Princess Between Worlds

  Annie made her way through the people studying the postcards. Some of them were dressed in clothes that marked them as magic users, with weird symbols on their sleeves or bits of magic on their hats or gowns that shot sparks or showed things like moving clouds or crashing waves. Others had a creepy aura about them that made her uncomfortable. Only a small percentage of the people looked normal. Liam was right—most of the customers in the marketplace were very odd.

  When Annie finally began examining the cards, she was so excited that her hands shook. It was up to her and Liam to find the cards they needed. Although their friends wanted to help, only Annie and Liam knew what Treecrest and Dorinocco looked like.

  It didn’t take long for Annie to see that the postcards were separated by categories. All the cards showing castles in pretty, pastoral settings were on one long table. Pictures of mountains were on one side of a second table; deserts were on the other side. A third table held cards with pictures from everywhere else. Annie saw villages with quaint cottages made of straw and twigs, and towns where the buildings were all made of stone. She saw rolling hills and grassy plains, forests of evergreens and solitary trees on lonely hillsides. There were only a few showing islands. Annie picked out some cards that she thought might be useful, but she didn’t see either Treecrest or Dorinocco.

  After figuring out where the different cards were located, Annie returned to the postcards showing pictures of castles. Unfortunately, there were lots of them. There were cards showing castles of every description, from low buildings that looked as if they had been made for dwarves, to some that towered high above the trees around them. Annie had never imagined that there were so many kinds of castles!

  She had been searching through the cards for a few minutes when she came across a sign stating:

  Notice: This is a magic buffer zone. Postcards will not work within this zone. To use your card, stand on the fountain platform.

  When she looked around, she saw that this same notice had been posted on every table.

  As one person after another pushed past her, Annie searched through all the castle postcards twice, but still was unable to find one for Treecrest or Dorinocco. She found some empty slots, but none of them were labeled. Dejected, she looked for Liam.

  “They don’t have any for Treecrest or Dorinocco,” she told him, so upset that she was close to tears. “I was so sure they’d have them. Now I don’t know what we’re going to do. Liam, I really want to go home, but what if we can never find it again?”

  “Don’t worry,” Liam told her. “We’ll get home somehow, even if we have to go to Nasheen’s kingdom and work our way home from there.”

  “If we must,” said Annie, “but I was hoping we’d never go to Viramoot again.”

  Liam shrugged. “I suppose we could go to Delaroo Pass and head home next winter if the weather isn’t too bad.”

  “And in the meantime, everyone we love will think we’re lost or dead!”

  “Is something wrong?” Millie asked as she joined them.

  “We can’t find cards for Treecrest or Dorinocco. I don’t know how we’ll ever get home,” Annie said with a catch in her voice.

  “You could always come to Greater Greensward. I’d love to have you live close by,” said Millie.

  They all turned when a commotion started at the table where the witch with pale green hair was collecting money.

  “What do you mean I can’t get them all?” an old woman yelled at the witch. “My money is as good as anyone’s!”

  “Yes, but you have enough for only four cards,” the witch said, obviously trying to remain patient. “You’ll have to pick out the cards you want the most.”

  The old woman opened her mouth to yell again, closing it with a snap when two of the owner’s dogs stalked to her side and began to growl.

  “I guess I could get four now and come back later with more money,” grumbled the elderly woman. “Here, I’ll take these.” Snatching the top four from the pile, she stomped off, muttering to herself.

  The green-haired witch sighed and shook her head as she picked up the remaining cards. While the dogs guarded the money box, she walked down the tables, returning the unpurchased cards to their slots. When Annie saw her head to the table with the castle postcards, she hurried over to study each card as it was replaced. Other customers were hovering around the witch as well, curious about what she was putting back. A wizard in a tall peaked hat was reaching for a card when Annie realized that it showed the castle in Treecrest. With a horrified gasp, she stepped in front of the table and grabbed all the cards picturing Treecrest, knocking his hand out of the way.

  “Pardon me!” he said, glaring down his long, pointy nose at her.

  “Sorry!” Annie called as she turned and ran back to Liam and her friends while clutching the card to her chest.

  “Did you get it?” asked Liam, taking the cards from her. “There are three here. Why would that old woman need all three?”

  “Do you want to put some back?” asked Millie. “That man really seemed to want one, too. Look, he’s coming this way.”

  “Please don’t tell him there were three,” said Annie. “I already have plans for all of them. Besides, did you look at that man? I really don’t think my parents want him to drop by.”

  Azuria had returned from talking to her friends. “That’s the wizard Bromley,” she said. “My sister used to date his brother. You’re absolutely right. He would make a terrible house guest. I hear he bathes once every ten years, whether he needs it or not.”

  The wizard stomped up and glared at Annie. “That was very rude, young lady! By all rights, that card should be mine. Give it to me now or you’ll regret you ever came here.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t give it to you,” said Annie. “That card is a picture of my home and I’ve been looking for a way to get back.”

  “Bromley!” said Azuria. “It’s been years. Remember me? I’m Azuria. Your brother, Grimwold, used to date my sister, Dorelle. If they had gotten married, you and I would be almost-relatives now. Maybe I can help you. You wanted a picture of a nice castle? I’m sure we can find another one. Why don’t I help you look?”

  “I don’t remember you,” said the wizard.

  “Of course you do,” Azuria said, taking his arm and hustling him away. “I’m ten years younger than Dorelle and was always underfoot. I remember one day when you came looking for Grimwold and you had a sack of weasels with you. Why, I . . .”

  “He did look angry,” said Annie as she watched Azuria lead the wizard to the postcards. “I wonder why he wanted a postcard for Treecrest so badly.”

  “I heard some people talking,” Millie told her. “I think they’re competing to see who can visit the most out-of-the-way places.”

  “Did you get what you were looking for?” Audun asked as he rejoined the group. “I found quite a few interesting cards myself.”

  Annie smiled. “We got what we needed. Now we can go home!”

  “If you’re finished looking, I’ll go pay for the cards. Here, give them all to me,” said Millie.

  While Millie and Audun went to pay for the postcards, Liam turned to Annie. “I’m as anxious to get home as you are,” he told her, “but do you mind if we stay here a little longer? There’s something I really want to look at and I won’t be but a minute.”

  “I suppose we could,” Annie told him. He looked as eager and excited as a small boy expecting a big treat, and she didn’t want be the one to disappoint him. “What did you want to look at?”

  “There’s a stall over that way,” he said, pointing. “I saw it from the fountain platform. I just hope there isn’t a big crowd.”

  “Audun and I will go with you,” Millie said, returning with her purchases in her hand. “The marketplace is so much fun! I love seeing all the new things they have for sale.”

  “Here’s Azuria,” said Annie. “What happened with Bromley?”

  “Don’t worry about him,” the old witch re
plied. “I found him some other postcards he’d never seen before. He seems quite happy now. Apparently, he’s competing in a contest with other wizards. It’s just as well you took all three postcards, Annie. I have a feeling that those wizards are up to no good. You really don’t want them to visit Treecrest! If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to say good-bye now. My friends invited me to dinner. Thank you for your help, everyone! Annie, Liam, I’m sure I’ll see you again someday. Millie, I’ll see you in a few days. Your mother has asked me to help her plan the next meeting of the witches’ council. She’s letting them hold it at your castle.”

  “What do you find so interesting, Liam?” Annie asked as she followed him to another stall.

  “Singing swords!” he said, and began to run ahead.

  “My father has a singing sword,” said Millie. “Its name is Ferdy.”

  “Huh,” grunted Audun. “That sword doesn’t like me.”

  “Do the swords have personalities?” Annie asked.

  “Ferdy does,” said Millie. “He doesn’t like to fight, but he does it when my father needs him to.”

  “Stupid sword,” grumbled Audun.

  Millie and Audun joined Annie at the end of the singing sword stall with their backs to the stall where a man was selling wind chimes. Liam hurried to the swords displayed on the table and picked up one etched with a gold-and-silver design. The stall owner was talking to another customer, but he smiled and nodded at Liam.

  “Do you smell that?” one well-dressed wizard asked, sniffing in Annie’s direction.

  Annie blushed. She hadn’t bathed in days, and her clothes were a little stained and dirty, but she didn’t think she was that bad. After all, she had gone swimming with Liam at the giants’ island, and that wasn’t that long ago.

  “I don’t like swords myself,” Audun said in a quiet voice. “Dragons don’t need them, and when I’m human, I’d rather turn into a dragon if I have to fight.”

  “Most people don’t have that ability,” Millie reminded him. “A singing sword could be very useful.”

  “What do you think of this one?” Liam called to Annie. When he held up the sword, it began to sing in a slightly off-key voice.

  Pick me up and try me out,

  You’ll see that I am great!

  “Do you really need a singing sword?” Annie asked Liam.

  “Who doesn’t? I’ve heard about them, but I never thought I could own one. Here, look at the etching on the blade. It’s perfect!”

  The sword was still singing when Liam carried it to show Annie, Millie, and Audun.

  Raise me high and swing me hard,

  I am a perfect weight.

  “I really don’t think . . . ,” Annie began.

  As soon as it was close to Annie, the sword’s song began to falter. After a few words, it stopped singing altogether.

  Liam began to frown. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

  A few other customers had stopped by to examine swords. One by one, the voices of the other swords failed, starting with the ones closest to Annie. The breeze that had been wafting through the marketplace died down as the wind chimes at the next stall grew silent.

  “What’s happening?” asked the man who was selling singing swords. “How can this be?”

  The man selling wind chimes was becoming frantic, running from one to the next, poking some and giving others a good shake.

  “We need to go,” Annie told Liam.

  “Does anyone smell that?” said a man who had been passing behind Annie and her friends. “I swear that smells like dragon. Is anyone selling dragon parts here?”

  “Did you hear that? Someone is selling dragon parts!” cried another passerby.

  The rumor spread throughout the market, creating even more excitement than Annie had seen at the postcard stand. She glanced at Millie and Audun. Although she had grown used to the way they smelled and didn’t really notice it that much anymore, she could understand how it might attract attention.

  “We need to go, too,” Audun said, ushering Millie toward the fountain. People were running through the marketplace, searching for the source of the smell, but it didn’t seem to occur to anyone that the smell might be coming from living, breathing dragons.

  Annie and Liam hurried after their friends, although Annie did notice that Liam cast a wistful glance at the sword he had left on the table.

  “We forgot to put on the lotion that covers up our dragon smell,” Audun told the others when they reached the raised platform. “We don’t need it in Greater Greensward or the ice-dragon stronghold, so we don’t use it very often.”

  “Why are those people so excited about dragon parts?” asked Annie. “People don’t actually buy them, do they?”

  Audun was scowling when he said, “They would if they could get their hands on them.”

  “Even a tiny piece of a dragon has strong magic,” explained Millie. “If someone can include it in a spell, his magic would be that much more powerful.”

  “That’s gruesome!” said Annie.

  Millie shrugged. “Magic users don’t get dragon parts very often. Usually they become available if someone comes across a dragon that died alone in some isolated spot.

  “And on that note, I think we should go before those people notice that the smell is stronger up here,” said Millie, gesturing to the people still sniffing the air. “Here are the Treecrest postcards.” She opened the sack from the postcard vendor and reached inside. “And the others that you picked out. I’ve also included a few we thought you’d like. You already have a card for Greater Greensward, but I included one for Upper Montevista, where my father’s parents live. We’d like you to come visit us in Greater Greensward when you can.”

  “And we’d like you to visit us,” Annie told them, handing a card back. “I wanted one of the Treecrest cards for you. I grew up there and my parents live there still. If I’d found some for Dorinocco, I’d give you one of those as well. Liam is going to be crowned king of Dorinocco when we get back.”

  “How exciting!” said Millie. “Then you’ll probably be very busy for some time to come.”

  “I’m sure we will.” When Annie saw Millie’s disappointed expression, she added, “But we’ll never be too busy for friends.”

  “The sign said that the postcards would work up here,” said Liam. “Are you ready, Annie?” He held out the card for Treecrest with one finger poised above it.

  “Just a moment,” she told him before turning to Millie and Audun. “I want to say thank you. We might never have been able to go home again if you hadn’t helped us.”

  “You’re very welcome!” said Millie. “It was fun!”

  “Here,” Annie said, digging into her pocket. She took out the fur doll that the yeti Mara had given to her and handed it to Millie. “I want you to have this for your baby. A very nice yeti gave it to me.”

  “What baby?” Millie asked, looking confused.

  “The one you’re going to have, of course,” said Annie. “You know I can hear magic, right? Apparently I can hear dragon magic, too, whether you’re in your dragon or human form. I guess that’s because dragons don’t just have magic, you are magic, which is probably why your magic is so powerful. Anyway, when I first met you I noticed that dragon magic sounds like music. Yours has a simple countermelody running through it. I thought that was just your individual magic, but then I met all those other dragons at the stronghold and none of them had that. Your second melody seems to get stronger each day, so I figured it wasn’t yours at all. It was your baby’s. Congratulations!”

  Millie and Audun didn’t say anything. They had turned to each other in a daze, but even now delight was dawning in their eyes.

  “I guess they didn’t know,” Annie told Liam.

  “We need to go,” he reminded her, and showed her the postcard again.

  Annie was about to say good-bye to her new friends, but from the way they were gazing at each other, she doubted they would hear her. Smiling to hersel
f, she reached for the postcard. A moment later, Annie and Liam vanished.

  CHAPTER 17

  “I saw lots of castles on those postcards, but I still think this is the most beautiful,” Annie said with a sigh. “Although your father’s castle is lovely, too,” she hurried to add.

  “It will be when we move in,” said Liam. “After we talk to your parents, I want to go to Dorinocco. It’s about time I set the date for my coronation.”

  “But what about—”

  A puff of silver sparkles just a few feet from where they stood heralded Moonbeam’s arrival. The little woods witch Holly was there, too, blinking and looking confused. “You’re back!” Moonbeam cried, clapping her hands. “I was so worried, especially after I talked to Holly and heard how she got the postcards.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Liam.

  “Remember how I told you that I would take care of Rotan? Well, I would have, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. I asked around and heard that the last time anyone had seen him, he was on his way to the Magic Marketplace. That made me curious, so I looked up Holly and asked her a few questions. Holly, tell them what you told me.”

  The little woods witch looked even more confused. “Um, I told you that I liked your sparkles?”

  “No, no! The thing about Rotan. You know, the wizard you met at the Magic Marketplace?”

  “Oh, right! Like I said before, I went to the Magic Marketplace to buy you a gift. I was sure I’d find something that newlyweds could use, but when I got there nothing seemed quite right. I was telling a man selling bottomless tankards why I was buying a gift and who it was for, when this very nice gentleman suggested that I get you postcards. He said that lots of young couples like to go on a trip after their wedding, and I was sure he was right. The gentleman even helped me pick them out. When I told Moonbeam that, she was very upset, but she never did tell me what I did wrong. I didn’t, did I? Do something wrong, I mean.”

  Liam shook his head. “The only thing you did wrong was to trust a stranger, but no one can really fault you for that.”