A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(61)

Conner and Bree could see the tips of the towers belonging to Neuschwanstein Castle hidden by the trees in the hills above the village. It felt like a giant was peeking at them.

“We made it!” Bree said cheerfully. “And it only took us nine and a half hours!”

“Only?” Conner asked, groaning as he dismounted his bike. “I think I’m going to have a bicycle-seat-shaped dent in my butt for the rest of my life.”

Hohenschwangau was an incredibly tiny place and mainly consisted of restaurants, inns, and souvenir shops for tourists visiting Neuschwanstein. The village was also home to another, smaller and older castle that sat on a hill across from Neuschwanstein. It was square and golden and almost completely forgotten by the travelers roaming the village.

Glass kiosks lined in the center of the village sold tours of Neuschwanstein. A long line of tourists waited outside for buses that took them up the path into the hills and to the castle.

“Okay, I think I’ve got a plan,” Conner said. “We’ll go on a tour of the castle and stay in the very back of our group so we’re easily forgettable. When no one is looking, we find the perfect place to hide. Then at night, when all the guides and guests have gone, we give ourselves a tour of the castle and try to find the portal.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan!” Bree said.

They chained their bikes to a bike rack and went to purchase their tickets. But just as they walked up to the kiosks, a sign written in many languages was placed in the window:


ALLE TOUREN VON SCHLOSS NEUSCHWANSTEIN SIND FüR DEN REST DES TAGES AUSVERKAUFT


ALL TOURS OF NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE ARE SOLD OUT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY


TOUS LES BILLETS POUR LES VISITES DU CHTEAU DE NEUSCHWANSTEIN ONT ETE VENDUS POUR LE RESTE DE LA JOURNEE


TUTTI I TOUR DI NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTELLO SONO ESAURITI PER IL RESTO DELLA GIORNATA



“Oh no!” Conner exclaimed. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Let’s see if we can get a better look at the castle,” Bree said. “Maybe there’s a window or something we could sneak into.”

They walked down the road a little ways away from the village, and more of the castle’s towers came into view.

“It’s no use looking at it from down here, we’ll have to go up the hill and get a closer look,” Conner said.

He tried his best to fight the disheartening thoughts creeping over him, but the situation wasn’t looking great. If the street below the castle was that crowded, the castle must be packed with people. It would be impossible to snoop around without looking suspicious.

Conner closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. They just needed a way inside the castle, that was all! The fate of the fairy-tale world depended on what they might find inside. Luckily for Conner, there was still a bit of magic in his blood and it must have been listening to his request.…

“Hey, Conner,” Bree whispered. “That kid over there keeps staring at us.”

Conner turned in the direction she was referring to. A few yards ahead of them beside the road was a tiny cottage-like house. A boy sat on its front steps unapologetically watching them. He was very young, no older than ten, and had dark hair and very pale skin. He was skinny although his cheeks were plump and rosy, making him look like a puppet that lived in a cuckoo clock.

“Hi,” Conner said, and waved awkwardly at their observer.

“Hello,” the boy said in a cute German accent. “Are you guys American?”

“We are,” Bree said.

A big grin stretched between his rosy cheeks and he giddily sat up.

“Do you like the United States?” Conner asked him.

“Yes!” the boy said with an animated nod. “That’s where all the superheroes are from!”

“Have you ever been there?” Bree asked.

The boy’s shoulders sank. “No,” he said. “I go to school in Füssen down the road but other than that I’ve never been very far from here. But I’m saving all my money so I can visit Gotham City one day!”

Conner and Bree looked at each other like he was a precious puppy they wanted to keep.

“What’s your name?” Conner asked. They walked up closer to his house to visit with him some more.

“My name is Emmerich,” he was happy to tell them. “Emmerich Himmelsbach. What are your names?”

“I’m Conner and this is my friend Bree.”

“What brings you to Hohenschwangau?” he asked, and then quickly corrected himself. “Oh, that was a silly question; you’re here to see the castle, right? Everybody always comes to see the castle.”

“Yes,” Bree said. “Have you been inside it before?”

“Oh, many, many, many times!” he told them. “My grandfather used to give tours of the castle and my mother works at a gift shop in the village. So there isn’t anything I don’t know about the place.”

“Well, we were here to see the castle,” Conner said dejectedly. “We rode bikes all the way from Munich but the tickets are sold out.”

This completely blew Emmerich’s mind and he almost fell over just hearing it. “You rode bikes all the way from Munich?” he said with enormous gestures. “Why would you do that?”

An idea suddenly came to Conner’s mind. He looked at Bree and she could see the light in his eyes. She was prepared to go along with whatever it was he was thinking.