The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy, Todd Harris

you?” the king asked.
    “No, I’m Liam.”
    “Wait,” Ella interjected. “Are you saying Frederic got captured?”
    “We’re not saying it,” Queen Apricotta said. “The blue twinkle-bugs said it.”
    Liam looked to Ella. “I think the bounty hunters already have Frederic.”
    “Yes,” King King confirmed. “Also someone named Punzy. And another one named Zel. Or— Wait, maybe it was Gustav.”
    “Where are they?” Ella asked.
    “The moooooooooooon,” Mavis and Marvella chimed in.
    “Huh?”
    “Twinkle-bugs live on the moon,” Marvella explained.
    “No,” Liam huffed. “I don’t care where the twiddle-bugs are—”
    “ Twinkle -bugs,” Mavis corrected. “You’re dreamy, but you don’t listen well.”
    Liam slapped his hand to his forehead.
    “Did the twinkle-bugs say where the bounty hunters were taking Frederic?” Ella asked.
    “To Avondell,” Queen Apricotta said. “Along Old Pinebrush Road, heading westward out of Sturmhagen.”
    “See, Mom listens well,” Mavis said. Queen Apricotta blushed.
    Along Old Pinebrush Road, heading westward out of Sturmhagen, Greenfang and his crew rolled into Avondell, their cage full of prisoners lagging at the tail end of their entourage. Frederic, Rapunzel, and Gustav sat on the cold metal floor, glumly watching the forest pass by. Without warning, a walnut—with a tiny, folded piece of paper tied around it—sailed into the cage and plunked against Gustav’s head.
    “Hey!” he snapped. “What’s the big idea?” He picked up the walnut and went to throw it back into the trees, but Frederic grabbed his arm.
    “No!” Frederic blurted.
    The orange-bearded bounty hunter, who was driving their prison wagon, turned around. “What’s going on back there?”
    “Oh, nothing, sir,” Frederic said. “A passing bird just dropped a nut on my friend’s head.”
    The man eyed them with suspicion, but his attention was drawn back to the road when the wagon hit a bump, rattling the cage and jingling the brass keys that hung from the side of the driver’s bench. Frederic grabbed the walnut and carefully unfolded the attached note. “Can’t you see it’s a message?” he whispered at Gustav.
    “What’s it say?” Rapunzel asked softly, leaning closer to see the paper.
    Written in itty-bitty letters were the words:
    RESCUE TIME! DISTRACT THE DRIVER.
    They all looked up. On the side of the road, just beyond the trees, Duncan and Snow were riding their horses, keeping pace with the prison wagon. The couple waved to them giddily.
    “Where did they come from?” Gustav gasped. Then he shrugged. “At least it’s not my brothers.”
    “What do we do?” Rapunzel asked.
    Frederic took a deep breath. “We do what the note says.”
    He scooted to the back of the cage, behind the driver. “Excuse me, Mr. . . . um.”
    “Orangebeard,” the bounty hunter said.
    “Mr. Orangebeard,” Frederic said politely. “I wanted to thank you. We may have hit a little bump just now, but on the whole, this ride has been exceptionally smooth. Far more enjoyable than one would expect when traveling by iron cage.”
    “Well, thank you,” said the man, proudly raising his furry orange chin. “You should be glad it’s me at the reins and not Norin Black-Ax.” He indicated one of the big blond twins, riding up ahead. “That guy can’t avoid a pothole for his life.”
    “Black-ax, huh?” Frederic said. “Do all bounty hunters have a color in their names?”
    “It’s tradition,” the driver said. “You know Greenfang, of course. The elf over there is Periwinkle Pete. And the fella with the mongooses is Erik the Mauve. Norin’s brother is Corin Silversword. Although his sword is black, so that one’s a bit confusing.”
    While the driver was chatting with Frederic, Snow White expertly whipped a peach pit at the wagon and knocked the dangling key ring off its hook. Frederic heard the keys hit the road and pretended to crash against the bars of the