chapter 20

Escape

The Burrow of Confinement sat at the edge of the Hill, in an area seldom used. Tall weeds surrounded an old metal box.

Twig and Lily looked around cautiously.

“Coast is clear,” Twig said. “Now the hard part. . . . How do we break Char out?”

He tapped lightly on the giant metal door and heard the muffled stirring of Char inside.

“Char?” Lily whispered. “It’s okay . . . we’ve come to rescue you.” She looked doubtfully at the huge padlock. “Twig, I don’t know how we can break through this. If we had Char and his flamethrower, we could work on the lock, but he’s on the wrong side of the problem.”

Just then a voice spoke behind them.

“You need this?”

Twig and Lily pivoted on their toes. There stood Basil, smiling nonchalantly, dangling a large silver key on a long chain.

“Basil!” they said in unison.

“Who else?” replied Basil. “Obviously you two need some help, somebody with the right connections.”

Twig clenched his paws and frowned. “Basil, you can’t stop us from helping Char escape. He’s done nothing wrong, really, and—”

Basil swung the key in the air. “Do you see this?” he asked. “This, my friends, is the one key—the only key—to the lock that holds Char behind bars.”

Lily blinked, and then her eyes widened. “Basil, you’re actually helping? You want Char to escape?”

“Maybe,” Basil replied.

Twig knew they had to act quickly to free Char. It was possible that the Council members would be there any minute.

“How did you get the key?” Twig asked.

Basil smiled. “My uncle had the key, as head of the Guild Judiciary Committee. I just found the right moment to slip it out of his desk drawer . . . easy as pie.”

“May I have it, Basil?” Twig asked directly. “Will you give it to me, please?”

“Why should I?” replied Basil.

Twig knew that Basil was just playing with them. The padlock was high-grade steel and looked formidable. Twig and Lily looked at each other.

“Char is sick,” Twig said. “We’ve got to get him back to where he’s from. Soon. Before the Committee takes him. We need the key. Will you help us, Basil?”

Basil hesitated, then tossed the key to Twig. Twig shot him a look of gratitude.

The silver key opened the padlock with a click, and they heaved open the heavy door. Char scrambled out, his wings flapping weakly.

Twig hugged him gently. “Hey, buddy!” he murmured.

Char’s tongue darted out, tickling Twig’s ear. Then he began sniffing Basil’s whiskers.

“Hey! Stop it!” Basil said. He started giggling as Char’s snout covered his face.

“See? He likes you,” said Lily. “He knows a friend when he sees one.”

“He’s a maniac!” Basil squeaked, obviously enjoying Char’s attention.

Twig glanced around anxiously. “We’d better get moving,” he said. “Are you coming, Basil?”

The weasel smiled. “Of course I’m coming, Woodpecker Toes.”

Twig grinned back. “We need to make one quick stop before we head out. This way.”

They raced to his house and found it empty. Twig scampered into his room, grabbed his beloved Dragons book, and turned to his favorite page. He left the book open, where he knew Olive would see it, and quickly penciled a note. Home soon. Love, Twig.

Hurrying back outside, he gestured to his friends. Then they quickly slipped beneath a grove of mayapples and were gone.