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

ancient monarch, he was sitting on a small, dusty stool by a tiny square table where he’d been playing the same game of chess against himself for almost two years. A tarnished crown sat atop his bald head, and his long blue-gray beard was tucked into his pants. With shaky, bent fingers, he slid a pawn one space over on the chessboard. Then he looked up at his guests. There were so many wrinkles on his face, it was hard for Lila to tell where his eyes were.
    “Princess Briar Rose of Avondell?” King Edwyn asked in a voice like a rusty hinge. “Yes. Yes, she paid me a visit not too long ago. Sweet girl.”
    “Your Highness,” said Ruffian, “if I might ask the purpose of her visit?”
    “She asked permission to use our pier that evening,” Edwyn said. “Which was very considerate.”
    “Asked permission?” Lila said. “Never mind. It wasn’t Briar.”
    “What else did the princess say?” Ruffian inquired.
    “She . . .” The elderly king paused and scratched his liver-spotted head with a chess knight. “I can’t remember. I guess it couldn’t have been too important.”
    “Please try, sir,” Lila said. “I mean, you know Briar’s supposed to be dead, right? And that your daughter is one of the people being blamed for it?”
    The king looked stunned. “Snow White? Oh, that’s ridiculous. Snow would never harm anybody.”
    “Of course not,” Lila said. “But half the world thinks she’s a murderer thanks to that awful Briar Rose. She faked her death and wants your daughter to rot for it!”
    “We don’t know that,” Ruffian started to say, but Lila spoke right over him.
    “Your sweet, gentle daughter is being treated like a criminal! That’s why you have to think back to that night.”
    King Edwyn took a deep, rattly breath. “Well, when Princess Briar Rose was here, she asked me about the pier,” he said. “And then she . . .” The old man’s face suddenly froze, and his eyes glazed over.
    “Your Highness?” Ruffian prodded.
    “I have told you everything I know,” the king suddenly said, his speech stiff and stilted. He was staring straight ahead, at no one in particular. “I think it is best that you two people leave this castle at once.”
    “King?” Lila asked.
    “You heard my words,” the king said. “We are through here. You must go.”
    Ruffian put his hand on Lila’s back and ushered her away from the old man.
    “That was really weird, wasn’t it?” Lila whispered as they headed for the exit. “It was like we were suddenly talking to a different person, right?”
    “Once again you ask questions you know the answers to,” Ruffian replied. His eyes darted around the room as they walked. Suddenly he drew his sword, dashed over to a large picture window, and threw aside its moth-eaten drapes to reveal a bald, tattoo-covered man in a vest and kilt. Lila recognized him instantly: Madu, the weresnake from Dar. And between the clenched fingers of his left hand she spotted a glimmer of orange gemstone.
    “The Jeopardous Jade Djinn Gem,” Lila breathed. “But how?”
    Madu drew his broadsword and swung it at Ruffian. With the Darian’s concentration broken, King Edwyn snapped back to normal.
    “Huh?” the old man muttered, blinking at his chessboard. “Ooh, I see a good move!”
    “Get the king out of here!” Ruffian called to Lila as he clashed blades with Madu. She ran back to King Edwyn.
    “You’re in danger, sir,” she said, holding out her hand to him. “Come with me.”
    But her view of the elderly figure was blocked as a big, stocky man covered from head to toe in spiked armor stepped in between them. “Sorry, but we need the old guy here,” said Jezek. He held up his arm and called to Madu, “Throw it here!”
    Madu backed away from Ruffian, flicked his arm, and sent a flash of orange sailing through the air. Jezek caught it.
    Lila turned and fled, but halfway to the door she felt a jolt as her muscles suddenly tensed up. She wanted desperately to keep