others, and Jack sees Mason give a smug grin.

Should I fight?
wonders Jack. He considers his options for doing so.
Strike
Victor? Slam my foot onto his? Elbow him hard in the ribs? The elbow, that will be my best shot. But then what?

All of a sudden, a commotion erupts from a passage in the wall. Then a vicious snarl bellows out from the space, and a voice says, “The girl is mine!”

As everyone's lock onto the passage, Victor releases his grip, and Jack thinks to run. However, the shock of what he sees freezes him. Now limping into the room is the wolf, who is breathing hard. His coat has been singed from flames, black soot covers his fur, and his top hat is tilted to one side on his head. In between breaths, he growls, and his eyes are fixed on Victor as he slowly steps toward the party while dragging his left leg.

The wolf says, “The girl, you will give me the girl now!”

“Stay back, vile creature!” Victor commands and steps briskly in front of Amy to shield her.

Jack is slightly impressed by the man's courage. However, all signs of bravado are erased as Victor's authoritative voice changes into a cowering snivel when he says, “Please, you must not interfere…the Queen.”

“I told you, I will have the girl. If you value your life, you will leave.”

Closer and closer, the wolf limps toward Amy.

Jack decides he had better act. Still, even though the wolf is clearly hurt, Jack knows he won't be able to overpower him by himself. He considers that Victor might actually be of some use and that Scotty would help as well, although he cannot count on Mason.

Time to act
, thinks Jack. Swiftly, he charges at the wolf from behind and jumps on the creature's back. His body clamps upon the surprised foe, and he clings his arms tight around the wolf's neck.

Although injured, the wolf is still too powerful and rocks Jack's body from side to side. Soon, Jack's arm lock is broken by the monster's massive paws. Then, the wolf bites Jack's hand.

Jack immediately drops to the floor, holding his injured hand. He sees blood pouring from the wound. Then, looking up, he watches as Scotty, with scissors in hand held out before him, charges at the wolf. However, the boy is easily swept aside. His sister also decides to attack and Amy steps around Victor to take a wild swing at the wolf with her stick. It seems, though, that the wolf was somehow prepared for the strike. The blow to his ribs doesn't seem to faze him, and the wolf simply clamps his arm down over the weapon.

Jack begins to stand back up in preparation for a second attack, and as he does so, he notices that Mason is just standing and watching the spectacle.

At this point, Victor grabs Amy and jerks her behind him. In a nervous voice, he tells the wolf, “You…you…must stay, sir, stay…back.”

Jack has determined a new plan of attack. He intends to plow forward aiming a shoulder at the beast's bad leg.

All of sudden, though, the skirmish is stopped by the sound of another voice.

“What is happening? Please, my friends, quarreling is so childish!” admonishes the Queen.

Chapter 130

All eyes turn to the authoritative voice, and Jack is once again stunned at the appearance of the radiant Queen, thinking,
Could she possibly be even more beautiful?
She seems to almost be glowing as she stands at the door of the house. His gaze is broken, though, by the pain in his hand, and as he looks down at it, he notices that blood is dripping onto the floor beneath him.

“What has happened here?” the Queen asks. Her attention turns to Jack, who is pressing hard on his bleeding hand. She moves, seeming to float across the room toward him, and says, “Oh, my poor child, let me see.”

Her voice is just as sweet as it had been before, and she adds, “I beg you, there needs to be no quarrel among us.”

The Queen takes Jack's back pack and sets it down on the ground. Then taking Jack's injured hand in her soft hands, she can see that four fang marks had punctured the soft spot between his index finger and thumb on both sides.

The Queen gives the wolf a stare, admonishing the creature like a scolding teacher and says, “My dear wolf, this is not proper behavior. It will not be tolerated. You will back away. Back away from the girl.”

The wolf is apparently compelled to obey and moves back and stands still. However, his mannerism does not suggest that he is as enamored with the Queen as the others are.

“Thank you,” says the Queen. Then she looks down at the wound again and begins to whisper something. They are words that Jack cannot discern, but instantly the pain in his hand subsides. Then, to his amazement, the fang marks dissolve into clear pink skin. She drops Jack's hand, turns to Victor, and says, “Now, Victor, I am not sure what has happened, but I am sure there is no need for any hasty action.”

Victor bows yet again and says, “Sorry, milady.”

“We shall put the whole nasty scene behind us,” declares the Queen. She shoots the wolf another disdaining look and adds, “All of us.”

Then, looking back at Victor, she continues, “The fire is prepared I see, but I must say, it is lacking a little.”

The Queen then turns to the small fire and begins to mutter more of the unintelligible words under her breath. Suddenly, the small little fire grows. The once red flickering flames lengthen several feet, and a green light appears around the fire.

The Queen's sudden mastery of the wolf, the healing spell, and whatever she had just done to the fire is enough proof for Jack to believe that she truly is as powerful as she is radiant.

“Now, brave travelers, I have made final arrangements. I have what you need,” informs the Queen, who holds aloft a stack of papers for all to see. Triumphantly, she beams and says, “I have the missing pages of your story!”

This is a bombshell for Jack. He feels vindicated that the narrator had been right, that the missing pages were the key, and that they had to finish the story. Now, in addition to being relieved, Jack is downright excited.

Mason asks, “So what do we do?”

“Well, I shall read them, of course. Once the story is finished, we can all live happily ever after. Should I begin now?”

A low growl exudes from the wolf, “No.”

“What was that, my dear friend? Is there a reason you are interrupting? Oh, I see, you want the girl. Of course, you are upset now that you see she shall escape?”

The wolf responds, “No.” Something about the Queen has humbled him.

“Well brave ones, shall I begin?”

Jack looks at Amy, who is still on the floor and grasping her shoulder. Then he asks, “Uh, could we have a moment, your majesty?”

“Of course, my child.”

“Guys, can we talk about this first?” Jack begs.

Amy and Scotty begin to walk toward him, but Mason, for his part, glowers at Jack.

Then he makes an exaggerated disgusted step toward the meeting and says, “I've had about enough of this, Braddock. Why do we need a pow-wow now? The woman just healed your hand, and you're still going on with this suspicious routine? Let's get this over with and go home.”

Scotty adds, “I have to agree with Mason, Jack. We're so close now.”

Jack responds, “I don't know. I just don't want to rush into this. There is something not right here.”

Mason declares, “The only thing not right here is you, Jack.”

“Let him speak his mind,” Amy retorts.

Jack sighs for a moment, realizing she had actually defended him.

“But this better be good,” Amy continues.

The warning from Amy stings, but he starts to make his case by saying, “Look, I know you guys want to go through with this. I'm just saying that it
does not feel right. I know she's nice and all, but why won't they let us out the door? Why do we need to have our stories read?”

Amy replies, “But isn't this what the narrator told us to do—finish the story? Isn't that right, Jack? It's what you've been wanting all night.”

Her face looks five years older, more mature and prettier than Jack remembered.

“Yes, that's right,” Jack says. “But he was trying to lead us somewhere else. We didn't really do what he wanted.”

“Jack, we are going to finish the story. We are doing what is right. The Queen, she's going to reward us,” explains Amy with an expression so pleasant that it puts Jack at ease. If Mason had offered the very same point, Jack would surely have countered it, but coming from Amy, Jack gives consideration to the reasoning.

He thinks,
The narrator told us to go another way, but the Queen has been so kind. She healed my hand and staved off the
wolf. I want to finish, but still…it seems…too easy.
Soon enough, though, Jack succumbs to the collective will of the others. He tells them, “I guess you're right. But I'm just saying—”

“Enough with the buts, Jack,” offers Mason. “It's time we got out of here—all of us! We all know what we need to do.”

Then he looks at the wolf and continues in a softer tone, “We could try and walk out, but who's to say that wolf's not going to follow? He's pretty determined to kill Amy.”

Jack admits to himself that this is a good point.

Before the huddle breaks and before Jack can object, Mason announces to the Queen, “Okay, we're ready!”

The Queen gently nods and gracefully lifts the papers. Then she says, “Young apprentice, I shall read yours first.”