Quen Nim Read Online Free

swung wide in welcome. The flowers in their terrace beds silently roared their colors. The pleasing sounds of waters plashing from Carven Dragon Fountain mouths played over and under the stillness of the statued Nimble Missst. In time she opened her eyes.
    â€œYe be free, Nimby,” said Rindle Mer.
    â€œWhat about the Boad, All Fidd and Leee Combined?” said Jay Dot of Orrun.
    â€œNimby?” said her grampa Dabber.
    â€œThe Kinng’s retiring! What will happen? What should happen? Should we go there? Or back? Or where?” bubbled her gramma Lady May of Orrun.
    Nimble Missst raised a smoke ash green hand. Her gramma settled, clamping her lips tight shut, but her wings still trembled all aquiver.
    â€œRidiculous,” said Nimble Missst. “This is what is going to happen. Gramma and Grampa, ye will fly to Cloud Castle City. Father, ye, too, carrying Mother, will fly to Cloud Castle City. Grampa, ye find Motty and send her here. Have her bring the silver cape. It is in my round room. She knows where. And my red vest and pantaloons. Do ye understand?”
    â€œBe it a plan?” asked Rindle Mer. “Will it work? What will it do?”
    â€œYes, what about you, Nimby? What are you going to do?” asked Dabber.
    â€œThe Boad?” said Jay Dot hopefully.
    Lady May, strangely so such, said nothing.
    Addressing all of ‘em, Nimble Missst said, “Fly the City to the Castle of the Boad, and wait there for me. Tell the Kinng and the ridiculous Queeeeeeeeeeeeeeen that Nimble Missst, Princess of Cloud Castle City, possessor of a snapjaw mind, will soon be there, after she hunts down the Blossom Prince. Afraid of me? Ridiculous!”

Chapter Eight
    Nimble Broods
    Nimble Missst sat herself down on the topmost step in front of the Gemstudded Pod. Her right arm she bent, placed elbow on knee, chin on the palm of the hand. She drummed her fingers along her cheek. She’d assumed one of her favorite thinking poses. She stared at the spires and turrets of Cloud Castle City. She observed the tiny flying figures of her family rising up to disappear among ‘em.
    There, good, I suppose, she thought. Ridiculous. I’ll unravel this … this … this thing. Afraid of me. Poff! Now where would I go if I were a Blossom Prince frightened of a harmless Princess with a snapjaw mind? Not too far, I’ll wager. If he’s scared of me, he’s probably paralyzed with terror at anything unfamiliar. Hmmmmm … yes. He’ll stick to the familiar. What’s familiar outside of these walls to a ridiculous Blossom Zootch? The Quing and the Quang never step through the bound timber gate. There’s a fact well known. The Quing, so as I’ve been told, kept Zootch ever and always close at hand. He must have begged his way free of these walls at least once in his miserable terrified life. Afraid of me? Ridiculous. The note. I’ll examine it for clues, but first I might as well give all the prying eyes in those towers something to look at.
    Nimble Missst shimmered to green foggy cloud and floated down the terraces to envelop the note on the ground where the fleckrunner had tossed it. She jelled into snapjaw Princess form, holding the note in her left hand. She rubbed it carefully, sniffed it, tested it with the tip of her tongue. She turned it over, examining both sides and edges, holding it close to her startling violet eyes.
    Not Blossom leaf parchment, she thought. Not by a stretch. There’s a hint of honey wax … hmmmm … and it’s not Blossom honey wax … Clover! It’s pure Clover. Yes … So … Form it well, Nimble Missst. Ye have it, don’t ye? I’ll make sure.
    Nimble Missst turned and stepped to the reddest door in the thinnest tower.
    â€œFleckrunner!” she called. “Come out and answer me one question!”
    â€œSo polite. Not rude at all,” said the fleckrunner, appearing in the doorway. “So Royal.