The Dragon Princess

by E. D. Baker

  “I’m surprised one of them didn’t try to stop you,” Millie said as she threw off the covers and reached for her cloak. “They seem to run in packs.”

  Zoë shrugged. “Actually, a few of them did try. I told you I was really hungry. I was mad, too. They attacked us when we were cold and unprepared. I thought it was time someone did the same to them.”

  “I doubt it will make a difference,” said Millie. “But you never know. Want to go to breakfast with me? I’d like your company.”

  Zoë smiled, showing off her vampire fangs. “I’ll go, even if it’s just to see how many monsters are left.”

  There were four snowmen in the Great Hall when Millie and Zoë arrived. One of them, standing by the door, flared his nostrils and sniffed when Zoë walked past. She smiled at him and licked her lips. Instead of scowling at her like he might have done the day before, the snowman looked afraid and shifted uneasily from foot to foot until Zoë had walked away.

  Millie was glad to see that Simon-Leo and Francis were already there, sitting at the long table in the center of the Hall. She could see the steam rising off the porridge they were eating even before she sat down. “Did you sleep well?” she asked, noticing that Francis and Leo both had black eyes.

  “No,” Leo and Francis said at the same time.

  “He snored,” said Francis, pointing at Simon.

  “I couldn’t help it,” Simon said. “I’m coming down with a head cold.”

  “We were talking last night,” said Francis.

  “Before or after your fight?” Millie asked.

  “Both,” said Francis. “We think you should ask Azuria the question you came to ask.”

  “Or get the magic doodad you came to get,” added Simon.

  “So we can go home,” Leo said.

  Zoë shuddered. “You’re scaring me. You’re starting to finish each other’s sentences. Millie, I have to agree with them—I think we should go home as soon as possible before it gets any worse.”

  “Very funny,” said Francis.

  “I tried to ask her my question last night,” Millie told them. “I’ll try again as soon as I see her.”

  When one of the snowmen brought two more bowls, Millie noticed that he was careful to keep his distance from Zoë. He served them quickly, then scurried back to his place by the wall. Zoë handed her bowl to Simon-Leo, who was happy to eat her porridge. Millie noticed that the snowmen drew together after that to whisper behind their hands.

  “I don’t like the way the monsters are looking at Zoë,” Francis said.

  “She went out for a bite last night,” said Millie.

  “There you are!” sang Azuria as she breezed into the room. “Did you sleep well? I know I did. I like to sleep snuggled down under warm blankets in a cold room. Make sure to tell me if my servants don’t take good care of you. I’m holding them responsible for your well-being, so let me know if everything isn’t perfect.”

  “Everything is fine,” Millie hurried to say when Simon opened his mouth. “We would like to look around your castle today, if you don’t mind. And I really do need to ask you about my problem, so—”

  “Millie, I’d love to continue our little chat about Mudine,” Azuria interrupted. “Why don’t you come with me? Your friends can explore the castle to their hearts’ content. You can rejoin them later.”

  “I’ll be right there,” said Millie. Turning back to her friends, she said in as soft a voice as she could manage, “See if you can find the dragons. We have to take care of that before we can go home.”

  Zoë nodded and patted her hand. “Just be careful,” she whispered back. “We don’t know how far we can trust her.”

  The three snowmen who had followed Azuria into the room stayed with them as Millie and the old witch walked side by side down the corridor. When they reached the stairs, instead of going up as Millie had expected, the old woman led her down to the dungeon. “Follow me,” she said, taking a candle from the wall before crossing to another door and another set of stairs.

  They’d gone partway down when Millie glanced back. This time only two snowmen were following them, the third having stayed at the top. The stairwell was dark except for the light of Azuria’s candle, but as they continued on, Millie was surprised to see that it was lighter ahead. It was warmer, too, and became increasingly hotter the lower they went, until the stairs ended and they stood in a cave glowing with a reddish light. Steam rose from the floor, and pools of water bubbled on either side of a narrow path. Someone had taken the time to encircle the pools with low stone walls just high enough to make comfortable seats.

  Millie was still looking around when Azuria slipped off her shoes and lowered herself onto the edge of one of the pools. She sighed with relief as she dipped her feet into the water.

  “Well, don’t just stand there,” said Azuria. “Sit down and take off your shoes. The water feels great, see!” Leaning back, the old woman kicked her feet in the water, splashing the path all the way to the bottom of the stairs. Millie tried not to stare as the two snowmen scurried up the stairs and out of sight. “I dearly love a good, long soak,” Azuria proclaimed in a loud voice as she continued to splash. Millie was wondering if the old woman had gone completely crazy when she finally pulled her feet out of the water and whispered, “Are they gone yet?”

  “They just left,” Millie said, and gasped when she realized what the woman had asked. “You mean you knew I could see them?”

  “Of course, my dear. I’ve known for a long time that they aren’t really invisible. It’s just that my eyesight was damaged when I was lost in that blizzard. I couldn’t see anything at first, but it’s come back bit by bit and I can make out bright colors now.”

  “Is that why all the walls are blue—so you can see them?”

  Azuria laughed. “I told my servants that I wanted them blue because I’m the Blue Witch, but that wasn’t the real reason. I may not be able to see something that’s white, but I can see the shape of it when it stands in front of a wall and blocks my lovely blue. They give themselves away in other ways, too. I can see their red-rimmed eyes and their fur when it gets dirty or stained. I can hear them when they walk, although they try very hard to be quiet. And I can smell them. I have a very good sniffer,” she said, patting her nose with one finger. “If you ask me, they smell like wet dogs, which I never could abide. Now, tell me, my dear, why did you come to see me? You’re having a problem with your magic, aren’t you?”

  “How did you know I have magic?” asked Millie. She sat down on the ledge and turned to face the old woman.

  “Because Mudine would never send you to see me for anything less. I’ve been collecting every bit of information I can find about magic since I was a little girl. If I can’t help you with a magical problem, no one can. So, what’s wrong? I didn’t want you to tell me while they were around,” Azuria said, indicating the stairwell where the snowmen were waiting. “But you can tell me now.”

  “I need to learn how to control my anger. Every time I get angry I turn into … something.”

  “Ah, I see. Can you give me some examples of when this has happened?”

  “It’s been like this all my life, but lately I’ve tried to control it and I just can’t. I lost my temper when I’d made plans for my birthday party and we had to drop everything and go to my grandmother’s instead. And I really lost my temper when I learned that my grandmother had tricked and manipulated my parents into having the party where she lives just so she could show off for someone she wanted to impress. And then I lost it again when someone insulted a person whom I really care about. And then—”

  “It sounds to me as if anger isn’t your real problem. You’ve gotten angry over things that would have made anyone angry. I think your real problem is your magic. You don’t need to learn to control your anger as much as you need to learn to control how and when you turn into a dragon.”

  “How did you know I turn into a dragon?” asked Millie.

  Azuria tapped
the side of her nose with her finger again. “I told you I have a very good sniffer. I can smell the dragon in you even when you’re human, which means that your dragon side is always present. It isn’t a bad smell. I’d describe it as hot and spicy, which is much better than wet dog.”

  “So what can I do to control when I turn into a dragon?”

  “Do you have difficulty turning into a dragon at other times?”

  “I can’t do it unless I’m angry.”

  “And how about turning back into a human? Do you have to be angry then, too?”

  “No, actually, I have to be calm and happy.”

  “I see. Come closer, child, and let me look at you.” Putting both hands on the sides of Millie’s face, Azuria drew her so close that their noses were almost touching. After peering into the girl’s eyes for a moment, the old woman sat back and nodded. “Just as I thought. In order to turn into a dragon, you have to tap into your dragon magic. You must reach into yourself, find the fire that lies dormant within you, and coax it into flame. So far you’ve let your anger do this for you, perhaps out of an unconscious fear that your fire might hurt your fragile human self. That’s why you’ve had to be calm to return to your human form. Don’t worry; finding your fire won’t hurt you. It will only make you stronger, because once you are able to consciously tap into your fire, you’ll have much greater control over all your magic.”

  “I think I understand what you’re saying, although I’m not sure how to do it,” Millie said.

  Azuria patted Millie’s knee. “You will learn, my dear. Just give yourself a chance.”

  “I will.” Millie stood and took a step away from the water. “Tell me something. Why did you want to come down here? Did you know your servants wouldn’t stay long?”

  “My servants!” said Azuria. “Ha! My jailers is more like it. I just call them my servants because I think it’s what they want me to believe. You have to understand, they were kind at first and really did save my life in that blizzard. I was delirious for days afterward. I’d lost my sight and the feeling in my hands and feet. They cured me as best they could. In fact, it surprised me how well they did. I think it surprised them, too. Then they started to do other things for me, like build me the castle and cook food better than any I’d eaten in years. It was magic, that much was obvious, and it didn’t take long before I figured out it was my magic. I’d brought an object of power with me, you see, and they had found a way to tap into it without actually touching it. After a time I got enough of my eyesight back that I could get around on my own, and I realized that they were watching me. Everywhere I’d go, they’d be there, watching what I did every minute of the day. Even the most attentive servants aren’t that thorough, so I knew that something was up. They were after something, and it didn’t take a genius to know it was my object of power. As long as they had me around, they could tap into the magic. But just think what they could do if they had the object themselves! They wouldn’t need me, and they could go anywhere they wanted. So I tested them just to see what they would do.” Azuria rubbed her hands together and chuckled. “I made a fake crystal ball and gave it a real polish. I treated that thing like it was the biggest treasure anyone had ever had and never let it out of my sight. Why, I slept with the darned thing and took baths with it and even sang to it at night. I must have had twenty of my servants following me around, hoping to get their hands on it.”

  “What happened?” asked Millie.

  “One day when I knew they were all watching, I smashed it on the floor. You would have thought I’d killed their mothers! Some of them forgot themselves enough to howl! I had to come down here to be by myself so I could laugh till my sides hurt. They don’t like the heat, you see, and they especially don’t like hot water.”

  “When you splashed the water earlier and poured hot soup on that one’s hand yesterday …”

  “I splashed the water in case one of them was brave enough to follow us down here. They stay near the top of the stairs when I get in a splashing mood. I wanted some privacy so we could have this conversation. And as for the soup … Oh, I do all sorts of things to those poor creatures just to see if they’ll let down their guard and make a noise. I figure they deserve it. They’ve been driving me crazy with their snooping and their silence for years.”

  “Then why do you stay? Couldn’t you leave and go live somewhere else?”

  “And just where would I go? As old as I am and with half my eyesight gone, I’d have a hard time fending for myself anywhere else.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think that’s true. Mudine told me about a wonderful witch doctor who cured her of some terrible sickness. She’s looking for someone to live with her. I know she’s really lonely and would love to see you again.”

  “Mudine? You mean she didn’t marry that old scalawag Olebald Wizard?”

  Millie shook her head. “As far as I know, Mudine never got married at all.”

  “You don’t say? Well, then, I might follow your suggestion and go see my old friend. Yes, indeed, that sounds like just what I should do.” The old witch pulled her feet out of the water and turned so she could set them on the ground. Using Millie’s arm to steady herself, she stood, saying, “So, now that you’ve got your problem solved and I might have mine solved as well, maybe it’s time we go back to civilization.”

  “That sounds good to me, except … What do you think your invisible servants will do when we try to leave the castle? If they haven’t found your object of power, they aren’t going to stand back and let you go. I know you said that they were kind to you, but they were horrible to us. They attacked us on the mountainside when we were on our way here. They tried to kill us!”

  Azuria sighed and shook her head. “I was afraid they were doing something to make people stay away, but I didn’t know it had gotten that bad. When I first came here I noticed a low-level magic working to discourage people from reaching the mountains. I thought they were shy and just wanted their privacy. But they must have taken stronger steps after they learned about my object of power, because no one has come this far for twenty years. It makes sense if you think about it. If they wanted to keep me until they found my object of power, they wouldn’t want anyone coming to take me away or get the object before they could. If they tried to kill you … I shudder to think what they might have done if someone had actually reached the castle.”

  “But somebody did. Some dragons came to see you, and they haven’t been seen since. You don’t know if there are any dragons in your castle, do you?”

  Azuria shook her head. “I haven’t seen a dragon in years.”

  “Could your servants have used your object of power to lock dragons in your castle without you knowing it?”

  “Anything is possible. The object is very powerful. Why? Were these dragons friends of yours?”

  “They’re members of a friend’s family,” said Millie. “Audun has been waiting for them to come home; he thought you were keeping them prisoner here.”

  “As far as I know, I’m the only prisoner in this castle, but you go right ahead and look for your dragons. When you’ve found them I’ll have us out of here in two shakes of a dragon’s tail. I know a lot more about how to use my object of power than my jailers ever did.”

  The snowmen were waiting at the top of the stairs just as the Blue Witch had predicted. They pressed themselves against the wall to let Millie and Azuria pass, but Millie didn’t like the way they looked at her, and she began to wonder just how private her conversation with Azuria had been.

  Shortly after she returned to the Great Hall, Millie’s friends came in, talking about what they’d seen. For once there weren’t any snowmen in the Hall, so she asked them how their day had gone. While Simon-Leo had explored the dungeon, Francis and Zoë had climbed the stairs to each of the towers and had come down shivering, saying that there was a snowstorm raging outside, but that they hadn’t seen any dragons.

  “I could find them in a minute if I had
a farseeing ball like your mother’s,” Francis told Millie.

  “Magic could help, if only …” Millie broke off as something occurred to her. It might work, but it would be easier if she were alone. “Please excuse me. There’s something I want to try.”

  On the way to the room she shared with Zoë, Millie looked for snowmen, but they all seemed to have vanished. She wondered about that as she shut the door and inspected the room to make sure there weren’t any lurking behind a hidden panel or hiding under a bed. What would make them change their habits so suddenly? Even if they had overheard her conversation with Azuria, why would they disappear like that?

  Having made sure that she was alone, Millie sat on the bed and closed her eyes. Although she didn’t have a farseeing ball and probably wouldn’t be able to use one if she did, she had another kind of magic that just might help. Listening for magic on her way into the mountains had been easy. She doubted that listening for dragon magic would be very different. All dragons had magic of some sort, even after they died. She hoped to find Audun’s family alive and healthy, but if she didn’t, at least she’d be able to tell him what had happened to them.

  Clearing her mind, Millie shut out the sounds of the ice creaking under the onslaught of the storm, the scrape of a bench in another room, and the beating of her own heart—and listened. At first there was nothing to hear aside from the background hum of magic left over from when the castle was built, but as she concentrated she began to hear another sound, a thrum thrum, thrum thrum that was amazingly strong once she knew what to listen for. Millie opened her eyes. The source had to be close by. In fact …

  Fetching a candle from the hallway outside her room, Millie climbed onto her bed and held it up to the wall. There was something back there, something pale against the blue. Moving the candle flame closer to the wall, she followed the shape of the thing, trying to decipher just what it might be until she saw something nearly round and about as big as her fist, blue against the white—and it blinked.