Navin slowly guided the house up to the indicated dock. As close as they were to the walkway, precise movements were essential to dock successfully and to avoid crashing into the docking area. If that happened, it would damage the walkway and take out the pier, and maybe even some of the nearby cranes. So Navin carefully maneuvered the house up to the authorized docking point, where a mobile boarding ramp was waiting. After walking up to the end of the ramp that would allow them to leave the house, Navin and Cogsley went downstairs, where the others were already gathered by the door.

"Now," Miskit said, addressing them all, "before we go outside, I just wanted to let you know that many of the citizens here might look a little bit different."

They all eyed her curiously. "Different in what way, Miskit?" asked Emily.

Miskit reached for the knob and answered simply, "Just don't stare at them." Then she opened the door and wind rushed in as they stepped out onto the boarding ramp, where they were met by a dock officer dressed in a deep blue uniform and matching cap. He also wore a pair of small round eyeglasses. Miskit smiled. She knew what to expect and didn't see anything odd or out of place. But the others were so surprised by the officer's appearance that staring was all they could do.

"Good afternoon, my friends," the officer said kindly. "And welcome to Kanalis. Please have your passports ready and prepare for boarding and inspection." They each gave him their passports one at a time, all of which he stamped. "Thank you, everyone. Enjoy your stay."

"Well, that was…weird," Emily remarked as Miskit led them down the ramp. "Does everyone in Kanalis look like him?"

"No," Miskit replied simply. "Kanalis is a port town. So people from all walks of life come through here. It's said that everyone in Alledia finds their way here eventually."

"Let's hope that's also true with the land's best doctors," Morrie said gravely. "We're going to need a very good one."

They walked along the docks for a while until they passed through a tunnel and into the city's main square, in the center of which was a large fountain. Buildings that held businesses ringed the open area. There were diners and inns, a few shops, a bakery, a furniture store, a tavern, and even a tanner, blacksmith and carpenter. Flags hung limply from poles that stuck out of the walls, and the streets were made of stone. But the one thing that caught the most attention was that a number of the people looked like anything but. To describe it in a word, it was shocking.

"What happened to them?" Navin asked, both excited and a little startled by what he saw.

"Many of the citizens of the city are very slowly being transformed by an ancient curse," Miskit explained. "It's what gives them the appearance of animals, though how it determines which one to turn them into is a total mystery."

"What?" gasped Emily. "But that's terrible!"

"I don't believe anyone here sees it as something quite so negative," Miskit said. "The curse has affected them for so long that nobody remembers a time without it, and the newer generations simply accept it as a fact of life. A sad one, yes. But there's nothing we or they can do about it."

They continued on, and as they passed through the market, Emily asked, "Is it contagious?"

"That's a very good question," Miskit replied. "I don't believe so. But if it is, then it would only apply to biological beings. The other robots and I would be unaffected."

As they continued on, a figure garbed in dark clothes watched them from a nearby alley with attentive eyes. It was an elf assassin, one of several sent throughout Alledia by the elf king to hunt down and kill his most dangerous enemy while he sat back and waited for news from the comfort of his palace. The assassin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small communicator.

He activated the device and it began to glow. "I have them in sight, my lord," she said lowly so as not to attract attention.

"Good," replied the elf king's grave voice. "Strike swiftly and silently. The children are your priority targets."

"Yes sir."

"Don't fail me as my son has."

"No need to worry, sire," the assassin said. "They won't know what hit them." With that, he deactivated the communicator and drew his daggers.

Behind him, a fox sat against the wall beside a large wastebin, looking for all the world like another homeless victim of the curse. But in reality, he'd been listening in on the assassin's confirmation of his target and orders from the elf king. He'd kept his head down to ward off unwanted attention or curiosity. And at his side was a long-bladed sword, a claymore. As the assassin stepped out of the shadows and began to follow his targets, the fox stood, strapped his sword to his back and chased after the assassin.

The elf made his way through the crowd with blades drawn, attracting wary and frightened looks from many of those he passed. But he couldn't care just now; he had a job to do. So, ignoring the looks and stares he got from those around him, he kept after his quarry. But he was suddenly stopped when a fox appeared in his path. He wore a bounty hunter's attire: A white shirt under a simple green tunic, loose-fitting trousers, knee-high leather boots and a wide-brimmed straw hat that covered his face in shadow. He had a long-bladed sword strapped to his back, and a small pouch hanging around his neck.

At first, the assassin was so surprised that he couldn't speak. But that quickly melted into frustration as he brandished his blades and demanded, "What are you doing? Get out of my way!"

But the fox didn't budge, staying right where he'd appeared.

"Are you deaf!?" the assassin shouted angrily. "Step aside in the name of the king!"

At this, the bounty hunter fox raised his head to look at the assassin. His eyes sparkled with determination and confidence as they peered out from the shadow of his hat, and he smiled at the assassin tauntingly.

The elf's patience was running out, and his quarry was getting away. "Did you hear me?" he demanded, his voice strained with rage and frustration. "I told you to get out of my way!" And he charged at the fox.

The bounty hunter hopped and skipped from side to side as the assassin threw slash after slash at him, trying to cut him down. Each swing was inches away from his face, and he could hear the whistle of the blade as it flashed by. Then the assassin swung a particularly quick strike downward that caught the bounty hunter's left arm, cutting through both shirt and fur and drawing blood. The fox yelped as his hand flew to the injury, and he jumped back to put some distance between himself and his opponent. He gritted his teeth as the pain shot through his arm, crimson blood seeping out between his fingers and coloring the cloth. He'd be lucky if that blade hadn't been poisoned.

He looked back up toward the assassin, who was standing there and looking at him with a smug grin. "Go back to where you came from, fox," the elf said. "I don't have time for your kind."

"Then you better make the time," the bounty hunter replied. "Because I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt for the entertainment of that monster you so dutifully call a king."

At hearing this insult to his king, the elf stopped and turned around and leveled a venomous glare at the fox. "What did you just say?" he hissed.

"We all know what he is," the fox spat back. "You only serve him because he'd kill you otherwise. He can't maintain control without having a finger in every pie, and he can't stand to do the work himself, so he sends lackeys like you to do it for him." The elf recoiled at this sudden barrage of insults to his kind, and bared his teeth. "And you're not getting away with murder for his enjoyment any more."

The elf walked back over to the fox, who appeared to be growing weaker. "And why is that?" he asked, standing over the bounty hunter with a wicked grin.

"Because if I don't stop you," the fox replied, his voice broken by heaving breaths and sharp gasps, "then someone else will." The elf scoffed. The rouse was working. If the blade that cut his arm had been poisoned, he would have been immobilized by now, if not dead. Since he clearly wasn't in any danger of dying, he was making a show of losing strength to make the assassin overconfident and lower his guard. "You can't get away with this forever."

The elf rolled his eyes in a gesture of annoyance. "One way or another," he growled, "there won't be another like you. Because you won't be alive to train the next one." The fox suddenly started convulsing, and the elf smiled evilly. "And I'm going to put an end to both your pain and my annoyance." He raised his dagger.

The fox seized his chance. As the elf brought his dagger down for the killing blow, the bounty hunter rolled to one side and jumped up. Before the elf could react, the fox wound up and landed a heavy blow to the assassin's cheek, forcing his face sideways with the impact. Then he folded his leg and kicked straight out, driving his foot into the elf's gut with such force that he was sent flying into the booth of a vender that was selling fish. The elf crumpled among the baskets, unconscious. With disgust, the fox pulled off his hat and shoved it onto the elf's head. Then he looked over at the owner of the booth, a rabbit, who was looking back at him with astonished eyes. The fox put his finger to his lips in the universal way of saying to keep quite, then smiled and walked away.

Meanwhile, Miskit led Emily and the rest through the city. She held herself in such a way that gave the impression of confidence, saying she knew right where the hospital was. But after several wrong turns and dead ends the others were beginning to wonder, while Navin and Emily began to have doubts.

"Are you sure you know where you're going, Miskit?" Emily asked. "We've been wandering around for a while now and gotten nowhere helpful."

"Don't you worry, Emily," Miskit replied. "I know my way around this place." Then under her proverbial breath, she muttered, "I think." She led them down another street and around another corner, which only took them back to the square where they started.

By now, Emily's patience was wearing thin, and her worry running wild. "When was the last time you visited this place, Miskit?" she asked irritably.

"When your grandfather was still alive," the pink rabbit replied evasively.

"Too long for you to recognize anything," Emily concluded. "Let's ask someone for directions."

"No," Miskit said adamantly. "I can get us there. I just need to find something I remember."

They walked along for about another hour, during which time Miskit found one wrong turn and dead end after another. Finally, Navin and Emily's patience ran out. "Miskit," Emily demanded, "we're getting nowhere! Face it, you're lost!"

Miskit whirled on her. "I'm not either," she protested. "I just need to—"

"Ask somebody for directions," Emily finished. "Obviously there's nothing here that you recognize. It's time to get where we need to go the old-fashioned way." With that, she stomped out in front of Miskit, then stopped. She was staring at something. The others followed her gaze and saw what had caught her attention. Before them, dozens of people, many of them victims of the transformation curse, stood in a long line, all holding a bowl or a jug of some kind.

"That's definitely new," Miskit remarked. "I don't remember seeing that on my last visit."

"What are they waiting for?" asked Navin.

"Looks like they're in line for the soup kitchen," Miskit observed. "I don't remember seeing this many hungry before. I wonder why they're here."

"They're farmers," explained a voice from behind them. They all turned to see a fox approaching them. "The elves took their land and left them with nothing," he continued. "Now they're forced to beg for the very same food they used to provide."

"Are you a farmer too?" Emily asked.

"No," the fox answered simply. "I'm a bounty hunter."

In an instant, Miskit was between him and Emily. "Stay away from him, Emily," she said. "We don't meddle with his kind."

"I don't mean to cause trouble," the fox said.

"Then stay away from us," Miskit ordered.

"I can't do that."

"And why not?"

"Because you need me."

"Puh! In your dreams, brushtail!" Miskit turned and walked away, and the others started to follow.

"Then your worst nightmare is about to come true," he called after them. This made them stop and turn back toward him. "Because like it or not, you're going to need my help."

"Yeah?" Miskit asked. "What makes you say that?"

The fox's eyes rolled over the group. "You're being hunted, all of you, by the elves. But it's you they're really after, Stonekeeper," he said with a look at Emily, who stared back at him. "Everyone here, including myself, has been waiting for someone or something to come around and challenge the elf king's tyrannical rule."

"And you think that I'm the one who will challenge him?" Emily asked slowly.

"Yes. And it's also the reason I offer my services as a bodyguard in return for permission to join your quest."

"Look, pal," Miskit said, pointing a finger at him, "we're not looking to hire anybody. Especially somebody we don't know, and especially-especially if that somebody is a bounty hunter."

But the fox's attention was elsewhere. From somewhere off to the right came the frightened cry of a young child. Looking over, they saw a young mother kneeling on the ground picking up the few pieces of food she was able to afford. Both she and her child were victims of the curse, and had been transformed into the likeness of mice. And towering over them like a giant cat waiting to pounce was an elf guard, whose deep frown and tight expression suggested that he was very annoyed.

"Shut him up!" the elf ordered.

The child cried louder. "Please, sir," the mother begged. "You're scaring him!"

The guard pointed his sword at the child, who cried even louder. "If you don't shut him up," he threatened, "you're going to have one less mouth to feed!"

"No sir, don't," the mother pleaded. "Just let me get this picked up and we'll be on our way."

"Shut him up now or I'll do it for you!" the guard shouted angrily.

"Hey!" the fox called. "Leave them alone."

The guard looked over at him with angry eyes. Apparently, he didn't like having his authority challenged. "Stay outta this, twinky," the elf ordered. "This ain't none of your concern! Mind your own business!"

The fox looked up at the guard patiently and said calmly, "This is my business." With the guard stunned into silence, he turned to the child. "Hey, Alex," he said gently, "be strong. Be strong and quite for your mommy, okay?" The child—Alex—instantly closed his mouth and nodded. The bounty hunter fox looked back at the guard. "That's all there is to it," he said. "It just takes a little patience is all."

The elf growled and bared his teeth, and the next thing everybody knew, he wound up and landed an armor-fisted punch to the fox's snout, launching him backward. The fox hit ground and slid for several feet with an echoing grunt. People looked at the scene in total shock, though not at all surprised. "I told you to mind your own business," the guard snarled, then turned and walked away.

The others looked at him. "Come on, Emily, let's go," Miskit said. "We don't have much time."

Emily turned and started to follow, then looked back at the fox. "Maybe we should hire him," she said thoughtfully.

Miskit looked flabbergasted. "You must be kidding!" she exclaimed incredulously. "Look at what just happened. If he can't handle one guard, how can he possibly keep us safe?" She turned and started walking again. "Besides, what would we pay him with? Let's go."

After looking back one more time at the fox, Emily and the others followed.

The fox groaned. As experienced a fighter as he was, the blow he'd received had left him rattled and in pain. He clenched his teeth and slowly propped himself onto his elbows. The side of his face hurt, and the pain sharply increased when he impulsively put his hand over it to sooth and protect it.

The mouse helped him up. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"I'll be fine," the fox replied, wincing. "Don't worry about me."

"I wish those terrible elves would just go away and leave us in peace," the mouse said.

The fox looked at her. "Now don't you worry, Mrs. Wade," he said reassuringly. "This will all end soon." He looked back at the others, who were walking away, Mrs. Wade following his gaze. "I think help has finally arrived."

Miskit led the group down some more streets and around more corners, all of them either leading to a dead end or back to where they started. Finally, as Navin and Emily's frustration was beginning to override their patience, Miskit turned down another street and walked toward a building that was obviously some sort of clinic. "Here we are," she declared proudly. "Told you we'd make it."

Navin and Emily didn't even wait to be led inside. They rushed ahead and up the front steps with the others close behind. One of the nurses—also a victim of the curse—happened to be passing by and jumped when the door suddenly flew open. Upon seeing the two youngsters, her surprised expression turned to one of gentle friendliness and she smiled. "Welcome, dearies!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "And how might I help you?"

"You can help us by taking us to the doctor pronto," Emily said.

The nurse's friendly expression fell from her face as she recognized the urgent tone in Emily's voice. "Of course," she said. "Follow me please."

In one of the clinic's several examination rooms, the doctor—another victim—was looking over another patient with a magnifying glass. "Hm," he said, his voice grave, "I'm afraid you're right." He lowered his magnifying glass and stepped back, adding, "You're turning into a slug."

"Is there anything you can do, doctor?" the patient asked, more than a little apprehensively.

"I'm afraid I can't do much, but I may have something. Here, take these." He dropped a few small seed-like pills into the patient's hand. "They won't stop the transformation," he said, "but they may slow the process."

The patient slid off the table and shook the doctor's hand. "Thanks for trying anyway, doctor," he replied, and turned around to go.

"Also," the doctor called as he walked away, "be sure to stay away from salt."

"I will," the patient called back. "And thanks again, doc. I'll let you know how it turns out." As he walked out, the nurse that had met Navin and Emily's group at the door passed him. One of his stalk eyes turned to Navin and blinked once, and Navin's own eyes shot open in surprise and stared back.

"There is another patient to see you, Doctor," the nurse said. "From what I understand, the need is quite urgent."

"Thank you, Natalie," the doctor replied. "Bring them in." The nurse nodded and stepped aside to allow Emily and her group to enter the room. "Hello there, young miss," he said kindly, offering his hand. "I'm Doctor Weston Andrews."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Andrews," Emily replied as she took his hand. "I'm Emily, and this is my brother, Navin, and family."

"Indeed?" Doctor Andrews asked, eyeing Miskit curiously. "Of all the people turned into some creature by this wretched curse, I've never seen a pink rabbit before."

"That's because I'm not a curse victim, or even biological," Miskit replied.

"Ah, a robot, then," Doctor Andrews observed. "And very lifelike. How ingenious."

"Yes, this is all very interesting," Emily said impatiently, "but could we please get back to the subject at hand?"

"Of course, my apologies," the good doctor said, looking at the woman in the tall robot's arms. "Is she the patient?"

"Yes," Navin replied. "Our mother."

"Okay then. Bring her to bed and let's have a look at her." Bottle did, and laid her down on the bed. Doctor Andrews wrapped a hand around her wrist. "Hm," he said thoughtfully. "It seems that she's been poisoned."

"She was," Morrie confirmed. "An arachnopod stung her."

The doctor looked at him. "An arachnopod you say?" Morrie nodded. "Her pulse is quite weak. How long ago was she stung?"

"About a month," Navin supplied.

Doctor Andrews looked completely shocked. "A month?" he asked. "Are you sure?" Navin nodded. The doctor let out a deep breath. "Arachnopod venom is extremely potent. All the other cases I've seen involving them have resulted in the victim's death just hours after being stung. Your mother must have an extraordinarily strong will to survive. She'd have died long before now if she didn't."

"We already know all that, Doctor," Emily said. "Can you help her?"

Doctor Andrews didn't answer right away. When he finally replied, it was with a heavy, sad sigh. "I'm afraid the only thing that can help her now is the fruit of the gadoba tree."

"Do you know where we can find one?" Emily asked, all business.

"The last remaining trees are at the peak of Demon's Head Mountain," the doctor explained. "But even the elves don't go there. Many have tried, either by their own volition or sent by the elf king. He would regularly send his men on expeditions to collect these fruits. And of the hundreds sent, none have returned." He looked at Emily and directly met her eyes. "But you're still so young. I can't let you go there in good conscience. It's far too dangerous."

Morrie started to sweat again. "Hey, guys," he said, "I don't think this sounds like such a good idea."

Emily looked at him with hard, determined eyes. "I'm only here for one reason," she said, "and that's to make sure that my family gets home safely."

"Is that really the only reason?" asked a voice. They all turned to see the fox they had met earlier in the marketplace, sitting in the window. "Or," he added, "did Silas forget to tell you about your inheritance, Stonekeeper?"

"You're not a bounty hunter," Emily observed.

"Of course I am," the fox replied. "I just don't bother with going after enemies of the elf king."

"Excuse me?" Emily demanded. "Who are you to say that I'm anybody's enemy?"

"My name is Leon Redbeard," the fox replied with a small smile. He leapt down from the window and landed with hardly a sound. "And I say you're an enemy of the elf king because it's the truth."

"And just how would you know that?" asked Miskit.

"I hear things," Leon replied simply. "The elf king has increased patrols in all the cities and along all the major trade routes. He's posted guards at every access point. There's a price on all your heads, especially yours, Stonekeeper."

"Thanks for the information," Emily said tersely. "Now would you please explain yourself?"

Leon's face became serious. "I may be a bounty hunter, but I'm not looking for payment of any kind. I've come to offer my services and ask only that you allow me to travel with you and fight beside you."

"My master left me with duty of protecting Emily from people like you," Miskit said.

"People like me?" Leon repeated, his face dark. "Do you have any idea what you're up against?"

Miskit started to reply when the communicator in the leather bag on Morrie's hip suddenly went off. The robot took it out and said, "Hello?"

"Morrie!" Cogsley's voice barked. "Is Emily or Navin there?"

Morrie handed the communicator to Emily, who asked, "What's up, Cogsley?"

Back in the house, Cogsley was looking out the front window, his face about as tense as a robot's face can be. Theodore was right beside him. "Hey, Em, we've got a problem, here," he said.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a bunch of elves headed our way," he replied. "Looks like they're gonna storm the house." He looked at the robot beside him and said, "Theodore, tell everyone to get ready."

"Get ready?" Emily asked. "Cogsley, what's going on?"

The elves mounted the mobile boarding ramp and went up to the front door. The first one there kicked it open with his immense strength. The robots by then had retreated deeper into the house.

"Is everyone here?" Cogsley called officiously. He looked around and saw that all the robots from around the house had congregated where he'd told them to go. Among them were Vac, Toasty, Wishy-Washy, Tee-Pee, Radiola and Theodore. Satisfied that all the robots in the house were present, he spoke into the communicator. "I'm going to do a complete shutdown so the elves can't get any information," he said. "But that means we'll be totally out of commission until you get back, understand? It'll be up to you to turn us back on."

On the other end of the line, Emily had a look of serious determination, Navin appeared to be a bit confused, Miskit looked shocked, and Morrie looked about as worried as a robot can be. "Cogsley," Emily said, "you don't have to do that. Go down to the garage and just go offline. They'll think you're some maintenance bots."

"No go, Emily," Cogsley said quickly. "If we do that, they might turn us back on. We can't risk it. This is the only way we can keep you safe." He looked at the other robots. "Are you all ready?" They all nodded. Or hopped or chirped or did something that indicated they were prepared. "Here we go." He held up a small device that looked like the detonator for a remotely-controlled bomb. But it was actually the initiator to manually shut down the robots by sending an electromagnetic pulse through the house, knocking out everything electrical but leaving organic tissue unaffected. Within seconds, the elf guards that had bashed their way into the house entered the room where all the robots had gathered, but found only smoking, sparking heaps of metal.

"Cogsley?" Emily barked. "Cogsley, respond. Cogsley!"

"It's no use," Miskit said. "They're all offline. We'll have to turn them back on manually."

"Look," Leon interrupted. "I know you don't really like or trust me, but whether you like it or not, you're going to need my help." He turned to the doctor. "Is there an underground exit here?"

Doctor Andrews looked perplexed. "Yes," he replied slowly. "We have an emergency rail system that runs through the abandoned mine shafts beneath the city to a safehouse. Why?"

"We're going to need it," Leon replied simply. "Get all your patients and staff down there now."

"Everyone?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"But why?"

"Yeah," Miskit added. "Why are we taking everyone in the clinic with us?"

Leon strode over to the window and said gravely, "Because the elves have tracked you down."

Outside, three elf guards were wheeling up a large three-barreled, rotary weapon. They moved it into position and aimed it at the clinic. Luger and Prince Trellis were behind them. "Prepare the cannon," Luger ordered.

Trellis was shocked. "What about the patients?" he asked. "They have no part in this."

Luger glared at him from the corner of his eye. "Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good." He looked back at the clinic. "Load the barrel and fire."

The guards followed his order. One loaded the barrel, and another aligned the barrel with the firing mechanism, the cord to which was held by the third guard. Once the round was loaded and the barrel positioned, he wound the cord twice around his hand and pulled hard. An instant later, the streets resounded with the echo of the blast as dust was kicked up by the concussion and a section of the clinic's wall disappeared, the shell reducing it to rubble.

A nurse screamed as she ran and carried a wailing baby from its bed right where the wall exploded, showering them both with bits of stone and glass. The shockwave was felt throughout the building.

"What was that?" the doctor asked.

"The elves," Leon replied, all business. "We have to leave now."

The doctor ran to the exit that led to the underground escape rail line. "Everyone this way!" he shouted. His patients didn't have to be told twice. One explosion was all the convincing they needed. "Be careful! Watch your step!"

"Come on, people! Go, go, go!" Leon hollered, rushing down the stairs with the agility of a fox. "Hurry up! Get aboard! Go!" Then he saw Emily rapidly approaching, and stopped her. "Not you, Stonekeeper," he said. She looked at him in total bewilderment. "You need to come with me."

"What?" Navin cried. "No! I'm staying with Emily!"

"I'm sorry," Leon said, "but this is a job that only I and the Stonekeeper can do. It's too dangerous for anyone else."

"No!" Navin yelled. "Emily, talk to him. Tell him we shouldn't be split up!"

Emily's expression was a mixture of worry, reluctance and resolve as she told her brother, "Navin, you have to stay with Mom."

Navin made to jump out and join her, but Doctor Andrews and Morrie held him back. "For goodness' sake, son, listen to her," the doctor pleaded. "She's right!"

"I can handle it!" Navin shouted.

Just then, the elves' cannon fired again and blew another section of wall into oblivion. The shockwave shook the ceiling of the cave where the railcars were, and boulders came loose. "Look out!" Leon leapt at Emily and tackled her, forcing her backward as a boulder fell and crushed the spot they had just vacated. Several smaller boulders fell all around them, all big enough to crush them and possibly damage the cars beyond repair. "Start that engine and get out of here!" he ordered the driver.

"Yes sir," the driver answered, pushing up the lever to fire up the engine and get the cars moving.

"No! Em!" Navin cried, desperately trying to break free.

"Navin, please," the doctor begged. "Listen to your sister!"

Navin reached out for her. "Emily!"

"Take good care of Mom," she called as the cars pulled away.

Navin looked at her as she grew smaller. "Em…"

"Trust me, Navin," Morrie said. "You don't want to go where they're going."

"I hope they get through safely," Emily said softly.

"They will," Leon assured her. "These tunnels may be old but they're sturdy. They'll make it. It's you and me I'm worried about."

"I'm coming too," said an unmistakable voice.