Read Rescue Princesses #6: The Magic Rings for Free Online Page A

go before my mom comes back. Don’t forget your black dresses. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairs at ten to midnight.”

    Lottie lay in bed, staring at the clock. The minutes ticked by very slowly. Her eyelids began to close.
    “Cuckoo!” The bird inside the wooden clock popped out and chirped eleven times.
    Lottie sat straight up. She must have fallen asleep. Thank goodness for the cuckoo clock. She jumped out of bed and pulled off her nightgown to reveal the black dance dress underneath. There was less than an hour to wait now. Maybe she should get her flashlight ready.
    She grabbed it from the bedside table and switched it on and off a few times under the covers. Then she took off her ruby ring and turned it over in her hand. If only the rings were working! She could send a message to the others. She tapped the ruby with her fingernail. But nothing happened. She rubbed it against her pillow. Still nothing.
    She looked at the clock again. Half an hour to go. She frowned. It wasn’tjust the rings that were bothering her. What if Isabella tripped over something again? What if Amina got scared? Or what if Rosalind started arguing about everything? There were so many things that could go wrong.
    Finally, at quarter to twelve, Lottie slipped on her shoes. Her bedroom door made a loud creak when it opened. But somehow she managed to close it quietly and creep down the hallway.
    The palace was so silent that she hardly dared to breathe. She felt her way to the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to switch the flashlight on in case someone saw the light. Her heart thumped in the darkness. This is for the horses , she reminded herself. She couldn’t let them get stolen by the horrible Lady Slyden.
    Three more princess shadows slipped down the stairs to join her. The blackdresses worked well, thought Lottie. The others were hard to spot in the dark.
    “Is that you, Lottie?” murmured Isabella.
    Lottie switched on her light. “Yes, it’s me!” she whispered. “Are you ready?”
    The others nodded.
    Lottie flicked the light off again. The princesses tiptoed into the dining room and unlocked the doors that led outside. The garden was lit by a silver crescent moon that bobbed on a sea of clouds. Now they just had to cross the garden without being seen.
    Remembering their ninja training, the princesses looked around for good places to hide. Then they ran across the lawn one by one, darting behind trees and statues. Lottie’s red curls bounced as her feet flew over the damp grass. She joined the others by the gateto the horses’ field and tried to catch her breath.

    She looked at her new friends, doubt creeping into her mind. Were they really going to be able to help the horses? Isabella had already tripped over a potted plant and Amina looked terrified.
    “There’s no sign of Lady Slyden or her servant yet,” said Isabella, scanning the fields.
    “Maybe they’re already inside the stable.” Amina’s voice wobbled a little.
    “They can’t be. We’d be able to hear them,” said Rosalind.
    The princesses listened carefully. The trees rustled and an owl hooted a long way off.
    “You’re right, they can’t be here yet,” said Lottie. “Let’s go around to the back of the stables. That way we’ll be completely hidden before they arrive.”
    They crept across the stable yard. Isabella tripped over an animal’s drinking trough, which made a loud clatter.
    “Shh!” said Rosalind.
    One horse put his head over his stall’s door and snorted.
    Lottie stopped suddenly. “Why aren’t there more of them?” she asked.
    “What do you mean?” said Amina nervously.
    “There’s only one horse looking out of the stable.” Lottie pointed it out. “There should be more.”
    “Maybe the others are all asleep,” said Rosalind.
    Lottie went to look over each stall door. A cold dread rose inside her as she counted the empty stalls. There were five horses in the front stalls. She was sure there had been more than