Read Online The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs - Free Book Online Page B

tramping across the meadow.
    â€œWhat’s this, then?” he said, bewildered. “Young Dilly?”
    Dilly nodded. “Oh, sir,” she said, going all wide-eyed for the second time in one day, “they needed Nort back at the castle. They said you’d be here any minute, so it would be all right.”
    Arbel frowned. “And who might ‘they’ be?”
    â€œWhy, Hanak,” Dilly told him.
    Â 
    Bain shifted, crouching behind the rocks near the dragon’s cave. At first he had been puzzled. Smoke still blew out of the cave, but there was no sign of a battle.
Dragons usually managed to kill a few of a prince’s men-at-arms, if not the prince himself. Perhaps the dragon had been dead for some time, and the fire was manmade. Vantor’s men had been hauling treasure out of the cave for at least an hour. A live dragon wouldn’t have put up with that.
    When the men brought out a clutch of long, dry bones, Bain knew he was right. Vantor hadn’t had to fight a dragon at all. And, Bain realized, Greeve hadn’t even known its dragon was dead. Bain chuckled softly to himself.
    Then he watched Vantor stride out of the cave behind the men, leaving his most trusted servant just inside. Prince Bain smiled. Golden Vantor was stealing the dragon’s golden hoard. Bain could tell by the way Vantor’s men had been peering about, as if they were expecting the other princes to show up and catch them at it.
    Other than Bain himself, this was highly unlikely, since Bain had managed to send most of the remaining princes off into the mountains some miles west of here with a few carefully dropped words. As for Vantor, it obviously didn’t occur to him to worry. The man expected fortune to favor him as a matter of course. Bain sat back to wait. He was very well acquainted with good fortune.
    Â 
    The baby dragon still glowed, but it hadn’t burned anything for quite a while. “It’s been living on rabbits,” Cam said.

    Meg stepped forward to see the small bones. “And bats.”
    â€œBut this beast isn’t our biggest problem. Our biggest problem is Vantor’s guard.”
    The dragon came over to lick Meg’s leg. “Stop that!” she said.
    â€œI told you they like princesses,” Cam had to say. Meg chose to ignore him as the dragon snortled off again.
    â€œMaybe there’s another way out,” Meg said.
    Cam started to shake his head, then stopped. “A dragon’s a clever beast,” he said. “Not you,” he told the baby dragon as it crashed into his legs and veered away, shaking its head. “But a full-grown female wouldn’t have a nursery without a bolt-hole. The problem is finding it. We don’t have a torch.”
    â€œWe’ve got a dragon,” Meg said. “It glows.”
    Cam looked dubiously at the creature. “That’s true.”
    Meg headed toward the arched doorway. “Bring that cloak.”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œIn case we need to cover the dragon with it.”
    Cam didn’t point out that one breath from the dragon would turn the ancient velvet to cinders. He simply grabbed the thing.
    Meg set about coaxing the dragon out of the chamber. “And some treasure—from the far wall, where they won’t notice,” she said.
    â€œWhat for?” Cam asked again.
    â€œFor when it’s homesick!” Meg stroked the dragon’s
nose. “I’ll take some, too,” she said, her expression suddenly ominous. “For proof.” Meg and Cam quickly filled their pockets with jewels and coins.
    The dragon had wandered off once more. “Come on, sweetie,” Meg told it. The dragon snuffled after her. Cam followed them, the cloak over his arm.
    Out in the passageway, Meg and Cam retraced their steps to the nearest fork and began sending the baby dragon down various passages, hoping its fondness for rabbits would lead them to another