4 A Mysterious Mission

CHAPTER 4

A Mysterious Mission "I wonder who that strange lady could be," Lucas said. Clara shook her head. "I don't know, but we need to find out. What if she wants to rob the palace?" Lucas gasped. "Or worse, steal Ruskin!" Ruskin squawked at the thought. "Don't worry, boy," said Clara. "You're safe with us." The children had found a new adventure: Find the mysterious lady.

They spent the day searching the castle. The first person they bumped into was a royal guard in the hallway. They described the pale lady to the guard. The guard shook his head. "I've been on duty

since four this morning," he said, "I haven't seen anyone who fits that description."

Next they moved on to the royal study, where Queen Tasha was reading. "Excuse me, Mother," Lucas said. "Did you invite anyone to the palace today, like an older woman with long white hair?" Queen Tasha set her book down and chuckled. "Are you three on some sort of imaginary adventure?" The children sighed because the queen wasn't taking them seriously.

"No, Your Highness. I'm afraid we are very serious," Clara said. "We saw a strange woman in the kitchen, and Cook said he didn't know who she was." The queen thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Well, I promise I haven't invited anyone over today." Lucas and Clara left the study and continued on their mission.