E. D. Baker - No Place for Magic

Praise for

THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS

"High-spirited romantic comedy.... This gives the well-known folktale a decidedly less than 'Grimm' cast, and fans of Gail Carson Levine's 'Princess Tales' should leap for it."

-Kirkus Reviews on The Frog Princess

"Quests, tests, hearts won and broken, encounters with dragons, and plenty of magic... As tasty as its prequel."

SLj on Dragon's Breath

"Baker's... vividly imagined fantasy world, so rich in the details of jousting tournaments, conversational horses, fire-breathing dragons, cranky cursed aunties, or rancid evil fairies, [is] irresistible and loaded with humor."

-VOYA on Once Upon a Curse

"Emma encounters a full dictionary of magical creatures in this adventure, which includes some rousing and scary moments stitched together with a humorous, lighthearted spirit."

-Booklist on No Place for Magic

Books by E. D. Baker

THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS:

THE FROG PRINCESS

DRAGON'S BRTATH

ONCE UPON A CURSE

NO PLACE FOR MAGIC

THE SALAMANDER SPELL

NO PLACE

FOR

magic

Book Four in
the Tales of the Frog Princess

E. D. BAKER

Copyright 2006 by E. D. Baker

First published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books in 2006

Paperback edition published in 2008

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Distributed to the trade by Macmillan

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Baker, E. D.

No place for magic : book four in the tales of the frog princess / by E. D. Baker.-ist U.S. ed.

p. cm.

Summary: Emma and Eadric travel to Upper Montevista to ask his parents to bless their upcoming marriage and discover that Eadric's younger brother has been kidnapped by trolls.

eISBN: 978-1-59990-218-0

1. Magic-Fiction. 2. Witches-Fiction. 3. Trolls-Fiction. 4. Humorous stories.]

I. Title.

PZ7.B17005N0P 2006 [Fic]-dc22 2005035544

Typeset by Westchester Book Composition

Printed in the U.S.A. by Quebecor World Fairfield

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

All papers used by Bloomsbury U.S.A. are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

This book is dedicated to Ellie for being my sounding board, to Kimmy for laughing at all the right places, to Victoria for her insight, to Nate and Emiko for their support and enthusiasm, and to all my wonderful fans who wrote to me wanting to know what happens next.

Contents

A tendril brushed my face, tickling me on the nose. I jerked my head back and whacked it on the table leg behind me. "Wretched plant!" I said, rubbing my head with one hand as I pushed the vine away with the other.

Ever since my aunt had returned to her normal self, she hadn't been able to keep her mind on anything but her beloved Haywood. Her magic had suffered for it, becoming muddled and not quite as she'd intended. The flowering vines she'd planted in the Great Hall to celebrate their reunion had spread across the walls, engulfed the table legs, and threatened to cover the doors and windows. Because they were too tough for an ordinary knife to cut, it was up to me, the Green Witch, to keep them under control. Once again I was on my hands and knees, bumping my head and banging my elbows as I used magic clippers to trim the ever-growing vines.

Being the Green Witch meant that I had a lot of extra responsibilities. Although I was the most powerful witch in Greater Greensward, as well as its only princess, most of the things I had to do as its protector were neither glamorous nor exciting. At least I didn't have to clean out the moat very often, a job I really hated.

I was reaching for the next curling vine when a bright yellow butterfly landed on my finger and fluttered its wings as if trying to get my attention. "What do you want?" 1 asked.

The butterfly stomped its feet with impatience. I raised my finger to my ear and tried to listen, but couldn't hear anything over the usual early morning bustle of the Great Hall. Squires were cleaning their knights' weapons while flirting with passing maids. My father's hounds were scuffling over a bone in the corner. The steward was directing the hanging of new banners along the walls.

I could hardly hear the tiny insect, but then I remembered that their voices were extremely soft. Hearing them requires a magic spell, undivided attention, and a very keen ear. I'd had enough practice creating my own spells that coming up with one to hear the butterfly was easy.

Although I'd never spoken with a butterfly before, I expected its voice to be sweet. Instead it sounded like an old man who was hoarse from shouting. "Take your time, lady," said the butterfly. "I don't have anything better to dojust flit from flower to flower until I've inspected every one in that garden. It shouldn't take me much longer than, say... my entire life! So, what's it going to be? Are you going to see the old lady or not?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"I knew you weren't paying attention. I could be back at work doing something important, but no, I had to carry a message to someone who can't even be bothered to listen!"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you. What was your message?"

"I don't have time for this! The old lady with the roses wants me to tell you that she's going to work on her house today. She wants to know if you're going to come help. That's it. That's all I know. If you'll answer her question, I'll be on my way. I have a lot of flying ahead of me, so if you don't mind ..."

"Yes, I'll be there. You have your answernow go."

A shadow loomed over me as the butterfly zigzagged across the Great Hall- and up to one of the windows. "What was that all about?" demanded my mother, who had slipped up behind me.

I sighed and turned around. Although the removal of the family curse had made my grandmother and aunt sweet and kind again, it hadn't done a thing for my mother. She hadn't been affected by the curse, so she was the same as she'd always been. It didn't matter to her that I was the Green Witch and sixteen years old; she still treated me as if I were five. The only time she listened to what I had to say was when I turned into a dragon, and then everyone paid attention to me. Most of the time, she tried to tell me what to do while I tried to avoid her.

If I'd been thinking clearly, I might have given her some excuse, but instead I made the mistake of telling her the truth. "I told Grandmother to let me know when she was going to work on her cottage. She sent word that she's about to start."

"So you're going to the Old Witches' Retirement Community? Then we can ride in my carriage together. I was planning to go see her today anyway."

"Ride?" I said, adding the vine clippings to the pile I'd already started. I hadn't ridden in a carriage for months, because I hated the jostling and bumping and now had other ways to get around. As the Green Witch I toured Greater Greensward on my magic carpet every few weeks. When I wasn't using the carpet, I generally flew another way, as a bird, a bat, or a dragon, although being a dragon was the most fun.