Moonlight on the Magic Flute: A Merlin Mission (3 page)

“I know—artist,” finished Jack. “But how do we find this person?”

“We’ll get to that part soon enough,” said Annie. “First let’s find the party.”

Jack and Annie walked toward the fancy coaches parked near the gates. “Where’s our invitation?” asked Annie.

“Here.” Jack pulled the invitation out of his pocket.

“Excuse me,” said Annie, walking up to the driver of a golden coach pulled by two white horses. “We’re looking for the summer palace.” Jack showed their invitation to the man.

The driver nodded approvingly. “Ah, so you are guests of the imperial family!” he said. “But why are you arriving on foot? Where is your coach?”

“Um, our driver let us out back there,” said Annie, pointing down the street.

“I fear he let you out too soon,” said the driver. “You still have quite a distance to go.”

“ We do?” said Annie.

“Yes,” said the driver. “I have already delivered my employer and his family to the palace. I was waiting here until the party ended. But if you like, I can take you there. Young nobles should always arrive by coach.”

“Oh, thanks!” said Annie.

Jack straightened his shoulders and tried to look noble.

“My name is Josef,” said the man. “Come, let
me help you up.” Josef held out his hand. Annie took it, and Josef helped her up onto a cushioned leather seat.

Josef helped Jack up, too. Then the friendly driver climbed onto a bench behind the milk white horses.

“Wow, I feel like Cinderella going to the ball,” Annie said to Jack.

Josef snapped the reins. The horses took off, and the guards opened the gates. The coach clattered over the cobblestones into an immense square.

The square was bathed in the last light of day. Monks in brown robes strolled around a huge fountain. Soldiers in uniforms rode on horseback. On the far side of the square was a long building. It had bright yellow walls and dozens of windows that flashed with the light of the setting sun.

“Is
that
the summer palace, sir?” Annie called to Josef.

“Yes, indeed,” Josef said over his shoulder.
“And there is much more that you cannot see! Behind the palace is a garden of nearly three hundred acres. It has beautiful flowers, orchards, fountains, and a zoo.”

“A zoo?” said Jack.

“Hello, boy and girl!” came a high little voice. A closed blue coach passed them. A small boy wearing a white wig was calling from a window. He pointed at Jack and laughed. “Your wig is crooked!” he shouted in his high voice.

Before the boy could say more, someone pulled him back from the window, and the blue coach rumbled away.

“What an annoying kid,” said Jack. “
Is
my wig crooked?”

“A little.” Annie lifted Jack’s hat off. She tried to straighten his wig as they lurched and swayed on the cushioned seat. “There,” she said. “That’s better.”

Josef drove the horses to the front of the palace. The coach stopped near a staircase that led up to a terrace. Josef helped Jack and Annie down from their seat.

“I can tell this is your first visit to the palace,” said Josef. “At the door, you must show the guard in the red uniform your invitation. He will direct you to the receiving line.”

“The receiving line? What’s that?” said Jack.

“That is where you will wait to be introduced,” said Josef.

“Introduced to who?” asked Jack.

“To Her Imperial Majesty Maria Theresa. She is Archduchess of Austria; Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia; and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire,” said Josef.

“Oh, right,” said Annie.

Yeah, right,
thought Jack.
Help!

“T
hanks for your help, Josef,” said Annie.

“Yeah, thanks a lot,” said Jack.

“You’re very welcome,” said Josef. “I hope you will enjoy yourselves at the party.”

“ We will,” said Annie. “Bye.”

As the coachman climbed back into his carriage, Annie turned to Jack. “This is so cool!” she said.

Not really,
thought Jack. He didn’t know how he was supposed to act with Her Imperial Majesty whatever-the-rest-of-her-name-was! His hands felt
clammy. “What do we do when we meet her? What do we say?” he asked.

“ We just watch what other people do,” said Annie, “and we copy them. Come on.”

Jack and Annie walked over to the sweeping stairway. They started up the steps, following the other party guests. The women all wore glittering jewels and gowns with giant hoopskirts. The men wore wigs with white curls flowing down over the collars of their long coats. All the clothes were made of silk and satin and velvet in rich colors and patterns.

“Oh, brother,” said Jack.

“What?” said Annie.

“There’s that kid who yelled at me,” Jack said.

The small boy from the blue coach was standing at the top of the stairs. He wore a lilac-colored coat with gold braid. A tiny sword hung from his side.

“A sword?” said Jack. “That’s ridiculous. He can’t be more than four or five years old.”

The boy turned and caught sight of Jack and Annie. A big smile crossed his round face. He waved at them.

“He’s cute,” said Annie. She waved back.

“Not really,” said Jack.

A man grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him into the palace.

“And he thought
I
looked funny,” said Jack. “How’s my wig now?”

Annie giggled. “It’s crooked again,” she said. “And your ears are poking out. Hold on.”

Jack and Annie stopped on the stairs. Annie grabbed both sides of Jack’s wig and gave it a good yank.

“Move along, children. You’re holding up the line!” a woman behind them said.

Annie picked up her hoopskirt, and she and Jack hurried up the stairs. At the top, Jack pulled their invitation out of his pocket again. He led Annie into the palace and showed the invitation to a guard in a red uniform.

“Follow the line through the lantern room and into the Great Rosa Room,” the guard said.

Jack saw a line of party guests walking slowly through a candlelit room. He and Annie quickly joined the line. The room was filled with sounds of whispering and the rustling of silk.

A young girl in a white dress with red roses was standing near Jack and Annie. When the line moved, Jack waited for the girl to go ahead.

The girl smiled. “I’m not in line,” she said in a soft voice. “I’m waiting for my brother.”

Jack nodded, and he and Annie stepped forward. Jack craned his neck to get a better view inside the Great Rosa Room. He couldn’t see Her Imperial Majesty yet, but he could see part of the fancy room with its red velvet chairs and gold-trimmed, glossy white walls.

Another guest entered the Great Rosa Room, and Jack and Annie took a step closer to the door.
Now
Jack could see Her Imperial Majesty. She was a tall, plump woman dressed in a blue silk
gown with ruffles. To Jack’s surprise, the little kid with the sword was sitting on her lap! A long row of older children stood behind her.

Jack turned to Annie. “Who do you think those kids are?” he asked.

Annie shrugged.

“They are the children of Her Imperial Majesty,” said the girl who had spoken to Jack earlier. “The imperial children.”

“Thanks,” said Annie.

“The imperial children look pretty unfriendly,” Jack whispered to Annie. The little boy with the sword was the only one smiling.

“Well, it must be really hard to just stand there wearing stiff clothes and wigs while people are being received,” Annie whispered back.

“Prepare yourselves. You are next,” a servant at the door said to Jack and Annie.

Oh, no!
thought Jack. He’d been too busy looking at the imperial children to watch the guests in front of him. “What do we do when we meet
Her Imperial Majesty?” he asked Annie frantically.

“I don’t know! I forgot to watch!” she said. Annie turned to the girl in the white dress. “Um— excuse me? Can you tell us what to do when we meet Her Imperial Majesty?” she asked.

The girl leaned close to Annie and whispered, “Enter the room and announce your names. Then walk to the middle of the room. You must curtsy; he must bow. Next go directly up to Her Imperial Majesty and do the same.”

“Got it,” said Annie.

“Oh, and remember—” the girl said to Jack, “do not rise from the second bow until Her Imperial Majesty tells you to. Do not even look up. Rise only when she says ‘rise.’ Then step backward out of the room.”

“Backward?” said Jack.

“Yes. You must never turn your back on Her Imperial Majesty,” said the girl. “It would be considered very bad manners.”

“Thanks!” said Jack. He was grateful to the
girl for giving them such important information.

The servant at the door turned and nodded to Jack and Annie. The two of them stepped into the Great Rosa Room.

“Annie of Frog Creek!” Annie said loudly.

“Jack, also of Frog Creek!” said Jack.

Jack and Annie walked slowly to the center of the room; Her Imperial Majesty and the imperial children watched them closely. The little boy with the sword waved at them. Annie curtsied and Jack gave a low bow.

Then Jack and Annie walked closer to Her Imperial Majesty. She had a double chin, a high forehead, and lots of teeny blond curls. Jack smiled at her, but her pale face stayed very serious.

Annie curtsied again, and Jack gave a second bow. As he bowed, he remembered that it was bad manners to rise or look up before Her Imperial Majesty told him to.

Jack stared at the shiny buckles on his shoes, waiting to hear Her Imperial Majesty say “rise.”

Maybe I’m not bowing low enough,
Jack thought. He bent over a few inches more. To his horror, the silver flute slipped out of his coat pocket! It clattered to the floor. As Jack grabbed it, his hat fell off.

The imperial children snickered.

Clutching the flute, Jack reached for his hat with his other hand. But when he grabbed his hat, his wig fell off! Jack reached for his wig, but powder got in his nose, and he sneezed. As he sneezed, he slipped on the polished floor and fell to his knees. Gripping his wig, his hat, and his flute, Jack scrambled back up to his bowing position. But he still hadn’t heard Her Imperial Majesty tell him to rise!

The imperial children laughed loudly. Jack even heard Her Imperial Majesty laughing!
She probably can’t speak because she’s laughing so hard,
thought Jack. He didn’t know what to do. His face was burning hot.
You’ve got to get out of here!
he told himself.

Still bowing, Jack began backing up with little steps—until he bumped into a wall.

As the imperial children howled with laughter, Jack turned his head and saw Annie peeking out from a doorway, giggling. He backed over to her.

Annie grabbed his coattails and pulled him out of the Great Rosa Room.

The imperial children clapped and cheered. Jack heard one of the girls say between gulps of laughter, “Who was that fool?”

“That was Jack of Frog Creek!” answered the small boy in his high voice. And they all laughed loudly again.