Sergeant Bad Breath grabbed Leon by the collar threw him into the mess hall's kitchen galley. Strewn out on a long farmer's table were 8 of his cherished books. An oversized, old-fashioned wood stove was running full blast. Leon could feel its heat from across the room and assumed all the real electricity must be reserved for the electric fence.

Sargent Bad Breath was a close talker."Now here's what you're gonna do puke face. Take your stupid fantasy books and put them inside this cast iron pot..."

Leon thought it looked more like caldron. He imagined the sergeant's wife bustling in to cook him supper.

Mrs. Bad Breath would wear a big black pointy hat, "Eye of newt, lizard lips, toes of young boys... "He changed his mind and supposed not even a witch would want to marry Sergeant Bad Breath.

The sergeant continued, "Place all of your freaky reading materials into the pot and place the pot into the stove... Am I going too fast for you puke face?"

"No sir... freaky books... pot... got it." Instinctly Leon rolled his light grayish-green eyes.

"You jerking my chain puke face?" The sergeant  held a long metal spoon into the flame and counted to ten. Then he  pressed the spoon against Leon's cheek. Leon's anguished cry woke the sleeping guard in the watchtower. As the officer peeled the spoon off Leon's face bits of brown flesh clung to the metal spoon. His burnt flesh smelled sickly sweet. The sizzled skin's pungent aroma reminded him of a opossum his nana once caught and cooked."Now we understand each other, right Puke Face?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Leon bellowed as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Burn the books then cook the stew. When you're done top it off with the ashes. Got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Leon stood at attention while his body involuntarily shook from the pain.

When the officer left the galley Leon laid his head on the wooden butcher block table and sobbed like a baby. Recalling all the words he'd copied over and over he pleaded with the invisible King. "You promised to never leave me or give up on me... Well I could sure use your help right about now. You also promised to give wisdom to anyone who asks for it. Well I'm asking!"

Look up Leon.

Obeying the inner voice Leon glanced up and noticed a metal shelf containing dusty Family & Friend's Cookbooks, volumes one through eight! He quickly got to work. He tore the guts from the recipe books and happily charred them. Next he placed all eight copies of The Book inside the cookbook's covers. It was a perfect fit! Carefully he replaced the books onto the shelf in the exact same order. Nana always said the best place to hide something is out in the open. I just hope nobody needs a recipe for Beef Goulash anytime soon.

Leon used a threadbare oven mitt to lift the heavy cast iron caldron from the oven. His hands burned through the well-used potholder. The intense heat aggravated the raw wound on his cheek. Sergeant not-so-bright returned. Forgetting the oven mitt the officer grabbed the cast iron lid with his bare hand. It sizzled and smoldered. He let out gut wrenching scream and dropped its heavy lid onto his foot. Then he shrieked seven curse words. Leon counted them. What goes around comes around huh Sergeant Bad Breath?  And isn't swearing against the law?

As the sergeant ran cold water on his red blistering hand he barked orders at his subordinate. "Okay Puke Face, start making the stew. The potatoes are in the pantry and the meat is in the freezer. You ever made stew before soldier?

Leon had never cooked a day in life, but he'd read every cookbook in The Wood's Shoppe while he was trapped underground for one year, nine months and eleven days. He didn't dare take a chance on Sergeant Bad Breath pulling down a recipe book. "I know our family's secret recipes by heart sir."

"Good then get cracking. Oh and don't forget to top it off with your forbidden ashes. You're gonna be mighty popular with the boys at dinner tonight!"

---

Tommy was distraught. They'd been searching in the tunnels for hours. "It's all my fault. How could I lose a kid like that?"

"Maybe you were too busy making kissy faces with Bell?" Izzy teased.

"Cut it out! It was just one kiss on the cheek. Besides you ever think she might be scared outta her mind? Or are you jealous Izzy? You wanna kiss too?" He puckered up his puffy lips and provoked her.

Izzy shoved him hard. "Get away from me idiot. You're supposed to be looking for Panney not making my skin crawl." Izzy pointed her finger flash light towards the wall. "Hey what's this?" She noticed a small red handprint three feet high on the concrete.

Tommy touched it with his forefinger. "It's fresh." He licked it. "Its blood."

"Ew... I could have told you that without tasting it ya dumb butt." If Izzy had an annoying older brother it would be Tommy!

"Its gotta be Panney's. He's in trouble and it's all my fault!" Tommy punched himself in the head 3 times and said, " Dunderhead, dunderhead, dunderhead."

"There's the old Tommy I know... Stop freaking out okay?" Izzy pointed her light on the ground and saw drops of fresh blood. "Come on he's leading us this way."

They followed the blood trail all the way to the Clinton Avenue exit. The red streak ended where the street began.

"He's gone." Dismayed, Tommy asked, "Where could he be?"

"I don't know Tommy..." For the first time in a long time Izzy felt helpless.

Tommy looked longingly up the stairwell where he saw a hint of the night sky." He's out there somewhere."

Paralyzed with fear, Izzy and Tommy stared up the stairs for the longest time until finally the full moon came into view.    

"Tommy we have to tell the others. We shouldn't go out there alone." Izzy tugged on his arm.

"But I can't leave Panney all alone again. Izzy this is all my fault." Tommy pulled away. He felt himself about to cry. His father had it drummed into his head, "Never let a girl see you cry." So instead of showing his true feelings he kicked at a random rock. Then he walked over, bent down to pick up the rock and balled like a baby"

Izzy ran over to Tommy. She crouched down and put her hand on his back. "He's not your sole responsibility Tommy...  Look,  I promise to help you find him but we can't just disappear or everyone else will be worried sick."

Tommy agreed. He didn't want to inflict the kind of misery he was feeling on anyone else. They darted back to the Tunnel Children only to discover they too had vanished. As they walked around the camp, they saw remnants of leftover cake and a few pieces of tattered cloth. Everyone was gone, not a single child was left. Something stirred behind them. As they turned they saw Grace and Speed galloping towards them. At least the dogs had managed to escape!

Tommy cried, "If only dogs could talk!"

Izzy remembered Lonely, the talking bear who had helped her locate The Book in the first place. She asked the dogs, "Can you boys talk? Come on tell us where everyone went. Don't be afraid."

Tommy interrupted, "You feeling alright Iz? I know we've been through a traumatic experience here... But dogs-can't-talk."

"Or can they? Everything talks." Izzy smiled at Speed.

Speed nodded his head and said, "The fascist army came and rounded up our little troop. Every last one of them, even the babies. What good are babies in the army? They can't hold guns."

Grace snorted at his comrade's silly remark and continued, "They loaded them all onto two trucks. The sick ones onto one truck and the healthy ones onto the other."

Speed hung his head and added, "Most of the kids went onto the sick truck."

Izzy became frantic, "What about Bell? What truck was she on?!"

Grace had always paid the closest attention to detail.
He felt good to be able to use his talents and spoke up, "At first they put her in the healthy line but then Private Niles noticed she couldn't see or hear... He was forced to put her on the sick truck."

Tommy fainted.

Izzy knelt down and slapped Tommy's face hard. She wasn't sure if he'd fainted because of the talking dogs or his missing love and she had no time to find out. "Wake up dufus! We've got to find them! I need your help you stupid love sick fool!"

Tommy stirred, "I had the strangest dream..."

Speed licked his face and couldn't resist, "Was it about talking dogs? Huh? Was it?" Speed panted.

Again Tommy's head hit the pavement.

"Speed that was plain mean... funny but mean!"  Grace chuckled, also enjoying his freedom of speech.

Izzy asked the dogs, "Boys do you have any idea where they've taken Grandfather and the kids?"

"Not exactly..." Speed paced back and forth to help him think. It reminded Izzy of Alfred.

His doggy light came on! "But we can sniff 'em out, can't we special agent Grace?"

"We sure can special agent Speed! Lemme wake up sleepy head here and we'll get moving. Operation Rescue time." Grace licked Tommy's face exuberantly and wouldn't quit until he jumped to his feet and feverishly wiped off the sticky slobber.

Izzy caught Tommy's arm in hers and yanked him up the stairs and out into the moonlight. Now, there were four special agents on assignment.

-End of Chapter 6-

Author's note: I'm doing my best to get three chapters up a week. Voting and commenting sure helps our books to grow! Thank you thank you, thank you, for your support! As always, edits are welcome.