The Menagerie (19 page)

THIRTY-THREE

L
ogan stopped to catch his breath as Zoe took the cub from him and settled her in the basket of her bike.

“Shouldn't we wait for Blue?” Logan glanced back toward the house.

Zoe paused as though considering what she was abandoning Blue to, but then she shook her head. “There's no time. If she gets Blue to put on a Prince William costume, she might keep him forever.”

Fish-Boy will be okay.
Sage sent out a reassuring wave to Logan.
House creepy, but dancing girl will protect him.
She opened her wings so the air could whoosh through them as Zoe took off down the street.

Good thing no one else is out this early,
Logan thought.

They pedaled like mad. Logan thought of all the terrible consequences if they didn't make it back in time. The Menagerie shut down. Zoe and Blue moving somewhere else. Maybe even the death of the griffin cubs.

As they rounded the bottom of the Kahns' driveway, Logan spotted a sleek black car parked out front. With a last surge of speed, Zoe and Logan zipped into the garage and skidded to a stop.

“Do you think we're too late?” he asked Zoe as she picked up Sage. The door to the kitchen burst open, and Matthew came tumbling out.

“Finally! I was about to storm the Sterling mansion. C'mon.” He charged back into the house.

“Where are the SNAPA agents now?” Zoe asked as she grabbed a jacket from a chair in the kitchen and draped it over Sage's head.

Matthew ushered them through the sliding doors and pointed to the lake. “Dad took them out on the boat to reinspect the water purification system first, but they should be back any minute. And I've persuaded Keiko to fill in with the griffins for now; but Riff and Nira were
really
not keen on that plan, so we should get there as soon as possible.”

“You mean Keiko is— But she— Okay, you'll have to tell me how you managed that later.” Zoe shuddered.

Logan glanced back and forth between Zoe and her brother, not sure what he was missing. How could Keiko “fill in” with the griffins? All he knew was that Keiko seemed terrible with the animals, and she hated dealing with them. He shrugged off the questions as he caught sight of a motorboat puttering toward the shore.

“Um, guys, I think they're almost here.”

Zoe's and Matthew's heads swiveled in sync to peer down at the lake.

“Run,” Zoe said.

They pelted across the road and down the hill to the griffin enclosure. Matthew hurried to unbolt the gate. As they slipped inside, Logan was overwhelmed by griffin thoughts.

This is an OUTRAGE! Absolutely unheard of! My grandsire would be molted bald in shame!

Calm down, Riff.

Nira was curled up against a large rock with the cubs playing at her paws. Riff was pacing furiously in front of them, his tail lashing.

I don't like it either,
Nira continued,
but it's not like she can do anything with us both here. And she is an excellent distraction for the cubs.

Fun!

Did you see this tail?

So fluffy! Best toy ever!

Warm and soft, too!

Play with us, Danger-Smell!

Can we play chase your tail and catch your tail and pounce on your tail and also we are aliens?

Logan stopped, puzzled. The cubs were all tumbling together, but it looked like there were six of them. He counted again—there was Clonk clambering over Yump to shoulder in closer to Clink. The black griffin cub was swatting at a fuzzy, rust-colored tuft of fur, with Squorp and Flurp poking it from the other side. But Yump was the only red-furred griffin of the bunch, so who was . . . ?

“Oh my God,” Zoe said in a choked voice. Logan glanced at her. Her mouth was twitching, like she was trying not to laugh. Logan turned his gaze back to the griffin cubs as the reddish fur shifted and a long, pointed snout swung around toward them. Two bright black eyes glared up at them from below two gorgeous, tufted ears.

It was a fox. A very disgruntled fox. Its nose crinkled at the sight of them, and it sprang to its feet, shaking off the griffin cubs with a mighty wriggle.

AWWWWWWWW,
the five cubs all chorused at once.

And then the fox started to grow, shifting from a small animal into a spitting-mad human girl.

Keiko.

Logan's mouth dropped open as Keiko angrily flung her braids over her shoulders, the sleeves of her white kimono flopping down her arms.

“I have never been so humiliated in my
entire
life. We will NEVER, and I mean NOT EVER under any circumstances, speak of this again. It NEVER happened. Do you understand?” Keiko glared at Zoe, who still held the real sixth griffin cub.

“Of course,” Zoe answered, all traces of her smile gone.

Keiko swiveled to Logan, her sharp gaze piercing. He snapped his jaw shut and nodded vigorously. Keiko stalked past them both, her nose in the air as Matthew opened the gate for her with a small bow.

“She was a fox!” Logan sputtered.

“Yes, Logan.”

“Keiko was a fox!”

“Technically she's a kitsune,” Zoe said. “You know, one of those Japanese shape-shifters.”

“Oh, right, you know, those,” Logan said. “No, wait. Never heard of them.”

“Foxes who can turn into girls and back again,” Zoe said. “It's more complicated than that, but you get the idea.”

“Wow,” Logan said. “That explains a
lot
.”

“I knew it was a long shot that the agents wouldn't notice, but it was the only thing I could think of,” Matthew said with a shrug. “I'd better go make sure Dad knows it's safe to come in here.” He vanished through the gate.

You found her!
Riff's voice trumpeted in their heads.
My beloved daughter! You're safe!

Zoe passed Sage to Riff, who nuzzled her affectionately before setting her on the ground and walking a full circle around her. His inspection was cut short by the five exuberant cubs pouncing.

Where did YOU go?

You smell like old things! What did you find?

Is it better than this? I bet not. Look, GOOOOOLD coins! I got them from a REAL, ACTUAL PIRATE!

Did you find anything tastier than cheeseburgers? Or did you find cheeseburgers? Did you bring any back?

Missed you!

Nira rolled her eyes, but reached over and plucked Sage out of the embrace of her siblings. She ran her front paws over the little gray cub. Then she nudged her back toward the pride, apparently satisfied that her littlest cub was unharmed.

“Everything seems in order,” an unfamiliar female voice said on the other side of the fence.

“So far,” added a deep male voice.

Those must be the SNAPA agents,
Logan thought with a twinge of fear.

On the one hand, the griffins were back safe—but on the other hand, Logan himself was standing right here, in the middle of the Menagerie. He'd forgotten to worry about that in all the craziness with the cubs. What if the agents thought he was a threat? If they spotted him, what would they do to him—or to the Menagerie?

“Let's see how the griffin cubs are, shall we?” the woman continued. The door to the enclosure began to swing open.

THIRTY-FOUR

Z
oe did a quick check of the cubs—all present and accounted for and playing happily. She wasn't sure about the rest of the list, but at least they'd finished the most important thing.

“Zoe!” Logan hissed. “What about me?” He looked around frantically. “I should hide!”

Zoe had stopped worrying about that once she found out he was the son of a Tracker. She figured that entitled him to be there as much as she was, although she wasn't a hundred percent sure SNAPA would agree. But before she could answer, he bolted for the cave and threw himself into the dark shadows.

Delighted, all six griffin cubs chased after him.

“Ack!”
She heard Logan yelp as griffins piled on top of him. “It's not a game! Go away!”

Zoe's dad poked his head through the gate and spotted Zoe. She gave him a thumbs-up, and a wide smile spread across his face as he swung the door open the rest of the way.

The sleek figure of the male SNAPA agent was right behind him. Edmund Runcible reminded Zoe of a futuristic hospital. He was all cool indifference and crisp white lines against smooth dark skin. He held a clipboard in one hand, and his other hand hovered over it, gripping a bright red pen.

His partner, Delia Dantes, smiled down at Zoe. She had friendly gray eyes in a round face, large gold glasses, and long, soft black hair pinned up in a loop with pretty strands escaping from it. She moved in a quick, nervous way, as if she was always ready to catch someone falling out of a tree. Her vanilla perfume was just a little too strong, and it didn't quite cover up the faint burned-toast scent that came from one of the agents; Zoe had never figured out which, since they were always together.

“Playing with the griffins, Zoe?” Agent Dantes said. “That's terrific. Very good for their social development.” She made a check in her small blue notebook.

“Come on in,” Zoe said proudly.

Cubs!
Nira called.
Come be inspected! NOW.

Zoe watched the agents pace around inside the enclosure studying the six cubs and felt relief wash over her. She glanced at her dad, who mouthed, “Where's Logan?”

Zoe nodded her head at the cave.

“Ah,” he said. “Agent Runcible, Agent Dantes. I'd like you to meet that new hire I mentioned.” Her dad stepped into the cave and nudged Logan out into the light. “Nice work cleaning their sleeping quarters,” he said, patting Logan on the back. Logan blinked in confusion.

“This is Logan,” Zoe's dad went on. “He's working for us now.”

“Seems awfully young,” Agent Runcible said dis­approvingly.

“He's precocious,” Mr. Kahn promised. “Remarkable instincts.”

Logan's whole face lit up.

“Well,” said Agent Runcible, clipping his pen to his clipboard, “I'm sure you have the necessary paperwork filled out for him. I'll need to inspect that before we go.”

“I'll call Melissa and make sure she has it ready,” Zoe's dad said, unhooking his walkie-talkie. He gave Zoe a look that said
She's going to KILL me
and wandered away.

Zoe saw Logan tilt his head curiously at the agent, but Runcible showed no sign of recognizing Logan at all. She wondered if there would be any trouble once they realized his mom was the missing Tracker.

Well, too bad,
she thought.
He's one of us now.

“Do you have the soil-testing kit?” Agent Runcible asked his partner.

Agent Dantes nodded, and they went to take samples around the pear trees. As they moved away, Delia glanced back over her shoulder and gave Zoe a reassuring smile.

Zoe had no idea how they'd managed it, but she felt like finally the Menagerie was safe and everything was going to be all right.

Her gaze fell on Logan, now leaning awkwardly against the wall as if he was hoping he looked like he belonged. Okay. She had some idea how they'd managed it.

She crossed over and leaned beside him. “We did it,” she said. “Well,
you
did it, really.”

“Are you kidding? I never could have done any of this without you.” Logan smiled at her.

“You know who we'll find next?” Zoe said. “Your mom.”

Logan's smile faded. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked across at the griffin cubs. “I don't even know where to start.”

“Neither did I, when the cubs went missing,” Zoe said. “We'll figure it out together.”

Logan nodded slowly. “There's something else,” he said. “We still don't know who let the griffins out.” He flashed a smile at her again. “I always want to sing that ‘who let the dogs out' song after I say that.”

“I know!” she said. “It's been stuck in my head all weekend!”

He laughed.

“Maybe it wasn't anyone. Maybe I did leave it unlocked by accident,” Zoe murmured.

“But Clink heard something at two a.m. Is there any chance it was Miss Sameera?” Logan said.

“I doubt it,” Zoe said. “Blue is right. The intruder alarm would have gone off if she'd gotten in here. But we should figure out what she's up to and who she was talking to.” Uneasily, she remembered what they'd overheard. Would dosing the school librarian with kraken ink take care of that problem? Had she seen anything besides the griffin cubs?

And how on earth would Zoe slip kraken ink to the school librarian anyway?

“Shipshape,” said Agent Dantes, stopping near Zoe and Logan. “It's quite impressive what you've done in here. It feels like it's always been hosting griffins. I can't believe there were unicorns in here a little over a week ago.”

Logan started and gave Zoe a wide-eyed look.

“I know,” Zoe said to the SNAPA agent. “But SNAPA said we needed a walled space for the cubs, and we gave the unicorns a new stable, so it worked out all around.”

“I suppose,” Agent Runcible sniffed. “Delia, let's review the Aviary next, before the dragons.” The two SNAPA agents headed for the gate, comparing notes, and Mr. Kahn hurried after them.

“Oh, right,” Zoe said. “You still haven't seen the dragons. And I think you've really earned it.” She turned to Logan and saw an intense look on his face.

“Zoe!” he said. “Was that true? You moved the unicorns out of here so the griffin cubs could move in?”

“Well, sure,” Zoe said. “We needed the cubs to be enclosed, so we could keep an eye on them. Although that didn't work out exactly as planned.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh my gosh! That's probably what the unicorns are so mad about! I didn't realize because they stopped talking to us about a month ago, long before we moved them—but that's when we started building the stable, so that's probably when they figured out we were
planning
to move them.”

“Did you ask their permission or anything?” Logan asked.

“No, but they complain about everything no matter what we do,” Zoe pointed out.

She remembered the tour of the enclosure she'd done with her mother a month ago, working out where the cave should go and how to relocate the new boulders for the griffins. Cleopatra and Charlemagne had stared malevolently at them from the far wall the entire time. And they had maintained a cold silence ever since.

“Oh, man,” Zoe said, rubbing her forehead. “I really should have figured that out sooner.” She was so used to the unicorns being grumpy that she hadn't thought they might actually have a real reason for once.

“There's more,” Logan said. “I bet
they're
the ones who unlocked the gate for the cubs, during that moonlight gallop they do. Because if the cubs were gone, they'd get their enclosure back. Right?”

“But—but that's so thoughtless and selfish and, and terrible—” Zoe thought about all the heartache and worry and suffering the whole Menagerie had been through over the last two days. “And just like a unicorn,” she said finally. “Okay, yes. That sounds exactly like them.”

“Squorp!” Logan called.

The tawny griffin cub bounded over, clacking his beak, and leaped into Logan's arms.

“Hey, Squorp,” Logan said, tickling the cub's chin feathers. “When you all snuck out on Thursday night, did you by any chance see the unicorns hanging around outside the enclosure?”

Squorp nodded vigorously. Logan listened for a moment, then rolled his eyes and turned to Zoe.

“He says Charlemagne wished them good luck finding treasure. And Cleopatra suggested they could swim out through the moat.”

“I can't believe this!” Zoe said. “Those unicorns are eating nothing but hay for the next
year
.”

“Or,” Logan said, “you could try making them feel a bit more special.”

Zoe wrinkled her nose at him.

“They
are
unicorns, after all,” Logan pointed out.
“Unicorns.”

“Obnoxious unicorns,” Zoe muttered.

Logan smiled down at the golden griffin cub.

“You've been tremendously helpful, Squorp. And I've brought you a reward. Some treasure of your own,” Logan said. “But you have to triple-promise me you'll guard it really carefully.”

Squorp's chest swelled proudly. He smoothed his feathers and gave the enclosure an eagle-eyed stare.

“I know you will,” Logan said with a chuckle. He set Squorp on the ground and pulled out his wallet. He unfolded it and handed Squorp a small photo that was tucked inside. Zoe caught a glimpse of Logan and his parents on the steps of an art museum, and then Squorp clutched it to his heart. He lashed his tail a few times, staring meaningfully into Logan's eyes, and then raced off to the cave.

“You're giving away all
your
treasures,” Zoe said.

“Nah.” Logan shrugged. “Getting to be a part of this is better than any photo or bracelet.”

“I'm never letting anyone wipe your memory,” Zoe said. “Never, ever, ever. I promise. You'll be working here until you're a hundred. Or until you get eaten by a manticore, whichever happens first.”

Logan grinned.

And we
will
find your mom,
Zoe thought fiercely.

“You should give Flurp and Sage something, too,” Logan suggested. “A Harry Potter book and a puzzle box, maybe.”

All the griffins suddenly stopped what they were doing and sat up, their heads swiveling toward the lake. Logan and Zoe exchanged puzzled glances.

“What—” Logan started, and Zoe shushed him.

Now she could hear distant noises, like bird cries and shouts. They had to be coming from the Aviary.

“Oh, no.” What was wrong now? Zoe bolted out of the griffin enclosure. She glanced back and with a flash of gratitude saw Logan locking the gate behind them. The wet grass whisked around her jeans, soaking them, as she sprinted down the hill to the white dome.

Logan was right behind her as they burst through the air lock into the warm jungle of the Aviary. All the birds seemed to be freaking out: shrieking and tweeting and flapping their wings frantically. Zoe could even hear the giant roc, who was normally as calm as a puddle, bellowing from the other side of the dome.

She pushed through the hanging vines, following the sound of loud voices to the center of the dome, where Pelly's nest was.

As she got closer, she spotted dark red splotches and white feathers scattered on the wooden walkway. Her stomach twisted. What—

Logan grabbed her elbow and pulled her back. “Zoe,” he said. “We might not want to see this.”

“I have to,” she said, and lifted the last vine curtain.

The SNAPA agents and her parents were there, all of them shouting at once. Mr. Kahn took a quick step toward Zoe, as if he wanted to shield her eyes, but it was too late. She'd seen everything at first glance.

Blood was dripping off the side of Pelly's nest, staining the pillows and silks. Feathers seemed to have exploded in every direction; some were even stuck up in the tree branches overhead. A bloody webbed footprint in the center of the nest was all that was left of Pelly.

Someone had murdered the goose who laid the golden eggs.

 

 

To be continued . . .