AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a brief one. Due to the events in this particular chapter (especially towards the end of it), I've raised the rating of the story from K+ to T, just as a precaution.
The secret door led to a tunnel underneath the city streets. Sandrina took Fluey up a flight of stairs, and opened another door. Behind it was a large cave. Sandrina dragged Fluey into it, and practically threw him to the floor.
"Ow, watch it!" he shouted. Sandrina slapped him across the face.
"Shut up, you little worm!" she shouted. She took a piece of rope, and started tying Fluey's hands behind his back.
"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with," Fluey said. "My friends are going to find out about this, and they're just as suspicious about you as I am!"
"What can three teenage boys do?" Sandrina asked. "They wouldn't dare harm a princess! Besides, I have a little trick to get your friends out of the way . . . . and that little mutt of yours, too!"
"If you do anything to my friends, I'm gonna . . . ."
Sandrina slapped Fluey again, harder than she did the first time. Then she grabbed him by his hair, and pulled him to his feet.
"Hey, hey, take it easy!" Fluey shouted. "That hurts!"
"Then shut your trap and move it!" Sandrina yelled, pushing Fluey further into the cave. Fluey didn't have much choice, so he just did everything Sandrina was telling him to do. It was better than getting smacked around. Though he was the one who was used to doing the smacking. Even if his hands weren't tied, he wouldn't have been able to punch Sandrina. It was against his ethics to hit a girl, evil or not. Not that he wouldn't have loved to knock some of Sandrina's teeth out, but his conscious would probably bug him about it until the cows come home.
Sandrina led Fluey to the back of the cave, and once again, threw him to the floor. Then, she tied his ankles together.
"So you just gonna leave me here or what?" Fluey asked.
"For now," Sandrina said. "But don't you worry about a thing. You won't get lonely. At this time of day, the snakes should be arriving soon."
"That just figures," Fluey said, rolling his eyes. "Let me tell you something, princess, I'm not afraid of snakes!"
"Really," Sandrina said. "Well then, how do you feel about cobras?"
"Cobras?!" Fluey shouted, suddenly becoming panicked.
"And not just any cobras, baby brother. Khakistanian cobras. The venom from one can kill a full grown bull elephant in up to six hours. Imagine what a whole nest of Khakistanian cobras could do to you."
"Oooohhhhh boy . . . . ."
"But you don't have anything to worry about. They only attack if they feel provoked. So no sudden movements, now. Oh, and I almost forgot. The little rascals are so sensitive to loud noises. And we wouldn't want to make them angry . . . . they just might attack you quicker."
"I've got news for you. Snakes can't hear."
"Normal snakes can't. Khakistanian cobras can. But, just in case you should forget and try to scream for help . . . ."
Sandrina pulled a scarf out of her pocket, and tied it tightly over Fluey's mouth.
"I know I said they only attack if they feel provoked," she said. "But sometimes . . . . . well, sometimes the little darlings get tingly teeth, and they just have to bite something before they go stark raving mad. But maybe you'll be lucky and they won't be a biting mood. There's always a first time for everything."
Fluey glared at Sandrina and began maneuvering his hands, trying to untie himself. Sandrina just laughed.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said. "The little dears will only come at you faster if you move around like that. And I wouldn't expect your friends to come and save you. By the time anyone finds you, it'll be too late! Well, I must be off. Have fun with the cobras, dear baby brother. Tootles!"
Sandrina laughed wickedly, and left. Fluey continued to try to loosen the ropes binding his hands. It was about the only thing he could do. But he stopped suddenly when he heard a hissing sound. He turned to see where it was coming from, and found a small opening in the wall. Inside that opening, he could see several tiny lights, but they weren't lights. They were eyes. Glowing eyes of several snakes. Immediately, Fluey froze.
No sudden movements, he thought, as a cobra slithered out of the opening, followed by another, and another. Fluey did not move one single muscle. He had to do some fast thinking, though. He had to get out of his mess before the snakes attacked. If only one bite could kill a full grown bull elephant in six hours, it was most likely that one bite would kill him instantly.
Meanwhile, back at the sultan's palace, Multi, Coiley, and Skittles were searching for Fluey. Skittles was using her nose to sniff around.
"I don't know where he could've gotten to," Multi said.
"Yeah, it's not like Fluey to up and disappear on us like this," Coiley replied. Skittles suddenly began barking, and she raced into Sandrina's room. She did her pointer routine (poing!) and pointed to the smashed tape recorder.
"What's that?" Coiley asked.
"Looks like Fluey's portable tape recorder," Multi said. "Or what's left of it. It's been smashed."
Skittles began barking again, and she started jumping up and down at a picture on the wall, pointing to it with her paw.
"What's the matter, girl?" Multi asked, coming over. "Something about the picture?"
"Maybe behind it," Coiley said. "Let's take a look Multi."
Multi nodded, and removed the picture from the wall. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Skittles began barking like crazy, and she began pawing at the wall, whimpering. But before anything else could happen, the guards raced into the room.
"Halt!" the captain shouted. "You two are under arrest!"
"Under arrest?!" Coiley shouted.
"On what charge?" Multi asked.
"Murder, and assault!" Sandrina shouted, coming into the room. Her clothes were torn up, and her hair was disheveled.
"What?!" Coiley shouted.
"I saw it with my own eyes!" Sandrina shouted. "They killed the prince, and they turned their vicious killer dog on me in an attempt to kill me when I saw what they were doing!"
"That's a lie!" Multi shouted, picking up Skittles, and holding her, protectively. "Skittles wouldn't hurt anybody! Not unless it was a crook or something like that."
"Who are you going to believe?" Sandrina asked the guards. "A couple of strangers, or your own, beloved princess?"
That was all it took. Immediately, the guards locked Coiley, Multi, and Skittles in prison.
"Well, now what do we do?" Coiley asked.
"Good question," Multi said. "I don't know."
Skittles suddenly started barking, and she began digging in the floor, faster and faster until her legs became a blur.
"That's a good thought Skittles," Multi said. "But this floor is made out of concrete. You won't be able to dig through it, even at super speed."
Skittles gave Multi a look, and a bark that clearly meant "Oh ye of little faith." Then she went back to digging. And to Multi and Coiley's surprise, she managed to dig a hole straight through the concrete, and she kept right on tunneling!
"How in the . . . ." Multi started. "That's impossible!"
"Well, what did you expect from Impossi-Pup, Multi?" Coiley asked. "Come on! We've got to find Fluey!"
"Right," Multi agreed, and jumped down the hole after his dog. "Rally ho!"
"Rally ho!" Coiley shouted, and jumped down the hole himself. Then the two of them followed Skittles.
As luck would have it, Skittles had managed to dig right into the tunnel from Sandrina's room. She sniffed along the ground, and then howled, running ahead. Multi and Coiley followed, until they came to a door at the top of a flight of steps. Skittles was whimpering, and pawing at it. Coiley opened the door, and saw a cave.
"I don't like the looks of this, Multi," he said.
"Me neither," Multi replied. "But Skittles might be onto something here. We'd better investigate."
Skittles barked, sniffed the ground, and ran into the cave. Multi and Coiley followed. Suddenly, Skittles skidded to a halt, and Coiley stopped immediately. Multi managed to crash into Coiley.
"What did you stop for?" he asked.
"Don't move," Coiley said. "Look."
Multi looked, and gulped. It was about all he could do. There was Fluey, surrounded by Khakistanian cobras, all rearing up, ready to strike. Fluey knew his friends were there, but he didn't dare make a move, or even try to respond. If he did, he figured these snakes would surely attack.
"Oh boy, this looks bad," Coiley said, quietly, figuring any sudden noise would cause the snakes to lunge. "What do we do?"
"Uhhh . . . ." Multi said, a little nervously. He began backing away slowly. "I d-d-d-don't know, Coiley. I . . . uhhh . . . . I . . . ."
"Multi, what's the matter with you? Don't tell me you're afraid of snakes!"
"Okay. I won't. But I am!"
"I told you not to tell me."
"Sorry, Coiley. I know I'm a superhero and all, and it usually does take a lot to scare me, but snakes . . . . . ooooh, I can't stand snakes!"
"Well, if we get any closer, they're likely to strike not only at Fluey, but at us as well."
"And we certainly don't want to provoke them. That'll make them attack for sure. And these aren't just any snakes, Coiley, these are cobras! Not only can they strike with their teeth, but they can also spit! And if the venom gets into the eyes, it can cause permanent blindness."
"Not all cobras spit, Multi."
"You want to take a chance that these don't, Coiley?"
Coiley didn't respond. Multi had a point there. Apparently, they were at a standstill. Fluey remained completely still. Some of the cobras lowered, and began slithering around him. A couple of them crawled over his legs. Fluey tensed a little, but didn't move.
"He's handling this pretty well," Coiley commented.
"If I were Fluey, I'd probably be going nuts right about now," Multi said. "Moving and screaming. Then I'd probably wind up getting bit."
"Well we can't stand here and do nothing."
"And we can't go over there and just pick up those things and tie them in knots. Coiley, we're talking about cobras here! One of the deadliest snake species in the world! I read something about Khakistanian cobras before we flew out here. One bit can kill a full grown bull elephant in six hours. Can you imagine what one Khakistanian cobra bite could do to us?"
Skittles suddenly raced out of the cave as fast as she could. Luckily for the Impossibles, it was so fast, the cobras didn't even notice. She returned not even a second later, carrying some sort of flute in her mouth. She tugged at Multi's pant leg with her teeth to get his attention, and whimpered softly. She didn't want to bark, because that would definitely alert the snakes. Multi looked down, and picked up the flute.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Hey, that's it!" Coiley shouted, grabbing the flute. "We'll charm those snakes!"
"I hope you know how to play that thing, Coiley, 'cause I sure don't!"
"Don't worry, Multi. Leave everything to me."
Coiley slowly walked forward, and began to play the flute. You all know the tune. It's the same tune used in cartoons whenever there's a snake charmer or a belly dancer. The snakes heard the music and turned towards Coiley, dancing the only way a snake could dance. Then, they began "dancing" towards the hole in the wall that they came out of in the first place. One by one, the cobras slithered into the hole, until they were all gone. Then, Coiley and Multi gathered some rocks together, and blocked the opening so the snakes wouldn't come back. Then they ran over to Fluey and untied him.
"You all right?" Coiley asked, removing Fluey's gag.
"Yeah," Fluey said. "You guys showed up not a moment too soon!"
"How did you manage to keep calm like that?" Multi asked, pulling Fluey to his feet. "I know I would've been panicking!"
"It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much!" Fluey shouted. "Come on, we've gotta get back to the palace, and get Sandrina to confess. I wish she hadn't busted my tape recorder. I had the whole thing on it."
"So she is behind this," Coiley said. "She told the guards Multi and I were the culprits. We had to break out of jail."
"Man, she's sneaky," Fluey said. "We'll just have to be sneaky right back. I don't think it'll be necessary to change into our superhero identities for this, fellas. I've got a plan. Now listen."
The boys huddled, and Fluey told Multi and Coiley his idea. Then, they snuck back into the palace, via the secret tunnel, but they didn't go into the palace just yet. They sent Skittles inside to gather the things they would need. She was the only one who could get the stuff without getting caught, since she could move so fast. Within a matter of two minutes, Skittles returned to her friends with the boys' guitars, some extra guitar strings, and some glow in the dark stage make-up, and glow in the dark white paint.
"Good work, Impossi-Pup," Fluey said. "Coiley, you start de-stringing our guitars. Multi, you help me."
"Right," Coiley and Multi said in unison, and the three boys got to work.
Within minutes, Coiley had all the guitar strings off the guitars, and Multi was tying them around Fluey. Fluey was made up to look like a ghost. Multi and Coiley were going to use the guitar strings to hoist him into the air to make it look like he was flying.
"I don't know if it's such a good idea to use the guitar strings," Coiley said.
"It's the closest thing we have to an invisible wire," Fluey said, shrugging. "If we use regular rope, she'll get wise to us."
"I just hope the guitar strings can support you, Fluey," Multi said. "They're not all that strong."
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Fluey said. "Now come on. We've got to get her to confess."
That night, the boys put their plan into action when Sandrina was primping in her mirror.
"I am such a genius," she said. Suddenly, her lights went out. "All right! Who's the wise guy?! Turn those lights back on! I can't see the beauty that is me in my mirror!"
"Sandriiiiiinaaaaaa . . . . ." Fluey chanted, trying to sound ghost-like.
"Wh-wh-who's th-th-th-there?" Sandrina asked, nervously. Suddenly, Fluey flew into the room, via secret passage. Multi and Coiley were holding him up with their guitar strings, but neither of them were so sure they would hold.
"Ali?!" Sandrina shouted, incredulously. "But . . . . but I thought . . . . ."
"You thought right!" Fluey shouted. "I'm not Ali, I'm the ghost of Ali!"
"A g-g-g-ghost?!"
"You betcha, baby."
"Well . . . . what do you want?"
"What else? Confess! Confess to your father that you're behind it all! Or I will haunt you for the rest of your life!"
"All right! All right, I'll confess! I'll confess, I'll go tell him right now!"
Sandrina was about to leave the room, when all of a sudden, the guitar strings broke, and Fluey crashed to the floor.
"Ow!" he shouted once he landed.
"I knew the guitar strings wouldn't hold!" Multi groaned. Skittles barked, and raced out of the secret passage, through Sandrina's room, and down the hallway. Sandrina didn't even notice.
"Wait just one minute here," she said, walking towards Fluey. "Since when do ghosts crash to the ground in mid flight?"
"Love to stay and shoot the breeze, Sandy, but I've got other old haunts to visit!" Fluey shouted, and was about to take off when Sandrina grabbed him by the back of the shirt collar.
"Not so fast!" she shouted. She grabbed a tissue out of a box on her vanity and wiped it over Fluey's face, and hair, taking off the make-up.
"Ah ha! A fake!" she shouted. She then grabbed a dagger from a drawer. "I don't know how you escaped, but one thing is for sure, it won't happen again! I am just going to have to take care of you here and now!"
"Multi! Coiley! HELP!" Fluey screamed.
"Hold it, princess!" Coiley shouted, as he and Multi came out of the secret passage. Sandrina just grabbed Fluey, and held the dagger to his neck.
"Make on false move, and I'll slit his throat!" she shouted.
"It won't matter what we do," Multi said. "You're just planning on killing him, anyway."
"Can't you wait awhile?" Fluey asked. "At least until we get the DNA test results back. I mean, I might not even be the prince, you know!"
"True. But even if you're not Ali, you'll have to be silenced, anyway, since you're the only one who knows the truth! And I'll have to do away with your friends, too, since they know as well. I can't allow Father to discover that I had Ali kidnapped! Whether or not he's dead, I don't know, but I also can't have Father finding out I tried to kill you, too, if you are my brother! I knew I should've smothered you when you were a baby! It would have been easier to make it look like an accident! Unfortunately, I won't be able to make this look like an accident, but I'm sure I'll . . . . ."
"SANDRINA!" a voice shouted. Sandrina was so startled she let go of Fluey and dropped the dagger. She turned around and saw her father standing in the door way. Skittles was sitting beside him, wagging her tail, and looking quite smug.
"Father!" Sandrina gasped. "How . . . . who . . . . what . . . . when . . . ."
"Super sonic Impossi-Pup does it again with her super speed," Fluey said with a laugh.
"If I hadn't heard it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it," the sultan said. "I just can not believe that you would try to kill your brother just to get the throne! Guards! Take her away!"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Sandrina protested. "This is all just a big misunderstanding! I can explain it!" I really can!"
But the sultan wasn't going to listen to excuses. Sandrina scowled as the guards began taking her out of the room.
"I should have listened to you sooner, my boy," the sultan said to Fluey.
"That's okay," Fluey said, shrugging. "At least all's well that ends well."
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot rang through the room. Fluey let out a blood curdling shriek, and fell to the ground. He had been hit in the head by the bullet when the gun fired.
"Fluey!" Coiley shouted.
"If I can't be the ruler of Khakistan," Sandrina said, holding a smoking handgun, "then neither will he!"
The guards immediately seized the weapon, and took Sandrina away. Multi raced out of the room to call an ambulance. He knew he had to act fast. Moments later, he returned to Sandrina's room. Coiley was pressing a piece of cloth against Fluey's head to control the bleeding.
"The paramedics are on their way," Multi said. "Hopefully, they'll be here soon."
"I hope so," Coiley said. "Just hang in there, Fluey. Help is on the way."
Fluey moaned, and lapsed into unconsciousness. Coiley and Multi looked at each other, worriedly. This wasn't a good sign.