Leland had managed to convince Pidge to leave him in the Castle tunnels with the Space Mice after they had completed the tour. Pidge wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea, but since he had to get ready for the wedding, and because he wanted to hear about the latest happenings from the other guys, he reluctantly agreed.
Leland loved being down below. It was spooky and exciting at the same time. He wasn’t very worried – after all, the Space Mice had known the tunnels even better than Pidge had, so he was in good paws. He held a candle above his head for light as he followed the mice from passage to passage eagerly. He had already resolved to find at least one secret passage that Pidge hadn’t discovered yet.
He started when he heard Cheddar’s frantic squeaks from below.
"Hey, Cheddar, buddy, what’s wrong?" he asked, peering through the darkness. All of a sudden Cheddar was silent, and there were no more squeaks from the other mice either. Leland began to feel afraid, but he walked on, the candle trembling in his hands.
From the shadows, a tall figure emerged. Leland smiled when he recognized who it was.
"Balcos! What are you doing down here? Were you exploring the Castle, too?" Leland asked, sighing with relief. "I thought –"
Leland could say no more as Balcos pressed
a nerve on his neck and he fell unconscious. Haggar’s cackling laughter
echoed in the corridor. "Just for insurance, brat." Then Leland’s eyes
burst open and glowed with a ghastly red light.
He looked around and saw the other mice sprawled on the floor around him. The last thing he remembered was seeing that man – what was his name? The one that the princess was marrying…
Then he heard it. It was a soft, steady blipping sound coming from higher up on the wall. A red glow caught his gaze. There were red numbers, changing steadily. The Princess had already taught them what that thing was…
A BOMB!
And where was Leland?
Alarmed, Cheddar set out to wake up the rest of the mice so they could warn the Princess.