The Frog Princess Novel Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 11

Because we had arrived at the witch's cottage shut inside a musty sack, I'd had no idea that Vannabe had carried us from the swamp into the forest until I saw the towering trees that ringed the clearing. As Eadric and I passed the first weathered trunks, I realized that I hadn't the faintest clue which way we should go. Tall trees blocked the sunlight, leaving the forest floor dark and gloomy. We passed beneath an old oak, hopping over its gnarled roots and the carpet of decaying leaves from years past.

"This place is spooky," I said, glancing over my shoulder.

"I like the dark," said a voice, and we looked up to see Li'l hanging from a branch, huddled against the trunk of the tree. "It makes me feel safer. I think I was born somewhere around here, although I don't remember it very well."

"I have no idea how to reach the castle from here," I said. "Do you think you could fly above the trees and see if you can find it? That would help ever so much."

"If you really want me to, I suppose I could go look. But it's awfully bright up there ..."

"If you don't mind. It's the only castle around with green pennants flying from the turrets. You can't miss it."

Li'l nodded. "I'll be right back."

We watched her flap her wings and fly between the branches in fits and starts.

"Does she seem nervous to you?" Eadric asked.

"Very," I said, "but you can't blame her. This is the first time she's been outside since she was a baby. I think it would be frightening for her. So much of it will be new."

"And her flying..."

"Give her some time. Don't forget that she's been tethered to a rafter most of her life. I doubt she's been able to do much flying."

"I have to set this down," Eadric said, placing the vial on the ground and rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks in his muscles. "That vial is heavier than it looks. Of course, if you kissed me again, I might have enough energy to haul it around some more."

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't understand. Why do you keep asking for a kiss?"

Eadric shrugged. "Habit, I guess."

"Well, I guess I'm in the habit of saying no!"

"Rejected again," he said, quirking up one corner of his mouth in a half smile. "I must admit, I'm getting used to it."

Leaves rustled as a squirrel darted along the branch of a tree. We both glanced up, and I, at least, felt very small, dwarfed by the immensity of the forest. The trees where we stood were ancient, their trunks so thick that I couldn't have put my arms around them even when I was a human. Broken branches littered the ground, and here and there we could see where one of the mature trees had fallen, exposing a patch of the forest floor to the sun. Young saplings were quick to grow in such spots, greedily seeking their share of the sunlight. With our backs to the meadow, the forest seemed to go on forever. It would be easy to get lost in such a place.

"You know," said Eadric, "it might be a real help to have your bat friend with us. If she can scout ahead, she should be able to keep us going in the right direction."

"Even if she weren't able to help us, I couldn't have left her behind. No one deserved to be left in that awful place."

"I am glad you think so," breathed a voice that sent a chill up my spine. I turned my head toward the sound. Dead leaves whispered beneath the biggest snake that I had ever seen. Four black stripes ran down his gray and white body. A streak of black accented each eye. I froze, unable to move as the snake stared into my eyes. "What is wrong?" breathed the snake you not recognize me?"

"Are you ... Fang?" I asked through a throat tight with fear.

"At your service," the snake hissed coiling his length under him. "You mentioned our destination. I believe that you could use my company."

"Why would we want you along?" Eadric asked, his voice quavering.

The snake swung his head around to face my friend, looking him up and down as if appraising his next meal. "Because I know what lives in this forest. Witches have lived here for centuries, and the spillover from their magic has changed even the trees themselves. But you need not fear the magical beings, for they will see you as an animal and therefore one who belongs. Still, you would not make it through without me, for your indiscretions will soon attract the attention of predators. Without my protection, your journey is doomed before you begin."

Great! I thought. Even the snake is a critic! I swallowed past the lump in my throat and tried my best to look brave. "So you're not going to eat us?"

"I do not eat creatures who have helped me. You freed me from a cage so small I feared I would soon go insane. I owe you far more than I can repay by a simple trip through the forest. No, I swear upon my honor as a snake that I shall not eat you." Fang dipped his head to me in a gesture both elegant and noble.

It was up to me to set an example. I resolved not to let anyone see either my fear or the revulsion I felt at being around a snake.