Chapter 6: Where a Million Diamonds Shine
"It must have been Riku," said Mickey, his ears drooping so far down that they almost touched his shoulders.
"Are you positive this is the weapon he used, old chap?" Basil said, examining the crude pencil drawing. Tarzan nodded.
The League was back aboard the Excalibur, clustered around the cabin table. Tarzan had explained what had happened after he had left tavern as best he could. When he had mentioned the young, white haired swordsman, Mickey had insisted that Tarzan draw the weapon he had seen him use.
"It's Riku's keyblade alright," said Mickey sadly, "Nobody else could use it."
"But why would Riku want the compass?" Kim said.
"I am more interested in the identity of the man with him," said Basil, "From Tarzan's description, it would appear that Your Majesty's friend is in cahoots with this rogue, but to what purpose?"
"I say we should be more concerned about this pirate meeting," said Darkwing, holding up the token Foulfellow had given to him and Kim, "I'd wager there's some manner of foul skulduggery afoot on the Isla de Engano."
"But the compass…" began Hercules but Darkwing cut across him:
"The compass is gone: vanished into thin air, according to jungle boy here. This coin is the only lead we have left."
"I guess you're right," sighed Mickey, "I'd sure like to find Riku but he could be anywhere. I suppose we should just be glad he's alive. Tomorrow, we'll go back into town and find out where…"
An alert siren in the cockpit interrupted him.
"What is it?" Kim asked, as the rest of the League followed Mickey up into the cockpit.
"An emergency message," he replied, seating himself in the pilot's chair, "It's from my home."
A panel on the dashboard flipped over to reveal a small view screen. After a few seconds of blurry static, the faces of two anxious chipmunks snapped into focus.
"Your Majesty!"
"Terrible news!" they squeaked, one after the other.
"What's wrong?" asked Mickey, his grave expression sitting strangely on his wide, animal face.
"We got a message from Radiant Garden."
"It's Scrooge," said the chipmunks.
"What's happened to him?" said Mickey.
"Not him; it's his nephews."
"They've been kidnapped!"
"Kidnapped? Tell Scrooge I'll be there as soon I can," said Mickey, hands already reaching for switches that activated the ship's engines.
"Will do, Your Majesty!" said the chipmunks, saluting smartly.
Mickey deactivated the communicator and turned to speak to the League:
"Sorry guys but I'm gonna have to put our mission on hold. Scrooge is an old friend o' mine."
"No big, Your Majesty," said Kim, settling into a passenger seat behind him, "We understand."
"Need we think of this as a diversion from our mission?" said Basil, "Two disappearances, both of people close to Your Majesty: there may be some deeper connection."
The warp jump from Tortuga to Radiant Garden was short, although no more comfortable for that. The town was built at the bottom of an icy valley and surrounded by a high wall of grey stone. From there, red slate roofs rose up to the foot of a great dark rock, on top of which the foundations of a castle were under construction. It looked over half built, its white marble walls besieged by cranes and scaffolding.
Mickey brought the Excalibur down on a landing pad near a busy marketplace, where he disembarked without bothering to activate the Chameleon Circuit.
"Your Majesty!" called a tall man, who was waiting for them at the edge of the landing pad.
"Leon!" Mickey cried, smiling warmly. The two old friends embraced, although Leon had to bend almost double for the King to reach around his neck.
"My friends," said Mickey, introducing the League one by one. Kim could not help but be impressed. Leon was very tall and trim, with a handsome face beneath a mane of long, dark hair. He dressed practically, in black leather. The handle of the curious 'gunblade' that hung at his side was worn smooth from repeated use. His manner was taciturn and business-like.
"You got the message?" he said to Mickey as soon as the introductions were over.
"Yes. Where is Scrooge?"
"Over at Merlin's place. He doesn't think he'll be safe on his own. This way."
Leon led them through the streets of Radiant Garden, with Mickey at his side. Kim, who was just behind them, overheard their conversation.
"How have you guys been coping?" Mickey asked, "Have you had any trouble?"
"A few more Heartless than usual but that's all," said Leon, "We're pretty safe here. We hear all about it though.
"This town's become a haven for refugees. They come here with nothing: those villains have taken everything they own," there was real anger in his voice now, "And they kill or imprison anyone who resists."
"But you guys are safe?" said Mickey.
"For now," said Leon, with a shrug, "Yuffie and I can handle a few Heartless. We've got Merlin and Cid, and Tron too, if things get serious. I wish Cloud was here though."
"He's still missing?"
"Yeah. Tifa's gone looking for him, of course. It's been nearly six months. I thought he'd have come back by now."
"He's still looking for him, huh?"
"Yeah, and we'd be in real trouble if he returned."
They were now approaching what could only be a wizard's house. The roof, covered in red slates, rose to a point in an imitation of a traditional magician's hat. A large brass telescope protruded from an upper window and the very peak of the roof was clustered with weather vanes and other, more arcane instruments.
Inside there was only one large room, filled with all manner clutter and oddity. Books dominated, seated on shelves or raised in tottering piles on the floor. There were maps and charts; clusters of models hanging from the ceiling; crystal balls and rust eaten cauldrons; all crammed together without a trace of organisation. A bed had been forced in between two mounds. The only free space was on the stone dais, near the centre of the room, where three people sat drinking tea around a table set with a white cloth.
A skinny old man with a long white beard and pointed blue hat, who Kim guessed must have been Merlin, and a startlingly beautiful young woman in a pink and white dress, were trying and failing to console a large white duck seated between them. He wore a blue jacket, top hat and a pair of pince-nez balanced on his beak.
"Yer Majesty!" he cried, standing and doffing his top hat at the sight of Mickey.
"Scrooge, please, tell me everything," said Mickey. The young woman stood up so that Mickey could sit. The League gathered in close as Scrooge told his tale:
"I first noticed that the bairns were missin' yesterday evenin'. I went tae call on them as they were shuttin' up shop, as is mae habit. I found the shutters still up and half their merchandise still on display. When no-one answered mae hails, I ventured to try the back door but found it locked. Knowin' the hidin' place of their spare key, I let maeself in. The shop was deserted and this note was… was pinned tae the wall!"
Overcome with emotion, Scrooge began to sob incoherently. While Merlin plied Scrooge with more tea, Mickey took the proffered note and read it aloud:
"Mister McDuck. I have kidnapped your three nephews. If you wish to see them alive again, you will pay me the sum of ten billion Munny. Leave the Munny at the entrance to the Great Maw. If you attempt to trap me, or to rescue your nephews, you will never see them again. I will be watching you.
"And it's just signed B," Mickey concluded, placing the note on the table.
Kim gave a low whistle:
"Ten billion!"
"Aye, it's small change, right enough" sniffed Scrooge, "but I'm afeared that he'll nae release them even if I do pay up."
"He doesn't mention releasing them at all," said Leon darkly.
"Do you really think he could be watching us?" Hercules asked, glancing suspiciously at the windows.
"Unlikely," said Merlin, "This town is defended by a highly advanced computer system and my house is under some particularly powerful wards. All the same, we must be cautious; we are clearly dealing with a ruthless man."
"Your Majesty, may I have a look at the note?" said Basil, climbing onto the table.
"Of course," said Mickey, pushing it towards Basil.
All eyes in the room were now on Basil as he slowly circled the note, examining it intently. He dropped onto all fours, laid his head flat against the surface of the table, and peered across its surface. Then he produced a magnifying glass from his coat and carefully examined the paper, inch by inch.
"Sir," he said, turning to address Merlin, "would you possess such a thing as a microscope?"
A few minute's search, which at times resembled an archaeological dig, produced a tarnished brass microscope. Fashioning a makeshift ladder from some hardback books, Basil climbed up to view the paper through the eyepiece.
"Ah-ha!" he cried, "Just as I had expected.
"Your Majesty, it would appear that this note was written underground. Observe the slightly elongated hand: it was written under poor light. Also, there are infinitesimal specks of clay dotted across the paper, clay of a type found only deep beneath the ground.
"Moreover, I have deduced that this note was written in a mine; a diamond mine, to be precise. If you will look through the eyepiece, you will see the minutest speck of diamond dust."
"By Jove, that's brilliant!" cried Merlin.
"Yes, but can you tell us which diamond mine, genius?" said Darkwing.
"I can tell you," said Basil stiffly, "that this dust came from a diamond of exceptional clarity. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that it was naturally transparent."
"A mine that produces naturally transparent diamonds? That's gotta narrow it down!" said Kim.
"There's only one I know of," said Mickey, "I have one of their stones set in my crown. It's the Seven Dwarf's Mine."
Hiding the Excalibur on the banks of a stream, the League approached the Seven Dwarf's Mine. They passed through dense woodland, alive and green despite the summer heat, until they at last came to a ridge tha overlooked the mine entrance.
From the tree line they could clearly see the little square of darkness in the bare hillside, supported by stout timber props. A single track of steel rails ran out of the mine and into the hollow, which was dotted with heaps of loose earth and stone. Skulking near the mine entrance, crouched on all fours like shadowy guard dogs, were three Heartless.
"This isn't right," said Mickey, drawing back from the ridge, "The Dwarfs would never use Heartless. Somethin' must have happened to them."
"So, do we go in?" Hercules asked.
"No," Mickey replied after a moment's thought, "We're here to rescue Scrooge's nephews. If we go chargin' in there, we might put them in danger. Someone's gonna have to sneak in there and find out what's going on."
"Say no more, Your Majesty. I, Darkwing Duck, shall undertake this dire, difficult and dangerous duty!"
"Then I'm coming with you," said Kim, intending to make sure that at least one competent spy went into the mine. Darkwing opened his mouth to protest but Mickey spoke first:
"Good thinkin', Kim! Four eyes will better than two."
"Your Majesty," said Basil, hopping down from Hercules's shoulder, "I would also like to volunteer. In the event of their capture, or the alarm being raised, I might easily escape detection and return to bring you news."
Both Kim and Darkwing scowled but, seeing the logic in Basil's plan, did not voice any objections. With Basil hiding in an empty pouch at Kim's belt, they left the rest of the League and began to make their way along the ridge to the point where it descended into the hollow.
They had little difficulty in distracting the Heartless guarding the entrance. Selecting a suitable stone from one of the spoil heaps, Kim sent it clattering into a heap on the far side of the hollow. While the Heartless raced to investigate, Kim and Darkwing slipped into the darkness of the mine.
Inside was a long tunnel lined with props, lit only by the occasional lamp hanging from the ceiling. The floor of the tunnel sloped down for several hundred metres until it terminated in a grand cavern. It stretched off into the distance, where it turned a corner. You could have fitted a row of houses inside, Kim reflected, with room to spare. Ladders led up to galleries cut high on either side. A cart track ran down the centre of the cavern, carrying the spoil heaps up to the surface.
The walls were thick with diamonds of different size, glittering in the lamplight. Kim fancied that she could reach out and brush them from the rock with her bare hands. It would have been a beautiful sight, had it not been for the workers. They were children, boys and girls, not one of them over twelve years old. They were chained to iron pegs set in the floor or wall, each one weighed down with shackles around their ankles. There was just enough slack to carry what they dug to the bucket behind them, and no more. Their clothes were filthy, torn to shreds by the harsh labour. The picks and shovels they hefted were often larger than themselves. Behind them, Heartless patrolled in ceaseless rounds. Kim could see the children shiver whenever one passed by.
Kim and Darkwing stepped hastily back into the covering darkness of the tunnel.
"Is that them?" Darkwing hissed, pointing to three small, white feathered ducks chained on a gallery at the far end of the cavern, just before it turned the corner. Their clothes, although dirty, were undamaged. One wore red, one blue and one green.
"I think so," said Kim.
"I say we go back to the surface," she continued, "We've gotta tell the King. He'll want do something about this."
"I can't just leave!" Darkwing hissed, "What would people say if they found out that Darkwing Duck had left innocent children in such a place?"
"We're coming back…" Kim began but the sound of a whip cracking caught her attention and she fell silent. Creeping back to the tunnel exit, she and Darkwing watched as a huge man appeared round the corner. He was marching along the cavern, lashing at the children on either side with a long whip. He had a small sack slung over his shoulder.
"Harder, slugs, harder I say! If y' don't work, y' don't eat!" he roared. He was a fat, jowly creature in a huge red coat and flat grey hat. At his belt was a thick iron ring, from which hung many keys. The children cowered at his approach and yelped when his whip cracked across their shoulders. Kim felt her fists clenching at her side. She threw out her arm just in time to prevent Darkwing rushing into the cavern. Using only gestures, Kim and Darkwing agreed to follow the man, who had just left the cavern via a side tunnel.
Evading the Heartless that patrolled the cavern was no easy matter but, to Kim's surprise, Darkwing proved to be both quick and quiet in his movements. They crossed the cavern in fits and starts, sheltering behind empty carts, spare timbers and spoil heaps, until they drew close enough to dash into the side tunnel and after the man with the whip.
This tunnel was very short and ended at a stout wooden door, reinforced with steel bars and fitted with a large lock. Luckily for Kim and Darkwing, the man had neglected to shut it behind him. By squeezing themselves up against the sidewall, they were able to observe everything that went on in the room beyond while still being hidden behind the doorframe.
The room before them was a combination of lounge, kitchen and bedroom all rolled into one. In one corner was a cast iron stove, in the other a wide bed, bowed in the middle. A table and chair were in the middle. In the far wall was a great steel door, covered in many bars and locks. Leaning against it, arms casually folded, was a man in an opera suit. The low brim of his top hat and the high collar combined to completely obscure his face.
"My master is most displeased, Barker" he said. He had the smooth voice of one determined to be charming.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the first man grunted. Hanging his whip on a nail by the door, he threw the sack he carried onto the bed. Something inside gave a squeak as it landed.
"Oh but I think you do," the man in the opera suit said as he approached the table, "I really think you do."
"Look, it's just a little operation on the side, alright?" Barker said hurriedly, not looking directly at his companion.
"My dear Barker, I am confused," the man in the opera suit replied in tones of mild surprise, "Why do you feel the need to have these 'little operations'? Has my master not been generous enough; providing you with a diamond mine?"
"So he could take the biggest and the best diamonds for himself!" Barker interjected angrily.
"While allowing you to keep the rest, and to run the mine as you see fit" his companion finished smoothly.
"So what does it matter to him if I ransom some little squirts back to their fat headed uncle?" Barker said.
The man in the opera suit leapt upon Barker before he even had a chance to raise his arms. He fastened one hand around Barker's fleshy throat, drawing their faces close.
"It matters, you simpleton, because the ransom note you sent could be traced back to you," he snarled, "And, if it is traced back to you, it could be traced back to my master and he is very keen that that does not happen. The King and his lackeys are on the move. If they should discover…"
"Alright, alright!" Barker croaked, "I get it, I get it: just lemme go!"
The man in the opera suit released his grip and stood back.
"Now," he said, his suave manner returning as quickly as it had dropped, "do you have the item I requested?"
"Yes… yes," Barker gasped, massaging his throat which was already starting to bruise "Over there… on the bed."
The man in the opera suit crossed the room and poked the sack. It gave a sharp cry and wriggled slightly.
"Why do you need one of them anyway?" Barker asked.
"Waternoose said it would be necessary: the smaller the better."
"Well, it was the smallest one I could find."
"It will do," the man in the opera suit said with a shrug. He crossed back to the table.
"Now for the other matter; my master requires more diamonds."
"I thought he might," said Barker sourly. Reaching into his coat pocket, he drew out a handful of the largest diamonds Kim had ever seen. They ranged from the size of golf balls to larger than a tennis ball. Barker placed them on the table and stood back.
The man in the opera suit bent over them and then did something so strange that it was all Kim could do to suppress a cry of shock. A grey rat, dressed in a miniature copy of the same opera suit, fell out of the gap between the hat and the collar. It crossed the table, produced a jeweller's eyeglass from his pocket and began to examine the diamonds in detail. The thing Kim had assumed to be a man stood frozen beside the table.
Basil, who was leaning out of Kim's pouch and round the doorpost, let loose a gasp of surprise:
"Ratigan?!"
The rat spun round.
"Basil?!" he shrieked.
Author's note: Scrooge McDuck is the star of 'DuckTales', plus many other Disney shows and comics. Merlin is from 'The Sword in the Stone'. Leon, Cid and Aerith are Final Fantasy characters. Barker is the Coachman who took Pinocchio to Pleasure Island (I mistakenly thought Barker was his name when I wrote this chapter. Thank you to 'Captain A' for correcting me: he is officialy named The Coachman, and nothing else). Ratigan is Basil's nemesis in 'The Great Mouse Detective'.