Winter of the Ice Wizard - Mary Pope Osborne [3]
“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.
Jack 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