Free Saving Thanehaven by Catherine Jinks

country, and he’s a real tyrant. He’s got it all set up so that everyone has to follow his rules.”
    Noble thinks for a moment. “Was he the one telling Smite what to do? The one you called a dingbat?”
    “Uh … n-n-no,” Rufus confesses. “That was someone else. But it’s the Colonel who made sure that Smite obeyed the dingbat. It’s the Colonel who doesn’t want you thinking for yourself.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because he likes things the way they are. If there’s any kind of change, it has to go through him. Otherwise he’ll send in the AV to root out whoever’s giving him trouble.”
    “Like you?”
    “Like me,” Rufus confirms.
    “I don’t understand.” The diagram in Noble’s head still isn’t complete. “If you’ve been making trouble, why didn’t the AV replace
you
?”
    “Ah.” Rufus shifts around on the hard floor. “Well, you see, I’m not a local. I suppose you could call me an illegal immigrant, though I prefer the term
revolutionary
.” He makes an odd snuffling noise, beforeadding, “I’m here to free every captive program in this computer. That’s why the Colonel doesn’t want me around. He can’t replace me. He can only destroy me. Or put me in quarantine.”
    Noble doesn’t know what the word
quarantine
means. “But—”
    “Shh!”
Rufus’s bony frame stiffens against Noble’s. “Do you hear something?”
    Noble listens, holding his breath. “No,” he finally murmurs.
    “I thought I heard something.”
    “Well,
I
didn’t.” Noble isn’t interested in what Rufus might have heard. He still has questions to ask. “I can see why we need to bring back reinforcements, but how long will that take? Because Princess Lorellina doesn’t have much time—”
    “Shush!”
    A slight vibration is followed by a more vigorous jolt, then a muffled
thump
that sounds like a nearby door slamming. As Noble presses his ear against the wall, a low, rumbling roar makes him gasp.
    “It’s okay!” Rufus hisses. “It’s just the engine!”
    Noble doesn’t know what
that
means, either. He’s about to ask for an explanation when the whole van begins to tremble. Then it jerks forward, bouncing slightly.
    “Fantastic!” Rufus splutters. “He hasn’t seen us!”
    “Who hasn’t?” Noble braces himself against the wall, which is pitching and lurching like a boat ona choppy sea. “You mean the man in the white coat?”
    “Who else?”
    “If he hasn’t seen us, why is he shaking us around like this?”
    Rufus gives a snort. “It’s not deliberate. He’s driving the van.” When Noble doesn’t comment, Rufus says, “We’re moving now! Don’t you get it?
We’re on our way!
”
    “To where?”
    “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.” The swishing sound of skin against skin suggests that Rufus is rubbing his hands together. “Wherever it is, though, it’s bound to be a lot of fun. I can’t
wait
till we get there!”

CHAPTER SEVEN
    T he journey doesn’t take long. Before Noble can do much more than wonder if he’s made a big mistake, the van squeals to a halt—so abruptly that he knocks his nose against the pile of crates in front of him.
    Then the noise stops, along with the teeth-rattling vibration.
    “Wait,” Rufus says under his breath.
    The whole van rocks as its driver alights. A door goes
thump
. Receding footsteps can be felt, rather than heard; it’s as if the van is sitting on some kind of spongy surface that wobbles beneath every impact, no matter how small.
    Gradually, however, the rhythmic shudders fade away. The floor becomes still. Silence descends.
    “Okay,” Rufus finally whispers. “Let’s get out of here.”
    They both move very carefully, trying not to shake the van as they crawl out of their hiding place. Rufus reaches the roller door first. When he gives it a yank, light pours in.
    Noble has to crouch down before he can peer outside.
    “So far, so good,” Rufus observes, next to him. “I can’t see anyone, can