Rescue Princesses #4: The Stolen Crystals Read Free

in front of her face, disappearing behind its red-and-gold pattern. “See? You can hide behind them!”
    “You can do more than that,” said Jaminta. “I’ve been using them since I was little. Watch this!” She flicked her wrist, sending her fan across the room in a graceful arc. It swept over the top of afruit bowl, knocking into a bunch of oranges, which rolled away across the floor. The fan landed on the windowsill and closed with a neat snap.
    “Awesome!” said Lulu. “You have to teach us how to do that!”
    “Are you sure we’re allowed to use them like that?” asked Clarabel, her blue eyes wide.
    “Don’t worry! The fans are too strong to get damaged,” said Jaminta. “It’s really easy. I’ll show you!” She retrieved her fan and flicked it again, making it land in exactly the same place on the windowsill.
    The other princesses each took their turns, and soon there was a flurry of whizzing fans and falling oranges.
    “I’ll tell Ally about this,” said Emily. “Maybe she knows some ninja moves using fans as well.”
    When the fruit bowl was empty, the princesses hurried to gather up the fallen oranges. Some had rolled away under a long table, so they crawled underneath it to collect them. They were just about to crawl out again, when they heard voices and heavy footsteps.
    Jaminta pulled the others back under the table and yanked the tablecloth down to hide them. “If we climb out now, we’ll get yelled at for not being all prim and proper!” she hissed. “Let’s stay under here till they’ve left.”
    The voices grew louder. Jaminta peered out from under the fringe of the tablecloth and saw two pairs of men’s shoes walk across the room and stop next to the window. The first set of shoes was black and had been polished to a high shine. The other shoes were brown and scuffed.
    Jaminta thought she caught a glimpse of red material as they passed by. But she couldn’t see much more without sticking her head right out into the open.
    “Hurry up!” said a man in a thin, bossy voice. “I have something important to say and I don’t want everyone hearing it.”
    Jaminta’s heart raced. What was it that this man didn’t want other people to hear?
    “We’re going up the mountain to look for those lost things,” said the thin voice. “Make sure you bring your shovel with you.”
    “What things, Your Grace?” asked a second man, sounding confused.
    “Wake up!” snapped the thin voice. “The special things I left here ten years ago. You know what I’m talking about.”
    “But, Your Grace! We searched for them several times. You said they were lost.”
    “We couldn’t look for them well enough back then because we were being followed,” said the thin voice, rising in annoyance. “But this is a perfect opportunity. It’s not often I get to come back to Onica without everyone getting suspicious. Once I’ve found a likely place, you will begin digging.”
    A hand closed around Jaminta’s wrist. It was Emily. She pointed at the polished black shoes and made a face.
    Jaminta wasn’t sure what she meant and didn’t dare ask out loud. Her mind was whirling. What were the men looking for on the mountainside? And why was it so secret?

The princesses tried to keep completely still under the table as the men continued to talk.
    “But what if the sun goes down while I’m there on the mountainside?” said the second man. “They say huge black-and-white bears roam the forest.”
    “They’re pandas, you brainless fool! They won’t hurt you,” said the thin voice. “Now, meet me by the bridge in two hours and don’t forget your shovel.”
    “Yes, My Lord,” came the low reply, and the scuffed brown shoes marched away.
    The black shoes stayed by the window for a few minutes, then they left, too. The princesses crawled out, carefully checking that the room was empty.
    “Whew!” said Clarabel. “I thought they were never going to leave.”
    “I’ve met one of them before,”