Free A Prince among Frogs by E. D. Baker

find him among all the frogs here, and that’s if he doesn’t swim farther away or get eaten. There are a lot of creatures in a marsh who consider frogs a delicacy.”
    Millie’s face drained of color and she made a strangled sound. Her eyes looked stricken when she turned to Audun and said, “We have to find him soon!”
    “Then we’ll need your mother,” said Azuria. “She’s the most powerful witch I know.”
    “But I don’t know how to get in touch with her,” said Millie.
    “You’ll have to go get her. Do you know where she is?”
    “She’s on that tropical island where all the old witches were taken, but I don’t know where the island is located.”
    “That’s easy,” said Azuria. “I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve heard that it’s just past a string of islands that shoot melted rock into the sky.”
    Dyspepsia shook her head. “No it’s not. It’s all by itself halfway around the world, thousands of miles from anything.”
    “I was told that it was just off the coast of Grance,” said Oculura. “They say the island is shaped like a rabbit with three ears and—”
    “Never mind,” said Millie. “I’m sure I’ll find the way.”
    “You should go now, dear,” said Oculura. “We’ll stay here and look for Felix. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and he’ll come if we call him.”
    “Dragons know their names when they’re babies, but do humans?” Audun asked.
    Dyspepsia snorted. “I doubt it. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure nothing eats any of these frogs. Hey you, what do you think you’re looking at? Shoo!” she shouted at a passing crow.
    Millie thanked the witches, and a moment later she and Audun were airborne.
    “It’s good of them to help,” said Audun. “Don’t worry,” he added when he saw Millie’s expression. “Your mother will find him as soon as she gets back.”
    “That’s another problem,” said Millie, the creases in her brow deepening. “I still have no idea how to find the island.”

Seven
    I t was late afternoon when Millie and Audun returned to Greater Greensward. They flew to the cottage where Francis lived with his parents, but he wasn’t there so they continued on to the castle. Even from a distance Millie could see her cousin pacing the length of the curtain wall. He was wearing his armor as if expecting someone to attack the castle at any moment, and the polished metal reflected sunlight so that it hurt her eyes and she had to close her second set of lids.
    “Any luck?” he called as she and Audun landed on the parapets.
    Millie shook her head. “We know where Felix is, but we can’t find him.”
    Francis looked puzzled. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
    Agitated, Audun opened and closed his wings, making a sharp snapping sound each time. “It was Olebald Wizard who took him. I should have done something more permanent to him when we captured him in Aridia after the war over the throne. King Cadmus was sure he could keep him locked up, but Olebald is slippery and can escape from just about anything. He’s been imprisoned in the dragon stronghold three times now. The last time he escaped, he sent two dragon guards to another time and place. No one has seen them since, and the king declared them both dead. After that the ice dragons were really out to get him. They’d be interested to learn what he’s been up to lately.”
    Millie was changing back into a human even as she said, “Olebald turned Felix into a frog, Francis! He left him in a huge marsh in Soggy Molvinia. My brother is just a baby! He won’t know how to find food or stay safe or anything! We have to find him right away, except we don’t know how.”
    Francis reached up to scratch his head, and his fingers hit his helmet with a clang. He winced and shook his hand. “I want to help, but I don’t know any frog-finding spells.”
    “Azuria, Oculura, and Dyspepsia are already looking for Felix. We think the best thing we can do is get my mother, only I don’t