Rescue Princesses #4: The Stolen Crystals Read Free Page A

said Emily. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. I recognize the voice of the bossy one, the one in the black shoes.”
    “Is he from Middingland?” asked Lulu.
    Emily screwed up her face, thinking hard. “Yes, that must be how I know him. I just can’t remember his name.”
    Jaminta put the oranges back in the bowl and picked up her fan. “I wonder what they’re looking for. I’ve never heard of anything being lost on the mountain.I hope they don’t disturb the animals when they go up there.”
    “Are there really pandas in the forest?” asked Clarabel.
    “Yes, there are!” said Jaminta. “We could sneak away and see them, now that my mom’s gone to the kitchens.” She grinned. “And guess what? One of the pandas is a baby!”
    “A baby panda! How lovely!” cried Clarabel, her blue eyes sparkling.
    “I’ve never seen a panda in real life before!” said Emily. “Is the cub really cute?”
    Jaminta nodded. “He’s adorable!”
    Not wanting to wait another second, the princesses put their fans away in a drawer and raced downstairs. People were still unloading suitcases from the carriages and carrying them inside.
    Jaminta led them through the gardens. They passed trees with crimson leaves and a pond full of golden fish. At last they reached the back gate to the palace grounds.
    Jaminta unfastened the gate. The princesses burst through and raced down the rough, grassy slope. They stopped to catch their breath at the bottom, where a fast-moving river flowed along the valley.
    “Oh! I almost forgot! I have something else to show you, too.” Jaminta pulled her rock crystal out of her pocket and showed it to them.
    The other princesses stared at the lump of rock with its rough edges and dirty white surface.
    “Er … what is it?” asked Lulu.
    “It’s a rock crystal,” said Jaminta. “I found out the secret of how to change its shape. When I’ve turned it into abeautiful jewel, I’m going to give it to my grandfather for his birthday.”
    “So what’s the secret? How do you change it?” asked Emily.
    “I have to put it in the river at sunrise.” Jaminta smiled. “The river will change it, because it’s magical.”
    The princesses stared at the river. It really did look magical with the sunshine dancing on its surface.
    “Wow! That’s amazing!” said Clarabel. “We’ll come with you tomorrow morning to help.”
    Jaminta smiled gratefully at Clarabel, then Lulu burst out: “That’s great, but can we get going now? I’m dying to see the baby panda!”
    Jaminta sighed and put the rock back into her pocket. Maybe when the crystal had changed into something beautiful, Lulu would be more interested in it. Shewished she could make it happen right now, but the Master Gem Maker had told her that the magic was strongest at sunrise.
    The girls walked along to the curved red bridge that arched across the river. Their feet drummed on the wooden planks as they crossed, and the river bubbled over the stones below them. On the other side, the ground sloped steeply upward. They soon found themselves inside a thick forest where bamboo trees stretched straight up to the sky. Now and then they caught a glimpse of the palace below, which became smaller and smaller as they climbed higher up Cloud Mountain.
    “I hope those men from the Fan Room aren’t around here,” said Clarabel nervously.
    “Don’t worry,” said Jaminta. “It’s a very big forest, so I’m sure we won’t see them.”
    They pushed their way through the closely growing trees until they reached the edge of a rocky ravine. A narrow rope bridge spanned the steep drop.
    “It’s best if we go one at a time,” Jaminta told them. “The bridge isn’t very strong.”
    One by one, the princesses crossed the swaying rope bridge, trying not to look at the rocks below them. Even Jaminta, who was used to the wobbly bridge, was glad to be safely on the other side.
    “There’s a clearing up here,” she said. “That’s where I often