Chapter 4 – What's This?
Kim ran a sceptical eye over her surroundings. The sleepy little tropical island did not look like the home of the universe's three greatest heroes. It looked more like a children's play area, with its ramshackle huts and the walkways running between the trees. There was a little wooden jetty, where several boats had been moored, and a bridge connecting a smaller island to the larger. On the horizon Kim could see several much larger islands, where she presumed the people of this world lived.
The other members of the League were spread out across the island, searching for clues. Hercules and Darkwing had gone round to the far side. Mickey, now wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, had vanished into a narrow cave at the base of a rocky hill. Tarzan had made straight for the trees and was now hidden somewhere among their broad leaves. He had been very restless aboard the Excalibur and the presence of trees seemed to comfort him.
Having successfully captured Clayton, Gaston and McLeach, the League had destroyed any items in the hunters' camp that could be used for trapping or killing animals. They had then left the three leaders in the hidden cave, guarded by Kerchak's troop. Mickey had been concerned that the gorillas would kill the hunters in Tarzan's absence but Jane had assured them that she would protect the prisoners until Tarzan returned.
Worried that they had spent too long in the jungle, Mickey had insisted they return to the Excalibur with all haste. Their next destination was the Destiny Islands, the home of Sora, Riku and Kairi, and the start of their search for the three Keybearers.
With the others off searching the rest of the island, Kim and Basil were left to comb the beach. It was a particularly beautiful spot; the beach sloping gently down to where the surf of the vivid blue ocean lapped against the white sands. For a moment Kim found herself wishing that Ron was there to enjoy this scene with her. The moment quickly passed, as Basil's voice intruded on her thoughts:
"Blast this ocean! The tide has rubbed away all the footprints. They could have marched a parade across here and I couldn't tell."
"There's gotta be something here. People don't just vanish without a trace," said Kim, "Let's try further along."
They began to walk slowly along the beach, necks bent, eyes sweeping the sands before their feet. It was not until they reached the bridge that connected the larger to the smaller island that they spotted something.
"Look, there!" Basil cried, pointing to the little island. Shielding her eyes, Kim noticed something glittering at the base of a palm tree, reflecting the bright sunlight.
Crossing the bridge, they discovered that it was a clear glass bottle, a cork stopping up the neck. Inside was a scroll of paper, sealed with a symbol of three conjoined circles; King Mickey's seal. Kim bent down to pick the bottle up.
"Wait! What do you think you are doing?!" cried Basil, "There might be finger prints on it!"
"Whoa, mouse man, chill! I do happen to be a secret agent," said Kim, pulling a pair of gloves from her belt. She had, in fact, been about to the bottle pick up with her bare hands but she was not prepared to give Basil any satisfaction by admitting her mistake.
Basil had not listened to her reply. He had disappeared beneath the trunk of a palm tree growing parallel to the ground so that its head extended out from the island and over the ocean. When he returned, he was carrying an apple in his arms. It was a little shriveled but its skin retained a strong, juicy red colour. Kim found herself salivating just looking at it. Someone had taken a large bite of it.
"Hey, you guys found anything?"
Kim and Basil turned to see Mickey, Hercules and Darkwing approaching across the bridge.
"Pretty good. How'd you guys do?" she asked.
Mickey shook his head.
"Their secret cave is deserted. No one's been in there for weeks. The door's locked good and tight too."
"There's nothing on the other side of the island," said Hercules, "And I don't think Tarzan found anything in the trees."
"Your Majesty, isn't this your seal?" said Kim, holding out the bottle for them to see.
"Yep. That's the message I sent about a month ago," said Mickey thoughtfully, "It looks like they never got it."
"We also found this," said Basil, holding up the apple as high as he was able.
Mickey frowned.
"Have you guys seen any apple trees on this island?" he asked. They all shook their heads.
"Maybe it came from one of the other islands?" suggested Kim.
"Maybe," said Mickey thoughtfully, "I think we'd better take these back to the ship for testing. Good job, guys!"
When they had finally succeeded in persuading Tarzan to come down from the trees, the group returned to the Excalibur.
Mickey opened a wardrobe in one corner of the cabin to reveal a miniature laboratory equipped with a tangle of glass tubes, beakers and Bunsen burners. There was even a miniature cabinet filled with rows of brightly coloured bottles.
Basil leapt up into the wardrobe. Swapping his greatcoat for a white lab coat, he immediately set to work preparing his equipment. The others watched anxiously, not speaking for fear of interrupting.
First, he covered the message bottle with a fine white powder. Then, with the aid of a stepladder, he used something resembling a toothbrush to gently dust the surface of the bottle for fingerprints. When he had finished he stood back, lit his pipe and considered the bottle thoughtfully.
"There appear to be two distinct sets of prints," he said, at length, "One of them definitely belongs to a young human girl. The other I am not so sure about but I believe it is most likely a human boy.
"Your Majesty, did any of your friends have a habit of wearing gloves?"
"Yes," said Mickey slowly, "Sora did but I think they were fingerless."
Basil gave an annoyed grunt and sucked at his pipe.
"I'm afraid, Your Majesty, that unless you can provide me with definite samples of your friends' fingerprints, I cannot tell you who has handled this bottle."
As Mickey possessed no such samples, Basil turned his attention to the apple. Using a penknife no longer than the blade you find in a pencil sharpener he cut away a number of thin slices from the soft inner flesh of the apple revealed by the bite mark. He then began to conduct a series of tests on the samples. Some he placed in beakers and mixed up with vivid chemicals selected from his cabinet. Others he burned or immersed in smoke. They were boiled and braised, mashed and grated. Each time a test failed to satisfy him Basil would frown, shake his head and begin the next experiment with a renewed fervour.
It was only when he mixed a slice with two violently pink chemicals, having first brought them to boil, that he achieved a result that seemed to please him. A mushroom cloud of green smoke erupted from the beaker, sending Basil rushing to the far side of his laboratory coughing violently. The others drew back too; the smoke was putrid with the smell of rot and decay.
"Excellent," Basil wheezed, wiping away the tears that streamed from his eyes, "Most excellent!"
"What is it?" asked Darkwing, covering his nose with his cape.
"Haven't the foggiest," said Basil, "Magic's not my department, my dear fellow."
"Magic?" said Hercules.
"Oh yes, that's black magic you're smelling; dark sorcery of the worst kind," said Basil, "Someone has placed an evil spell on this apple. I'm afraid you'll have to take it to a magician to find out exactly what kind though."
The group all turned to Mickey, as the only one of the company with any skill in magic. Mickey shook his head.
"I don't know anythin' about dark magic," he said, shaking his head, "but I know someone who does."
As the League entered the train station Kim made sure to walk as far apart from the rest as she could. Even if you ignored Mickey and Darkwing, Tarzan was very embarrassing to be seen with. Not only was he naked, save for a ragged loincloth (he had he refused all clothing offered to him), he was walking along on his knuckles, like the apes he had been raised by. Kim made a mental note never to think of her parents as embarrassing ever again; the League almost made them look normal.
"Remind me why we can't just take the gummi-ship?" Kim said to Mickey, conscious of people's stares.
"Gummi-ships can't take us where we need to go. You've gotta take the train," said Mickey.
Having paid for their tickets at the kiosk, Mickey led them up the stairs and onto the platform. The platforms were all inside a large redbrick hall, well lit by large windows. It was quite busy but nobody appeared to be in a hurry. There was a lazy, genial feeling in the air and people were taking their time.
"Which train's ours?" Hercules asked Mickey.
"It'll be here any second… now" Mickey replied.
At that exact moment, a train pulled up in front of them. It was pulled by an actual steam engine which, like the carriages, was painted a rich blue and decorated with a pattern of moons and stars. The door of the nearest carriage slid open.
"Where's the guard?" Kim asked. There was no one else on the platform; no other passengers or staff.
"There isn't one. This is a private train," Mickey explained.
They were about to board when Tarzan froze. He was sniffing the air and staring warily at the open doorway.
"It's alright, Tarzan, it's just a train," said Hercules gently.
Tarzan shook his head and grunted nervously.
"Look, it's OK," said Kim impatiently "It's not gonna eat you or anything: it's just a train."
"Danger," said Tarzan, shaking his head again.
It took them a long time to persuade Tarzan to board. As soon as they were all aboard the carriage door slid closed behind them. The engine gave a toot on its whistle and the train began to pull slowly out of the station.
"Just sit back and relax fellas," said Mickey, "It takes about half an hour to get there."
The interior of the carriage was like a public tram, with two long benches facing across a central aisle. While the others took their seats, Kim went to stand by the window and get a better look at Twilight Town.
It was a sleepy little place, built on the side of a hill. The buildings were of orange and yellow stone and capped with red roofs. The light of the heavy summer evening sun seemed to dust the town with gold.
Suddenly, a dark shape passed across the window. Kim started. She spun round. Her eyes swept over the other windows. Another shape was moving quickly along the far side of carriage. She spun back round. Another had just passed again on the side closest to her. She caught a glimpse of two round yellow eyes and then the shape was gone.
The rest of League leapt to their feet.
"It's the Heartless!" Hercules cried.
"Danger!" Tarzan shouted angrily, as if it had been obvious all along.
"They're heading for the engine," said Mickey, summoning his keyblade to his hand, "If they disconnect the carriage before we reach the tunnel we'll be stranded!"
"Not if Darkwing Duck has anything to say about it!"
"Wait, Darkwing…!" Mickey shouted but Darkwing had already thrown open the carriage door. A moment later and he was climbing after the Heartless along the outside of the carriage.
With a crash Tarzan burst through a window on the opposite side of the carriage and vanished, scrambling nimbly along the side of the train.
"Kim! Go after them!" Mickey ordered, "Hercules, with me!"
Kim nodded, already heading for the open door. Mickey and Hercules disappeared into the next carriage, head towards the engine.
Kim grasped the lintel of the open door and swung herself up onto the carriage roof. The train was now travelling along a viaduct overlooking the lower districts on the town. The drop on either side was well over fifty feet. The wind was fierce up here. Kim could feel it plucking at her hair and clothes. It was making the train sway even more pronounced, making it difficult for Kim to keep her balance.
There were three carriages between her and the engine. Dozens of Heartless were crawling along the side and roof of the carriages like big, black insects. On her left, Darkwing was leaning out from the carriage, launching boxing gloves at the Heartless from his gas gun. A few were knocked off but the swaying of the train seemed to be affecting his aim. On the right, Tarzan had almost caught up with the rearmost Heartless. Kim bounded forwards, afraid that Tarzan would be hurled from the train if the Heartless turned on him.
Tarzan reached the Heartless while she was still half a carriage length away. His long, sinewy arm whipped out, grabbed a Heartless by the leg and plucked it from the train. One of its fellows turned and launched itself at Tarzan. Tarzan swung himself back. The Heartless's claws smashed a window, showering the compartment inside with broken glass. Tarzan grasped the Heartless's neck and wrenched it from the side of the carriage.
Kim was now on the roof directly above Tarzan. One of the Heartless in front of her turned, breaking away from the group that was scuttling towards the engine. Kim kicked at its head. The Heartless ducked, slashing at her as it came back up upright. Kim blocked the blow with her forearm, followed by an open palmed strike to its chest. The Heartless tumbled, head over heels, across the roof.
There was a loud crash, as what appeared to be part of a bench came flying out through the side of the carriage ahead, taking a group of Heartless with it. The remaining Heartless seemed totally unaware of their fellow's demise. They carried on toward the engine with a single intent. Kim and Tarzan pressed on but the Heartless were making them fight every step of the way. They did not have especially good balance but they were utterly fearless, while Kim and Tarzan had to be careful not to fall.
Glancing ahead, Kim saw flashes of light coming from the gap between the foremost carriage and the engine. Every now and again she would see a Heartless flying up into the air as if fired from a cannon. Swatting the last of the Heartless aside, Kim sprinted the length of the last carriage. The train bucked and swayed beneath her. She could feel the blood thundering in her ears, aware that a single misstep would pitch her to certain death at the foot of the viaduct.
Reaching the end of the carriage she peered down to see Mickey standing on the footplate of the engine, Hercules kneeling beside him. He was holding the couplings that had linked the engine and the carriage together, arms shuddering with the effort.
"Your Majesty, what happened?" Kim called down.
"A Heartless cut through the couplings," said Mickey, "How far are we from the tunnel?"
Kim looked up. The end of the viaduct was rapidly approaching. From there it disappeared into a round tunnel mouth and into a hillside.
"You've got thirty seconds, at most," Kim said.
"No problem!" Mickey replied. Reaching down, he touched the broken couplings with the tip of his keyblade. The couplings glowed with a bright white light. When Hercules brought his hands back, the couplings had been repaired. Kim dropped down beside Mickey and Hercules. The next second, the engine was roaring into the tunnel.
A quick sweep of the carriages confirmed that there were no Heartless left aboard. Both Darkwing and Tarzan had managed to climb back inside before they entered the tunnel and were waiting for them, with Basil, in their original compartment.
"How did the Heartless get aboard the train? I didn't see anyone else get on," said Hercules.
"I don't know," said Mickey darkly, "But I've got a hunch that they were planted here. This wasn't just a random attack."
"Sabotage?" suggested Darkwing.
"Could be," said Mickey.
The train had now left the tunnel. Kim stared through the window, amazed at the change in the surroundings. There were stars all around them, above and below. On either side were the ghostly shapes of pine trees that kept fading in and out of view. Aurora of every colour chased each other across the sky above them.
The train began to slow. Crossing over to the other side of the carriage, Kim saw that they were approaching a very tall tower. It was sat in the middle of a round lawn that appeared to be floating unsupported in space. The tower itself was yellow, crooked and capped with a pointed roof. Like the train, it was decorated with a pattern of moons and stars.
"Here we are," said Mickey brightly as the train finally slowed to a stop.
When they had all disembarked onto the lawn the carriage door closed and the train pulled away. It appeared to be running on tracks made of light, visible only a few meters in front and behind it. The rearmost carriage had just pulled away from the lawn when the train began to fade, as if disappearing into a thick fog. A few seconds later and it had vanished completely.
"Err… guys? How do we… get back?" Kim asked but the others were following Mickey to the door at the foot of the tower.
The tower's entrance hall was much bigger than it looked on the outside. Kim actually went back outside to double check. A spiral staircase took them up through progressively larger halls, all decorated with the same stars and moon pattern and all much too big to fit in the slender tower they had seen on the outside. They met no one.
At the very top of the stairs they came to a set of tall double doors. Mickey reached up and knocked reverently.
"Enter," commanded a deep voice from within.
Opening the door, they found themselves in a round, book-lined study. Seated before them, in a high chair behind a reading desk, was a tall and stern faced old man. He was wearing blue robes and a pointed blue hat, decorated with stars and half-moons.
"Master Yen Sid," said Mickey dropping to one knee. The other members of the League quickly copied him, although Darkwing had to be dragged down by Hercules.
"Greetings, my apprentice," said Yen Sid.
"Rise, and let me look at your faces," he instructed.
The League stood and waited, feeling very awkward as he considered them each in turn.
"Yes… very good. You have chosen well, my apprentice," he said, "The League of Heroes is an ancient tradition, found on many worlds. Such alliances can be very powerful. Past Leagues have accomplished great things. I have high hopes for this one."
"Master Sid, I have worrying news," said Mickey, "The Heartless tried to attack your train."
"The Heartless?" said Yen Sid thoughtfully, "They have never attempted such a thing before. This is troubling news."
"Could someone have put them on the train?" Kim asked tentatively. She felt like she was in the principal's office, or visiting a very old and dignified relative.
"It is possible," said Yen Sid.
"You should all be very cautious," he continued, "Your enemies are clearly resourceful and ruthless. This is only the beginning of your troubles.
"But let us come to the point: why are you here?"
"Master Sid, we have come seeking information," said Mickey, producing the apple they had found on the Destiny Islands.
"Someone has cast a spell of dark magic on this apple," Mickey explained, "We hoped that you could tell us what it is, and who might have cast it."
Yen Sid took the apple. Balancing it on the very tips of his fingers, he first rotated the apple very slowly, examining its surface in detail. Then he began to make complicated gestures over it. Lights began to play around the apple, dancing and reforming into strange patterns. Yen Sid then made the apple levitate into the air. A cocoon of clear crystal appeared to encase it. It then settled down on the desk before Yen Sid.
"You were right to bring this to me;" he said gravely, "The apple has a powerful curse on it. In its most potent form, a single bite would have killed you."
The members of the League blanched. Mickey gave a cry of alarm:
"No! Then… are my friends…?"
"Calm yourself. I said, 'in its most potent form'. Whether through design or a weakness in the casting, the spell is not at its full strength. It would render you unconscious, beyond the reach of all but the strongest white magic, but it would not kill you."
The League released its collective breath.
"Who could have cast such a terrible spell?" Mickey asked.
"It is powerful black magic," Yen Sid mused, "There are few individuals who possess the strength to cast it, even in this, weakened, form."
"Could it be Xehanort?" said Mickey quietly, as if afraid to even suggest the possibility.
"No," said Yen Sid, "Xehanort has not returned. I would know of it."
"Maleficent?"
"The witch is still imprisoned in the dark realm," said Yen Sid, "She and her companion, Pete, were trapped in Organisation XIII's stronghold when it fell. I do not think they could return without help."
"So it's a dead end? After all that?" said Darkwing.
"I'm afraid it looks that way," said Mickey sadly.
"Fear not, Your Majesty!" cried Basil. While Mickey and Yen Sid had been talking, Basil had crossed over to a reading desk standing against the study wall. He had been leafing through the book left open there and now carried it across to Yen Sid. The spine were the words: 'Dictionary of Divination'.
"Look," said Basil, pointing to the heading on the page he had been reading, "it says that this compass is enchanted to point to the object of your heart's desire. It's perfect; it could lead us straight to Your Majesty's missing friends!"
Yen Sid frowned and studied the entry carefully.
"Yes, this might be able to help you," he said at length.
"Do you know where we can find it, master?" Mickey asked.
"I do not," said Yen Sid, shaking his head, "This is voodoo magic. I know little about it."
"Then it's another dead end!" snapped Darkwing.
"Not so," said Yen Sid, "You must seek out Tia Dalma. Some call her the Voodoo Lady; she is the most powerful mistress of that art. She will know where the compass is to be found."
"And where can we find her?" Mickey asked.
"She lives on an island, hidden in the Caribbean Sea," said Yen Sid, "No gummi-ship can take you there. You will have to hire a sailing ship and a navigator who knows those waters. And there is only one port where you will find both these things: Tortuga."
Author's note: Yen Sid is the Sorcerer from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' section of 'Fantasia'