Changing Paths-A Paw Patrol Story

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ryder and the pups were walking around the basement, looking for clues as to where Skye and Dom were. Chase tried to sniff them out, but the dust and the smell of old rugs threw him off.

Chase sneezed. "Ugh, they were here, but I can't figure out where they went."

Ryder thought. "So, Sweetie was right about them being here," he thought aloud. "Which proves that she is on our side."

"Right," Chase said. "Which means that she's going to talk with the Duke, and he'll think she's on her side, which helps us."

"But what if the Duke finds out?" Marshall asked. "I don't think he'll like that Sweetie is working with us."

"That's true," Ryder said. "Unless the Duke already knows and Sweetie is falling into a trap."

"Then let's go after her," Rubble said. "At least she won't do it alone."

It became clear to Chase that the others trusted Sweetie and believed the white terrier was on their side. That was what both Sweetie and Dom wanted, so it makes Chase happy that he was able to be a part of the solution.

"We have to be sneaky, though," Chase said. "We don't want to get any unwanted attention." The others nodded, and Chase looked at Ryder, waiting for his call.

"Let's go, pups," Ryder said.

Ryder and the team walked towards the basement stairs and climbed them to the top. Once they got to the top, Chase peered over the corner to see if anyone was there. After he didn't notice anyone, they kept going. They stayed along the wall and went slowly.

Ryder noticed Sweetie turn right far up ahead. The problem was that it was in another hallway on the other side of the throne room. Ryder looked over the corner, and thankfully, no one was walking around.

The only person Ryder could see was a woman in a black and white maid's dress. She held a feather brush, cleaning a few of the paintings on the walls. When she turned her back to the team, Ryder signaled the pups to follow him. Together, they ran to the other hallway.

Once they made it to the hallway, they stopped and looked back. The maid didn't seem to have noticed them. "Okay, we made it," Ryder said as he turned around. "Let's go."

Ryder and the pups climbed the stairs until Chase stopped them. "What's wrong, Chase?" asked Ryder.

"Someone's talking on top of us," he said quietly. "Listen."

"Uh, I have to go . . . talk to the Duke," someone said. A door opened and closed.

"What do we do now?" someone else asked. Chase's ears immediately recognized the voice. The same voice he grew to love.

"We need to find out the Duke's plan," another voice said. Chase smiled as he recognized that voice. The door opened slowly and closed, silencing the staircase.

"Was that . . .?" Marshall started.

"Skye and Dom," Chase finished. He looked at Ryder for reassurance, who nodded encouragingly. They climbed up to the door, and Chase and Ryder peaked through.

"Then this is where we depart," the Duke said as he bowed. Ryder and the pups watched in horror as Jean-Claude swooped down, grabbed the white terrier, and carried her away. As Sweetie went up higher, the Duke smiled and waved. "Bye, Sweetie, but this is my destiny," he yelled. "And nothing is going to stop me."

"Duke!" Chase yelled.

The Duke turned around to face the team. "You," he said to no one in particular. "How did you find me?"

Chase ignored his question. "You're under arrest, Duke."

The Duke smiled cruelly. He put his hand behind his back and pulled out an eagle-shaped canister. "Not today, Chase." He threw the canister on the ground, which exploded with gray smoke.

After the smoke cleared, the Duke was nowhere in sight. The door on the far right was pushed open.

"He got away," Chase exclaimed angrily.

"Let's worry about one problem at a time," Ryder said, putting his hand on Chase's shoulder. He looked at Skye and Dom, who were staring at them.

"So glad we could find you," Ryder said. He wished he could get on his knees and hug his pups, but they had other matters to deal with at the moment.

"We have to find Sweetie," Dom said. "We have to rescue her."

Ryder said. "Dom, we will soon, but . . ."

"No, we have to do it now," he said. "I can't watch something happen to the pup I love." He realized what he said but he didn't care.

"We will," Skye said reassuringly. "She helped us even though it risked her life. It's the least we could do."

Chase looked at the eagle. Chase called out the binoculars his Mission Paw equipment had. He zoomed into Jean-Claude and watched it until it landed.

"They landed on the bell tower," he said. Chase looked at Dom. "Time to be a hero."