Cauldron Spells Read Online Free PDF Page A

dragons and spells to make the plot work. They’d be safe with a bard.
    The man held out his hand to Adolphus, who sniffed it happily and then looked meaningfully at the pot of stew.
    “So, you’d like some food, eh?” said the man. “I was just about to serve myself. You can join me.”
    He fetched a pewter bowl from his pack and ladled some stew into it, then threw a few pieces of meat down for Adolphus. Olivia slipped carefully off the dragon’s neck – but not carefully enough. Before she realised what was happening, the man had her back leg between his finger and thumb, and she was dangling upside down in front of his face in a very undignified manner.
    “Aaargghhh! Let me down, you pig-faced slimy slug’s bottom!” she yelled, but all he heard was, “Craark! Craark!”
    He put down his bowl and then gripped her more firmly in two surprisingly large hands, looking at her thoughtfully.
    “Well, well. A rather odd-coloured frog. And travelling with a dragon. I think this might just be my lucky day. I think there’s every chance you’re a princess. It’s probably worth taking the risk and giving you a nice big smacking kiss.”
    And before Olivia had a chance to even struggle, he had planted a firm kiss on her froggy head and…
    WHOOSH!!!
    Purple stars exploded around the campfire, and what had been a frog was suddenly considerably taller and heavier and distinctly human, sprawled on the ground at the bard’s feet looking very disgruntled.
    “But… but… you’re not a princess!” he said, looking extremely surprised. “You’re… a boy! Are you a prince?”
    “No,” said Olivia grumpily, picking herself up off the ground. “I’m a… squire. My name’s… um… Ned.”
    “But how—?”
    “I got turned into a frog by… er… an evil witch. So… well… thanks, I guess.”
    The man stood up, and swept Olivia a deep bow.
    “Caradoc the Bard at your service. Glad to be of assistance. Well, well. What excitement. Pity you weren’t a princess, though. I could do with a bit of spare cash. Might not have to go traipsing all the way up to Gore.”
    “Gore?” said Olivia, excited. “You’re going to Gore?”
    “Yes. Hoping to offer my services to Sir Uriel and Lady Morgana le Fay: ‘Caradoc the Bard, tales of bravery and sorcery a speciality… Winner of the Best Newcomer Award, Castle Emlyn Bardic Competition’…” He lowered his voice. “Of course, it’s only open to members of the castle, so it’s not very prestigious, but they won’t know that, eh?” and he winked.
    Olivia grinned. This was perfect. A travelling companion all the way to Gore. And she didn’t even need to worry about reversing the frogspell when she got there. Well done, Adolphus!

A Fight!
    T ravelling with Caradoc the Bard turned out to be a much more pleasant experience than flying on Adolphus’s back. For a start, Caradoc actually knew the way to Gore, which took all the worry out of it. For another, he turned out to be full of amusing stories, mostly of his disastrous performances at various bardic competitions. Caradoc, it seemed, was really quite a hopeless bard, always forgetting the end ofstories or breaking his harp strings at the crucial moment. And then there was the time he’d forgotten the name of the ugly old hag in one tale and accidentally replaced it with the name of the lord of the castle’s only daughter, who’d run out of the Great Hall in floods of tears.
    “Yes, well, I don’t recall getting paid for that one – actually, I think they threw me off the battlements… Lucky they were only ten feet high – and the moat was warm for the time of year…”
    Olivia laughed. They were coming to the end of a golden afternoon, ambling gently north on Caradoc’s horse, which was sturdier than it looked and quite happy to take the weight of both of them. Ahead, the road dipped down into a small copse of ancient elm trees that spread their branches right across the way, casting a deep shadow.