At last, the banquet ended. The princesses raced up to Lottie’s room, where Ally showed them how to move around without being seen. Then they practiced tiptoeing stealthily up and down the hallway.
“I want to learn more ninja moves. This is so much fun!” cried Rosalind, flitting past like a shadow.
“I’ve heard that there’s a book that contains every single ninja secret inside it,” said Ally. “It’s called The Book of Ninja and it’s said to have been lost for a long time.”
“I wish I could find it and read it,” said Rosalind.
Isabella tripped over a wrinkle in the carpet and fell to her knees. “I don’t think I’ll ever be good at this!” she gasped.
“You’re doing very well, Princess Isabella,” said Ally. “Maybe a mug of hot chocolate would help.”
Ally went downstairs and reappeared after a few minutes with a tray. The princesses sat on Lottie’s bed to sip their mugs of hot chocolate. Lottie looked at the cuckoo clock on the wall. It was only eight thirty. There were still hours to go until midnight.
“I have a great idea!” exclaimed Amina, staring at the pile of dance costumes that Ally had left on Lottie’s bed. She put down her mug and began sorting through the leotards and skirts. “These dance dresses that Ally found for us — if we wear a dark color tonight then no one will see us in the shadows.” She pulled a shiny black dress out of the pile.
“Good idea! And we could put them on underneath our nightgowns when we go to bed,” said Isabella.
“Here are some more of them.” Lottie handed out the dresses so that they each had one. “You’re right, Amina. This will make it much easier to reach the stables without anyone seeing us.”
“But when we get there, how will we stop Lady Slyden from taking away the horses?” asked Rosalind.
Lottie thought for a moment. “I don’t know,” she said. “We might be able to distract her. We’ll have to think quickly.”
There was a knock at the door and the princesses hid the black costumes behind their backs. The door opened and Lottie’s mom came in.
“It’s time for bed, all of you,” said the queen of Middingland, smiling. “It will be a busy day tomorrow, full of excitement. So you need plenty of rest. Sleep well!”
“We will!” chorused the princesses.
When the queen closed the door again, they collapsed, laughing, on the bed.
“It will be a lovely night of rest, full of ninja action!” giggled Isabella.
At last, Lottie managed to stop laughing. “You’d better go before my mom comes back. Don’t forget your black dresses. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairs at ten to midnight.”
Lottie lay in bed, staring at the clock. The minutes ticked by very slowly. Her eyelids began to close.
“Cuckoo!” The bird inside the wooden clock popped out and chirped eleven times.
Lottie sat straight up. She must have fallen asleep. Thank goodness for the cuckoo clock. She jumped out of bed and pulled off her nightgown to reveal the black dance dress underneath. There was less than an hour to wait now. Maybe she should get her flashlight ready.
She grabbed it from the bedside table and switched it on and off a few times under the covers. Then she took off her ruby ring and turned it over in her hand. If only the rings were working! She could send a message to the others. She tapped the ruby with her fingernail. But nothing happened. She rubbed it against her pillow. Still nothing.
She looked at the clock again. Half an hour to go. She frowned. It wasn’t just the rings that were bothering her. What if Isabella tripped over something again? What if Amina got scared? Or what if Rosalind started arguing about everything? There were so many things that could go wrong.
Finally, at quarter to twelve, Lottie slipped on her shoes. Her bedroom door made a loud creak when it opened. But somehow she managed to close it quietly and creep down the hallway.
The palace was so silent that she hardly dared to breathe. She felt her way to the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to switch the flashlight on in case someone saw the light. Her heart thumped in the darkness. This is for the horses, she reminded herself. She couldn’t let them get stolen by the horrible Lady Slyden.
Three more princess shadows slipped down the stairs to join her. The black dresses worked well, thought Lottie. The others were hard to spot in the dark.
“Is that you, Lottie?” murmured Isabella.
Lottie switched on her light. “Yes, it’s me!” she whispered. “Are you ready?”
The others nodded.
Lottie flicked the light off again. The princesses tiptoed into the dining room and unlocked the doors that led outside. The garden was lit by a silver crescent moon that bobbed on a sea of clouds. Now they just had to cross the garden without being seen.
Remembering their ninja training, the princesses looked around for good places to hide. Then they ran across the lawn one by one, darting behind trees and statues. Lottie’s red curls bounced as her feet flew over the damp grass. She joined the others by the gate to the horses’ field and tried to catch her breath.
She looked at her new friends, doubt creeping into her mind. Were they really going to be able to help the horses? Isabella had already tripped over a potted plant and Amina looked terrified.
“There’s no sign of Lady Slyden or her servant yet,” said Isabella, scanning the fields.
“Maybe they’re already inside the stable.” Amina’s voice wobbled a little.
“They can’t be. We’d be able to hear them,” said Rosalind.
The princesses listened carefully. The trees rustled and an owl hooted a long way off.
“You’re right, they can’t be here yet,” said Lottie. “Let’s go around to the back of the stables. That way we’ll be completely hidden before they arrive.”
They crept across the stable yard. Isabella tripped over an animal’s drinking trough, which made a loud clatter.
“Shh!” said Rosalind.
One horse put his head over his stall’s door and snorted.
Lottie stopped suddenly. “Why aren’t there more of them?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” said Amina nervously.
“There’s only one horse looking out of the stable.” Lottie pointed it out. “There should be more.”
“Maybe the others are all asleep,” said Rosalind.
Lottie went to look over each stall door. A cold dread rose inside her as she counted the empty stalls. There were five horses in the front stalls. She was sure there had been more than that yesterday.
She ran into the stable, checking the inside stalls one by one.
“Come back!” hissed Rosalind. “They’ll see us if we hide in there.”
Lottie ignored her. With a racing heart, she peered into Twinkle’s stall and flicked on her flashlight. The foal’s mother was standing up, tossing her mane anxiously. But the little foal was gone.
Somewhere in the distance, a clock chimed midnight.
The other princesses ran into the stable to join Lottie. Rosalind grabbed the flashlight and shone it all around.
“What is it, Lottie?” cried Isabella. “You look awful!”
Lottie blinked back her tears. “We’re too late! Lady Slyden’s already been here — and she’s taken Twinkle.”
“We have to go and tell Queen Sofia what’s happened,” gasped Amina.
“We can’t! If we go back to the palace now, it gives Lady Slyden more time to get away!” said Lottie. “Anyway, how can we wake up the queen in the middle of the night?”
There was a moment of silence. No one liked the idea of waking up Queen Sofia.
“We could try to follow Lady Slyden and the horses,” said Isabella. “Do you think we’d catch up with them?”
Lottie’s green eyes flashed. “I’m going to try. Who’s coming with me?”
“I am,” said Amina quickly. “I can’t believe they took a little foal away from its mother. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Rosalind put her hands on her hips. “Well, I’m not letting all of you have an adventure without me!”
Lottie grinned and held out her hand. “Then we’re Rescue Princesses together!”
Isabella, Amina, and Rosalind placed their hands on Lottie’s, one on top of the other. The heart-shaped jewels in their rings lit up with a sudden glow that lasted for a few seconds and then went out.
“Awesome!” cried Isabella, staring at the jewels.
“We finally made them work,” Rosalind said softly.
“Now we’re really Rescue Princesses!” said Lottie, her eyes sparkling. “Come on, let’s go! We’ve got to catch up with Lady Slyden!”
The circle of light from Lottie’s flashlight led the way as they raced across the field. They slowed down as they reached the narrow lane.
“We don’t know where they are,” said Rosalind. “We could be going in the wrong direction.”
“Lady Slyden told her servant to park his van by the stream,” Lottie reminded her. “So I think they must be this way.”
They sneaked down the lane until Lottie stopped them. She held a finger up to her lips.
They could hear voices.
They crept closer and hid next to the wall on one side of the lane. A few yards away, a man struggled with a tall stallion that had reared up on its hind legs. He was pulling it toward a black van.
“The horse doesn’t want to go into the van,” whispered Amina.
“Get in there now or I’ll get my whip out!” hissed Lady Slyden.
“How dare she?” whispered Lottie furiously. “I wish Queen Sofia could see this!”
The man finally managed to pull the horse into the van.
“That’s the last one, My Lady,” he said, climbing out of the van and closing the door.
“Good!” said Lady Slyden. “Get out the map and I’ll show you where you’re going. You have to get there as fast as you can.”
“But, My Lady! I can’t drive too fast in case it upsets the horses.”
“You will do as I say!” snapped Lady Slyden.
The servant and Lady Slyden walked to the front of the van and bent over a large map.
The princesses exchanged looks. This was their chance! They tiptoed across the lane toward the stream. When they were sure that no one was looking, they dashed out of the shadows and hid behind the van.
Rosalind shaded her eyes to look through the little window in the van door. “The poor horses are really squashed in there.”
“Let’s get them out,” whispered Amina.
Lottie pulled gently on the handle, opening the door without a sound. There were four fully grown horses inside and Twinkle, the little foal. The animals looked at the princesses with big dark eyes. Twinkle began to shiver.
“Poor things! They’re really scared,” said Amina.
“What should we do? If we get the horses out, Lady Slyden will hear the sound of their hooves on the road,” said Isabella.
“I know! I’ll use my new ninja moves,” said Rosalind. “I’ll sneak farther down the lane and do something to get their attention.”
“Please be careful!” said Amina.
Rosalind flitted away into the darkness. Lottie peered around the side of the van. Lady Slyden and the man were still leaning over the map.
Then, out of the darkness came a very loud clanging, like someone hitting a tin can with a stick. Lady Slyden’s head jerked up. She left the map at once and crept down the road toward the noise. Her servant followed her.
“I hope Rosalind knows what she’s doing,” said Isabella with a shiver.
“Now’s our chance!” hissed Lottie. “Quickly! We’ve got to get these horses to safety.”
The three princesses climbed inside the van and untied the horses one by one. Then they led them carefully out and around the corner of the lane. Lottie guided Twinkle, talking soothingly to her and stroking her velvety coat. Twinkle stopped shivering and nibbled at Lottie’s hair.
“The problem is that they’ll know something’s wrong as soon as they drive away,” said Amina worriedly. “The van won’t feel as heavy as it should.”
Lottie bit her lip. “We need to put something heavy inside.” She looked around and noticed some large rocks lying in the moonlit stream.
“I’ll get those stones! They’ll make it feel heavier.” She quickly climbed down the bank and pulled one large rock out of the stream. She passed it up to Amina, who loaded it into the van.
She grabbed another rock. Her feet were wet and her hands were freezing, but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was rescuing the horses.
Together, the girls loaded five large rocks into the van. Then they shut the door and rushed back around the corner to the horses just as Lady Slyden returned.
“Hurry up, you fool!” Lady Slyden told the man. “We don’t know who else is out here. Do you want to be caught?”
The two figures dived into the van and drove away at top speed.
A shadow slipped along the lane and Rosalind appeared in front of them, grinning.
“They couldn’t figure out what the noise was and then they got spooked,” she said.
One of the horses let out a loud chuckling whinny, sending the girls into fits of laughter.
Lottie and Twinkle led the group of princesses and horses up the lane and through the fields. When she reached her own paddock, Twinkle galloped around, swishing her tail.
“You’re happy to be home, aren’t you, Twinkle?” laughed Lottie.
They were met at the stable by Peter, who was waving a flashlight around and looking frantic.
“What happened?” he asked. “I came down here to check on the horses and some of them were missing.”
“Lady Slyden tried to steal them,” said Lottie. “Even poor Twinkle.”
Peter pointed his flashlight at the animals. “She chose all the young racehorses,” he said angrily. “She probably wanted to sell them to make lots of money.”
“I remember Queen Sofia saying that Twinkle might be a racehorse, too, one day,” said Isabella.
“I can see why.” Lottie grinned as Twinkle galloped past with her mane flying.
Peter began settling the horses back into their stalls. Lottie managed to catch Twinkle and lead her back. Twinkle’s mother whinnied and nuzzled her little foal, and then they snuggled down together on the hay. Twinkle closed her eyes and laid her head down. The white star on her forehead gleamed in the moonlight.
“I’m so glad you’re safe again after such a scary night,” Lottie told the little foal.
She stroked her soft ears one more time and then shut the stall door.
“I’ll just get the horses some extra feed,” said Peter, hurrying out of the stables.
Lottie noticed that the other princesses were all helping with the horses, too. Rosalind was smiling widely, Amina had stopped looking nervous, and Isabella hadn’t tripped over anything. Something wonderful had happened to them all, ever since their rings had glowed.
Lottie looked down at her glistening ruby. Jewels with special powers, Emily had called them. She pressed the red stone and it blazed with light. “Calling all Rescue Princesses!” she whispered into it.
The jewels on the other girls’ rings lit up, too. The sapphire, the emerald, and the yellow topaz all glowed brightly.
“Wow!” cried Amina.
The princesses crowded together to look at one another’s glowing rings.
“Your voice sounded really clear just now,” said Rosalind. “And it came right out of my ring.”
“Mine, too,” said Isabella.
“They’re working perfectly,” said Lottie, grinning. “We pulled off a great rescue tonight. It’s almost as if these rings made us magical, too.”
“I don’t think our rescue was magic,” said Isabella. “I think it was teamwork. Maybe the rings couldn’t work the right way until we started working together.”
Lottie smiled at her. “Maybe you’re right!”
The sky began to lighten as the sun rose.
Peter came back in with a wheelbarrow full of hay. He stopped and looked at the princesses. “I just noticed how funny you all look,” he said. “What are you wearing?”
“These are our black dancing dresses,” Rosalind told him. “Very handy for sneaking across the palace garden at night!”
Peter looked a little confused. “I guess wearing black does camouflage you in the dark.”
“Exactly!” said Isabella. “And now we’d better go. The grown-ups will wake up soon.”
“Thanks for bringing the horses back to me,” said Peter. “You’re not really ordinary princesses, are you?”
“Not really!” laughed Lottie.
The princesses grinned at him. Then they linked their arms together and hurried back across the field toward the palace.
Ally brought the princesses a delicious breakfast of warm rolls and honey, with tall glasses of strawberry milk. The girls sat at a table in Lottie’s room and gobbled down their food. All the excitement and ninja moves of the night before had made them extremely hungry.
“Is it the last performance of the Dance Festival today?” asked Isabella, helping herself to another roll.
“Yes it is! And we still need to figure out our costumes,” said Amina.
Rosalind brushed the crumbs off her hands and rummaged through the pile of dance dresses on Lottie’s bed. She grinned at the others. “How about this?” She pulled a lime-green leotard out of the pile and held it up to show them.
“No way!” laughed Isabella. “That reminds me of Queen Sofia’s hat.”
Finally they agreed on golden dance dresses with black jazz shoes. After breakfast, they changed into the costumes and brushed their hair. Then they walked downstairs to the hall, where the final performance would take place.
Rows of chairs had been set up for the audience. The seats were already filling up with kings, queens, and other royalty. Everyone had put on their most splendid robes and dresses, and crowns and tiaras sparkled everywhere.
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