"We're not supposed to use magic unless absolutely necessary," Maff told Zann and his friends.
"We'd better walk to the dungeon."
"Who banned magic inside the palace?" Zann asked.
"I'm not sure." Maff looked troubled.
The ban sounded strange to Zann. With the king and queen gone, who was in charge at the palace?
Normally it would be the Red Council. But why would they ban magic? It didn't make sense.
A huge guard stood outside the dungeon's entrance.
He wasn't dressed like the other palace guards. His uniform was entirely black.
"Who are you?" Maff asked the guard. "Why are you dressed like that?"
The guard ignored Maff's questions. "What's your business here?" he demanded.
"I want to see my parents," Zann said. "They're in the dungeon."
The guard looked him up and down.
"Go ahead," he said, stepping aside to let them pass. "But don't use any magic."
"That's odd," Maff said as the group walked down the steps.
"That guard wasn't wearing a typical uniform. I wonder what's going on."
Zann spotted more guards below. They were dressed just like the guard upstairs.
Zann pushed past them, eager to see his family.
"Zann!" his father exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"We wanted to see you." Zann hurried closer.
His mother was in the cell next to Nax. Boz and Teplo were nearby.
"Uncle Gar!" Gliss cried suddenly. "How did you end up in there?"
Zann quickly scanned the cells. Gliss' uncle was right beside Teplo.
Other members of the Red Council were locked up too.
"I don't see Venna," Perda whispered. She shot a careful glance at the nearest guard.
"Or Saffa," Zann murmured back. "That's good."
The scene reminded Zann of the time when Morb had imprisoned most of the Reds in Magica.
But Morb wasn't doing this, or someone would have seen him.
The thought made Zann feel a little better. But only a little.
How could he talk to his parents and the others with all these guards listening?
Maff seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"May we have a moment of privacy?" he asked the guards.
"The boy wishes to speak with his parents."
"Sorry," a guard said, not sounding sorry at all. "We have our orders. We must stay."
Maff opened his mouth as if to argue. But Zann's mother leaned forward.
"It's all right, kids," Asta said. "It's good to see you, but you don't need to worry about us."
"That's right," Uncle Gar added. "This will all get sorted out after Venna is elected."
"Just stay safe, all right?" Nax said.
Before Zann could answer, footsteps pounded down the stairs.
All the guards spun around and saluted as Laddno stepped into the room.
"At ease, fellows," he told the guards. His hands clasped behind his back, he strolled toward the cells, ignoring Maff and the kids.
"Hello, citizens," he said. "I'm sorry to see you in such dire straits."
"Hmph," Boz said. Nobody else made a sound.
Laddno wandered up and down the row of cells.
"I wish to inform you that your happiness is very important to me," he said.
"If you are all innocent, as you claim, I'll make sure you're released once I've been elected king."
"Why not release them now?" Perda said boldly.
"Nobody seems to be in charge now that the king and queen have disappeared.
I bet you and Venna could join together to free the prisoners right away."
Laddno peered at her. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Never mind her," Boz said. "We're okay, kids. We can wait until after the election."
"Yes," Teplo added. "But if you're worried, you should recite my favorite poem.
It's called 'Ode to a Turnip.'" He cleared his throat.
"Such a fine fruit, ah! Happiness attends the chewing herewith."
Laddno scowled at him. "Enough with the poetry," he snapped.
"I never could stand that nonsense. What's the point of it?"
"What's the point, indeed?" Teplo beamed at him and then winked at Zann.
"Now, be off with you. Children and turnips both require fresh air, hmm?"
Zann exchanged confused looks with his friends.
Teplo had always been a little strange. Had prison finally made his mind snap?
"You heard the man." Laddno gestured to the guards. "Take them outside."
Zann was soon outside the palace walls with his friends.
"Where's Maff?" Perda asked.
"I'm not sure." Zann looked around. The guards had zapped them outside, but Maff was nowhere in sight.
"I guessed he stayed in the palace."
"I've got it!" Darb blurted out.
The others stared at him. "What?" Gliss asked.
"The poem." Darb grinned. "I know what Teplo was trying to tell us."
Zann had already almost forgotten about that silly turnip poem. "What are you talking about?"
"It's an acronym," Darb explained. "The first letters of each word of the poem are S-A-F-F-A-H-A-T-C-H."
Perda gasped. "Saffa hatch!" she exclaimed. "That must mean that Saffa is hiding out in the hatch at Teplo's house."
"She must be afraid she'll be taken prisoner too," Zann said.
"And Teplo wants us to hide with her!" Darb added.
"Shh." Zann glanced around, hoping nobody had heard them. He didn't want to wind up in prison.
"What are we waiting for?" Gliss said. "Let's go!"
All was quiet at Teplo's house. Zann checked to make sure nobody was nearby.
Then he knocked on the hatch outside the front door.
It creaked open, but there was no other sound.
"Should we go down?" Gliss asked, sounding nervous.
"I'll go first." Zann tried to look brave. He sat down on the edge and lowered himself into the darkness below.
Abruptly he let out a scream—his entire body was engulfed in flames!