The Frog Prince

by A. G. Marshall

  “There!” the frog said.

  Carina pulled back on the reins and looked. Something floated beneath a tree. She guided her horse closer to get a better look.

  “That’s a rowboat.”

  “You see something better?”

  Carina frowned and searched the harbor. No, she didn’t.

  “It will take too long,” she said.

  Gustave nudged his horse beside hers.

  “Any boat is better than swimming. If we both row, we can reach them in a few hours.”

  A few hours. Carina bit her lip. Lashing out at her companions wouldn’t help the situation.

  “It seems we have no choice.”

  She picked the frog up and swung out of her saddle. Gustave swayed as he dismounted. She put an arm on his back to steady him.

  “We’ll leave the horses loose,” she said. “I don’t want them tied up if the kraken comes this way.”

  She patted her horse and turned to the rowboat.

  It was big enough for two people but not much more. The craft looked better suited for romantic outings in a garden pond than daring rescues at sea.

  Well, it was all she had.

  Carina grimaced and untied the rope. She steadied the boat while Gustave climbed in. Then she jumped aboard.

  The boat rocked. She grabbed the edges and waited for the craft to stabilize.

  “It seems sturdy,” she said. “That’s something.”

  The frog hopped onto the bench beside her. Carina grabbed the oars and rowed.

  “Let me do that,” Gustave said.

  She shook her head.

  “You’re injured. Keep watch and let me know if the kraken moves away from the castle.

  Gustave scowled at her, but he turned his attention to the shore. The kraken showed no signs of slowing its attack. If the monster kept that up, the castle would be in worse shape than the harbor.

  Carina tightened her grip on the oars and rowed faster. The boat glided through the water, dodging bits of ships and buildings.

  When they reached the edge of the southern harbor, Carina change course and turned to the open sea.

  52

  Stefan watched Carina’s face as she rowed. Her mouth was a grim line across her face and her eyes lacked their usual sparkle.

  She must be exhausted. She had looked defeated since seeing the portrait on her father’s desk. Stefan wanted to comfort her, but Carina refused to meet his gaze. She kept her eyes on the horizon as she rowed.

  Stefan turned to Gustave. The king’s good arm clung to the edge of the boat. He swayed more than the gently rocking waves warranted. His injuries were catching up with him.

  At least he managed to stay upright. That was something to be grateful for.

  Stefan studied Carina’s lips. One kiss. That’s all he needed. Then he could row the boat for her. Fight the monsters for her. Everything would be fine if he was human.

  Something in the back of his mind told Stefan that he was romanticizing his human body. His brothers had teased him about being gangly when they were growing up. He wasn’t muscular. He wasn’t particularly strong.

  Stefan sighed. So maybe he couldn’t defeat a kraken as a human. He could at least row the boat.

  Carina caught his gaze and smiled.

  “Maybe we’ll find your friend while we’re out here.”

  Stefan swallowed. He had forgotten about Heinrich’s kidnapping.

  Blast.

  “Are you sure you want to bring that gem out to sea?” Gustave said.

  Carina stopped rowing for a moment to catch her breath.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What if we’re bringing it straight to them? They’re mermaids. They’ll be strong in the water, and we’ll be vulnerable.”

  She shook her head.

  “We’re not turning back now, and there isn’t anywhere safe to put the gem. The kraken could just as easily catch us on land.”

  Something splashed in the distance. Something large. They stared at the water. The fog hid everything in front of them, and ocean they could see showed no signs of life.

  “It could be anything,” Carina said. “Maybe it was a fish.”

  “One way to find out,” Stefan said.

  Here, at least, he could be helpful. He jumped out of the boat and dove beneath the waves.

  Finally, being a frog paid off. He could subdue the mermaids and-

  Well, he probably couldn’t subdue a mermaid. But he could see what had splashed.

  Stefan swam deeper and listened. The strange silent world of the ocean surrounded him. No, silent wasn’t quite the right word. Sounds were just muffled. Distant.

  He picked the direction with the most noise and swam. His suit pulled against the water, slowing him down. He needed to ask Gustave to help him take it off.

  But would it be embarrassing to go naked in front of Carina?

  Blast it all, he hadn’t felt naked before. Blast Heinrich and his sense of propriety.

  Stefan half expected Kathelin to ambush him. She had a habit of doing that when he dove into the water.

  But he saw nothing. No mermaids. No kraken. No ships.

  Not even any ship wrecks.

  He swam back to the surface. Maybe he could see something there.

  “I found him!”

  Someone grabbed Stefan’s jacket and pulled him out of the water. He sputtered and kicked in protest.

  “Calm down, frog.”

  The hand released him. Stefan fell on his back and looked up at the sky. Carina and Gustave leaned over and blocked his view of the stars.

  “Are you alright?” Carina asked.

  Stefan wriggled to his feet and nodded.

  “I’m fine. How did you follow me?”

  “We’re caught in a current,” Carina said. “It’s pulling us out to sea. You must have been caught in it too.”

  Stefan swallowed.

  “Has the current always been there?”

  “No. It must be the mermaids. Maybe that’s how they’re holding the Onslaught.”

  “So we could be drifting straight towards the ship?”

  “I hope so.”

  Stefan glanced back towards land. The kraken and castle were small specks on the horizon.

  “Is there a current going back?” he asked.

  Carina shook her head.

  “I’m afraid this is a one-way trip.”

  Stefan hopped onto the rowboat’s bench and sat beside Carina. She patted his back. His dripping wet suit.

  “I don’t suppose either of you brought food or water,” Gustave said. “We could be out here a while.”

  “The Onslaught has supplies,” Carina said. “They always have food for a second meal at galas because people are hungry after dancing.”

  “And if we don’t find them?”

  She swallowed. Stefan peered over the edge of the ship and groaned.

  “How well do you think mermaids can see in fog? Because we won’t be able to see a thing once we’re in that.”

  “We’ll just have be careful,” Carina said.

  She pulled the oars out of the water, and the boat drifted into the fog.

  The starry sky faded into a silver mist. Soon their whole world was the fog and the sound of waves lapping against the boat. Stefan slid across the bench and leaned against Carina.

  53

  “Are we still moving?” the frog whispered. “I can’t tell.”

  Carina stuck the oars into the water and tried to row.

  “Still moving. I’m not strong enough to escape the current.”

  “Is it worth trying to steer?” Gustave asked.

  Carina glanced around the fog. It was so thick she couldn’t see the water. It even blurred Gustave’s face.

  “Drifting may be our best option,” Carina said. “We’ll run into the Onslaught if it is also caught.”

  “Shh,” the frog said. “I heard something.”

  They listened for a moment. The water lapped against t
he boat, but the night was otherwise silent.

  “I guess not. Sorry.”

  “We don’t know how wide this current is,” Gustave said. “We could pass the Onslaught in this fog and never know it.”

  “Wait!” the frog said. “Are you wearing your ring?”

  Gustave smiled at him, but the expression was tinged with weariness.

  “Good thinking.”

  He raised the ring to his lips and whispered, “Find King Giuseppe.”

  The ring glowed, and a beam of light appeared over Gustave’s hand. It lit the fog around it with a red haze.

  The light pointed to the right of their current course.

  “I guess we need to steer after all,” Carina said.

  She dipped an oar into the water and used it as a rudder. After a few adjustments, she altered the boat’s course to follow the light.

  “Look out!” the frog said.

  A dark shape rose out of the water. A tentacle. Carina paddled with the oar, and they swung around the kraken.

  The tentacle dove back into the ocean so fast it nearly capsized the boat.

  They held their breath, but it didn’t resurface.

  “Nicely done,” Gustave said.

  Carina nodded.

  “Should I try to use the sapphire again? I can stop all this if I guess the spell.”

  King Gustave cleared his throat. Carina raised an eyebrow at him.

  “What is it?”

  “You may not be able to guess the right words.”

  “Why not?”

  “One of the books I read about mermaids said they had an ancient language. If the sapphire was enchanted long ago, they may have used it.”

  Carina’s frown deepened.

  “An ancient language?”

  “Give me the Kraken Heart!”

  The voice echoed in the water, and Carina flinched. Her hand found its way into her pocket. The gem nestled next to her golden ball. Safe for now.

  “That doesn’t sound like an ancient language,” the frog said.

  King Gustave shrugged. He grimaced at the motion and clutched his arm.

  “That’s what I read.”

  “So what do you suggest we do?”

  Carina didn’t mean for her voice to sound sharp, but it did. She sounded like her father. Gustave glared at her.

  “I’m trying to help.”

  “Let’s just stay on course,” the frog said. “Let’s do our best to find the king.”

  Carina knew they needed to reach her father, but she wasn’t looking forward to finding him. He wouldn’t be happy with her actions. Maybe he would understand that it had all been necessary?

  She shook away her anxiety and checked their direction. The boat had drifted away from Gustave’s light. She dipped the oar deeper in the water to correct course.

  “You could have mentioned an ancient language before,” she said.

  “I didn’t realize it might be relevant.”

  “Quiet! I hear something,” the frog said.

  So did she. Splashing and voices.

  Gustave tucked his ring against his leg. The red light disappeared. Carina pulled the oar from the water and held it over her head. It wasn’t a great weapon, but she could smack anything that attacked them.

  They drifted closer, and voices floated through the air.

  “Let me go!”

  “No!”

  More splashing. There seemed to be some kind of struggle. A fight?

  “That’s Serafina,” Carina whispered.

  “I would guess the second voice is another mermaid,” Gustave said.

  “Let go!” Serafina’s voice cut through the mist.

  She was close. Very close. Carina put the oar back in the water and steered towards the sound. Shapes emerged from the fog. Serafina sat in a small lifeboat. She swung her oar at something in the water.

  A mermaid.

  The mermaid moved too quickly for Carina to identify her. Was it Kathelin? She couldn’t tell.

  They hadn’t noticed her yet. The mermaid slipped through the water, circling the boat. Her long hair floated around her like a cloak, obscuring her scaly body.

  She gripped the edge of Serafina’s boat, rocking it so hard she almost threw the princess into the water. Serafina swung at her, but the mermaid dodged the oar. She darted back and forth, kicking her long tail.

  Serafina was fighting the best she could, but no human was a match for a mermaid at sea. If Serafina fell out of the boat, she would be helpless.

  Carina gritted her teeth. She had to do something, but she couldn’t get closer. The current had stopped. She pushed the oar into the bottom of the boat and reached into her pocket for something to throw.

  The Kraken Heart was there, wrapped in the fabric torn from her dress. She couldn’t sacrifice that.

  That left the golden ball. Carina tossed it once in the air out of habit, then caught it and hurled it at the mermaid.

  It bounced off her head and sank into the ocean.

  “Ouch!”

  The mermaid sounded more surprised than hurt. Her voice echoed around them. She turned, and Carina grimaced. It was Kathelin.

  At least she knew who she was dealing with.

  Serafina took advantage of the distraction and whacked the mermaid in the head. Kathelin let go of Serafina’s boat and dove under the water.

  “By the sea, I’m trying to help you humans!”

  Serafina paddled with her oar, trying to escape.

  “Serafina!” Carina yelled.

  “Carina? What are you doing here? Run!”

  “I think she means row,” the frog said.

  Carina reached for her oars, but a new current caught the boat. It pushed them into Serafina.

  “Watch it!” Serafina said.

  “We weren’t trying to hit you!” Carina said.

  “Will you listen to me?” Kathelin’s voice echoed through the water. “We don’t have much time.”

  “I don’t suppose you have any more rocks to throw?” Serafina whispered.

  “That was my golden ball. And no, I don’t have another one.”

  Serafina blinked.

  “You threw your golden ball to save me?”

  “Of course.”

  “But you love that thing!”

  “Yeah, well I love you too. I’ve been trying to tell you that.”

  “I’m coming back up,” the voice said. “Please don’t attack me. I want to help you.”

  Serafina and Carina shared a look.

  “Should we trust her?” Carina said.

  “Of course not,” Serafina said.

  They turned to Gustave. He had slumped over on the seat, but he lifted his head to answer.

  “Ask the frog.”

  Serafina raised an eyebrow.

  “Why would we ask Carina’s pet frog about mermaids? I know he’s aquatic, but I don’t think he’ll be much help.”

  Carina grinned at her sister.

  “You might be surprised. What do you think, frog?”

  “He looks sick,” Serafina said.

  “I’m fine,” the frog croaked. “I think we should at least listen to her.”

  54

  Serafina screamed.

  “It talks! That thing talks!”

  “Of course he does,” Carina said. “He’s very intelligent.”

  “Has it always talked?” Serafina said. “It knew what it was doing the whole time? It did it on purpose?”

  She leaned forward to get a better look at Stefan. Their boats collided and wobbled back and forth.

  Stefan’s stomach churned, and the boat’s rocking didn’t help. They were trapped. Kathelin controlled their boats with the current, and she wanted the Kraken Heart.

  What would she do to get it?

  Would she turn his friends into frogs? Drown them? Lock their hearts with iron bands so Stefan was responsible for their lives as well as Heinrich’s?

  Or did she have something else in mind? She wasn’t attacking t
he city with Althea. That was promising. And she hadn’t cursed Serafina yet.

  The top of Kathelin’s head peeked out from the water. She studied each of them with her brilliant blue eyes.

  Her gaze lingered on Stefan. She winked at him, and he flinched. Carina picked him up and pulled him away from the mermaid.

  “I mean you no harm, humans. Will you listen to me? We are running out of time.”

  Her voice echoed around them. It had a hypnotic quality, like waves hitting a beach.

  “You aren’t giving us much choice,” Serafina said.

  The rest of Kathelin’s head emerged. She smiled at Serafina.

  “I’m sorry if I seem rude. I’ve met the rest of the humans, but we haven’t been introduced. My name is Kathelin.”

  Serafina glared at the mermaid. Stefan was glad to see her rage directed at someone else for a change.

  “What do you want?” Serafina said.

  “As I told them before, I want the Kraken Heart. It has the power to control the kraken. I can make them stop attacking and return your ships.”

  Serafina turned to her sister.

  “What is she talking about?”

  “The enchanted sapphire,” Carina said. “She asked me to trade it for our missing ships this afternoon. I told father about her offer, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  Serafina swallowed.

  “That was true?”

  “Of course it was true! Why would I lie to you about mermaids?”

  Serafina shrugged.

  “Why not? You’ve lied about other things.”

  Stefan hopped onto the edge of the boat.

  “I’m glad you two are getting along now, but we might need to sort through your problems after we stop the kraken.”

  Kathelin nodded.

  “I’m not sure how much more your castle can take.”

  “They’re attacking the castle?” Serafina said. “What are you doing here then?”

  Carina bristled.

  “I don’t have any authority in the military. No one listened to my orders even if they were common sense. I’m trying to rescue someone who can organize the navy.”

  Serafina turned to the mermaid.

  “If you want us to give you the Kraken Heart, show us an act of goodwill. Stop your attack on our castle.”