That night in the village, a dragon descended from the sky and landed in front of Edgar's restaurant. A woman dressed in red and black slid off the dragon's back and marched inside.

"I'm looking for two girls," she announced. "One light haired, one dark haired. Did they pass this way?"

Edgar approached. "No idea," he said, motioning for her to leave.

"Really? Memory escapes you, does it?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her cold, green eyes. She raised an intricately carved flute to her lips, and began to play. A green mist enveloped everyone in the tavern, and their eyes turned the same shade as Lydia gained control of their minds.

"Oh, look at all these sad, sad faces," she cooed, circling the room. "So deliciously dreadful. Let's try again, shall we?" She turned to Edgar once more. "Where are the girls?"

"Out back, down the trail," he said in monotone.

.  .  .

"You have to be kidding," I said, kicking a loose piece of gravel.

"No, they were really cute," said Melody, winking.

"Too cute for their own good."

Sparkles whimpered and hid in my basket.

"What is it, girl?" Something definitely didn't feel right. "We better get out of here."

"Why? What's wrong?" said Alexa.

Slyder crashed through the trees and landed, blocking our path. A woman in a dark dress with a darker smile appeared from behind him.

"Lydia," I said, astonished.

"So, you know my name. I wonder who could have told you." She looked at the mirror in my hand.

"Leave them alone," said Melody.

"Ha! Doesn't take much to fool Slyder, I see. Give me the mirror. The mirror, now!"

"I don't think so," said Alexa, stepping in front of me. Oh no.

Lydia shook her head. "Oh, you won't. What will I do?" She pulled out a flute.

"No!" Melody cried.

Too late. Green mist issued from the flute as Lydia played, swirling around us. After it dissipated, Lydia demanded the mirror once more.

"Never!" I yelled.

"What? How on Earth—"

I grabbed Alexa's hand. "Run!"

"Slyder! Get them!"

He was much faster than us, there was no way we could outrun him for long.

Just then, I was lifted off the ground and swept onto the back of a horse.

"Up we go," said the red twin, and I clung to him for dear life. How mortifying.

"Not late, am I?" said another voice behind us. The blue twin lifted up Alexa.

"Not yet," she said. "Go, go, go!"

Slyder flew ahead of us, blocking the path again. The horses leaped over him and continued to gallop straight ahead, where a stone wall covered in ivy lay.

"Watch out," I said, flinching.

"Ye of little faith," Red tsked.

The horses ran through the ivy, and I heard a crash of boulders from behind. There was no way Slyder could follow us now.

Once at a safe distance, we dismounted.

"Wherever did you come from?" I asked.

"Is that how you say 'thank you?'" said Red, feigning to be hurt.

"You're right. Thank you."

"We were almost—" said Alexa.

"But you weren't," said Blue. "Timing is everything. Ah, your handkerchief." He bowed and presented her with a handkerchief she must have dropped in the restaurant.

"Thank you," said Alexa, smiling.

My gut twisted.

"A proper introduction is in order," said Red. "I'm Jeremy."

"Liana," I said stiffly.

"My brother, Ian." Jeremy gestured to Blue.

"My friend, Alexa."

"An honor, milady," Ian said to Alexa with another bow.

"You're twins," she said, quickly changing the subject.

Ian rose with a start. "What? No!"

"Mum should have told us. I feel cheated."

"Duped."

"Hoodwinked."

"They think they're charming," I whispered to Alexa.

Melody's panicked voice broke the lighthearted moment. "Is he gone? Is anybody hurt? I don't understand, how'd you escape Lydia's flute?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Good question."

"I avoided the spell by disappearing, but you? I just don't get it."

"Mind us asking what we've gotten ourselves into?" said Jeremy.

Alexa and I shared a look. Might as well tell them the whole story.

.  .  .

Slyder was in the middle of explaining why he didn't have the girls with him. "There were two, no, no, twenty men. Uh, soldiers. Lashing swords everywhere. I finished off scores of them! But in the end, the girls escaped," he finished sheepishly.

"Quiet, I'm thinking."

"Oh, that's good. You go right ahead. Think away."

After a moment, Lydia nodded. "Hmm, has to be, yes. They wear protective stones from the Diamond Castle. This should be interesting."

.  .  .

"And here we are, the Grand River," said Jeremy.

It certainly was grand. A large canyon with a winding river lay before us, conifer trees dotting the landscape.

"Do you know this place, Melody?" I held up her mirror for her to see.

"Yes, this is good. We just have to make it across to the Seven Stones."

"I wonder," Jeremy started. "Ian, do you remember those odd rocks we passed last spring?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah. Something almost magical about them."

"Melody, what do the Seven Stones look like?" I said.

"Here." Her image faded, replaced with seven tall boulders standing in a circle.

"Well, there you go, same place," said Jeremy. "I know exactly where it is."

With that, we remounted Ian and Jeremy's horses and went on our way.

"Wait. The sign shows a bridge," I said, pointing back at the aforementioned sign.

Jeremy slowed his horse and turned to glance at me. "Probably, uh, washed out long ago?"

"But it would be so much faster than going around."

"No, not really," he said too quickly. "We're doing fine. Shall we carry on, Ian?"

"Oh, straight ahead, old boy. Straight ahead."

Sparkles yipped and jumped out of my basket, running towards the sign. Lily chased after her.

I sighed. "Be right back."

Alexa followed after me, and I heard the twins debating whether they should leave.

After calling for Sparkles and Lily a few times, a massive troll appeared on a ledge above us, our dogs in his hands. He was fat and balding, with yellow skin and ripped clothes. I tried not to gag at his smell.

"Looking for these morsels?" said the troll, exposing rotting teeth.

"Put them down," I responded, trying to sound tougher than I felt.

"Now why would I do that?"

"Common courtesy," said Ian. He and Jeremy wielded swords, waving them at the troll. Where on Earth did they hide those?

"Oh I know you, and you. You owe me!"

"Ancient history, mate," Ian said, holding his sword up higher.

The troll scowled and dropped the dogs, then brandished a curved sword. "Meat, you two," he growled.

"He's got a point," said Jeremy.

"And a rather sharp one, at that."

The troll whirled his blade above his head, then drove it into the ground. A large crack opened and swallowed the boys.

"Thank you for releasing the dogs," I said, diffusing the situation. "You'll free the gentlemen, next."

"Ha! Free them? I'm gonna eats 'em."

"Those boys? They'll give you indigestion."

The troll shook his head. "Don't care. Collecting on an old debt."

"They owe you money?"

"No, lives. They wanted to cross my bridge."

I frowned. "But there isn't any bridge."

"Course there is, if you answer my riddle. And they failed, just like everyone else."

"Ask us your riddle. If we answer correctly, you let them go. If we don't, you have dinner for tomorrow night, too." What was I saying?

"It's a deal." He grinned. "Are you ready?

"Of course."

The troll cleared his throat. "What instrument can you hear, but can't see and can't touch?"

"It's a trick," Alexa whispered. "There's no instrument like that."

He inspected his blade. "Final answer?"

"No," I said. "Melody, what do you think?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. You play every instrument I know with either your hands or your mouth."

"Right. Your hands or your mouth..." Mouth...

"Your time is--"

"The answer is your voice! You can't see it or touch it, but when you sing, everyone can hear it."

"Yes," he nodded. "Wait, no! No, no, no!"

A rainbow bridge materialized, stretching across the canyon.

"Is it real?" said Alexa.

I tentatively placed one foot on the rainbow and gasped when it held. "Yes!"

Behind us, the boys climbed out of the ditch and the troll disappeared in a cloud.

"Pity, I was rather looking forward to dinner," said Jeremy. "Hey! Wait for us!"

The bridge started to move, carrying us to the other side and dematerializing in our wake.

"We can't," Alexa shouted.

"Meet us at the Seven Stones," I added.

"What's wrong with that picture?" I heard one of them say.

"Everything," said the other.