The Bard and the Beast Read online

  The king smiled. “What a wonderful idea!” he said.

  “It is a nice idea,” said the queen, who had just entered the room, “but I’m afraid Lucas can’t go. He has a music lesson today.”

  Lucas’s fork clattered onto his plate.

  “It’s not like the lesson takes the whole day,” he complained.

  “True,” said his father. “But you’ve been late for your first two lessons.”

  “But this is special,” Lucas argued. “Will has never been to Wrenly before, and who knows when he’ll be back?”

  The king shook his head and sighed.

  “Your Majesties, if you’ll excuse me,” said Will, “I have an idea.”

  The king raised his eyebrows. “Well, let us hear it,” he said.

  “What if I give Lucas his music lesson today? We could have it outside on the palace grounds.”

  The king looked to his wife. She nodded approvingly.

  “It’s a perfect solution,” she said. “I’ll let Lucas’s music teacher know that the prince has a special guest teacher today.”

  “What do you say, Lucas?” asked Will.

  “I’ll do it!” replied the prince. He would rather be outside with Will—even if it meant he still had to have a music lesson.

  “Now, don’t forget your lute,” his father said with a wink.

  Lucas rolled his eyes. “I’ll do my best to remember it,” he said.

  A Lullaby

  * * *

  * * *

  Lucas slung the lute across his back with a leather strap. Then he showed Will around the palace gardens. Ruskin followed close behind, sniffing shrubs and snapping at a low-flying dragonfly. Will told more stories about how he had used his wooden pipe to lead knights into battle and to play wedding marches.

  “In all my travels there is one thing I know to be true,” Will said.

  “What’s that?” asked Lucas.

  Will looked at his pipe fondly and said, “Music matters.”

  Lucas sighed. “I wish it mattered to me,” he said glumly.

  Will tousled Lucas’s hair and laughed. “You have to give it a chance,” he said. Then he sat down on a stone bench and motioned for Lucas to join him.

  “Let’s have that lesson I promised you,” Will said.

  Lucas did not want to play music, but he pulled out the lute.

  “Now hand it over,” Will said with a wink.

  Lucas handed his lute to the bard.

  “I’m going to teach you a very simple lullaby,” he said. “There are only three chords. Watch carefully.”

  Lucas watched the bard play the lullaby. He used the same three chords the prince had learned the day before.

  “Now it’s your turn,” said the bard.

  Lucas held the lute, and Will reminded him how to press his fingers on the strings next to the frets, the little wooden ridges on the fingerboard. Lucas strummed the first chord.

  “It sounds like a sick fly,” he said.

  Will smiled. “Be patient. You’ll get it.”

  Lucas tried again and again. The strings buzzed when his fingers weren’t in the right spots. Ruskin lay down and put his claws over his ears.

  “Not even Ruskin likes it,” the prince said, “and he usually likes everything I do!”

  Will tried not to laugh. “You’re getting better every time,” he said. “I think you’ll be good enough to play for your parents tonight!”

  “You have some high hopes,” said Lucas.

  They both laughed.

  “Maybe we should give Ruskin a break?” suggested Lucas hopefully.

  “Why not!” Will said with a smile.

  Then they got up and strolled down a path and deeper into the woods.

  The Cave

  * * *

  * * *

  Shafts of sunlight shined through the leafy treetops as they walked along the trail. They hiked beside a creek and up and down rolling hills. Ruskin bounded after squirrels and glided back to the boy and the bard.

  Then Lucas stopped and pointed to a dark opening between two boulders. “Want to explore the cave?” he asked.

  Will squinted at the dark cave. “Let’s be careful,” he said. “You never know what might be living in there.”

  Lucas laughed. “You don’t need to worry about this cave,” he said. “I’ve peeked inside lots of times, and nothing’s ever been living in it. Well, maybe a few lizards.”

  Ruskin bounded toward the shadowy entrance, and Lucas followed. He wanted to show Will how brave he was. Near the mouth of the cave, Lucas noticed an emerald green feather on the ground. It looked just like the one he had found on Primlox. He bent down and picked it up. Ruskin sniffed the feather, and then he sniffed the ground near the mouth of the cave. He cocked his head to the side. Something rustled deep inside the cave. Ruskin growled.

  “What is it, boy?” Lucas asked.

  Before Ruskin could answer, a loud screech came from inside the cave.

  “Aiyeeee!”

  Ruskin yelped and ran back to Lucas.

  “LUCAS!” shouted Will with great force. “SHUT YOUR EYES!”

  Will spoke with such authority that Lucas dropped the feather and shut his eyes. Ruskin whimpered and closed his eyes too.

  “Now what?” cried Lucas.

  “Hold on!” shouted Will. “I’m coming! JUST DON’T LOOK!”

  “WHAT IS IT?” asked Lucas, his heart pounding.

  He wanted to run away, but he couldn’t go anywhere with his eyes shut.

  “Aiyeeee!” screeched the creature again.

  “It’s a basilisk!” Will shouted. “If you look into its eyes, it will kill you!”

  But the prince was itching with curiosity. Lucas shaded his eyes with one hand and peeked down at the ground. He saw a pair of enormous chicken feet. Suddenly Will clapped a hand over Lucas’s eyes.

  “Do not look!” repeated Will. “When I remove my hand, you must keep your eyes closed.”

  “Okay, okay!” Lucas said. “Then what?”

  “Then we must play music,” Will whispered.

  “Excuse me? I don’t think this monster is going to like my music any more than I do!” he cried.

  “We’re going put the basilisk to sleep with music,” said Will. “It’s our only chance.”

  Lucas could smell the creature’s rotten fish breath.

  “Okay, that’s gross. Will, please start playing!” pleaded Lucas.

  “I will!” said the bard. “But I’m going to need your help.”

  A Duet

  * * *

  * * *

  “What do you mean, you need my help?” Lucas asked.

  “Aiyeeee!” The creature screeched again.

  Lucas squirmed uncomfortably.

  “Hold still,” Will said. “We’re going to play the lullaby I just taught you.”

  “But I can barely play it with my eyes open!” Lucas complained.

  “You can do it,” said Will calmly. “Now get your lute in position.”

  Lucas knew he had no choice. Their lives depended on it. “Okay,” he said reluctantly.

  Will lifted his hands from Lucas’s eyes. The prince quickly swung his lute into place. Will grabbed his pipe.

  The beast’s claws scratched the ground as it slowly came closer. Lucas gulped.

  “Don’t think too much,” Will said. “Just play the chords.”

  Lucas put his fingers in place. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

  Will began to play the lullaby on his pipe. The gentle notes calmed Lucas down. He took a deep breath and strummed along on his lute. They played the whole lullaby. Lucas didn’t make a single mistake. Then they sat still and listened. It had become very quiet.

  Will nudged Lucas. “You can open your eyes,” he whispered. “It’s safe.”

  Lucas slowly opened his eyes and gasped. There, on the ground before them, lay a very strange creature. It sort of looked like a rooster, except for its monstrous size—and serpen
t’s tail. It had emerald green feathers with shimmering silver and gold speckles—like the one Lucas had found on Primlox. The creature was fast asleep.

  “So that’s a basilisk,” said Lucas as he gaped at the beast. He had only seen them painted in books of fairy tales.

  “It is,” said Will. “And our song should keep the beast asleep long enough for us to find help. Still, we must hurry.” He turned toward the trail. “Come on. Let’s go!” he whispered.

  Lucas and Ruskin tiptoed as fast as they could after Will. They didn’t speak another word until they had reached the castle.

  Promises

  * * *

  * * *

  Lucas and Will burst into the library, with Ruskin in tow.

  “Father!” shouted Lucas. “You are never going to believe what happened!”

  The king and queen had been discussing castle improvements with Stefan, one of the king’s men. They turned to see what was going on.

  “Slow down, Lucas!” his father said. “Why don’t you and Will have a seat and tell us your news?”

  Lucas and Will sat down.

  “What in the world has you two so wide-eyed?” asked the queen from a nearby couch.

  Lucas looked at Will.

  “We stumbled upon the beast I’ve been hunting for years!” Will said. “We found a basilisk!”

  “You what?” questioned the king.

  Lucas explained how they’d come across the basilisk in the woods.

  “We’ve never had anything like that in the kingdom before,” said the king. “Do you know how dangerous they are?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” said Will. “They’re deadly creatures.”

  “And where is it now?” asked the king.

  “The beast is asleep in the woods,” Will said. “Please, you must hurry.”

  The king turned to Stefan. “Please send a message to André and Grom at once! Those wizards will know how to handle a basilisk. We will find a safe home for the poor creature, I promise.”

  Then the king turned his attention back to Will and Lucas. “You two are lucky to be alive,” said the king. “How did you do it?”

  Lucas smiled proudly. “Believe it or not, music saved us,” he said.

  The king wrinkled his brow. “In the same way Will charmed the snake?” he asked.

  “Exactly,” said the bard. “Let us show you.”

  The king nodded eagerly.

  The prince grabbed his lute and carefully positioned his fingers. Then the bard and the boy played the lullaby. The king and queen clapped loudly once they had finished.

  “Bravo!” said the king.

  “Well done!” added the queen.

  Then Will tapped Lucas on the shoulder with his pipe. “So, how do you feel about music now?” asked the bard.

  Lucas thought for a moment. “I feel thankful,” he said. “I never knew music had so many uses.”

  Will patted the prince on the back. “You’re a good student,” he said.

  Lucas smiled proudly. Then he had a sudden idea. “Will you be my teacher from now on?” asked the prince.

  Will sighed. “I wish I could, but wandering bards must explore new lands,” he said. “I have creatures to hunt and kingdoms to save!”

  Lucas hung his head, though he wasn’t surprised. “Will you come back and visit us?” he asked.

  “Someday,” said Will, putting his arm around Lucas.

  “And will you tell us more stories?” asked the prince.

  “I promise,” said the bard. “But you must play your lute for me.”

  Lucas grinned. “Deal!” he said.

  Hear ye! Hear ye! Presenting the next book from The Kingdom of Wrenly! Here’s a sneak peek!

  Prince Lucas and his best friend, Clara Gills, leaned on the balcony railing and gazed at the full moon. A ribbon of blue light shimmered across the Sea of Wrenly. But this was no ordinary moon. It was a blue moon—something so rare it happened only once in a lifetime. King Caleb said all the owls in the kingdom flocked together and sang once in a blue moon. Lucas and Clara waited and listened for the owl song.

  Ruskin yawned and curled up near the children. The young scarlet dragon had no interest in singing owls. He shut his eyes and sighed peacefully.

  “Look at that enormous blue cloud,” said Clara, pointing.

  Lucas tilted his head back. “It’s been there since this afternoon,” he said.

  “I know,” Clara said, studying the cloud. “It hasn’t budged.”

  Lucas looked at the great cloud thoughtfully. “Maybe there’s a floating castle inside it,” he said.

  Clara laughed. “You read too many fairy tales!” she said jokingly.

  “And most of them have turned out to be true,” Lucas reminded her.

  Clara shook her head. “You’re such a dreamer.”

  Then they began to hear a steady thrum. It sounded like the deep beating of wings. The friends turned toward the blue moon and gasped in wonder. Hundreds of owls swirled across the moonlight.

  JORDAN QUINN grew up in a fairy-tale castle in England. It had a spiral stone staircase, a moat, and a dungeon. As a child she liked to play hide-and-go-seek and ride her beloved horse, Prince Charming. When she wasn’t riding, she wrote stories about fairies, trolls, dragons, and wizards. Today, Jordan lives on a ranch in California with her husband, son, and a golden retriever named Sir Toots-a-Lot.

  ROBERT MCPHILLIPS has been involved in a wide variety of projects over the years—from illustrating greeting cards to animation. But he has always loved children’s books, and after many years he has turned his attention back to that. Robert makes his home in Wiltshire, England, with his wife, Sam.

  KingdomofWrenly.com

  Little Simon

  Simon & Schuster

  New York

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  simonandschuster.com/kids

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Jordan-Quinn

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Robert-McPhillips

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LITTLE SIMON

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  First Little Simon hardcover edition November 2015

  Copyright © 2015 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Jacket design by Laura Roode

  Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition.

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Quinn, Jordan.

  The bard and the beast / by Jordan Quinn ; illustrated by Robert McPhillips.

  pages cm. — (The kingdom of Wrenly ; 9)

  Summary: Prince Lucas would rather be enjoying the outdoors with his best friend, Clara, than learning to play the lute, until a visiting bard demonstrates the power of music.

  ISBN 978-1-4814-4397-5 (hc) — ISBN 978-1-4814-4396-8 (pbk) — ISBN 978-1-4814-4398-2 (eBook)

  [1. Princes— Fiction. 2. Bards and bardism— Fiction. 3. Music— Fiction.

  4. Basilisks (Mythical animals)— Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.Q31945Bar 2015


  [Fic]— dc23

  2015000423