The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs Page A

at each other. “Well,” Dagle said, “perhaps a little.”

    â€œDo you want the castle or the dragon cave?” the boy said, rushing things.
    â€œDragon cave?” Dagle asked, astonished. “You know where it is?”
    The boy waved his hand behind him. “We just passed that way, but we’re not princes, so it didn’t interest us much.”
    â€œOf course not,” Dorn said graciously. “Please go on.
    â€œFollow this path up the mountain and you’ll soon come to a goat track. After that it’s due west, a good ways off.”
    Dagle dug in his pockets. “Here’s a coin for your troubles. I’ll give you another if you’ll show us the cave!”
    The girl shook her head.
    â€œSorry,” the boy said. “We’re in a hurry ourselves. Pig’s hungry.” The creature snorted as if to agree, then blundered off into the shadows beside the road.
    The girl had been very quiet, sweet child. Now she spoke suddenly. “After you pass the dragon’s cave, you’ll see another trail leading down the mountain to the road. That will take you back to the castle.”
    â€œThank you, lass!” Dorn tossed her a coin. She caught it with one hand, blushing bright red in the lantern light. “Farewell!” the princes said. They marched up the slope with their cow behind them. The lad and lass turned about to watch them go.
    Â 
    Â 

    â€œI can’t believe you said that!” Meg hissed.
    â€œSaid what?” Cam asked, starting down the path again.
    â€œâ€˜Not used to princes’!”
    â€œWell, are you?”
    â€œNo,” Meg had to admit.
    The baby dragon reappeared. “Look, Meg,” Cam said as they walked on. “Servants don’t question princes without a lot of bowing and scraping, and I didn’t think you remembered that.”
    â€œI’m supposed to be a servant’” Meg conceded. She held up the coin. “No one’s ever thrown money at me before!”
    They both giggled. “Come on,” Cam said. “We’ll soon be at Hookhorn Farm.”
    â€œWhy is it called that?”
    â€œAfter my great-grandfather’s prize bull.”
    It was nearly an hour later when, footsore and famished, they approached a tidy farmhouse. The dragon had fallen asleep and refused to wake up. They had been trying to carry him between them, wrapped in the cloak. It was slow going.
    A horse whinnied, and a few chickens woke up, squawking as if a fox were about. “They smell the dragon,” Meg said.
    A light flared in the house. Cam stepped ahead of Meg to knock on the door.
    â€œWho is it?” a woman’s voice called.
    â€œIt’s Cam.”

    The door opened. The woman inside had Cam’s brown hair and sun-browned skin. “What are you doing here at this hour?” She stared beyond her brother. “Who’s that?” She rubbed her eyes. “What’s that?”
    â€œThis is the princess, and that’s a baby dragon,” Cam said cheerfully.
    Â 
    Dorn and Dagle led the cow along the trail. “‘Beautiful ba-da-di-ba,’” Dagle muttered. “No, not quite.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Dorn asked.
    â€œI’ll tell you when I’m finished. ‘Better than a horse’—no‘better than…’”
    â€œA cow?” Dorn suggested.
    Dagle frowned, changing the subject. “Shouldn’t we have come to the cave already? We’ve walked and walked.”
    Dorn looked around. “Maybe we passed it in the darkness.” He clanged his lantern. “Pity the thing burned out.”
    â€œShh!”
    â€œWhat?” Dorn said.
    â€œDon’t you hear that?”
    â€œThe cow?”
    Dagle cocked his head. “Sounds like someone shouting.”
    They quickened their pace. The cow, never having been this far from home in her life, had begun to balk. “Come on,