Scarlett picked up Ella’s latest letter and read the part about the jewels again. “The jewels must be shaped perfectly to release the magic,” she read out loud. Turning the paper over, she studied the picture drawn by Jaminta, the jewel expert, on the back.
“Try that one.” Lily pointed to the drawing of an eight-sided jewel. “That looks brilliant!”
“All right – I’ll have a go!” Scarlett’s stomach fluttered nervously as she picked up a chisel and the tiny silver hammer. She put the chisel against the ruby and then tapped the end of it with the hammer. A little flake of the ruby broke off. Scarlett turned the jewel around and tried again. She kept on chipping away until the ruby became a pretty octagon shape with eight smooth sides.
“That looks lovely!” Zina told her.
“But has it worked?” asked Lily.
“I don’t know.” Scarlett frowned and laid down the tools. She picked up the ruby and looked at it closely. The jewel didn’t seem any more magical than before.
Lily took it from her and gave the ruby a shake. “Nothing’s happening! What kind of magic is it meant to have?”
“I’m not sure.” Scarlett looked at Ella’s letter again. “My cousin says you won’t know until something happens. One girl invented some rings with jewels that let the Rescue Princesses talk to each other when they were far apart. I think those would be really handy.”
“Rings that let you talk to each other?” Lily looked doubtful.
“Yes, you just press the jewel to make it work,” explained Scarlett.
Lily squeezed the ruby but nothing happened. She handed the gem back. “But have you actually seen any of these magic jewels? Because maybe it’s just a story.”
“Ella’s seen some of them.” Scarlett looked at Lily in surprise. “So I know it’s true.”
Lily gave a little shrug, then she yawned. “Well, I’m going back to my room. I want to take off this itchy dress and put my pyjamas on. See you in the morning!”
The door swung shut and Scarlett looked at Zina. “She doesn’t believe me about the jewels.” She put the ruby down, trying to swallow her disappointment. “Maybe I’m not using the tools right, but I’m sure I copied Jaminta’s drawing properly.”
“We don’t really need anything magical right now,” said Zina. “Sparky’s safe and tomorrow we can take him to find his family.”
“You’re right!” Scarlett cheered up. “It’s helping Sparky that’s important.”
After Zina left, Scarlett watched Sparky sleeping. He looked so sweet curled up in the jumpers! She was determined to look after him and make sure he got back to the river safely the next day.
She glanced at her clock. It was really late but she wanted a drink of water. Putting on her pink and white pyjamas, Scarlett crept downstairs. The lights were off which meant that everyone had gone to bed.
On her way back from the kitchen, she noticed someone walking around the banquet hall holding a torch. It was King Bruno, rubbing his beard and muttering to himself.
Scarlett peered round the door. There was something a bit strange about King Bruno. At least this gave her a chance to try out her ninja moves so that he didn’t see her. Keeping to the shadows, she tiptoed past the doorway. Then she sprang up the stairs avoiding the third step, which always made a loud creak.
Ninja moves were about making sure she wasn’t seen or heard, she told herself. If King Bruno was going to sneak around the castle then she’d need to practise her Rescue Princess ninja moves as hard as she could!
Scarlett woke up the next morning to find a warm furry shape cuddled up next to her on the blanket. Sparky must have climbed up on to her bed during the night. She sat up and the baby otter opened his eyes and yawned.
“Sparky!” Scarlett gently tickled his soft tummy. “I hope you slept all right?”
The little otter jumped down from the bed and started wrestling with a furry teddy that was lying on the floor. Scarlett smiled. He didn’t seem to be missing his family too badly. All the same, she knew she needed to get him back to the river. He would get hungry again soon and she couldn’t take fish from the castle kitchen forever.
Her gaze fell on the ruby and the jewel-making tools on her dressing table. Suddenly, she remembered there were TWO reasons she was excited this morning. Sparky was here in the castle AND it was her birthday!
“I’m nine today!” she told Sparky, and the little otter twitched his whiskers as if he understood.
Quickly, Scarlett pulled on her favourite red dress. Then she turned on the taps and let some water run into the bath so that Sparky would have something to do while she was downstairs having breakfast.
The banquet hall was decorated with shiny streamers and a long golden banner that read Happy Birthday Scarlett hung above the fireplace. Many of the royal visitors were already eating breakfast and they called out “Happy Birthday!” as Scarlett came in. Lily and Zina waved at her eagerly from the far end of the table.
Her mum hugged her, smiling. “Happy birthday! Are you excited?”
“VERY excited!” Scarlett beamed. “I love the decorations.”
Mr Ellis coughed. “Many happy returns, Princess Scarlett. Would you like something special for your birthday breakfast?”
“Ooh, pancakes, please.” Scarlett noticed Lily’s eyes light up at the mention of pancakes. “And could the other princesses have some too?”
“Of course,” said the butler. “I shall talk to Cook.”
Soon the three princesses were tucking into stacks of pancakes topped with maple syrup and chocolate sprinkles.
“Did you sleep well, King Bruno?” asked Queen Ruth as the king with the fuzzy beard joined them at the breakfast table.
“I suppose so.” King Bruno frowned. “But my room smelled terrible.”
Some of the other guests nodded. “My room had a dreadful odour too!” said a queen in a purple hat. “It reminded me of fish.”
“Oh dear!” Queen Ruth wrinkled her brow. “I’m not sure why. I’ll ask Mr Ellis to air the rooms today.”
Scarlett looked at Lily and Zina and stifled her giggles. Together they’d wafted a fish around the rooms when they were looking for Sparky. No wonder they’d left a funny smell!
After breakfast, Scarlett opened two birthday presents from her parents – a butterfly kite and an ice-cream making machine. “Thank you!” She hugged them. “Could I open my other presents later? It’s just I’ve promised to take Lily and Zina to the meadow again – we had so much fun there yesterday.”
“All right then!” agreed Queen Ruth. “But don’t forget we’re having a special birthday lunch in the garden and then some party games.”
The princesses changed into tops and leggings, which would be easy to roll up if they went paddling again. Scarlett popped Sparky in a rucksack and carried him carefully downstairs to where the other girls were waiting.
Bees buzzed around the flowers in the royal garden. The day was warm and even the castle’s grey towers looked bright in the sunshine. As they crossed the garden, the baby otter wriggled and squeaked, and poked his whiskery nose out of the top of the bag.
“Do you think he’s uncomfortable?” asked Zina anxiously.
“I’ll get him out – no one’s around.” Scarlett lifted up the little otter, planning to carry him in her arms, but Sparky leapt out of her hands and scampered away across the palace lawn.
“Sparky, come back!” Lily ran after him.
The baby otter stopped to sniff the air before galloping off again. He jumped over a patch of daisies and hid behind a tree.
The princesses dashed after him, giggling. Scarlett dived on to the grass but Sparky slipped through her hands again.
“Oh no!” gasped Zina. “What shall we do? We don’t have any fish this time.”
Scarlett grabbed a ball that was lying behind a bush. “I think he just wants to play.” She threw the ball. “Here, Sparky!”
The otter’s ears pricked up and he leapt after the ball. Stopping
it with his nose, he squeaked happily. Lily picked up the ball and threw it again. Soon they were all playing ball-chase with the little otter and giggling as he raced up and down.
When Sparky grew tired, Scarlett picked him up again. The princesses went through the side gate and headed across the meadow. When they reached the river’s edge Sparky sniffed the air, his whiskers twitching. Scarlett set him down on the bank and he jumped straight into the water, but after a minute he darted out again. He looked around, as if confused, and his ears drooped.
Scarlett knelt down and stroked his soft fur. “Are you wondering where your family is? Don’t worry, Sparky. We’ll help you find them.”
“I think I can see them.” Lily leapt on to the stepping stones that spanned the river. “They’re over here!”
They crossed the water with Sparky running at their heels. Dashing into the bushes, Lily stopped suddenly. A squirrel chattered at her before running up the trunk of a tree. “Oh! It wasn’t an otter at all.”
“Maybe one of us should stay here with Sparky while the others start searching?” suggested Zina. “I don’t mind being the one that stays.”
So Zina sat on the bank and amused the little otter by splashing in the shallows, while the others spread out to look around the island. Scarlett crept up to the otters’ burrow and listened carefully at the entrance. There was no noise from inside and earth still blocked the mouth of the den. She pushed the soil aside, clearing the way into the burrow.
“Scarlett?” called Lily, from further along the bank. “I can see the otters! They’re just down the river, swimming by the water reeds.”
Scarlett’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m coming!” She pulled off her shoes and jumped into the river.
Sparky squeaked with delight when he saw his family gliding and diving through the reeds. He paddled over to his mother and touched noses with her. Then he played with the other baby otters, splashing through the water and diving beneath the surface.
“Look how happy he is!” Scarlett cupped her hands to call back to Lily. “Thanks, Lily! They’re all back together now.”
Lily called back but her words were brushed away by the wind.
Scarlett turned to watch the otters again until Zina nudged her, saying, “Why isn’t she coming back?”
“I don’t know.” Scarlett gazed up at Lily, who was standing on top of a rise in the riverbank. She seemed to be staring down the river.
“Lily, come down!” said Scarlett. “Everything’s all right now.”
Lily called out a third time and Scarlett finally caught the words. “She says there’s a boat and it’s coming in fast!”
The girls listened. A faint humming noise in the distance grew steadily louder.
“Oh no!” cried Zina. “I bet it’s those men we saw yesterday.”
Scarlett’s eyes flashed. “Well, this time we’re not going to let them scare the baby otters!”
Scarlett and Zina waded out of the water and raced barefoot along the riverbank. Suddenly the boat roared around a bend in the river. It was the one they’d seen the day before with the same men – one with grey hair and the other in a baseball cap.
“Stop!” Scarlett waved her arms. “You’ll run into the otters.”
“Oh, it’s the princesses again!” The grey-haired man gave a nasty smirk. “No need to worry. We’ll turn off the engine – we don’t need it any more.” He pointed to some oars before turning off the ear-splitting engine.
“Thank you,” said Scarlett, “but it would be better if you didn’t go any further. You’re very close to the otters and their burrow.”
The man’s face darkened. “We’ll go where we want. We’re only here to do a bit of fishing.” He turned away and began rowing with the oars. The boat glided smoothly past.
“What’s happening?” Lily ran up, panting.
“They say they’re just fishing but I don’t trust them,” whispered Zina. “Don’t you think there’s something funny about them?”
The grey-haired man kept rowing and the boat slid upstream. The princesses followed, watching as the men pulled the boat to the bank before getting out their fishing rods. The mother otter barked sharply to her young and she and the babies swam away towards the pool by the waterfall.
“I wish we didn’t have to leave Sparky,” sighed Scarlett. “At least the otters are all safe and those men have switched their engine off.”
“When we get back to the castle you can open your other birthday presents,” Zina reminded her.
“I can’t wait till you see what my gift is!” said Lily.
Scarlett smiled. It was nice of the others to be excited about her birthday. She couldn’t wait to open the rest of her presents, but at the same time she was worried about the men with the boat. What if they switched on the engine again? She cast one last look at the two men with their fishing rods before following her friends across the meadow.
When they reached the castle garden, Scarlett looked around in surprise. Where was everybody and where were the tables for her birthday lunch? She hurried up the castle steps just as Mr Ellis rushed past. “Is it nearly time for lunch, Mr Ellis? We could help you get things ready.”
“I’m sorry, Princess Scarlett, but I can’t fetch lunch just now. Some of the guests’ valuables have been taken and the king is asking for the guards.” The butler hurried away.
“Valuables!” Zina looked worried. “What does he mean?”
King Philip came out of the parlour, his crown lopsided. “Scarlett, have you seen a diamond bracelet or a necklace with a golden letter F? Queen Freda’s jewellery has gone missing. King Thomas thinks his watch has disappeared too.”
Scarlett noticed a lady sitting in the parlour and dabbing her eyes with a hankerchief. It had to be Queen Freda. “No, I haven’t seen anything like that. Did they lose the jewellery?”
Her dad looked serious. “No, I don’t think so. They’re quite certain they left their things safely in their rooms. I’m afraid someone may have stolen them.” He marched away, calling for the guards.
“That’s terrible!” Lily looked shocked.
“Maybe it’s all a mistake,” said Zina.
“But how would jewellery go missing by mistake?” demanded Scarlett, and the others shook their heads.
Scarlett climbed the stairs, thinking hard. Who would do something as awful as going into people’s rooms and taking their things? She opened her bedroom door and stopped in the doorway, frowning.
“What it is, Scarlett?” asked Lily.
“I thought I left the ruby on my dressing table.” Scarlett stared at the row of silver chisels. “The tools are still here but the ruby’s gone.”
“Maybe it rolled on to the floor.” Zina crouched down to look under the table.
Scarlett and Lily began to search too. They looked under the bed and behind the wardrobe. They even checked Scarlett’s sock drawer but none of them could find it.
“Do you think whoever stole Queen Freda’s jewellery took your ruby as well?” Zina’s eyes were wide.
“Maybe.” Scarlett opened her jewellery drawer. “It looks like my emerald tiara is missing too.” Her heart sank. That tiara was her favourite.
“That’s strange!” Lily was staring out of the window. “It’s that king with the bushy beard – what’s his name?”
“You mean King Bruno?” Scarlett went to the window. “I can’t see him.”
“There, by the wall.” Lily pointed. “He looks like he’s waiting for something.”
The window gave a really good view of the garden and the meadow beyond. Far below, King Bruno was standing by the castle wall clutching a rucksack. He looked around as if checking that no one else was nearby. A guard came marching up the path and the king ducked behind a bush.
“What’s he doing?” said Scarlett. “He’s acting very suspiciously.”
The two men from the boat ran across the meadow, stopping on the other side of the wall. Scarlett opened the window and the girls lea
ned forward to watch.
One of the men shouted something, but the girls were too far away to make out the words. Then, with a swing of his arm, King Bruno threw the rucksack into the air and it sailed right over the high castle wall. The two men ran to pick it up while King Bruno hurried back towards the castle.
Scarlett’s heart sank. “I think the missing jewellery must be in that bag! King Bruno must have stolen everything and now he’s given it to those men. The nasty, sneaky thief!”
“They must have been planning this all along,” said Lily. “I knew those men weren’t really here to catch fish.”
“They’ll try to get away fast in their boat. They might hurt the otters as they leave!” Zina’s face creased with worry.
Scarlett’s mind was whirling. “We won’t let them. We’ll send the guards after them before they get away!”
Scarlett rushed down the spiral stairs and the other princesses raced after her. A grey-haired queen, who was coming the other way, tutted as they dashed past. “In my day, we weren’t allowed to run around in leggings. We had to wear a long dress and a crown at all times!”
Skidding to a halt in the parlour, Scarlett gazed round the empty room. Where was her dad and all the guards? Her friends crowded in behind her.
“Scarlett, look!” whispered Lily, nodding toward the window.
The room wasn’t empty after all. Queen Freda was sitting in an armchair with a hankerchief in her hand.
Scarlett dropped a curtsy. “I’m so sorry your things have gone missing, Queen Freda. I think I know who took them – have you seen my parents?”
“It’s all right, my dear.” Queen Freda managed a weak smile. “King Bruno told them all about the thieves that drove away in the carriage. The guards saddled their horses and galloped down the road, and your parents have gone with them. They all left a few minutes ago. I just hope they catch those wicked robbers before they get too far.”
Scarlett’s stomach lurched. “King Bruno told them about some thieves who had a carriage … and they believed him?”
The Enchanted Ruby Page 3
