Blizzard of the Blue Moon Read online

  “I see that, Balor, but look—”

  “Ahh! Is it him, Grinda?”

  Annie grabbed Jack’s arm. “Balor? Grinda?” she whispered.

  “Shh,” whispered Jack.

  “Of course ’tis him!” said the girl. “I told you those Frog Creek brats would lead us to him! Get the rope ready!”

  “Aye,” said the boy.

  Jack and Annie carefully peeked around the corner. They saw a girl and boy standing with their backs to them, facing the unicorn in the last tapestry. The boy held a thick black rope.

  “Call out his name, Grinda,” said the boy.

  The girl took a step toward the tapestry. She raised her arms in front of the unicorn. “Dianthus!” she called.

  Wind whistled through the open doorway. The flowers in the tapestry swayed as if the wind were blowing them. The scent of roses wafted through the room. The unicorn moved his head.

  “Ohh!” whispered Annie.

  “Get ready, Balor, to take him back to the Master,” said the girl.

  Annie clutched Jack’s arm. “Who’s the Master?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know,” whispered Jack. “But I don’t think he’s a good guy.”

  The girl turned back to the tapestry and spoke softly to the unicorn. “Come, come, my lovely Dianthus, stand up now. Come out of that old rug….”

  The unicorn turned his head and looked out at the girl. The look in his blue eyes was ancient yet young, wise yet innocent. He lifted his head as if he were about to stand.

  The girl nodded to the boy. The boy slowly coiled the black rope into a noose. The girl looked at the unicorn again. “Come to me, Dianthus!” she coaxed. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll love you and show you the way—”

  “No, Dianthus!” yelled Annie. “Don’t go to her!” Annie and Jack bolted from their hiding place.

  Balor and Grinda whirled around in surprise. They both had pale faces and pale shining eyes.

  “Leave him alone!” Annie yelled at the strange pair. “You don’t love him! We love him!”

  At that moment, there was a flash of light, and the unicorn in the tapestry leapt like a deer over the woven fence. Balor and Grinda shrieked and jumped back. Jack covered his head.

  Then there was silence. Jack looked up. The tapestry on the wall was unchanged—it still showed a unicorn woven from yarn chained to a tree.

  But standing on the floor of the museum was the most beautiful creature Jack had ever seen.

  The unicorn had a broad milk-white chest and graceful neck. A tuft of hair curled under his chin. A long, spiraled horn rose from the middle of his forehead. He stood very still and very tall. His whole body seemed to be glowing.

  Balor and Grinda just stared at him. They both looked frightened. But Annie stepped forward. “Hi, Dianthus,” she whispered. She reached out and gently touched the unicorn’s white chest. “Feel, Jack, feel his heart pounding.”

  “Move away!” ordered Grinda. The girl stepped between Jack and Annie. “He is ours and he is coming with us.”

  “He’s not yours!” said Annie.

  “Who are you, anyway?” said Jack. “Where did you come from?”

  Grinda glared at Jack. “We come from the same magic world he comes from,” she said. “He belongs with us, not you. Balor!”

  The boy shoved Annie aside and tried to loop the black rope around the unicorn’s neck. But Dianthus reared up and wheeled around, forcing Balor and Grinda out of his way.

  Dianthus leapt across the tapestry room toward the garden. Jack and Annie followed him through the open doorway into the snowy cloister. Balor and Grinda charged after them. They pushed past Jack and Annie to Dianthus. Balor grabbed the unicorn’s blue collar. “You are coming with us, stupid, like it or not!”

  “Don’t pull on him!” yelled Annie. “And don’t call him stupid!”

  Dianthus tried to back up.

  “Let go!” screamed Annie. “He doesn’t want to go with you!”

  “He has no choice,” said Grinda. “As soon as that rope goes around his neck, all three of us will be instantly transported back to the Castle of the Dark Wizard.”

  “No!” Jack shouted. He charged at Balor and tried to grab the rope from his hand. Balor let go of the unicorn’s collar and shoved Jack into the snow. Then he turned back to the unicorn and began to swing the magic rope like a lasso.

  Dianthus reared up again and kicked his legs. Breath from his nostrils billowed into the icy air.

  “A rhyme, Jack!” yelled Annie. “A rhyme!”

  Kneeling in the snow, Jack yanked the book from his briefcase. He frantically turned the pages, looking for a rhyme they hadn’t used. “Call a Cloud from the Sky?” he shouted to Annie.

  “Anything!” she called. “Try it!”

  Jack read the rhyme aloud:

  Down from high, out of the sky,

  Ee-no-fain-ee-ro-lie!

  A thick white fog instantly filled the cloister. The fog was so dense that Jack couldn’t even see his own hand.

  “Balor, where are you?” shrieked Grinda.

  “Here!” the boy yelled.

  Someone grabbed Jack. He struggled to break free. “Let me go!” he shouted.

  “It’s me!” whispered Annie. “Come on!”

  Jack stood up, clinging to Annie. They stumbled together through the garden. Feeling their way along the walkway, they came to the door that led to the main hall.

  “Dianthus, here!” Annie whispered.

  Jack heard the soft crunch of the unicorn’s hooves in the frozen snow.

  “Where did he go?” Balor shouted.

  “Find him!” yelled Grinda.

  Jack reached out and felt the unicorn’s soft mane. Annie pushed open the door. Then she, Dianthus, and Jack slipped inside the main hall.

  Jack closed the door before Balor and Grinda could escape the garden. There wasn’t a wisp of fog in the main hall. The museum lady was still behind her desk. She stared at Jack, Annie, and the glowing unicorn that had just come in from the garden. Her mouth opened, and then closed.

  Dianthus stepped lightly over the wooden floor. Jack and Annie followed him.

  The museum lady never blinked. As Dianthus walked gracefully past her desk, she reached out and touched him. She gasped and quickly drew back her hand.

  “Thanks for keeping the museum open today,” said Annie. “And thank Mr. Rockefeller for his gifts.”

  The museum lady opened and closed her mouth again, still unable to speak.

  Jack opened the door that led to the street. Jack and Annie followed Dianthus out of the museum and down the stone steps. The blizzard had gotten much worse. Snow was coming down harder than ever. The wind was wailing. The unicorn shook his head and knelt down.

  “He wants us to get on his back!” said Annie. “Quick! Climb on behind me!” Annie climbed onto the unicorn’s back. Jack climbed on behind her.

  Dianthus stood up to his full height.

  Grinda and Balor burst out the door of the museum. “Stop!” screamed Grinda.

  Dianthus looked back at them. Then he leapt nimbly over a snowdrift and headed into the darkening storm.

  Jack clung to Annie. Dianthus cleared the driveway of the Cloisters and began to run with ease down the street. His long strides were so light and graceful, Jack could hardly feel the movement.

  As the unicorn ran, he held his head high. His long, spiraled horn pierced the raging storm, seeming to calm the winds and snow. Jack realized he could feel his fingers and toes again. His whole body began to feel warm.

  Dianthus headed down a deserted parkway along the waterfront, past an empty bridge. The bridge’s towers and cables formed a silver arc over a wide river. Whitecaps swept across the water’s surface. As the unicorn trotted past the river, the water became still.

  Dianthus left the riverside and headed down a city street. The wind whistled between tall buildings, blowing the snow into great drifts. But the unicorn’s horn turned the howling wind into a soft bre
eze. The wild blowing snow became floating, star-shaped flakes, like the snowflakes on Christmas cards.

  As the unicorn trotted down the street, snow-bound taxis and streetcars started moving again. Lights came on in cafés and jazz clubs. Jack heard happy music coming from inside.

  With a calm, steady trot, the unicorn pranced on through the city. As he moved past old mansions, broken-down tenements, and shabby hotels, people peeked out of doorways and windows to see why the sounds of the storm had died away. When they caught sight of Dianthus, with his horn shining in the windless air, they broke into joyful smiles. Church bells started ringing through the white silence.

  Finally Dianthus came to a stone wall bordering Central Park. He jumped over the wall and landed knee-deep in a heap of snow. The unicorn leapt effortlessly out of the drift and cantered over a field and down a slope.

  Slowly the clouds parted, and light from the setting sun poured down.

  “Hot corn!” a peddler shouted, plowing his pushcart through the snow.

  “Roasted chestnuts!” shouted another.

  The good smells of the corn and nuts filled the crisp golden air of the park. The unicorn trotted past Belvedere Castle. Bill Perkins stood outside, staring up at the clear blue sky.

  “Hey, Mr. Perkins, the monster storm’s not coming!” shouted Annie.

  The weatherman saw Jack and Annie on the back of the white unicorn. His jaw dropped. Then he smiled and waved.

  Jack and Annie rode on. When they passed the statue of the winged angel, Jack thought he saw her move her great wings. “Did you see that?” he cried.

  “Yes!” said Annie.

  When they passed the statue of Balto, Jack heard the sled dog bark.

  When they rode past the merry-go-round, Jack heard a chorus of neighs and whinnies accompanied by lively carousel music.

  Dianthus pranced down a shimmering pathway. He leapt over a stone wall and cantered over another field.

  The unicorn’s horn glistened, and the snowy field reflected gold and copper light. Not until the unicorn came to the tree that held the tree house did he stop.

  Annie hugged the unicorn’s long, graceful neck. “Thank you, thank you!” she whispered, and kissed him.

  “Yeah, wow,” breathed Jack.

  Annie looked at Jack over her shoulder. “What now?” she asked.

  “I guess we climb off,” said Jack.

  “But then what?” Annie asked sadly. “Where does he go?”

  “That’s a good question,” said Jack.

  “He comes with us, of course,” someone said.

  Jack and Annie gasped.

  Balor and Grinda slunk out from behind the tree. Balor carried the black rope.

  Jack was stunned. “How—how did you get here so fast?” he asked.

  “We took the A train,” said Balor. “’Tis actually a bit faster than riding a unicorn.” The boy laughed meanly.

  “Shut up, Balor,” said Grinda. Then she turned to Jack and Annie. “I am glad you had a happy little ride. But you can say good-bye to Dianthus now. We will take him from here.”

  “No, you won’t!” said Annie.

  “Stay away from us!” said Jack.

  “Come on, Dianthus, let’s go!” said Annie.

  Before Dianthus could move, Grinda rushed forward and grabbed his collar with both hands. The unicorn snorted and shook his head. Grinda clung fiercely to the collar. “Get the rope over his head, Balor!” she yelled. “Now!”

  Balor looped the black rope into a noose again. The unicorn twisted and turned his head.

  Jack kicked at Balor. “Stop!” he yelled. “Get away from us!” Jack felt stupid just yelling and kicking, but he didn’t know what else to do.

  As Balor and Grinda struggled to get the noose over the unicorn’s head, Annie pointed at them. In a loud voice, she shouted:

  Fowl of air, appear now here!

  Aka-aka-aka-mere!

  The black rope fell to the snow. Balor and Grinda started to spin around. They spun like two spinning tops. As they spun, they grew smaller and smaller. Jack saw a blur of colors: gray and brown, green and white, a dash of orange, a dash of yellow.

  The spinning slowly came to a stop. The two scary teenagers were gone. In their place were two small mallard ducks.

  One duck was gray with black and white markings. The other had a glossy green head and a rust-colored chest. Both had orange webbed feet and long yellow bills. Quack, quack, they said.

  Annie looked over her shoulder at Jack. “I memorized the duck rhyme a while ago,” she said with a grin. “I knew it would come in handy someday.”

  Jack laughed. “Good work,” he said.

  The two ducks waddled around on their bright orange feet, quacking. Answering cries came from overhead. A flock of ducks was flying through the clear November sky.

  “Go on, Balor and Grinda!” Annie shouted to the two mallards. “Go with them now!”

  The mallards quacked at Annie.

  “Go on!” Jack chimed in. “Fly south for the winter! You’ll have fun! We promise!”

  The two mallards quacked and flapped their wings. First one and then the other rose off the ground. They flew high into the sky. Jack held his breath as he watched the mallards soar away, flying south over New York City.

  Annie put her arms around the unicorn’s neck. Then she rested her head on his silky white mane. “You’re safe now,” she said. “But you have to leave us. I have to show you the way to Camelot. The problem is, I don’t know how to do that.”

  AH-U-GA! AH-U-GA!

  Jack looked over at an avenue that bordered the park. A big yellow taxi was parked by the curb. The driver was honking his horn. He waved through the window.

  “What’s that guy want?” said Annie, sitting up.

  “I don’t know,” said Jack.

  The driver jumped out of the car. He wore a cap and a plaid scarf. “Hey, it’s the same driver who deserted us outside the Cloisters,” said Annie.

  The passenger door of the taxi opened, and a girl stepped out. She was wearing a purple shawl. “And that’s the girl who told us to get off at the wrong subway stop,” said Jack.

  The taxi driver and the girl in the shawl both waved at Jack and Annie. Then the driver lifted his cap and pulled down his scarf. He had red curly hair and a wonderfully familiar grin.

  The girl pulled the shawl off her head. Beautiful long black curls fell down to her waist.

  “It’s them!” said Jack.

  “Teddy! Kathleen!” Annie shouted.

  Jack and Annie slid off the unicorn’s back onto the snowy ground. The young enchanters ran across the snow to them. Annie threw her arms around Teddy. Kathleen threw her arms around Jack. The four of them laughed and talked at the same time.

  “That was you!”

  “That was you!”

  “That was us!”

  “I’m sorry I told you to get off at the wrong stop,” said Kathleen. “But Teddy was waiting for you there!”

  “And I’m sorry I left you stranded in the storm,” said Teddy. “But I knew you’d find your way to the Cloisters!”

  “We thought you guys were these two kids following us, Balor and Grinda!” said Annie.

  “Yes, we just saw you turn them into ducks!” said Kathleen. “Brilliant!”

  “Who were they?” asked Jack.

  “Apprentices of the Dark Wizard,” said Kathleen. “We didn’t know they were following you! Even Merlin didn’t know.”

  “They were pretty creepy,” said Jack.

  “Yeah, but they actually helped us without meaning to,” said Annie. “They knew the unicorn’s name.”

  “We thought it was Divine Flower of Rome,” said Jack.

  “I told Merlin that clue might be a bit difficult,” said Teddy. “Divine Flower is dianthus in Latin, the language of old Rome.”

  “So do Grinda and Balor know Latin?” asked Annie.

  “Hardly,” said Teddy. “The unicorn’s name is famous throughout the
Otherworld. He is known for his great magic.”

  “And for his goodness,” added Kathleen.

  “We know about his goodness,” said Annie. “When he ran through the streets with his horn in the air, the blizzard ended. And everyone we passed cheered up and seemed to get more hopeful.”

  “The Dark Wizard was trying to capture Dianthus so he could keep the unicorn’s good magic from the rest of the world,” said Kathleen. “Merlin will be very pleased that you have foiled the wizard’s plan.”

  “In truth, I believe he would like to thank you himself,” said Teddy. He turned toward the yellow taxi parked by the curb.

  The back door of the car opened, and two grown-ups stepped out: a tall, elegant woman wearing a wine-colored cloak and a man in a dark blue robe. The man had a long white beard. The woman had long white hair.

  “Morgan! Merlin!” whispered Jack.

  As the wizard and magical librarian of Camelot walked across the snow, Dianthus stepped forward to greet them. He bowed his head. Merlin tenderly stroked the unicorn’s white neck.

  Morgan le Fay turned to Jack and Annie. “Hello,” she said, smiling. “It is good to see you both.” Her lovely voice washed over Jack like music.

  “You too,” said Annie, hugging the enchantress.

  “What are you and Merlin doing here?” Jack asked.

  “I have always wanted to visit New York City,” said Morgan. “Teddy has just given us quite a ride in that taxi. Merlin had to tell him to slow down several times.” Morgan laughed and turned toward Merlin.

  “Quite a ride indeed,” said Merlin. “Greetings to you both, Jack and Annie.”

  “Greetings,” they said.

  “Thank you for saving my beloved Dianthus,” said Merlin. “Long ago, he was stolen from Camelot by evildoers. He was rescued by magic weavers in the Netherlands. To keep him safe, they used their art to hide him in their tapestries. I knew I could entrust you two to set him free on the day the spell was to end. But your mission turned out to be more dangerous than I intended. I did not know the Dark Wizard had sent his apprentices to follow you and capture the unicorn.”