Dragon's Breath Read Free

can't smell the color of her hair!" said an older and less refined voice.
    "I was being poetic!" said the first voice. "You should have let me finish!"
    "Oh, go ahead, then. What else were you going to say?"
    "I forget now! And it's a real shame because it was going to be beautiful!" The voice grew fainter.
    At the approach of the ghosts, the temperature of the room had dropped even further. "I don't think I've met those ghosts before," I began. "They seem ... ah ... ah ... ah-choo!" I knew right away that the sneeze wasn't an ordinary one. The tickling that had started in my nose filled my head, then rushed down my neck and into my entire body. I felt myself flash hot, then cold. My skin was suddenly sensitive to the air currents wafting through the dungeon, and I could clearly hear the sound of rats scurrying behind closed doors.
    "Good gracious, child," said my grandfather. "What happened to you?"
    "I don't know," I said, reaching for my tickling nose, but to my surprise, my nose wasn't there. "I think I ..." I patted my face, then ran my hands over the top of my head, feeling the smooth, moist, hairless skin. "I can't believe this! I've turned back into a frog! What's wrong with me, Grandfather? Can't I do anything right? I ... I ... ah-choo!" I sneezed explosively, and suddenly I was back to my normal self.
    "Are you all right, Emma?"
    I patted my hair into place, glad that I had hair again. "Fine, I guess. But why did I change when I sneezed?"
    "I can't help you there. I don't understand magic very well."
    We had reached the end of the corridor and started to climb the stairs when I felt the tickling again. Not wanting to turn into a frog, I pinched my nose. When the urge to sneeze faded, I took my hand from my face and said, "I'd better go before ... ah-choo!" I'd let go only briefly, but it had been enough. I was a frog once more.
    "Perhaps if you sneeze again," said Grandfather, "you might turn yourself back."
    It wasn't hard to do. I took a deep breath and felt the tickling sensation in my nose. The sneeze was coming, and it was going to be a big one! "Ah-choo!" I shot back up to my normal size and shape, but the tickling wasn't over. "Ah-choo!" My stomach lurched as I turned back into a frog. Too many changes too fast were more than it could take. "Ah-choo!" The instant I turned into a human again, I clapped my hand to my face and squeezed my nose so hard it hurt.
    "Here!" said my grandfather, reaching through the door to unlock it. "Go before you change again! I love you no matter what shape you're in, but I'd much rather have a human granddaughter than one who's a frog!"

Three
    A s I hurried up the winding staircase to Grassina's turret, I tried to think of a way I could use magic to stop my froggy transformations. I was stepping onto the landing when I noticed that the door to my aunt's room was open. Inside, I saw Grassina and Haywood sitting on the window seat. It was obvious that their love was as strong as ever. For the first time I could remember, my aunt's eyes were as happy as her smile.
    Grassina turned to look at me when I stepped into the room. "Wherever you went," she said, "it must have been awfully important to take you away before breakfast. It smells delicious. Thank you for making it."
    "It needs salt," I said. "And I tried to use magic to get it. I pointed at the salt, said 'salt cellar,' and ended up in the dungeon."
    Haywood winked at me and smiled. "These things happen," he said. "You just need to be more specific." Before turning into an otter, he had been a wizard in training and probably knew more about magic than I did.
    "You're so wise, precious one," Grassina told the otter, stroking his ears.
    "I saw Grandfather," I said before they could forget that I was there. "We had a nice visit, and he helped me find the way out. He said that Mother came down to look for me while I was away."
    "Mm-hmm," murmured Grassina, leaning down to kiss Haywood's head.
    Haywood turned to me. "Your mother