Winter of the Ice Wizard

beautiful girl he had ever seen. Even when she’d been a seal, she’d been lovely.
    â€œWe went looking for you!” said Teddy. “We climbed down and walked through the woods to a road.”
    â€œBut the road was full of monsters!” said Kathleen. “A big red creature nearly ran over us! It made a honking sound!”
    â€œThen before we knew it, a giant black monster charged at us! It had a ferocious growl!” said Teddy. “We came back here to gather our wits.”
    â€œThose weren’t monsters!” said Annie, laughing. “They were just cars!”
    â€œCars?” said Teddy.
    â€œYeah, they have motors and people drive them,” said Jack.
    â€œMotors?” said Teddy.
    â€œIt’s hard to explain,” said Annie. “Just remember—in our world, you have to watch out for cars every time you cross a road.”
    â€œIndeed we will,” said Teddy.
    â€œWhy have you come here?” asked Jack.
    â€œWe found a message for you in Merlin’s chambers,” said Teddy, “and decided to deliver it ourselves.”
    â€œSo we climbed into the tree house outside Morgan’s library,” said Kathleen. “Teddy pointed to the words
Frog Creek
in the message and made a wish to come here. The next thing we knew, we were here in these woods.”
    Teddy pulled a small gray stone from his cloak. “And
this
is the message we brought you,” he said.
    Jack took the stone from Teddy.
    The message was written in tiny handwriting. Jack read it aloud:

    â€œOh, wow,” said Annie. “That sounds serious.”
    â€œYeah,” said Jack. “But why didn’t Merlin send us the message himself?”
    â€œWe do not know,” said Teddy. “Neither Merlin nor Morgan has been seen for days.”
    â€œWhere did they go?” asked Annie.
    â€œÂ â€™Tis a mystery,” said Teddy. “Last week I journeyed to the selkie cove to bring Kathleento Camelot. She is going to be a helper in Morgan’s library. But when we returned, we could not find Merlin or Morgan.”
    â€œWe only found this message for you,” said Kathleen.
    â€œAye, and I thought that when Merlin
does
return,” said Teddy, “he will be greatly pleased to have his staff back. Much of his power comes from its ancient and mysterious magic.”
    â€œWow,” said Annie.
    â€œIn his message, he tells us to go to the Land-Behind-the-Clouds,” said Jack. “Where’s that?”
    â€œÂ â€™Tis a land far north of my cove,” said Kathleen. “I have never journeyed there.”
    â€œNor I,” said Teddy. “But I have read about it in Morgan’s books. ’Tis as bleak as a frozen white desert. I am eager to see it for myself.”
    â€œSo you and Kathleen are coming with us?” said Annie.
    â€œIndeed!” said Kathleen.
    â€œGreat!” said Jack and Annie together.
    â€œIf we all work together, we can do anything, aye?” said Teddy.
    â€œAye!” said Annie.
    I hope so,
thought Jack.
    Annie pointed at the words
Land-Behind-the-Clouds
in Merlin’s message. “Okay, ready?” she said to the others.
    â€œYes!” said Kathleen.
    â€œI guess so,” said Jack.
    â€œOnward!” said Teddy.
    â€œI 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.

J ack 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.
    â€œThe books were right,” said Teddy, his teeth chattering. “ ’Tis bleak here indeed.”
    â€œNo, ’tis lovely,” said Kathleen. “ ’Tis the land where the northern seal people live.”
    â€œCool,” 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.
    â€œLet 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