Dragon of the Red Dawn: A Merlin Mission

asked Jack.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” said Annie. “We have to go. We have to help Merlin as soon as we can.”
“If the tree house takes us to Japan, how will you go back to Camelot?” Jack asked Teddy and Kathleen.
Teddy and Kathleen held up their hands. They each wore a sparkling blue ring. “Our magic rings will take us home,” said Kathleen.
“And this book from Camelot’s library will bring you back home to Frog Creek,” said Teddy, “after you have completed your mission.” He picked up another book lying in a corner. It was the book about Pennsylvania that Jack and Annie had used on their first magic tree house adventures.
“Thanks,” said Jack.
“Good-bye,” said Annie. “Take good care of Merlin.”

“We will try,” said Kathleen. She and Teddy raised their magic rings to their lips. They whispered words too softly for Jack and Annie to hear, then blew on the rings. As they blew, the young sorcerers began to fade into the cool morning air. In a moment, they had disappeared completely.
Silence filled the tree house.
Annie turned to Jack. “Ready?” she said.
Jack nodded. He pointed to the cover of the Japan book. “I wish we could go there !” he said.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.

J ack opened his eyes. Soft morning light shone across the floor of the tree house. Pink flowers bloomed on a branch outside the window.
Jack and Annie were wearing brown baggy pants and brown silk robes with blue sashes. On their feet were stiff white socks and straw sandals. Jack’s backpack had turned into a burlap bag.

“Are we wearing bathrobes?” asked Jack.
“I think they’re called kimonos,” said Annie.
“Oh, right,” said Jack. “Where’d we land exactly?” Jack and Annie looked out the window.
Below the tree house was a beautiful garden filled with cherry trees and long-leafed willows. A waterfall tumbled into a sparkling green pool.
“Wow,” said Annie.
Jack opened the Japan book and found a painting that looked like the garden. He read aloud to Annie:
In the 1600s, the Imperial Garden surrounded the Imperial Palace in the capital city of Japan. The city was called Edo (say EE-doh). In the mid-1800s, its name was changed to Tokyo (say TOH-kee-oh).
“Tokyo?” said Annie. “I’ve always wanted to go to Tokyo!”
“Me too,” said Jack. He read on:
The late 1600s in Japan were years of peace and prosperity. Art and culture thrived. But it was a time when the country was completely closed to the outside world. No one was allowed to come in. The citizens of Edo were frequently checked to make sure they had passports.
“What’s a passport exactly?” said Annie.
“It’s an official booklet that says who you are,” said Jack. “It also lists the different countries you traveled to.” He read more:
Anyone who did not have a passport was considered a spy and punished severely.
“Uh-oh,” said Annie. “We don’t have passports.”
“Yeah, that’s a problem,” said Jack.
“Hey! What if we use the Wand of Dianthus to make passports?” said Annie.
“Good idea!” said Jack. He peeked inside his bag. Good, the Wand of Dianthus was there.
“Wait, wait,” said Annie. “We can’t. Remember the rules. We can only use the magic wand for the good of others.”
“Oh, right,” said Jack.
“And we have to try our hardest before we use the wand,” said Annie.
“We haven’t tried anything yet,” said Jack.
“I guess we should just start looking for a secret of happiness and hope no one catches us,” said Annie.
“Shh,” said Jack, “listen.”
A bell was ringing in the distance. The ringing grew louder. Then came the sound of horses. Jack and Annie crouched down. They raised their heads just high enough to peek out the window. Through the flowery tree branches, they saw a small procession coming through the garden.
The man leading the procession was ringing a bell. Two men walked behind him, holding up banners. Behind them, four men rode slowly on horseback. They all wore baggy trousers and puffy shirts. Their heads were shaved, except for knots of black hair. Each had two swords—a long one and a short one—hanging from his belt.
At the very end of the procession rode a man in a billowing purple robe and a small purple hat. Red tassels hung from the bridle of his large black horse.
Jack looked at their research book again. He found a picture that looked like the man on the black