The Bravest Princess (9 page)

Annie grimaced and glanced past him into the
forest. “I wonder what else the witch is capable of doing.”

“I can't imagine, but I'm afraid we'll probably find out.” The carriage started rolling, and Liam rode beside it so he could talk to Annie through the window.

“I never thought I'd say this, but why can't I find a fairy godmother when I need one?” said Annie. “I don't like magic; I just think that sometimes it would be useful to have some—like right now. I've been thinking about this. There are two kinds of magic people can use against you. There's the kind where a spell is cast at a person and can affect her directly, or the kind that affects something or someone in the person's surroundings. I can handle the first kind because the spell bounces right off me. It's the second kind that can cause me problems, and this witch seems to know it. I can't stop her from using magic when she turns it on someone or something else. It would be handy if I knew someone who could.”

The thirsty horses sensed the river before the people did. Perking up their ears, they trotted down the last bit of road; it was all their riders could do to keep them from going straight to the water's edge, where large, jumbled rocks could easily break a horse's legs. Although the river was turbulent, the horses pawed the ground, anxious to drink from it.

“There's a path over here!” shouted the captain. “Bring your horses down one at a time.”

Annie waited impatiently as the men unhitched the horses and took them to the river. Her back was sore, and her entire body was stiff from spending the day in the small enclosed space. She envied the riders the chance to stretch their legs and drink.

She was peering out the window when she discovered that if she moved to the other side of her seat, she could see part of the bridge. It was a wooden structure with massive pillars that held it high above the water so that small boats could pass underneath. Annie was admiring the bridge when Liam appeared at the window. “The crows are perched in the trees on the other side of the river. It's almost as if they know where we're going. Ah, good, the last horse is finished. We'll be leaving in a few minutes.”

When the carriage began moving again, Annie slid closer to the window, wanting to see the view from the top of the bridge. They had traveled nearly halfway across when the carriage shook and lurched to the side. The riders both in front and behind the carriage shouted. Annie grabbed hold of the bars on the window to keep from falling to the floor. She heard the sound of cracking wood, and suddenly the end of the bridge was a mass of splintered logs crashing into the river around the falling carriage.

The carriage plummeted, turning as it fell so that it
landed on its side. The force of the fall wrenched Annie's shoulder, and she let go of the bars as water poured through the window. Not knowing how deep the water was, she held her breath just as the carriage lurched again and slammed into the riverbed. The side that was now on top was above the water, so she pushed off from the bottom and shoved the door open.

Annie heaved herself out of the carriage and stopped to look around. The horses that had been pulling the carriage were floundering in the water, the swingletree that connected their traces to the carriage having snapped on impact. One of the guards who had been driving had already managed to get on the back of the lead horse and was trying to turn it to shore. The other man waved at Annie, then dove into the water beside the carriage with a knife in his hand. Seconds passed before the head of the dappled gray mare burst out of the water, snorting and puffing, her eyes wide in fear. The man emerged a moment later to follow the swimming horse to shore.

Men and horses were struggling to the water's edge, singly and together. When Annie looked for Liam, she saw that his horse was climbing out of the river without a rider. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment, but then she saw him still in the water, swimming toward her.

“Are you all right?” he asked as he drew close enough that she could hear him.

“I'm fine,” she said, ignoring a twinge in her shoulder. “What about you?”

“Never better,” he said, but his expression was grim.

“What happened?”

“A perfectly good bridge that my father inspects every six months collapsed just as we happened to be crossing it.”

“It must be that witch again,” Annie said. “How is everyone else?”

They both turned to watch the last of the horses leave the water farther downstream, where the current had carried them. Men were already gathered on the shore to lead them to the rest of the group. “It looks as if they're all accounted for. Stay here. I'll be right back. And I mean it, Annie. Don't move from this spot.”

“All right!” she said, holding up her hands. “I won't go anywhere!”

Liam dove into the water beside the carriage and came up a moment later shaking his head. “The axle is broken. This carriage is worthless now.”

“Then I guess I'll ride horseback the rest of the way,” said Annie.

“Try not to look so disappointed,” Liam said, smiling.

Unlike most princesses, Annie knew how to swim. She and Liam reached the riverbank at the same time, and climbed out just as Horace came slogging across the shore leading Annie's mare. “Your Highness,” Horace said to Annie. “Your mare is sound enough to ride—just needs a bit of a rest is all. She was mighty scared, but she'll calm down in a bit, you'll see.”

The mare danced to the side, skittery from the accident, as Horace led her to where the other horses had been tethered.

“I'm going to send the carriage drivers back to my father to tell him about the bridge,” said Liam. “The first order of business, however, is to get a fire going. We can make camp beside the river tonight and get an early start in the morning.”

“The carriage!” cried one of the men on the shore.

Annie and Liam both looked toward the river. Whatever had been holding the carriage in place had given way, allowing the current to carry it bumping and tumbling past them and out of sight.

“I think my tent was in there,” said Annie. “This day just keeps getting better. How long do you think we'll have to travel to reach Grelia tomorrow?”

“If we're lucky, just a few hours, but there's no saying how long it will take if we have another day like today.”

“Great!” said Annie. “Because I'm sure the witch and her crows will do their best to make it perfect.”

Annie sat shivering on a log, watching a guard coax a flame from flint and tinder while two others kept the crows away. The dry kindling caught, and soon the logs were crackling as flames licked up their sides. From the moment Annie and her companions had climbed out of the river, the crows had pestered them. As the
flames spread, however, the birds flew off, landing in trees a good distance away.

Reaching her hands toward the fire, Annie let its warmth soak into her. Her clothes dried quickly, and soon her face was uncomfortably hot, so she turned around to dry the clothes on her back and warm the rest of her.

“It seems that someone thought it would be a good idea to store all the tents in the compartment under your seat in the carriage,” Liam told her as he sat down. “The carriage is lost now, so we'll be sleeping under the stars tonight.”

“We should be fine as long as we keep the fire going,” said Annie. “The crows don't seem to like it.”

“Half of our supplies were in the carriage, too, so we'll have to make do with what's left.”

“Some of the men are fishing,” Annie said, pointing toward the river. “If we're lucky, we'll have fresh fish for supper.”

“Now, Annie,” said Liam, “I know how much you want to help Snow White, but it's much too dangerous. This witch isn't going to give up. If you won't return home, I think you should remain in Grelia when we get there. You'd be safer in King Berwick's castle than on the road. I'm sure Beldegard's parents would love to have you stay with them. Let me find a way to take care of the witch, and then you can go home safely. Snow White would understand.”

Annie shook her head. “I have to go to Helmswood now. Snow White asked for my help, and I'm not about to turn her down. Besides, someone was trying to kill me before we ever left Treecrest. I don't think I'd be any safer in a castle than I am with you and all these guards to protect me.”

“I didn't think you'd give up, but I'm still worried,” said Liam. “By the way, your cheeks are flushed. Don't get overheated sitting here.”

“I'm enjoying the warmth of the fire and sitting still instead of bumping down the road,” said Annie. “I think the witch did me a favor when she made the bridge collapse. I don't know if I could have ridden in that carriage any longer.”

“You may miss it after a few hours in the saddle tomorrow,” said Liam.

“Maybe,” said Annie. “But at least now I'll be able to ride next to you.”

The three guards who had been fishing came trudging toward the fire, each carrying a string of fish. With so many eager hands to help, their catch was soon cleaned and sizzling on sticks held over the flames. Annie was hungry, but she wasn't the only one who couldn't wait for the fish to cool; nearly everyone burned their fingers when the cooked fish were finally handed out.

The sun had set when they organized the watch, and the travelers who weren't due to stand guard
settled down to sleep around the fire. Annie found comfort in the knowledge that the guards who were taking turns watching over the camp were also going to keep the fire stoked. With the fire holding the crows at bay, she might actually get a good night's rest.

Annie had been asleep for only a few hours when the sound of men talking in muted voices woke her. She was half listening, half dozing when she heard one of them say “Wolves.” Suddenly, she was wide awake.

“I tell you, I saw red eyes watching me from those trees over there,” one of the guards whispered to another.

“I don't see anything,” said the second guard.

“They were there, I tell you. Look! There they are!”

“I don't see anything. Were you staring into the fire again? Because if you were … Wait! You're right! And over there! And there! Captain!” called the guard. “It looks as if a pack of wolves is coming at us from every side.”

In an instant, all the men were on their feet with weapons in their hands.

“Did you say wolves?” asked Liam, peering into the trees. “No one has seen a wolf around here for—never mind. There's one now. Annie, get behind me! And this time, please listen!”

Annie scrambled toward Liam, wishing she had thought to arm herself before she'd gone to sleep. She glanced back at the twang of bowstrings. Guards were
shooting at the wolves, a job made more difficult in the dancing light and shadows of the fire.

“Save your arrows!” Liam shouted as more than one went astray. “We're running low, and you'll need them to fend off the crows tomorrow.”

Dropping their bows, the guards unsheathed their swords and stood poised for the attack. As the wolves moved out of the shadows and into the firelight, Annie could see that something wasn't quite right. Instead of attacking, they began to act very strangely. One hopped a few feet and stopped to look around. Another took one look at the guards and began trying to burrow under the old leaves on the forest floor. A third ran to a tree and scrabbled at the trunk as if trying to climb it. The others took a few steps, looking more frightened than menacing. Not one of the wolves actually turned on the humans.

“What's going on?” asked Annie.

“I don't know,” said Liam. “They look like wolves, but they aren't acting like them.”

“It's another of the witch's tricks!” cried Horace.

Liam nodded. “They look as if they don't want to be here, but something is making them confront us.”

“Perhaps it's a compulsion that the witch placed on them,” said Captain Sterling.