Winter of the Ice Wizard

ORDERS!” the wizard roared at her.
    â€œHey, don’t yell at my sister!” said Jack.
    The wizard raised a bushy eyebrow. “You are brother and sister?” he said.
    â€œYes,” said Jack.
    The wizard nodded slowly. His voice grew softer. “And you protect your sister,” he said.
    â€œWe protect each other,” said Jack.
    â€œI see,” whispered the wizard. Then his voice turned gruff again. “Long ago, I traded my eye for something I wanted very much. But I never got what I wanted. So now I want my eye back.”
    â€œWho did you trade with?” asked Annie.
    â€œThe Fates!” said the wizard. “I traded with the Fates! But they cheated me! And that iswhy I sent for you and Jack. You must go to the Fates and find my eye, and you must go alone.”
    â€œWhy alone?” asked Jack.
    â€œBecause only mortals can undo a bargain with the Fates,” said the Ice Wizard, “not wizards like me—nor seal girls, nor the sons of sorcerers, like your two friends.”
    â€œBut Jack and I succeeded in our other missions because Teddy and Kathleen or Morgan and Merlin helped us,” said Annie.
    â€œWhat kind of help did they give you?” said the wizard.
    â€œWell, mostly magic rhymes and riddles,” said Annie.
    â€œAh. Then I shall do the same,” said the wizard. He thought for a moment, then leaned forward on his throne. In a growly voice, he said:
    Take my sleigh
    And find your way
    To the House of the Norns
    In the curve of the bay.
    Pay them whatever
    They tell you to pay.
    And bring back my eye
    By break of day.
    The wizard reached into the folds of his ragged robe and pulled out a thick string with a row of knots. “This wind-string will speed you on your journey,” he said. He tossed the string to Jack.
    What’s a wind-string?
Jack wondered.
And who are the Norns?
    Before Jack could ask any questions, the Ice Wizard pointed at him. “Now listen carefully to this warning,” he said. “Beware the white wolves of the night. They may follow you on your quest. Never let them catch up with you. If they catch you, they will eat you!”
    Jack felt a chill run down his spine.
    The Ice Wizard picked up a carved wooden stick from the floor beside his throne. Its smooth, polished wood glowed in the moonlight.
    Teddy gasped. “ ’Tis Merlin’s Staff of Strength!” he said.
    â€œIndeed,” said the wizard. He turned to Jack and Annie. “Go now and find my eye,” he said. “Or you will never see Merlin and Morgan le Fay again.”
    â€œWhat have you done with them?” cried Annie.
    The wizard stared at her coldly. “I will not tell you,” he said. “You will see them again
only
if you return my eye before the break of day.”
    â€œBut—” said Annie.
    â€œNo more questions!” said the wizard. “Be on your way!” Before any of them could speak, the Ice Wizard slashed the air with Merlin’s Staff of Strength and shouted a spell—“OW-NIGH!”
    A flash of blue fire shot from the end of the staff. In an instant, Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen found themselves outside the palace in the freezing night.

J ack sat on the frozen ground. Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen sat nearby. They were all too shocked to speak. The night was quiet. Overhead the full moon shined brightly, and a few cold stars twinkled in the clear sky.
    Finally Annie broke the silence. “I wonder what he did to Merlin and Morgan,” she said.
    â€œI wonder where you will find his eye,” said Teddy.
    â€œI wonder how we’ll carry it around,” said Jack.
    â€œAnd I wonder if the wolves are near,” said Kathleen. She stood up and looked around, pulling her cloak tightly around her.
    â€œWell, does anyone remember the Ice Wizard’s rhyme?” said Teddy.
    â€œYes,” said Kathleen. She repeated the rhyme perfectly by heart:
    Take my sleigh
    And find your way
    To the House of the Norns
    In the curve of the bay.
    Pay them whatever
    They tell you to pay
    And bring back my eye
    By break of day.
    â€œWhat are
Norns
?” asked Jack.
    â€œI have read about the Norns in Morgan’s books,” said Teddy. “They are known as the Sisters of Fate. They spend their days weaving great tapestries. Their weaving determines the fate of all who live in the Land-Behind-the-Clouds.”
    â€œSo the Norns have his