Princess between Worlds (18 page)

“Is there magic here?” Annie asked her. “Does magic keep the stronghold together? Because if it does, my presence here will bring it down around us. Remember, we told you that magic doesn't work around me.”

“Don't worry,” said Millie. “Your being here won't make a bit of difference. The stronghold is held together through dragon magic, which is the strongest magic of all. Nothing can hurt this place.”

The thunder of running dragon feet came from around the corner. “I hope that's Frostybreath,” Millie said, and turned her head to see who was there. A moment later
Audun landed in the entrance and Azuria hopped off, calling, “Rotan is right behind us!”

The Blue Witch hurried down the hall and threw herself into the room. After taking one look at Annie, who was turning blue, Azuria asked, “Are you cold?” When Annie nodded, the witch pointed a finger and sent blue sparkles her way. The sparkles hit Annie and rebounded, splatting across Azuria's chest, then growing to envelop her. A moment later the old witch was wearing another layer of thick, fuzzy clothes. “Drat! I forgot about you and magic! Here, I don't need these, you do.” Taking off the extra clothes, she handed them to Annie and glanced at Liam.

“I'm fine,” he said.

Annie gave Azuria a grateful smile as she drew the warmer clothes over the ones she was wearing. She was pulling up the hood when Rotan shot into the hall and hopped off his branch. Suddenly Audun was running down the corridor toward them. “Run, Millie!” he shouted as Azuria dragged Annie and Liam away from the door.

A hissing sound followed Liam down the hall. He was halfway to the corner when the ceiling above his head cracked in long, jagged lines. An instant later it was whole again and looked as if it had never been touched.

Rotan swore and tried again, aiming at the floor. The new crack repaired itself just as quickly.

Audun had almost reached the corner when Rotan said a spell over his walking stick, turning it into a spear and hurling it at Liam. “It's poisoned!” Azuria shouted.

Millie's head popped around the corner. She flamed, aiming it at the stick, which blackened and turned into ash.

As the wizard drew closer, Annie could hear his next spell forming. Whatever it was, the noise it made was harsh and discordant. “We have to stop him!” Annie told Liam.

He nodded. Waiting until Rotan was passing the open doorway, Liam dashed out of the room and tackled the wizard, knocking him to the floor. Annie was right behind him, and before Rotan could catch his breath, she had her hand on his arm. The moment she touched him, his magic fizzled and went out.

“What did you do?” Rotan shouted just as a huge white-and-blue dragon came tearing around the corner.

Annie and Liam got out of the way as the dragon took a deep breath and blew a coating of frost on Rotan. Ice crackled as it formed on the wizard, holding him immobile so that only his eyes could move.

“Thank you, Frostybreath,” said Audun. “He was a hard one to stop.”

“He doesn't look like much,” the big dragon said, giving the wizard a poke with his talon. “How evil is he?”

“As bad as Olebald,” said Millie. “And he deserves to be put on ice for a good long time.”

“Then that is precisely what we'll do,” Frostybreath said as he picked up the motionless wizard with his talons and draped him over one shoulder.

Six other dragons came racing around the corner, skidding to a stop when they saw Frostybreath with the wizard. “You got him!” one of the dragons said, sounding disappointed.

“At least we get to see what happens next!” another dragon said with glee.

They hurried to form a line behind Frostybreath, who led them around the corner to a curving ramp that ran down into the stronghold.

“This is the fastest way down,” said Audun. “It's meant for dragons, so you should go with us.”

After the other dragons took their turns sliding down the ramp, Millie led Annie and Liam to the starting point. Crouching down with her chin nearly touching the floor, the dragoness placed Annie on one side of her snout and Liam on the other. With her talons curled around them to hold them in place, she pushed off and started to slide.

Annie held on to Millie's arm, keeping her eyes closed at first, but when she heard Liam's delighted shout, her eyes flew open and she hazarded a look around. A moment later she was laughing with joy. The floor of the
ramp was smooth without a bump or blemish to mar the ride, and they slid, twisting and turning as the tunnel changed direction. Annie felt as if she were flying again, only this time no dragon muscles bunched beneath her and there was no wind to buffet her.

The tunnel wound around and around the stronghold where the translucent walls changed from light to dark as clouds passed overhead. When it suddenly grew dark and stayed that way, Annie decided that they must have gone below the water level. And then they were sliding on polished stone, heading into the island that was the base of the stronghold.

Suddenly they were shooting off the bottom of the darkened ramp onto a floor that wasn't quite as smooth; it was enough to slow them down so they could get their feet under them and stand. Torches flickered on the walls, giving them enough light to see where they were going. They had scarcely gotten out of the way when Audun and Azuria slid off the ramp behind them. Annie's heart was still racing as they caught up with the other dragons, joining the procession that wound through the hallways to a locked door. When Annie peered around the dragons in front of her, she could
see Frostybreath talking to a dragon standing guard. After a conversation that she couldn't hear, the guard unlocked the door and stepped aside. The dragons filed into the room with Frostybreath in the lead.

It was a long, narrow room with no other door. The guard had given a lit torch to one of the dragons behind Frostybreath. Without it, the room would have been completely dark, so Annie was surprised to see a motionless figure standing against one of the walls. When the dragon holding the torch moved closer, Annie could see that the figure was a bald-headed man encased in ice. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep.

“This looks like a good spot,” Frostybreath said, dumping Rotan on the floor. When the wizard stirred, trying to raise his hand, the big dragon breathed on him again, coating him with so much frost that he was completely white and couldn't possibly move. His eyes were closed now, and he, too, looked as if he was asleep.

Two other dragons helped Frostybreath prop Rotan against the wall beside the first figure. With his friends holding the wizard in place, Frostybreath took an extra-big breath and exhaled long and hard all over the wizard. As his friends moved out of the way, he took another breath and another, breathing on Rotan until the man was encased in a block of ice.

“There!” said Frostybreath as he admired what he had done. “Now he won't be bothering anyone.”

“Is he dead?” Annie asked Millie.

The dragoness shook her head. “Not at all. When he thaws, he'll be just like he was before he was frozen even if he stays this way for hundreds of years. It's another of Frostybreath's talents.”

“Apparently there's a lot more we don't know about dragons than we realized,” said Liam.

“I'm constantly learning new things about dragons myself,” said Millie. “And I am one!”

CHAPTER 15

Annie was relieved to walk out of the room, knowing that the dragons would keep Rotan frozen for many years to come. Now that the wizard could no longer cause trouble, she and Liam could go home—if only they could find a way.

She was wondering if Millie and Audun had any idea how to help them get home, when Iceworthy stopped them in the hall. “King Stormclaw requests your presence in his audience chamber,” the dragon said with his snout in the air. “You, too, Audun and Millie.” He turned and walked away so quickly that Annie and Liam had to run to catch up. Azuria was muttering to herself as she scurried after them.

They followed Iceworthy to a stairwell and started to climb. The steps were wide and deep enough for dragon feet, so were bigger than normal stairs. By the time Annie got used to the rhythm of climbing them, they had gone up two levels and Iceworthy was waiting for them by another doorway.

“Wait inside the first room,” he told them. “Someone will take you into the audience chamber when King Stormclaw is ready.”

Annie, Liam, and Azuria went in first. It seemed like a large room until Millie and Audun joined them and nearly filled up all the space. “Why does the king want to see us?” Annie asked the two dragons. “Have we done something wrong by bringing Rotan here?”

Audun shook his head. “I don't think so,” he said, although he didn't look too sure.

“Maybe we broke a rule or something,” said Annie.

“If we did, it was one we don't know,” Liam told her. “Let's just wait and see. Maybe it isn't anything bad.”

Annie was imagining all sorts of dire punishments for those who anger the dragon king until she saw that Liam was inspecting the room. “Have you noticed that there are no seams or gaps between the walls and the floors?” he asked when he saw her looking his way. “This place is amazing!”

“Dragon magic, remember?” said Annie.

The door into the next room opened and an elderly dragon peered in at them. “King Stormclaw is ready for you now,” he said. “Audun, hello, my boy! And Millie, you're here as well! It's so good to see you both!”

“Hello, Grandfather,” said Audun. “What are you doing here?”

“Your grandmother lives here now, so I decided to join her. I'm teaching the young ones and fill in where I'm needed, and—” The old dragon glanced behind him as if someone else was talking. “What? Oh, yes, I'm getting them. We'll be right there!” When he turned back, he winked at his grandson. “Some dragons are very impatient. You and I can talk later. We mustn't keep the king waiting!”

The old dragon shuffled backward into the next room, leaving the door open. Millie and Audun followed him while Annie glanced at Liam. “He didn't seem angry. Maybe the king isn't, either.”

“If it gets bad, we can always use a postcard and leave,” Liam said, patting his pocket.

“I hope it doesn't come to that,” Annie murmured as they left the room.

Taking Liam's hand, Annie stepped into the audience chamber and stopped. Azuria bumped into her and was about to complain, when she looked up and saw the room. Far larger than any great hall Annie had ever seen, the room was imposing, with its high ice ceiling and polished black stone floor that reflected the light coming through the walls of ice. It occurred to Annie that this was where the ice levels ended and the stone levels began, making an impressive setting for the audience chamber.

Aside from Annie and her friends, the end of the room where they stood was empty. At the opposite end of the audience chamber, five stone pillars supported life-size dragon statues. Annie and her friends were crossing the smooth stone floor when one of the statues moved and Annie realized that they were real, living dragons. She could hear their magic now; somehow the different melodies seemed to blend together, although one was more distinctive than the others.

Even from a distance the one in the middle looked huge; up close he would be enormous. “That has to be King Stormclaw,” murmured Annie.

Audun led the way. When he was still a good distance from the pillars, he stopped and bowed his head. Millie hurried to stand beside him and do the same.

“I think you're supposed to bow,” Annie whispered to Liam as they joined their friends. Liam nodded and when he bowed, Annie curtsied, which wasn't easy in the heavy layers of clothes she was wearing. Azuria made a half curtsy while mumbling about her aching back.

“At least they have manners,” the dragoness with the gray-tinged scales grumbled. “I don't mean your grandson and his wife, Song! We know that they're polite! I mean the humans. Most of them are so uncivilized.”

“That's quite all right, Frostweaver. I agree with you completely,” said the stately dragoness seated beside the king.

“Ahem!” When the king cleared his throat, both dragonesses grew silent. “Welcome, Millie! Welcome, Audun!” said the king in a deep voice that carried throughout the room. “It is good to see you again. I've been told that you brought us another evil wizard to keep on ice.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Audun. “His name is Rotan. He has been stirring up trouble throughout the human kingdoms. Rotan was plaguing our friends Princess Annabelle and Prince Liam when they came to us for help. Our friend Azuria, the Blue Witch, fought him with great skill, but still he would not be vanquished. We came to you in hope that you would stop his rampage, which Frostybreath did this very day.”

“I do so like it when dragons talk in the formal style like that,” said the dragoness seated on the other side of Audun's grandmother. “Everyone did it when I was a girl.”