Winter of the Ice Wizard - Mary Pope Osborne [8]
“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