Chapter 12

"Basil! BASIL!" the detective failed to notice his partner shouting at him. His mind had blacked out for a moment and he looks up at his partner.

"Listen Basil, I know you can save Olivia, you just need to use that brain of yours!" Dawson insists, but Basil shakes his head in frustration.

"Look around you Dawson! We're stuck in here! There's not a loose stone anywhere!" the detective shouts. Dawson, however, refuses to accept their fate.

"That maid! She must have a weakness!" the doctor said, "You saw Rosenberg kill Karl, who's to say he also killed his wife and children?!" he adds. Basil's mind begins to process this and something clicks in his brain.

"My God! You're right!" the detective exclaims and rushes to the door. "HEDGY!" he cries out, "I need you! Now!" he shouts. He sees the Koffman's head housekeeper and a few of her assistants.

"Hedgy, listen to me! I need you to let us out!" Basil demands, but the maid doesn't make a move.

"I can't do that Herr Basil, what if Rosenberg-" "Do you think Rosenberg will keep his end of the bargain?! Those children are probably dead already!" Basil interrupts, but the maid looks down at the floor, confusion in her eyes.

"Damn it woman! If you don't let us out, I'll-" he stops, yelling at a female mouse was something he hated to do, so he calms himself down and asks, "Hedgy, Rosenberg will probably kill us all when he gets back. Do you want that to happen?"

Before the maid could answer, one of her assistants shouts, "Jemand kommt! Someone's coming!" Basil turns his eyes to the right and sees three shadows emerge from the darkness. Karl was carrying a soldier with assistance from another solider and Basil saw the blood on Karl's uniform.

"My God, Karl!" he exclaims.

"I'm not injured, that damn Rosenberg turned on us! Fräulein Flaversham was right, I am a coward!" Karl replies. Basil then comes up with a solution to their current situation.

"Let us out, Dawson's a doctor," Basil said to his friend and he nods. He then walks over to Hedgy, arm outstretched.

"Mein Herr, nein!" Hedgy cries, but Karl looks at the maid.

"Hedgy, I promise we'll bring Lottie and meine Kinder home, but I need Basil's assistance," Karl said, calmly. The maid looks at her master and then at Basil. She nods and gives the key to Karl, who then unlocks the door.

"Doktor, please look at Dieter," Karl pleads and Dawson looks over Dieter's injury. The bullet hit him in the shoulder, but it didn't hit any major arteries.

"Clean shot, but not fatal," Dawson replies and Karl has the maids take Dieter up to the medical wing.

"Karl, do you know where Rosenberg is going?" Basil asks, but Karl shakes his head. However, the mouse's face lights up as if he came up with an idea.

"Listen, I need you to bring something of Olivia's, something that would have her scent," he replies and adds, "Meet me up at the castle entrance, be quick now!"

Basil and Dawson hurry up back to their bedrooms, but Basil was quicker. He runs into his room, grabbing his deerstalker hat and coat, but he failed to notice the velvet box in his pocket.

He rushes into Olivia's room. Thankfully, the maids didn't take the dress she wore the other day and takes it. Both he and Dawson rush to the castle entrance, where Karl had been speaking to his army. They were going after Rosenberg and the army mice shout and raised their muskets in the air.

"Karl, I have Olivia's dress, but what do you need it for?" Basil asks, but Karl chuckles.

"Just you wait," he replies and turns to face the forest, "RALPHINA!" he calls and then he and his army give howling noises.

"I say Basil, who is-" Then a mass of white fur appears before them. The animal was large, it had a bushy tail and big yellow eyes. The mice stare at the animal and Dawson sputters, "Ba...Basil...That's...that's a..."

"My word! Ralphina's a wolf!" Basil exclaims and then notices more wolves coming out of the dark woods and into the light. Karl then speaks to Ralphina, who then starts growling and Karl encourages her to be angry. Basil laughs at this as it reminded him of his time training Toby. Then, the memory of Olivia first meeting Toby springs up in his mind.

"Basil, come here," Karl said and the detective walks over to them. "Give me the dress, Ralphina can follow the scent," Karl adds and Basil hands over Olivia's dress. Karl holds it up to Ralphina's nose, who sniffs it and then she starts to growl. She turns in the direction of the forest.

"She's got the scent! Let's hurry!" Karl shouts and the three get on the wolf. The army mice then climb onto the backs of the other wolves. Ralphina then gives a deep howl and the other wolves howl in response. Basil was in awe of the majestic sound, it was deeper than Toby's high-pitched howl.

Ralphina then charges into the forest with the pack following her, heading east. The forest was dark as the sun had set earlier.

"Karl! How far can Ralphian go without stopping?!" Basil calls to his friend.

"She can run for an hour without stopping! Much faster than a dog!" Karl replies and Ralphina keeps on running.

Meanwhile, Rosenberg, his crew and Olivia were still flying above the forest. "We'll be...at our...destination soon..." Rosenberg said to Olivia, who was looking at him with hate. The whizzing in his voice was getting on her nerves.

"Basil will come for me! He's smarter than anyone of you!" Olivia replies, but Rosenberg laughs at this.

"Oh no...I will...finally...avenge Ratigan...Oh James...if only...you were...here to see...this..." the rat replies. Olivia was stumped about what he said, he had called Ratigan by his first name, James.

She then compares both rats in her mind. They had some physical similarities, but they were similar in brains for sure. She then decides to ask the most dreadful question, "Who are you Rosenberg?"

Schmidt looks at her in confusion, "He's Erich Rosenberg, are you-" "No Schmidt...that's not...what she's...asking about..." Rosenberg said and looks at Olivia with dark eyes, the same eyes Ratigan had.

"My mother's...former...martial name...was Ilse Ratigan..." the rat tells her and Olivia's eyes grew wide with shock, but it all made sense.

"You're Ratigan's-" "Half-brother...but we...were close...much like...blood brothers..." Rosenberg said and continues, "Dear old...mother...taught us...the art...of the...criminal trade...that's the thing...about rats."

He then stands up from his seat, walks over to Olivia and presses the top of his cane under her chin. "Now...I'm going to...kill you...and your...dear Basil...and James...will finally...be at...peace..." Rosenberg said with a grim smile.

He settles in his seat again. Olivia's thoughts were racing, she was afraid that Rosenberg was planning something terrible, but the thought of Basil not saving her terrified her the most.

"Sir, we'll be making our descent now," the mouse at the wheel said. Olivia looks down and sees the patch of forest, but also sees the waterfall. Then, she remembers something Basil told her.

"Oh no..." she whispers as the dirigible lows down into the forest.

Ralphina and the pack were running at top speed through the forest. The army mice with their commander and Basil and Dawson held onto the wolves as they raced through the woods.

The moon had appeared moments ago, providing them light and Basil could see clearly now. He saw that they were on a path of some kind, but then a memory was replaying in his mind.

He looks at the trees, but he was dreading something. "Please...don't be..." Basil whispers, but then sees it. A boulder to his right that was covered in tree roots. The tree had grown much taller then the last time he went passed it twelve years ago.

"Karl! Dawson!" he calls out to his friends and they look at him. "I know where Rosenberg is going! Lichtenhain Falls!" he tells them.

Karl begins to process the information and calls back, "We'll be there in a half hour!"

Ralphina and the wolves went faster with their running. Basil looks straight ahead, his grip growing tight on the fur of the wolf's neck. He needed to save Olivia, the mouse woman he loves. If something terrible were to happen to her, he'll never forgive himself.


From the author: Basil to the rescue! Will he make it in time? We'll just to have to wait and see!

By the way, I owe credit for a guest reviewer who thought of Rosenberg and Raitgan being half-brothers. I wouldn't have thought of that!

See you soon!