Poison Ivy’s mouth opened in surprise. “You’re Millie? I’d heard about the dragon princess, but I didn’t know Millie, I mean you, were the one. Uh, it’s nice to see you again.”
Millie smiled her most insincere smile, certain that fairies couldn’t tell the difference between one dragon smile and another. “It’s nice to see you, too.”
The first witch arrived a few minutes later, and soon there was a steady stream of witches and fairies setting down beside the moat. Millie wondered if Olebald was aware of their arrival or if he was sleeping through the whole thing.
It wasn’t long before the largest group of dragons arrived, making enough racket that Millie was sure no one could possibly still be sleeping. King Stormclaw had come, along with four elderly dragonesses, two dozen dragon guards, and Audun’s family. Millie had already met his parents and grandparents and was delighted that she was about to have the chance to meet his friends. She noticed that Song of the Glacier stayed away from the humans and gave disapproving glances when any passed by.
“There’s the happy couple!” said the ice dragon king when he saw them. “I believe congratulations are in order.” Millie smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but the king wasn’t finished yet. “The Green Witch was just telling me about her plan.”
“It was Millie’s plan, actually,” said Emma. “She’s the one who came up with the idea to use dragon force against the ‘invisible nothing’ in the first place. With so many dragons here, we shouldn’t have any problem breaking through the barrier. If we divide into three groups, we can take turns.”
“Then we should organize now,” King Stormclaw announced.
Emma was a dragon again when she organized breaking the dragons into groups. Millie and Audun were telling the last group what it needed to do when the witches Ratinki and Klorine swooped in on their magic carpets carrying the king and queen of Upper Montevista and their younger son, Bradston. Eadric hurried to speak to his parents, both of whom were scowling at the gathered dragons. Emma and Millie were in their dragon forms, so neither of them joined him.
“You did tell them that there would be dragons here, didn’t you?” Millie asked her mother.
“Of course,” said Emma. “I’m surprised Frazzela actually came. We’ll just have to try to keep them away from the dragons, which includes us right now.”
“I bet they leave early,” Millie told her.
Emma smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”
As the rays of the rising sun fanned out over the countryside, ten dragons rose into the air, including Audun, Frostybreath, and Audun’s father, Speedwell. Millie watched as they beat their powerful wings and climbed until they were out of sight behind a scattering of clouds. Minutes passed and the next group readied themselves. Emma was the leader, and at her signal they followed the first group into the air.
“Look! There they are!” shouted one of the fairies, and everyone hurried to look where she was pointing.
Ten dragons plummeted toward earth like spears shot from the heavens, their wings tucked so tightly to their sides that their bodies looked wingless. They hit the “invisible nothing” with a boom that made the earth shake and the crack widen. Then Millie, Ralf, and his father, Grumble Belly, took off with seven other dragons, racing into the sky as the second group began their descent. The two sets of dragons passed each other, but the second group was going so fast that all Millie could see were blurry shapes.
Millie’s dragons had flown too high to hear the second group hit, so they climbed until she thought they had gone far enough and shouted to her companions, “Now!” As synchronized as if they had practiced for years, the dragons turned and began their descent. Once again ten dragons plunged toward earth, the cold air frosting their scales, then heating them as their speed increased. Knowing what would happen at the other end, Millie let herself fall to earth like a shooting star.
They hit with such force that the world seemed to shatter around them, but it was just the “invisible nothing” breaking under the impact of the final dragon onslaught. “Pull up!” Millie screamed when she realized that it wasn’t like the last time, that there wasn’t anything to cushion their fall or make them rebound.
Wings snapped open around her as she fought to spread her own, but the speed of her fall was so great that the rushing air kept pressing them closed. Arching her neck, she turned her dive into a climb; at the moment she changed direction, her wings opened so fast that it was painful. Millie angled her wings and swooped over the castle, trying to slow her momentum. She flew as far as the enchanted forest before turning back. Even then her heart was still racing and she was gasping for breath, but she wanted to make sure that all of the dragons who had flown with her were all right. Looking ahead, she saw them descend by twos and threes over the castle wall and the worry creating the knot in her stomach dissolved.
When she returned to the castle, the other dragons had already opened the drawbridge for King Limelyn’s soldiers. She could hear the men’s feet pounding across the wooden planks and watched them enter the courtyard with weapons drawn. They met with no resistance, however, and soon disappeared into the castle keep.
Millie searched for the only other green dragon, and when she saw her, she landed beside her mother. Emma’s eyes were shining as she turned to her daughter, and a moment later they both began to change back into their human forms.
“I saw your dive,” said Emma. “That was amazing! You had me worried, though. I didn’t think you were going to make it for a moment.”
“Neither did I,” Millie admitted, running her fingers through her hair. “Have you seen Audun?”
Emma nodded. “He went into the castle with your father. There are so many people and dragons looking for Olebald that I didn’t think they needed me in there as well. Apparently the ice dragons are furious with the old wizard, which is why so many of them came. They wanted to help us, especially if it meant they could get their talons on Olebald. He hurt some dragons when he escaped from their stronghold and they want him back in a bad way. I think he’s in for it now. A vengeful dragon is a really nasty dragon. I doubt very much that he’ll be able to get away this time.”
“I hope not,” said Millie. “I wouldn’t want to have to deal with him ever again.”
Sixteen
It quickly became apparent that Olebald wasn’t going to be easy to find. Every floor in the castle had been searched, including the towers, and yet not one dragon, human, or fairy had seen Olebald. No one wanted to search the dungeon, however, because the ghosts were making a racket horrible enough to chill the blood of even the hardiest soul.
“I think I might know what’s wrong,” Millie told her mother, who was about to investigate.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I want to see how Felix is doing. Grassina asked your grandmother to hold his bowl. I just hope she hasn’t put it down somewhere and forgotten where she put it. She’s been doing more of that kind of thing lately.”
The sound from the dungeon grew louder as Millie opened the door and stepped onto the landing at the top of the stairs. Chains rattled, doors slammed, agonized voices howled and screamed and wailed. Millie would have been frightened if she hadn’t heard some of those sounds every time she’d come to visit. “What’s wrong?” she called, holding up her skirt with one hand while she hurried down the stairs. “Is Hubert still stuck between the cells? Are you still trying to drown out his moaning?”
Sir Jarvis appeared at the bottom of the stairs. When he held up his hand, the clamor died away to a few dragged chains, then stopped completely. “Hubert is fine. Everything went back to normal after the castle shook for the third time this morning. It was very noisy down here, I must say. Nothing like what we made ourselves, however. No, we just wanted to get your attention. It seems we have something that doesn’t belong to us, and we want to give it to you.”
Millie was puzzled. “Did I leave something down here? Surely this can wait until later.”
“I think no
t,” said Sir Jarvis as he drifted to a neighboring cell. “Please take a look in here and you’ll see what I mean.”
Millie hurried to the door and peeked inside. As her eyes adjusted to the deeper gloom, she saw a figure huddled in the corner with its face hidden in the depths of a hood. She thought at first that it was a dead body, and she started in surprise when it moved.
“Have you come to rescue me?” asked the wavering voice of an old man.
“Rescue you from what?” Millie replied. “And who are you?”
“The ghosts! Can’t you see them? They chased me in here and nearly scared me to death with that horrible creature.”
Millie turned to Sir Jarvis. “What is he talking about?”
“We finally got the shadow beast under control and set him to patrolling the dungeon. He makes a marvelous watchdog. In fact, he was the one who alerted us to the old gent’s presence in the dungeon. We sent the beast away when we heard the door opening just now. We thought it was some guards coming down. No need to frighten them.”
“I’m glad you finally have him under control,” said Millie. “This … What is your name, anyway?” she asked the old man.
“Dogsbreath,” he said. “I came to ask for a charitable contribution and was trapped down here when the fire broke out.”
There was something about the old man that wasn’t quite right, something that made her instincts tell her not to trust him. And when he tilted his head in a way she’d seen before, Millie knew her instincts had been right. She clenched her hands, fighting the urge to turn into a dragon, wishing she hadn’t come into the dungeon so unprepared.
“You must be terribly hungry,” said Millie. “Come with me and I’ll get you something to eat.”
“That would be wonderful, miss. You’re too kind.” The old man struggled to his feet, pressing his hand against the damp, grimy wall to get his balance. He wore the robes of a beggar, although his speech wasn’t like that of any beggar Millie had ever met. “My legs have grown numb. Please excuse my clumsiness.”
He took a step toward her and lurched almost to Millie’s feet. She backed away as if to let him pass, then stayed where she was as he staggered to the door.
“He’s lying, Princess,” Sir Jarvis whispered in her ear as the old man tottered toward the stairs.
“I thought so,” said Millie. “You would have told me sooner if a stranger had been in the dungeon all this time.”
“Miss!” called the old man. “Could you help me up the stairs?”
“Careful, Princess,” whispered Sir Jarvis. “He’s got something in his hand.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you,” Millie called back. “My skirts are too long and I’ll need both of my hands to hold them up.”
“Ah, well,” said Dogsbreath. “I’m sure I can manage. It just might take me longer.”
Millie peeked out the door and saw the old man take his first unsteady step up the stairs. “Take as long as you need,” she told him. “I’ll be right behind you.” Turning her head, she whispered to Sir Jarvis, “Make sure he didn’t do anything to the dungeon or leave anything behind.”
The ghost gave her an exaggerated wink and nodded. “I know what you mean. We’ll see to it,” he said and gestured at the ghosts floating in the corridor and emerging through walls.
Millie followed the old man up the stairs, holding her skirts with both hands in case he looked back. He paused frequently, and each time he did Millie paused as well, not wanting to get any closer to him. When he finally reached the landing, he waited as if expecting Millie to open the door.
“The landing is too narrow,” she told him. “You’ll have to open it yourself.”
Dogsbreath groaned as if the effort was too great for him, but he pushed the door open and stepped out into a sea of soldiers.
“Grab him, but be careful!” shouted Millie. “He has some kind of weapon. We’ll take him to my mother and sort this all out.”
“No! What are you doing? I’m not— Get your hands off me, you rogues!” cried the old man as soldiers pinned his arms to his sides and hustled him down the corridor into the Great Hall. “Why did you do this?” he yelled at Millie. “I thought you were such a nice young woman!”
“Who is this?” Emma asked as the guards deposited the old man before her.
“The ghosts found him in the dungeon,” said Millie. “I think it’s Olebald.”
“I told you my name is Dogsbreath!”
Emma nodded at one of the soldiers, who yanked the hood off Dogsbreath’s head. The frail-looking old man with tufted eyebrows and a full head of white hair gazed back at them in confusion. A murmur ran through the crowd that had gathered around to watch.
Millie ignored the comments and sized up the old man. “I’m sorry for asking the men to bring you here like this if you are indeed who you say you are,” she told him, “but I still think you’re Olebald Wizard.”
“Who?” Dogsbreath asked. The guards had loosened their grip on him and he took a step closer to Emma.
“Watch out,” said Millie. “I told you he has something in his hand. I think it’s a weapon.”
“What? Do you mean this?” Dogsbreath held up his hand, revealing a simple gray feather. “It’s my good luck charm. I was afraid of the ghosts so I held it in my hand, hoping it would keep me safe.”
“A weapon!” one of the guards said, and a number of them snickered, earning them a glare from Millie.
“I know one way to set this straight,” said Emma. Pointing her finger at the old man she said,
If liars never prosper
You have to show what’s true.
We want to see your real face—
The old one, not the new.
Dogsbreath inhaled sharply, looking horrified. Then his face seemed to grow fuzzy and vague, his features shifted, most of his hair disappeared, and Olebald stood before them. There was a rustling of fabric, and angry voices spoke out in the crowd. The human guards reached for him again.
“No!” shouted Olebald, wrenching his arms out of their grasp. The old man held up his hand. What had looked like a feather was now a knife, its tip black with what must have been poison. Waving the knife in front of him, he forced the guards to step back. And then he saw his chance and ran straight for the door.
The dragons who had been watching from the back moved in, growling deep in their throats. It was a primal sound that had terrified humans since the beginning of time. Every human in the room edged away, looking for a place to run. Even though Millie was part dragon herself, she felt her heart skip a beat.
Olebald, of course, ran faster and had almost reached the door when the dragons were on him, knocking him down, wresting the knife from his hand, and pinning him to the floor with their sharp talons. “You’re not getting away from us again,” said one of the dragon guards.
“Wait!” Emma shouted. “You may take him back with you, but he has to do something for me first.”
The dragons hauled Olebald to his feet and dragged him in front of Emma. The old man glanced from her to the dragons, fear plain on his face. After whispering something to one of the guards, she turned to Olebald and said, “I’m surprised you went into the dungeon, considering your run-in with the ghosts the last time you were here.”
“I would have left the castle, but I had unfinished business,” said Olebald. “Besides, your ghosts are so stupid that they didn’t even suspect it was me.”
“That isn’t true,” said Millie. “Why do you think they kept you in that cell and sent for me? They wouldn’t have done that if they’d thought you were an ordinary stranger. And what did you mean by ‘unfinished business’?”
“Nothing,” said the wizard, unable to meet her eyes.
“You meant to cut someone with that poisoned knife, didn’t you?” Millie asked. “You would have cut me with it if I’d come close enough to you in the dungeon.”
Emma gasped and turned to glare at Olebald. “You really are a despicable old man!”<
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Olebald’s face grew red and he pursed his lips as if trying not to speak. “Your family deserves to be taken down a peg or two!” he finally blurted. “You destroyed my life, and I want to do the same to you!”
“All we did was stop you when you tried to invade Greater Greensward and take our castle from us,” said Emma.
“Twice!” said Millie.
“You sent me to that horrible island with those crazy old women!” he told Emma.
“How did you escape from there, anyway?” Emma asked. “You were supposed to spend the remainder of your life on that island.”
Olebald smirked. “You think you’re so smart, but I have friends, you know.”
“It was Nastia Nautica, wasn’t it?” said Millie. “She lives close to that island.”
“You took a pearl from her and she wanted you to suffer for it,” he told her mother.
Emma looked shocked. “I didn’t take that pearl! I gave it to her daughter, Pearl, who was supposed to give it to her.”
“Well, she didn’t,” spat Olebald, “and Nastia Nautica has hated you ever since.”
“That explains a lot,” Emma murmured to herself.
“We had an agreement,” said Olebald. “She’d help me leave the island and use her skills to lure the Green Witch there, and I’d get to destroy the royal family of Greater Greensward. The thought of destroying this family was the only thing that’s kept me going all these years.”
“It was you who planted that nasty tree in the enchanted forest,” said Millie.
“That tree was supposed to drive you insane with agony,” Olebald said.
Millie shuddered. “It would have if I hadn’t turned into a dragon.”
“And the little manticores?” asked Audun, who had finally joined them.
“They did their job. They were a distraction to get her out of the castle while I took the baby,” Olebald said, scowling at Millie.
“Ah, here he is,” Emma said as Grassina strode through the crowd carrying the glass bowl. Taking the bowl from her aunt, Emma cradled it in her hands and turned to Olebald. “Before you go stay with the dragons for a very long time, you have to turn Felix back into a human.”