Enchanted Palace

by Rosie Banks

  Title Page

  A Mysterious Find

  Unexpected Visitors

  The Place You Love Most

  The Secret Kingdom

  Party Games

  Malice’s Nasty Surprise

  Ducking and Diving

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Character Profile: Ellie Macdonald

  Character Quiz

  Copyright

  “I think I’m finished now, ma’am. Where would you like this box to go?” Summer Hammond asked as she packed up the last two books from her station.

  “I’m finished here, too,” Jasmine Smith added, putting the last things into a box.

  Mrs. Benson smiled. “Goodness! That was fast work, girls. Well done.”

  Ellie Macdonald poked her head up from behind a table, tucking a wiry red curl behind her ear. “Hey, nobody told me it was a race!” Laughter danced in her green eyes as she stood up.

  Jasmine winked at Summer. “It looks like we’re the champions!”

  “You’re all champions,” Mrs. Benson said as she smiled at the three girls. “This was the school’s most successful rummage sale ever, and it was all thanks to you!”

  Although they were all very different from one another, Ellie, Summer, and Jasmine were as close as sisters. They all lived in the same town and had been best friends since they first started elementary school.

  Summer was shy, and tugged at her blond braids whenever she felt nervous. She often had her head buried in a book, either reading about the natural world or writing poems and stories about her animal friends.

  Jasmine was outgoing and always in a hurry, with her long dark hair whipping around her as she raced from one thing to another. She loved singing and dancing and being in the spotlight.

  Ellie was a joker, and was always the first to laugh at her own clumsiness. She was also very artistic and loved drawing. Together the girls made quite a team!

  “It was nothing really,” Summer said, blushing at their teacher’s praise. “The books I sold were mostly my old ones from our attic.”

  “Well, they were very popular,” said Mrs. Benson. “And, Jasmine, you played that guitar wonderfully. After everyone heard you, we sold it in no time.”

  Jasmine grinned. “No problem, Mrs. Benson. You know I love music!”

  “And the fashion boutique was a great success, too — especially those superb Ellie Macdonald designs!” Mrs. Benson picked up a T-shirt with a bold green-and-purple pattern on it. She looked over at Ellie. “Thanks so much for making one for me.”

  “Do you like the design?” Ellie said. “Green and purple are my favorite colors.”

  “You don’t say!” Jasmine’s hazel eyes twinkled with amusement as she looked at her friend’s flowery purple-and-green dress, her green leggings, and her purple ballet flats!

  Ellie chuckled, then turned to pick up her bag. But as she did, she tripped over something and fell to the floor with a thump.

  “Ouch!”

  “Are you okay?” asked Mrs. Benson.

  “I’m fine — it’s just my two left feet, as usual!” Ellie said as she stood up. “But what’s this?”

  She picked up the object she’d tripped over — an old wooden box. It was as large as her outstretched hand and made out of solid wood with a curved lid. The whole thing was thick with dust, but under the grime Ellie could tell the box was beautiful. Its sides were carved with intricate patterns that she couldn’t quite make out, and on the lid was a mirror, surrounded by six glass stones. Ellie wiped the lid with her sleeve and could just see her reflection. As she held the box, light swirled in the stones. It looked almost . . . magical. “How strange,” she murmured. “I’m sure it wasn’t here a minute ago.”

  Jasmine took the box and tried to open it. “The lid’s stuck down,” she said. “It won’t budge.”

  Mrs. Benson glanced at her watch. “Well, wherever it came from, it’s too late to sell it now. Why don’t you girls take it home — you never know, you might find a way to open it.”

  “Ooh, yes please!” Summer breathed. “It’s really pretty. We could use it to put jewelry in. Let’s take it to my house and try to get it open. I live the closest!”

  The girls waved good-bye to Mrs. Benson and raced out of the school playground. They all lived in a small town called Honeyvale, which was surrounded by hills and beautiful countryside. Summer’s house was only a few minutes away from the school, just past the post office and Mrs. Mill’s sweet shop. Mrs. Mill waved as the girls flew by — she was used to seeing Summer, Ellie, and Jasmine together!

  When they arrived at her house, Summer eagerly opened her front door and they pounded up the stairs, calling out a quick hello to Mrs. Hammond before spilling into Summer’s bedroom.

  The walls were covered in wildlife posters, and books were stacked neatly on their shelves. Summer dropped down onto her white fluffy rug. Jasmine and Ellie joined her, placing the carved wooden box in front of them. Summer’s cat, Rosa, came over and sniffed at it with interest.

  “What do we do now?” Ellie asked.

  Jasmine grabbed a box of tissues from Summer’s bedside table. “We clean it.”

  The three friends worked together, wiping away the dust and dirt that covered the box.

  “Wow. It’s absolutely gorgeous!” exclaimed Summer. She traced her finger over the side of the box. Now that it was clean, she could see that the sides were covered in delicate carvings of fairies, unicorns, and other magical creatures. The glass stones that studded the lid were a deep green, and shone like emeralds.

  “What do you think is inside?” Ellie whispered.

  Jasmine shrugged. “Let’s try opening it again.”

  Ellie passed Jasmine a ruler from Summer’s desk and they carefully tried to pry the lid open, but it refused to budge.

  Summer sighed. “There has to be a way to open it.” She rubbed at the mirrored glass of the lid with a tissue to clean away the last traces of dust, then gasped. “The mirror. It’s . . . glowing!”

  “It is,” squeaked Ellie, staring wide-eyed at the box. “And look — there are words in it!”

  Jasmine frowned. With a shaky voice she read out the words that had appeared:

  “Ten digits make two,

  Though two are too few.

  But three lots of two,

  On each jewel will do.”

  The three friends looked at one another in amazement.

  “Is-is it a trick?” Summer stammered.

  “Or maybe magic?” Ellie whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Jasmine said thoughtfully. “But the words look like a riddle. My grandmother is always giving me Hindi riddles to solve. She says it’s good for my brain.”

  “Do you think you can solve this one?” Ellie asked.

  Jasmine stared at the words. “Well,” she began, “Grandma says that riddles don’t always mean what they seem to mean. You’ve got to look at things sideways. ‘Ten digits make two . . .’ Well, the word digits normally means ‘numbers,’ but it can also mean ‘fingers,’ right?”

  Summer and Ellie nodded.

  Jasmine sat up a bit straighter. “So if ‘ten digits’ refers to your fingers and thumbs, that would make two . . .”

  “Hands!” Ellie finished. “Ten digits make two hands! ‘Though two are too few,’ so two hands aren’t enough!”

  “‘But three lots of two, on each jewel will do,’” said Summer. “So ‘three lots of two’ means three sets of hands.”

  Ellie’s eyes gleamed. “That’s it! The riddle is telling the three of us to put our hands on the green jewels!”

  “What are we waiting for?” Jasmine said. “Let’s do it!” She placed her hands on two of the glinting stones. Ellie and Summer hesit
ated for a moment but then lowered their palms to the jewels, too.

  Their hands completely covered the box.

  It might just have been Jasmine’s and Ellie’s hands next to hers, but it seemed to Summer that the box was growing warmer underneath her touch. “Can you feel that?” she whispered. Ellie and Jasmine nodded, their eyes wide with amazement.

  Suddenly, the mirror glowed brightly and light spilled out from between their fingers. Gasping, the girls moved their hands — and the box burst open! A beam of glittering light streamed out and bounced off the walls of Summer’s bedroom. The girls watched in awe as the beam hit her wardrobe, and disappeared.

  “Wow! Did you see that?” Ellie cried, staring down at the box, which was shut again as if nothing had happened. The others nodded. “I wonder if —”

  Suddenly, she was interrupted by hangers clattering inside Summer’s wardrobe.

  “It’s dark, so dark,” wailed a deep voice.

  “Please calm down, Your Majesty,” a girl’s tinkly voice replied. “I’ll find a way out.”

  “Ouch!” cried the other voice. “Careful where you put your elbows, Trixibelle!”

  Summer, Ellie, and Jasmine stared at one another in astonishment.

  “Does your wardrobe normally do that?” Ellie asked Summer.

  “Um, no. M-m-maybe we should hide?” Summer looked pale.

  Just then, the wardrobe door wobbled, and all three girls leapt to their feet.

  “Ah, here it is. I think I’ve found a way out,” the tinkly voice said.

  Jasmine narrowed her eyes. She grabbed Summer’s ruler and held it out in front of her like a sword.

  “Who’s there?” she shouted bravely.

  As if in answer, the wardrobe door sprang open and something small and colorful zoomed out into the air. Sparks flew everywhere as it whirled around the room. Then, silently and delicately, a tiny girl came to a stop above Summer’s bedside table. A girl floating on a leaf !

  The tiny person was hardly bigger than Summer’s pencil case, but she was the most gorgeous creature that the girls had ever seen. Her messy blond hair peeked out from under a flower hat, which matched her colorful dress, pretty bracelets, and shiny ring. She had big, bright blue eyes, cute pointy ears, and a dazzling smile.

  “She can’t be real,” Jasmine murmured, staring in wonder.

  “Do you think she’s a-a-a . . .” Summer could barely finish her sentence.

  “A pixie?” The pretty creature smiled. “Yes! And of course I’m real,” she said, doing a loop-the-loop on her leaf. “I’m Trixibelle — Trixi, for short — and I’m a royal pixie. And who are you?”

  Ellie and Summer were too surprised to speak. There was an actual pixie in front of them! Finally, Jasmine, who was always the boldest, stepped forward and introduced herself.

  “I’m Jasmine. And this is Ellie and Summer.” She pointed at her friends.

  “Summer, Jasmine, and Ellie,” Trixi repeated. Suddenly the large, shiny ring on her finger twinkled with magic. She tapped it and a burst of sparkles shot out, forming their names in glittery writing in the air. “What lovely names!”

  The three friends gasped in delight as the sparkles floated down and landed on their skin like snowflakes.

  “Trixi! Where have you gone?” a voice yelped from inside the wardrobe. There was a crash and a pile of clothes tumbled out the door. A small, rosy-cheeked man, the same height as Jasmine, emerged from under the clothes. He was dressed in a purple velvet robe trimmed with white feathers, and he wore half-moon spectacles perched on the end of his nose. He had a pointy beard, and a gleaming crown sat at a jaunty angle on his thick, curly, white hair.

  Trixi gave a little curtsy. “May I present King Merry, ruler of the Secret Kingdom,” she said, zooming over to him on her leaf and pulling a yellow sock off one of the points of his crown.

  The girls looked at one another, then quickly curtsied as well.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Jasmine said in her most polite voice. “But what are you doing in Summer’s bedroom?”

  “And what on earth is the Secret Kingdom?” Ellie added, finally finding her voice.

  The king adjusted his spectacles and peered at the girls. But instead of answering their questions, he said, “Oh my. Are you humans? Trixi, what’s going on?”

  “I believe we are in the Other Realm, Sire,” Trixi said, her face shining with excitement.

  “Goodness me!” said King Merry. “No one from our kingdom has visited the Other Realm for a very long time.” He stared at the girls. “You see, the Secret Kingdom and your world, which we call the Other Realm, exist side by side but our paths rarely cross. I don’t know how we’ve come to be here.”

  Trixi looked around the room and spotted the carved box on the rug. “Look! There’s your Magic Box, Your Majesty. Its power must have brought us here.”

  “This box belongs to you?” Summer asked, looking confused.

  “Yes, it does,” the king said with a pleased smile.

  “And what sort of Magic Box is it?” said Jasmine, looking at it.

  “It’s one of my inventions!” King Merry said proudly. “I’m not exactly sure what it does yet, though.” He sighed. “I invented it because I need something to show me a way to save my kingdom from Queen Malice’s meanness. The next thing I knew, the box had disappeared, and we were in your wardrobe!”

  “Wait a minute,” Ellie said. “Who’s Queen Malice?”

  “She’s my sister.” King Merry took off his crown and anxiously rubbed at his forehead. “You see, my home is a place of great beauty. A place where unicorns graze in emerald fields and mermaids live in aquamarine seas. But my sister, Malice, can’t bear to see that beauty. She wants to make everything as dull and dreary as she is, and take all happiness from the land.” King Merry stopped, his eyes welling up.

  Trixi quickly tapped her ring and a white hanky appeared. King Merry blew his nose noisily before continuing.

  “Ever since the people of the Secret Kingdom chose me as their ruler instead of her, she has tried to get revenge on us all by using her magic to make everyone miserable.”

  Trixi folded her arms angrily. “And now, on King Merry’s thousandth birthday, Queen Malice has done the worst thing ever! She’s used her mean magic to make six horrible thunderbolts and fired them all into the kingdom. Each one carries a powerful spell designed to cause a terrible problem. But we don’t know where they’ve landed or what trouble they will cause.”

  The king picked up the Magic Box and examined it closely. “I hoped this box could help me, but instead I’ve ended up in the Other Realm! It’s baffling.” He held the box out toward the girls. “You might as well keep it. It can’t help me if its magic has gone all wonky.”

  Summer, Jasmine, and Ellie all leaned over to look at the box. Almost instantly a ripple of light spread across the box’s lid, and another riddle appeared in the mirror! Ellie read it aloud:

  “Look no further than your nose,

  Look no further than your toes!

  When you gaze at me you’ll see,

  The answer’s clear as one, two, three!”

  King Merry stamped his foot. “See! The box is all wonky! It’s total nonsense!”

  “It’s a riddle, Your Majesty,” Jasmine explained. “We’ve already solved one of them. I think we should try to solve this one — it could be a clue.”

  King Merry frowned. “All right. Well, since I invented the box, I suppose I should give it a try.”

  Jasmine nodded.

  “Hmm . . . ‘no further than your nose . . . no further than your toes . . .’” the king murmured.

  The girls watched doubtfully as he crossed his eyes to look at his nose, then leaned forward to peer at his feet.

  “Whoops!” The king’s arms began to whirl like windmills as he tried to keep his balance. He fell onto the rug with a bump. “I told you it was nonsense,” King Merry said sulkily, crossing his arms.

  Jasmine, Summer, and Ellie lo
oked down at the mysterious box again.

  “‘When you gaze at me you’ll see, the answer’s clear as one, two, three!’” Ellie said. “That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” asked King Merry, looking confused.

  “I think the Magic Box is saying that the three of us can help you!” Ellie cried, pointing at the mirror’s reflection of herself and her friends.

  “Of course!” Trixi clapped her hands in delight. “The king’s inventions never normally work this well!” she whispered in Ellie’s ear.

  “What was that, Trixi?” asked King Merry, raising his eyebrows.

  Trixi tried to look innocent. “Nothing, Sire. I was just saying that your inventions always work in the end.”

  The king considered Trixi’s words and then smiled. “Yes, yes, indeed they do!”

  Then he peered at the girls over his spectacles. “The Secret Kingdom is in terrible trouble. Queen Malice will stop at nothing to spread unhappiness. I rather think that you three girls may be our only hope! Will you help us?”

  Ellie glanced eagerly at both of her friends. “We’ll do anything we can!”

  “You try and stop us!” Jasmine cried.

  Even Summer was excited, despite still being a bit uncertain. “Can we go now?” she asked. “I can’t wait to meet all the magical creatures, and —”

  She stopped as the mirror on the Magic Box started flashing again, and another riddle appeared. Summer read it out loud:

  “The thunderbolt is hidden close,

  In the place the king loves most.

  Magic made to stop the fun,

  Must be found before day’s done.”

  Trixi frowned. “Well, King Merry loves the Secret Kingdom more than anywhere else, but it’s so big. We’ll never find the thunderbolt.”

  “I think the riddle must mean somewhere special,” Jasmine said slowly. “Where’s your favorite place in the Secret Kingdom, King Merry?”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” the king replied. “It’s the Wandering Waterfalls.” He scratched his head. “Um, hang on . . . I do love the Topaz Downs. And the Mystic Meadows are wonderful during a pixie toadstool fight.” The king shook his head. “Oh dear, I can’t decide,” he wailed. “There are so many places I love in the Secret Kingdom. I wish I was back in my palace, on my special snuggly throne. I always think best there.”