could only grit his teeth as the bandits disappeared down the slope with his beautiful gold.
Â
Farther up the mountain, Bain watched with interest as a boy and a girl raced out of the cave, a baby dragon at their heels. Now they lunged for cover. âThere was a dragon!â he said. âOr half a dragon.â Bain thought of catching up with them and taking the dragon, but he had more important matters to attend to. âLater,â he said amiably.
Bain slipped into the cave. With his charcoal cloak and fog-colored britches, Prince Bain resembled the rocky walls just inside the cave. He hid in a deep alcove and readied his cloak. A moment later Vantorâs man thundered toward the mouth of the cave, looking rather singed. Prince Bain stepped out behind the man. In one swift move Bain wrapped the cloak about his head and arms. Horace struggled. âDo you want me to hit you with a rock?â the prince asked, pulling back on Horaceâs elbows.
Vantorâs servant stopped fighting, his body tense.
âThatâs better,â Bain told him. He tied the manâs hands and feet and settled Horace just outside the cave. âDonât go rolling off the mountain,â the prince advised. Horaceâs curse was muffled by the cloak. Bain scoured
about to find a fallen tree branch and lit it with a flint from his pocket. He went into the cave with his makeshift torch, coming across Horaceâs fallen lantern at the mouth of a side passage. âYou see?â Bain said softly. âGood fortune.â He lit the lantern and walked deeper into the cave.
8
âWELL?â THE KING PUT HIS FEET UP ON AN EMBROIDERED footstool and settled back to listen.
âIâve spoken to the remaining princes,â the prime minister told him.
ââRemainingâ? Whatâs happened?â
Garald cleared his throat. âIt appears the witch cast a spell on a number of our candidates.â
âHmmph,â the king said. âFrogs, I imagine?â
The prime minister nodded. âMost of the others spent all day searching for the dragonâs cave.â
âNone of them found it?â the king asked incredulously.
âNot that Iâve heard.â
âGo on.â
âPrince Vantor hasnât returned yet. Perhaps heâs found the dragon and is on his way here even nowâhe seemed a likely sort,â Garald said hopefully.
âPerhaps the dragon found him .â The king chortled. âAnd?â
âThatâs about all. Those twin princes were last seen in a tavern. Bought everybody drinks, wanting to talk about the dragon.â
âThere was a prince from the north, the one with all the fur,â the king mused.
âFrog.â
âAnd the short one with the red hair?â
âFrog.â
âWhat about the dark-haired lad? Bain, isnât it?â
Garald shook his head. âHeâs still off somewhere.â
The king creaked forward. âI want results, Garald. You do know that.â
âYes, Your Majesty. Just give them a few more days!â
âNot them. You. Iâll give you a few more days to sort out this mess.â The king pursed his lips, making his beard bristle. âI donât think the neighbors will like hearing that their sons have been changed into amphibians.â
âNo, Your Majesty,â Garald said faintly.
King Stromgard went to the window and forced himself to look across the meadow at the tower, where candlelight illuminated the high window. âDo you suppose sheâs all right up there?â
âIt should be a pleasant interlude for her,â Garald reassured his monarch. âShe gets the very same food that you and the queen eat. She also has plenty of books, embroidery, and a fine view of the castle.â
âLetâs get this thing over with,â the king said, turning back to the prime minister.
âYes, Sire. Will you excuse