“I’m sorry, Heinrich. It is a good plan. You’re sure Gruff will be willing to take a frog on board?”
Heinrich brightened.
“We can ask him tonight! I promised to stop by and patch his jacket.”
Stefan raised an eyebrow. Or he would have if he had eyebrows.
“Sailors are very hard on their clothes,” Heinrich said. “And I don’t have enough gold to pay for my passage back to Aeonia. I agreed to do their mending in exchange for a place on board.”
He held out his hand, and Stefan hopped onto his palm. Traveling across the pier was much easier when you were carried.
Blast it all, he didn’t want to be carried. He wanted to solve this himself.
Carina’s face flashed through his mind. If he left now, she would be on her own again. She would have to solve the mystery of the treasury robbery without help. She would be alone with her terrible family.
He didn’t want to leave her.
Stefan stared up at the castle. She would be asleep, her golden hair spilling over her lacy pillow.
He turned to Heinrich. It was no good. He couldn’t leave now. He opened his mouth to speak, but the tailor’s expression stopped him. It was filled with hope.
Stefan shut his mouth. He couldn’t risk his friend’s life. The worst thing was, Heinrich would accept the risk if asked. He would insist they stay so Stefan could sort out his feelings for Carina. Even if it meant that Heinrich’s heart was squeezed by iron bands.
The prince swallowed. He couldn’t ask that of Heinrich. He had to go back to Aeonia with him and let Lina break the curse. He had to leave Carina.
Blast it all.
27
A rose bush snagged Carina’s nightgown. She pulled it loose. The lace ripped and dragged on the ground as she walked.
Blast. It was difficult enough explaining tears and muddy hems in her dresses, but a nightgown? She would have to burn it and claim she lost it. How anyone could lose a nightgown was beyond her, but her maids thought her so incompetent at this point they would believe anything. She wrapped her cloak tighter to protect the garment from further damage.
Carina reached the woods and waited. If the frog was going this way, she wouldn’t be far ahead of him. She climbed onto a low hanging branch to stay hidden.
It was a nice night. Stars twinkled from a clear sky. A cool sea breeze rustled through the trees. The cries of seagulls echoed from the pier.
Seagulls. Carina frowned. The frog had mentioned seagulls once and been bothered when she brought them up again. She had pretended to be obsessed with the birds at the Princess Test in Aeonia to keep conversations away from more important matters.
Was it a clue? Or just a coincidence?
A rustling in the grass interrupted her musings, and Carina grinned. The frog hopped through the field on a definite path towards town. The top of his head bobbed out of the grass when he jumped.
Carina let him get a safe distance away before she followed. She stayed in the woods, out of sight. She reached for her golden ball out of habit, but her hands felt only fabric. The ball was in her dress pocket back at the castle.
Along with the rest of her tools.
She shrugged and kept walking. Why should she record her activities tonight? Her father would scold her for sneaking out when it wasn’t part of her mission. It would be better if he didn’t know about any of this.
They reached the town, and Carina stepped onto the path. It was easy to blend into the crowd here. The frog dodged sailors and horses as he worked his way towards the pier.
“Froggy!”
Carina gasped as the little girl she had seen that afternoon shook out of her mother’s grip and ran for the frog. She might hurt him! Even a small child like that could easily kill a frog!
Carina ran towards them, but they were too far away. The frog jumped into the ocean, and Carina sighed in relief. Safe.
The girl tried to jump after him, and Carina prepared to sprint. A child that small may not be able to swim. She would need to move quickly to save her.
A man in a dark cloak caught the girl mid-leap. Carina sank back into the shadows. The frog had escaped, and the girl was safe. As soon as the commotion died down, she would walk along the pier and find him.
The girl’s mother tried to thank the man, but he shrugged her off. He walked away but stayed close to the edge of the dock.
Carina’s eyes narrowed. He was looking for something in the water. She slipped into the crowd and ducked under a horse cart filled with hay.
“You nearly caused a lot of trouble there.”
Was he talking to the frog? Carina crept closer. The man kept his hood pulled over his face, so she couldn’t see much. Not enough to identify him. He wasn’t tall enough to be the man who attacked her in the woods.
But something about him seemed familiar. His voice, maybe? Yes, she’d heard that voice somewhere before.
He turned, and something on his hand flashed red in the moonlight. A ring. A ruby.
An enchanted ruby, perhaps?
Carina grinned. A possible magic worker talking to an enchanted frog? It was a good start. Had she found the frog’s accomplice?
She edged closer. This was one conversation she needed to hear.
“No harm done, I suppose,” the man muttered.
He walked away.
Carina’s heart sank. That was it? Not the exciting revelation she was hoping for.
The frog dove into the water and didn’t resurface. Carina frowned. She couldn’t track him if he was underwater. Blast.
She turned her attention back to the docks. The woman and little girl had disappeared into the crowd. Were they still waiting for their ship?
Carina thought about searching for them, but what could they tell her she didn’t already know? That another ship was missing?
Hardly the definitive proof her father would demand.
That left the man with the ring. So he wasn’t working with the frog. Or at least, he wasn’t working with the frog right now. But he might still be worth her attention.
Why did he seem so familiar? His cloak covered everything but the edge of his beard. Even his ring was now hidden in the fabric. But Carina couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere.
Unable to follow the frog, she settled for trailing the mysterious man.
Carina had explored the harbor many times before, and she knew how to stay out of sight. She ducked behind buildings and barrels as the man meandered through the port. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular. Just wandering around. Looking for something? For someone?
Carina followed him to an inn at the end of the wharf. He paused just outside it and stared up at the castle in the distance.
Not suspicious in and of itself, but her pulse quickened. What did he want with the castle? She edged closer, hiding in the shadows of the building across the street. Was he waiting to meet someone?
The man raised his hand. He held the ring to his mouth and whispered something to the gem. So it was magic!
A red light flashed. That meant danger, right? It had for Lina’s ring. What was the danger?
The light narrowed into a beam and pointed straight at Carina.
The man dropped his hand in surprise and stared into the shadows. Carina didn’t wait for him to regain his composure. She ducked into a nearby alley and ran.
Was it her imagination, or did the man call her name as she darted away? She didn’t stop until she reached the woods. Carina leaned against a tree and gasped for air. How had his magic detected her? Had he asked his ring to check for danger? She was hardly dangerous.
Well, maybe a little.
That man may not be working with the frog, but he was certainly doing something magical. Why did he seem familiar?
She should have stood her ground. Should have questioned him.
And risked blowing her cover? Letting a stranger know that Princess Carina was out after dark?
She sighed. This ev
ening had not gone according to plan. She had lost the frog. She had nearly been caught by someone with magic.
She was no closer to proving her worth to Santelle.
Carina studied the harbor. The crowds cleared as the night progressed. The woman and little girl didn’t come back. They must have given up on the Royal Blaze arriving tonight.
A few sailors bustled around the ships and taverns, but the streets were clearing for the evening. Soon everyone would be in bed. Maybe she should just go home. Get some sleep and hope the frog came back.
Carina shook her head. She couldn’t stop now. There had to be something she could do.
She studied the ships again. Most of them were dark, but a few people with lanterns walked on the deck of the Seawolfe. Maybe Timon was there. She would rather interview him dressed as a sailor, but he might be willing to talk to a woman. She should be fine as long as she kept her face covered.
Carina straightened her cloak and hurried back to the docks. The men on the Seawolfe’s deck were gone by the time she reached it. Light shone from under the door of the captain’s cabin.
She checked around the ship before slipping up the gangplank and crawling across the deck. Maybe she could eavesdrop.
The cabin door creaked open. Carina dove behind a barrel.
“Timon! Come watch this frog!”
Carina peered over the edge. Did he say frog?
Captain Gruff stood in the doorway of his cabin. A small man in a purple velvet suit stood next to him. His clothes and manner were more suited for a king’s court than a ship, but that wasn’t what caught Carina’s attention.
The man held a frog.
A frog she knew all too well.
Carina bit back a laugh. Her luck was finally changing. She’d found the frog after all.
A sailor climbed out of a trapdoor on the deck.
“Did you say frog, Captain?”
“The tailor has a pet frog now. I want you to watch it while he fixes my jacket.”
Timon blinked.
“You want me to watch a frog?”
“He won’t be any trouble,” the tailor said. “He’s very well behaved.”
He handed the frog to the sailor. Carina rolled her eyes. Well behaved indeed.
Timon took the frog and carried him to the ship’s railing. Carina crawled behind the barrels so she could hear their conversation. This was it. She’d finally discovered the frog’s human companions. And Timon was the man Gruff had said might have information about sea monsters.
The sailor slumped against the railing.
“This is humiliating,” he said. “Me. Frog-sitting.”
The frog croaked. He seemed equally annoyed to be assigned a guardian.
“The captain wouldn’t need his jacket let out if he didn’t eat so many coconuts.”
The frog croaked again. He wasn’t paying much attention to the sailor. He kept looking from the water to the castle.
Carina bit her lip. This wasn’t exactly the conversation she’d hoped to overhear. Timon didn’t seem to know the frog could talk.
Maybe the real action was happening in the captain’s cabin. The tailor could be relaying secret information.
Information about her. Or the treasury.
Carina crawled towards the cabin. The frog and Timon weren’t saying anything useful. Time to find out what the captain was really up to.
A flash of movement on the dock caught her eye. A beacon of red light pointed directly at her.
28
“Hey, what’s that?”
Stefan looked away from the castle long enough to follow Timon’s gaze. A flash of red light beamed from the docks towards the ship.
What was it? Stefan squinted into the darkness, but the red light disappeared. A man in a dark cloak stepped into the moonlight.
The man from the harbor. The one who had caught the child. Stefan gulped. There was no reason the man should recognize him. No reason for him to suspect anything.
So why did Stefan feel so nervous?
“Who’s there?” Timon called.
“Just me. Testing out a bit of magic I bought in town.”
“There’s a magic shop in town? Where?”
Timon stood and rushed off the ship. Some frog-sitter. Stefan jumped off the railing. Even if the man in the cloak had no reason to be suspicious of a frog, it would be better to avoid being seen. He hopped behind a barrel.
And into Carina’s lap.
Stefan croaked with surprise. Carina covered her mouth to muffle her gasp.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“Me? What are you doing here?”
“Following you.”
He swallowed.
“What did you see?”
“You sitting on the deck with a sailor. Was there something more? Something you didn’t want me to see?”
She looked suspicious. Of course, she would. Stefan sighed. He was doing a terrible job of wooing her. Heinrich was right. He should return to Aeonia and let Lina kiss him.
So why didn’t he want to? Why was he so happy to find Carina here, even if it meant trouble?
“Well?” Carina said. “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”
Stefan hopped onto a small barrel so he was eye level with her. He couldn’t tell her the truth about everything, but he could do his best to explain his leaving.
“A friend asked for my assistance,” he said. “He wants me to leave Santelle to help him. We’re sailing on this ship.”
“You’re leaving? What happened to your promise? To staying by my side?”
She looked sad. Betrayed. Stefan sighed.
“I don’t want to. I wouldn’t if it were up to me. But I owe him my help.”
“A frog has a sense of honor?”
Stefan bit back a laugh. He’d been called a lot of things, but never honorable. Carina seemed serious though. He looked into her eyes, and a crazy thought popped into his head.
“Come with me,” he said. “You can run away. I’ll help you.”
“What?”
Carina’s blue eyes glistened in the moonlight. Stefan could see his reflection in them. He looked small. Insignificant.
“The Seawolfe is sailing to Aeonia,” he said. “You have friends there, don’t you? You could be safe. You won’t have to worry about the treasury or proving your worth.”
“How do you know I have friends in Aeonia?”
Stefan swallowed. He was on dangerous ground, but he really wanted her to come. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea.
“I know you went to a Princess Test there. Surely you met some people who would help you.”
“I can’t just leave my family. I need to prove my worth to Santelle. I need-”
“Hey!”
Timon’s voice echoed through the night. Carina peered over the railing. Stefan hopped up to get a better look.
And immediately regretted it. Timon and the cloaked man who had caught the child were struggling to keep their grip on a man with yellow eyes.
Leander.
Carina gasped.
“I know him! He tried to kidnap me!”
She stood and ran across the ship. Stefan leaped onto her shoulder.
“What do you mean he tried to kidnap you?”
“He attacked me in the woods a few nights ago. Hang on to him! We need to bring him in for questioning!”
Timon and the cloaked man glanced up at her. Leander shook one of his arms loose and punched Timon in the face.
“Carina, stop! That man is dangerous!” Stefan said.
“We outnumber him. We’ll be fine.”
Stefan swallowed the rest of his warning. He’s strong. He might have magic.
He’s working with the mermaids who cursed me.
“He tried to steal my ring,” the man in the cloak grunted.
“Drag him onto the ship,” Timon said. “We can lock him in the cabin until the guards come. Stay back, miss.”
“They’ve got him,” Stefan said. “Stay away.”
“Can you go fetch a guard?” the cloaked man asked.
Carina hesitated. Leander kicked Timon in the shins.
“Gruff!” the sailor yelled. “Come help me with this!”
“Can you fetch a guard?” the cloaked man said again.
“Yes, of course.”
Carina ran away from the ship and ducked behind a barrel.
“Aren’t you going to find a guard?” Stefan asked. “There’s no one else around to do it.”
“I can’t. They’d recognize me.”
“So you’re just going to keep them waiting?”
“I’ll scream once they have him secured. Someone will hear it and come to check. I want to hear what they’re saying.”
She crept back towards the ship. Gruff, Timon, and the cloaked man dragged Leander up the gangplank. Heinrich stood nearby, offering a spool of ribbon doubtless meant to tie him up.
“What did you mean when you said he attacked you?” Stefan asked.
“He attacked me while I was running through the woods at night. Father sent guards to look for him, but he had disappeared. He’ll be happy to have him in custody.”
Stefan watched the struggle. He couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Leander’s leg seemed better. At least, he wasn’t limping anymore. But he let the sailors drag him across the ship without protesting. Why had he stopped fighting his captors?
As if on cue, Leander threw back his head and shrieked. The eerie note hung in the air, sounding almost like a song. It echoed through the waves. The surface of the water bubbled.
“Get back,” Stefan said.
“What is that?”
Carina crept closer until she stood at the edge of the dock.
“Carina, get back!”
Stefan jumped off her shoulder, caught the edge of her cloak in his mouth, and pulled.
“Frog, what are you-”
An enormous black tentacle shot out of the water and wrapped around the mast of Gruff’s ship.
Carina screamed.
29
“Get away from the water!”
The Frog Prince (Fairy Tale Adventures Book 2) Page 14