Heir Apparent

In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed--and Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a darn shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she'll never win.And she has to, because losing means she'll die--for real this time.

VIVIAN VANDE VELDE is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including Wizard at Work and the Edgar Award-winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York.

Contents
ONE
Happy Birthday to Me 3
TWO
Off to a Fantastic Start (Not!) 12
THREE
Fun and Games with the Family 22
FOUR
A Heavenly Visitor 32
-Rasmussem interoffice e-mail 41
FIVE
Simple Math 43
SIX
"Do Not Pass Go; Do Not Collect $200" 47
SEVEN
Shuffle and Deal Again 52
EIGHT
Hey, Loser, Start Over Again (Again) 58
NINE
Stop Me If You Think 68
You've Heard This One Before
TEN
Family History 70
ELEVEN
A Poem Can Be a Home 80
to Those Who Roam (Or, Like, Whatever)
-Rasmussem interoffice e-mail 87
TWELVE
One 88
THIRTEEN
Disarming the Troops 98
FOURTEEN
Are We Having Fun Yet? 106
-Rasmussem interoffice e-mail 120
FIFTEEN
Bright Sword, Dim Brother 121
SIXTEEN
Lunch 136
SEVENTEEN
Treasure Hunt 150
EIGHTEEN
Calling in the Reinforcements 164
NINETEEN
Magic Realism (without the Realism) 177
-Rasmussem interoffice e-mail 192
TWENTY
Siege 193
TWENTY-ONE
Back to the Battlements 207
TWENTY-TWO
Did Someone Say Déjà Vu? 217
-Rasmussem interoffice e-mail 219
TWENTY-THREE
Will the Guilty Party Please Step Forward? 220
TWENTY-FOUR
Fast Forward 231
TWENTY-FIVE
Morning Comes Early 240
When There's No Snooze Button
TWENTY-SIX
Keeping Everybody (But Me) Happy 247
TWENTY-SEVEN
Preparations for a Journey 258
TWENTY-EIGHT
Xenos's Dad 267
TWENTY-NINE
A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with 278
a Single Step (and Other Trite Nonsense)
THIRTY
Dead Oxen and Gold 284
THIRTY-ONE
Home Sweet Home (Or Not) 292
THIRTY-TWO
The End 302
THIRTY-THREE
Satisfaction Guaranteed, Or Your Money 309
Cheerfully Refunded