“You’re right!” called Summer. “Let’s go!”
The princesses ran forward just as the backhoe dropped its scooped-up earth into a pile and swung around to dig again. This time the metal teeth got stuck in a rock. The ground shook, and the machine roared wildly.
“Stop!” yelled Summer, waving her arms at the builder.
The others joined in.
“Stop digging!” shouted Lottie.
“You’re too close to the snow leopard’s den,” cried Maya.
The duke saw them, and his face turned red. The man inside the machine was still trying to pull the vehicle’s shovel out of the ground. He pushed the levers hard, and at last, the shovel came out, pulling the rock loose with it. The mountainside shuddered, and the stones around the cub’s den crumbled.
“Cloudtail!” cried Maya, dashing toward the den.
The builder turned off the machine’s engine and climbed out. Then he walked over to look at the crumbled rocks.
“What are you doing here?” The duke snapped at the girls. “How dare you follow me!” The huge diamond gleamed in his hand.
“We couldn’t stay away while the snow leopards were in danger,” said Maya. “Uncle, there’s a little cub living in a den among those rocks. We have to see if he’s hurt.”
The driver of the vehicle turned around and saw the girls, and his mouth dropped open. He called to a worker who was unloading cement bags from a truck.
Both men came over to Maya and bowed. “Your Majesty! It was you all the time. We’re sorry we didn’t recognize you yesterday in those different clothes.”
Maya glanced at her royal dress. “I understand. But no one’s allowed to dig in the wildlife area. There’s a snow leopard den nearby.”
The round-faced builder looked surprised. “The duke told us that the king had given special permission for the building of a new palace. Isn’t that true?”
Duke Levon’s eyes narrowed, and he hid the Ice Diamond behind his back. “I didn’t say the king had given his permission exactly….”
“The king would never let anyone build here!” cried Maya. “Quickly! Help me look for the snow leopard cub.”
“Of course, Princess Maya.” The men bowed again. “We’ll help you right away.”
“You will not!” Duke Levon stamped his foot. “You work for me. Now get back into that machine.”
“I’m sorry, Duke Levon,” said the other builder. “But I don’t think you told us the truth. Show us where this den is, Princess Maya.”
Maya ran past the construction vehicles with Summer, Lottie, and the builders following her. They all scrambled across the gray rocks.
“This is outrageous! I’m fetching the guards.” The duke stormed off, but he’d only gone a few steps when Rosalind got in his way. She bumped into him, making him stagger backward.
“Oh! Sorry about that,” said Rosalind, not looking very sorry.
The duke muttered darkly and continued down the slope. At the bottom, he got into a large black car and drove off. Rosalind watched him go, then she bent down to pick something up from the ground.
Maya’s heart was pounding as she stumbled over the rough mountainside. The rocks had crumbled so much that she was afraid she might not be able to find the den. What if Cloudtail had been hurt by the rockfall?
“I found him,” called Summer, pointing to a gap in the earth.
Maya knelt down by the crack and looked into the darkness. The other girls crowded behind her. All they could see was a small white shape at the bottom. Cloudtail pawed at the sides of the hole, mewing sadly.
“The machines must have weakened the ground and made the den into a much deeper hole, Your Majesty,” said the round-faced builder.
Maya looked at Cloudtail at the bottom of the chasm and a lump came to her throat. “Don’t worry, Cloudtail. We’ll get you out of there,” she called down to the cub.
Poor Cloudtail just gave a sad little mew in reply.
“What would you like us to do, Your Majesties?” asked the second builder. “If we try to dig the cub out we could shake the ground even more and make things worse.”
“You’ve caused a lot of damage already!” snapped Rosalind.
“Find the nearest farmer who can lend us some rope,” Lottie told the men. “We’re getting that little cub out no matter what.”
“And please tell the other builders to turn off their machines,” added Maya.
The men hurried away.
“Look, that must be the cub’s mother.” Summer pointed to a snow leopard much higher up the mountain.
“I wish this hole wasn’t so narrow,” said Maya. “Even with the rope, I don’t think those men will be able to climb down here.” She stretched her arm into the hole, but Cloudtail was still a long way out of reach.
The ground trembled, making Summer grab hold of Lottie.
“I’m going down there myself,” decided Maya.
“You can’t!” said Lottie. “The earth is still moving. You could get stuck down there, too!”
“I have to! The cub’s all alone,” said Maya.
“Maybe we can use this to help us?” Rosalind opened her hand to show the others the Ice Diamond.
“Where did you get that?” gasped Maya.
“I bumped into your uncle on purpose as he was leaving. He dropped the jewel, just like I hoped he would, and he was in too much of a hurry to notice,” said Rosalind.
“Nice ninja moves, Rosalind!” said Summer.
“Thanks!” Rosalind smiled. “You said there was a story about this diamond, Maya. What is it?”
Maya stared at the clear jewel that glittered brightly in Rosalind’s hand. “The diamond is supposed to provide great strength — that’s how the legend goes. The first king of Lepari is said to have used it to build the kingdom.”
“Can a jewel really make you strong?” Summer asked doubtfully.
“We’ve used magic jewels before,” said Rosalind. “Haven’t we, Lottie?”
Lottie nodded. “Lots of times, and if this diamond is supposed to make people strong, then it could definitely help us.”
Summer leaned forward to touch the jewel’s sparkling surface. “I don’t feel any different.”
“Maybe you actually have to be holding it to get the extra strength,” said Rosalind.
Suddenly, Cloudtail began mewing frantically and scraping at the sides of the hole.
“I’m going down there now,” said Maya. “Then at least I can keep him calm until help comes.” Carefully, she swung her legs into the hole.
Holding on to the edge, she searched for a jutting-out rock that would help her to climb down. But the stones lining the hole were loose, and they slipped away beneath her feet. She plunged down. Her arms scraped against the sharp rocks, and she hoped desperately that Cloudtail would stay out of the way. She didn’t want to hurt him!
Hitting the bottom, she fell sideways and grazed her right arm even more. Clutching her elbow, she looked around for the cub. He was crouching on the opposite side of the hole, shivering.
“It’s all right, Cloudtail,” said Maya, breathlessly. “I’ve come to help you.”
Cloudtail mewed back at her as if he was talking. He stopped shivering and took a careful step toward Maya.
“That’s it, come on,” she said encouragingly, and held out her hand.
The cub crept a little closer and sniffed her fingers, his tail swaying uncertainly. Then he looked up at her with his beautiful blue eyes and mewed again.
“Come here.” Maya gently lifted him up and hugged him. “We’ll find a way out of here, don’t worry.” She stroked his head, feeling his soft fur.
The cub pricked up his ears and licked her hand with his little pink tongue.
“Are you all right, Maya?” called Summer.
Maya looked up and saw the princesses’ faces at the top. From down here, the hole seemed even narrower. Her heart beat faster. She didn’t like feeling trapped, especially when she knew the grou
“How far can you reach?” asked Lottie.
Maya reached up with one arm while holding Cloudtail tight with the other. Even on tiptoe, she could only stretch halfway to the top of the hole.
“Just wait a minute,” said Summer. “We’ve got an idea.”
There was movement at the top, and then Summer lay down, stretching her torso and shoulders down into the hole.
“Stop, Summer!” Maya cried in alarm. “You’ll fall in headfirst.”
“Don’t worry. Lottie’s holding on to my ankles so that I don’t fall in, and Rosalind is holding on to hers.” Summer’s face started turning red. “If the Ice Diamond really can make people stronger then Rosalind will be able to pull us all up. Quick! Take my hand.”
Maya tried to reach Summer’s fingers but couldn’t stretch high enough. Keeping Cloudtail safe with one arm, she climbed onto a small ledge. This time, she grabbed the other girl’s hand easily.
“Now, Rosalind! Pull!” shouted Summer, gripping Maya’s hand tightly.
At once, Maya felt herself being pulled off her feet. She and Cloudtail dangled in the air, gradually rising higher. The cub mewed excitedly and lifted his nose toward the sunlight at the top of the hole.
“Ow! This is hurting my arm,” groaned Summer.
“I can pull faster!” called Rosalind. “It’s like being a superpowered princess!”
Maya felt herself rising even more quickly. Her head reached the top of the hole, and she gently set Cloudtail down before pulling herself onto the rocks at the edge.
“That was the strangest thing I’ve ever done!” said Summer, getting up. “And my clothes have gotten torn on the rocks. But it doesn’t matter, because you’re safe now!” She stroked Cloudtail’s beautiful fur and he nuzzled her hand.
“He’s adorable,” said Lottie. “Look at how thick his fur is.”
Suddenly, Cloudtail raised his nose, as if he’d caught a scent from higher up the mountain. His eyes brightened.
“Aw! I bet he can tell that his mother’s close by,” said Lottie.
“We should try to get him back to his mom right away.” Summer glanced at the higher slopes, looking for the mother snow leopard.
“Let’s take Cloudtail a little farther up the mountain and see if we can spot her.” Maya looked at the Ice Diamond glittering in Rosalind’s hand. “Thank goodness you had the idea to use the jewel, Rosalind, and it’s so awesome that the stories about it are true.” She reached out to touch the gem, still amazed that it had such power.
“You get used to awesomeness when you’re a Rescue Princess.” Rosalind grinned. “And you’ve just had your first adventure!”
The princesses carried Cloudtail up the mountain. They left the bare earth and construction behind, climbing up a slope dotted with wildflowers.
“I can see the mother snow leopard — over there behind that tall grass,” said Summer.
“Then we’d better not go any closer.” Maya put the cub down and gave him one last pet.
“Good-bye, Cloudtail,” said Lottie.
Cloudtail mewed, his long tail waving excitedly. The mother snow leopard padded closer, and the girls hurried away down the slope. Then they watched from a distance as the cub skipped up to his mother and wound between her legs.
She leaned over to nuzzle his ears and lick his face. When she’d finished washing him, she set off up the mountainside.
Cloudtail looked back at Maya for a moment and pricked up his ears before he scampered over the grass behind his mother.
“They should be safe for now,” said Maya. “But we need to make sure my uncle gives up his palace-building plans.”
Just then, the two builders rushed toward them carrying a long coil of rope. “We found this, Your Majesties,” they called.
“Oh, we don’t need that anymore,” said Lottie. “You can take it away again.”
“Wait!” said Maya. “Before you go, you have to move these machines away from here.” She pointed to the backhoe and trucks. “You must also promise never to disturb the snow leopards again.”
“We promise, Your Majesty,” they replied. “And we’re really sorry,” added the round-faced man.
Maya smiled and turned to the other princesses. “In a few weeks, new plants will grow in this earth, and the whole mountainside will look beautiful again.”
The princesses enjoyed riding Dazzle and Fernleaf back to the palace. It was a fresh spring morning and butterflies rose from the meadows and fluttered past them into the air. There were no guards at the palace gate, so they trotted the ponies right to the stables.
“We’ll have to explain what happened to my dad and give him back the Ice Diamond,” said Maya, taking off her riding hat and patting Dazzle.
“It’s too bad we can’t keep it.” Rosalind gazed at the twinkling diamond. “I liked being super strong. It was really handy!”
“I think my dad will want the jewel to go back on the throne,” said Maya, laughing.
They left the ponies with food and fresh water, and walked across the garden to the palace. The hall was crowded with kings and queens all talking anxiously.
“What’s the matter? Why’s everyone looking so worried?” Lottie asked a young prince.
“Someone stole the king’s enormous diamond and put a fake one in its place,” he replied. “It’s really exciting! I hope the robber gets arrested.”
Maya looked through the crowd. Her dad, King Ramesh, was standing next to the throne, frowning deeply. The fake diamond at the top looked dull and strange, just as it had that morning.
“It’s all right!” said Lottie. “We can tell the king that the jewel is safe.”
Just then Maya noticed Duke Levon sitting near the king. The duke saw her at the same moment and sprang to his feet, walking straight over to his brother. “There they are!” He pointed at the girls. “They took the Ice Diamond. I saw them carrying it, and I followed them to try and take it back.”
“Hey!” said Rosalind. “That isn’t what happened.”
“Search them!” shouted the duke. “Look in their pockets. You’re sure to find the jewel.”
“There’s no need.” Maya took the jewel from Rosalind, who was frowning at the duke. She held it up in the air. “We didn’t take the diamond in the first place. We just found it and brought it back.”
She felt herself turning red. Some of the kings and queens had begun murmuring to one another. Many of them looked very disapproving.
Lottie’s mom pushed through the crowd. “Lottie, what on earth is going on? You look so dirty and you’ve torn your best dress.”
“It’s all right, Mom. We didn’t take the jewel,” said Lottie. “We found it when we went to stop the duke from hurting the snow leopards.”
“That’s a very serious thing to say,” said King Ramesh.
“I’m afraid they’re mad at me because I saw through their silly story,” scoffed the duke.
“Actually, we can prove that there was construction near a snow leopard den. We can prove that Duke Levon was there, too,” Summer said firmly. “I took some pictures on my camera.” She took the camera from around her neck and went through the crowd to give it to the king.
Duke Levon’s eyebrows rose and he started to edge away. “I really must … I mean, I can’t possibly stay …”
“This is terrible! What a dreadful sight!” King Ramesh stared at the pictures, then he looked up at the duke. “Brother, you’re standing right in the middle of the damaged mountainside and holding the Ice Diamond in your hand. Tell me right now, in front of my guests, why were you destroying the wildlife area?”
Duke Levon glared down his nose. “My guests!” he growled. “It’s always my guests, my diamond, and my throne, isn’t it? When are you going to give something to me?”
“He was trying to build a palace on the mountainside,” said Maya. “He was talking about it yesterday.”
“I’m very disappointed to hear that,” said the king.
“But I need a large palace,” cried Duke Levon. “Who cares about the snow leopards, anyway?”
“Everyone in Lepari cares about them except you, it seems.” The king frowned. “You are banished from this palace. Guards, take the duke away.”
The guards marched Duke Levon from the room.
“Come here, please, Maya,” said the king.
Maya went to the front and handed the Ice Diamond to her father. “Dad, I know you wanted me to stay here but there was a snow leopard cub up there. I named him Cloudtail. His home was going to be destroyed, and I couldn’t leave him in danger!” she said all in one breath.
“I’m glad you care so much about the snow leopards, Maya,” said King Ramesh. “I should have listened to you. As a reward for your brave actions, you and your new friends will be in the parade tomorrow. You can ride in the first carriage.”
“Really?” Maya’s eyes lit up. “Can we throw candy into the crowd and everything?”
King Ramesh smiled. “You can throw candy and everything!”
Maya was bursting with excitement the next morning. The Spring Festival happened every year, but she didn’t usually take part in the parade. Riding in the very first carriage was going to be the best thing ever!
She put on a yellow dress with glittery buttons. Then she brushed her hair and braided it again, and put on her heart-shaped tiara. Lastly, she added her favorite gold necklace. She thought of Cloudtail. He would be high on the mountainside with his mother. Maybe they had made a new den already!
“Maya!” Lottie rushed into the room without knocking. “Are you ready? Your dad says our carriage is waiting.”
“I’m ready!” Maya followed Lottie downstairs. Summer and Rosalind were standing on the steps outside.
“Have a wonderful time, girls,” said King Ramesh.
“Thank you! We will!” The princesses climbed into the golden carriage and sat down on the plump red cushions. The coachman spoke and the carriage rolled forward, pulled by four white horses with gleaming bridles.
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