Stefan grinned to himself. As a frog, he had a few other advantages.
The next time the King of Montaigne took a bite, Stefan flicked his tongue out and grabbed his spoon. It flew from Gustave’s hand and splattered porridge all over Serafina.
King Gustave’s eyes widened.
“Princess Serafina, please forgive my clumsiness!”
“That wasn’t your fault, Your Majesty. Father, do we really have to let Carina’s pet sit on the table?”
Serafina looked at Stefan with a malice that probably served her well when dealing with unruly sailors on the high seas. He swallowed.
“Go put on a fresh dress, Serafina,” King Giuseppe said. “There’s no harm done.”
Serafina’s eye twitched. She looked like she wanted to do some harm, but she clamped her lips together and left the table.
Everyone watched her go in silence. As soon as she was gone, they glared at Stefan. He met their gaze with wide eyes.
“Collette sends her regrets that she couldn’t accompany me,” Gustave said. “She was sad to miss a chance to visit you, but she had many duties to see to after the Princess Test.”
Carina nodded.
“I understand. Bring her my greetings when you return.”
The conversation turned to Princess Collette and other trifling matters. Stefan didn’t listen. He was distracted by a bit of porridge that had lodged in King Gustave’s beard. He hoped Carina noticed it.
But she was too busy trying to catch her father’s eye. Trying unsuccessfully. The King of Santelle avoided his daughter’s gaze for the rest of the meal.
When breakfast ended, Gustave helped Carina out of her chair.
“Would you like to show me the gardens now, Princess Carina?”
“Yes, of course. But if you don’t mind waiting a few moments, I have something I need to tell my father.”
King Giuseppe glared at his daughter.
“Carina, I will be in council meetings all morning. I’m sure it can wait.”
“It can’t. It concerns my golden ball.”
“You have other concerns, Carina.”
He nodded at King Gustave and left the room. Carina looked down at the table and shared a look with Stefan. That wasn’t how that was supposed to go. They needed to make sure King Giuseppe sent a ship to look for Heinrich.
“Enjoy your walk, Your Majesty,” Marquis Corbeau said. “I’ll be resting in my quarters if you need me.”
King Gustave sighed and offered Carina his arm.
She picked Stefan up and set him on her shoulder. Then she took King Gustave’s arm and led him out of the dining room.
32
Carina led King Gustave through the castle. She took the long way to the garden, hoping to find a distraction or excuse to leave him. They passed Duke Salvatore in a hallway. He smiled at them as if everything were right with the world.
And ducked into a room before they could speak to him.
Carina bit back a sigh. She should have fought harder to meet with her father, but angering him wouldn’t do any good. She knew all too well how stubborn he could be. The harbor master should notice a ship was missing. She could only hope he’d send out a search party.
When she had delayed as much as she dared, she led Gustave to the garden. He hadn’t said a word during their walk. He seemed content to follow her through the castle.
Perfect. He couldn’t propose if he didn’t talk.
The garden was empty. No doubt it had been cleared for their romantic stroll.
Blast.
Carina led Gustave through paths lined with flowers. They strolled past fountains and trees.
Without thinking, she walked to the grove of trees by the wall. To the pond where she had met the frog. He still sat on her shoulder, nestled in her hair. He had been quiet during the walk. Probably worried about his missing friend.
She released Gustave’s arm. They had hours until lunch, and she couldn’t afford to waste the whole morning walking through a garden. She had to get away somehow. Maybe the frog could distract him? If she got out of the king’s sight, she could climb the wall and run through the forest.
She studied Gustave. What would be the best way to escape him?
He met her gaze and smiled. She swallowed. Looking at him had been a mistake. She should have kept walking.
“Carina, now that we’re alone, I’d like to ask you something.”
The frog croaked, and Carina swallowed again. The lump in her throat wouldn’t leave. They were alone, weren’t they? She had led him to the most private place in the empty garden and looked into his eyes.
Idiot!
“Of course, you’d like to know more about the plants!” she said. “I’m a terrible tour guide to leave your questions unanswered. This type of tree is native to Santelle. I don’t think you have them in Montaigne.”
Gustave blinked at the tree.
“I’m not sure. Collette oversees the gardens.”
The frog leaned close and whispered in Carina’s ear.
“Do you want me to kick him in the nose?”
She laughed, and Gustave frowned.
“Princess?”
“My apologies. The frog tickled my neck.”
“Ah. Now, my question.”
“There are ten species of frogs in this garden.”
That probably wasn’t true. Carina had no idea. But she needed to keep talking. Needed to keep him from asking his question.
If he proposed, she would have to say yes. Those were her orders. She fought back tears. Now was not the time to panic.
“Carina, I don’t know you well, but we have been acquainted a long time and-”
“A well! This pond used to be a well. They turned it into a decorative pond when the water became undrinkable.”
Also probably not true. But she was getting desperate. Could she run away? Make it over the wall before he asked the question? What would her father say if she was seen fleeing a proposal?
“Carina-”
“The flowers in the north corner-”
“Carina, I am not trying to propose to you!”
The rest of her words stuck in her throat. She swallowed and stared at Gustave.
“What?” she finally managed to say.
“You can stop trying to distract me. I’m not proposing.”
“Oh. Well.”
Carina wasn’t often at a loss for words, but she couldn’t form complete thoughts at the moment. Gustave raised an eyebrow.
“Did you want me to propose?”
“No! Of course not! I mean-”
She smiled at him. He smiled back.
“In spite of what the marquis has told your family, I am not ready to get married. I mean you no disrespect, of course.”
“Of course. I don’t want to marry you either. Or anyone.”
She added the last bit to keep from offending him, but Gustave seemed pleased.
“Then what was he trying to ask you?” the frog whispered.
Good question. Carina crossed her arms.
“Then what did you want to tell me?”
Gustave opened his mouth, then shut it again.
“I’d like your help,” he said after a pause.
“My help?”
“Yes. Collette told me how you helped Lina at the Princess Test. I know you’re clever. And I know you believe in magic.”
The frog crawled out from under her hair and croaked at the king. Carina pushed him back.
“Lina and I-”
“I helped her too, you know. I argued for her evidence to be accepted in the Council of Kings. I verified her ring was magical by matching it with mine. This is dwarf made. Enchanted.”
He held out his hand and showed her an intricate gold ring with a ruby. It caught a beam of sunlight and glinted red. Carina gasped.
“It was you! You were at the harbor last night. You’re the one with the red light.”
The frog squirmed on her shoulder, and Carina pushed her hair a
side so he could see.
Gustave nodded.
“Yes. A ship recently disappeared from Montaigne’s harbor. A fleet of merchant ships sailing from Eldria disappeared a week before that. Naturally, everyone is concerned. I heard reports about the Vanquisher, so I thought your father might have useful information.”
“You came here to talk to my father about sea monsters?”
“And I’m especially eager to do so now that I’ve actually seen one. But he seems determined to avoid me.”
“He wants you to propose to me,” Carina said. “And he doesn’t believe in magic or monsters.”
“That does make things more difficult. I thought he would be open to the idea after what happened at the Princess Test.”
“What exactly happened in Montaigne?”
“A merchant ship, the Royal Blaze, vanished from the dock. There was no wreckage. No survivors or bodies. We searched everywhere. The harbor master suspects they simply left ahead of schedule, but I don’t believe it.”
“I met a woman yesterday who was waiting for the Royal Blaze. It never arrived. You don’t think they just sailed away?”
“They left in the middle of the night. Half the crew was still in port. They didn’t have enough men aboard to sail far.”
Carina nodded.
“I saw the Vanquisher. The side of the ship was scraped away. The men are convinced it was attacked by a sea monster.”
“Most of our sailors are afraid to leave port. I disguised myself and secured passage on the only ship leaving the harbor. The one that was taken last night. The captain was too stubborn to stay in Montaigne when nothing had been proved.”
She grinned.
“You weren’t on the ship that arrived this morning.”
“No. The marquis followed me once he realized what I’d done. He’s been pushing me to pay you an official visit for months. Since I was already here, I couldn’t stop him from sailing in and announcing my presence. So will you help me?”
“What do you expect me to do? I’m not part of the navy.”
“But you are clever. And you know a little about magic if you worked with Lina. I need help, Carina. Montaigne depends on imports. If I don’t make the oceans safe again, people will starve.”
“You want me to help you get the ocean under control?”
“I want you to help me find out what’s really going on. It has to be magic, but none of the other kings believe magic could cause such a calamity.”
“Of course, you have an enchanted ring! You know magic! This will make everything easier. Does it check for danger like Lina’s?”
She studied his ring with renewed interest. Gustave grimaced.
“I wish I knew magic. My father gave me this ring just before his ship sank. He only showed me one spell.”
“And that is?”
Gustave raised the ring to his lips.
“Find Carina.”
A beam of light shot out from the ring towards Carina.
“A tracking spell?” Carina said.
He nodded.
“I was just trying to verify that you were in the castle last night. Imagine my surprise when you were across the street!”
She grinned.
“I was following you. I saw you talking to the frog. I thought-”
The frog croaked and smacked her neck. Carina cleared her throat.
“So will you help me?” Gustave said. “If nothing else, I know you’ll believe me because you saw the monster take the Seawolfe last night. I’ll try to convince your father of the danger, but it won’t do any good if he keeps acting like he did at breakfast.”
Carina took a deep breath. Her attempt to work with Serafina had not gone well. She was reluctant to try teamwork again. Especially with the monarch of another country.
But what choice did she have? She hadn’t been able to solve anything on her own. Even the frog’s help hadn’t been enough. And her father would expect her to spend all her time with Gustave while he was here.
She nodded.
“It would be an honor to work with you, King Gustave. Thank you for offering your aid.”
“You must be joking!”
The frog jumped off Carina’s shoulder and landed on the king’s chest. He clung to Gustave’s tunic and pointed at his face.
“You can’t trust him! He just shows up and asks and you’re going to give him our information? He was stalking you with magic last night!”
Gustave swallowed. He rubbed his eyes, stared at the frog, and swallowed again.
“Did that frog just speak?”
“Of course not,” Carina said. “That would be a very irresponsible thing to do.”
She gritted her teeth at the frog. He shook his head.
“No good, my lady. If you’re letting this bearded joker on our team, I’m talking. I refuse to be shut out of the investigation. I volunteered to help you first.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Carina said.
“I’m being realistic. Is it wise to trust the King of Montaigne with Santelle’s secrets?”
“Is it wise to take counsel from an amphibian?”
King Gustave cleared his throat.
“With respect to both of you, this is magic at work, correct?”
“I don’t know. This frog speaking of trust won’t tell me anything about himself.”
Gustave’s eyes softened.
“A curse then. Correct me if I’m wrong.”
He plucked the frog off his chest and held him at eye level. The frog said nothing.
“You know something about this?” Carina said.
“I spent months researching magic after my father’s ship sank. I wanted to find more information about the ring, and I was desperate to find proof he survived. Instead, I found books about curses. They usually come with a set of rules. Things you can and can’t talk about.”
“You read about talking frogs?” Carina said. “Your library is much more thorough than ours.”
“Not frogs in particular, but I did find a book about transformation magic. I suspect this frog has told you as much as he dares under the terms of the curse. Is that correct?”
“Of course it is!”
The frog glared at Gustave. The king smiled at him.
“I would be proud to accept assistance from both of you. Or perhaps I should say I’m happy to join your team if you’ll have me.”
Carina looked at the frog. Transformation magic? She had suspected something like this but hadn’t been sure it was possible.
“Transformation from what?” she said.
The frog ducked his head. Gustave placed a hand on Carina’s shoulder.
“Princess, breaking the terms of a curse often comes with strong consequences. It would be best if you didn’t ask him any more questions.”
Carina narrowed her eyes and studied the frog. She didn’t ask any of the questions swirling around her head, but she was far from giving up on answers. It seemed the King of Montaigne might be the best way to get them.
Finally, progress.
“We’re happy to have you on our team, Gustave.”
33
Stefan squirmed in King Gustave’s hand. He didn’t like this. Any of this. He didn’t like accepting King Gustave’s help. What happened if the bearded king realized how special Carina was and decided to propose after all?
Stefan didn’t allow himself to dwell on that. The king said he didn’t want to get married. Hopefully, he meant it, but that wasn’t the only problem.
Stefan didn’t like how much the king knew about curses.
He didn’t like the curious gleam in Carina’s eyes. She knew he was under a curse now. She had been guessing before, but now she had confirmation. Warning or not, she would keep searching for the truth.
Was it his imagination, or had he felt a pain in his chest when King Gustave mentioned curses?
They were close to the truth, and that was dangerous for Heinrich. Stefan needed to be more careful.
&
nbsp; “Where should we start?” King Gustave asked. “What have you discovered?”
“Not much,” Carina said. “Other than the missing ships, all we know is that someone broke into the treasury. I suspect they used magic to do it.”
Gustave raised an eyebrow.
“How?”
Stefan hopped from the king’s hand and landed on Carina’s shoulder. He needed to stay close to her and keep an eye on Gustave.
“The treasury of Santelle is a closely guarded secret,” Stefan said. “Only members of the royal family and trusted friends know about it.”
Carina smirked at him.
“He has to know some of the details if he’s going to help us.”
She turned to Gustave.
“There’s a water entrance. And the frog is right. This information is confidential. You can keep it to yourself?”
Gustave nodded, and Carina continued.
“The metal gate was bent back. None of the guards saw the intruder, and the alarm sounded before anything was stolen.”
“She’ll squish you if you tell anyone about this,” Stefan said.
“I understand the need for secrecy, and I appreciate the trust you are showing me. I don’t suppose I could go to the treasury to investigate?”
“No, I don’t think my father would allow that.”
Stefan croaked.
“You said you sailed from Montaigne on the ship that was taken last night?”
“Yes, I came to Santelle on the Seawolfe. The captain is stubborn and refused to let rumors of monsters keep him from making the journey.”
Carina grimaced.
“That sounds like a familiar attitude.”
“Do we have to stay in the garden?” Stefan said. “If King Gustave comes with us, could we go to the harbor and make sure they’ve sent a rescue ship?”
“The frog makes an excellent point,” Gustave said. “As long as we’re together, the marquis won’t question what I do.”
“My father gave me strict instructions to spend as much time with you as possible, but he didn’t say how that time should be spent. Just to be clear, you have no intention of proposing to me?”
“None whatsoever.”
She grinned and held out her arm.
“Then let’s go find a sea monster.”
The Frog Prince Page 16
