A heartbeat later, Audun opened his eyes and found himself standing beside the tapestry in his grandmother’s rooms with his finger still touching the picture of the fountain. He jerked his hand away as if the tapestry could burn him, and bumped into a slender statue of a dragon. The statue clattered to the floor, but luckily didn’t break. A moment later his grandmother poked her head through the doorway.
“You’re back!” she said, her eyes alight. “How did it go? Did you get the gift?”
Audun held up the tankard, saying, “I got a bottomless tankard. I hope it’s good enough.”
“It should do very well,” said Song. “How was your visit to the marketplace? Did you have any problems passing yourself off as a human?”
Audun paused long enough to turn back into the more comfortable form of a dragon, then nodded and said, “There was an old man. I knew he was a wizard because I’d seen him doing magic. He acted suspicious, and I’m pretty sure he thought I wasn’t a human. I caught him looking at my hands and sniffing me. He followed me around until I got two witches to distract him.”
Song of the Glacier sighed. “I was afraid something like this might happen. Humans never can mind their own business, especially the ones with magic. I want you to tell me exactly what happened. This may be nothing, or it may mean we’re in real trouble.”
The young dragon told his grandmother how he’d overheard the wizard asking about dragon scales and how he’d followed Audun. She looked interested when he told her about the two witches, but it wasn’t until he told her that they’d called the man Olebald Wizard that she really looked worried and began to pace the width of the room.
“What did he do when you left the stall?” she asked, turning around. “Did he follow you again?”
“Not that I saw,” said Audun. “But then, I didn’t stay around to make sure. I bought the tankard and came straight back here.”
“I don’t know many wizards,” Song said, pacing again, “but even I’ve heard of Olebald. He’s a tricky old man without many scruples who’d do just about anything to get what he wants. If he really suspects that you might be a dragon, he might try to follow you. Humans are always looking for dragon lairs. Sometimes it’s to steal our treasures. Other times it’s to steal pieces of our bodies in the hope of tapping into our magic. Even the skull of a dead dragon has a powerful magic that few wizards can match.
“I’m not sure Olebald has the necessary magic to follow you here, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a few precautions. Roll up the tapestry and bring it with you. We need to put it somewhere safe.”
“Like in a treasure chest?” asked Audun, as he rolled the tapestry into a long tube.
“That might work,” said Song, “but I was thinking more of tossing it into a deep pit or setting it adrift on an ice floe. Hurry. We might not have much time.”
Audun gathered up the tapestry and followed his grandmother out the door in time to hear her call to the guards. The two guards on duty came lumbering around the corner with Frostybreath close behind. “We may have a problem,” Song told them. “A wizard may be coming here through my tapestry.”
“Can we destroy the tapestry before he gets here?” asked one of the guards.
Song shook her head. “Magic tapestries are not easily destroyed.”
“Audun!” called a feminine voice. He looked away from his grandmother, who was still explaining the problem to the guards, and saw Hildie hurrying down the corridor. “I heard you might be here,” the young dragoness said, brushing past the big dragons. “We need to talk.”
“This isn’t a good time, Hildie,” Audun replied, noting that the guards’ expressions were turning fierce as Song told them about the wizard.
“That’s what you always say!” Hildie yelled. “The last time you were here you said we would talk the next time you came and you’re here now! You’re not getting out of talking to me this time!”
“Audun,” said his grandmother, “we need to go now. The guards think the ice floe is our best option.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Hildie,” Audun said, shouldering the tapestry as he tried to walk around her.
Hildie stepped in front of him, blocking his way. “You’re not going anywhere until we talk about this! I have to know—are you going to declare yourself, or am I going to have to choose one of my other suitors?”
Audun was so surprised that he fumbled the tapestry and almost dropped it. “I’m sorry, but there must have been some sort of misunderstanding. I never was one of your suitors and I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I might be. I think you’re a wonderful dragoness, but I’m in love with someone else.”
“I thought that might be it! Is it one of the dragonesses here? It isn’t Patula, is it? Why, I’ll . . .”
“No, Hildie, it’s not. She’s not anyone you know. It’s—”
A heavy weight hit Audun’s shoulder, almost knocking him down. “Audun, watch out!” his grandmother screamed.
The weight was still there, so the young dragon rose onto his back legs and heaved the thing off. Olebald went flying and hit the wall with a thunk. Audun was backing away when the old wizard staggered to his feet, shaking his head and swearing. The two dragon guards converged on the wizard, who raised a gnarled magic wand and waved it in their direction. A gray haze filled the air and the guards began floundering around as if they couldn’t see.
Olebald had turned toward Audun when Frostybreath sprang in front of him and exhaled at the wizard. The air crackled around him as his beard turned stiff and cold and frost sparkled on his bald head. Olebald’s movements were slowed, but he was still able to raise his wand. Frostybreath exhaled again. A thicker layer of ice formed on the old man, and he grew still, his eyes glazed over.
“I don’t know how long this is going to last,” said Frostybreath. “I thought one breath would be enough to hold him.”
“Watch him,” said Song. “If he so much as twitches, breathe on him again. We’re going to have to find somewhere we can lock him away where he can’t get out. As for you, Audun,” she said, turning to her grandson, “give me the tapestry. You have to leave before the old fool can cause any more trouble.”
Gesturing for the young dragon to follow her, she led the way back into her suite of rooms and closed the door. “Take this,” she said, handing him the tankard and a sack to put it in, “and go to the capital of Aridia. Look for the human girl who doesn’t belong. She’s an orphan and we believe she’s living in the castle.”
“Song of the Glacier!” shouted Frostybreath. “He’s moving!”
“Then breathe on him until he’s an ice cube!” she called back. Turning to Audun one last time, she pointed at a door he hadn’t noticed before. “That will take you to another corridor. I don’t have time to tell you anything else. Go now—and hurry!”