Free Thrice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris Page A

question.”
    â€œSounds more like Boris than Vlad,” Phoebe said.
    Chris read on. “‘Bring the two million ducats to the dragon’s lair. Tomorrow at sunset.’”
    â€œThose snakes in the grass are barking up the wrong tree, if they think they can get away with this,” Ed said, his fists clenched in anger.
    Chris raised his head. “Two million ducats is almost everything Marigold and I have earned from my inventions and her perfume business. But we’d spend it all, and more, to get Poppy back. How fast can we bag it up?”
    â€œI think we can just about make it,” Swithbert said, “if we start right now.” He jumped up as fast as his crotchety knees would allow. “Magnus, you come with me. We’ll get Mrs. Clover and Denby to supervise the servants who’ll be doing the bagging. They’re the most reliable staff members we have. We don’t want to take any chances on anybody putting a few ducats in their pockets. We’re going to need every one for the ransom.” He and Magnus hurried out.
    â€œYour Highness,” Sebastian said. “I know you’re more than willing to hand over the money. But that deadline gives us two days to keep looking. We don’t have to give up yet.”
    â€œI agree,” Ed said. “I’m throwing a cold blanket on giving up right now.”
    Chris put one hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and one on Ed’s. “You two don’t quit, do you? I’m out of ideas. Do either of you have any?”
    Ed shook his head. “I wish I did, but I’m afraid you have to include me out.”
    â€œI’ve been thinking about it,” Sebastian said. “What I’ve come up with may not be as true for Boris as it is for my father, but Vlad likes his comforts. He can rough it for a couple of days, and then he’s sick of it. He wants a good bed and some privacy and something decent to eat. I believe he would have hidden out with little Princess Poppy right at first, when it would have been logical for you to search for his house, but once he thought you’d moved on, he’d be wanting to get back home.”
    Chris sighed. “It
would
have been logical to search there first, wouldn’t it? But I didn’t do that. However, as of last night, he still wasn’t there. Do you think he’s there now? With Poppy?”
    â€œWhat can it hurt to look again? We don’t want to miss them.”
    â€œExcuse me, Your Highness,” Phoebe said. “We should probably look in Boris’s house, too. They could be there. They
have
spent a lifetime working together. Though I’d put money on a bet that it’s nowhere as nice as Vlad’s place.”
    â€œThat would be my guess, too,” Chris said. He had gained a sense of Phoebe’s childhood, living with a feared and reviled parent with a reputation of being a slob, in an unkempt, motherless home. “Well, let’s not waste any more time.”
    â€œRight,” Ed said. “Go get them! You’ve taken a big headache off my shoulders.”

10
    A AAH ,” V LAD SAID, STRETCHING out in his favorite chair, his feet up on his favorite footstool (a stuffed snapping turtle), a glass of thistle juice spiked with fermented frizzer (a pretty potent combo) in his hand. “Don’t I deserve this! After sleeping in a tent! With a goat! Waiting for Rollo and his troop of oafs to finally do what I’d expected them to do a lot sooner—quit pawing through my things and ride back to Beaurivage Castle. The things I put up with for a fortune!”
    Boris sprawled on the weasel-fur rug in front of the fire, trying to get his mouth around a gigantic anaconda-sausage sandwich. “I wish I could unhinge my jaw, the way this snake could have done,” he said. “Then I wouldn’t have any trouble at all.” Finally, he just stuffed the sandwich in, causing chunks to tumble down