Millie Rose Thorne sipped her tea and smiled indulgently at Esmeralda.

“You and your fancies, my dear,” she chuckled. “What will you think of next?” She looked at Trundle. “More strawberry tea, Trundle?”

“Umm … no, thank you,” mumbled Trundle.

“What’s going on, Aunt Millie?” Esmeralda asked sternly. “How did you know Trundle came from Shiverstones?” She frowned at the smiling old lady. “Tell me the truth!”

“Esmeralda, Esmeralda,” Millie Rose said, still smiling. “You always were such an inquisitive girl!” Her eyes twinkled. “But I suppose I ought to tell you the whole story.”

“Darned right you ought!” growled Esmeralda.

“You remember that when you made that special Badger Block prophecy, your picture—the Princess in Darkness—was upside down.”

“Yes, meaning problems,” said Esmeralda. “So?”

“So it was hardly surprising that the pirates attacked the very next day and kidnapped you!” said her aunt. “Something like that was bound to happen. Which is why I wasn’t too bothered when they popped you in a sack and made off with you.”

“Thanks for your concern!” grumbled Esmeralda.

“Tush!” said her aunt. “It’s not like they were going to kill you, is it? Where would be the profit in that? I knew they would sell you—and Drune is always on the lookout for healthy young slaves.”

Trundle sat openmouthed, hardly able to believe his ears.

“Anyway,” Aunt Millie continued. “I sent a raven messenger off to Captain Grizzletusk with a tempting offer. It got to him just after he’d sold you in the mines. The raven told him about the Badger Block prophecy, and how the blocks foretold that you would find the legendary Six Crowns of the Badger Lords of Old.” She took a sip of tea. “I said I’d pay a very respectable ransom if he was prepared to follow you about on your quest until you had all six crowns. I told him you were bound to escape. And escape you did! I mean, the Fates weren’t going to let you waste away in Drune after a prophecy like that!”

She chuckled. “Of course, pirates being pirates, they couldn’t just quietly follow you—they simply had to attack Port Shiverstones!” She tutted and shook her head. “Those rascals will do anything for a quick profit!” She smiled again. “But the long and the short of it is that I’ve been in communication with the Iron Pig all along. And very satisfying it was, too, till you managed to outrun them in the Goills! I thought all my clever plans were in ruins till you turned up good as gold on my doorstep, like the precious child you are!”

“You…! You…!” Esmeralda jumped to her feet, spilling the pink tea across the tablecloth in her rage. “You wretched excuse for an aunt!”

Trundle looked from one to the other with growing alarm.

“Calm down, Esmeralda,” said her aunt. “My, but you always were such an excitable child. It all worked out for the best, didn’t it? You found the crown. And you found a clue with it. Now then, sit down, my dear, and let’s finish our tea like civilized people. What must our guest think of your manners?” She beamed at Trundle. “More cake, Trundle, dear?”

“No … thank you,” mumbled Trundle. “Not … very … hungry … anymore…”

“Sit down and finish our tea?” hollered Esmeralda. “Not on your life! Trundle, grab the crown and the key—we’re getting out of here!”

Bewildered and befuddled, Trundle snatched up the crown and key off the table and shoved them into his backpack. One thing was certain—Esmeralda’s Aunt Millie was not quite the sweet old lady she seemed. Not at all, she wasn’t!

Millie Rose put her cup down and stood up. “Now stop this nonsense, both of you,” she said. “Or I will have to get cross with you.”

“You put me in so much danger, you horrible, horrible person!” raged Esmeralda as she backed toward the door. “I never want to see you again! I hate you!”

“Tsk, tsk!” said Millie Rose, edging around the table. “What an unkind thing to say! And after I brought you up like you were my own kith and kin! But I can see you’re upset.” She reached out with plump, curved fingers. “Come here, my dear, and let Aunty kiss it better.”

“No fear!” yelled Esmeralda, bounding backward.

Seeing a rather unpleasant light growing in the old lady’s eyes, Trundle stepped in front of Esmeralda and drew his sword.

“I’m terribly sorry,” he said, backing off with the point aimed at the old lady. “But I’m going to have to ask you to keep away.” He hoped she wouldn’t notice how much the sword was shaking in his hand. He glared indignantly at her. “I mean to say! What kind of an aunt are you, anyway? Esmeralda could have been killed any number of times over the past few days.”

“What a fuss you do make!” the old lady said kindly. “It would have been so much easier if you’d kept your silly questions and worries to yourself and just trusted me.” She shook her head and sighed. “But if you insist on doing things the hard way, well … so be it. I’ve done my best, and no aunty could do more.”

So saying, she lifted her hands out toward them, her chubby fingers wriggling like worms.

“Madam, I must warn you, if you try—” Trundle began, but quite suddenly his mouth became so dry that he could no longer speak. His eyes widened as he saw long black threads of smoke emerging from Aunt Millie’s fingertips. The smoke came questing through the air, undulating and slithering as the two friends backed away.

Suddenly the slinking threads of smoke darted forward and down and coiled themselves around their ankles.

“Stop doing that!” Esmeralda exclaimed, struggling to get free.

“Oh, I think not,” said her aunt, her fingers still wiggling as the ropes of smoke spun out and wrapped themselves more and more tightly around Esmeralda and Trundle’s ankles.

Trundle realized that his numbed feet were anchored to the floor. He could feel a bitter coldness rising up through his legs. He slashed at the sinister threads, but the blade of his sword passed right through them and they kept on coming. Even as he fought to get free, the black strands came curling and swirling up his legs, past his knees and around his waist.

“You brute!” gasped Esmeralda, fighting in vain against the paralyzing Roamany magic. “I’ll pay you back for this! You see if I don’t!”

“Yes, dear, of course you will,” crooned her aunt. “But right now, Aunty has some business to attend to.” She called out, “Bruno! Get in here! I need you!”

A few moments later, the door to the caravan opened behind them. Trundle craned his stiffening neck to see who had entered.

It was a large, muscular bear clad in a circus costume, with a rather witless expression on his face. “Yus, ma’am?” he growled in a dull, flat voice.

Millie Rose smiled kindly at Esmeralda. “Now you mustn’t think for one moment that Aunty doesn’t love you to pieces, my dear,” she said gently. “But you always were such a … scamp! Naughty enough to break an aunty’s poor soft heart, you are!” She sighed. “Bruno is going to take you both somewhere that I’m afraid you might find rather dark and dank and uncomfortable. While you’re there, I’d like you to have a good long think.”

“About what, exactly?” snarled Esmeralda.

“Why, about whether you’re willing to help Aunty find the rest of the crowns, of course.”

“Go find them yourself!” shouted Trundle. “We won’t help you!”

“And that goes double for me with brass bells on!” added Esmeralda.

“Well, you see, I would go and find them myself,” said Millie Rose. “But I can’t do it without you. The prophecy of the Badger Blocks made it quite clear that the two of you must do the actual hunting. So you need to choose whether you’d like to find the crowns for me—or whether you’d rather wait till Captain Grizzletusk arrives to help you make up your minds.”

“We left Grizzletusk on the other side of the Goills!” shouted Esmeralda. “He’s whole skies away!”

“That was very resourceful of you, my dear,” said her aunt. “But I asked the good captain to come straight to me if he ever lost track of you. So, you see, he’s on his way here right now.” She smiled, cocking her head as though listening. “Do I hear the sound of cutlasses being sharpened?” she mused. “Well, possibly. Either way, the Iron Pig could arrive at any moment. Won’t that be a nice surprise for all these good folk?” She chuckled genially. “That would certainly put the rats in among the cheese!”

“You wicked woman!” gasped Esmeralda. “You’d set pirates on them?”

“I might have to, if you and your little friend can’t be more reasonable,” said Millie Rose. “The magic crowns aren’t going to find themselves, now, are they?”

Trundle remembered all too well the ferocity of the pirate attack on his hometown of Port Shiverstones. “You couldn’t be so heartless!” he gasped.

“Well, actually, Trundle, dear, I rather think I could,” said the old lady. “You two go and have a good long ponder. But remember, my dears, Aunty won’t take no for an answer, and if you can’t make up your own minds, Grizzletusk will have to help you. Pirates can be very rough. Small things like you might easily get broken! And then where would we be?”

“I hate you!” shrieked Esmeralda.

“Oh, you’re just saying that because you’re cross with me,” her aunt chided. “But don’t worry, Aunty forgives you. Bruno! Take them and lock them in the midden trailer, there’s a good chap.”

“Yus, ma’am,” growled the bear.

Trundle was able to twist his neck enough to see the big, burly bear looming up behind them with his great furry arms stretched out.

“I’m sorry, Trundle,” Esmeralda groaned, the black coils writhing up around her neck. “I’m sorry I ever got you into this!” And then the fingers of smoke slid around her mouth, and she could say no more.