Ben gave a heavy sigh but seemed to accept her words without too much disappointment.

“Andrew,” he said, “Arabella, I think the moment has come to test that powder we…requisitioned.”

“What powder would that be?” Danielle asked suspiciously.

“I thought you knew everything that happens in the palace?” Ben asked in a superior voice.

“No, that’s my mother.” Danielle didn’t appear in the least disconcerted by his teasing. “But it’s a good point. If she’s let you hang onto it, it can’t be too dangerous.”

“We think it just creates a big bang and a lot of smoke,” Arabella said. “But of course we need to test it to be sure.”

“And here we have the perfect opportunity.” Ben rubbed his hands together. “We can’t even get in trouble for it! Well, not proper trouble. The cap will probably try to string us up before our parents arrive.” He sounded perfectly cheerful about the possibility.

Danielle tipped her head to the side, considering. “No, you should be safe. The captain won’t leave the coronation jewels just to deal with you three.”

“Excellent.” Andrew smiled at his sister. “None of the rest of them will do anything except get red-faced and quote rules and regulations at us until someone fetches our parents.”

“It’ll need to be timed right,” Danielle said. “One of you will have to listen around the corner from the vault. When I say that the weather is perfect for the coronation, that will be the signal.”

“What if it rains tomorrow?” Arabella protested.

I expected Danielle to show impatience with her quibbling, but she took the question seriously.

“It’s been fine for more than a week now, and there are no reports of incoming bad weather, but if something unexpected does happen, I’ll instead say that it’s a pity the weather isn’t nicer for the coronation. Is that clear enough?”

Arabella nodded, an expression of concentration on her face, as if she was carefully committing the code phrases to memory.

“What exactly have we gotten ourselves involved with?” Lori asked in a quiet aside.

“I think it’s best not to ask too many questions.” Xander was grinning, so he clearly didn’t share Lori’s concerns.

The two boys were in the middle of an ominous argument about exactly how much powder they should use and where it should be placed, so I turned back to the girls.

“I don’t suppose you know somewhere out of the way where we could sleep tonight?” I asked. “Given the enchantment, we can’t just book a room at an inn.”

“Of course,” Danielle said. “We can easily accommodate you here. Every guest room in the palace has been made ready given the number of guests coming for the coronation. But since many of them have timed their arrival to join the tour outside the city, there will be plenty of empty rooms tonight.”

“Thank you!” I said with heartfelt fervor. It had been far too long since I’d slept in a proper bed.

“I can take you there now, if you like,” she said. “It might save complications if you keep out of the way for the rest of the day. There are plenty of other children around the palace, and if they start making a fuss and telling their parents about invisible people, Eulalie might overhear something.”

“Very sensible,” Lori said approvingly.

I certainly had no objection to the plan, so we were soon installed in two out of the way guest rooms with a connecting door. Xander strolled through from his room to ours as soon as Danielle had left.

“We’re fortunate with the ages of the royal children,” he said. “If they were all a couple of years older, we would have been in trouble.”

“I’m not convinced we aren’t in trouble now,” Lori muttered.

“I’m extremely glad we met them,” I said. “And also that Arabella promised to come fetch us in the morning. I’m not sure I could find my way back to the vault without a guide. Although I suppose you spent some time in the palace on your recent visit, Xander. I’m surprised you didn’t meet all the younger royals then.”

“Princess Cordelia and Major Ferdinand had taken the three of them south to visit their relatives in Lanover. I imagine they traveled back north with a whole contingent of Lanoverians coming to attend the coronation.”

“Well, now we know why the younger royals have been left out of this procession,” Lori said.

I turned to give her a confused look.

“Just you imagine traveling with those three and tell me if you’d have any nerves left at the end of it,” she said knowingly. “No one in their right mind would want to immediately set out on another trip with them—however short. Not when it was going to be a formal, political affair. They probably left Princess Danielle home to keep an eye on them. I can’t imagine anyone else other than their parents managing the feat. At least I assume they must have parents in the same vein to have created those terrors.”