A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(64)

“So if this is the throne room, where’s the throne?” Bree asked.

“He never had one,” Emmerich said. “King Ludwig II had an extravagant throne made to match this room but he was declared insane before it was finished.”

“So the king never got to sit on his throne?” Conner asked. “That’s tough.”

“Most of the castle remains unfinished,” Emmerich said. “Ludwig was spending all of Bavaria’s money to build his luxurious homes and when that began running out he started borrowing money from other countries to complete them.”

“I can see how that might lead to a bad reputation,” Bree said.

Conner had been studying every square inch of the castle as they went, searching for anything that could possibly be the portal, but he wasn’t finding anything that rang a bell in the throne room.

“Do you think this room would be a good place for the weapon?” Emmerich whispered even though they were the only three in the castle.

“No, not here,” Conner said. “Let’s keep looking.”

“I’ll show you King Ludwig’s bedroom next,” Emmerich said.

They followed him back into the hall and entered a pair of heavy wooden doors. The king’s bedroom was covered from floor to ceiling in remarkable wooden craftsmanship. Everything from the washstand to the desk to the bed frame displayed intricate carvings of disciples, nobility, and harvest. Murals of Tristan and Isolde, one of the king’s favorite stories, covered the areas of the walls not decorated in wood.

Then they took a quick look at a small artificial grotto tucked between two rooms; it was as if the king had kept a tiny cave in his closet. But even that wasn’t appealing enough for Conner.

“See any place that works?” Emmerich asked.

Bree was just as interested; she wasn’t entirely sure what they were supposed to be looking for, either. However, it wasn’t something Conner could explain—part of recognizing a portal was being able to feel it.

“Not yet,” Conner said. “I’ll know it when I see it.”

“Then I’ll take you to the Singer’s Hall next! There are many things to see there!” Emmerich said.

They returned to the spiral staircase and walked up to the fifth floor of the castle. When they walked into the Singer’s Hall the first thing they heard was the sound of their footsteps echoing back at them. The hall was by far the largest room in the castle and stretched long and wide.

The Singer’s Hall was such an over-stimulating sight it took Conner and Bree a few moments to differentiate all the artwork. The whole hall seemed to blend into one giant piece of art composed of paintings, statues, busts, carvings, engravings, and symbols of King Ludwig’s favorite myths and legends. There were depictions of knights in shining armor, damsels in distress, royal weddings, and the punishment of evildoers. Candelabras lined the perimeter of the room while enormous chandeliers hung from the high ceiling.

Bree was looking up at a woman in one of the portraits. “Has anyone ever noticed that every woman in an old portrait looks like she’s being tricked into something?” she asked.

“They still use this room,” Emmerich said. “They fill it with chairs and instruments and put on concerts and performances to this day. This would be a convenient place to store your panpipe.”

Hearing this struck a chord with Conner. Emmerich was right; it would make sense for the panpipe to be affiliated with this room. If Conner had built the castle, he would certainly have put a panpipe that gave access to a portal in a room that had something to do with music. The portal had to be in the Singer’s Hall—he could feel it.

At the far side of the room was a platform four steps high. Four pillars of dark red marble stood on the front of the platform and held three colorful arches above them. Behind the pillars and arches, covering the wall, was the largest painting in the room. It was of a majestic forest with trees, flowers, squirrels, deer, and boulders.

Conner couldn’t take his eyes off this area of the room. The painting looked familiar to him, like a place he had seen with his sister. There was something intriguing and inviting about it that he couldn’t explain in words.

“What is this painting of?” Conner said.

“That’s a painting of a magic garden,” Emmerich said. “I don’t know what it’s from, though.”

Conner smiled on the inside and out. “I do,” he said, and then looked at Bree. “I think I’ve found it.”

Bree and Emmerich joined him at the back of the room. They stood by his side and all three of them gazed at the painting behind the pillars.

“You want to put the weapon in there?” Emmerich asked excitedly.

Conner decided to tell his young tour guide the truth. “Emmerich, it’s not really a weapon,” he said. “And we’re not really secret agents.”

Emmerich looked sadly at the floor. “I know,” he said. “But I thought it would be fun to pretend with you guys. I don’t get many chances to have fun with other kids; everyone who comes to Hohenschwangau is only here for a day and then they always leave.”

It broke Conner’s and Bree’s hearts a little to hear this. He was the second person on their trip to let them manipulate him or her due to loneliness. Bree leaned down so she could look him right in the eyes.