Read Rescue Princesses #4: The Stolen Crystals for Free Online

vanished.
    “Look, Jaminta! Here’s the earl,” hissed Clarabel.
    Two figures came striding out of the back gate and down the hill toward them. The girls pretended to be looking for fish in the river. The man in front was tall and thin, with a crooked mouth and a red cloak that swirled behind him. It was definitely Earl Scrant.
    “The servant’s got a shovel,” muttered Clarabel. “They must be planning to dig for the Heart Crystals right now.”
    Jaminta tried to glance at them quickly so that they didn’t see her looking. She saw the earl’s swirling red cloak out of the corner of her eye and it reminded her of something. She’d seen a glimpse of that red cloak before, by the bridge yesterday after they’d visited the pandas.
    Earl Scrant climbed onto the curvedbridge and stopped to glare at the two princesses.
    “Hey, look, Clarabel!” Jaminta pointed at the water and spoke loudly, her heart thumping. “I just saw some fish.”
    Both girls leaned over the water, pretending to look.
    “Come on, Drudger! Get a move on!” snapped the earl.
    The other man followed the earl across the bridge, carrying the shovel balanced over one shoulder. As they reached the other side, the mother panda walked back into the forest, leaving the cub still playing on the riverbank.
    Jaminta and Clarabel tiptoed forward. They crept across the bridge, being careful not to make a sound. The two men stopped next to the trees and unfolded a large map.
    The princesses edged closer, listening.

    “We’ll turn right after the rope bridge,” said the earl. “Then I’ll look for more landmarks.”
    Jaminta crept a little closer, but her shoe caught on a twig and it broke beneath her foot with an enormous crack .
    The earl swung around, his eyes bulging. “You silly princesses! How dare you follow me?”
    The other man scowled. “That’s four of them. If you count the ones we saw in the garden, hiding behind that statue.”
    The earl ground his teeth. “Stay away from me or I’ll make you regret it!”
    “We were just leaving.” Jaminta went pale. “We won’t disturb you.” She and Clarabel started backing away, their hearts thumping.
    But the earl wasn’t paying attention. He had caught sight of the panda cub scampering by the river. He strode over toLucky and snatched up the little cub with one gloved hand.
    “I know what will stop your meddling,” he snapped. “See this pathetic creature that you were cooing over when you crossed the bridge yesterday? Well, if you follow me or if you tell anyone at the palace where I’ve gone, then you’ll never, ever see him again!”
    Jaminta’s heart turned cold. He was threatening poor Lucky!
    The earl’s face twisted into a horrible smile. “Do you understand? If you tell or if you follow me, something bad will happen to this animal.” He tucked the cub under one arm. “And there are some very steep drops on the mountainside, if you know what I mean.” Chuckling to himself, the earl marched into the bamboo forest, with his servant behind him.
    Clarabel turned to Jaminta, tears in hereyes. “What are we going to do? He’s taken Lucky and it’s all our fault.”
    Lulu and Emily came sprinting across the wooden bridge.
    “What happened?” Lulu panted. “We saw Earl Scrant talking to you. What did he say?”
    Jaminta brushed tears from her eyes. “He picked up Lucky and took him away. He said if we followed him, we’d never see Lucky again.”
    “Oh no!” Emily put her hand over her mouth.
    “But we can’t leave Lucky with him. He’s a dangerous man,” cried Clarabel.
    Lulu frowned furiously. “I brought some rope in this backpack. Maybe we can capture the earl and tie him up.”
    “No, he’s too big. We’d never be able to do that. We’ll have to think of something else.” Jaminta gazed up at the mountain,a feeling of calm settling over her. Suddenly, she knew exactly what she had to do. “I know how we can get Lucky back. All we have to do is offer Earl