Royal Rabbits of London Read online

  Zeno leaped out of the bush, followed by Clooney and Laser. Shylo hung back, too afraid to move.

  The Hopsters looked at the minks. They didn’t look like much, but they knew from Horatio how ferocious they were. It didn’t take them long to spot Minsky-the-Terrible. He was the biggest and most muscular of them all!

  Quickly, Zeno summoned his Thumpers with a flick of his claws. They hopped out of the bushes on to the lawn behind their commander.

  Minsky in return summoned the minks with a whistle. They took up their judo positions behind their commander.

  ‘Horatio was right – this is a trap!’ Laser snapped crossly. ‘And we’ve fallen right into it!’

  From the other side of the garden, Minsky scowled. ‘This is a trap!’ he sneered furiously. ‘Why did I ever trust a Ratzi?’

  Laser nudged Clooney. ‘While Zeno keeps the minks busy, let’s see if we can find a way into this place.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Clooney replied. ‘Come on, Shylo, we might find an open window small enough to push you through!’

  Shylo’s heart began to beat wildly. He didn’t think he’d be brave enough to enter that mansion on his own.

  ‘Ears up, Shylo!’ Laser exclaimed. ‘We have a job to do.’ The three of them set off while Zeno stared at Minsky and Minsky stared at Zeno and neither of them moved.

  Then suddenly the back door of the fortified mansion opened. Zeno and Minsky turned and watched as two fearsome white wolves in black jumpsuits and gold belts stepped out.

  Shylo, Laser and Clooney snuck round the mansion, trying all the windows, but to no avail. They were all firmly shut. ‘There’s no way into this place,’ complained Clooney. ‘It’s like a fortress!’

  ‘How about we come down the chimney?’ Laser suggested.

  ‘Do I look like Santa Claus?’ retorted Clooney crossly. The big buck dropped his gaze on to Shylo. He rubbed his chin. ‘Well, you’re small enough . . .’

  Shylo was not going to go down any chimney, of that he was certain. He glanced around and spotted a black van parked in the road a short distance from the mansion. On the side of it was a picture of a mink in judo pyjamas and the words: Minsky’s Martial Arts Club. His ears stiffened with excitement. ‘I think I have an idea,’ he exclaimed. ‘Follow me.’

  Clooney looked at Laser and shrugged, but they both knew from experience that Shylo’s ideas were rather good. After all, he hadn’t been invited to join the Royal Rabbits for nothing. The three rabbits hopped through the black railings surrounding the property and approached the van.

  ‘What is this?’ said Clooney, taking in the picture. ‘Minsky’s Martial Arts Club?’

  ‘Help me open the back?’ said Shylo. Clooney, being so much bigger and stronger, pulled the handle and the boot door lifted easily. Inside were piles of white judo pyjamas, all clean and neatly pressed.

  Shylo turned to the two Hopsters and grinned. ‘I have a plan . . .’

  A moment later, Shylo was standing beside Laser and Clooney at the front gates of Amura’s mansion. He wanted to at least look brave on the outside, even though he didn’t feel brave on the inside.

  Clooney peered at the guardhouse. It had CCTV cameras outside and special fortified doors. Inside, a huge white wolf was watching a line of TV screens.

  Shylo’s sensitive nose picked up another unfamiliar smell. It wasn’t fox, or rabbit, or even mink. Indeed, it smelled unlike any animal he had ever come across before. It was sweet, like perfume, but not pleasant like Belle de Paw’s perfume, and it was filling the air around him.

  Suddenly, the door of the guardhouse opened. The wolf gazed at the three rabbits, paws on hips, blue eyes narrowed, pointy ears pricked. ‘What have we here?’ she growled.

  ‘We’re couriers,’ said Shylo, lifting his chin and trying to look unafraid. ‘We have a package for . . .’ He pulled a piece of notepaper from his pocket and pretended to consult it. ‘Mrs Amurpha of Tiglet Town – is that your address?’

  The wolf glanced at him warily. ‘You mean Miss Amura of Tiger Towers! Get the address right, you idiot! Is that your van?’ Sapphire pointed at the minks’ black vehicle. ‘Unload it now!’

  Just then, there came a roar from the walkie-talkie at her hip. It was so loud and thunderous that it shook the earth they were standing on. Shylo glanced at Laser; Laser glanced at Clooney; Clooney shrugged.

  ‘SAPPHIRE! THE HAIRDRESSER HAS JUST ARRIVED AT THE STAFF ENTRANCE TO DYE MY TAIL. LET HER IN AT ONCE!’ the voice bellowed.

  Sapphire was surprised. The hairdresser didn’t usually come at this hour. However, she unhooked her walkie-talkie from her gold belt and spoke into it. ‘I’ll let her in right away, Amura! No problem.’ She gave a heavy sigh. She didn’t have time to go round to the staff entrance at the side of the mansion and deal with these three rabbits at the same time. What should she do? She couldn’t risk Amura getting angry if she was kept waiting . . . So, deciding that the hairdresser visited Tiger Towers often enough to be able to find her way to Amura’s bedroom by herself, Sapphire went into the guardhouse and pressed the button to open the staff entrance door remotely.

  Goodness, Amura is very tiring to work for, she thought, a little resentfully. What a demanding diva! (Usually, divas scream and shout when they don’t get what they want, but this one just threatened to eat you.)

  Sapphire turned back to the rabbits. ‘You three! Hurry up and get your packages out of the van!’

  The three rabbits hopped to the van. They lifted a pile of judo pyjamas out and carried them back to the guardhouse.

  ‘What are they?’ Sapphire asked, inspecting them suspiciously. They didn’t seem like the usual items Amura ordered online.

  ‘Very chic pyjamas,’ said Clooney who looked just the part of a fashion guru in his dinner jacket, red cummerbund and bow tie. ‘Very hot right now after the Paris shows!’ he added with a grin.

  Sapphire huffed impatiently. ‘Fine, but we don’t need three of you to carry them inside. The pipsqueak can take them in while you other two wait in the van,’ she ordered.

  Shylo gulped.

  ‘Hurry up, little rabbit!’ snapped the wolf. ‘I haven’t got all day!’

  Shylo hopped through the now open gates and paused before the bulletproof doors of Tiger Towers, which looked like a great mouth ready to swallow him whole.

  He glanced back at Laser and Clooney one last time. He had no choice now but to be brave. Laser frowned at him anxiously. Clooney gave him a nod of encouragement. Then in he went.

  ‘Will we ever see him again?’ Laser wondered fearfully as Shylo disappeared inside.

  ‘If we don’t, it’s all for King and Queen,’ said Clooney, bowing his ears. ‘But let’s hope he finds the diamond before the Russians do.’

  ‘Right now, I’m not concerned about the diamond,’ said Laser with a sigh. ‘I gotta tell you, I’m mighty fond of that bunkin. I sure hope he makes it out in one piece. With or without the jewel.’

  Hastily, the two Hopsters hurried back to the garden to see if they could help Zeno and the Thumpers. They expected to come upon a ferocious fight, but to their astonishment Zeno was not in a battle with Minsky-the-Terrible, but being taught judo!

  Clooney and Laser stared in amazement. Minsky and Zeno roared with laughter as the little mink threw the huge buck on to the grass as if he weighed no more than a mouse. The Thumpers were looking a little apprehensive as the other minks gave them their own lessons.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Laser demanded, hopping over to Zeno, who was still lying on his back.

  ‘Well, once we all realized that this was a sneaky Ratzi trap, Minsky and I decided not to give them the fight they were hoping for,’ said Zeno, putting his paw on his stomach and letting out a great belly laugh. ‘Instead, Minsky offered to teach me some moves. He’s a MONSTER!’

  ‘You have potential, but a lot to learn, big buck!’ said Minsky, striking a judo pose.

  ‘This is no time for fooling around, Zeno. Shylo’s inside and in great d
anger,’ Clooney interrupted gravely.

  ‘We are not “fooling around”,’ said Minsky, narrowing his sharp eyes.

  ‘No,’ agreed Zeno.

  ‘We’re creating a distraction,’ Minsky continued.

  ‘What for?’ asked Laser, confused. Why would Minsky want to help them?

  Minsky shrugged and lowered his voice. ‘I’m retired now, my friends. I’m not the spy I once was. I thought I’d come and take a look out of curiosity, but, to be honest with you, I’m not really very interested in stealing the diamond back for Russia. I’d rather do judo and win a gold medal for the motherland!’ He glanced at the mansion. ‘While your comrade is inside, we might as well keep those two pairs of eyes on us, don’t you think?’

  Laser and Clooney turned to look at the mansion. There, standing in the doorway, were two tundra wolves, looking baffled.

  ‘In that case,’ said Laser, thinking of the little bunkin in the mansion and praying that he was all right, ‘let’s keep them distracted! You might as well teach me too. I’ve always wanted to know how you guys do that.’

  Meanwhile, inside Tiger Towers, Shylo followed Sapphire across the white marble floor of the hallway.

  The doors slowly shut behind him with an ominous click.

  Now all he had to do was find the diamond. But how was he going to do that with an enormous tundra wolf by his side?

  Amura’s mansion was very impressive to a small bunkin like Shylo. It had a spacious hall, gleaming pillars holding up a vaulted ceiling, which was painted to look like a blue sky with white clouds, and big, twinkling chandeliers. Every wall had gold-framed paintings of a smirking white Siberian tiger whom Shylo recognized as Amura from the photo he’d seen. The place seemed empty. It was very quiet.

  Suddenly, the sickly-sweet scent he’d smelled outside the mansion filled his nostrils. He spun round.

  There, standing in the doorway of one of her magnificent rooms, was Amura herself, dressed in a frilly pink dressing gown and furry pink slippers.

  Shylo caught his breath.

  He gulped.

  He backed away.

  But there was nowhere to run. The tundra wolf was behind him and the tiger was blocking his exit with her enormous, fluffy, white-and-black-striped body. Her paws were twice the size of Shylo’s entire body.

  ‘Well, well, well,’ Amura purred, grinning happily. ‘What have we here, Sapphire? A little rabbit?’ She stepped closer.

  ‘A courier,’ said Sapphire.

  ‘You have a lovely home,’ Shylo murred, trying not to look as frightened as he felt.

  Amura was pleased. ‘You think so?’ she purred.

  ‘Oh yes. It’s a palace fit for a queen!’ he exclaimed, trying to stop his teeth chattering. He didn’t want her to realize how terrified he was.

  She clapped her paws, drawing Shylo’s attention to her painted gold claws. ‘I am not a queen, but I do live like one.’

  Sensing her vanity, Shylo decided to try to win her over with flattery. ‘But you are more beautiful than any queen.’

  ‘Amura . . .’ Sapphire began, wanting the courier rabbit to hand over his package and leave as quickly as possible so she could go back and guard the gates.

  ‘Shut up!’ growled Amura crossly. Then she smiled at the rabbit. ‘You were saying?’

  ‘That you are more beautiful than any queen,’ Shylo repeated.

  This delighted her. Her pistachio-green eyes gleamed. ‘Do you think so?’

  ‘I do. I’ve never seen a white tiger before.’ Well, he hadn’t seen any tiger before, so that was true.

  Amura shivered with pleasure. ‘We are very rare,’ she told him. ‘There are so few of us around. In fact, there’s only one in the entire country, and I am it.’

  Just as Shylo was beginning to believe he knew how to handle her, Amura narrowed her eyes and changed from a purring cat to a fearsome tiger. ‘Enough about me. Where’s my usual courier?’ she growled suddenly.

  Shylo jumped. His fur stood on end; his knees nearly gave way. But somehow he remained standing. He took a deep breath and tried to ignore his heart that hammered against his bones.

  ‘I . . . I’m just delivering the pyjamas that you ordered online,’ he replied quickly.

  ‘Did I?’ she asked, crinkling her nose at the sight of them. ‘But they look hideous! And small! They’re made for mice not tigers! I’ll have to send them back.’ She sighed and ran her eyes up and down Shylo, her voice all soft and sweet and purring again. ‘It’s surprisingly nice to chat to you, little rabbit. A gallant animal who knows how to talk to a lady.’

  ‘A queen,’ Shylo corrected, bowing.

  ‘Amura,’ said Sapphire, more insistent this time.

  Amura glared at her and stamped her hind paw irritably. ‘GO BACK OUTSIDE AND DO YOUR JOB, SAPPHIRE!’ she roared. She lowered her voice. ‘This little rabbit is not going to do any harm, are you, bunnykins?’

  The tundra wolf rolled her eyes and left with a huff.

  Shylo tried to stop shaking. Amura was the most terrifying creature he had ever encountered. How he wished Clooney and Laser were with him!

  Amura laughed, although to Shylo it sounded a lot like a growl. And, as she opened her mouth, he saw her gleaming white and scarily sharp teeth.

  ‘As you’re such a gentleman, I’ll let you in on a very special secret. I have something that no one else in the world has.’

  Shylo tried to hide his surprise. Was Amura going to show him the Siberian Diamond? Surely it couldn’t be this easy . . .

  Amura motioned with her paw for Shylo to follow her and walked out of the room, her black-and-white tail swaying behind her as she ascended the marble stairs.

  ‘I have the very diamond that once belonged to Catherine the Great of Russia and the Queen of England,’ she boasted as he scampered after her. ‘Now it belongs to me.’

  ‘How did you get such a diamond?’ Shylo asked.

  ‘Why do you ask?’ She glanced at him and Shylo saw the softness in her features very quickly harden again.

  ‘B . . . because I imagine a king must have given it to you. If I were a king, I would give you a diamond as well.’

  Her features softened again. ‘How sweet you are,’ she purred, tracing a gold claw down his cheek.

  Shylo held his breath as it went through his fur and grazed his skin. One false move and that claw could do a lot of damage.

  ‘Of course, you’re right,’ she continued, removing the claw. ‘The King of England gave it to me.’

  Shylo would normally have bowed his ears at the mention of the King, but he knew he had to be careful. ‘How generous of him,’ he said instead.

  ‘I’ve been keeping it hidden. But, as you’re such a lovely bunny, I’ll show it to you so that you can admire it.’

  Shylo couldn’t believe it. Was he really going to be shown the diamond? ‘I can’t imagine it’s more beautiful than you,’ he murred, hoping she wouldn’t turn nasty again.

  She laughed. ‘You are so right, my little friend.’ She put her paw into her dressing-gown pocket and pulled out a marshmallow. ‘These are my favourite things,’ she exclaimed, popping the sweet into her mouth and closing her eyes to savour the taste. ‘And this is the secret ingredient.’ She pulled a tin of caviar out of her other pocket, flicked it open with her claw and dipped another marshmallow into the gleaming black sturgeon eggs. ‘Try this!’

  Shylo thought it looked revolting, but he knew he couldn’t refuse. He took a small bite. The salty-sugary taste spread over his tongue. It was disgusting. The caviar was clammy and cold, the marshmallow sweet and soggy. Yuck!

  ‘Hmmmm! Delicious!’ he gushed, trying not to gag.

  They stood before a big set of double doors with gold knobs. Amura pushed them open to reveal a very fluffy and extremely pink bedroom with a ceiling of disco lights. Shylo spotted a glass cabinet standing against the opposite wall, the same glass cabinet that was in the photograph he had seen in Nelson’s war room.

  It w
as EMPTY!

  Amura stared at the cabinet in horror.

  ‘WHERE IS MY DIAMOND?’ She roared so loudly that the glass in the windows shook. ‘MY PRECIOUS DIAMOND!’ she ROARED again.

  Once more, Shylo could see the sharp teeth in her wide-open mouth. He was so terrified that he couldn’t move. He was paralysed, frozen on the spot, as if her roar had turned him to ice. And, before he could work out what was happening, Amura grabbed him with her colossal paw and swung him into the air. His stomach turned as he flew high and then turned again as he landed with a slurp, right in Amura’s mouth. Her big white teeth closed behind him and he was faced with the terrifying sight of her pink throat.

  This is it, he thought in panic. This is where it all ends.

  His whole life now passed before his eyes. The Warren where he had grown up. His mother’s kisses. Horatio’s burrow where the old buck had read him stories of rabbit history. The Weeping Willow. The Grand Burrow. His short time as a Royal Rabbit. His heart filled with a dreadful sorrow.

  Not only was Shylo petrified but he felt sick as well. Sick in his stomach because of the marshmallow and caviar. Sick in his heart because he had failed the Royal Rabbits and the King and Queen. And just sick because one never feels very well when one is about to be eaten by a Siberian tiger. Or any tiger, I should imagine.

  Just as he was sure he was about to be swallowed, there came another sound. Not a roar or a growl but a deep whimper. Shylo realized, to his amazement, that Amura was sobbing. And one big sob later he felt himself being expelled. He landed on the pink bed with a bounce.

  Amura ignored him. Frantically, she began to search her bedroom, lifting everything into the air and throwing it on to the carpet in a rage. She pulled the sheets off the bed and tore open the pillows so that feathers fell all around them like snow. ‘WHO HAS TAKEN MY DIAMOND?’ she roared, then sobbed helplessly.

  Shylo sat up. His fur was soaking wet from Amura’s slobber and he was covered in pillow feathers. He tried to shake them off, but the slobber was acting like glue, and the feathers remained firmly stuck.