The Secret Promise Page 2

  Oh! She’d nearly forgotten! She couldn’t go on the zip line wearing the huge cloak. It would only slow her down.

  She pulled the cloak off and laid it over the wooden railing behind her. Then, taking the rope in both hands, she jumped.

  The darkness rushed past her. She swooped down the line, feet dangling, until she felt the crash as the bar hit the other end and her legs swung up. Then she plunged backward, slowing down steadily until her feet hit the ground.

  Emily let go of the rope, grinning widely. She’d loved that; it was just like flying.

  “That was awesome!” A girl came closer, her blond hair and blue dress glimmering in the light spilling from the castle windows.

  “Princess Clarabel?” asked Emily.

  Clarabel nodded. “Yes, it’s me. I came out to look at the obstacle course. I can’t believe you went all the way down there in the dark.”

  “It was amazing!” said Emily. “Are you going to try it?”

  “I might.” Clarabel chewed her lip. “Maybe I’ll see how fast it goes first.”

  “Woo-hoo!” A yell came out of the darkness.

  Emily spun around, grabbing for her flashlight and shining it into the air. A figure in yellow climbed up the cargo net and swung herself over the top.

  “Princess Lulu conquers the world!” she shouted, scrambling down the other side.

  Emily and Clarabel burst out laughing.

  One last figure came running down the slope, a dazzling green light fixed to her arm. “Am I missing all the fun?” said Princess Jaminta.

  Emily stared at her wrist. “What’s that?” she asked.

  Jaminta held out her arm to show Emily the bracelet that glowed far brighter than her flashlight.

  “It’s made of emeralds. I found a way to make jewels work like gadgets,” said Jaminta. “I can give them power or make them warm. Or I can make them light up just like this. I like using emeralds best.”

  “That’s incredible!” said Emily admiringly.

  “Ooh, I wish you could make my jewel glow,” said Clarabel, touching the dark-blue sapphire that hung from a chain around her neck.

  Lulu came running over, landing in front of them with a double-flip somersault. “I guess none of us could bear sitting still in that hall a second longer,” she said, grinning. “So, who’s next on the zip line?”

  “Let’s race for it!” said Emily.

  They raced to the ladder, laughing as they ran. Lulu reached it first. She pulled herself up and the others followed. Climbing up last, Clarabel looked a little worried as she peered down at the ground.

  When they all stood on the platform at the top, Emily said, “Should we try going down it two at a time?”

  But just then a screeching noise came out of the night. It sent tingles down Emily’s neck.

  “What was that? It sounded horrible!” exclaimed Lulu.

  “That was a distress call,” said Clarabel. “The sound of an animal in trouble.”

  “It came from out there in the forest,” added Jaminta, shining her emerald bracelet in that direction.

  “We should go and find it,” said Emily. “We might be able to help.”

  “It’s very dark,” said Clarabel nervously. “But you’re right, some poor animal needs us.”

  “Let’s go!” said Lulu.

  The girls climbed swiftly back down the ladder and ran across the garden. They passed through the castle gates in a whirl of colored dresses and rushed out into the forest beyond.

  Emily ran between the trees, glad that the other princesses were beside her.

  It was much darker out here beyond the castle walls. Low branches reached down to catch them and Emily had to stop and untangle herself.

  “Do you think we’re going the right way?” she asked.

  “Listen,” said Clarabel. “I think I heard it again.”

  They stopped for a moment, trying to hear the animal noise over the wind blowing and the swooshing of the leaves.

  “There it is,” said Lulu.

  The half-crying, half-grunting noise sounded much weaker now. The princesses ran toward it, slowing down as the ground became thick with tree roots and brambles.

  On the earth lay a young deer with one leg bent at an awkward angle. The animal turned its black eyes on them, trembling with fright. Emily caught the glint of something silver on the ground.

  “Look! It’s caught in something,” she said.

  Clarabel knelt down next to the deer. “Poor thing! No wonder it made that horrible noise.”

  “That looks like a man-made trap,” said Jaminta grimly.

  “Why would anyone trap an animal like this?” said Clarabel. “I’m sure it’s not allowed.”

  “King Gudland doesn’t seem like the sort of king who would let this happen,” agreed Emily. “How are we going to set it free?”

  Jaminta bent down to look more closely at the metal teeth of the trap. The emeralds on her wrist cast a bright-green light over everything. Clarabel spoke soothingly to the deer, trying to calm down the shivering animal.

  “The trap’s clamped really tightly around its foot. It won’t be easy to release it,” said Jaminta. “Even if we manage to open it, the deer still won’t be able to walk.”

  “Just get that trap open!” said Lulu. “I’ve got an idea.” She turned and sprinted away through the forest.

  Jaminta pulled a small screwdriver out of her dress pocket. “Could you keep its leg really still?” she said to Emily.

  Emily nodded and held on to the deer’s leg firmly, its brown coat feeling velvety beneath her hands. The creature quivered, its huge black eyes opening wide with fear.

  “Don’t worry,” whispered Clarabel, stroking between its ears. “We’ll have you free in no time.” The young animal turned its soft nose toward her and its ears twitched. It almost seemed as if it knew what she was saying.

  Jaminta worked quickly, loosening four screws on the trap, one after the other. The deer squirmed and Emily struggled to keep it still. She kept a tight hold on the leg, praying that Jaminta could work magic with her screwdriver and get the trap undone.

  “Stay still, little one,” murmured Clarabel.

  Jaminta twisted the screws looser, one by one. “Almost there,” she said.

  The deer wriggled harder, and for a moment Emily thought she would lose her grip on its leg.

  “That’s it!” Jaminta pulled out the last screw and stuck the screwdriver behind her ear.

  Emily pulled the trap open, keeping her fingers away from its sharp silver teeth. Gently she lifted out the deer’s leg.

  “Look! There’s no cut here at all,” she said. “Maybe this little deer just fell badly when the trap closed.”

  “Luckily, it’s young and its small leg fit right between the teeth of the trap. Otherwise its injuries would have been much worse,” said Jaminta.

  Suddenly, Lulu arrived, crashing through the branches with a wheelbarrow. “Great! You got the trap open,” she said breathlessly.

  The deer began shivering again, its wide eyes fixed on Lulu.

  But Lulu didn’t notice. “I found this in the greenhouse.” She pointed at the wheelbarrow. “We can use it to take the deer back to the castle.”

  “We have to be really quiet, though. It’s still very frightened.” Clarabel put her arms around the animal. “It’s going to need a lot of looking after and it’s going to take a while for that leg to heal.”

  “Let’s lift it into the wheelbarrow, on three,” said Emily. “One, two, three …”

  They lifted the deer, which was surprisingly heavy, and set it down inside the wheelbarrow. Clarabel stroked the creature’s soft ears until it became still and quiet, as if it sensed it was in good hands.

  Emily and Lulu took one side of the wheelbarrow each, while Jaminta and Clarabel went on ahead, lighting the way with Jaminta’s glowing bracelet. They wheeled the deer past the golden gates, onto the grounds, and right up to the castle.

  “Let’s put t
he deer somewhere safe for tonight and tell the grown-ups about it in the morning,” said Emily. “They won’t want to hear about it right now, while the banquet’s still going on.”

  Clarabel nodded. “Good idea.”

  “There’s a shed next to the greenhouse,” said Lulu. “It will be fine in there.”

  Jaminta marched over to the castle windows and peered in. “Looks like they’re still having their coffee.”

  Emily shrugged her shoulders. “They’re so busy chatting I bet they didn’t even hear the deer making that loud cry.”

  They settled the deer down in the garden shed. Clarabel found some straw for it to lie on and covered its legs with an old blanket that she found on a shelf. Lulu pulled some cabbages out of the garden and left them nearby in case it got hungry during the night.

  The deer watched them, its big dark eyes no longer frightened. Finally, it rested its head on one side and its breathing grew slow and steady.

  Emily quietly closed the shed door and the four princesses looked at one another. Their tiaras glittered in the green light from Jaminta’s bracelet, and their eyes shone as bright as stars.

  “I can’t believe we went into the forest in the dark,” said Clarabel.

  Lulu smiled. “And now you’ve got a leaf on your tiara.”

  Clarabel brushed off the leaf, then she laughed. “You’ve got a huge twig sticking out of yours!”

  “Oops!” Lulu grinned.

  Emily picked the twig off Lulu’s tiara for her. Then she turned to Jaminta. “I think your bracelet’s really cool.”

  “Thanks. I’d really like to make some more,” said Jaminta. “I’ve got plans for what else I can do. I’ll show you all tomorrow.”

  “Let’s meet up before breakfast,” said Lulu.

  “Good idea. We should show King Gudland right away where we’ve put the deer,” said Emily, smiling at her new friends. “If we tell him about the trap together, he’ll have to listen. After all, princesses should stick together. No matter what.”

  The four princesses dragged King Gudland down to the garden shed the following morning, telling him all about their deer on the way.

  They had dressed quickly, throwing on dresses and plain silver tiaras. The morning sun beamed across the garden and made the tops of the castle turrets sparkle.

  “We put it in here, Your Majesty,” explained Lulu. “It seemed like a safe place.” She pulled open the shed door to show the deer resting on its bed of straw.

  “Goodness gracious!” said King Gudland.

  “It needs some time for its leg to get better,” said Clarabel.

  King Gudland nodded. “You’ve put it in the right place. It will be nice and peaceful in here.”

  “But why would anyone put out a trap for animals? It’s such a horrible thing to do,” said Emily.

  “Trapping is forbidden in Mistberg Forest,” said the king. “Maybe you were mistaken. Maybe the deer tripped on a branch.”

  Emily’s mom and dad arrived. They’d seen them from across the garden.

  “Girls!” interrupted Emily’s dad. “Leave the king alone now. We haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

  “But …” Emily wanted to mention the trap again, but the grown-ups were already turning away.

  “Good morning, Your Majesties!” said a whiny voice. Prince Samuel, dressed in his orange vest, walked over to them. He held a straggly piece of damp material out at arm’s length, as if it was something disgusting.

  Emily looked at the material and her stomach lurched. She had a feeling there was something she’d forgotten. Something important.

  “I found this at the top of the zip line,” said the prince with a smirk. “I just wondered if it belonged to anyone.”

  “Emily!” cried her mom. “Is that your cloak?”

  Emily grabbed the soggy cloak from the prince. “I must have left it there last night.”

  “Thank you, Prince Samuel,” said Emily’s mom. “Emily, I would like to talk to you!”

  “You said I could go on the obstacle course,” said Emily. “I just forgot about the cloak.”

  Queen Maria shook her head. “Of course you’re allowed on the climbing equipment. Exercise is good for you. But honestly, Emily! You’re not supposed to run off and play in the middle of a banquet!”

  “I’m sorry,” said Emily. “I only planned to be gone for a minute.”

  “You need to put your princess duties first. Remember what you should be doing and look after your belongings properly.”

  Emily sighed. “Yes, Mom.”

  The queen’s face softened into a smile. “Let’s go back inside. I hear the cook is serving blueberry muffins for breakfast.”

  Luckily, the rest of the day was free from curtsying practice, although Emily had to take her wet cloak down to the laundry room to be cleaned.

  The princesses spent some time after breakfast feeding their deer. Then they gathered in Jaminta’s room in the

  East Tower.

  Jaminta’s four-poster bed was draped with shimmering green and gold cloth. Her dressing table was covered with silver tools all neatly lined up, including a small screwdriver and a chisel.

  “I can’t wait to see these amazing jewels,” said Emily.

  “They’re very special,” replied Jaminta. “Where I come from, by the Silver River near the Eastern Mountains, we love to collect precious stones. If you chisel them into shape correctly, you can use them in all kinds of ways.”

  She pulled the curtains across the window to darken the room and put a large gold jewelry box down on the bed. The other princesses leaned in closer.

  “These are the ones that give out light.” Jaminta carefully pulled back the lid. Light burst from the shining jewels in all the colors of the rainbow. They lit up the dark room, making it seem like a cave full of treasure.

  “Wow!” cried the princesses.

  “Now I’m trying to see what else I can do with them. See!” Jaminta opened a smaller jewelry box, picked out a round ruby, and put it into the palm of Emily’s hand. The jewel rested there, gradually warming up until Emily felt like she was holding a little ball of fire.

  “It’s so warm. It could definitely come in handy in winter,” said Emily.

  “That’s good,” said Clarabel. “It gets so cold in Winteria, where I come from.”

  “No need for extra heat in Undala,” joked Lulu. “Our grasslands bake in the hot sun.”

  “Well, I haven’t invented a jewel that cools you down,” said Jaminta with a laugh. “Not yet, anyway!”

  Clarabel smiled. “I don’t think we would have found the deer last night without your bracelet. It was so bright.”

  “King Gudland didn’t believe us about the trap, though,” said Emily. “He thought we were mistaken.”

  Jaminta frowned. “It was definitely a man-made trap. It took me forever to get all those screws undone.”

  Emily looked thoughtful. “If the king doesn’t believe us, then maybe we should go out and find the trap and bring it back to show him. Then he can look for the people who left it.”

  “Great idea!” said Lulu, and the others nodded.

  “Let’s hurry,” said Emily. “The sooner we show the trap to King Gudland, the sooner we can prove that we were telling the truth about the deer all along.”

  Jaminta put her jewels away and the princesses headed out into the sunshine. On the way, they collected King Gudland’s dog, Denny, because they had offered to take him for a walk.

  They also charmed a picnic basket out of the cook, stuffed with sandwiches, slices of chocolate cake, and a container of strawberries.

  As they walked across the garden, they spotted the four princes playing on the obstacle course again. Emily recognized Prince Samuel, the boy who’d handed her soggy cloak back to her that morning.

  “Hey!” called the tallest prince. “What are you guys doing?”

  “Going for a walk,” Lulu yelled back, and the princesses kept moving.

  The ta
ll prince, who had a head of ruffled blond hair, ran over to them. “I’m Olaf, from the kingdom of Finia. Want to race against us on the obstacle course? Princes against princesses?”

  Prince Samuel snorted behind him. “That’ll be easy. Princesses are really slow.”

  Lulu’s eyes flashed. “You obviously haven’t met princesses like us, then,” she snapped.

  “Are these your friends?” Emily asked Prince Olaf.

  “Yes. This is George, from Carathia.” Olaf nodded to a black-eyed boy, who grinned widely. “And this is Dinesh, and he’s from —”

  “From Ratastan,” said the short, serious-looking boy.

  There was a pause and they all looked at Samuel.

  “I’m Prince Samuel, from the kingdom of Leepland, the land of the most riches and the best people,” said Samuel, his pale face twisting haughtily.

  Prince Olaf ignored him. “How about a race?” he asked the princesses.

  Emily smiled. She’d never met any of the princes before, but she instantly liked the lively Prince Olaf. She wasn’t so sure about Samuel, though; she was almost positive he’d enjoyed getting her in trouble earlier.

  “Maybe we can race you later,” said Emily, then paused. She wondered if she should mention their plan to find the deer trap. Maybe not in front of Samuel. “We’re just taking King Gudland’s dog for a walk.”

  She was about to add that they were going into the woods, when a shrill voice drifted down from the castle.

  “Samuel! I hope you aren’t getting that new vest dirty!” A thin lady with a pointed nose trotted out the castle door. “Samuel! What are you doing?”

  Prince Olaf nudged Samuel. “It’s your mom,” he hissed.

  Queen Trudy sped up, glaring at the girls as she came closer. “Samuel, I hope you’re being careful who you’re friends with. Just look at the mud on their shoes!”

  Emily didn’t want to wait around to meet such a disagreeable person. She turned to the other princesses. “Let’s go. We have to continue our walk.”

  They waved good-bye to the princes and headed off across the castle garden. Denny the dog bounded ahead of them. His tail wagged wildly and the breeze ruffled his dark-brown coat.