“Here’s the candy that we throw to the crowd,” said Maya, handing out bags filled with little chocolates and hard candies. “As soon as we reach the city streets, you’ll see everyone waving and cheering.”
Rosalind peered into her bag. “But we don’t have to throw all of these, right? I want to eat some, too.”
Maya grinned. “That’s OK. I don’t think anyone will mind.”
“That’s good! I’ve already eaten five of mine!” said Summer. “I’m so glad I met you all. Hey! Why don’t I ask my mom and dad if you can all come and stay at my palace in Mirrania? Then I can show you our amazing animals. I even have a pet parrot called Kanga!”
“I’d love to come to Mirrania,” said Maya, beaming. “I hope your parents like the idea.”
“But even when we’re far apart we can still talk to each other.” Lottie nudged Rosalind. “Can’t we? Are you listening to me, Rosy?”
“All right! I didn’t forget.” Rosalind put down her bag of candy and reached into her pocket. “Last night we talked to Amina and Isabella, the other two girls that became Rescue Princesses with us. They were sad that they couldn’t be here, but they’re really happy that you’re both joining the Rescue Princess gang!”
Maya suddenly remembered how the girls spoke to one another when they were apart. “You must have used your magic rings to talk to them. I wish I’d seen that!” She looked at the heart-shaped rings on their fingers.
“Yes, but that’s the thing!” Lottie burst out.
“Shhh! You said I could tell them,” said Rosalind.
“Go ahead, then!” Lottie bounced on the seat in excitement.
“Well, you see … we have a jewel-crafting kit and some spare jewels. So we made you magic rings, too!”
Rosalind took her hand out of her pocket and showed them two more heart-shaped rings. One had a purple amethyst jewel, and the other was made from a lovely green aquamarine.
“So now we can talk to you using the rings, too, and if an animal’s in danger, we can call you right away,” said Lottie, beaming.
“They look awesome!” Summer picked up the purple ring and put it on.
“Thank you!” cried Maya, taking the pale green ring. She slid it onto her finger and admired the beautiful aquamarine jewel. It reminded her of the color of the meadows at the bottom of the mountain.
“Rescue Princesses forever!” said Lottie, holding out her hand with the ruby ring.
“Forever!” echoed the other girls, putting their hands on top of hers.
As their hands joined, the four heart-shaped jewels lit up brightly for a moment. Maya and Summer gasped.
“Wow!” said Maya. “Did you know the rings would do that?”
“Of course! That’s the power of the jewels,” explained Rosalind.
The carriage turned a corner into a wide street, and the girls could hear the cheering of the crowd ahead. They picked up their bags of candy, ready to throw them to the waiting people.
Maya grinned at her friends as she took a handful of candies. Having more adventures as a Rescue Princess would be a dream come true!
Princess Summer raced downstairs, her golden hair bouncing on her shoulders. She knew her friends were waiting for her outside. Jumping down the last two steps, she ran toward the door.
Summer’s mom, the queen of Mirrania, came into the hallway. “Wait a minute, Summer! Where are you going?”
“I’m taking my friends to the woods to show them all the animals,” said Summer.
“What about your hair?” said the queen. “Have you brushed it?”
“I think I did.” Summer flicked back her hair. “I’m sure it looks all right, anyway.”
The queen sighed. “Well, don’t forget that the photographer’s coming today.”
“I won’t. See you later!” Summer rushed out of the door.
The sun beat down on the walls and pointed towers of the palace. Straight ahead lay a neat garden full of bright flowers, with the wild forest just beyond.
Three princesses were waiting for Summer at the bottom of the palace steps. Maya was smiling shyly, her dark braid hanging over her shoulder. Lottie was practicing cartwheels on the grass. Rosalind stood with her arms folded, tapping her foot impatiently.
Summer’s heart lifted as she ran toward them. She’d met the girls when she’d visited Maya’s palace in the kingdom of Lepari. They had climbed a steep mountain to rescue a snow leopard cub from terrible danger. It had been an amazing adventure!
Lottie and Rosalind had explained that they’d set up a secret club for rescuing animals, and it was called the Rescue Princesses. She’d felt so happy when they’d asked her to join. She loved animals and always wanted to help them. Now she had friends that felt that way, too!
Each Rescue Princess wore a ring with a magical jewel. The jewels let them call one another when they found an animal in trouble. Summer’s jewel was a beautiful purple amethyst. She touched it and smiled.
Lottie stopped cartwheeling and looked at Summer. The breeze ruffled her curly red hair. “We’re all ready, Summer! What did you want to show us?”
“Lots of things!” replied Summer. “There’s a whole forest full of animals and birds beyond that gate.” She pointed to an old wooden gate in the corner. “It was dark when you all arrived yesterday, so I couldn’t show it to you. But I know you’ll like it. We have amazing animals here in Mirrania. There are kangaroos, possums, and koalas, and in the evening, you can see bats flying around.”
“Awesome!” said Lottie.
“Oh, I almost forgot! First of all, you have to meet Kanga.” Summer gazed around the garden, calling out, “Kanga? Where are you?”
Text copyright © 2013 by Paula Harrison
Interior Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Artful Doodlers
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.
First printing, February 2014
Cover art by Sharon Tancredi
Cover design by Jeannine Riske
e-ISBN 978-0-545-66165-2
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
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