A Crazy Day with Cobras (4 page)

The Great Mogul sat cross-legged on a cushion and looked coldly at his audience. He had a handsome face with a sharp nose and dark, distant eyes. A servant stood near him, waving a large peacock-feather fan. Another waved a broom to shoo away flies.

An imperial guard escorted a pair of European ambassadors up the wide steps that led to the throne.

Jack and Annie watched carefully as the ambassadors stood before the Great Mogul. The two men bowed from their waists and brushed the back of their right hands over the carpet. They straightened up, raised their right hands into the air, and placed their palms on top of their heads. Then they lowered their hands and stood very still.

So that’s the way to bow before a Great Mogul
, thought Jack. He hoped he and Annie could remember how to do it.

One of the ambassadors then opened a bag and pulled out a jewel-studded crown and a golden goblet. He gave them to the Great Mogul. The ruler looked at the glittering gifts. Without smiling, he handed them to a servant who had appeared beside him.

Another servant stepped forward with a silver tray. On the tray was a red satin pillow. Spread
across the pillow were dozens of glittering jewels. The ambassadors selected several precious gems. Then they turned and walked slowly down the steps of the throne.

Annie nudged Jack. He looked at her, and she smiled. He knew just what she was thinking:
Those guys got jewels without saying a word!

But Jack was still worried. An emerald rose wasn’t an ordinary jewel. Plus, his story seemed like such a teeny gift compared to a crown and a gold goblet.

The other ambassadors climbed the Peacock Throne in pairs. They all bowed in the same way. They all opened their bags and gave gifts to the Great Mogul—a carved wooden clock, a crystal necklace, a gleaming silver sword. As the ruler received each exquisite gift, he never changed his expression.

Jack grew more and more anxious. If the Great Mogul seemed bored with
these
treasures, what would he think of a kid’s story?

All the ambassadors from Europe were offered
jewels from the silver tray. Then they resumed their place in line. Finally an imperial guard beckoned to Jack and Annie. It was their turn!

Jack’s legs felt wobbly as he walked with Annie up the steps of the throne. The Great Mogul looked at them with his distant, cold stare.

Together, Jack and Annie bowed from their waists. They brushed the back of their right hands over the carpet. They stood up and raised their right hands into the air. They placed their palms on top of their heads. Jack held his breath the whole time. A fly landed on his nose, but he didn’t flinch.

Jack and Annie lowered their arms. Jack’s hands were shaky as he unbuckled his bag and pulled out his story. Without a word, he handed it to the Great Mogul.

The ruler stared at the first page. Slowly he ran his fingers over the fancy type. He turned the page and stared at Annie’s sparkly drawing of the tree house in the Frog Creek woods. Again he touched the page.

Then the Great Mogul raised his eyes and looked straight at Jack and Annie. The next thing Jack knew, the servant was standing in front of them with the tray of jewels. In a panic, Jack stared at the pile of diamonds, pearls, and red, green, and yellow gems. The jewels were all cut in different shapes.

Emerald rose!
Jack thought wildly. He tried to focus, but the glittering gems swirled in front of his eyes—flowers, fish, stars, birds, butterflies, pears, and apples. But no emerald rose!

When Jack glanced up, he saw the Great Mogul watching him. Jack was ready to grab anything!

Annie reached forward and carefully picked up a green stone. She solemnly showed it to Jack.
It was a small emerald shaped like a rose!

Jack nodded, trying to appear calm. His heart was pounding. He glanced at the Great Mogul. The ruler was looking at them with interest. He seemed about to say something. But then a guard beckoned for Jack and Annie to leave the throne platform.

Jack and Annie climbed down the steps and returned to their places behind the other ambassadors.

Wow, wow, wow!
Jack thought.
We did it!

The Great Mogul stood up from his cushion. Quickly and quietly, he walked down the steps of the Peacock Throne. No one moved as the all-powerful ruler slipped out of the hall.

The whole audience seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone began talking and moving
about. The guards stepped forward to escort the ambassadors through the door at the back of the hall.

“Come on, let’s get out of here!” Jack whispered to Annie. He pulled her away from the other ambassadors, and they joined the stream of court nobles heading toward the doors at the front of the hall.

“Mission accomplished!” Annie exclaimed. She handed Jack the emerald rose.

Jack stared at the delicately cut stone. It had five tiny rose petals that curled back at the edges. “Great work,” he said to Annie. He carefully put the jewel in his bag and buckled it. “I was wrong. You were right.”

“I won’t rub it in,” said Annie with a grin.

“That’s okay, I deserve it,” Jack said. “I shouldn’t have worried so much. Now we just have to get back to the tree house. Keep your head down. Move quickly.”

Jack and Annie wound their way through the
crowd, heading for the front doors. Just as they were about to step into the sunlight, another guard blocked their way.

“Excuse us,” said Jack. He tried to step around the guard who towered over them.

But the guard put out his large hand. “I will escort you now to the palace,” he said, “to the private balcony of the Great Mogul.”

“Uh … why?” Jack asked.

“All the ambassadors are to view a parade in their honor,” said the guard.

“Parade?” said Annie. “I love parades.”

“Uh … but we’re kind of in a hurry. Do we have a choice?” Jack asked.

“No,” said the guard.

“Oh,” said Jack. “Okay.”

“This way,” said the guard.

Jack and Annie walked after him back through the empty hall.

“Don’t worry,” Annie whispered to Jack. “What could possibly go wrong at a parade?”

T
he tall guard escorted Jack and Annie out the back door of the hall and into a walled courtyard. The other ambassadors were already entering the palace quarters on the far side.

Jack was so frustrated he barely noticed the crimson and purple flowers, the bubbling fountains, and the dazzling water pools in the courtyard. All he wanted to do was get back to the tree house. Their mission was done. He tried to think of an excuse to get away.

“Annie!” he whispered.

By now Annie was walking ahead and chatting with the guard. “Where do the royal women and children live?” she asked.

The guard pointed to the palace quarters on the left side of the courtyard. Jack noticed veiled women peeping out from behind the arched windows. Annie waved at them, but the women moved out of sight.

The guard escorted Jack and Annie out of the courtyard and through a quiet passageway. The passageway led to a chamber lit with brass lanterns hanging from the wall. The guard handed them each a silk coat, a sash, a pair of pointy shoes, and a jeweled turban.

“Um … what’s this?” asked Jack.

“Gifts from the Great Mogul. You may change in here,” the guard said.

“Oh. Thanks,” said Jack.

The guard pulled aside a curtain to reveal a small space like a dressing room. Jack and Annie stepped inside, and the guard pulled the curtain shut.

Jack whirled around to Annie. “This is awful!”
he whispered. “We have to get out of here!”

“Calm down,” said Annie. “We don’t have a choice.” She rubbed her hand over her purple silk coat. “I love these clothes.”

“Oh, brother,” said Jack, sighing. But he took off his hot jacket and pulled on his orange coat and tied the sash. He definitely felt cooler in the soft silk coat, but the puffy pants made the coat balloon out around his waist. “I really hate this,” he groaned.

“Don’t worry, we’ll leave right after the parade,” said Annie. She tucked her braids under her orange turban. “Do I still look like a boy?”

“You look ridiculous,” said Jack. “We both look ridiculous. We have to make some excuse so we can leave.”

“Don’t you want to see the parade?” asked Annie.

“Not with a person who kills you if you speak to him or bow the wrong way,” said Jack.

“Maybe we won’t have to bow again,” said Annie.

“You’re missing my point,” said Jack. He put on his blue turban. Then he took off his buckled shoes and pulled on the pointy slippers.

Annie looked at him and laughed.

“Not funny,” said Jack.

“Well, don’t forget, if we run into trouble, we can always drink the potion and make ourselves small,” said Annie.

“And get squashed by the Mogul’s guards? No thank you,” said Jack.

Annie laughed again.

“Not funny,” said Jack.

The imperial guard pushed open the curtain to the dressing room. “Come with me now,” he said.

Jack and Annie followed the guard out of the chamber and down a hallway of the palace. “Remember, don’t talk to the other ambassadors,” whispered Jack. “And never,
ever
say anything to the Great Mogul. Promise?”

“Don’t worry, I know what to do,” whispered Annie.

Jack and Annie followed the guard through another chamber and out to a wide, shaded balcony. The balcony overlooked a river and a sandy shore.

The Great Mogul stood near the railing of the balcony, with imperial guards surrounding him. The ambassadors stood in a row behind them. Jack was relieved to see that they, too, were wearing pointy shoes and silk coats that stuck out.

Jack gestured to Annie to stand behind the ambassadors. He hoped none of them would try to talk to him. He was relieved to hear trumpets suddenly blaring and drums booming. All the men stepped forward to watch the parade.

Musicians came first. Hundreds of them marched in formation down the flat sandy shore between the palace and the river. Some blew long golden trumpets. Others beat drums tied around their bodies.

Dozens of flag bearers followed the musicians, their red and yellow banners waving in the hot,
dry wind. After them came row after row of tall, elegant horses with golden bridles. Some were dark gray. Others were copper colored, milk white, or midnight black.

“One hundred Arabian horses!” an imperial guard announced to the ambassadors. “The most beautiful animals in the world!”

Jack glanced at the Great Mogul. The ruler was coldly watching the parade.

Next came carts pulled by white oxen. Riding on the carts were cheetahs with tan fur and black spots. They wore gold collars that glittered in the sunlight.

“One hundred cheetahs!” announced the guard. “The fastest land animals in the world!”

Then came rows and rows of elephants kicking up a sea of dust. They looked like a fleet of gray ships.

“One hundred elephants caught in the wild!” said the guard. “The largest land animals in the world!”

The elephants wore gold chains and silver bells around their necks. The tops of their heads were covered with fancy fringed cloth. On their backs were straw carriages with riders inside.