Winter of the Ice Wizard (2 page)

“Whatever you want,” their mom said. “Just dress warmly. I'll finish up with the cookies and put them in the oven.”

“Thanks!” said Jack. He and Annie raced to the closet and pulled on their boots. They threw on jackets, scarves, gloves, and caps.

“Be home before dark,” their mom said.

“We will!” called Jack.

“Bye, Mom!” Annie shouted.

Jack and Annie slipped out of their house into the snowy cold. Their boots squeaked as they ran across their white yard and headed toward the Frog Creek woods.

At the edge of the woods, Jack stopped. He couldn't believe how beautiful the trees looked. White powder covered the branches of the hemlocks and pines.

“Look,” said Annie. She pointed to two pairs of footprints that led out to the road and then back into the woods. “Somebody else has been here.”

“It looks like they were walking out of the woods—but turned back,” said Jack. “Let's hurry!” If the magic tree house
had
come back today, he didn't want anyone else finding it first!

Jack and Annie walked quickly through the woods, following the two sets of footprints.

“Stop!” said Annie. She pulled Jack behind a tree. “Over there!”

Through the falling snow, Jack saw two people in long, dark cloaks. They were hurrying toward a tall oak—and high in the oak was the magic tree house!

“Oh, no!” said Jack.

The tree house
was
back! And someone else had found it!

“Hey!” Jack yelled. “Stop!” The tree house had come for him and Annie—no one else!

Jack started running. Annie followed. Jack slipped and fell in the snow, but he scrambled up and kept going. By the time he and Annie got to the tree house, the two people had climbed up the rope ladder and disappeared inside.

“Come out!” Jack yelled.

“This is
our
tree house!” shouted Annie.

Two kids poked their heads out of the tree house window. They both looked like they were about thirteen years old. The boy had tousled red hair and freckles. The girl had sea-blue eyes
and long, curly black hair. Their cheeks were rosy from the cold. They laughed when they saw Jack and Annie.

“Excellent!” said the boy. “We came to find you, but you have found us instead.”

“Teddy!” cried Annie. “Kathleen! Hi!”

Teddy was the young sorcerer who worked with Morgan in her library in Camelot. Kathleen was the enchanted selkie girl who'd helped Jack and Annie on the summer solstice by magically turning them all into seals.

Jack was stunned. He had never imagined that their two friends from Camelot might someday visit Frog Creek! “What are you guys doing here?” he shouted.

“Climb up and we will tell you!” said Teddy.

Jack and Annie hurried up the rope ladder. When they climbed inside the tree house, Annie threw her arms around Teddy and Kathleen. “I can't believe you came to visit us!” she said.

“It pleases me to see you, Annie,” said Kathleen. “And you also, Jack.” Her large blue eyes sparkled.

“It pleases me, too,” Jack said shyly. He still thought Kathleen was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Even when she'd been a seal, she'd been lovely.

“We went looking for you!” said Teddy. “We climbed down and walked through the woods to a road.”

“But the road was full of monsters!” said Kathleen. “A big red creature nearly ran over us! It made a honking sound!”

“Then before we knew it, a giant black monster charged at us! It had a ferocious growl!” said Teddy. “We came back here to gather our wits.”

“Those weren't monsters!” said Annie, laughing. “They were just cars!”

“Cars?” said Teddy.

“Yeah, they have motors and people drive them,” said Jack.

“Motors?” said Teddy.

“It's hard to explain,” said Annie. “Just remember—in our world, you have to watch out for cars every time you cross a road.”

“Indeed we will,” said Teddy.

“Why have you come here?” asked Jack.

“We found a message for you in Merlin's chambers,” said Teddy, “and decided to deliver it ourselves.”

“So we climbed into the tree house outside Morgan's library,” said Kathleen. “Teddy pointed to the words
Frog Creek
in the message and made a wish to come here. The next thing we knew, we were here in these woods.”

Teddy pulled a small gray stone from his cloak. “And
this
is the message we brought you,” he said.

Jack took the stone from Teddy.

The message was written in tiny handwriting. Jack read it aloud:

“Oh, wow,” said Annie. “That sounds serious.”

“Yeah,” said Jack. “But why didn't Merlin send us the message himself?”

“We do not know,” said Teddy. “Neither Merlin nor Morgan has been seen for days.”

“Where did they go?” asked Annie.

“ 'Tis a mystery,” said Teddy. “Last week I journeyed to the selkie cove to bring Kathleen
to Camelot. She is going to be a helper in Morgan's library. But when we returned, we could not find Merlin or Morgan.”

“We only found this message for you,” said Kathleen.

“Aye, and I thought that when Merlin
does
return,” said Teddy, “he will be greatly pleased to have his staff back. Much of his power comes from its ancient and mysterious magic.”

“Wow,” said Annie.

“In his message, he tells us to go to the Land-Behind-the-Clouds,” said Jack. “Where's that?”

“ 'Tis a land far north of my cove,” said Kathleen. “I have never journeyed there.”

“Nor I,” said Teddy. “But I have read about it in Morgan's books. 'Tis as bleak as a frozen white desert. I am eager to see it for myself.”

“So you and Kathleen are coming with us?” said Annie.

“Indeed!” said Kathleen.

“Great!” said Jack and Annie together.

“If we all work together, we can do anything, aye?” said Teddy.

“Aye!” said Annie.

I hope so,
thought Jack.

Annie pointed at the words
Land-Behind-the-Clouds
in Merlin's message. “Okay, ready?” she said to the others.

“Yes!” said Kathleen.

“I guess so,” said Jack.

“Onward!” said Teddy.

“I wish we could all go there!” Annie said.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

J
ack felt the sharp bite of an icy wind. He looked out the window with the others. “Oh, man,” he whispered.

The tree house was not in a tree—for there were no trees anywhere to be seen. Instead, it was sitting high on top of a steep snowdrift. Other drifts rose and fell across a vast snowy plain. Beyond the plain were hills and mountains.

“The books were right,” said Teddy, his teeth chattering. “ 'Tis bleak here indeed.”

“No, 'tis lovely,” said Kathleen. “ 'Tis the land where the northern seal people live.”

“Cool,” said Annie.

Jack dug his hands into his pockets. He agreed with Teddy. The land did seem bleak—and freezing! “I wonder where Merlin's Staff of Strength is,” he said, shivering.

“Let us begin our search!” said Kathleen. “The message tells us we must travel toward the setting sun.”

Kathleen climbed out of the tree house window. She gathered her cloak around her and sat down on top of the snowdrift. Then she pushed off and slid down the steep slope.

“Oh, wow. Wait for me!” called Annie. She climbed out the window and followed Kathleen. Whooping, she slid to the bottom of the snowdrift. “Come on, you guys! It's fun!” she shouted.

Jack and Teddy looked at each other. “Shall we?” said Teddy. Jack nodded. He pulled his
scarf tighter around his neck and followed Teddy out of the window.

Jack and Teddy sat down side by side. They pushed off and slid down the icy snowdrift. Jack couldn't help whooping, too. It
was
fun.

At the bottom of the drift, Jack and Teddy scrambled to their feet. Jack brushed the snow off his clothes. He could see his breath in the frigid air.

“It's j-just a little chilly,” said Annie, hugging herself.

Only Kathleen seemed not to mind the cold. She was smiling as she lay on the ground, gazing up at the sky.
Her seal nature probably keeps her warm,
Jack thought with envy.

Teddy peered across the snowy plain. “I believe not one living creature is here but us,” he said.

“Not true at all,” said Kathleen. She pointed upward. “I see snow geese and whistling swans.”

“I can almost see them, too,” said Annie.

Kathleen stood up. She shielded her eyes and gazed across the plain. The cold sun was low in the sky. It cast long blue shadows beneath the snowdrifts. She pointed into the distance. “And see? A white hare is leaping home before dark,” she said.

Jack looked where Kathleen pointed, but he couldn't see anything moving at all.

“I see a snowy owl, too,” said Kathleen, “and—oh, no!”

“What?” said Annie.

“Wolves,” Kathleen said with a shudder. “They just disappeared behind a snowdrift. My people greatly fear the wolves.”

“You need not be afraid. I shall protect you,” said Teddy. He took Kathleen's hand. “Come! Let us make haste toward the sun!”

Together, Teddy and Kathleen headed across the snow-covered plain. Their woolen cloaks waved behind them. Annie and Jack dug their
hands in their pockets and quickly followed them toward the setting sun.

As Teddy, Kathleen, Jack, and Annie trudged across the frozen plain, the sun sank closer and closer to the horizon. Its last rays poured purple-pink light over the snow.

The wind blew against Jack's face. He looked down and kept walking. The cold felt like needles on his skin. Each icy breath was painful. He hoped they found Merlin's Staff of Strength soon. He couldn't imagine anyone surviving for long in this lonely, freezing land.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Annie calling. He looked up. The sun had completely slipped behind the horizon. In the cold twilight, the snow had faded from purple-pink to a dark shade of blue.

“Jack! Come look!” Annie called. She, Teddy, and Kathleen were standing on the slope of a huge snowdrift.

Jack hurried to join them.

“Look!” said Annie.

“Oh, man,” Jack said softly.

On the other side of the snowdrift was a glimmering palace made from huge blocks of ice.