Winter of the Ice Wizard

arm of his throne.
    Jack and Annie gasped and stepped back. The wizard slammed the hailstone against his throne again. This time, the ice cracked.
    The wizard gently pried his eye out of theheart of the hailstone. He lifted the frozen eyeball into the air and studied it in the light. Then, with an eager cry, he ripped off his eye patch.
    Jack and Annie watched in amazement as the wizard fitted the eye into its dark, empty socket. Jack held his breath. He was horrified, yet fascinated. He couldn’t imagine someone just shoving an eye back into his head.
    The wizard slowly lowered his hand. He seemed to be holding his breath. He had two eyes. But the new one didn’t move. It looked as if it was still frozen.
    Jack grew worried. If the eye didn’t work, the wizard might not help them. “We—we brought you your eye,” he said. “So can you tell us where Merlin and Morgan are now?”
    The wizard jerked his head to look at Jack. He covered one eye with his hand. Then he covered the other. In a frenzy, he went back and forth, covering and uncovering each eye.
    Finally the wizard dropped his hand androared, “NO!” The wizard’s howl shook the ice columns. “You have tricked me!”

    â€œNo we haven’t,” said Annie.
    â€œThis eye is useless!” cried the wizard. “It has no life! No sight!”
    â€œBut that’s the eye you gave to the Norns,”said Annie. “You promised if we brought it back, you’d give us Merlin and Morgan.”
    The two white wolves threw back their heads and howled.
    â€œNO!” cried the wizard. “You tricked me! You tricked me!”
    â€œLet’s get out of here,” whispered Jack. He pulled Annie toward the ice columns.

    â€œSTOP!” shouted the wizard. “YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!” He grabbed Merlin’s Staff of Strength. The wolves growled and yelped. The wizard pointed the staff at Jack and Annie. He started to say a spell—“RO-EEE—”
    â€œWAIT!” someone yelled. Teddy burst into the throne room. “Wait! Wait!”
    The wizard held his staff in the air. He stared wildly at Teddy. His face was twisted with rage.
    â€œWe have something for you!” Teddy shouted at the wizard. “Kathleen!” he called.
    Kathleen stepped out from behind the ice columns. With her was a young woman with long braids. The woman wore a flowing dress. Around her shoulders was a white feathered cloak. Her eyes rested on the wizard, and a radiant smile spread over her face. She began walking slowly toward the throne.
    The wizard lowered Merlin’s Staff of Strength. He stared back at the young woman. All the color drained from his face. For a long moment, he was as still as a statue. Then an ice-blue tear leaked out of his frozen eye and ran down his white cheek.
    Jack and Annie stood with Kathleen andTeddy. They all watched the young woman and the Ice Wizard gaze silently at each other.

    â€œIs she his sister, the swan maiden?” whispered Annie.
    â€œYes,” whispered Kathleen.
    The swan maiden spoke to the Ice Wizard in a strange language—
“Val-ee-ven-o-wan.”
    The wizard did not answer. Tears flowed gently now from both his eyes.
    â€œVal-ee-ven-o-wan,”
the swan maiden said again.
    â€œWhat’s she saying?” Jack asked.
    â€œShe is saying,
I have come back to forgive you,
” said Kathleen.
    The wizard stood up. He walked down the steps from his throne. He gently touched the swan maiden’s face, as if to make sure she was real. Then he answered her softly in the strange language.
“Fel-o-wan.”
    â€œHow did you find her?” Jack asked Teddy.
    â€œA seal took us under the ice to the Isle of the Swans,” said Teddy.
    â€œWhen we found her, I told her how much the wizard has missed her,” said Kathleen. “I also told her about the two of you and how you always help each other. I told her she should return to her brother and be his friend again.”
    The wizard and his sister kept speaking softly to each other in their strange language. Warm sunlight shimmered through the palace windows.
    Annie stepped forward. “Um—excuse me,” she said.
    The wizard looked at her. “My sister has returned home,” he said with wonder. “I can see with both eyes now. I can see perfectly.”
    â€œI’m glad,” said Annie. “But now you must give Merlin and Morgan