LAUREL DECHER

“Life in the Seven Kingdoms is never dull . . .” –Jen McConnel, School Library Journal

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About UNDER PRESSURE WITH A SQUASH

Under Pressure With a Squash cover image shows twins and baby dragons on a submarine

Some problems multiply faster than others . . .

Eleven-year-old Princess Saffy hits the bullseye every time. That’s the point of a contest.

Prince Magellan’s whole heart is in his map projects. He has no time for pointless multiplication tests.


When their beloved dragon gets them in trouble with the Fairy Kingdom, the Saffron twins must face test after test! How can they beat the PRESSURE?


Get on board the Hubbard submarine and find out!


OhOOOOGA! OhOOOOOOOGA!
 Dive!
 Dive!

For ages 9 to 12

For fans of Jean Ferris’ Once Upon A Marigold, Jessica Day George’s Tuesdays at the Castle series. It’s Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted meets The King’s Speech.

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Laurel Decher

Laurel Decher author as a kid

Reading Age:
9 to 12

A Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tale: Book 3

book recommendations for 10 year olds Seven Kingdoms book covers

Print length:

300 pages

Publication date:

Oct 15, 2020

Paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook

Language: English

ancient ruin with rickety covered stairs

Can twins with test issues solve a whopping multiplication problem?

The biggest multiplication problem involves tiny dragons. 🙂

Packed with adventure, annoying cupids, unfamiliar schools, and a magical vegetable submarine, this story is perfect for voracious readers who are ready for more books!

Some of us have more trouble learning our times tables than others–like Magellan. He’s just too busy making maps to take time for all that memorization. He has so many other things he wants to do!

In Under Pressure With a Squash, everyone has ideas for the best way for Magellan to learn multiplication, but his idea might be the best way of all. 🙂

Why read Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales?

“Life in the Seven Kingdoms is never dull . . .” –Jen McConnel, School Library Journal

If you’re looking for kids books that ignite curiosity, you’ve come to the right place! These exciting children’s books are about exploring life’s possibilities and finding the magic hidden inside each of us.

In the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales, royal kids take on magical challenges that are difficult but worthwhile. When you’re on an extraordinary adventure, it’s funny how an ordinary thing can help. These smart and friendly heroes and heroines speak up, (and hatch dragons), take tests, (and defeat the Blackfly queen), deal with less than perfect scores, (and cupids), find their way around, (and get lost), stay friends even when they disagree, (and struggle with fairy godparents) and find a way to belong in a new place.

For ages 9 to 12. Read the books in any order.

Whether it’s speaking up at a feast, reading a compass or taking a test in a strange kingdom, these Tales are all about discovering the magic in your life!

What Readers Say:

"The Saffron Kingdom's dragon problem is about to start multiplying. Good thing Magellan is getting extra math lessons!"
–Marie Reed
Mom and Author
"Who wants to do multiplication when they have to worry about a dragon? . . . I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great read."
–Amy Reader and Star Kid Reviewer at Books Are Gems
“Whimsy and adventure at every turn! . . . Another wonderful read.”
–Eileen Schnabel
Author, One if By Land, Two If By Submarine

Start the School Year at a New School!

Visit the Saffron Kingdom!

The Saffron Kingdom was inspired by Rheinfels castle in Germany. It’s a castle with all the trimmings: ruins, tunnels, towers, and a spectacular view of the Rhine River valley. Take a virtual tour of the place that inspired the twins’ home.

What the Fairy Kingdom looks like . . .

The location of the Fairy Kingdom is top secret. Shhhh! Magellan and Saffy have their own reasons to find out more about it. Care for a tour? Keep it down, we don’t want the fairies to notice.

Listen to Chapters 1 + 2!

From the AI narrated audiobook. Produced with GooglePlay technology and edited by the author.

0:00 / 0:00
Chapter 1: A Pointless Test
Chapter 2: The Point Monster

Multiply Your Fun!

A Delicious Way to Practice Fractions 🙂

Is there anything nicer than a good book and a snack to go with it? Pumpkin bars are the perfect match for this magical underwater squash adventure! Get the recipe.

pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting

Speaking of Points. . .

If you’re looking for fun and excellent ways to learn math, visit Math & Movement, an award-winning program that inspired some of the action in Under Pressure With a Squash.

Are YOU All About the Points?

Get quizzes for your school or library for each of the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales. They are already formatted as a ready-to-upload teacher quiz for AR.

Pop Quiz! More Points!

How well do you know the Seven Kingdoms?

Check out this crossword puzzle to go to the head of the class!

BONUS: How to make your own crossword puzzle and amaze your friends!

PLUS: How is writing a story like a crossword puzzle?

#

Available wherever good books are sold.

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Under Pressure With a Squash

The Multiplication Problem

print mobile tablet editions of SQUASH

Copyright © 2020 Laurel Decher

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting this author’s hard work.

ISBN 978-3-9820075-9-5 (Hardcover Edition)

ISBN 978-3-9820075-8-8 (Paperback Edition)

ISBN 978-3-9820075-7-1 (ebook Edition)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020909937

CONTENTS

  1. A Pointless Test 1

  2. The Point Monster 14

  3. The Test Problem 27

  4. Thursdays for Thinking 37

  5. Second in Command 60

  6. First Day of Fairy School 67

  7. Follow that Hubbard! 80

  8. In Defense of Cupids 98

  9. Barging In 114

  10. Point Counseling 132

  11. Tunnel Trouble 151

  12. The Fairy Ranger Library 166

  13. Multiplication Madness 184

  14. The Ranger Queen 201

  15. The Test Flight 213

  16. A Long Knitting Night 222

  17. Transportation Trouble 237

  18. More Thinking on Thursdays 244

  19. The Laughing Lake 253

  20. Epilogue 272

 

scene separator SQUASH

CHAPTER ONE

A Pointless Test

MAGELLAN

AT FIRST, NO one at the Royal Aeronautical Academy would talk to Prince Magellan. He was glad to have surprise on his side. He was only eleven years old. No one suspected he was hoping for free room and board for his perpetually hungry dragon.

The Royal Aeronautical Academy was full of royals from all over the Seven Kingdoms. A plain old prince was nothing special, even if he could draw maps. Standing on the open parade grounds of the Magenta Kingdom, he felt like a blade of grass. Cadets and officers filed passed him without a second glance.

He wasn’t as well known as his twin sister, Saffy, the Crown Princess of Saffron Kingdom. She’d won every Archery Contest she’d ever entered. Even outside their own kingdom, people asked for her autograph. While Magellan was being ignored on this side of the Magenta Kingdom, she was registering for an Archery Contest on the other.

The Royal Academy students had definitely seen her hit a bullseye. She competed in every Archery Contest in the Seven Kingdoms. She also never missed.

After a three-hour trip from the Saffron Kingdom by dragon, and a few more minutes dropping Saffy off on the other side of the fortress, Magellan was under pressure.

Weak from lack of food, the dragon was slower now. It lay on the paved walkway like a large, lumpy, saffron-yellow boulder. The dragon was the whole reason they were in the Magenta Kingdom today.

They were running out of dragon food. The mountain of coal donated by the other kingdoms had dwindled to almost nothing. The Saffron Kingdom’s treasure chests were empty. The Royal Aeronautical Academy was Magellan’s last hope.

A battalion of maintenance staff with massive brooms swept towards them.

“Sir? Can you move your equipment?” one of them asked Magellan, nudging the sleeping Saffron dragon’s tail with her broom. “We’re working here.”

“Oh, right. I mean, yes, ma’am.” Magellan looked around and saw a tidy row of gliders parked on the far end of the parade grounds. Probably not an outstanding idea to park his “equipment” there.

He patted the Saffron on the head. “Find a tunnel under the fortress and rest. After I find Harold, I’ll whistle for you. No snacking and no sightseeing!” He bored into the dragon’s eyes with his own.

The dragon gave him a huge, toothy yawn, shook itself, and took to the air.

The maintenance crew surged forward. Jogging backwards to keep his feet out from under their brooms, Magellan asked, “Can you tell me where the student rooms are? I’m looking for Crown Prince Harold, from Cochem Kingdom.”

The maintenance crew swarmed right around Magellan. A crew member on the right pointed her broom at a building on the other end of the parade ground. “The dormitory is over there.”

With quick broom strokes, she caught up to the rest of the crew.

“Thank you very much!” Magellan jogged over to the dormitory, got the room number from the mailboxes, and knocked on the door to Harold’s room.

Harold stuck his head out.

“Don’t know if you remember me . . . Prince Magellan?” Magellan pointed to himself and sketched a casual bow to Harold number one, the Crown Prince of Cochem Kingdom.

“Oh, yeah, come on in.” Harold held the door open wider, but after Magellan came in, Harold stuck his head out again and scanned the hall. “Saffy’s not with you?”

“Archery Contest.” Magellan was on a mission, and he didn’t have much time. “I need to fly in the trials this afternoon.”

The Royal Aeronautical Academy held equipment trials to test the newest, shiniest plane gliders and decide which ones to add to its fleet. If they picked the dragon, that would solve everything.

“Wait—” Harold’s head tilted to one side and then he shook it. “Come to the cafeteria and explain this to me while you eat.”

Harold shut his door, and they walked over to the cafeteria together. Magellan smiled. The Academy provided food for the students. And for their guests.

This could work.

Now that the dragon had finally kicked its snacking-from-passing-barges habit. At least, Magellan was pretty sure the habit was kicked.

At the table, with two steaming bowls of split pea soup in front of them, Harold asked, “You mean the equipment trials this afternoon, right? Find a spare glider in your tunnels?”

He took a big spoonful of soup.

“I parked the Saffron in one of yours,” Magellan said.

Harold choked. His eyes watered and he forced a swallow. “You want to fly the dragon—” He lowered his voice and his spoon traced a loop de loop in the air.

“We’re out of coal.” Magellan shrugged and stirred his soup with his spoon.

Harold whistled. “You want to get the dragon in, so the Academy will have to feed it?”

That was the general idea, yes. Until this moment, Magellan had thought it was brilliant.

Harold covered his mouth with his hand, and his eyes laughed.

Magellan shoveled soup into his mouth, ignoring the burn. He had to convince Harold to let him try. Otherwise, the dragon had exhausted itself for nothing. “Can’t you tell them I want to come to the Academy?”

“Oh, I didn’t know. It’s hard to get in.” Harold leaned towards him, concerned now. “How are your math scores?”

“Math scores? Who’s talking about math scores?” Magellan scowled. Maybe all crown princes and princesses were obsessed with points. He’d always thought it was a Saffy thing. “All I need is ten minutes in the air. Once the judges see what the dragon can do, they’ll be falling over themselves to get it.”

“Oh, yes! Wouldn’t you love to see their faces?” Harold’s spoon scraped against the bottom of the bowl, traced out a complicated path, and added a loop de loop here and there.

Magellan waited, letting the idea of dragon flight work on Harold’s imagination.

Harold swallowed, shaking his head again. His spoon made a final ting sound in the empty bowl. “It’s too bad you’re not a student.”

Magellan had a back-up plan, but it would only work if the dragon behaved. He’d been hoping not to have to use it. “What if you flew the dragon for me?”

“Me? Could I?” Harold’s eyebrows came together. “I thought you had to be a Saffron to fly a Saffron dragon.”

“No. Nero’s a Blackfly,” Magellan said. Nero was the Crown Prince of the Blackfly Kingdom. “He’s flown the dragon all over the place.”

Of course, the tiny blackflies that showed up around Nero were dragon candy. But Harold didn’t need to know that.

Harold’s eyes narrowed, considering. “I always wanted to fly a dragon.”

His tone made Magellan jump up. “Then you’ll do it?”

Harold grinned. “Why not?”

“The dragon’s too tired for a test drive,” Magellan warned.

“That’s okay.” Harold grinned, grabbed their bowls and got up. “Let me see if I can get us a flight ticket. Maybe the two of you should lie low for a few minutes.”

Magellan couldn’t argue with that. The judges were more likely to give the dragon a chance if it surprised them.

On the paved path, Harold passed under the banner of the Mapmakers Guild on his way to the huge parade grounds. The banner marked the entrance to the Guild headquarters. Magellan had always wanted to go in there, but he had to check on his dragon. Some other day, he’d come back.

Magellan climbed down to the nearest Magenta tunnel and whistled for the dragon. An answering “Creeee!” came from inside the tunnel. Using his tunnel vision, Magellan found the dragon. “We’ve got to move closer to the entrance, so I can hear Harold.”

“Creee!” said the dragon, but it dragged itself after Magellan and they made themselves comfortable in the tunnel mouth. Tunnel vision was a practical fairy godparent gift.

The dragon put its head in Magellan’s lap. Full size now, it seemed more tired every day. In a few moments, it was snoring. Bats chittered above their heads. The dragon belonged to the Saffron tunnels, like Magellan. They were tunnel buddies. Saffy kept talking about sending it to the Magical Creature Reserve, but that would mean never seeing the dragon again. The thought made Magellan’s stomach churn.

Today was a gigantic game—tickets, judges, and points. Saffy enjoyed this kind of thing. She’d be figuring out how to get a perfect score. Magellan wondered if he should say something to Harold about staying away from coal barges. In case the dragon’s bad habit kicked in. Diving for a coal barge in mid-trial would make the dragon look even less like the real glider.

Harold could fly anything with wings. That was why he was at the Royal Aeronautical Academy in the first place. Giving him tips would be kind of insulting.

Besides, what were the chances that a barge full of coal would happen to cruise by the Magenta Kingdom during the dragon’s short trial? Hardly worth mentioning. Magellan decided he wouldn’t mention it.

After a long wait for Magellan and a second nap for the dragon, Harold called down to them, cupping his hands around his mouth, “Everything okay?”

Magellan leaned out of the tunnel and waved. He glanced down at the snoozing dragon and back up. “Hanging in there.”

Harold held out a bright blue ticket. “We got number 117. Come on up.”

“Come on, baby,” Magellan nudged the dragon awake by pushing on its armored stomach with his feet. They had to get back up to the parade grounds for the trials. It was sunny up there. Maybe sunbathing would warm up the dragon’s muscles so it could fly more easily. The dragon stretched out its long neck with a terrible squeaking sound.

Creee-k!

“You don’t feel well, do you?” Magellan patted its head and held back some branches so it could get through more easily.

The dragon scraped along the earthen steps, not like a flying creature at all. The long flight here had burned up all the coal the dragon had eaten this morning.

When they finally got up to the top, Magellan thumped the pavement in a sunny corner of the parade ground with his foot. “Come on, lie down and get some rest until it’s your turn.”

Magellan moved out of the dragon’s way.

Harold came up behind them. “Is something wrong with it?”

Magellan peered up at the sky. The sun seemed to help. Not as much as coal. “If it stays sunny until it’s our turn, it’ll be fine.” He hoped that wasn’t a lie.

“A solar-powered dragon, eh? If you say so.” Harold said.

“It’s a lizard thing.” Magellan wondered if Harold was onto something. Harold’s youngest sister, Princess Twyla, could probably build a solar dragon-recharger. But Magellan dismissed the idea. Even if she could, the Saffron Kingdom couldn’t pay for the materials.

Harold held out a scroll with a list of tasks and the points for each one. “Do you want to know how the judging works?”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, sure.” Magellan took it. It hadn’t occurred to him that the dragon’s flight would be graded. But he didn’t think scoring would be the problem. A dragon was much smarter than any glider and could fly circles around any of them.

Normally, Magellan didn’t have much use for scores. What could a score say that you didn’t already know? The stuff that mattered most to him was his sketchbooks. They didn’t get grades. Either a sketch needed more work or it was time to go on to the next project.

Nothing else mattered.

Magellan was much more worried that the dragon would be disqualified. He looked down at the rivers. Please, no coal barges today. The maps he’d been drawing—night and day—for the angry barge captains were only a drop in the bucket towards the enormous cost of coal the dragon had stolen.

Harold rubbed his hands together. “If we want to convince the Academy to give room and board to a flying reptile, we’ll need a perfect score.”

“Can we get one?” Magellan asked. Saffy was the only person Magellan knew who regularly got perfect scores. In everything. He’d never tried for one before.

“We can try.” Harold winked at him. “We’d get all the best assignments. The Academy couldn’t turn down a dragon with a perfect score, right?”

Magellan coughed. He had a sudden vision of the dragon’s version of a perfect score. Magellan shook himself. He’d broken the dragon’s snacking habit. He did NOT have to worry about it anymore. “I hope not.”

“I know they wouldn’t,” Harold said. “Environmental, adaptable, renewable flight ‘equipment’ doesn’t knock on the Academy’s door every day.”

scene separator SQUASH

Two hours later, the Saffron dragon soared into the air and did a perfect loop de loop. The judging table looked surprised, and Crown Prince Vlad riffled through the Magenta Kingdom’s enormous rule books, but no one disqualified the dragon, yet.

Magellan looked down at his paper. A loop de loop was worth 10 points. The dragon corkscrewed down, then banked sharply, right before the river. Another twenty points each: 10 for the corkscrew and 10 for the recovery.

Magellan smiled. This was going to be like watching Saffy scoop up all the points on the archery range.

The dragon couldn’t lose. Magellan pumped his fist in the air.

Harold number one wasn’t having any trouble getting the Saffron dragon to do what he wanted.

Magellan huffed out a big breath to release the tightness in his chest. Better a prince from another kingdom flying on a Saffron than a dragon wasting away to skin and bones.

For the next task, the dragon had to chase a glider, pick up a mail bag in mid-air and carry it back to the judging stand. It was supposed to cross over the “Seam”, the place where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers joined.

Easy peasy for a dragon with talons. The dragon caught the mail bag in mid-air and banked to come around above the Seam . . . then took a completely unexpected dive towards the water.

Magellan’s stomach took a matching dive.

“Nooooooo,” he whispered. “You don’t do that anymore!”

Harold’s arm came up and down again—he’d whacked the dragon.

The dragon kept diving.

Harold’s body leaned way out to one side. He must be pulling the dragon’s head around to get it back on course, but the dragon swerved away from the Magenta Fortress and towards a river barge.

Harold must know the dragon was fond of coal barges. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms had seen the stories in the Proclamation about the angry barge captains. Was Harold so busy studying and flying that he didn’t read the Proclamation?

The dragon was right over the barge now.

“No, please no.” Magellan couldn’t take his eyes off them. He looked over at the judging panel and shifted from foot to foot, wishing he were on the dragon right now.

The dragon landed on the black pile of coal and dipped its head, ignoring Harold completely. After the long flight to the Academy and the loop de loop, corkscrew, and recovery, the temptation of a coal barge had been too much.

Magellan should never have let Harold fly. Magellan and the dragon were both Saffrons. They had a better bond. They’d kicked this habit together. Magellan yanked his hair with both hands. It didn’t help.

The dragon flew back up to the fortress–dipping its head and looking the other way as it passed Magellan–but flying higher and with more energy than it had for days.

The dragon landed, dropping the mailbag in the target box.

Perfect.

But too little, too late.

The judges held up their scores.

0 0 0 0 0 -5

Minus 5? Magellan had seen a lot of terrible scores on math tests, but this was ridiculous. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on his dragon. It had thrown this chance away.

Minus 5.

Magellan yanked his hair again. It hurt, but everything else hurt more. The dragon could have had all it wanted to eat for the rest of its life. One little test would have done it.

Harold number one vaulted smartly off the dragon’s back and saluted the judging panel—including Crown Prince Vlad and Princess “Shush” of the Magenta Kingdom. And a jeering Academy. The back of Harold’s neck was bright red.

He strode straight over to Magellan, and his tone was sharp. “Why didn’t you tell me your dragon has no control around coal? You made me look like an idiot in front of the entire Academy.”

“I’m sorry. I thought I’d broken that habit. Really. When I’m flying. Or Saffy.” Magellan babbled. “I thought you could fly anything.”

Magellan shut his mouth. Ooops. That wasn’t what he’d meant to say. Harold could fly anything. Except a Saffron dragon with an addiction to coal barges.

There was a tense moment.

“Well, if you can fly it better, then you apply to the Royal Aeronautical Academy,” Harold said. “I’m done. I think your math scores are the least of your problems.”

Harold shoved the dragon’s reins at Magellan and walked off.

Magellan called after him. “I thought you knew. Don’t you read the Proclamation around here?”

Breathing hard from the flight, the dragon burped up a jet of flame. Everyone stepped back.

“Cut it out,” Magellan said to the dragon. “You’ve already lost all your points. Are you trying to get us thrown out?”

Crown Prince Vlad walked over from the judging table. “Prince Magellan, we’ll need the dragon off the parade grounds for the rest of the equipment trials. Can you control your ‘equipment’ or do we need archers for back-up?”

Magellan gave Vlad a polite head bow and said, sweetly, “Thank you, I can control my dragon without archers.”

“What did I tell you?” Magellan muttered to the dragon and vaulted up onto its back.

As the dragon sprang up into the air, Magellan asked himself how he would ever make this right: a starving dragon, too many barge captains, Harold, Vlad, and the entire Royal Aeronautical Academy.

scene separator SQUASH

CHAPTER TWO

The Point Monster

SAFFY

WHILE MAGELLAN WAS at the equipment trials, his twin sister, eleven-year-old Princess Saffy, was at the other end of the Magenta Kingdom Fortress, waiting in line.

She ground the path’s tiny yellow stones under her feet.

The dragon was getting weaker every day. The solution was obvious. They had to send it to the Fairy Kingdom’s Magical Creature Reserve. Saffy would rather keep the dragon in the Saffron Kingdom too, but it would starve to death. That wasn’t going to change. What was her brother waiting for?

Yesterday, Magellan had said he had some plan that was supposed to solve everything. He’d dropped her off an hour ago, leaving her totally in the dark.

How long did his grand plan need?

“It might not work,” was all he’d say. “Go win the Archery Contest and I’ll tell you everything later.”

Saffy went. Because the other reason she went to every Archery Contest . . . she let herself dream of a dark green Fairy Ranger uniform for a moment . . . No. That would never happen. The fairies hadn’t worked together with a Saffron Kingdoms royal for a hundred years or more.

She had to focus. She was here to prove the Saffron Crown Princess had dedication, discipline, and consistency—the things people needed from a good ruler. And oh, she needed all of those traits to keep from ditching this slooooooooow line to sneak up on Magellan. What save-the-hungry-dragon plan was he trying to pull off in the Magenta Kingdom? She was dying to know.

The line of hopeful archers stretched out in front of her all the way to the stone arch that was the official entrance for the Magenta Kingdom fortress. It was about the distance of seven full-grown Saffron dragons laid nose-to-rear, not counting tails.

Saffy was going to be here for a while.

Princess Twyla, in a Cochem silver dress, and Prince Nero, in regulation Blackfly black from his hair to his boots, were in line in front of Saffy.

Nero looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Hi, Saffy. Here to wear out all the bullseyes?”

“Hey, Nero.” Saffy shrugged. There wasn’t much she could say to that. With a fairy gift like straight shooting, it wasn’t like she could miss.

“This is for you,” Twyla said in her quiet voice, handing Saffy a scroll.

“Oh, thanks.” Saffy unrolled it. She hadn’t expected to get anything from Twyla. The drawing showed some complicated straps hooked together with buckles.

“What’s it for?” Saffy asked. Twyla was an inventor, so Saffy didn’t always know what her stuff was. It was better to ask.

“It might help.” Twyla pointed out the strength of the fastenings and how adjustable it was.

Nero looked over Saffy’s elbow at the drawing. “Oh—for the dragon?” Nero was the one who’d found the dragon in the Saffron tunnels.

Twyla coughed, letting Saffy know she didn’t appreciate her folding the scroll’s corners back and forth. Oops–she’d been thinking about the dragon problem again and her fingers must have wandered. She smoothed the ridges with her thumb. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to wreck it.”

“It’s a harness,” Twyla said.

“A harness for a Saffron?” Saffy bristled. “The dragon isn’t dangerous.” Twyla should know better. She didn’t keep her Cochem rook harnessed.

“Could be worth a try. Barge captains can be dangerous to dragons.” Nero’s tone had cooled.

For the umpteenth time, Saffy wondered how much control he had over his magical charm. She’d helped him with it once, but she still wasn’t sure how it worked.

“Of course, I didn’t do you any favors teaching your dragon about barges.” Nero rubbed the back of his neck.

“No, you didn’t,” Saffy said, because it was true. “But it’s not your fault it likes coal.”

He’d helped with coal donations from the whole Seven Kingdoms, and she—along with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms—had already thanked him for that a few times. The coal was down to a few chunks. That’s why her dragon was starving. It broke her heart.

What could Magellan’s plan be? Prospecting for coal in the Magenta Kingdom?

Nero and Twyla started talking about some cable tram project. As they got deeper into cables and pulleys and trams, they turned their backs on Saffy.

If Twyla’s father, King Oliver, was behind this harness idea, it meant the Saffron Kingdom had to hurry and solve their dragon problem. The King of Cochem was well-loved. Seven Kingdoms people followed his lead.

To Saffy’s left, the gorge dropped steeply down to the Rhine river. The hillsides were covered with tidy rows of grapevines that slanted in every direction.

Now, in the early fall, the vineyards made a striped patchwork of green and yellow, with an occasional flash of brilliant orange, surrounded by dark green pines and black rock. It looked like a giant had combed his colorful hair every which way. Saffy wondered if the Magical Creature Reserve was down there somewhere.

If Magellan’s plan failed today, the dragon would have to go to the Reserve tomorrow, so the fairies could get it strong again. They were the experts when it came to magical creatures. She was sure they could help—not that she actually knew how.

Every time she brought it up with Magellan, he shut her down. On the way over, he’d said, “You told me there was a Saffron dragon here a hundred years ago. That means there’s a way to feed one. Without fairies. In the Saffron Kingdom. Without coal barges.”

Saffy thought she knew how that had happened. Long, long ago, Queen Hildegard of Saffron had been both a queen and a healer. People said she’d learned her healing skills from the fairies. Queen Hildegard would have been the perfect person to re-energize the dragon, however that worked.

Basically, Saffy wanted to solve their dragon problem by becoming the next Queen Hildegard. But she couldn’t say that out loud, not even to her twin. Her face burned. It wasn’t raw ambition, whatever it looked like from the outside.

Saffy had always wanted that kind of life. She would do her duty as queen, while protecting and healing the creatures in her kingdom.

What she needed was information, like how to get into the Fairy Ranger School when she wasn’t a fairy. She’d been working on the Saffron fairy godparents for years, but so far? Nothing. She’d even tried the twin angle. She and Magellan were twins. Merrill and Webb were twins.

Still nothing.

She wasn’t asking for another fairy godparent gift. She was willing to work until she got whatever points the Fairy Ranger School required. She knew how to earn points. It was what she did best.

All she needed was a Fairy Ranger to show up, scouting for talent at the Archery Contest. Then when Saffy had racked up a perfect archery score, she could ask what else the Fairy Ranger School wanted.

The line crept forward again, about as far as one dragon’s claw. Saffy sighed. What was so complicated about signing up archers?

Way up in front, where the waiting line touched the fortress, a single Magenta guard stood at attention. A Magenta banner swung in the breeze above the arch.

The banner read “Watch Gate” in spiky black letters.

Saffy supposed she should be grateful she was finally close enough to read it.

The day was warm and sunny, with a light breeze—not windy enough to disturb the archers, but airy enough to be comfortable.

But Saffy wasn’t.

The judges signed them into the Archery Contest one at a time—sloooooooowly. A new Magenta guard replaced the old.

Saffy rolled her eyes. She’d been in line so long, the guard had gone on a tea break.

She turned all the way around, scanning from the Watch Gate down the long line of royals to the path behind her. Switchbacks cut down into the gorge below in giant zigzags.

Something moved. What was that dark green thing with wings zooming up the path? It was too big for an insect. Too small for a bird.

Saffy’s heartbeat picked up. Maybe a Fairy Ranger? Suddenly, the registration line was the perfect place to be. She took a deep breath to make the jitters go away.

Calm.

Archers knew how to be calm.

Calm.

But she couldn’t take her eyes away. Not after all this time.

At that moment, Prince Indy cruised by her place in line. His deep Indigo Kingdom blue tunic blocked her view, and she stepped to one side, practically stabbing herself with the competition bow slung over his shoulder.

He threw up his hands in a big fake show of surprise. “Oh, I didn’t expect to see the Point Monster here.”

Ignoring Indy’s “nickname”, Saffy leaned out of line to look around him.

That was definitely a fairy flying up the path—not the Saffron’s fairy godparents, Merrill and Webb, and not Kizzy, the fairy godmother for Cochem. Whose fairy godparent was that? Saffy squinted.

Saffy wished Indy would get out of the way. “Are you trying to cut in line?”

Indy dangled his badge in front of her eyes, blocking her view again. “Already registered. I wanted to get a good spot.”

Indy’s early registration meant he got first pick for his target. “As long as you’re not next to me,” Saffy sidestepped him, but he moved.

She wished he’d go away.

In case a miracle had happened, and a scout was here today. She definitely didn’t want him next to her in the contest today. He made too many nasty comments—quiet enough that the judges didn’t hear, loud enough that the nearest archers did.

“I wouldn’t want to shake your concentration.” Indy bowed, with extra hand flourishes, mocking her. “What are you looking at, anyway?”

A buzzing sound came from the left.

Saffy pointed without thinking. “There!”

The fairy wore the dark forest green of the Fairy Rangers. Saffy beamed and clapped her hands together. A Fairy Ranger at the Archery Contest could only mean one thing. She could ask him about the Fairy Ranger School.

To Saffy’s delight, the Fairy Ranger flew right up to them and hovered above Indy’s bow-free shoulder.

Tiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

A tiny arrow flew through the air and stuck in Indy’s bow.

Indy’s expression went stony, and he saluted. “Good morning, Ranger Ganzorig.”

“Good morning, Prince Indigo. Your concentration might need a little more work,” Ranger Ganzorig said.

“Yes, sir.” Indy’s lips barely moved.

“Better than last time.” The Ranger retrieved his arrow and replaced it in his quiver.

Saffy hadn’t even seen the Ranger draw. “That was amazing!”

The Fairy Ranger touched the brim of his dark green hat to her. “Good morning, Princess Saffy.”

“Good morning, Ranger.” Saffy curtsied. “That’s a gorgeous bow—is it Mongolian?”

“Yes, it is,” The Ranger gave her a courtly bow in mid-air. “See you at the contest!” He flew past the line of waiting archers towards the Watch Gate.

Indy rubbed his thumb over the tiny hole in the varnish. “I needed to use that bow today!”

Saffy had to know. “Was that your fairy godfather?”

“Yeah.” Indy’s answer was half-grunt, half-word.

Saffy’s mouth dropped open. There was no justice.

“Something’s gonna fly in your mouth,” Indy said, out of the corner of his own.

Saffy shut her mouth. That was more like Indy.

The Fairy Ranger disappeared into the fortress. Saffy wished she’d asked him about the School. She’d wanted him to see her archery first and hadn’t wanted to ask with Indy listening. She could try again inside.

“Actually, I am surprised to see you here.” Indy’s voice was full of confidential concern, probably fake. Indy was back to normal. “You really shouldn’t enter these contests anymore.”

Saffy rolled her eyes. He tried this before every Archery Contest. She lowered her voice. “Fairy gifts are meant to be used.”

But not discussed in a public place. No one wanted to accidentally insult the Fairy Kingdom.

“I didn’t mean your fairy gift.” Indy lowered his voice too, mocking her with his eyes. “I meant the Sanction against the Saffron Kingdom. But you must have cleared that up or you wouldn’t be in line, would you?”

“A Sanction?” Saffy asked. That meant the Saffrons wouldn’t be allowed to participate. She didn’t think anyone would make that up. Not even Indy.

“Oh, so you hadn’t heard? Probably just a rumor then. See you later—or not.” Prince Indy threaded his way through the line and the Watch Gate and disappeared into the fortress.

Could the Archery Contest shut out the Saffron Kingdom? Such a thing had never happened before.

Saffy couldn’t be left out of this contest. It would be too cruel.

The Magenta Kingdom was known for being fair. The Magenta queen, Queen Maggie, would make sure Saffy didn’t get turned back at the Watch Gate. Her parents would have gotten a letter from King Pink before this.

Or someone would have come and taken Saffy out of the line.

A tap on her elbow made her leap into the air. She had an arrow nocked and her bow drawn before she realized what she’d done.

“Uh, excuse me. Princess Saffy?” The Marigold Crown Prince was very cool in battle, or very polite, or both.

Heat climbed up Saffy’s neck. “Sorry.” She carefully took the arrow off the bowstring and put it back in her quiver.

“I should have warned you.” Prince William of Marigold handed her a scroll and a packet of something. He wore a glowing deep orange tunic and matching pants.

“Thank you.” Saffy blinked from the intensity of Marigold orange, recovered and gave him a head bow. With a royal color like that, how his kingdom had stayed hidden for so many years was a mystery. “What’s this?”

“Hot peppers,” Prince William said. The Marigolds were famous for their cooking. “And a recipe. I thought your dragon might like it, you know, better than coal.”

“Right.” Saffy’s face flamed.

Prince William bowed and went back in the line behind her. Saffy had a split second to wonder if he’d given her the hot peppers now because he didn’t expect to see her in the contest.

She felt sick.

Unmoved by her situation, barges cruised up and down the Rhine. That one was filled with a point-y black pile that had to be coal. Saffy winced, searching the sky for the Saffron dragon, but she only saw gliders from the Royal Aeronautical Academy. Maybe Harold number one was out flying today.

She’d ask Magellan later. When she asked him about his plan.

This line! She tapped her foot and forced herself to breathe deeply. She had to stay in the zone for the Archery Contest.

She was where she needed to be at this moment. She had her archery equipment. Her long, trim-fitting saffron-yellow tunic and pants were perfect for archery. Her soft leather boots were silent—unless she made the gravel crunch out of frustration.

Appropriate. Correct. Functional.

The peaceful streets and houses of Koblenz filled the Rhine’s opposite bank. They made her restless.

The line moved up a bit, and she got a clear view of the German Corner—the arrowhead-shaped piece of land where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers met.

Also, a magical place. Magic made her think of fairies. If the Fairy Ranger was here scouting for their Fairy Ranger School, she would finally get her chance. It had to mean something that he knew her nickname. Her heart sang.

Saffy had promised herself that if she ever got the attention of the Fairy Rangers, she would prove herself worthy. The Fairy Rangers were the only ones who could teach her to be like Queen Hildegard. When the dragon went to the Reserve, Saffy had to be able to visit it. This Archery Contest was going to be the most important in her life.

Queen Sweetheart of the Rose Kingdom walked by, arm in arm with her royal husband. She nodded and smiled at Saffy. Then she turned to her husband. Her voice carried. “It’s hard to understand a creature with such unusual tastes. Coal has to be SO indigestible.”

Saffy gritted her teeth. The Rose Kingdom had nothing to worry about from a friendly, rogue dragon. Their castle had a massive cloaking defense wall that let them disguise themselves completely.

The other six kingdoms should mind their own business. The dragon belonged to the Saffron Kingdom.

Finally, it was Saffy’s turn.

King Pink, in fuchsia robes, and Queen Ash, in a flowing Blackfly gown, were handling the registration at a broad table set up next to the Watch Gate.

Saffy curtsied.

“Good morning, Queen Ash. Good morning, King Pink.”

Good thing Magellan wasn’t here. He would have had something to say about this combination of royals. Saffy’s stomach felt nervous.

King Pink was known for fairness. The Blackfly queen was known for . . . cheating. There was no other way to say it.

“Do you have any idea what your dragon is costing me in tolls?” Queen Ash demanded.

Saffy tensed. It must be quite a pile of gold. The Blackfly Castle was a tollbooth in the middle of the Rhine River. Since the dragon had taken to chasing barges, traffic was waaaaaay down. “No, ma’am.”

King Pink cleared his throat, and Saffy turned eagerly towards him. She reached out for her registration badge.

But he wasn’t offering her one. “Until the Saffron dragon problem has been solved, I’m afraid I can’t let Saffrons register for any Archery Contests.”

“But I have to get into the contest,” Saffy couldn’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. “There’s a Fairy Ranger here today.”

“I’m so sorry to disappoint you,” King Pink said, apologetically. “There’s a Sanction against the Saffron Kingdom. No one from that kingdom can participate in Seven Kingdoms events. It’s the rule.”

Behind Saffy, someone cleared their throat.

“Please step to the side,” Queen Ash said, with malicious pleasure.

Seriously outnumbered, Saffy stumbled sideways.

The smile on Queen Ash’s face made Saffy’s fingers itch for the bowstring.

Saffy put her shoulders back and walked away from the registration table to the deserted place at the very end of the line.

In a situation like this, her fairy gift was no help at all.

Wait, maybe it was? She’d show them what kind of Ranger Queen she could be.

Stepping back from the others, she nocked, drew, aimed way up in the sky, and let her arrow fly over the wall of the Magenta Fortress.

Ha! The first bullseye of the Archery Contest.

From the wrong side of the Watch Gate.

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audiobook cover for Under Pressure With a Squash: The Multiplication Problem