Winter of the Ice Wizard: A Merlin Mission by Mary Pope Osborne

Author:Mary Pope Osborne [Osborne, Mary Pope]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Ages 6 and up
ISBN: 9780375894541
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2004-09-28T07:00:00+00:00

“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.…

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