Roamany men and women and children hung from open doors and windows, shouting and blowing trumpets and throwing down confetti and waving to the crowds that had come out onto the streets to greet them.
Trundle and Jack and Esmeralda ran into the middle of the street and cheered and waved and jumped up and down with glee as the glorious caravans circled overhead.
The string of caravans performed a long loop over the high street, then went sweeping away, descending into a wide meadow before coming to a slow, sliding halt while the people of Port Tentercombe went racing off to greet the exotic newcomers.
“Let’s go!” yelled Esmeralda, almost bowling Trundle over as she whizzed past him. “We have to get to Aunt Millie straightaway. She’ll help us work out where the next crown is—no problems!”
Trundle and Jack looked at each other for a moment, then chased after her.
After everything he had been told, Trundle was rather looking forward to meeting Esmeralda’s famous aunt.
“Well! This is something like, I must say!” declared Jack, grinning like a piano. “I haven’t been to a Roamany fair in years!”
“Wonderful!” Trundle gasped. “It’s absolutely wonderful!”
No sooner had the line of caravans come to a graceful curving halt than their doors were flung wide and their sides burst open and, as if by magic, the meadow was suddenly filled with colorful pavilions and sideshows and fairground booths and tents and attractions. The air rang to the sound of pipe organs and flutes and drums and tambourines and voices calling and laughter and the smells of toffee apples and candyfloss and boiled sweets.
Trundle saw Esmeralda in among the crowd, racing from booth to booth, from sideshow to sideshow, leaping about and shrieking for joy and flinging her arms around the necks of the brightly dressed Roamany folk, as though intent on hugging every single one of them. It was clear from their reactions that they were overjoyed to see her, too. And no wonder: the last time they had laid eyes on her was when she was being dragged away by marauding pirates. Trundle guessed that most people kidnapped by pirates never came home again, ever.
But then most people weren’t quite as resourceful as Esmeralda Lightfoot.
Jack linked his arm with Trundle’s, and the two of them stepped out into the riotous fairground. As they strolled among the attractions, cheery voices rose up all around them.
“Try your luck, my bonny young fellows!”
“Three throws for a sunder!”
“Roll up, roll up! You have a lucky look about you, my lads! Throw a hoop and win a prize!”
“Popcorn! Buttered or salted or smothered in honey!”
“Your fortune told—only two sunders!”
“Genuine sharks’ teeth from the dark lagoons of Gnashenchopper’s Reef! They’ll bring you good luck!”
Trundle gaped at the alluring signs that adorned the sides of many caravans.
Hattie Hoptoad, purveyor of potions,
lotions, balsams and balms, salves and
spells and ointments and charms.
Come inside, cross my palm.
It might do you good—it’ll do you no harm!
Glockspindle the Magnificent. Watch him
perform the Dark Magicks from Before
the Dawn of Time! Only five sunders.
Kids half price.
Barkers and shills shouted above the general cacophony.
“Ladeez an’ genn’lemen, boyz ’n’ girls! See monsters and freaks beyond the imagination! Observe the awesome Shellyphant, last in a line of giant clams from the dried-up ocean bed of Rint! Converse with the astonishing Speaking Potato of Scrunge! Marvel at the uncanny Vegetable Lamb! Behold the terrible Crocoduck! Dare you enter Professor Tapwindle’s Emporium of Frightfulness?”
“Aha!” Jack declared, suddenly towing Trundle off at right angles. “Here’s the very place I need!”
Trundle saw a tall gold-colored caravan with what looked like organ pipes sticking up out of the roof. The caravan was decorated all over with musical staves and liberally sprinkled with crotchets and quavers and minims and breves and semibreves. Rollicking, rolling organ music was bellowing out of the open door. The side of the caravan had been let down and a striped awning put up, and set out on display were an astonishing array of musical instruments.
Trundle looked at a sign that hung next to the door.
Handmade Musical Instruments for
Sale or Hire! Come and Test Our Wares.
We have: Bladderpipes, Cornamuses,
Crumhorns, Gemshorns, Hurdy-Gurdies,
Psalteries, Pipes and Tabors, Racketts,
Rebecs, Sackbuts, Serpents, Shawms,
Viols, and Zinks. Beautiful Tones.
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Jack moved among the weird-looking musical instruments, lovingly stroking them and plucking at them and tapping them.
“I need a new rebec,” he explained to Trundle.
“How can you afford to buy one?” Trundle asked.
Jack grinned. “When you spend your life on the road, you learn a trick or two,” he said, stooping to remove a shoe. He gave the heel a quick twist, and a handful of gold sunders spilled into his paw. He winked at Trundle. “For emergencies.”
He turned to the sales mongoose. “I’d like to try a few rebecs, please, my good fellow,” he said, then turned to give Trundle another wink. “This might take a while.”
“Fair enough,” Trundle replied, wanting to find Esmeralda. “I’ll see you later.”
He left Jack with a bow in one hand and a stringed instrument in the other, his head tilted to one side as he sawed away in a flurry of merry music.
Trundle eventually came across Esmeralda chatting animatedly to an elderly beaver.
“Oh, Trundle! There you are,” she said. “This is Pounceman Donk. Pounceman, this is my friend Trundle Boldoak.”
Trundle solemnly shook hands with the old beaver. “Very pleased to meet you, sir.”
“And you, too, young fellow my lad,” said the beaver. “Esmeralda has been telling me about your intention to gather the Six Crowns of the Badger Lords.” He nodded. “A noble enterprise,” he said. “But one thing you should know to help you on your quest. If you walk far enough in any direction, you’ll end up meeting yourself coming back again. Remember that, and you won’t go far wrong.”
“Oh,” said Trundle. “Yes. Thank you.” He glanced at Esmeralda, who was smiling behind her paw. “I’m sure that will be really helpful.”
“Come on, Trundle, let’s go and find Aunt Millie,” Esmeralda said, pulling him away.
“What was all that about?” Trundle murmured once they were out of earshot.
“Oh, take no notice of Pounceman,” Esmeralda said. “He’s always saying stuff like that. No one knows what any of it means.”
Millie Rose Thorne’s caravan wasn’t hard to locate. It was big and dark blue and painted with stars and moons and beaming suns. Seven steps led to the high door, over which hung an impressive sign.
Millie Rose Thorne. Queen of all the
Roamany Folk. Oracle, Diviner, Clairvoyant,
and Fortune-teller. See Your Future, for
Good or Ill, in a Reading from the Ancient
and Magical Badger Blocks!
Enter if You Dare!
A shiver ran up and down Trundle’s spine as he stood at the foot of the seven steps, each one a different color of the rainbow. If the tingling in his prickles was anything to go by, this caravan was simply stiff with magic.
“Aunt Millie!” shouted Esmeralda. “Surprise! I’m back!”
There were noises of hasty movement from inside the caravan, and the next moment, the top half of the door burst open and the startled face and upper portions of a plump, elderly lady hedgehog appeared.
“Esmeralda! Is it really you?”
Millie Rose Thorne had a blue-and-silver scarf tied around her head and huge hooped earrings hanging on either side of her round, apple-cheeked face. Her eyes widen
ed in amazement as she stared down at Esmeralda.
“Hello, Aunty!” Esmeralda laughed, running up the steps. “I bet you didn’t expect to see me again!”
“That I didn’t!” gasped her aunt, flinging the bottom half of the door open. “What a resourceful child you are, to be sure!”
“You bet I am!” chuckled Esmeralda.
“And who’s your little friend?” Millie Rose asked, peering down at Trundle, who was standing on the bottom step, feeling a little awkward and embarrassed and left out of it.
“He’s the Lamplighter!” exclaimed Esmeralda. “Just like the Badger Blocks showed!”
“Well, well, well,” said the old lady. “Come on up, Trundle. Don’t be shy. Let’s make ourselves comfortable, and then you can tell me everything the two of you young folk have been up to.”
Trundle scampered up the steps and followed Esmeralda and her aunt into the dark caravan. The walls were veiled in blue velvet curtains, and in the middle of the floor stood a round table with a blue cloth and a shining crystal ball. A strange, spicy scent tickled Trundle’s nose and made him want to sneeze.
“Let’s clear all this stuff away and have a nice cup of strawberry tea,” Millie Rose said. “Do you like plum cake at all, Trundle?”
“I don’t know,” Trundle replied. “I’ve never had it.”
“Never had plum cake?” exclaimed the old lady. “You poor boy! Sit ye down and make yourself comfortable while I get things organized.”
Trundle sat at the table while Esmeralda’s aunt whisked open the blue curtains and cleared the table. In a few moments, Trundle found himself gazing around at a lovely, homey little caravan with pink walls and windows draped with white lace, dressers filled with crockery, and a little black stove upon which a kettle was piping and steaming.
“So, children,” Millie Rose said as she laid plates on the table. “Tell me all!”
“Those horrid pirates took me to Drune and sold me as a slave to work in the mines!” Esmeralda began.
“No! How very dreadful!” gasped her aunt, spooning tea into a pot.
“I’ll say!” Esmeralda agreed. “But I escaped and stowed away on a windship that took me to Trundle’s homeland. I knew the moment I saw him that he was the Lamplighter from the Badger Blocks! The pirates were hot on our trail by then, but we got away from them and hopped a ride on another windship that took us all the way back to Drune. And long story short—we’ve found the first of the crowns—the Crystal Crown! Trundle, show it to Aunt Millie.”
Trundle undid the laces of his backpack and reached inside for the crown. He placed it carefully on the tablecloth. It shone and glittered in the light.
“My oh my!” said Millie Rose, her eyes gleaming. “What a very pretty thing! It must be worth a fortune!” She sat down at the table, lifting a knife and cutting thick slices from a rich, dark plum cake.
“And that’s not all,” said Esmeralda. “Trundle, show Aunt Millie the key.”
Trundle paused with his slice of cake halfway to his mouth. He put it back on his plate and rummaged around in his backpack for the key.
He placed it on the table next to the crown.
“There!” said Esmeralda. “We found that with the crown. It has to mean something, doesn’t it? It’s a clue, isn’t it? A clue to where the second crown can be found!”
“Well, I never,” murmured her aunt, picking up the key and turning it over and over in her paws.
“Do you recognize the seals?” Trundle asked, his mouth now half full of delicious and sticky cake.
The old lady studied the seal on one side of the handle. It was an ornate letter W with vines and leaves running up and down it.
“This is the coat of arms of the ancient kings of Widdershins,” she told them. She turned the key over. “I don’t recognize this other seal at all, but it must have some significance.”
“The second crown must be hidden in Widdershins!” cried Esmeralda. “We have to go there right now!”
“I’m sure I’ve heard the name Widdershins before,” Trundle said. “But I don’t remember anything about it.”
“Well, no, my dear,” Millie Rose said. “I don’t imagine the simple farming folk of Shiverstones would know very much about the Guild of Observators in the ancient citadel of Widdershins.”
Trundle blushed a little. “I’m afraid all we really know about is how to raise and cook cabbages,” he admitted. “But I do read a lot of books,” he added brightly. “And I’m…” His voice trailed off as an odd thought suddenly struck him. “Excuse me,” he said, very politely. “But how did you know I come from Shiverstones?”
Millie Rose sipped her tea. “Oh, I’m sure you or Esmeralda must have mentioned it,” she said. “Eat up your plum cake. There’s plenty more.”
Esmeralda was looking at her aunt with a puzzled frown on her face. “Um, actually, no,” she said. “I don’t think we did.”
“Of course you did, my dear child,” said her aunt. “Have another drop of tea, won’t you?”
“Aunt Millie!” Esmeralda said, her voice suddenly rather sharp. “I am absolutely sure that neither of us mentioned Shiverstones at all.” She reached across the table and drew the iron key back toward herself. “How did you know?”
Trundle accidentally swallowed a big chunk of plum cake.
Something was wrong here!
Very wrong indeed!
Millie Rose Thorne sipped her tea and smiled indulgently at Esmeralda.
“You and your fancies, my dear,” she chuckled. “What will you think of next?” She looked at Trundle. “More strawberry tea, Trundle?”
“Umm … no, thank you,” mumbled Trundle.
“What’s going on, Aunt Millie?” Esmeralda asked sternly. “How did you know Trundle came from Shiverstones?” She frowned at the smiling old lady. “Tell me the truth!”
“Esmeralda, Esmeralda,” Millie Rose said, still smiling. “You always were such an inquisitive girl!” Her eyes twinkled. “But I suppose I ought to tell you the whole story.”
“Darned right you ought!” growled Esmeralda.
“You remember that when you made that special Badger Block prophecy, your picture—the Princess in Darkness—was upside down.”
“Yes, meaning problems,” said Esmeralda. “So?”
“So it was hardly surprising that the pirates attacked the very next day and kidnapped you!” said her aunt. “Something like that was bound to happen. Which is why I wasn’t too bothered when they popped you in a sack and made off with you.”
“Thanks for your concern!” grumbled Esmeralda.
“Tush!” said her aunt. “It’s not like they were going to kill you, is it? Where would be the profit in that? I knew they would sell you—and Drune is always on the lookout for healthy young slaves.”
Trundle sat openmouthed, hardly able to believe his ears.
“Anyway,” Aunt Millie continued. “I sent a raven messenger off to Captain Grizzletusk with a tempting offer. It got to him just after he’d sold you in the mines. The raven told him about the Badger Block prophecy, and how the blocks foretold that you would find the legendary Six Crowns of the Badger Lords of Old.” She took a sip of tea. “I said I’d pay a very respectable ransom if he was prepared to follow you about on your quest until you had all six crowns. I told him you were bound to escape. And escape you did! I mean, the Fates weren’t going to let you waste away in Drune after a prophecy like that!”
She chuckled. “Of course, pirates being pirates, they couldn’t just quietly follow you—they simply had to attack Port Shiverstones!” She tutted and shook her head. “Those rascals will do anything for a quick profit!” She smiled again. “But the long and the short of it is that I’ve been in communication with the Iron Pig all along. And very satisfying it was, too, till you managed to outrun them in the Goills! I thought all my clever plans were in ruins till you turned up good as gold on my doorstep, like the precious child you are!”
“You…! You…!” Esme
ralda jumped to her feet, spilling the pink tea across the tablecloth in her rage. “You wretched excuse for an aunt!”
Trundle looked from one to the other with growing alarm.
“Calm down, Esmeralda,” said her aunt. “My, but you always were such an excitable child. It all worked out for the best, didn’t it? You found the crown. And you found a clue with it. Now then, sit down, my dear, and let’s finish our tea like civilized people. What must our guest think of your manners?” She beamed at Trundle. “More cake, Trundle, dear?”
“No … thank you,” mumbled Trundle. “Not … very … hungry … anymore…”
“Sit down and finish our tea?” hollered Esmeralda. “Not on your life! Trundle, grab the crown and the key—we’re getting out of here!”
Bewildered and befuddled, Trundle snatched up the crown and key off the table and shoved them into his backpack. One thing was certain—Esmeralda’s Aunt Millie was not quite the sweet old lady she seemed. Not at all, she wasn’t!
Millie Rose put her cup down and stood up. “Now stop this nonsense, both of you,” she said. “Or I will have to get cross with you.”
“You put me in so much danger, you horrible, horrible person!” raged Esmeralda as she backed toward the door. “I never want to see you again! I hate you!”
“Tsk, tsk!” said Millie Rose, edging around the table. “What an unkind thing to say! And after I brought you up like you were my own kith and kin! But I can see you’re upset.” She reached out with plump, curved fingers. “Come here, my dear, and let Aunty kiss it better.”
“No fear!” yelled Esmeralda, bounding backward.
Seeing a rather unpleasant light growing in the old lady’s eyes, Trundle stepped in front of Esmeralda and drew his sword.
“I’m terribly sorry,” he said, backing off with the point aimed at the old lady. “But I’m going to have to ask you to keep away.” He hoped she wouldn’t notice how much the sword was shaking in his hand. He glared indignantly at her. “I mean to say! What kind of an aunt are you, anyway? Esmeralda could have been killed any number of times over the past few days.”