The voices grew louder. Jaminta peered out from under the fringe of the tablecloth and saw two pairs of men’s shoes walk across the room and stop next to the window. The first set of shoes was black and had been polished to a high shine. The other shoes were brown and scuffed.
Jaminta thought she caught a glimpse of red material as they passed by. But she couldn’t see much more without sticking her head right out into the open.
“Hurry up!” said a man in a thin, bossy voice. “I have something important to say and I don’t want everyone hearing it.”
Jaminta’s heart raced. What was it that this man didn’t want other people to hear?
“We’re going up the mountain to look for those lost things,” said the thin voice. “Make sure you bring your shovel with you.”
“What things, Your Grace?” asked a second man, sounding confused.
“Wake up!” snapped the thin voice. “The special things I left here ten years ago. You know what I’m talking about.”
“But, Your Grace! We searched for them several times. You said they were lost.”
“We couldn’t look for them well enough back then because we were being followed,” said the thin voice, rising in annoyance. “But this is a perfect opportunity. It’s not often I get to come back to Onica without everyone getting suspicious. Once I’ve found a likely place, you will begin digging.”
A hand closed around Jaminta’s wrist. It was Emily. She pointed at the polished black shoes and made a face.
Jaminta wasn’t sure what she meant and didn’t dare ask out loud. Her mind was whirling. What were the men looking for on the mountainside? And why was it so secret?
The princesses tried to keep completely still under the table as the men continued to talk.
“But what if the sun goes down while I’m there on the mountainside?” said the second man. “They say huge black-and-white bears roam the forest.”
“They’re pandas, you brainless fool! They won’t hurt you,” said the thin voice. “Now, meet me by the bridge in two hours and don’t forget your shovel.”
“Yes, My Lord,” came the low reply, and the scuffed brown shoes marched away.
The black shoes stayed by the window for a few minutes, then they left, too. The princesses crawled out, carefully checking that the room was empty.
“Whew!” said Clarabel. “I thought they were never going to leave.”
“I’ve met one of them before,” said Emily. “That’s what I was trying to tell you. I recognize the voice of the bossy one, the one in the black shoes.”
“Is he from Middingland?” asked Lulu.
Emily screwed up her face, thinking hard. “Yes, that must be how I know him. I just can’t remember his name.”
Jaminta put the oranges back in the bowl and picked up her fan. “I wonder what they’re looking for. I’ve never heard of anything being lost on the mountain. I hope they don’t disturb the animals when they go up there.”
“Are there really pandas in the forest?” asked Clarabel.
“Yes, there are!” said Jaminta. “We could sneak away and see them, now that my mom’s gone to the kitchens.” She grinned. “And guess what? One of the pandas is a baby!”
“A baby panda! How lovely!” cried Clarabel, her blue eyes sparkling.
“I’ve never seen a panda in real life before!” said Emily. “Is the cub really cute?”
Jaminta nodded. “He’s adorable!”
Not wanting to wait another second, the princesses put their fans away in a drawer and raced downstairs. People were still unloading suitcases from the carriages and carrying them inside.
Jaminta led them through the gardens. They passed trees with crimson leaves and a pond full of golden fish. At last they reached the back gate to the palace grounds.
Jaminta unfastened the gate. The princesses burst through and raced down the rough, grassy slope. They stopped to catch their breath at the bottom, where a fast-moving river flowed along the valley.
“Oh! I almost forgot! I have something else to show you, too.” Jaminta pulled her rock crystal out of her pocket and showed it to them.
The other princesses stared at the lump of rock with its rough edges and dirty white surface.
“Er … what is it?” asked Lulu.
“It’s a rock crystal,” said Jaminta. “I found out the secret of how to change its shape. When I’ve turned it into a beautiful jewel, I’m going to give it to my grandfather for his birthday.”
“So what’s the secret? How do you change it?” asked Emily.
“I have to put it in the river at sunrise.” Jaminta smiled. “The river will change it, because it’s magical.”
The princesses stared at the river. It really did look magical with the sunshine dancing on its surface.
“Wow! That’s amazing!” said Clarabel. “We’ll come with you tomorrow morning to help.”
Jaminta smiled gratefully at Clarabel, then Lulu burst out: “That’s great, but can we get going now? I’m dying to see the baby panda!”
Jaminta sighed and put the rock back into her pocket. Maybe when the crystal had changed into something beautiful, Lulu would be more interested in it. She wished she could make it happen right now, but the Master Gem Maker had told her that the magic was strongest at sunrise.
The girls walked along to the curved red bridge that arched across the river. Their feet drummed on the wooden planks as they crossed, and the river bubbled over the stones below them. On the other side, the ground sloped steeply upward. They soon found themselves inside a thick forest where bamboo trees stretched straight up to the sky. Now and then they caught a glimpse of the palace below, which became smaller and smaller as they climbed higher up Cloud Mountain.
“I hope those men from the Fan Room aren’t around here,” said Clarabel nervously.
“Don’t worry,” said Jaminta. “It’s a very big forest, so I’m sure we won’t see them.”
They pushed their way through the closely growing trees until they reached the edge of a rocky ravine. A narrow rope bridge spanned the steep drop.
“It’s best if we go one at a time,” Jaminta told them. “The bridge isn’t very strong.”
One by one, the princesses crossed the swaying rope bridge, trying not to look at the rocks below them. Even Jaminta, who was used to the wobbly bridge, was glad to be safely on the other side.
“There’s a clearing up here,” she said. “That’s where I often see the pandas.”
Listening carefully, the girls crept toward a gap in the trees. The sound of cracking and rustling came from up ahead. Jaminta smiled. That would be the mother panda, pulling down bamboo to feed herself and her baby.
A sudden tug on her pocket made her check the rock crystal. It felt heavier somehow. Maybe she was just tired from all the climbing. It couldn’t really be heavier than it was before.
Together, they tiptoed into the clearing and looked around. They were very high up the slope now. Mist had rolled down from the mountain peaks and it hung over the grass like a magic spell. On the far side next to a rocky outcrop sat two furry black-and-white shapes, one big and one small.
Clarabel gasped. “Look! There’s the little cub with his mother!”
“The cub is so cute!” said Emily, admiringly.
“He’s lovely, isn’t he!” agreed Jaminta. The panda cub looked up at the sound of her voice, his ears twitching. “I come up here to see him all the time. Now that he’s older, he loves to climb and play. Sometimes his mother leaves him here while she goes to gather more food.”
“Have you given him a name?” asked Lulu.
“No, I haven’t,” said Jaminta. “Maybe we can think of one together.”
The mother panda swung around, looking in the direction of their voices. Then she went back to chomping long stems of bamboo again.
“I think they’ve gotten used to me,” added Jaminta. “They don’t seem to mind me being here at all.”
The mother panda ambled into the
The princesses watched the little cub bound back and forth underneath the rocky outcrop. Then he climbed up a tree, pulling at the trunk with his little paws. Halfway up, he lost his grip and slid back down, landing on the ground on his furry white bottom.
The princesses giggled.
The cub gave up on the tree trunk and started trying to climb up the rocky outcrop instead. Higher and higher he went, until only his little black legs could be seen below the rock jutting out of the hillside.
The princesses crept closer to watch him, and a sudden weight in her pocket made Jaminta check her rock crystal again. Why did it feel so strange and heavy? She glanced at the other princesses, but they hadn’t noticed her worried look.
“I didn’t know pandas could climb like that,” said Emily.
Just then a noise rang out across the clearing. It was a lovely sound, so high and sweet that for a moment Jaminta thought one of her friends had started singing.
She looked all around the clearing. “What is that sound?”
But the other princesses were staring right at her.
“It’s you, Jaminta!” said Lulu. “It’s coming from your pocket.”
The sound grew louder and even sweeter, rolling around the clearing and into the forest. Feeling like she was dreaming, Jaminta reached into her pocket and pulled out the lump of crystal. It shook as her fingers closed around it, and she knew that it really was this strange, rough gem making the noise. She lifted it up to the light and the sound changed into a sequence of musical notes that rang out like a chiming bell.
There was a silence after the last note died away.
“That was really strange!” cried Emily.
But before Jaminta could speak, a deep cracking noise broke through the still air. A huge chunk of stone fell off the rocky outcrop and crashed to the ground. A cascade of smaller stones followed, and dust rose from the earth below.
The princesses stared in horror at the broken rock.
“Oh no! Where’s the cub?” Jaminta cried. “That’s where he was climbing!” She started to run toward the rock, her feet flying across the misty grass.
“Wait, Jaminta! What about the cub’s mother?” called Emily. “Will she mind you going near her baby?”
But Jaminta kept running, her heart pounding. She’d watched the little panda grow every week since the springtime, and she couldn’t stand the thought of him being hurt. Skidding to a halt, she scanned the rocky outcrop. There was a jagged slice right where the stone had broken away.
A thin cry came from the ground. Jaminta knelt down, holding her breath. The panda cub lay among the fallen rubble. The stones seemed to have missed him, except for a rock that lay across his back paw. He wriggled and gave a frightened whimper.
Jaminta reached out and carefully lifted the rock away, setting the little cub free. “There you are. Are you all right now?”
The cub looked up at her, his black eyes solemn.
Amazed at her own daring, Jaminta lifted up the paw that had been trapped and touched it gently. He had soft pads beneath tiny sharp claws, and his fur was so long and soft that it made her want to give him an enormous hug.
“You have to be careful,” she told him gently.
The cub yawned, showing rows of little teeth and a pink tongue.
“Is he all right?” asked Clarabel anxiously, as she, Emily, and Lulu reached Jaminta’s side.
“He was lucky,” Jaminta told them. “One paw was trapped, but there’s no sign of injury.”
“That’s what we should call him — Lucky!” said Emily. “It really suits him!”
The little panda snuffled at Emily’s shoes, as if to show that he liked her idea. “Lucky!” murmured Jaminta. “That is a good name for him.”
“Let’s move these stones and clear a path for him.” Lulu began moving the fallen rocks aside.
Emily and Clarabel started to help her.
Jaminta looked around, suddenly remembering the mother panda. But there was no sign of her in the clearing. “Maybe the mother didn’t see what happened,” she said. “She must still be getting bamboo.”
Lucky watched the princesses with his big eyes. His white belly looked plump and fluffy. He rolled onto all fours and walked down the grassy path that the girls had cleared for him. Only the tiniest limp gave away that anything had happened to his back paw.
There was a loud rustling at the edge of the clearing, and the large shape of the mother panda became visible through the trees. The princesses backed away quickly as Lucky skipped over to join his mother. She nudged him with her nose and they walked into the bamboo forest together.
Jaminta gave a deep sigh of relief. “He seems just fine now.”
Lulu frowned. “He could have been really hurt, though. Maybe you shouldn’t bring that crystal thing up here again. It’s not safe.”
Jaminta stared at her. “It wasn’t the crystal’s fault. I’m sure it wasn’t.”
“But it did make that really loud singing sound,” said Emily. “Sometimes loud noises can cause a rockslide.”
“Poor little cub! I’m so glad he’s all right,” added Clarabel.
Jaminta gazed at the rock crystal in the palm of her hand, her mind whirling. How could they blame the crystal for what happened? She was sure it wasn’t a bad jewel. But why had it felt so heavy just before it started to sing? What if they were right and the crystal really had made the rock shatter?
“We’re not saying you did it on purpose, Jaminta,” said Clarabel. “Please don’t be mad.”
Jaminta tried to smile. The rock crystal felt light again as she put it back in her pocket.
“I’ve never heard of a gem making a sound before,” said Lulu. “How did you get it to do that?”
“I didn’t!” replied Jaminta. “I haven’t been able to change its shape at all yet.”
“It was such a beautiful song,” said Clarabel. “Maybe it means something.”
“Maybe,” said Jaminta with a frown. “I just wish I knew what it was.”
“Come on! Let’s go back,” said Emily. “It’ll be time for the banquet soon.”
The mist started to fade as the girls made their way through the forest. They came out of the trees and headed toward the wooden bridge that spanned the river.
“Lucky is so adorable,” sighed Clarabel. “I wish we had pandas in my kingdom.”
Emily nodded. “He has such lovely little paws!”
They climbed onto the wooden bridge, and Jaminta heard a noise behind them. She looked back, wondering what it was, and glimpsed a flash of red material disappearing between the trees.
When they returned, the princesses found that the banquet was almost ready. Sizzling noises came from the kitchen, along with wonderful cooking smells.
The lump of crystal still felt light inside Jaminta’s pocket. She clutched it anxiously. Maybe she should take it to the Master Gem Maker and tell him what had happened in the forest. But the sound of the dinner gong stopped her. There was no time to see him now. The banquet was about to begin.
The princesses rushed upstairs to brush their hair and straighten their tiaras. Emily wore her favorite tiara, which had beautiful gold leaves woven together. Clarabel’s tiara was made from a delicate wiry gold decorated with sapphires, and Lulu’s was a stunning golden crown. Jaminta checked her own tiara in a nearby mirror. It was shaped into three flowers with white crystals glowing on each petal. It was the only tiara she owned that had crystal decorations, and it sparkled like the first snow on the mountains.
The dinner gong sounded again and the girls hurried to the Fan Room to collect the fans they’d chosen earlier.
“We’d better not flick the fans at the banquet,” said Clarabel.
“I’ll try to remember not to!” Lulu’s eyes gleamed teasingly.
Smoothing her green silk dress, Jaminta led the princesses back downstairs to join the crowd of kings and queens in the banquet hall. She blinked as she walked into the room. She’d never seen the hall look so amazing. Masses of gold streamers and round red lanterns hung from the ceiling. The princesses gazed at all the delicious food on the tables.
Jaminta pulled out a chair to sit down and stepped on something hard. She gasped. Was that somebody’s foot?
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were there,” she said, looking up to find a tall man with a crooked mouth glaring down at her.
She shivered. He looked so angry that she wondered what he was going to say. But he just turned away, pulling his red cloak around his shoulders. As he marched off, Jaminta suddenly remembered where she’d seen him before. That morning, he had bumped into Ally and knocked over Emily’s suitcase. Ally had given him a really strange look and she had wondered why.
“Are you all right?” Clarabel waved her fan next to Jaminta’s flushed face.
Jaminta managed a smile. “I’m fine. But I don’t think proper princesses are supposed to tread on their guest’s toes!”
Emily rushed toward them, nearly knocking a chair over in her hurry. “That’s him! That man you just spoke to, Jaminta. He’s the one whose voice I recognized. I remember him now!”
“You mean the man who wants to go digging on the mountainside? Are you sure it’s him?” said Lulu, looking over Emily’s shoulder.
“Completely!” Emily nodded her head knowingly. “He lives in Middingland, where I come from, but he doesn’t come to our palace very often.” She motioned them toward her, and when their heads were close together, she whispered, “His name is Earl Scrant.”
The princesses all looked at the scowling Earl Scrant, who was now standing on the other side of the room. He was wearing shiny black shoes just like the ones they’d seen from underneath the table.
“We’ll have to keep an eye on him,” said Lulu firmly. “I don’t know what he’s digging for, but there’s something sketchy about him.”
The other princesses nodded.
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