Dark shapes came from narrow alleys and crept toward them.
“And what have we got us here, Bates?” It was a boy’s voice, but it had the sound of a knife in it.
“Looks like we got us some toffs out for a little stroll on Piccadilly.” The second voice that must have belonged to Bates came from behind them. His was higher pitched than the first and the kind that sent chills skittering up spines. He circled and stood in front of them, his face still in the shadows.
“I see a lady what has a nice fat purse with her, too.” Bates reached out to finger Margaret’s purse. She yanked it away.
Bates laughed. “Coronation day is being good to us lads.” He’d come closer.
Pete stared into Bates’ sharp face.
“Leave us alone. We don’t have money,” Pete said.
“Is that a fact?” Bates leaned in closer. The others stayed back, so Pete only felt them there, and couldn’t see them. All he saw were two very cold, hungry eyes locked onto his. Weasel and Margaret huddled at his back.
Pete cringed. He tried to stop his legs from shaking.
“Well now, sorry to give you such a fright.” Bates was so close to Pete that his breath brushed Pete’s cheek.
“Bullies don’t scare me.” Now Pete was lying, but he had to. He had to lie so he didn’t let his gaze drop and his voice crack.
He went back to the day he’d stood in the pouring rain and chanted the spell that he had to do just right if he was going to save the Ornofree swamp and its alligators. He remembered his dad’s and his mom’s voices from before they died. “Be strong, Pete. Do what you have to do.” He’d done what he had to do that day in the swamp, but he’d had magic on his side. He didn’t have any magic with him now. If he tried to use it, he’d risk making more trouble for everyone. He wasn’t going to do that. He was going to follow that order no matter what. How did ordinary kids fix messes like this?
“Pete, are you coming?” Fanon was in his head again. “These guys with the clubs are getting riled, and I don’t have any place else to hide.”
“Coming, Fanon, but I’m in a tight spot right now. Some kids are about to whale on me.”
“Like in hit you?”
“You got it.”
“Okay, let me see what I can do.” Fanon’s voice faded and Pete cringed as Bates clenched his fist and aimed it at Pete’s nose.
Pete pointed a finger at Bates. “Back off,” he said, and his voice surprised him. It wasn’t shaky. It sounded a lot like the one he’d used that day he’d stopped the bulldozers from destroying more of the swamp. It sounded a lot like the one that sent the alligators overhead and started all the workers undoing the damage to the alligator habitat.
He hissed and snapped and Bates jumped back. “What the …”
Pete’s hand went to his mouth. He had teeth as sharp as an alligator. His eyes went to circles and his mouth opened wide. The hiss and snap was really loud now, so loud he was sure he had an alligator inside him.
“Yikes!” Bates yelled.
Pete lunged at him. “Get away. Now. Or I’ll take a bite out of your hide. Scram!”
Bates took off on a run. The dark shapes around them slunk back into the alleys.
“How did you do that? Those teeth?” Weasel stared at Pete. “Your eyes went red!”
“I don’t know.” Had he accidentally used magic? If so, what kind of trouble would it cause? He touched his eyes. “How do they look now?”
“Normal. Sort of blah.”
“Gee thanks, Weaze.”
Margaret pulled him around so she could see his face. “That was most frightening. The hissing and snapping sound, but especially the red eyes.”
Pete smiled. “Yeah. Nothing like alligator eyes at night. They’re as scary as seeing a Wookiee for the first time.”
“Wookiee?” Margaret asked.
“Never mind. Come on. Let’s find the Greenlys and go save Fanon.”
“Wait.” Margaret grasped Pete’s arm. “How are we going to do that without the Greenlys seeing him? I can’t explain a talking alligator to them.”
“I’ll find him, get him to a safe place and pick him up when the Greenlys aren’t along.”
“Your plan isn’t very well thought out,” she said.
“I don’t have time to do that. Fanon sounds really scared, and he doesn’t scare fast. He’s in danger.”
She nodded. “You’re right. We have no choice.”
They’d taken only a few steps when two figures came from the shadows and stood in front of them. Pete put up his fists.
“Pete?” This time Pete knew that voice.
“Snipe?”
“It’s me all right.” Snipe walked over and stood in front of the three of them. “Rush and me,” he cocked his head toward the tall boy at his side, “wasn’t going to let Bates have at you, but you didn’t need us now, did you?”
“How’d you do that?” Rush asked. “You know, make your eyes red?”
Pete shrugged. “It’s an old family trick I learned from my, uh, Aunt Lizzie.”
“That’s some trick,” Snipe said. “So what are you doing here? You were took away from the Spike to do work in some stables, right?”
“Right, but now I have a friend in trouble, so I have to help him. You can come if you want. We could use you.”
“Where?” Rush asked.
“He’s at Oak Bridge Lake,” Margaret said. “And we’d best be on our way. The Greenlys are waiting just up that direction.” She gazed at Snipe for a moment, then quickly looking off toward the carriage, said, “You may ride on the back of the carriage if you wish.”
For a moment Snipe didn’t answer, then as if he suddenly remembered he was in the middle of a conversation he said, “What do you think, Rush?”
“We could lend a hand. We got no place to be, right? We already broke out of Mrs. Whitlock’s fine hotel and we ain’t returning.” Rush smiled.
Snipe said, “Then we’re in. Let’s go.”
They hurried down the street and Pete was relieved to spot the carriage just around the corner.
Margaret spoke to Mr. Greenly, then as she reached for the carriage door, Snipe grabbed the handle and opened the door for her.
Weasel elbowed Pete and rolled his eyes. “Mushy stuff ahead.”
Snipe helped Margaret up the step, and she let him as if she needed a hand up.
Pete shook his head. He didn’t understand mushy stuff, and he really didn’t understand why Margaret was acting so girly all of a sudden.
“What a worry you are to me,” Mrs. Greenly said as they climbed inside.
Weasel said, “Me, too.” He rubbed the toes of his boots. “These are killing me.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Greenly.” Margaret sat next to her and patted her hand. “It couldn’t be helped. The doctor was quite busy, and it took some time to sort out the business Pete and Weasel had with him.”
“I must say I found his house quite upsetting.” Mrs. Greenly fanned her face with her hand. “Quite upsetting.”
The carriage rocked as Rush and Spike hopped onto the back.
“Oh! What is that?” Mrs. Greenly sat forward and looked alarmed.
As the horses set off at a quick pace, Pete said, “Two of my friends are riding on the back. They’re going to help us.”
“Help us?” Mrs. Greenly asked, confused.
“One of Pete’s friends is in need of assistance at Oak Bridge Lake. Mr. Greenly is taking us there right now.”
“Oh, Miss Margaret. Oak Bridge Lake at this time of night? There are bad reports about that place, especially after dark.” Mrs. Greenly’s voice was high and tense.
“All will be well.” Margaret nodded at Pete. “Isn’t that so?”
Pete crossed his fingers. “Uh, yes. Sure.”
Weasel swallowed. “What kind of bad reports?”
“Robberies for one. Ghostly sightings as well. Then there’s some kind of beast in hiding.” Mrs. Greenly wrung her hands. “Oh, dear.”
“Robberies. Ghosts. And a Beast,” Weasel repeated. “Can’t wait.”