“I…I don’t know. Maybe look for the others. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m not leaving you, Sire. I’ll stay back here, but I’m not leaving,” he said firmly. “If you need a distraction, I can make one.”

Benjamin looked uncertain. “Okay. I’ll try not to mess up.”

“Good luck, Sire.”

“Clementine, do you see anything up ahead?” Roscoe whispered in the dark.

“No. I keep thinking I hear voices but I can’t tell where they’re coming from.”

Benjamin reached the loft and gave Paco a thumbs up. Farangis’s head, larger than a football, waved back and forth as he smelled the air with his tongue. Benjamin tread as lightly as possible on the loose boards above. His heart raced as he got nearer. Criiiick! The wood beneath his feet cracked. Paco knew he had to distract the snake. Terrified, he jumped from behind the wall into the large open room and looked at the massive creature.

Farangis laughed softly at the sight of the solitary little dog.

“Sssssssssoo, you’ve traveled all the way from your pathetic kingdom to meet little ol’ me?”

The rat-terrier heard something behind him.

“Paco, is that you?” Clementine asked. “Where’s King Benjamin–Whoa!” The pig and goat jumped in fright at their first glimpse of Farangis.

“King Benjamin?” the snake asked. “But my ssservantsss killed your king.”

Paco tried not to show fear. “We have a new king!”

He laughed. “I’m guesssing that would be the little human you brought with you. Isss the brave king hiding from me? Where are you, oh king? I can sssmell you!”

Roscoe’s hooves shook. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“Shhh! Look,” the pig, glancing up, whispered in his ear.

Roscoe’s jaw dropped.

Rattling was heard at the barn’s entrance. “The raccoon isss dead, My Lord.”

Farangis kept his eyes on the goat, pig, and dog. “Sssiloam, we have company. It’ssss impolite to announccce that you killed their friend.”

Clementine whimpered as they heard hissing from the dark corridor they’d just come from. “Roscoe, they’re back!” The three snakes slithered toward them.

Paco trembled. Please hurry, Sire. Please, please hurry! The three huddled close in the flickering light of the small fire that was just about to burn out. Both exits were blocked by snakes, and the most dangerous one was in front of them. They were trapped.

“Ahh, it’sss been a long time sssince I’ve tasssted goat,” a snake said from behind.

All the snakes started slithering toward them. “Leave them to me! Don’t kill them just yet,” Farangis commanded. The snakes retreated.

Benjamin carefully stepped over Farangis and knelt, tightly holding the cherry bomb and lighter. Crack! The boards gave below his feet and his body fell helplessly through the loft onto the soft hay below. His three friends gasped in terror.

“King Benjamin!” Paco yelled.