Winter of the Ice Wizard (4 page)

“Yes, of course,” said Teddy. “They must not see that we are afraid.”

Another howl shattered the air.

“Run!” cried Teddy.

They all charged across the snow to the sleigh and scrambled into it. Jack and Kathleen stood at the front, and Annie and Teddy stood at the back.

“There they are!” cried Teddy, pointing. “The white wolves of the night!”

Jack turned and saw two large white wolves dashing across the plain in the moonlight. As the wolves ran toward the sleigh, their big paws scattered snow around them.

“Go, go, go!” Jack cried, clutching the front of the sleigh.

But the sleigh didn't move. And the wolves kept coming. “How can we make it go?” cried Jack.

“Use the wind-string!” said Teddy.

Jack pulled the knotted string the wizard had given him out of his pocket. “Use it
how
?” he shouted.

“Untie a knot!” said Teddy.

Jack pulled off his gloves. His fingers were trembling as he tried to untie one of the knots.
This is crazy!
he thought.
How can untying a knot in a string help us?
But soon he managed to loosen one of the knots.

A cold breeze began blowing from behind the sleigh. It ruffled the sail overhead.

“Untie another!” shouted Teddy. “Hurry!”

Jack quickly untied a second knot. The breeze grew stronger, and the sail filled out a bit more. The sleigh's shiny runners began sliding across the snow.

“Yay!” called Annie. “It works!”

“Yes, but not nearly swiftly enough!” said Teddy.

Jack looked back. The two white wolves had almost caught up with them. They were yelping and running behind the sleigh. Their mouths were open, showing their sharp teeth.

Jack quickly untied a third knot. A cold wind blasted the sail. It opened with a snap, and the sleigh shot forward!

“Stand fast!” cried Teddy.

Jack, Annie, and Kathleen held tightly to the sides of the sleigh to keep from falling out. Teddy grabbed the rudder and steered them over the snow, away from the ice palace.

The wizard's sleigh zoomed across the frozen ground, leaving the white wolves in its wake. Their yelping noises grew fainter and fainter, until they could be heard no more.

The wind kept pushing the silver sleigh over the ice and snow. The runners made
swish-swish
sounds as they slid over the moonlit plain. The square sail billowed in the wind, like the sail of a Viking ship. With the wolves far behind, the ride was really fun, but cold.

“How did you know untying knots would make the wind blow?” Jack asked Teddy.

“ 'Tis an ancient magic,” said Teddy. “I have read of wind-strings but had never seen one.”

“It's a good thing you read so much,” said Annie.

“Oh, look!” said Kathleen. “Hares and foxes!”

“Where?” said Annie.

“There!” Kathleen pointed into the dark distance. “Playing in the snow! And listen! Whistling swans—overhead, behind that cloud.”

“Wow,” said Annie.

Jack was amazed by Kathleen's power to see and hear so many things. As before, the moonlit landscape seemed completely empty to him.

“Where are you steering us?” Annie asked Teddy.

“I have no idea!” said Teddy, laughing.

“We're supposed to go to a curve of a bay to find the Norns,” said Annie.

“Then turn left and follow the swans!” said Kathleen, pointing across the snowy plain. “They are flying toward the sea!”

Teddy swerved the sleigh to the left. For a while, they bounced up and down over the snow. Then the ride grew smoother.

“We are on sea ice now!” said Kathleen. “Seals are beneath! I see their breathing holes! Perhaps we should stop.”

“Indeed!” said Teddy as they whizzed along. “But how?”

“Try
tying
a knot!” said Annie.

“Excellent idea!” said Teddy. “Jack?”

Jack yanked off his gloves. With cold, shaky fingers, he tied a knot in the string. The wind lessened a bit. The sleigh began to slow down.
He tied another. The sail started to droop.

“Hooray!” said Annie.

Jack tied a third knot and the wind completely died away. The sleigh glided to a stop.

“Well done!” said Teddy.

“Thanks,” said Jack. He tucked the string back in his pocket and looked around. “I wonder if this is where the Norns live.”

“I will ask,” said Kathleen.

Ask
who
?
thought Jack.

Kathleen climbed out of the sleigh. She walked over the sea ice, studying it closely. Then she stopped above a small hole.

Kathleen knelt down and spoke softly in selkie language. Then she put her ear close to the hole in the ice and listened.

A moment later, she stood up. “The seal told me the curve of the bay lies just beyond those sea rocks,” she said, pointing. “That is where we will find the Norns.”

“Great,” said Annie.

Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen crunched over the frozen sea under the bright moon. They walked through a narrow passage between the sea rocks. When they stepped out from the passage, they stopped.

“There 'tis,” said Teddy.

About fifty yards away was a large, snowy white mound. Smoke was coming from a chimney on top of the mound. Lantern light flickered from a small, round window.

“I know you must bargain for the Ice Wizard's eye alone,” said Teddy. “But I would at least like to take a peek at the Norns.”

He moved quietly to the window and peered into the house. The others joined him. They saw a large fire burning on a hearth. In its rosy glow, three strange creatures were weaving at a big loom. Jack caught his breath. Their appearance was shocking.

The three Sisters of Fate were as skinny as skeletons. They all had straggly hair, long noses, and huge, bulging eyes. Their crooked, bony fingers fluttered over a large tapestry.
Around the room other tapestries were stacked to the ceiling.

“They look like witches in a fairy tale,” whispered Annie.

“Aye, but they are not witches,” said Teddy. “Every cloth they weave is the history of a life.”

“Wow,” said Annie.

“Well, good luck,” said Teddy. “Kathleen and I will wait out here while you go inside and ask for the wizard's eye.”

Suddenly a terrible howl pierced the silence.

“Yikes!” said Annie.

“The wolves!” said Kathleen.

Teddy hurried to the door and threw it open. “Everyone inside!” he said.

And all four of them scrambled into the House of the Norns.

T
eddy slammed the door against the wolves. Jack caught his breath.

“Welcome!” the three Norns said in unison. They all looked exactly alike, except they wore gowns of different colors—blue, brown, and gray.

“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?”