E. D. Baker - Dragons Breath

Praise for
DRAGON'S BREATH

"A rollicking sequel to THE FROG PRINCESS,
[it] does not disappoint."
-KIRKUS REVIEWS

"As magically adventurous as
fantasy can get.... [A] fast-moving,
inventive coming-of-(witch)age sequel."
-VOYA

"DRAGON'S BREATH continues the tradition
of feisty princesses who turn the normal fantasy
clichs inside-out. Self-aware and independent,
Emma is a heroine to root for."
-SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE

Books by E. D. Baker

THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS:

THE FROG PRINCESS

DRAGON'S BREATH

ONCE UPON A CURSE

NO PLACE FOR MAGIC

THE SALAMANDER SPELL

DRAGON'S
Breath

Book Two in the Tales of the Frog Princess

E. D. BAKER

Copyright 2003 by E. D. Baker
First published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books in 2003
Paperback edition published in 2005

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, NY 10010
Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers
The library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Baker, E. D.
Dragon's breath / E. D. Baker.
p. cm.
Sequel to: The frog princess.
Summary: Having recovered their human shape, Emeralda and Eadric try to help Aunt Grassina find the special objects needed to break the spell that turned Grassina's true love, Haywood, into an otter.
eISBN: 978-1-58234-666-3
[1. Fairy tales. 2. WitchesFiction. 3. MagicFiction. 4. PrincessesFiction. 5. PrincesFiction. 6. Humorous stories.] I. Title.
PZ8.B173 Dr 2003 [Fic]dc21 2002028337

Typeset by Dorchester Typesetting Group Ltd.
Printed in the U.S.A. by Quebecor World Fairfield
6 8 10 9 7 5

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, Rimmy, Nate and Emiko.

I would also Like to thank Victoria Wells Arms for asking the right questions

Contents

When I was a little girl, I dreamed about being a witch like my aunt Grassina. I imagined that the next time a page stuck out his tongue at me, I'd wiggle my fingers and turn him into a salamander. If my nurse nagged me about the dirt on my clothes, I'd say a magic word and her voice would become a sparrow's chirp. If my mother scolded me for being clumsy and sent me to my chamber, I'd wave my hand, banishing her to some far-off cave guarded by trolls. I never did these things, of course, but I comforted myself with the thought that someday everyone who had been mean to me would be sorry. Someday I would be a witch and no one would dare tell me that I wasn't as smart or pretty or graceful as a princess ought to be.

Lately, I had decided that those dreams were a waste of time. Although my grandmother and aunt were both witches, my mother hated magic and let everyone know it. According to her, no self-respecting princess would ever be interested in magic, not if she really wanted to make something of herself. She threatened to send me to a convent if she ever saw me try it. "They'll know how to keep you too busy for such nonsense," she told me more than once.

If it hadn't been for my aunt Grassina, I might have given up my dream entirely, but she said I had a talent that shouldn't be ignored. I resolved not to tell my mother I planned to study magic, and my attempts remained a secret between my aunt and me.

In a way, I owed all the excitement in my life to my mother. Because she never seemed to want me around, I'd often wandered off to the swamp or to my aunt's tower chamber. Then, when my mother had tried to get me to marry a prince I couldn't stand, I hid in the swamp, unwilling to meet with him. There I met Eadric, a prince who'd been turned into a frog. I'd ended up kissing Eadric, and that kiss had turned me into a frog as well.

The morning after I returned home as a human, I was eager to work on my magic, if only to gain more control over my suddenly crazy life. I had never learned how to cook, so I thought I'd use a spell to make breakfast for Grassina and my no-longer-a-frog-friend Prince Eadric. I chose a recipe from one of Grassina's books, Wolanda's Big Book of Recipes, Potions and Cooking Spells for the Inexperienced Witch"time-tested, witch-approved." It was a simple spell, one that even I should have been able to handle.

After fetching some peacock eggs from the kitchen, I hurried up the tower stairs to my aunt's rooms. Since my aunt often cooked her own meals, she already had everything else I needed. According to the directions, all I had to do was assemble the ingredients and the cooking spell would do the rest.

Li'l Stinker, a bat who had become a friend in my days of being a frog, greeted me at the door. The room was quiet; my aunt was probably still sleeping.

I'd decided to use Grassina's magic pot. Made of iron and black with age, it heated itself until the food was cooked. I'd never known Grassina to burn anything when she used the pot, and I hoped the same would be true for me.

Glancing from the pot to the book and back again, I was careful to read the spell aloud exactly as it was written.

A pinch of this, a dash of that
A hint of Lard, a dab of fat
A broken egg, no, make it three
One's not enough, as you can see.

Drop them in a cooking pot.
Add some spice, no, not a Lot.
Chop an onion, put it in.
Stir it once, then stir again.

Heat the pot until it cooks,
Sniff, then see how good it looks.
Get the dishes, serve it all.
Don't Let the portions be too small!

Cooking spells are fun to watch, but I enjoyed watching Li'l even more. She chorded when the eggs cracked themselves and plopped into the pot. I heard her gasp when the onions broke into small pieces, then spiraled into the mixture with the spices.

When I read sniff, the steam rising from the eggs wafted toward my nose, drifting past Li'l. "Smells good," she said, breathing deeply. "Now what do you do?"

"I'll taste them, just to be sure they're all right. Then we'll invite Grassina and Eadric to breakfast."

Although I'd used only three eggs, the magic recipe had doubled them, so there was more than enough for everyone. Wondering if it had doubled the spices as well, I nibbled a tiny morsel. It needed salt, so I glanced toward the shelves holding my aunt's supplies. A small salt cellar rested on a high shelf beside jars of dried herbs. Pleased by my success with the cooking spell, I pointed at it and said, "Salt cellar," expecting it to fly into my hands. Straightforward and simpleI didn't think anything could possibly go wrong.

Whoosh! A damp breeze whisked me from the stool where I'd been sitting, twirled me until I was dizzy and plopped me down on a lumpy sack somewhere cold and dark. Dazed, I shook my head and looked around. It could have been worse. At least I knew where I was: my parents' dungeon. And the door was most certainly locked.

I'd visited the dungeon often, but always dressed warmly and carrying a torch. It wasn't safe to walk around the dungeon in the dark. Unseen hands moved barrels, holes appeared where none had been before and doors that were centuries old suddenly disappeared. Witches had lived in the castle for generations, and here, where the early witches had set up their workshops, the magic had permeated the walls and still floated about in currents and eddies that smelled like rotting vegetables.