Villain's Lair by Wendelin Van Draanen Read Free Book Online Page B

dragon’s den and watch the frenetic scene in the pit play out, but Sticky had chosen a thirteen-year-old boy.
    Older and wiser were not part of the deal.
    So when Dave saw that Sticky was just about to tumble over the edge of the pocket with the satchel of power ingots, he didn’t stand in the shadows and watch.
    He
charged.
    Sticky saw him coming and choked out “No,
señorl”
as he clonked onto the sand. If Dave had just waited, he would have dragged the satchel to Dave while the dragon and Damien and those
bobos
Bandito Brothers all killed each other.
    But Dave wasn’t the only one to make a mistake. Sticky had made one, too.
    He had spoken.
    Now, in your life you will hear many voices, and you will forget nearly all of them. But if you ever hear the voice of a talking gecko lizard, it will stay with you forever. It is just not something you forget (no matter how much you may want to).
    So when Sticky uttered “No,
señorl”
the chaos in the pit instantly stopped.
    Pablo gasped, “Did you hear that?”
    Angelosaid, “Oh no!”
    Tito cried, “He’s here!”
    Even the dragon’s tongue stopped flicking.
    Damien’s eyes grew colder and deadlier as he looked around for the source of that unmistakable “No,
señorl”
He, of course, now saw Dave charging forward. So, in true demented-villain fashion, he shouted, “You! Stop or die!”
    But, in true teenage fashion, Dave did not stop. He continued running for Sticky, who was struggling toward him, the satchel dragging behind.
    â€œAh-ha!” Damien cried, and in two big steps, he was upon Sticky.
    Damien lifted his boot menacingly.
    An evil smirk twisted his already diabolical face as he relished the thought of smashing the sticky-toed nuisance forever.
    But (as diabolically demented villains are prone to do) he savored his evil intention a moment too long. And instead of smashing the gecko,
he
came down, tackled by the Bandito Brothers!

    Tito grabbed for Sticky but missed.
    Damien grabbed for the satchel but instead tore it open, spilling ingots across the sand.
    Dave dived in, and as Sticky scampered onto his shoulder, Dave made a desperate grab for the ingots.
    He did get one, but only one, and then the dragon charged the skirmishing bodies.
    â€œHelp!” the Bandito Brothers cried, scattering in different directions.
    Dave rolled away, then stood and saw that the other ingots had been scooped up by Damien Black, who was now talking to the dragon. “Him, my sweet!” he commanded, pointing to Dave. “He is the tasty one. Go!”
    The dragon seemed to understand. His tongue flicked in and out quickly. Nervously. He’d had enough of these games. It was time to
eat.
    â€œYou got an ingot, right?” Sticky whispered.
    Dave nodded, his eyes on the dragon.
    â€œWhat are you waiting for?
Ándale!
Put it in!”
    Dave slipped his hand inside his sweatshirt.
    His hands were shaking, but the ingot snapped in perfectly.
    He stood there, waiting for something to happen.
    â€œAre we invisible?” he whispered.
    â€œNo,
señor.”
    â€œHow do I fly?” he asked, his heart pounding.
    â€œThink like a fly?” Sticky said.
    â€œThink like a fly? How do I do that?”
    â€œI don’t know! Buzz in your head?”
    Dave tried buzzing in his head. Nothing happened.
    The dragon crouched.
    Dave broke into a cold sweat.
    The powerband didn’t work!
    They were doomed!

Chapter 11
CROUCHING DRAGON, LYING BOY
    The powerband did, indeed, work. Dave just didn’t know which power he had.
    It wasn’t invisibility, that was clear.
    It also, quite obviously, wasn’t flying.
    And faced with a crouching Komodo dragon, Dave could think of only one thing to do.
    Run!
    I should pause here to explain that running from a Komodo dragon is a futile exercise that will only delay the inevitable. A Komodo dragon can run up to twelve miles an hour, so unless