“I’m friendly.”
Carina laughed.
“Are you now? Humiliating me in front of my family was just a gesture of goodwill?”
“I retrieved your golden ball at great personal risk to myself.”
“You swam in a pond. Hardly risky for a frog.”
“That thing was heavy. It almost crushed me.”
She grinned at him.
“Indeed?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Well, thank you for your sacrifice, Sir Frog.”
“You’re welcome, Princess.”
Carina closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed as she fell asleep, but her face didn’t look restful. Something troubled her dreams.
Stefan shook himself and turned around in the cage. Watching her sleep was creepy, even if he was a frog.
He refused to be creepy.
What he really needed to do was get out of the cage. He needed to make sure Heinrich was alright. That he hadn’t hurt the tailor by giving Carina silent clues about sea monsters.
Stefan had done his best not to mention magic or his curse, but Carina seemed determined to bring up those very subjects. And he had needed to keep her talking.
Blast Carina.
He studied the cage. It was locked, but the lock wasn’t particularly good. You didn’t need a strong latch to keep a bird in.
He could escape if he had something to pick the lock.
Stefan looked at the table beside Carina’s bed. A hairpin. That would do the trick if he could get one.
Blast his tiny frog arms.
He reached through the bars and tried to pull himself across the pillow. The cage was too heavy and refused to budge. He stared at the table. Freedom was so close. He licked his lips.
Yes! His tongue!
Stefan eyed the distance. The table might just be close enough.
He leaned against the bars and shot his tongue out. It hit the table, and the hairpins rattled.
Carina stirred. Stefan turned and watched her for a moment. She was still asleep, but she had shifted away from him. Perfect.
He leaned against the edge of the cage and picked his target. The closest hairpin.
His tongue shot out again. This time it caught the hairpin and pulled it back. The pin smacked Stefan’s mouth.
Ouch. Well, at least he had the pin now.
Holding it with his frog hands was another matter. The webbing between his fingers made it difficult to grab. Stefan pushed his arms outside the cage, working around the bars. There! He got the pin into the lock.
He pushed, and the lock clicked. The door swung open.
Stefan tumbled out of the cage. He slid onto the lacy pillow and froze. Had Carina heard? He turned around and grinned.
She was still asleep.
He leaped off the pillow and through the open window. Castles were easy to escape when you were a frog. He passed castle guards at the gate without a problem and hopped to town with renewed energy. Moonlight lit his way, casting strange shadows in the trees.
The streets were nearly empty by the time he reached the village, but there were still enough people around to make Stefan nervous. He ducked through gardens and under fences until he reached the docks. Sailors pushed carts and hauled crates along the boardwalks. Heinrich’s inn was on the other side of the pier. An easy walk for a human. A difficult journey for a frog surrounded by humans.
Stefan jumped into the ocean. He was graceful in the water. Other than feeling vulnerable, one of the worst things about being a frog was flopping around on land.
But this body made sense in the water. Stefan turned a few loops, just for the fun of it.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Stefan froze mid-kick. His frog instincts told him that if he stayed still enough, the predator wouldn’t see him.
If only that were true. Something brushed past his leg and spun him around.
Kathelin smiled at him. It was dark under the water, but she glowed like she’d eaten the moon.
He glared at her, not quite able to speak.
“Water is much more pleasant than land, isn’t it? Of course, it helps to be in the right body.”
She sounded friendly. Like she had just dropped in for a chat.
“You!”
It wasn’t his best comeback, but Stefan’s heart was beating too fast to think of anything else. He fought back panic.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” Kathelin said. “Just checking in. Seeing how my spell is holding. You haven’t kissed the princess, have you?”
“Not yet, but I will. We’re getting along very well.”
Kathelin laughed.
“I’m glad. And you haven’t told her about the curse? I haven’t felt my iron bands tighten.”
Stefan relaxed. Did that mean Heinrich was safe?
“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “What do you gain?”
“Amusement. But you may also prove useful. I need an ally in the castle, Prince Stefan.”
“So you believe I’m a prince now?”
“I sent someone to Aeonia to verify your story. The royal family is in an uproar over their missing prince, so I can only assume you told us the truth.”
Guilt settled in Stefan’s stomach. He’d been so busy trying to stay alive, he hadn’t thought how his family might feel in his absence. Of course, they were worried. They probably thought he was hurt or dead.
He sank into the water.
“Cheer up,” Kathelin said. “As you said, Carina is bound to kiss you any day now.”
A deep roar echoed through the water and shook Stefan’s bones. Kathelin frowned.
“What was that?” Stefan asked.
“Nothing to worry about if my plan works out. I have to go now, but I’ll see you again. Make friends in the castle so you’ll be a good ally when I need you. And not a word to the humans!”
She hummed a tune, and a silver tentacle appeared in the darkness. Kathelin sat on it like a chair and let it carry her away.
Stefan swam to the surface and crawled onto the dock. He’d rather deal with sailors than mermaids.
Heinrich’s inn was only a few blocks away, and Stefan reached it without trouble. He hopped up to the window and tapped on the glass.
The window opened so quickly that Stefan almost fell off the ledge. Heinrich grabbed him and pulled him into the room.
“Your Highness, is that you?”
“Of course it’s me. Put me down, Heinrich!”
The tailor set the frog prince on his bed.
“Did you find Carina?”
“Yes. I did her a favor, and now I’m officially her companion. We’re getting along well.”
If you counted insults and imprisonment as getting along well. But there was no need to worry the tailor with minor details.
Heinrich nodded. He twisted a piece of blue fabric over and over again in his hands.
“Your Highness, I have a request. Tell Carina who you are. It will make it easier to convince her to kiss you. My life isn’t worth yours.”
“Heinrich, neither of us is dead. I plan to keep it that way. There’s no need to do anything drastic.”
The tailor knelt, so he was at eye level with Stefan.
“But Your Highness is in danger in that, um, form. It will be impossible to woo a maiden looking like that.”
Stefan sat up straighter.
“Are you saying you don’t think I can do it? You don’t think my wit and charm are enough to overcome my unfortunate condition?”
“No, Your Highness, I don’t. You weren’t popular with the ladies as a human. I don’t expect you to have any more success as a frog.”
“Challenge accepted.”
“Your Highness-”
“No, Heinrich. You’ve made your point, but I refuse to let you sacrifice yourself for me. And I am more than capable of charming Princess Carina as a frog or human. You are not to tell anyone about me or my condition. That is a royal decree. Do you understand?”
&nb
sp; The tailor’s face fell.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I will woo Carina. She has already agreed to let me eat from her plate and sleep on her pillow.”
Heinrich choked.
“You’re sleeping in her room? Your Highness, is that appropriate?”
“I’m safer there than anywhere else.”
“Hmmm. Hold still, Your Highness.”
The tailor pulled out his tape measure.
“Heinrich, why are you taking my measurements? I don’t need a new suit right now.”
“You shouldn’t be hopping around naked.”
“I’m not naked.”
“You’re not wearing clothes. That means you’re naked. When we return, I do not want to explain to King Noam that I let his son sleep naked in a strange girl’s room.”
Stefan sighed. His chest expanded as he did so. Heinrich frowned.
“Hmmm, that could cause a problem. I’ll cut the chest extra loose.”
Stefan excused himself as soon as Heinrich finished his measurements. He couldn’t stand the worry in his friend’s eyes.
Yes, the situation was bad, but Stefan was confident he could get out of it. Carina had been difficult at the start, but they were making progress. If he tried his best to be charming, he could win her over. Stefan picked a small bouquet of flowers for her as he hopped back through the castle garden.
21
Carina awoke when the sun rose. She rolled over in her bed and gasped.
The frog was gone!
The empty cage sat on the frilly pillow. The door hung open.
Impossible. How had he escaped?
She picked the cage up, and something fell to the floor with a soft thump. Carina retrieved it. A hairpin.
Had he picked the lock?
Carina was both impressed and annoyed. As frustrating as the frog was, he was her only lead. Her only tie to any kind of magic.
She put on a new dress, light yellow with scalloped ruffles on the skirt, and tucked the golden ball into her pocket. She gathered the pink dress she wore yesterday and transferred everything from its pockets to the new gown.
Something rustled as she folded the fabric. Carina reached deeper into a pocket and pulled out the parchment her father had given her.
She opened the scroll and read it. The orders gave her permission to enter the treasury as many times as necessary.
She could search it again today.
If she asked, Carina knew her father would tell her to destroy the parchment. She had a new mission now. Keep out of the way and marry King Gustave.
But Carina didn’t plan to ask. The guards wouldn’t question her return. And they weren’t likely to tell her father that she had visited.
Duke Enrico might. She’d need to avoid him. Not give him a reason to remember her visit.
Carina’s heart fluttered. She was dangerously close to defying her father’s orders. Dangerously close to treason. That meant death for military and banishment for civilians.
Was this worth the risk?
Her father hadn’t told her outright that she couldn’t go back to the treasury, but he certainly didn’t mean for her to return now that she was being reassigned. If caught, she might be able to plead ignorance.
Maybe.
Carina tucked the parchment into the yellow dress and slumped onto her bed. If she was going to risk angering her father, she needed a good reason. What would another visit to the treasury accomplish? She had already investigated everything and talked to all the guards.
But she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. Not when she had her mother’s word that she could stay if she proved her worth to Santelle.
The water. She needed to see under the water. To search for signs that a magical creature had used the waterway to access the treasury.
Could she pretend to fall in?
That would certainly be reported to her father. And Princess Carina was not supposed to know how to swim.
Carina sighed. She needed help, but she had no one to ask. She needed someone who knew about magic. She buried her face in her hands.
“Are you crying again, Princess?”
She whirled around. The frog sat in the window. He held a bouquet of flowers in his webbed foot. Carina wiped her eyes.
“Certainly not. Where have you been?”
“I went to the garden to fetch these flowers for you.”
“You broke out of your cage to pick flowers?”
The frog cleared his throat.
“About that. I’d rather not go back in that cage.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“It would pain me to be away from you, but I refuse to be caged like an animal. I suppose I’ll have to hop away and hide if you insist on imprisoning me again.”
No, he couldn’t. She needed him. Carina bit her lip.
“I’ll let you stay out of the cage if you promise not to run away.”
“I want nothing more than to be near you. A token of my affection.”
He held the bouquet up to her. Carina crossed the room and took the flowers. The bouquet was tiny. Frog sized. She tucked it behind her ear.
“What shall we do today?” the frog asked.
Carina swallowed. Why was he determined to befriend her? Was he working with her would-be kidnapper?
Or did he have something to do with the attempted robbery? He was a magic water creature after all.
She frowned, studying the frog as if his smooth green skin held the answers she sought.
“What has upset you, Princess? I am happy to assist you however possible.”
Carina shook her head. Yesterday the frog had been hostile. Now he seemed overeager to please.
“Why won’t you tell me anything about yourself?”
He shrugged.
“There’s not much to tell. I grew up in a swamp not far from here. I was content until I heard of your beauty and wit. Then I couldn’t rest until I saw you.”
Carina smirked.
“That’s nonsense. You’re trying to distract me.”
“You mean it isn’t working?”
She laughed.
“I need help, but I don’t trust you. You’re sure you won’t tell me about yourself?”
“Indeed I am.”
“You’re very impertinent. I’m a princess, you know. You should be respectful.”
“You’re a princess of humans. I’m a frog. I’m not sure the usual rules of etiquette apply.”
He was insufferable. But was he trustworthy? Carina swallowed. If she wanted to proceed with the investigation, she needed his help.
If he betrayed her, at least she would have proof that water creatures were up to no good.
“Frog, do you know magic? Can you use magic gems?”
The frog stiffened.
“Why do you ask about magic?”
Carina’s heartbeat quickened. He knew something. With that reaction, he had to.
“What do you know about magic gems?” she asked.
“They’re used to enhance enchantments. They glow.”
“Could you use one? Could you access its magic?”
The frog lowered his head.
“I’m afraid not, Princess. I am a distinctly non-magical frog.”
Carina sighed. Her frustration must have shown on her face because the frog hopped closer and patted her hand.
“I want to help you, my lady. I don’t know magic, but I’ll do what I can. You can trust me.”
“Why? Why would a talking frog appear in my garden and want to help me? You have to admit that’s suspicious.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Such as?”
The frog clamped his mouth shut. Carina gritted her teeth.
“I need your help with something,” she said. “But if you betray my trust, I will squish you. Do you understand?”
“There’s no need for threats.”
“I just need you to understand how serious this is. Will you d
o it?”
He bobbed his head up and down.
“It will be an honor to assist you, princess. What do you need?”
Carina grimaced. She was probably being foolish to trust the frog this much, but what else could she do?
“I need you to take a little swim. Get in my pocket. I’ll explain on the way.”
22
Stefan stared at Carina. She blinked at him impatiently.
“Is there a problem?”
“I object to going in your pocket. It’s undignified.”
“You’ll live. There’s plenty of room.”
Blast Carina. And blast the mermaids. Blast magic and blast this whole situation.
Stefan climbed into Carina’s pocket. So much for making her think of him as a person.
He wasn’t alone in there. The golden ball, a piece of parchment, and a sheathed dagger jostled around him as Carina walked.
Something stabbed Stefan’s leg. He turned around and examined the side of the pocket. Was that a lock pick sewn into the dress?
He gulped. It wasn’t the only thing. A variety of tools were attached to the fabric. Some Stefan recognized. Some were completely foreign. But Carina had enough hardware sewn into her dress to build a table.
Or break into a house.
What in the world was she up to?
Stefan shifted in the pocket, putting as much space between him and the metal tools as possible. That meant snuggling next to Carina’s leg.
It was warm, and he was trapped between her leg and layers of fabric. Stefan gasped for air.
“Are you alright?” Carina whispered.
“Yes, just suffering from minor suffocation. Nothing to be concerned about.”
Carina pushed the pocket open with her hand. Cool air flooded over his face.
“Better?”
“Yes, thanks.”
She kept walking. Even with the pocket open, Stefan couldn’t see much. Just glimpses of the ceiling.
“I need to see your orders, Princess.”
The man’s voice was harsh. Stefan squirmed for a better view but couldn’t see his face. Carina reached into the pocket and pulled out the parchment. A door opened, and Carina stepped forward. When the door closed, everything became dark.
They seemed to be going down. Intermittent torchlight showed a ceiling made of rough stone. Stefan bumped against Carina’s leg as she walked down a staircase. Finally, she stopped.
The Frog Prince Page 11