Olivene stabbed her collarbone with one long, crooked finger. “It’s almost dawn. Why are you lying around when you have work to do? I need you to find me a toad with seven warts.”
“Can’t I sleep a little longer?” Grassina asked, rubbing her eyes. “I was up most of the night washing the spiders’ webs.”
“No, you can’t sleep! I need that toad now if I’m going to get my potion to work. Your sister is already on her way to her next chore. Why can’t you be more like her? Get up and get busy!” Olivene waved her hand, using magic to tilt Grassina’s bed so that it stood on end, dumping the girl and all her bedding onto the floor.
“Ow!” Grassina exclaimed. Untangling herself from her blankets, she glared at her mother. “You didn’t have to do that! I was going to get up.”
Olivene cackled and rubbed her knobby hands together. “I know! That’s why it was so much fun.” Turning to leave, she stomped out the open door, stopping only long enough to say, “Make your bed before you go anywhere. This room is a pigsty! Say, that gives me an idea—” Olivene pointed her finger at her daughter, but before she could do anything, Grassina had scrambled off the floor and slammed the door in her mother’s face. The sound of hysterical laughter faded as Olivene walked away.
Grassina looked at her upended bed and bit her lip. It had been five days since her mother had become this awful creature, and every one of them had been terrible. Fortunately, Grassina had learned a lot since then, such as what she could and couldn’t do around the queen. She knew better than to show fear in her mother’s presence or to let her see that she was upset. It had surprised her to learn that standing up for herself was her best defense because it seemed to amuse her mother instead of making her angry. Chartreuse had yet to learn any of this, however, even though she’d spent the first day as a chicken.
It didn’t help that Olivene had decided to make the girls assist with her magic, sending them on errands and giving them chores around the castle. Claiming that she didn’t trust anyone but her own daughters to do the work, she’d had them collect milkweed pods in barrels, then made them take off their shoes and stockings, climb into the barrels, and stomp on the pods until the milky liquid squelched between their toes. Olivene had siphoned off the milk herself while sending the sisters to collect old snake skins from the woodpile and press them with hot irons, being careful not to damage the scales. Although they hated that job, it was less taxing than collecting the rainwater that puddled in the right footprint of left-handed people. That chore had taken most of one drizzly afternoon and had given both girls the sniffles. Not only had Olivene been unsympathetic, but she’d seen them returning to the castle and had immediately sent them to gather the dust under the benches on the western side of the Great Hall.
Grassina sighed. Finding the toad wouldn’t be easy, but at least she could do it in the swamp, away from her mother’s ever-watchful gaze. As she righted her bed and straightened the bedding, she wondered what chore her mother had devised for Chartreuse. A least they wouldn’t be working together.
“Iss she gone?” whispered the little snake, whom Grassina had named Pippa. Complaining that she was cold, the snake had taken to sleeping under the blankets at the foot of Grassina’s bed at night. Having a snake sleeping beside her feet had made Grassina nervous at first, but she and Pippa had soon grown used to each other. Each day after Grassina got out of bed, Pippa explored inside the castle walls, where she ate the mice that threatened to overrun the castle now that Queen Olivene was no longer maintaining her housekeeping spells.
Grassina had wrapped the snake’s injured tail in a bandage, immobilizing it so it could heal. Because the tail was mending nicely, Grassina was already thinking about where she’d release Pippa when she was completely healed. Unfortunately, if the queen was going to make unannounced visits to Grassina’s room, the chance that she might see the snake was something they couldn’t risk.
“She’s gone,” Grassina said, feeling guilty that she hadn’t done more to hide the snake. This was the first time her mother had visited the room since she’d changed, but Grassina was mad at herself for thinking that meant Olivene never would. Bending down, she picked up Pippa, saying, “You can’t stay here any longer or Mother will see you. Who knows what she’d do to you then.”
The little snake sighed. “It’ss my fault your mother actss the way she does. My bad luck changed her, and it keepss making her do awful things. You never should have brought me here. Don’t missunderstand; I’m grateful for all you’ve done. You’ve given me a ssafe place to ssleep and all the fresh mice I can eat, but I jusst know you’d be better off without me.”
“That isn’t true!” said Grassina. “I told you before, I don’t believe in your so-called bad luck. I’m sure that witch blamed you for all her problems because it was easier than blaming herself. If she’d patched her roof, or shut her door, or stayed awake, none of the bad things you mentioned would have happened. And as for my mother—my father would have brought her the flowers whether you were there or not. You had nothing to do with the curse. Now come with me and I’ll take you somewhere safe where no one will bother you until your tail finishes healing.”
“Will I be alone there? I don’t want my bad luck to hurt any of your friendss.”
“But I just told you . . .” Grassina shook her head and sighed. “Yes, you’ll be alone, although I will come to see you as often as I can.” With Pippa wrapped around her wrist, Grassina stroked the top of the little snake’s head and wondered if there really was anywhere she could take her that would be truly safe.
Six
The guards had grown used to lowering the drawbridge early in the morning so the princesses could do their mother’s bidding, which made it easy for Grassina to smuggle Pippa out of the castle. What wasn’t so easy was getting the little snake to stay hidden when she wanted to see everything that was going on around her.
Grassina had almost reached the drawbridge when Chartreuse called from the center of the courtyard. “Grassina! Wait for me!”
Although she considered pretending not to hear, Grassina knew Chartreuse wouldn’t believe her. Sighing, Grassina stopped and turned, hoping she wouldn’t have to wait long. Instead of hurrying, however, Chartreuse dawdled as if looking for someone, glancing back at the castle as she walked. Finally, a young man came through one of the doors. Chartreuse’s face lit up, and she waved gaily when he looked her way. It was Prince Miguel, dressed for a morning ride.
While Grassina watched her sister smile coyly and laugh at something the young man said, Pippa poked her head out of the leather sack the princess was carrying. Grassina didn’t look away from the flirting couple until she felt the little snake wiggle, making the sack thump against her hip. “What are you doing?” Grassina asked. “I told you to stay hidden.”
Pippa peered up at her. “I wanted to know why we sstopped. It’ss imposssible to ssee anything from insside thiss sstuffy old bag, and the rockss in the bottom pinch my tail. I ssupposse it could be worsse though. With my luck it could have been filled with prickerss.”
Grassina glanced at the closest guard. “Shh! Keep your head down,” she whispered to the snake. “We stopped so we could wait for my sister.”
“Really?” said Pippa. “I’ve never met your ssisster.”
“And you’re not going to, either. She’d probably scream and make a fuss, which is something I’d rather avoid.”
“I bet she’ss like mosst humanss and doessn’t like ssnakess.”
“Lately, the only creatures she likes are handsome princes, so unless you’re really an enchanted prince . . .”
Pippa sighed. “I’m not an enchanted anything, although I wish I were. Then maybe my luck would be better.”
“Come along, Grassina,” said Chartreuse, hurrying across the paving stones. “I don’t have time to waste. Mother thinks I already left to start my chore, but I’d promised to have breakfast with the princes. If I finish the chore early enough, I’ll be able to meet
Prince Miguel in the garden when he comes back from his ride. Oh, look! There’s Prince Clarence! Wait right here. I’ll be just a moment.”
“Not another one,” said Grassina as her sister hurried toward a prince riding his destrier from the stable. Both the horse and the prince were dressed in armor, and neither one looked happy to be delayed.
“Where are you headed so early in the day, Clarence?” Chartreuse asked in her sweetest voice. “You didn’t mention at breakfast that you were going anywhere.”
“My squire told me that there’s talk of a dragon in the woods only a few miles from the castle, dear princess,” said Clarence. His highly polished armor reflected the morning sunlight directly into Grassina’s eyes. She squinted, but didn’t stop listening.
“Your squire must be mistaken,” said Chartreuse. “No dragons would dare come so close.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” said Clarence. “But I feel it is my duty as your suitor to investigate the allegations and protect you if need be. Rest assured, sweet princess, if there is a dragon in those woods, I, Clarence, prince of the Mucking Peninsula and Outer Saltfort, will dispatch the monster so that it cannot possibly harm a single hair on your glorious head.”
Chartreuse’s eyes grew misty as she gazed up at him. “Then ride, my champion, and take my token with you, knowing that I will await your return with bated breath.”
“Could she be any more sappy?” Grassina muttered.
After searching her clothing for something that she could present to him, Chartreuse gave the prince a dazzling smile and said, “Just a moment.” The prince waited while Chartreuse turned and ran to Grassina. “Quick!” she whispered. “You have a ribbon lacing the front of your tunic. Give it to me!”
“What?” squeaked Grassina. “Don’t you have something you can give him?”
“No, and he doesn’t have time to wait while I go to my room. Don’t worry, I’ll give you one of my ribbons later.”
“This is so unfair,” Grassina grumbled as she turned her back and unthreaded the pale green ribbon.
Chartreuse snatched the silky strip of fabric from her sister’s hand and hurried to the prince’s side. After pressing the ribbon to her lips, she tied it on his horse’s bridle, saying, “Take this personal token of my high regard for you, my prince.”
Clarence’s armor clanked as he reached to touch the ribbon. “I shall carry it with pride, my princess.”
“If it’s my ribbon, is he my champion?” Grassina murmured.
“Why did she give your ribbon to that horsse?” asked Pippa, the tip of her nose peeking out of the leather sack.
“Shh!” whispered Grassina. “Here she comes.”
“There you are, sister dear,” said Chartreuse over the clopping of the destrier’s hooves. Taking Grassina by the arm, she hustled her to the drawbridge, nodding when the guards greeted them. “I never realized that the boy cared so much for me,” Chartreuse whispered when they’d passed by the men. “To think he’d be willing to give his life for my well-being. He must really love me!”
“Or love hunting dragons,” Grassina said under her breath. Then she added in a louder voice, “Do you really think there aren’t any dragons in the woods?”
“I’m sure I would have heard about it if there were. Since Mother lost interest in anything but her magic, I’ve been trying to stay informed about what’s going on in the kingdom. When I’m the Green Witch, I’ll be the one to deal with any problems. Unless Clarence goes deep into the enchanted forest, he’s not likely to encounter anything more frightening than a bad-tempered squirrel. Now tell me, what does Mother want you to do? I have to collect blue butterflies, and I know just where to look. It shouldn’t take me long, unless you keep dragging your feet.”
“She wants me to get her a toad with seven warts.”
Chartreuse looked shocked. “Is that all? That’s not fair! She gave you the easy job.”
“I thought you said you knew where to find blue butterflies,” Grassina said, pulling her arm out of her sister’s grasp. “Finding a specific toad will probably take a lot longer.”
Chartreuse’s expression brightened. “That’s true. In that case, I’m glad I don’t have that one!” After patting her sister on the back, she left her at the drawbridge to go her own way.
Pippa peeked out of the leather sack to watch Chartreuse. “How many princess want to marry her?”
“More than she can count,” said Grassina. “A lot of princes want to marry a princess who’ll be queen in her own right as well as a witch who could help their kingdom.”
“There might be another reasson,” said Pippa. “She might have shed her old sskin recently. Then she’d be nice and ssmooth. That might make her more attractive to maless.”
Grassina laughed. “Maybe that’s it. I’ll have to ask her sometime.”
Knowing that she didn’t have long to take Pippa somewhere safe, Grassina decided to go to her tree house. It was on the way to the swamp—a perfect place to look for toads—and was unlikely to attract any other visitors.
When they approached the trunk of the tree that supported the miniature cottage, a squirrel chattered, “Go away!” Jerking its tail in anger, it skittered around to the other side of the tree when Grassina began to climb the ladder. Once inside the tiny house, the princess opened the sack and let the snake loose to explore. She’d brought a waterskin with her from the castle and used it now to fill a bowl for the snake. “It’s just for a few days,” she said, setting the bowl on the floor. “Your tail should be healed soon.”
“It’s nice and warm in here,” said Pippa, raising her head to look around the room. She stopped when she saw the fireplace where the embers were still warm in the grate.
“That fireplace lights itself whenever the tree house gets cold,” said Grassina.
“A ssnake could get ussed to this,” Pippa said, slithering toward the hearth.
The copper finches twittered overhead while one of the few remaining glass birds rustled its transparent feathers, making them click softly. Pippa tested the air with her tongue, looking disappointed when the birds didn’t smell real.
“You’ll be safe here,” said Grassina. “I have to go to the swamp to find a toad for my mother.”
“Why? Doess she eat them?” the snake asked, her eyes glistening.
Grassina laughed and shook her head. “I have no idea what she plans to do with them, but at this point, nothing she does would surprise me.”
“Doess anyone live here? Asside from the birdss, I mean.”
“It used to be a playhouse for my sister and me,” said Grassina. “No one comes here much anymore.”
“Good,” said Pippa. “Then my bad luck won’t hurt anyone elsse.”
Although Grassina had considered introducing Pippa to Marniekins, she decided that it might not be such a good idea. Pippa would probably fret about her bad luck more if she thought someone else might be hurt, and there was no way to tell how the doll would react to a snake.
Confident that her mother’s old spell would keep Pippa safe inside the tree house, Grassina climbed down the ladder while clutching her toad-collecting sack. Starting at the base of the tree, she began lifting leaves and moving stems until she found a fat toad under a skunk-cabbage leaf near a mostly collapsed stone wall.
“Pardon me,” Grassina said, picking up the toad to count the lumps on its back.
“What are you doing?” croaked the toad. “Put me down! This is so undignified! Why, I never . . .”
“I’m sorry,” said Grassina. “I need to count your warts. These bumps are warts, aren’t they? Mother told me to find a toad with seven warts, but I’m not sure these are what she meant.”
The toad squirmed in her grasp and leaked something clear onto her fingers. “Ick!” she said. “What is that?”
“It’s your own fault. You startled me. I can’t help it if I have an incontinence problem when I’m startled. Now, if you wouldn’t mind putting me down, we’ll forget this whol
e thing ever happened and—”
“I can’t put you down. Hold still so I can count your warts!”
“They’re not warts! They’re . . . uh . . . signs of age and wisdom. Yes, that’s what they are. I’m not as young as I once was.”
“Are you sure?” said Grassina. “They look like they could be called warts.”
“Of course, I’m sure,” said the toad. “It’s my back, isn’t it?”
Grassina sighed and crouched down, setting the toad back where she had found it. “There you go,” said the toad. “That’s right . . . put me on the nice soft moss and I’ll . . . hop off as fast as I can!” The toad hopped wildly away from the skunk cabbage and into a crevice in the jumbled stones of the wall. “You won’t catch me again. No, sirree! I’m safe in here, warts and all!”
“You little liar!” said Grassina. “I never should have believed you.”
Resolving not to listen to any other toads no matter what they said, Grassina straightened her back and strode into the swamp, the empty sack swinging from her hand. It took some time before she found another toad, but it didn’t have the right number of warts. Knowing that her mother would make her life miserable unless she returned with the desired toad, Grassina kept searching.
She found another toad in the short grass beside the edge of a pond, but it didn’t have enough warts. A toad under the old willow had too many. All three toads that she found on the way to the northern edge of the swamp had too few. The sun was at its highest point when Grassina found the toad she needed. It was partially hidden under a rotting log, and she would have missed it if it hadn’t made the dry leaves rustle when it moved.
Grassina bent down to peer under the log. The toad looked up at her and blinked. Before it could get away, she reached down and picked it up, counting the bumps on its back out loud. “. . . five, six, seven. You have seven warts. Finally! I was beginning to think I’d never find one like you.”