Carnival at Candlelight

guard’s rifle and tossed it to the other.
    “Hey!” the guard yelled. “Give that back!”
    “Now’s our chance!” said Annie. “Quick!” She ran to the entrance and slipped through the door.
    “Oh, no—oh, man!” said Jack. While the guard chased after the two clowns on stilts, Jack rushed to the doorway of the palace and slipped inside, too.

J ack found Annie standing behind a column in a lantern-lit courtyard. The courtyard was quiet and empty. “Everyone in Venice must be at Carnival,” said Jack. “I just hope the ruler is home.”
    “Yeah, we’ll ask him if he knows the Grand Lady of the Lagoon,” said Annie. “And we’ll tell him he has to help us save her from a terrible disaster.”
    Jack looked at his map of the palace. Several rooms were labeled
Ruler’s Living Chambers.
“Iguess that’s where he lives,” said Jack. “We have to go up some stairs called the Giants’ Stairs to get there.”

    “The Giants’ Stairs?” said Annie.
    “Yeah,” said Jack. “Listen to this.”
    These stairs are called the Giants’ Stairs because they are guarded by two large statues of gods from Roman mythology: Mars, the god of war, and Neptune, the god of the sea.
    “Cool,” said Annie. “Let’s go.”
    Jack and Annie hurried down the passageway that ran along the courtyard until they came to a wide staircase. On either side of the stairs were giant marble statues of strong-looking men.
    “Mars and Neptune,” said Jack. “This is it. Come on.”
    Jack and Annie quickly climbed the Giants’ Stairs. At the top, Jack looked at the map again. “Now we turn right and head for the Golden Staircase,” he said.
    Keeping an eye out for more guards, they crept down a hall until they came to a fancy staircase under a gold ceiling.
    “There it is,” said Jack. “Let’s climb up.” He and Annie hurried up the Golden Staircase. When they got to the top, they froze. Another guard was slouched against the wall by the stairs. His eyes were closed, and he was snoring softly.
    Jack motioned to Annie, and they tiptoed past the sleeping guard to the entrance of the ruler’s living chambers. Jack glanced at the map. “This is it,” he whispered.
    The door was open. Jack and Annie peeked inside. “Knock, knock?” Annie said in a soft voice.
    No one answered.
    They stepped through the doorway. A fire blazed on the hearth. Overhead many candles burned brightly. The dancing flames cast shadows on a marble floor and a carved gold ceiling.
    “I have a feeling the ruler’s not here,” said Annie. “Maybe we should leave.”
    Jack looked at their book. “Wait, the next room is the Map Room,” he said. “Let’s just take a look.”
    “Okay, but we’d better hurry,” said Annie.
    Jack led the way into the Map Room. Colorful maps hung on the walls. In the middle of the floor were two huge globes. Jack sighed. “I
love
this room,” he said.
    “Look, more lions,” said Annie. She pointed to three paintings of winged lions on one of the walls. “Why are there lions with wings everywhere?”
    Jack looked up
winged lions
in their book. He turned to the right page and read:
    The winged lion is the symbol of Venice. Represented in paintings and sculptures all over the city, the lions stand for strength on both land and sea.
    As Jack and Annie looked back up at the lion paintings, they heard footsteps. The grouchy guard and the sleepy guard rushed into the room.
    “Hi, we’re looking—” began Annie.
    “There they are! The thieves!” the sleepy guard shouted at the grouchy guard. “I
told
you I heard voices!”
    “We’re not thieves,” said Annie. “We were just looking for your ruler to ask for his help.”
    “She’s right,” said Jack. “We have to tell him that—”
    “Won’t admit your crime, eh?” said the grouchy guard. “The worst cells are reserved for criminals like you! Move!”
    “But we—” started Annie.
    “Move!” shouted the grouchy guard, raising his rifle and pointing to the door.
    Jack knew there was no use arguing. He took Annie’s hand and led her out of the ruler’s living chambers. The two guards walked behind them, pointing guns at their backs.
    “To the end of the hall and down the steps!” growled the grouchy guard.
    Jack and Annie walked quickly down the hall, then down some steep, narrow steps. Theymoved through a low stone corridor, the guards close behind them.
    “Over the Bridge of Sighs!” shouted the grouchy guard. “And be sure to