Winter of the Ice Wizard (7 page)

The wizard stared down at the chunk of ice. Then he looked at Jack and Annie. “Indeed, you
are
heroes,” he said breathlessly.

“Not really,” Jack murmured.

The wizard looked again at his eye inside the hailstone. Then, with a quick movement, he slammed the ice chunk against the arm of his throne.

Jack and Annie gasped and stepped back. The wizard slammed the hailstone against his throne again. This time, the ice cracked.

The wizard gently pried his eye out of the
heart of the hailstone. He lifted the frozen eyeball into the air and studied it in the light. Then, with an eager cry, he ripped off his eye patch.

Jack and Annie watched in amazement as the wizard fitted the eye into its dark, empty socket. Jack held his breath. He was horrified, yet fascinated. He couldn't imagine someone just shoving an eye back into his head.

The wizard slowly lowered his hand. He seemed to be holding his breath. He had two eyes. But the new one didn't move. It looked as if it was still frozen.

Jack grew worried. If the eye didn't work, the wizard might not help them. “We—we brought you your eye,” he said. “So can you tell us where Merlin and Morgan are now?”

The wizard jerked his head to look at Jack. He covered one eye with his hand. Then he covered the other. In a frenzy, he went back and forth, covering and uncovering each eye.

Finally the wizard dropped his hand and
roared, “NO!” The wizard's howl shook the ice columns. “You have tricked me!”

“No we haven't,” said Annie.

“This eye is useless!” cried the wizard. “It has no life! No sight!”

“But that's the eye you gave to the Norns,”
said Annie. “You promised if we brought it back, you'd give us Merlin and Morgan.”

The two white wolves threw back their heads and howled.

“NO!” cried the wizard. “You tricked me! You tricked me!”

“Let's get out of here,” whispered Jack. He pulled Annie toward the ice columns.

“STOP!” shouted the wizard. “YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!” He grabbed Merlin's Staff of Strength. The wolves growled and yelped. The wizard pointed the staff at Jack and Annie. He started to say a spell—“RO-EEE—”

“WAIT!” someone yelled. Teddy burst into the throne room. “Wait! Wait!”

The wizard held his staff in the air. He stared wildly at Teddy. His face was twisted with rage.

“We have something for you!” Teddy shouted at the wizard. “Kathleen!” he called.

Kathleen stepped out from behind the ice columns. With her was a young woman with long braids. The woman wore a flowing dress. Around her shoulders was a white feathered cloak. Her eyes rested on the wizard, and a radiant smile spread over her face. She began walking slowly toward the throne.

The wizard lowered Merlin's Staff of Strength. He stared back at the young woman. All the color drained from his face. For a long moment, he was as still as a statue. Then an ice-blue tear leaked out of his frozen eye and ran down his white cheek.

Jack and Annie stood with Kathleen and
Teddy. They all watched the young woman and the Ice Wizard gaze silently at each other.

“Is she his sister, the swan maiden?” whispered Annie.

“Yes,” whispered Kathleen.

The swan maiden spoke to the Ice Wizard in a strange language—
“Val-ee-ven-o-wan.”

The wizard did not answer. Tears flowed gently now from both his eyes.

“Val-ee-ven-o-wan,”
the swan maiden said again.

“What's she saying?” Jack asked.

“She is saying,
I have come back to forgive you,
” said Kathleen.

The wizard stood up. He walked down the steps from his throne. He gently touched the swan maiden's face, as if to make sure she was real. Then he answered her softly in the strange language.
“Fel-o-wan.”

“How did you find her?” Jack asked Teddy.

“A seal took us under the ice to the Isle of the Swans,” said Teddy.

“When we found her, I told her how much the wizard has missed her,” said Kathleen. “I also told her about the two of you and how you always help each other. I told her she should return to her brother and be his friend again.”

The wizard and his sister kept speaking softly to each other in their strange language. Warm sunlight shimmered through the palace windows.

Annie stepped forward. “Um—excuse me,” she said.

The wizard looked at her. “My sister has returned home,” he said with wonder. “I can see with both eyes now. I can see perfectly.”

“I'm glad,” said Annie. “But now you must give Merlin and Morgan back to us.”

The wizard looked at his sister. She nodded. The wizard held out Merlin's Staff of Strength. “Use this to bring them back,” he said. “Hold it tightly and call out for them.” He gave the staff to Annie.

Annie could barely lift it by herself. “Hold it with me, Jack,” she said.

Jack stepped forward and grabbed the magic staff. The smooth, golden wood felt warm and vibrant in his hands.

As they gripped the staff together, Annie threw back her head and called out: “Merlin and Morgan, come back!”

A long burst of blue light shot out of the end of the staff—and flashed toward the two white wolves.

Suddenly wolf eyes changed into human eyes! Wolf noses changed into human noses! Wolf mouths changed into human mouths! Wolf ears into human ears! Wolf paws into human hands and feet! Wolf fur into long red cloaks!

The two white wolves were gone, and a man and a woman stood in their places.

“M
erlin! Morgan!” shouted Annie.

Teddy and Kathleen cried out in amazement.

Annie rushed to Morgan and hugged her.

Jack was filled with giddy relief. “Hi!” he said. “Hi!”

“Welcome back, sir!” Teddy said to Merlin.

“Thank you,” said Merlin. He looked at Jack and Annie. “And thank you for turning us back into ourselves.”

“We didn't know you and Morgan were the wolves!” Annie said.

“We were following you so we could help you,” said Morgan.

“The wizard told us that if you caught up with us, you would eat us!” said Jack.

“Really?” said Morgan.

They all looked at the Ice Wizard. Standing with his sister, he stared guiltily at Morgan and Merlin.

“I feared that if they got close to you, they might discover who you were,” he said. “But I will do no more harm, I promise—for I can see clearly now.” The wizard looked back at his sister, and his blue eyes shined with joy.

“You can see because you have your heart back,” said Morgan. “It was not only your eye that was missing—it was also your heart. We see with our hearts as well as our eyes.”

“And now perhaps you can find the wisdom you were seeking from the Norns,” said Merlin, “for wisdom is knowledge learned with the heart as well as the head.”

The Ice Wizard nodded. “Please find it in
your
hearts to forgive me,” he said. “Use my sleigh to take you safely home.”

“Yes, indeed, we must leave now,” said Morgan. “We have been gone from Camelot too long.”

“The next time you come to Camelot, my friend, you must come as a guest,” said Merlin, “not as a thief in the night.”

“And you must bring your sister also,” Morgan said to the wizard.

“Indeed I will,” the wizard said.

Merlin looked at Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen. “Is everyone ready to leave now?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” they all answered together.

Merlin looked at the Staff of Strength in Jack's hands.

“Oh! Sorry, I almost forgot,” said Jack. He handed the heavy staff to Merlin.

As soon as Merlin held the Staff of Strength, he seemed more powerful. “Let us be off!” he said briskly.

Merlin and Morgan led the way out of the throne room, their red cloaks billowing behind them. Teddy and Kathleen followed, and Jack and Annie hurried after them.

Just before they left the room, Jack and Annie glanced back at the Ice Wizard and his swan sister. They were deep in conversation again.

“They haven't seen each other for years,” said Annie. “They must have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah,” said Jack. He couldn't imagine not seeing Annie for years. “Come on, let's go.” He took her hand and pulled her out of the throne room, through the front hall, and into the cold dawn.

Jack and Annie followed their four Camelot friends to the wizard's sleigh. Everyone climbed in.

Annie sat at the rudder. Jack stood at the front. He pulled out the wind-string and untied a knot. The sleigh rocked forward. He untied
another, and the sleigh started moving very slowly.

The sleigh was heavier than before, so Jack quickly untied two more knots. The sleigh bolted across the snow.

“Stand fast!” said Teddy.

As the sleigh swished through the dawn, Annie turned to Morgan and Merlin. “I have a question,” she said. “Can you tell us what the giant looks like—the Frost Giant?”