Carnival at Candlelight

too.”
    “Yeah,” said Annie. “Hey, maybe we should just skip all this stuff and try to find the Ruler of the Seas on our own. Our letter says he’s the only one who can help us save the Grand Lady.”
    “I don’t know …,” said Jack. “In his letter, Merlin tells us to be patient—”
    But Annie was already calling to a pirate passing by. “Sir, do you know where we can find the Ruler of the Seas?”
    “What?” shouted the pirate.
    “The ruler! Do you know where he lives?” yelled Annie.
    “In the palace on Saint Mark’s Square!” said the pirate.
    “Where’s that?” Annie called. But the pirate had disappeared into the crowd.
    “I’ll look up Saint Mark’s Square,” said Jack. He turned the pages of their book until he came to a map of Venice. “Oh, cool,” he said. Jack loved maps.
    “Okay, let’s see,” Jack said. “We’re
here.”
Hepointed to the walkway along the canal on the map. “And we want to go to Saint Mark’s Square.” He pointed to another place on the map. “It’s really close.”
    “Yeah, and it looks like everyone else is headed there, too,” said Annie. “Come on.”
    “So, if we go this way …,” said Jack. He traced their route with his finger.
    “Come on, Jack!” called Annie.
    Jack looked up from the map. Annie was already walking with the crowd. Jack closed the book and hurried after her. Soon they came to a huge, open square.
    “Wow,” Jack said breathlessly. Saint Mark’s Square was filled with candlelight and musicians. Acrobats balanced on tightropes. Boxers boxed in a ring. Knights fenced with swords. Clowns walked on tall stilts, raced wheelbarrows, and tried to catch live eels in their mouths. All around the square were candlelit buildings.
    “Venice is beautiful,” said Annie.
    “Yeah,” said Jack. He looked back at their book.He found an illustration of Saint Mark’s Square. Jack read the descriptions of the buildings:
    The watchtower of Saint Mark’s Square is the tallest building in Venice. The weather vane on top once helped sailors by showing them which way the wind was blowing.
    Jack looked up. “I can barely see the weather vane up there,” he said. “But I think it’s pointing north. So the wind must be blowing from the south.”
    “What about the ruler’s palace? Where’s that?” asked Annie.
    Jack read on:
    The clock tower is one of the most beautiful towers in the world. On top of the tower, a bell is struck every hour by—
    “Jack, skip to the ruler’s palace!” interrupted Annie. “Please!”
    “Okay, okay,” said Jack. He read about the palace:

    The palace of Venice’s ruler is one of the most splendid structures ever built. It has a great hall where as many as 2,000 nobles once met to discuss city matters. It also holds the city’s grim prison cells. Above the palace door is a sculpture of Saint Mark showing a book to a winged lion—
    “There’s the palace door!” said Annie.
    Jack looked up from the map. Annie was heading toward a huge door with the sculpture of a man and a winged lion above it. Jack closed the book and hurried to catch up to her.
    A guard was standing by the palace door. The guard wore a uniform and held a rifle. “Wait,” Jack whispered. “Is he a real guard? Or is that just a costume?”
    “I’ll find out,” said Annie. She walked over to the guard. “Excuse me, sir. Is the ruler of Venice inside the palace now?”
    “Begone, clown!” the guard said gruffly.
    “But it’s important,” said Annie. “We need to talk to him about something.”
    “I said begone!” the guard growled. “I am tired of clowns wasting my time!”
    “She’s not really a clown,” said Jack, coming forward. “We’re on a mission. We—”
    “Go! Both of you! Or else!” roared the guard. He held up his rifle.
He’s definitely not wearing a costume
, thought Jack.
    “Okay, sorry, sorry,” said Jack. He and Annie moved away from the palace entrance.
    “What a grouchy guy,” said Annie.
    “He’ll never let us in,” said Jack.
    “Maybe it’s time to use one of Teddy and Kathleen’s rhymes,” said Annie. “Maybe we should turn into ducks. The guard wouldn’t mind if a couple of ducks—”
    “No,” said Jack. “We have to save our rhymes.”
    “Well, how will we get inside?” Annie asked.
    “Patience,” said Jack. “Remember—”
    Before he could finish, Annie broke in, “Hey, look!”
    Two clowns on stilts were dancing around the guard. One grabbed the