Write a sport that's all action on three different fronts, I said. It'll be fun and totally not hard at all, I said.
As they entered November, the weather turned colder. The mountains and hills around the school became icy gray and the river like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Ralph could be seen from the upstairs windows breaking logs apart with his bare hands into firewood, bundled up in a long overcoat and plaid trapper hat.
Questing season had officially begun. On Saturday, Hiro would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Mus versus Felinus. If Mus won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.
Hardly anyone had seen Hiro play because Cassandra had decided that, as their secret weapon, Hiro should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was the new Chaser leaked out thanks to the Blight twins, and Hiro didn't know which was worse – people telling him he'd be brilliant, or that they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.
It was really lucky that Hiro now had Wendy as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Questing practice Cassandra was making them do. It was nice to finally have a friend who shared his enthusiasm for learning, and the two quickly found themselves swapping theories about spells and the inner workings of magic. Peter didn't have much to say during these discussions, but he was more than happy to listen to her tell stories of all the brave warriors and heroes that she knew of, and loved showing off his flight skills to her.
Wendy also lent Hiro a book she found about Questing, which turned out to be a very interesting read. Hiro learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Questing foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 2005; that Chasers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died while Questing, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the deserts of Agrabah. The book was also an audiobook; if you tapped your wand on the page, it was read aloud in a dry, humorless voice that stood in stark contrast against the chaotic moving illustrations.
Wendy had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Hiro and Peter saved her from the troll. The day before Hiro's first Questing match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured up a tiny flame that stood at the end of her wand. They huddled together warming their hands over it, when Lilith crossed the yard. Hiro noticed at once that she was limping. He, Peter, and Wendy moved closer together to block the fire from view until Wendy put it out; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Lilith's eye. She limped over. She hadn't seen the fire, but she seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.
"What do you have there, Mr. Hamada?"
It was the Questing book. Hiro showed her.
"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Lilith. She snatched it from his hands. "Five points from Mus."
"She just made that rule up!" Hiro muttered angrily as Lilith limped away. "Wonder what's up with her leg?"
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting her," said Peter bitterly.
The Mus common room was particularly noisy that evening. Hiro, Peter, and Wendy sat together next to a window. Wendy was checking Peter's Charms homework for him. She'd never let him copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, he got the right answers anyway.
Hiro felt restless. He wanted his book back to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Lilith? Getting up, he told Wendy and Peter he was going to ask Lilith if he could have it back.
"Better you than me," Peter said, but Hiro believed that Lilith wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.
He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Lilith had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes.
Lilith and Merryweather, one of the fairies who assisted Professor Flora in the infirmary, were inside, alone. Lilith was holding her robes above her knees. One of her legs was bloody and mangled. Merryweather was wrapping it in blue bandages.
"Blasted reptile," Lilith was saying. "I'm surprised anyone could squeeze past a creature like that when it takes up the entire room."
Hiro tried to shut the door quietly, but –
"HIRO!"
Lilith's face was twisted with fury as she dropped her robes quickly to hide her leg. Hiro gulped.
"I-I'm sorry, I just wondered if I could have my book back –"
"GET OUT! NOW!"
Hiro sprinted back upstairs before Lilith could take any more points from him.
"Well? Did you get it?" Peter asked as Hiro rejoined them. Hiro shook his head.
"What's the matter?" asked Wendy. In a low whisper, Hiro told them what he'd seen.
"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "Lilith tried to get past that dinosaur on Halloween! That's where she was going when we saw her – she's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet Baymax that she let that troll in to create a diversion!"
Wendy's eyes went wide.
"No – she wouldn't," she said. "I know she's very strict, and doesn't seem very nice, but she wouldn't try and steal something Merlin was keeping safe."
"Honestly, Wendy, you think all teachers are saints or somethin'," snapped Peter. "I'm with Hiro. I wouldn't put anything past Lilith. But what is it that dinosaur's guarding that she wants so badly?"
Hiro went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Sprig was snoring loudly, but Hiro couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind – he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Questing match in a few hours – but the expression on Lilith's face when Hiro saw her leg wasn't easy to forget.
The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Questing match.
"You've got to eat some breakfast."
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Wendy.
"I'm not hungry."
Hiro felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.
"Hiro, you need your strength," said Melissa. "Chasers are always the ones who the other team targets first."
"Thanks, Melissa," said Hiro.
"Good luck today, Hiro."
Hiro nearly jumped; Lilith was standing behind him. The thoughtful look on her face quickly gave way to a smirk; he must have imagined it.
"Then again, after facing a fully grown troll, a little game of Questing should be easy work for you, even if it is against Felinus." She strode off to the high table without another word.
By eleven o'clock the stands around the Questing field seemed to overflow with the entire student body. Many of the spectators had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what everything going on sometimes.
Peter, Ralph and Wendy joined Anne, Zach, Melissa, Wart and Sprig up in the top row. As a surprise for Hiro, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets. It said "Fly High Hiro", and Zach, who was good at drawing, made a pattern of the Mus symbol underneath. Then Wendy performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.
Meanwhile, in the locker room, Hiro and the rest of the team were changing into their Questing uniforms, a tunic and armor both in varying shades of red (Felinus would be playing in green).
Cassandra cleared her throat for silence.
"Okay, men," she said.
"And women," said Warrior Alberta Falls.
"And women," Cass agreed. "This is it."
"The big one, " said Edric.
"The one we've aaaaall been waiting for," said Emira.
"We know Cass' speech by heart, " Edric told Hiro, "we were on the team last year. "
"Shut it, you two," said Cassandra. "This is the best team Mus has had in years. We're going to win. I know it."
She glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."
"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."
Cassandra patted Baymax's back.
"Baymax's a helluva sturdy flying machine. I can practically taste that cup."
Hiro could only muster a "yeah". She laid a hand on his shoulder.
"One more thing, Hiro: in this game, you can earn extra points for helping out teammates if they're in real danger, even if they're from the other team – but don't expect them to do the same to you. Be careful who you trust."
Hiro followed her out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to tumultuous cheers.
Professor Timothy was refereeing. He stood with Dumbo in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams.
"Now, I want a nice fair game – from all of you," he said, once they were all gathered around him. Hiro noticed that he seemed to be speaking particularly to the Felinus Captain, a large scarred toad named Grime. Hunter, who was Felinus' Chaser, was there too. He winked at him before slipping a golden featureless mask over his face; Edric and Emira warned Hiro earlier that Felinus' past victories were due in no small part to his dexterity and cunning.
Out of the corner of his eye Hiro saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing "Fly High Hiro" over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.
"Right, teams, get to your side of the field. Chasers, mount your steeds."
Hiro clambered onto Baymax while Hunter straddled a staff tipped with a glowing red gem between his legs. The screens around the stadium lit up and hundreds of words flashed across them before stopping.
"PARADISE FALLS" a mechanical voice echoed over the speakers. The field terraformed into a vast jungle surrounded by rocky chasms. To the east, a huge waterfall cascaded down a vast cliffside. A countdown appeared on the screens.
3…2…1…
Professor Timothy gave a loud blast on his silver whistle.
They were off. Cassandra led the team into the jungle while Hiro and Baymax took to the air. Hiro scouted the area. There were no signs of Hunter or anyone from Felinus. He caught sight of the conspicuous waterfall.
"Ha! Doesn't take a genius to know they've got something hiding there!"
He was about to fly on over when something rustled in the trees several yards away. He could hear a voice coming through the speakers –
"And it looks like we've got our first skirmish, folks! Jim Hawkins of Mus – what an excellent Warrior he is, look at him, slashing that sword with those rippling biceps, hope he doesn't get any scars, then again a scar or two would look kind of hot on him –"
"Jerbo, less catcalling and more commentary!"
"Uh, sorry, Professor Eda!"
One of the Blight twins' friends, Jerbo, was commentating for the match, closely watched by Eda and Lilith.
"Cornelius Fillmore of Mus catches up to Hawkins. He leaps into the fray on a vine and gets the drop on Felinus Warrior Percy – literally! That's gotta hurt!"
Hiro saw up on the screens Fillmore crashing into Percy, another toad, and they nearly tumbled into a ravine. A squirt of blue paint whipped around Fillmore's wrist and pulled him and Percy to safety.
"Oooh, nice save by Alberta Falls of Mus with her magic paintbrush. She's rescued her teammate AND one of her opponents, and that certainly counts for something!"
Ten points appeared on Mus' scoreboard. Mus cheers filled the cold air with howls and moans from the Felinus'.
"Hey guys, is this the Felinus stand, or did I walk past it?"
"Milo, what are you doing?! You're supposed to root for our team, not Felinus!"
Milo was wearing a green jersey, foam cowboy hat and finger, green and silver facepaint, and carrying a banner and green and silver pompoms. Melissa put a hand on Peter's shoulder.
"It's okay, Milo cheers for the opposing team at every game we go to. That way, they're guaranteed to lose!"
Peter thought about it, until it dawned on him.
"Oh yeah, Murphy's Law!"
"Wait'll you see the cheers I have planned, they'll knock your socks off – Diogee, go home! He's not supposed to be at the Questing game."
Diogee, who had a large foam finger over his head, ran down the stands, knocking students over, until he tumbled onto the field and into an old tree. It fell over, grazed an enormous boulder sitting at the top of a hill, and it rolled its way down into the jungle.
"Hey, wait a minute," said Professor Timothy, "the giant boulder wasn't supposed to go off until after they made it halfway through the course! Somebody stop that rock!"
The boulder plowed its way through the trees, right to where the other Mus and Felinus warriors had joined the battle. Just as they realized the boulder was upon them, Hiro and Baymax zoomed in and stopped it in its tracks. The stadium rang with more cheers as the Mus score changed to thirty-nil.
"You guys okay?" Hiro asked.
"We're fine," Cassandra snapped. "Just keep searching for the treasure."
"I already know where it is," said Hiro. "Get to the waterfall as fast as you can."
No sooner did he take off than Hunter appeared out of thin air.
"And now I know too – byeeeeeee!" He waved to Cassandra and flew off in hot pursuit of Hiro.
"Stop him!" Cass yelled.
Alberta chased after him, whipping her paintbrush into a frenzy; paint spiraled over her head like a lasso She took a running leap off a tall rock, but before she could cast her line, a giant spider web sprung up from the ground and trapped her.
"Ohhh! Hunter's just avoided becoming Alberta's prey thanks to Felinus' romantic Rogues, Grim Gloom and Hildy LaVerne!"
Boos erupted from the Mus stand as Felinus gained ten points from their capture. While Alberta's teammates worked on setting her free, Hunter caught up with Hiro and Baymax.
"Sorry Hiro, I've enjoyed winning for far too long to wonder what defeat's like."
An enormous stone fist burst out from the cliff at Hunter; had he moved one second later it would have hit him. More fists surged out at him as he and Hiro climbed higher and higher.
"And look at that!" Jerbo shouted. "Edric and Emira Blight prove that all's fair in sibling rivalry as they try to stop their own brother from reaching the top first!"
Hunter vanished in a bright red flash. He kept popping in and out dodging the fists until –
WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Mus students below – Hunter appeared in Baymax's path, forcing him to dodge right into the path of one of the fists. Hiro held on for dear life as Baymax took the hit and spiraled into a tree. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a large brightly colored bird, something between a peacock, an ostrich and a dodo, staring at him from the ground. It squawked curiously.
"Go on, beat it!" Hiro spat. The bird squawked again and ran off. The Mus fans booed and cries of "Foul!" rose from the stands. Jerbo was finding it difficult to not take sides.
"So after that obvious disgusting bit of cheating –"
"Jerbo!" growled Lilith.
"I mean after that open fu –"
"Jerbo, I'm warning you…"
"All right, all right. Hunter nearly kills the Mus Chaser, which could totally happen to anyone, and we're calling a time-out to see if he's okay…It's aaaalll good! And the game's back on."
Timothy ordered Hiro and Hunter to start over at the base of the waterfall. As the teams' Warriors and Captains sprinted into a clearing, a pack of dogs jumped out and began chasing them. Jerbo continued commentating.
"Uh-oh, looks like Mus and Felinus have gone to the dogs, or more accurately, the dogs have gone to them! Hope they go after Grime first – only joking, Professor Lilith."
Everyone in Felinus scattered in different directions; only a few stragglers pursued them while the rest of the pack hounded Mus.
"Fillmore! Hawkins! Falls! Lead them to the ravine and jump your way across the outcroppings," shouted Cassandra. She turned to Owl, who was flapping alongside her. "Stick with them and help them along. I'll keep an eye out for the alpha and take him out myself." She patted the crossbow at her side; the loaded arrow had a pouch full of sleeping powder tied at the end. "One hit and the pack will fall apart without him." They split up, Cassandra climbing up a tree and the Mus Warriors leaping from rock to rock with the snarling dogs at their heels.
It was while was Hiro speeding upwards, debating whether or not he should abandon the chase to help them that it happened. Baymax gave a sudden, frightening lurch backwards. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped on tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.
"Baymax, everything okay?"
"My sensors indicate –"
It happened again. It was as though Baymax was trying to buck him off. His left thruster shorted out temporarily. Hiro tried to turn him towards the ground – he had half a mind to ask Cassandra to call a time-out – and then he realized that Baymax was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn him. He couldn't direct him at all. He was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that would have thrown him off if it weren't for the magnetic pads keeping him in place.
The spectators were so caught up in the race against Mus and the dogs that they didn't seem to notice Baymax behaving strangely. He was carrying Hiro higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as he went.
"What's going on with Baymax?" Ralph mumbled, staring through his binoculars. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Hiro's lost control of him…but he can't have…"
Suddenly, people were pointing up at Hiro all over the stands. Baymax began doing barrel rolls, with Hiro only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. There was a fizzle and a spark in the magnetic notches holding Hiro's feet. Baymax gave a wild jerk and Hiro swung off it. He was now dangling from him, holding on thanks to the pads in his hands.
"Did something happen to Baymax when he got hit?" Sprig whispered.
"Can't have," Ralph said, his voice shaking. "Baymax is built to withstand anything…it'd have to be something really strong to make him go bonkers…"
At these words, Wendy seized Ralph's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Hiro, she started looking frantically at the crowd.
"What are you doing?" moaned Peter, gray-faced.
"I knew it," Wendy gasped, "Look – Lilith!"
Peter grabbed the binoculars. Lilith was in the middle of the stands opposite them. She had her eyes fixed on Hiro and was muttering nonstop under her breath. The eyes of the raven figurehead of her staff glowed a bright blue.
"She's jinxing Baymax!" said Wendy.
"Jinxing Baymax?! I'll stop her!"
"Peter, wait! Leave it to me."
Before Peter could say another word, Wendy had disappeared. Peter turned the binoculars back on Hiro.
"Baymax! We have to land now!" Hiro shouted.
"My armor is undergoing a –"
Baymax was jolting so hard that it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. There was a bang and a spark from the left hand port, and Hiro was left hanging by just one hand.
The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified. Even Hunter, who was almost at the top of the falls, had noticed. He turned around and tried to teleport to Hiro, but couldn't get close enough to Baymax to pull him on to his staff.
The Blight twins abandoned their rock 'em sock 'em rocks and conjured up vines to grab him, but it was no good – every time they got near Hiro, Baymax would jump higher still. They weaved the vines underneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Grime rallied the Felinus team and they surged onward without anyone noticing.
"Come on, Wendy," Peter muttered desperately.
Wendy fought her way out of the stands to a tent just outside the stadium entrance. Stacked inside were boxes of fireworks that were to be set off when the match ended. She carefully turned a good many of them so they were facing the stand where Lilith sat, then pointed her wand at one of the fuses and whispered a spell. Sparks flew from her wand, igniting the fuse. Wendy darted out of the tent with her hands over her ears.
There was a crackle and a whistle, and all of a sudden, a hundred fireworks careened into the stadium. Some blew up overhead, others whizzed around the stands, forcing the spectators to duck or dodge them. Many zoomed onto the field and exploded all over. The pyrotechnic riot also put a halt to the dogs' pursuit – they howled in terror as they ran off to hide from the violent noise – and allowed the Mus Warriors to escape unharmed.
Wendy ran back into the stadium and looked to the stands as Peter turned his binoculars to them – a frazzled Lilith was gingerly climbing back to her feet, along with Ichabod, who was shaking like a leaf.
It was enough. Up in the air, Hiro was suddenly able to clamber back on to Baymax.
"I have regained full control of my flight capabilities," Baymax told him.
"Yes! We're back online!" Hiro cheered. "Let's finish this."
"Wart, you can look now!" Anne said. Wart had been covering his eyes for the last five minutes. Together they and the rest of Mus rooted for Hiro at the top of their lungs.
Hiro continued his ascent up the cliff. Hunter, seeing his opponent was perfectly fine, caught up not long after. They were neck and neck; racing at the highest speed their steeds could reach. Both shot over the precipice with one arm outstretched, ready to grab –
Nothing.
The cliff was completely barren – except for that strange bird again. Both boys hovered in the air in silent confusion. Then, Hunter began to laugh.
"Just one huge bluff…"
He lifted his mask. To Hiro's surprise, he was smiling.
"You played me like a fiddle, Hamada. Not bad!"
Hunter slipped the mask back on.
"You may have bought your team some time, but it's still anyone's call. See you at the winners' circle!"
And he vanished. The bird clucked and trotted up to Hiro.
"Not my intention, but…" Hiro shrugged. As long as Hunter was out of his hair, he could come up with a plan. "Baymax, scan the area for anything unusual."
The bird chattered beside him.
"Some view, huh?" Hiro lightly patted its beak.
A bell rang across the stadium. Cheers and screams exploded from the stands. Hiro and the bird looked around, alarmed. Then he saw them both on one of the screens with the words "TREASURE FOUND!" flashing underneath their bewildered faces.
"It was you all along?!" Hiro cried.
The bird chirped obliviously.
A thousand words flashed across the screens again before settling on "ANTI-GRAVITY".
The ground shook, and the Felinus team watched in astonishment as rocks, trees, and chunks of earth began to float upwards, carrying the Mus team with them. Grime pointed his sword at them.
"Percy! Braddock! Hatchback! Don't let them get away!"
The bird squawked in surprise as it also started to float off the ground. Its legs kicked and flailed out as it tried to run away. The momentum from its limbs might have allowed it to escape if Hiro hadn't quickly thrown his arms around its long neck. Baymax seized the bird from behind and took off.
"Steer us to the team!" said Hiro. Baymax carefully maneuvered around the flying debris towards his teammates, who were already making their way towards them. The bird skipped and skimmed along every surface in its path, giving them an extra burst of speed. Alberta Falls tossed out lines of paint from her brush onto whatever was closest and swung on them up to her destination. As soon as she got close, Hiro reached out a hand and she climbed on to the bird's back. The stadium erupted as Mus racked up more points.
Fillmore jumped from rock to boulder, off the cliff face and across more floating rocks in an impressive display of parkour while Jim Hawkins held off Hatchback and Braddock. As soon as Fillmore reached the bird (the cheering increased as Mus' score climbed), Jim kicked back Braddock and leaped at the nearest boulder – and fell right through it. He landed hard on a passing tree. Jim looked up in shock as he scrambled to stay on; the air was filled with double the amount of floating rocks, indistinguishable illusions courtesy of Hildy and Grim.
"Oooh, we've really got them this time, Grimmie!" Hildy cackled as she viewed their handiwork below. As she stepped back to admire their handiwork, a vine snaked out behind her and tripped her. The spot where she fell on her rear shifted beneath her into a deep pit.
"Grimwold! Get me out of here this instant!" she shrieked.
"Don't worry Hildy-Pie, nothing will stop me from –"
A giant tarantula crawled up to the hole, hissing through its hairy pincers.
"AAAAHHHH! SPIDER!" Grim screamed and he sprinted away as fast as his feet could carry him. From their perch hidden in the canopy, Edric and Emira laughed themselves silly. They vanished the illusionary tarantula and then pushed themselves off the branches. With the two Felinus Rogues out of commission, the spell was broken and Jim, Edric and Emira reached the team safely. There was just one person missing.
"Where's Cassandra?!" Hiro shouted as he searched the jungle.
"There!" Fillmore pointed down to his left. Cassandra, in a heavily singed uniform, sweat mingling with a nasty cut on her forehead, was leaping her way up towards them with Captain Grime hot on her heels.
"Top speed, Baymax!"
The team plunged ahead, hanging on to the bird for dear life as Baymax surged towards Cassandra. She nearly lost her footing on a crumbling chunk of earth, giving Grime the second he needed to climb up behind her, sword raised. She dodged his attack and whipped out her own sword. They parried and thrust at each other, Cassandra's speedy moves barely outmaneuvering Grime's brute strength. The swords clanged again and again as the two Captains pushed back against each other with all their might. As Grime forced Cassandra towards the edge, the piece of ground they were fighting on began to tilt over. Cassandra held out her arms for balance, and he knocked the sword out of her hand.
"You've lost again," Grime purred, his sword pointed at her chin.
"CASS!" came six shouts. She looked to her right – the team and the bird were just within reach.
Cassandra took a flying leap –
The chunk of earth turned over –
Baymax put on one last burst of speed –
A falling Grime outstretched his hand, his grubby fingers inches away from Cassandra's ankle –
– And she touched the bird's beak.
A buzzer went off amid the deafening cheers all around them. Everyone drifted back down to earth, and the field returned to normal. The Mus team couldn't help but scream and whoop along with the crowd, spreading hugs and high-fives all around.
"We did it!" Cassandra shouted. "We finally did it! We won!"
"But he didn't bring the treasure to his team, it brought him to them!" Grime shouted at Professor Timothy.
"Still counts!" the mouse countered. "Says here in the rulebook."
Grime peered closely.
"Rule Nineteen-Ninety-Seven: There's nothing in the rulebook that says a dog can't play basketball –"
"Oops, wrong page."
Regardless, Hiro hadn't broken any rules and Jerbo was still happily shouting the results to the ecstatic spectators – Mus had won by one hundred and seventy points to thirty.
Nearly a half-hour later, Hiro learned what had gone down in the stands while Ralph served them some fresh cherry pie in his cottage.
"It was Lilith," Peter scowled. "Wendy and me saw her. She was sabotaging Baymax."
"Bull pie," said Ralph, who hadn't heard what was happening earlier. "Why would Lilith do something like that?"
"I don't know," said Hiro without thinking. "Why was she trying to get past that dinosaur on Halloween?"
The pie tin fell from Ralph's hands.
"Who told you about Aladar?" he said.
"Aladar?" asked Peter, confused.
"That thing has a name?" said Wendy.
"Yeah, we borrowed him off a guy from the Dino Institute in Florida," Ralph said. "We couldn't get a three-headed dog because things are a little iffy with the Underworld right now, so we brought Aladar to the school so he could guard the –"
"Yes?" said Hiro eagerly.
"I shouldn't have said that…" Ralph quickly muttered. "Look, don't ask any more questions. It's top-secret, it is. You're talking to a brick wall right here."
"But Lilith is trying to steal it!"
"Ridiculous," scoffed Ralph. "Lilith's a teacher, she wouldn't."
"Teacher or not, I recognize a jinx when I see one, Ralph. I've read all about them," said Wendy. The afternoon's events certainly changed her mind about Lilith. "You've got to keep eye contact and Lilith wasn't blinking. Her staff's eyes were glowing too! She had to be casting a spell at Hiro!"
"I'm telling you, you've got all wrong!" said Ralph hotly. "For one thing, Baymax is supposed to be magic-proof, so how could a jinx affect him?"
"He may be safe against magic…but his armor isn't…" Hiro slowly realized.
"Correct," Baymax stated. "At the time, I was unable to fully articulate that something was affecting the inner workings of my armor, which caused me to nearly lose control."
A terrible thought gripped Hiro.
"I accidentally walked in on Lilith when she was being patched up after she tried to sneak past Aladar. She was really upset…what if she enchanted Baymax's armor so she could kill me and make it look like an accident before I got the chance to tell anyone?"
"Oh for the love of…" Ralph ran his hand through his spiky hair. "Lilith is a lot of things, Hiro, but she is definitely not a killer. Now listen to me, all of you. You're messing with things you shouldn't be getting into. It's dangerous. Forget the dumb dinosaur and what it's guarding. That's strictly between Merlin, King Frederic, and King Edmund!"
A hush came over the room.
"King Frederic and King Edmund?" asked Hiro finally. "Who are they?"
Ralph looked ready to smack himself.
"I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that, I should not have said that…"
I couldn't resist keeping in Hagrid's catchphrase from the film X)
Speaking of, happy 20th anniversary to the movie version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! I can still remember seeing it in theaters with my family ^^
Next Chapter: Messages From Home