Disaster in the Shrunken City

Part 3

Louie and Dewey rounded a street corner and found Della and Scrooge standing in front of a large castle sitting at the edge of the city. The castle was made from a darker stone than the rest of the buildings. It looked like a pretty generic medieval castle. Spires and pointed roofs, with a tall tower on the left. It looked worse than all the other buildings here, with huge chunks of the walls crumbled and bits falling off even as they stood there.

"Hey Scrooge, did you find that book yet?" Dewey asked, running up to stand beside him. Drawing Louie's attention again.

"No lad, but if it's anywhere I betcha it'll be in there!" Scrooge said, pointing with his cane to the building.

"Well let's go!" Dewey exclaimed, rushing inside. Della and Scrooge followed close behind him, with Louie running in after them. Inside the castle, the first room was a large foyer with a wide staircase in the middle. mirrors embedded into the walls on either side. More stairs branched off of the main staircase, winding up into the towers. The three ducks began their search around the room. Louie joined in, tearing the room apart and a panicked frenzy. He had to find the journal before they did. Where could it be!? After a while of searching, they all came up with nothing. Which Louie couldn't quite decide if that was a relief or a disappointment.

"I really thought it'd be in here." Scrooge muttered, scratching his head.

"It's probably upstairs." Della suggested. She led Scrooge and Dewey up the steps, Louie stood behind. Panic overwhelmed him, he was running out of places to look. He'd never find it before Scrooge! He kicked a piece of rubble out of frustration, sending it flying across the room and crashing into one of the mirrors. It shot straight through, leaving a hole in the bottom corner. Louie blinked at the hole. The stone should have hit a wall and bounced back. Was there something behind the mirror? He picked up a larger piece of rubble and threw it at the mirror, covering his head as shards came flying. Behind the mirror was a small hidden room with a small table sitting inside and a journal sitting on top. Louie gasped and rushed to it. He picked it up and flipped through the pages. Every page was a different blueprint, describing some sort of advanced machinery. This was it! A surge of relief washed over him, finally, this nightmare was over! He turned to head out, glancing around to make sure no one else was around. He quickly ran out and ducked into the room to the side. He pulled the walkie out of his pocket, pressing the button.

"I have the book." He whispered into it.

"Perfect!" Heron's voice cheered through the walkie, making Louie jump. "Bring it outside and I'll drop something to retrieve it."

Louie obeyed and walked out of the castle, checking nervously for anyone else. He waited a few seconds, his nerves rising as he heard Scrooge and the others start to walk back into the foyer. Suddenly one end of a string came falling from above, landing with a thud onto the ground.

"Tie the book to that." Heron instructed. Louie obliged and tied the book to the string. Watching as it was lifted away.

"Okay. I did what you wanted. So you're gonna leave now right?" Louie whispered, hoping nobody in the castle could hear him.

"Yeah about that..." Heron started. Louie's stomach sank. Don't you dare, he thought. "I was thinking it over while waiting for you and I decided I shouldn't waste this perfect opportunity to not only get the book but also get rid of our biggest obstacle and rival at the same time! Kill two birds with one stone. Or several."

"No no no no! Don't please!" Louie cried into the walkie. He looked up as a dark shadow suddenly loomed over the city. Terror nearly stopping his heart. He threw the walkie down and rushed back into the castle where Scrooge and the others stood gaping at the sudden darkness. Louie's eyes landed on the micro-phone that Scrooge had on him. He ran and pushed him, knocking the ray out of his pocket.