Winter of the Ice Wizard Page 3

  “How are you, Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen?” said the blue Norn.

  “We’re good now,” said Annie.

  Jack was amazed that the Norns knew all their names. Despite their strange appearance, their friendly smiles and twinkling eyes put him at ease. In their cozy house, he began to feel warm for the first time since they had left home.

  “Was your journey pleasant?” asked the brown Norn.

  “Yes. We came in the Ice Wizard’s sleigh,” said Annie.

  “With the help of a wind-string,” said Teddy. Jack held up the string to show them.

  The gray Norn cackled. “Yes, we know! I like a string with knots,” she said.

  “A string without knots would be a boring string indeed!” said the blue Norn.

  “A life without knots would be a boring life indeed!” chimed in the brown Norn.

  As they spoke, the Norns kept weaving. Their bulging eyes never blinked. Jack sensed that they never closed their eyes—or stopped their work.

  “Sorry to bother you,” said Annie. “But Jack and I need the eye of the Ice Wizard of Winter so we can save our friends Merlin and Morgan.”

  “We know,” said the blue Norn. “We are weaving the story of the Ice Wizard now. Come look.”

  Jack moved with the others to the loom. Dozens of tiny pictures were woven into the tapestry. The threads were all wintry colors—blues, grays, and browns.

  “The pictures tell the story of the wizard’s life,” explained the brown Norn.

  One picture showed two children playing together. Another showed a boy running after a swan. Another showed two white wolves—and another showed an eye in a circle.

  “What’s the story of the eye?” Jack asked.

  “Long ago, the Ice Wizard came to us seeking all the wisdom of the world,” said the gray Norn. “We said we would give him wisdom if he gave us one of his eyes. He agreed to the bargain.”

  “The wizard doesn’t seem very wise,” said Annie.

  “Indeed he is not,” said the brown Norn. “We planted the seeds of wisdom in his heart, but they never grew.”

  “Why did you want his eye?” asked Jack.

  “We wished to give it to the Frost Giant,” said the blue Norn.

  “The Frost Giant?” said Teddy. “Who is the Frost Giant?”

  “He is neither magician nor mortal,” said the blue Norn. “He is a blind force of nature that spares nothing in his path.”

  “We hoped the Frost Giant would use the wizard’s eye to see the beauty of the world, so he might choose to care for it rather than destroy it,” said the brown Norn. “But alas, the Frost Giant does not use our gift at all! Instead, he keeps it hidden away—right where we left it!”

  “Where’s that?” asked Annie.

  “The Frost Giant sleeps inside the Hollow Hill,” said the gray Norn.

  “In the Hollow Hill is a hole,” said the blue Norn.

  “In the hole is a hailstone,” said the brown Norn.

  “And in the heart of the hailstone hides the wizard’s eye,” said the gray Norn.

  Jack closed his eyes and repeated:

  In the Hollow Hill is a hole.

  In the hole is a hailstone.

  In the heart of the hailstone

  Hides the wizard’s eye.

  “Yes!” said the gray Norn. “That is where you must go. But beware: You must never look directly at the Frost Giant. Anyone who looks directly at the Frost Giant will freeze to death at once.”

  Jack shivered and nodded.

  “Well, we’d better get going,” said Annie. “Thanks for your help. The Ice Wizard’s rhyme tells us to pay you whatever you ask us to pay.”

  The Norns looked at each other. “I like that weaving around her neck,” the gray Norn said to her sisters. “ ’Tis red like the fiery dawn.” The other two Norns nodded eagerly.

  “My scarf?” said Annie. “Sure. Here.” She took off her red woolen scarf and placed it on the floor near the Norns’ loom.

  “Lovely!” said the blue Norn. “Perhaps we will stop weaving fates and start weaving scarves!”

  The other Norns cackled. “Well, go now,” said the gray Norn. “Travel toward the North Star. When you reach the snowy hills, look for the one whose peak is missing.”

  Jack, Annie, and Teddy started toward the door, but Kathleen stayed behind. “Forgive me, but I have one more question,” she said. She pointed to the picture of the swan and the boy on the tapestry. “What is this story?”

  “ ’Tis a sad tale,” said the gray Norn. “The Ice Wizard had a younger sister who loved him more than anything in the world. One day they fought over something foolish. He lost his temper and told her to leave him alone forever. She ran down to the sea in tears. There she found a flock of swan maidens. They gave her a white feathered dress. She put on the dress and became a swan maiden herself. She flew away with the others and never returned.”

  “After that the Ice Wizard was never the same,” said the blue Norn. “When his sister left, he grew cold and mean-spirited. ’Twas as if his sister took his heart with her when she flew away.”

  “That is sad,” said Annie. “How will the Ice Wizard’s story end?”

  “You—not we—will determine the threads we weave next,” said the brown Norn.

  “We will?” said Annie.

  “Yes,” said the gray Norn. “Our powers are fading. Our plans no longer work the way we expect them to. The Ice Wizard has no wisdom! The Frost Giant has no sight! You must go now and finish the story.”

  The three sisters smiled at their visitors. Their skinny fingers fluttered over their weaving like butterflies over flowers.

  Jack couldn’t help smiling back at them. But then he thought about Merlin and Morgan. He thought about all the dangers waiting outside. “One last question,” he said. “What’s the story of the two white wolves?”

  “Oh, the wolves!” said the blue Norn. “Do not fear the wolves! A life without wolves would be a boring life indeed!” Her two sisters smiled in agreement. For the moment, their smiles made Jack feel unafraid of the white wolves—and the Ice Wizard and the Frost Giant, too.

  “Good-bye! Good-bye! Good-bye!” said the three sisters.

  Jack and the others waved good-bye. Then they slipped out of the House of the Norns and into the icy night.

  Standing in the cold, Jack felt afraid again. There were big paw prints in the moonlit snow all around the house.

  “The wolves were here,” said Kathleen.

  “Perhaps we should go back inside,” said Teddy.

  “No,” said Kathleen. “We must walk with Jack and Annie back to the sleigh and send them on their journey to the Hollow Hill.”

  “Yes, of course,” said Teddy, nodding.

  As they all headed cautiously toward the rocks, Jack glanced back at the House of the Norns. He wished they could return to its cozy warmth.

  Kathleen put her hand on his shoulder. “Come,” she said. “You must hurry.”

  Jack trudged with the others through the passage in the rocks. When they got to the other side, there was no sign of the two white wolves. The silver sleigh was waiting in the moonlight. Jack and Annie climbed inside it.

  “Can’t you come with us?” Jack asked Teddy and Kathleen. “Remember you said if we all work together, we can do anything?”

  “Aye,” said Teddy. “But what the Ice Wizard said is true. Only mortals can undo a bargain with the Fates.”

  “Do not fear,” said Kathleen. “We will be with you in spirit. And we will meet you back at the wizard’s palace at dawn.”

  “How will you get there?” asked Annie.

  “I have a few rhymes I can try,” said Teddy, smiling.

  “And I have a bit of selkie magic,” said Kathleen.

  “And we have our wind-string!” said Annie.

  “Hasten, then, to the Hollow Hill,” said Kathleen.

  “And remember what the Norns told you,” said Teddy. “Never look at the Frost Giant.” />
  “I know,” said Jack. He pulled out the wind-string. He took off his gloves and untied a knot. A breeze began to blow.

  Jack untied a second knot. The breeze grew stronger, the sail unfurled, and the runners slid forward.

  Jack untied a third knot. The wind blew hard. The white sail snapped, and the sleigh took off through the night.

  “Stand fast!” Teddy called after them.

  Jack and Annie waved good-bye to Teddy and Kathleen as the sleigh slid swiftly over the sea ice. Soon the sleigh bumped onto the snow-covered plain and veered off sharply to the right.

  “No, toward the North Star!” Jack called to Annie.

  Annie turned the rudder, steering the sleigh back on course. They sailed toward the bright star in the distance.

  As the silver runners swished across the windswept snow, Jack braced himself against the cold. He kept a lookout for the white wolves, but he didn’t see any sign of them as the sleigh sped across the moonlit plain.

  Soon he could see a row of snow-covered hills in the distance. “Look!” he said. “There it is!” He pointed to one of the hills—the only one without a peak.

  “Tie her down!” Annie shouted.

  Jack tied a knot in the string, and the sleigh began to slow down. He tied a second, then a third. The wind died down completely, and the sleigh coasted to a stop at the foot of the Hollow Hill. Jack and Annie climbed out.

  Jack looked up at the steep white slope. “How do we get inside?” he said.

  “I don’t know,” said Annie. “How do you think the Frost Giant gets inside?”

  “Oh … the Frost Giant,” said Jack. He really wished Teddy and Kathleen were with them. He felt as if part of their team was missing.

  Annie seemed to read his thoughts. “We can do it,” she said. “We have to—for Morgan and Merlin.”

  Jack nodded. “You’re right,” he said. They studied the hill in the moonlight.

  “Up there—is that an opening?” said Annie.

  “Maybe,” said Jack. “Let’s climb up and check it out.” When they climbed a little way up the hill, Jack could clearly see a break in the snow-covered slope.

  “Let’s see if it leads inside!” said Annie.

  “Wait, what about the Frost Giant?” said Jack.

  “I have a feeling he’s not here right now,” said Annie. “We’d better go in and find the wizard’s eye before he comes back.”

  “Okay,” said Jack. “But be careful!”

  They scurried farther up the slope. When they came to the opening, they stepped through the huge crack into the hill.

  Jack and Annie found themselves on a ledge above a deep, rounded hollow. Moonlight flooded down through the open hilltop. At the bottom of the hollow was a flat spot where it looked as if the snow had been blown in circles.

  “That must be where the giant sleeps!” said Annie.

  “Yeah, and it’s probably where he hides the eye,” said Jack. “We just have to find a hole. Remember?” He repeated what the Norns had said:

  In the Hollow Hill is a hole.

  In the hole is a hailstone.

  In the heart of the hailstone

  Hides the wizard’s eye.

  “Right,” said Annie.

  Jack looked down at the snowy swirl. He looked back at Annie. “Onward?”

  “Onward,” she whispered.

  Jack and Annie scrambled down into the hollow. Stepping carefully through the silver moonlight, they studied the ground, looking for the hole.

  Annie stumbled and fell. “Whoa!” she said. “I think I just found the hole! I stepped in it!”

  “Really?” said Jack. He knelt down beside her.

  Annie reached down into a small hole in the floor of the hollow. “There’s something in here!” she said. She pulled out a chunk of ice the size of an egg. “The hailstone!”

  In the dim light, it was impossible to see if anything was inside the ice chunk. “We don’t know if this is the right hailstone,” said Jack. “We’ll have to wait till daylight to see if the eye’s in there.”

  “It has to be the right one,” said Annie. “How many hailstones are hidden in a hole in a hollow hill?”

  “Good point,” said Jack.

  Annie turned the hailstone over in her hand. “Maybe the eye is looking at us now,” she said.

  “That’s scientifically impossible,” said Jack. “An eye can’t see unless it’s connected to a brain.”

  “Yeah, and a string can’t make the wind blow, either,” said Annie. “Forget science in this place. Wait—” She caught her breath. “Did you feel that?”

  “Feel what?” said Jack.

  “The ground’s shaking,” said Annie.

  Jack did feel the ground trembling. He heard a strange sound, too—a loud huffing sound coming from outside the hill—HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFF.… It sounded like breathing!

  “The giant’s back!” said Annie.

  “Oh, no!” cried Jack.

  The ground kept rumbling. The breathing sounds got louder.

  “Hide the hailstone!” said Jack.

  Annie shoved the ice chunk into her pocket.

  HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFF.… It sounded like the giant was entering the hollow!

  “He’s coming!” said Annie.

  “Hide!” whispered Jack.

  Jack pulled Annie into the shadows. He remembered the gray Norn’s warning: Anyone who looks directly at the Frost Giant will freeze to death at once.

  “Whatever you do, don’t look at him!” he whispered to Annie.

  Crouching in the dark, they buried their faces in their hands and waited.…

  HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF.… With each breath from the Frost Giant, a blast of cold wind swept through the hollow.

  Jack trembled. He felt chilled to the bone. HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF.…

  The giant’s breathing grew louder and stronger. Jack squeezed his eyes shut as icy, wet wind rushed against his body.

  HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF.…

  Jack crouched lower and held on tightly to Annie.

  HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF.…

  The giant’s breath howled like a hundred ghosts through the hollow. Jack thought of the blue Norn’s words: He is a blind force of nature that spares nothing in his path.…

  But then the giant’s breathing seemed to grow a bit softer. What’s happening? Jack wondered.

  The breathing grew softer and softer. “Maybe he’s going to sleep,” Annie whispered.

  The breathing became calm and steady. The wind died to a light breeze.

  “I think the Frost Giant is sleeping,” Annie whispered. “We should try to sneak out of here.”

  “Okay, but keep your eyes down. Just look at the ground!” whispered Jack.

  “Right,” whispered Annie.

  Their heads bowed, Jack and Annie crept cautiously across the floor of the hollow and began climbing up toward the crack. Jack’s teeth chattered, but he couldn’t tell if it was from cold or fear.

  Suddenly a deafening roar shook the night! The Frost Giant screamed with windy rage! He was awake!

  Jack was blown to the ground. He tried to crawl across the snow, but he didn’t know which way to go, and he was afraid to look up.

  “Jack! This way!” Annie’s voice called above the roar of the giant’s breath. She helped him up and they struggled together against the wind. Finally they came to the crack in the wall.

  Jack and Annie scrambled through the crack. Outside, the wild wind knocked them over, and they tumbled down the side of the hill.

  The wind swirled the snow across the plain. “Annie! Annie!” Jack called. Where was she? Where was the sleigh? He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t stay on his feet.

  The wind roared even louder. An avalanche of snow came crashing down the hillside. When it hit the ground, the snow exploded into great clouds of white powder.

  “Jack! Jack!”

  Jack heard Annie’s voice in the screaming wind. He tried to stand up. But snow kept
falling on top of him, until he was completely covered.

  As Jack lay buried under the snow, all his strength left his body. He knew he should dig his way out, but he was too cold and too tired. He was too tired to look for Annie. He was too tired to fight the Frost Giant. Instead, he closed his eyes and drifted into an icy sleep.

  Jack dreamed that cold fur was brushing against his face. He dreamed that a wolf was digging around him, nudging him, pushing him, sniffing him … .

  Jack opened his eyes. He felt dazed. At first he couldn’t see. But he could feel that he wasn’t buried in snow anymore. He wiped off his glasses. He saw a low moon and some stars in a clear sky.

  The Frost Giant must have left, Jack thought. But then he heard a panting noise. He sat up and looked around. One of the white wolves was crouching right behind him!

  Jack scrambled to his feet. “Go away!” he shouted.

  The wolf stepped back and growled.

  “Go! Go! Go!” shouted Jack. He picked up handfuls of snow and threw them at the wolf.

  The wolf backed away a few more feet. Jack looked around wildly. Annie was lying very still on top of the snow. The other white wolf was sniffing and pawing at her.

  Jack’s anger made him fearless. “Leave her alone!” he shouted. “Go away!” He scooped up more snow and threw it.

  The wolf stepped back.

  “GO! GO!” shouted Jack. “Get away! Leave us alone!” He glared angrily at the two white wolves.

  The wolves stared back at Jack. Their yellow eyes gleamed.

  “I’m not kidding—GO!” shouted Jack.

  Jack stared fiercely at the wolves. Finally the wolves looked away. They glanced at each other and then slowly backed off. They looked at Jack and Annie one last time. Then they turned and trotted away over the snow.

  Jack rushed to Annie. He knelt beside her and lifted her head. “Wake up! Wake up!” he said.

  Annie opened her eyes.

  “You okay?” Jack asked.

  “Yes … I dreamed about white wolves,” Annie murmured.

  “Me too!” said Jack. “And then when I woke up, they were here! They were about to eat us!”

  “Really?” Annie sat up and looked around.