Dragon's Breath (19 page)

The clanking of armor was loud when the knights turned to face us, but Grumble Belly began puffing smoke the moment he landed, and the knights seemed reluctant to engage an angry dragon. I could see only a little of the king's face beneath his helmet, since the metal came low over his brow and the nosepiece covered his nose. He was an old man with a short beard and thin lips, and his eyes were two dark smudges against a face turned pale. Jorge sat beside him, his long blond curls peeking out from under his helmet, his deep blue eyes watching me with disdain.

"King Beltran," I announced, "I am the Green Witch and protector of Greater Greensward. I demand that you leave our land at once."

The mounted knights muttered, their horses shifting restlessly, but the king raised his hand and the voices stilled.

"If you leave now," I said, "you may go home, but each man who stays to fight will turn into a frog or a mouse."

"What about the men you've already changed?" asked the king.

"Take them with you. They'll turn back into men once they cross the border into your kingdom."

"Don't believe her, Father," said Prince Jorge. "That's Emeralda, the princess you insisted I marry. I've seen the Green Witch, and she's older than that girl."

"Hello, Jorge," I said.

" Your Highness' to you," he said, his nostrils flaring. "You were lucky that I was willing to marry you, but you were too stupid to know it. Is that the commoner who carried you off?"

"I'm not a commoner, and I didn't carry her off." Eadric sounded indignant. "I'm as much a prince as you are, Jorge, and I'll have you know that I'm going to marry Emma!"

Jorge took off his helmet. "Prince Eadric, is that you? I thought you looked familiar. Where did you get a dragon? I don't suppose you'd sell it? I'd look marvelous on a beast like that."

Grumble Belly's stomach rumbled, and smoke trickled out his nostrils. "Dragons aren't for sale!" I said as his muscles tensed under me.

"Then we have nothing more to talk about," Jorge said, setting his helmet back on his head.

"You can still marry him, girl," said King Beltran. "If your father gives me enough land, I'd be willing to ignore your foolishness."

"I didn't want to marry your son before, and I certainly don't want to marry him now. You'd better leave and never come back. I'm watching over this kingdom, and you aren't welcome here!"

"I see," said the king. "Then you leave me no choice but to use force to change your mind." Turning to the knights behind him, Beltran raised his hand and nodded. Without bothering to look at us again, the king and his son trotted toward the forest. Once the king was out of the way, his knights lifted their swords and urged their horses forward.

"I wish I'd brought Ferdy, but I didn't think I needed him when we went to the swamp," said Eadric.

"That's all right. I'm the one who's armed this time. These people don't seem to believe in magic unless it happens to them. I guess I'll have to give them a taste. Grumble Belly, I think it would have a greater impact from the air."

Snorting again, the dragon pumped his wings, and we rose above their heads, making the horses rear. A few of the knights slid off their horses' backs to the ground, where they lay struggling under their armor's weight. We hadn't gone far when archers began to shoot at us, so I didn't hesitate before throwing the next ball. It landed in the midst of the knights, and I was pleased to see that it didn't affect the horses, although their riders disappeared into the depths of their armor.

King Beltran and Prince Jorge had already moved out of my weapon's range and were fleeing the field when Grumble Belly flew after them. "And what about you?" I called while shaping another green ball with my hands.

"We'll go!" shouted the king. "Just leave us alone and let us gather our men!"

"Very well," I said. "You have one hour to collect your soldiers." Resting the ball between Grumble Belly's spikes, I leaned back against Eadric while the dragon's enormous wings carried us higher.

"Should I take you home now?" asked Grumble Belly, swerving over the remaining soldiers.

"Not yet, if you don't mind. I think we'd better stay and make sure they really do leave. I need to talk to my father, too. I'm sure he'd like to know what's happened."

We were higher than the treetops when Eadric and I leaned over to watch the soldiers scurrying about, collecting frogs and mice in their helmets and on their shields.

"I wonder how many will actually make it home," said Eadric.

I shrugged. "I don't know, but life as a frog isn't too bad." Squirming in my seat, I turned to face him. "I'm sorry if I seem to take you for granted sometimes. I dragged you into some awful predicaments, but you've helped me more than I could have dreamed possible. I appreciate everything you've done."

"Enough to give me a kiss?"

"Mmm," I said. The kiss was long and loving and I enjoyed every second of it.

After a time, Eadric pulled away to murmur, "You're wrong about one thing. Those were adventures, not predicaments. I like adventures, and maybe that's one of the reasons I'm crazy about you. When you're around, I never know what's going to happen next!"

E. D. BAKER

made her international debut with
The Frog Princess,
which was a Book Sense Children's Pick and has been optioned for an animated movie. Since then she has written four other books in the series:
Dragon's Breath, Once Upon
a
Curse, No Place for Magic,
and
The Salamander Spell.
A mother of three and grandmother of one, Ms. Baker has had many interesting jobs—teacher, parrot caretaker, member of the Red Cross Disaster Team—but her true love is writing. She lives in Maryland, where she provides a home for three horses, two dogs, three cats, and three goats named Malcolm, Seth, and Ruben.

www.edbakerboolcs.com