Free Rescue Princesses #6: The Magic Rings by Paula Harrison Page A

about?”
    Emily lowered her voice to a whisper. “Do you remember two years ago, when I went to Mistberg Castle for the Grand Ball? And you didn’t come because you had chicken pox?”
    Lottie nodded.
    “Well, that’s when I met the other princesses and we had our first adventure, rescuing the Mistberg deer from metal traps that had been left in the forest. It was really exciting, doing it allby ourselves! After that we promised each other that we would always rescue any animals in danger. And we have, lots of times!”

    Emily fumbled in her pocket and pulled out four rings, each with a beautiful heart-shaped jewel in the center. The red, blue, green, and yellow gems glittered in the palm of her hand.
    “Your ruby ring!” said Lottie, picking up the glowing red jewel. “You always wear this one. Aren’t you taking it with you to the academy?”
    “No, I’m not, and you have to listen to me,” said Emily urgently. “They’ll send someone along for my suitcase in a minute and then I’ll have to go.”
    “OK, I’m listening.” Lottie fixed her green eyes on Emily.
    “The four of us became the Rescue Princesses, and we’ve rescued lots ofdifferent animals all over the world. Now it’s your turn. I can’t rescue animals when I’m at school. You’ll have to do it. Find some other princesses, ones that you trust, and do it together.” Emily gazed at her sister earnestly. “You’ll have to do what we did. Train hard. Learn to climb, swing, and balance. Practice ninja moves….”
    “Ninja moves?!” Lottie’s eyes grew even wider.
    “Yes! Ally taught them to us. You know that she used to be an undercover agent before she came to work here. She’s the only other person who knows about the Rescue Princesses.”
    “You really learned ninja moves?”
    “Yes! And we used jewels with special powers. We had a lot of them, but these rings are the only ones I can give you right now.” Emily dropped the other threerings into Lottie’s hand. “This green jewel is an emerald, the blue one is a sapphire, and the yellow one is a topaz. We used them to contact each other when we were far apart. You have to press the jewel and speak into it when it lights up.”
    Just then, footsteps sounded in the hallway and the door handle swung slowly down. Lottie quickly hid the four rings behind her back and the girls held their breath. Ally, their maid, came in, carrying a pile of folded towels. The girls breathed a sigh of relief.
    “Are you almost ready, Princess Emily?” asked Ally. “Your carriage is waiting downstairs.”
    Emily closed her suitcase and zipped it up. “I’m ready now!” She turned to Lottie. “You will be careful, right? Sometimes you rush off and do things without thinking.”
    Lottie made a face. “I’ll be careful!”
    Emily smiled. “Good-bye, then! Look after those rings!”
    “Bye, Emily!” Lottie gave her sister one last hug, and then Emily was gone.
    Lottie watched from the upstairs window as Emily’s carriage rolled away. She held the four rings tightly, with a fluttering feeling in her stomach. Now it was her turn to be a Rescue Princess. She would seek out animals in danger and save them with fearless acrobatics and cunning ninja moves.
    Emily had told her to be careful. But that was just her worrying about nothing. Lottie had always been able to look after herself. She’d probably make a better Rescue Princess than her sister, anyway!

Lottie leaned forward to look out the tiny, square airplane window. A whole week had passed since Emily had left for school. A whole week since she’d told Lottie about the Rescue Princesses! In that week Lottie had only managed to rescue one creature from danger, and that had been a bumblebee buzzing around her bedroom. She’d just opened the window and let the bee fly away. It hadn’t been very exciting.
    But this place would be different. Down below, she could see rolling hills dotted with small patches of woodland. Surely there’d be lots