Festival of Shadows (46 page)

Beasley climbed up and pounded his fists. “I thought you were supposed to be dead.”

Theo backed away, eyeing the boomerang.

“You’re no match for me,” Beasley said. He grabbed Theo by the neck and laughed, then dropped him when the boomerang hit him in the back of the head. Theo rolled out of the way as Beasley fell over the side of the train and landed in a field.
 

He caught the boomerang and looked down at the caboose. Ludwig and Verona weren’t inside.

They’re up to something.

He ran to the edge of the car and looked down; Ludwig and Verona were climbing the ladder, but they were shaking and their teeth were chattering.
 

“Not you again,” Verona said.
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a mallet and jumped into the air.
 

Ludwig and Verona screamed, dropped off the ladder, and shielded themselves under the canopy of the caboose. Instead of hitting them, Theo landed on the coupling and smashed it, disconnecting the caboose.

Ludwig and Verona jumped up and down angrily as the caboose rolled backward down a hill.

“That takes care of them,” Theo said.
 

The train chugged on up the hill, and Theo made his way to the next car. When he reached the roof, he almost fell off the train in shock. The top of the car was exposed, and the freight car was filled with dead toys and toy parts. It looked as if they were freshly murdered. Many of their eyes were still open.
 

Theo felt nauseous at the sight of all the dead toys.
 

Another clown sat on the opposite edge of the car, dangling his legs off the side. He was reading a book.
 

Theo dove into the sea of toys, swam through, and peeked out at the other end near the clown.
 

He turned the Whatsamadoozle into a slingshot and aimed, but he let go just as the train hit a bump in the tracks. The rock shot past the clown’s ear.
 

“What the—?”

Cursing, the clown whipped around, snatched Theo out of the toy pile, and threw him overboard.

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a propeller just before he hit the ground and flew back toward the train. He landed on the car, turned the Whatsamadoozle into a giant fan, and blew the clown away.
 

Andersen needs better security guards.

The passenger car was next, and Theo climbed down to look through the back window. The car was luxurious like the caboose, with several booths in the front. In the middle, a giant cage held Lucinda, Heinrich, Bethany, and Gasket.
 

I knew I’d find you.

Theo disconnected the freight car behind him, and it rolled away. He turned around to enter the passenger car, and had just put his hand on the door when something told him to stop. He ducked and kept his eyes on the window.
 

Andersen entered the car from the opposite side, shoes clacking as he walked. He whistled and puffed a candy cigar.
 

“Gonna be rich,” he sang. “Gonna be riiiiiich . . . dooby doo . . .”

“Quit yer lousy singin’,” Bethany said.
 

“This is your last chance to join Stratus,” Andersen said. “You really don’t have to sacrifice your lives for that teddy bear. His Grace is still willing to accept you. Of course, I wouldn’t be happy if you joined us because it would minimize my reward. I need it to build a new big top. But I’d be happy for you. I wouldn’t have to pity you pathetic toys anymore. How horrible it must be to live like you do, on the fringe, moving from town to town because no one will accept you . . .”

Lucinda shot a dream blast at him, but it dissolved against the bars of the cage.

“Nice try.” Andersen plunked down on a chair and unfolded a newspaper. “We’re almost to the castle, so I think I’ll just read the paper, if you don’t mind. That way, if you try to plot your escape, I’ll hear everything you say. Your teddy bear friend is dead, so don’t think you’re going to get saved by him.”

Gasket growled at him, but Andersen just laughed.
 

I’m running out of time.
 

Andersen whistled as he turned a page.
 

As the train entered a tunnel, Theo saw a metal pipe running along the underside of the car. He climbed down and shimmied along it until he came up on the other side, between the car and the engine. Inside the engine car, a furnace glowed furiously. A pile of coal was stacked near it.
 

The train emerged from the tunnel and wound around a mountain. Stratus’s castle loomed in the distance, and the moon hung over it, bigger than ever before.
 

Theo entered the engine car and turned the Whatsamadoozle into an ice scepter. He sprayed the furnace with a thin layer of ice, then climbed to the top of the passenger car and waited as the train started to slow down.
 

Andersen ran into the engine car. “What the blue bazooka—”
 

But the ice had melted by now, leaving no trace.

“Strange. I thought I put enough coal in.”

As he shoveled in more coal, Theo dropped down and smacked the coupling several times as fast as he could.

Andersen whipped around at the sound of the hammering. “You’re supposed to be dead!”

“So long,” Theo said, whacking the coupling a final time. The cars disconnected.

“You can’t rescue your friends without a key,” Andersen said, waving a golden key in the air. He snickered.

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a whip again and snatched the key out of Andersen’s hand. “Thanks.”

Enraged, Andersen howled while the engine barreled away. The passenger car slowed to a stop.

Heinrich and Bethany cheered as Theo unlocked the cage.
 

Gasket licked Theo gratefully, and Heinrich embraced him. “Oh, you’re a miracle wrapped in fur!”

“I knew you’d rescue us, buddy. I didn’t believe those clowns for one minute when they said you’d died.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo said. “I shouldn’t have left you guys.”

He looked at Lucinda, but she was facing the other way with her arms folded.

“What, you’re not going to accept my apology?”

Lucinda puffed. “Apology! You could’ve gotten us killed!”

“And I apologized.”

“You still don’t get it,” she said. “It’s all about you. From the moment you came here, it’s been all about you. You act like we exist only to serve you. Well, guess what? We have lives of our own, and you don’t care about us. You only care about Grant—quit pretending. So no, I
don’t
accept your apology.”

A screeching sound outside could just be heard over Lucinda’s rant. Heinrich looked out the back window and started to sweat. “Um—”

Lucinda ignored him. “And I’ll tell you something else. We might as well have died. Our festival is ruined because of you!”

Theo bunched up his lips.
 

“That’s right,” Lucinda continued. “For the first time, you’re speechless. It’s nice to be able to talk for once.”
 

Bethany joined Heinrich at the window. “Um, Lucinda—”

“Be quiet,” she shouted. “I am tired of being nice. I’m going to speak my mind!”

Gasket joined Heinrich and Bethany at the window and whimpered.
 

“Go to the castle,” Lucinda said, pointing to the window. “You’re nearly there. And you’ll probably get in, too. But leave us alone and let us live in peace.”

Theo looked out the window. “You have to be kidding me.”

The caboose was approaching, its turbo rockets blazing in the rear. Ludwig and Verona jumped on the roof, shouting frantically.
 

“You thought you could get rid of us,” Ludwig said. “But we were prepared!”
 

“They’re the most persistent clowns in the universe,” Theo said, readying the Whatsamadoozle.
 

 
SMASH!
The caboose crashed into the freight car, sending toy parts flying.
CRASH!
The freight car shot up the tracks, pushing the passenger car until it smashed into the engine car, where Andersen was standing with his arms folded. He coupled the car to the engine and entered. Ludwig and Verona coupled the caboose to the freight car, ran through it to the passenger car, and entered from the other side.

“What took you so long?” Andersen said, laughing. “You guys aren’t going anywhere.”
 

Andersen looked different now. He wore a robotic suit that made him taller, his hands were claws, and his feet had become piston-actioned metal talons that screeched the ground as he walked. He put on a metal helmet with a glass cover that protected his face.
 

“Call me Robo Andersen.”

“Yeah, Robo Andersen!” Verona echoed.

“I’d be scared right now if I were you,” Ludwig said.

Andersen karate-chopped a booth in half and did a few roundhouse kicks for show. “I like it when my henchmen are agreeable. Hyuk hyuk.”

Ludwig and Verona brandished knives, and Andersen assumed a karate pose.

Theo, Heinrich, Bethany, and Gasket stood with their backs together as the clowns approached them from both sides of the car.

“I’m still mad at you,” Lucinda said to Theo.
 

“How about you be quiet and be mad at me later?” Theo said.

“I like that very much,” Heinrich said, flexing his muscles.
 

“Save your squabbles,” Bethany said, swinging her lasso. “We got bigger troubles right now.”

Lucinda fired a dream blast at Andersen, but it dissolved against his suit.
 

“My turn to attack,” Andersen said, running at her.
 

Theo readied the Whatsamadoozle, and then noticed the chandelier above. “Lucinda, shoot it!”

Lucinda fired a dream blast at the chandelier, but it didn’t fall; instead, it just swung around.

“You really thought that would work?” Andersen said. He reached up, ripped the chandelier out of the ceiling, and threw it at them.

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a claw, snatched the chandelier out of the air, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered, and glass shards scattered across the carpet.
 

Andersen leaped at Lucinda, ready to kick her, but she held out her hands and fired a bigger dream blast at him, knocking him out of the air. She rolled under him as he crashed to his knees.
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a mallet, and Lucinda fired a dream blast at it. It glowed purple, and Theo knew it was infused with magic.
 

Heinrich charged across the car and picked up Theo. He swung him around like a discus and threw him at Andersen. “One teddy bear with a side of Whatsamadoozle, coming right up!”

POW! Theo smashed into Andersen, and the clown staggered back. Then Heinrich headbutted him into the wall.
 

“Two ouchies for you,” Heinrich said, uppercutting Andersen and following with a body slam. “Four ouchies, and many more to come until you give up your foolishness.”
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a sword and slashed Andersen across the chest.
 

“Watch the suit,” the clown said, looking down at the slash. The suit was sparking.

WHAM!
Ludwig crashed into Andersen and bounced off the suit. The clown lay groaning on the floor. “Sorry, boss . . .”

Bethany, perched on Gasket at the other end of the car, twirled her lasso and yelled, “Yee-haw! Serves you right, you stupid clown!”

Andersen’s suit beeped, and it hummed as if it were charging. “Rats. I need more time.” He dashed out of the car, and Lucinda and Heinrich flew after him.
 

“Where are you going?” Theo said, swinging the mallet. He was about to follow when he heard Gasket whimper; Verona was approaching Gasket with a knife, grinning. Bethany twirled her lasso again. Gasket looked as if he wanted to blow fire, but he couldn’t because he would set the car ablaze.

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a slingshot and pelted Verona on the back of the head.

“Ow!” Verona said, whipping around.
 

“Leave them alone,” Theo said.
 

Verona bared her teeth and ran at Theo, but Gasket swiped her with his tail, knocking her down.

Bethany laughed and said, “Nice job beating the fat one, fellas.”

Verona jumped to her feet and stomped, shaking the car. “No more jokes about my weight!”

“It ain’t a joke,” Bethany said, spinning her lasso. “It’s the truth.” She threw the lasso at Verona. Verona screamed, grabbed the lasso and yanked Bethany off Gasket and into a booth, breaking it.

“Ouch . . .”

Bethany tried to stagger up as Verona marched toward her.