Prince Danny's Arc

Chapter 5 of 11

Bells crashed through the corridors. A garland of brass bells swung from a high rope, shaking the walls with sound. Danny knew the alarm had been raised. Somewhere deep in the castle, a stone gatehouse stirred — the guards' command post, doors flung open, boots pouring out. Danny pulled the children close to the wall. His eyes dropped to the floor. A trail of golden cookie crumbles lay scattered across the stones, leading away from the prison chamber. He knelt and touched one. Allee's mark. She had left a path. Then tiny lights flickered above his head. Little fairies darted from the cracks in the ceiling, wings flashing blue and gold. They hovered over the crumbs, then shot down the corridor, glowing like sparks. "Follow them," Danny whispered. The children ran behind him as the fairies wove through the arches, past the ringing bells, away from the marching boots. The crumb trail bent toward a narrow side passage he had not mapped. The fairies stopped at a low iron door and circled it once. Danny pressed his palm to the cold metal. Allee was behind it. He had found her.