Dragon's Breath (16 page)

"Mama! I'm not a baby anymore. And you know I don't like flami-peppers! You're not really going to make me eat them, are you?"

"Every day. And no more flowers for you, young dragon. You'll eat normal dragon food and nothing else. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Mama," said Ralf.

"He's not the only one who eats things he shouldn't," I said, glancing at Eadric.

I'd grown used to the constant din outside the tent as the dragons scoured the area for us, only now it seemed to be getting louder. When I listened, I could make out one word above all the rest.
Humans
sounded like a name for evil when shouted by an angry mob of dragons. We were in serious trouble.

The Dragon King peered nearsightedly at Eadric and me and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think you two had better hide for a while. I'll try to head everyone off, but I can't help you if they find you. Even though you've done my family a mighty big favor, there's only so much I can do. Too bad you're humans, that's all I can say."

"What if they weren't humans?" asked Ralf. "What if they turned back into frogs? Then they could leave the tent and no one would notice them. You can do it, can't you, Emma?"

"That's a great idea, Ralf, but there's only one problem. I have to sneeze if we're going to turn back, and I don't know how to make myself do it."

"Isn't there some other way you can change? You fixed me with magic. Why don't you fix yourself?"

"When I fixed you, I used a spell I'd read in a book. I don't know any spells that would change me back."

"Then make one up," said Ralf. "Witches do that kind of thing, don't they?"

"I'm not very good at making up spells yet. They never turn out quite right."

Grumble Belly pointed a sharp claw at my chest. "You mean you'd try your magic on our son but not on yourself?"

I glanced from dragon to dragon, hoping that at least one of them would understand. "It's not that I don't want to. I just can't." I swallowed hard when the adult dragons' eyes began to glow red and pink smoke trickled out of their nostrils. The temperature in the room seemed to be rising as swirling smoke filled the air and the smell of boiling cabbage became overpowering.

"I think you'd better try, Emma," said Eadric. "You don't have much of a choice."

"What about you, Eadric? I know how you feel about my spells. Whatever happens to me is going to happen to you, too. Are you sure you want me to do this?"

"I'm willing to risk it if you are. We've made it through so far, haven't we?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "All right," I said with a halfhearted smile. "Just don't expect any great poetry."

"About that smoke," said the old dragon.

Flame Snorter glared at him. "Not now, Father. Give the girl a chance."

"This is important. I remember what I wanted to tell her, and it's something she'd better know. Young human," he said, turning to me, "do you see the dragon smoke in this tent? There's a lot more now than there was a minute ago."

"Yes, but—"

"Dragon smoke is pretty powerful stuff. We have our own special magic, and so does our smoke. After you've been breathing the smoke the way you have, if you try to cast a spell on yourself, it will change your magic, one way or another. Just thought I'd better warn you."

"What do you mean?" asked Eadric.

"If you're a friend to dragons, it'll make your magic stronger, but there aren't too many dragon friends around. If you're like most humans and wouldn't mind using your magic against us, you might lose your magic altogether. If that happens, I don't think you'll be leaving here alive. My family will try to help you, but those fellows outside aren't feeling too friendly. It's your choice, so make it a good one. Once you cast your spell, what happens next will be out of your hands."

I was frightened. Trying to sneak past the other dragons wasn't much of an option. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want to risk losing Eadric, who would do his best to protect me and end up getting himself killed. I didn't want to lose my magic, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that I wasn't about to lose anything. I never had used my magic against dragons, and I had no intention of starting. Wouldn't that count for something?

When I tried to talk, the words seemed to stick in my throat. I tried again, and they came out sounding funny to me, as if someone else was saying them. "I have to try the spell."

"All right," said the old dragon. "It's your decision."

I closed my eyes so that the dragons wouldn't distract me. It took me a minute to come up with something that I thought would work. When I was ready, I took a deep breath and said,

I wish I might,
I wish I may,
Have the form
I want today.

Please let me choose
Which it will be.
No Longer human
Make it froggy.

The pink smoke seemed to be drawn to me, swirling around me in an ever-thickening cloud. Eadric and the dragons faded from sight and everything grew silent, leaving me alone in a world of shadows. Despite the heat, a chill walked up my spine and I shivered. With Eadric at my side, I had felt braver and more able to face whatever came, but now ... I tried to tell myself that everything would be fine. I had sworn that I'd never use my magic to hurt anyone, and as far as I knew, I'd never done anything worse than make a sea monster lose his teeth. Even then, he'd had another set coming in.

Something whispered at the edge of my hearing. I dug my nails into my palms and held my breath, straining to understand it. The sound came again, louder and more distinct. It was a voice, but it didn't belong to a human and it spoke no words that I could understand. Another voice joined in and then a third, and before I knew it, a chorus of voices surrounded me. They grew louder until suddenly they stopped, leaving me in silence once again.

Flashes of light broke through the smoke, red and yellow in a bed of dusky pink.
This is it,
I thought.
The dragons are going to turn me into charcoal.
I think I even forgot to breathe. Arrows of light with no beginning and no end shot through me as if I was no more substantial than a shadow. I heard soothing music and screams of terror, I tasted blood and sugar, smelled the stench of decay and the perfume of wildflowers. The arrows were cold and hot, they itched and burned and soothed ... and then they were gone.

I felt light-headed and as fresh and full of energy as if I'd just stepped from an invigorating swim in a cool mountain stream. My senses seemed sharper, my thoughts clearer. I knew that I'd turned into a frog, but I also knew that something bigger and far more important had happened to me. Whatever it was, I was no longer the same person I'd been just minutes before.

The smoke was almost gone when the noise of the Olympics returned. It was loud and harsh, yet I welcomed it as proof that everything was all right.

"Would you look at that!" exclaimed the Dragon King. "I should have known it would turn out like this after the way you helped our Ralfie!"

"You have a funny sort of glow now, Emma. I can see it when I squint my eyes real hard, like this," said Ralf, squeezing his eyes into little silts.

"When you said that her magic would be more powerful, how much of an increase did you mean?" asked Eadric.

"That depends on the person," said the Dragon King, "but it's usually quite substantial."

Although I didn't know what to say, Eadric didn't have the same problem. "That's just great!" he said, shaking his head. "You made some mistakes with your magic before, but I can imagine what you'll come up with now!"

A dark red dragon with jagged brow ridges lifted the tent flap and stuck his head inside. "Has anyone seen a pair of humans?" When his eyes fell on the Dragon King, he ducked his head, murmuring, "Sorry, Your Majesty. Didn't mean to intrude."

"Hmph," said Gargle Snout. "See that it doesn't happen again. And take your search for humans elsewhere. There aren't any here."

The red dragon bowed and backed away, muttering apologies. When the flap had fallen closed, Eadric said, "I think we should leave before anything else happens."

Ralf rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. "I'll take you to find your sword—"

"You certainly will not!" said his mother. "You're not going anywhere with your friends now. You can hardly keep your eyes open, and I don't—"

"Mama!" wailed Ralf, his face crinlding.

"Don't worry, son," said his father. "I'll take your friends wherever they need to go. You listen to your mother, and I'll come see you when I get back."

"You don't mind?" the little dragon asked. "Because it's kind of far."

While Ralf gave directions to his father, I tried to think of a good reason for not going with the big dragon. I knew and trusted Ralf, but his father was intimidating even when he was trying to be friendly. I was opening my mouth to make some excuse when Grumble Belly picked us up, plopped us behind his neck ridge and trotted out of the tent.

"Goodbye!" yelled Ralf as the tent flap closed behind us.

"Goodbye!" I called back, but we were already airborne.

Twenty-Two

Night had fallen while we were inside the tent, but the glow from the lava pit cast an otherworldly light over the arena. Instead of taking the tunnel through the mountain, Grumble Belly avoided the crowd by flying straight up. I was convinced that we were going to fall off his back at any moment, but he carried us safely through the mountain passes and over the forest, his great wings beating with a strong and steady rhythm.

It was a beautiful night with the stars twinkling overhead, the pale face of the moon nearly full and the crisp, clear air washing away the smell of Ralf's salve. If it hadn't been for the whump of the dragon's wings, it would have been silent as well.

Ralf must have given his father excellent directions, since the big dragon carried us directly to the trees where the spider's web had hung. It was dark in the woods, making it hard to see much of anything. The moment the dragon landed, Eadric sprang to the ground. I hopped off the dragon's back, too, not wanting to stay there by myself. "If you'll wait, I'll make a light," I said, hearing Eadric stumble in the dark.

"Don't bother," said Grumble Belly. He closed his eyes and concentrated until his stomach made a grumbling sort of sound, like an old man makes when his bones are aching. Taking a deep breath, the dragon exhaled with his mouth partly closed, letting out a thin tongue of flame and the now-familiar cabbagey smell. The flame created enough light to illuminate the nearby ground all the way to the lowest branches of the closest trees. It went out when he inhaled, lighting again with his next breath, illuminating the area in a pulse of light, dark, light, dark. It was helpful, but not perfect since I could see Eadric for a moment, and then he disappeared as the flame went out.

"Ow!" said Eadric. I could see him now, standing by a tree and rubbing his forehead, apparently having run into a branch. Staring at the ground by his feet, he said, "I know Ferdy is around here somewhere."

"Grumble Belly," I said, taking a step back when the dragon's huge head swung around to face me, "would you be able to carry us if we were humans?"

"Easily," the dragon answered.

"Then I think it's time we stopped being frogs." Since it had worked so well the first time, I used the same spell again—with a small adjustment.

I wish I might,
I wish I may,
Have the form
I want today.

Let me choose
Which it will be.
A human form
Is right for me.

My magic felt different now. While it had taken a lot of effort and concentration before and I had to hope I was saying the right thing each time, now I knew when it was right, and it wasn't just because the spell was similar to the one I'd said in the tent. Now I could see what effect my words would have before I said them. This time when I said the spell, the change took place in an instant and I didn't feel queasy afterward. Powerful magic definitely had its advantages.

While Eadric shuffled through the dead leaves, searching for Ferdy, I tried to remember where he'd been standing when we turned into frogs. I knew where I'd been and he'd been right. "What's this?" I asked when my foot hit something hard. I knelt down to brush the leaves aside and uncovered his sword, only a few feet from where he'd been looking. Eadric reached for Ferdy, then stood up, holding the sword at arm's length.

" I 'm sorry I left you, Ferdy," said Eadric. "I didn't mean to. Please forgive me."

Ferdy didn't stay silent for long.

I'm never one to hold a grudge.
I never can stay mad.
I'll never be the kind to judge.
To see you makes me glad.

"Ferdy's better than a faithful hound," I said. "A sword that forgiving won't chew up your shoes when it's starving for attention."

"He is a good sword, isn't he? I'd say he wasn't such a bad purchase after all."

The trip home took only a few minutes. We were within sight of the castle when Grumble Belly said, "I'd drop you at your front door, but that would bring out all the guards. Is there somewhere out of the way where I can let you off?"

"Over there," I said, pointing to the tower on the left. "That's where my aunt lives. She won't mind if we use her window. In fact, she'd probably like to meet you."

"Another time, perhaps." Grumble Belly dipped one wing and swerved toward the tower, gliding up to the window silently.

"Thanks for the ride," I said, jumping onto the ledge.

Eadric checked to make sure that he had his possessions with him before following me through the window. "Thanks," he said.

Grumble Belly smiled. 'You saved my son's life and became his friends. Here," he said, snapping off the tip of an already cracked claw and depositing it on the window ledge. "If you ever need me, hold this in your left hand and call my name. Dragons don't forget their friends."

Eadric and I stood by the window, watching the dragon's silhouette winging through the night sky. A shout went up from the guard on the next tower, but Grumble Belly was already too far away for an arrow to reach.

I picked up the dragon's claw and tucked it in my pouch, intending to examine it in the daylight.

The door to the storage room creaked open and a small head peeked out. "Is it gone?" Li'l whispered, peering around the room.

"Yes, Li'l," I said. "The dragon's gone."

"Thank goodness!" said the little bat. Li'l leaned forward and peered at me. "So, did you get the dragon's breath and the feather?"

"We got it all! I have the dragon's breath right here," I said, patting my pouch.

"And here are the feathers," Eadric said, handing them to me. I was carrying them to Grassina's workbench when he pointed toward the back of the room and whispered, "Who's that?"

A pale figure seemed to be floating toward us, and I thought it must be one of the castle ghosts until she stepped in the puddle of moonlight shining through the window. It was my mother, her hair streaming loose around her shoulders and down her back, her long, white gown brushing her ankles and reaching past her fingertips.

I pointed at the witches' lights, lighting a half dozen or so.

"You're back," she said, sounding relieved. "Is Grassina with you?"

"You mean she isn't here? But she knows we have to turn Haywood back within the next few hours!"

"Haywood! I wish I'd never heard that name. He's made her forget everything, and now she isn't even here when we need her so desperately."

"What happened? Is something wrong?"

"Of course something's wrong! King Beltran's army has almost reached the border. Your father is waiting for him there. If Grassina doesn't help your father, Beltran's wizard can destroy our entire army before a single arrow is shot. Emeralda, you told me that you'd learned a little magic. Do you know how to locate Grassina? We need her back here right away!"

"I'll see what I can do." It occurred to me that my mother had to be truly desperate to accept my magic so suddenly, which made me want to help even more. I searched Grassina's workbench for her dragon scale, but she must have taken it with her again. "I can use this," I said, finding her old far-seeing ball. Although she had a newer and more powerful one, that seemed to be missing as well.

"Eadric, help me find something personal of Grassina's that I can use to locate her. Try checking her comb or her pillow. If we're lucky, her cleaning spell missed a hair or two."

Unfortunately, Grassina's spell was too thorough. We didn't find any of her hair, but we did find a clump of Haywood's fur on the window seat.

"This will have to do," I said. "We'll see if we can find Haywood and hope that Grassina is nearby."

"I don't understand," said Eadric. "If you can find Haywood this way, why didn't Grassina try it? It has to be easier than whatever she's been doing."

"It depends on the distance involved," I said. "This won't be easy if he's too far away. My aunt is a powerful witch, but this may be too hard even for her. And remember, she had to eliminate all those false trails."

I already knew what I was going to say when I set the fur on Grassina's workbench and placed the far-seeing ball on top of it.

In the day or in the night,
In the dark or in the light,
Show me where the otter's gone,
Show me now before the dawn.

An image formed inside the ball, fuzzy at first, but it grew more distinct as we watched. The sun was high over a riverbank where an otter, his fur wet and shiny, slipped and slid across the mud. A shadowy figure was chasing him, but the otter was too wild to catch. Twisting around as the figure reached out, he snapped and bit, then scampered toward the water as the figure fell back, nursing an injured hand.

"Is that Grassina?" Eadric asked, squinting at the image. "Why is she so hard to see?"

"Because she isn't the one I asked to see," I said.

"Can you contact her?" asked my mother.

"I can do better than that." I was feeling stronger and more confident in my magic than I ever had before, and making up spells no longer seemed such a challenge.

"Step back," I said, "and stay out of the way. This might be messy." Taking the ball in my hands, I turned to face the center of the chamber.

Bring the otter to this room
So that he can be a groom.
Bring my aunt who's chasing him,
Keep them safe in life and limb.

The splat of something wet and heavy hitting the floor made me jump. Haywood had landed first, tumbling across my aunt's beautiful carpet and smearing it with mud. Grassina appeared next, sprawling on the floor with a whoosh as the air was knocked out of her. Stunned, she lay still for a moment, and I began to worry that she'd been hurt. She was shaky when she stood up, but I thought she looked fine until I noticed the blood dripping from her hand.

"Oh, my!" exclaimed my aunt, staring at us in surprise. "How did that happen?"

"Emma used a spell," Eadric began.

Grassina looked at him as if he was crazy. "Who?"

"Emma," Eadric said again. "She found you in that ball thing, and then she said a spell to bring you here. Queen Chartreuse said she needed you, so Emma—"

"Emma couldn't possibly do that. I don't know anyone who could bring two people over such a distance. There must be—"

Haywood was acting like any wild thing suddenly let loose indoors. He panicked, his claws digging into the carpet as he scurried from one end of the room to the other, trying to find a way out. I stopped listening to Grassina when he ran into the table holding the crystalline bouquet. The table fell over with a crash, and the bouquet would have been smashed on the floor if Eadric hadn't launched himself across the room, catching it with both hands.

"Good catch!" I said, and darted after the frantic otter. I chased him into the corner of the room, which I decided wasn't a good idea when he bared his teeth and growled. Backing away one step at a time, I pointed my finger at him and said,

Send this otter to the pond
Where I first met Eadric.
Do not Let the otter Leave,
By free will or by magic.

The instant I finished the spell, Haywood disappeared, leaving behind mud and the musky scent of wet otter. I heard Grassina gasp, and when I turned around, she was staring at me as if I'd grown another head.

"I'm sorry, but he couldn't stay here," I said. "He's too wild to keep inside."

"I know. I would have done the same thing. I just can't believe how much you've changed. The Emma I used to know couldn't have done that. And if you were really the one to bring us here—"

"She was," my mother said, surprising me by looking proud. "Now hold still and let me look at that hand." Muttering to herself, my mother made Grassina sit down and began to dab at her wound using water from the pitcher and a clean cloth. "You two can talk later," Mother added. "Grassina has to go help Limelyn. She said that when she came back—"

My aunt frowned at her. "I said that I'd help him after I took care of Haywood. I still have to turn my darling back, and I don't have much time."

"But Beltran's troops have almost reached the border," said Mother. "His wizard—"

"Isn't going to do anything until morning. Olebald isn't very powerful, so he needs to see what he's doing. He'll wait for daylight. As I said before, I'll go directly there once Haywood is changed back. Now if you don't mind, I have a lot to do."

"Do you swear you will on your honor as the Green Witch?" my mother asked, tightening the bandage that she was wrapping around her sister's hand.

"Ow!"
yelped Grassina. "Yes, I swear! Now, get some sleep. You'll need to be rested for Greater Greensward's victory celebration." Taking my mother by the arm, Grassina led her to the door.

"All right, as long as you swear." Mother said, letting her sister push her across the threshold.