The small boy's pale skin turned the color of ashes. Then he wiggled and stretched himself up to the size of a tall man.
"No...no..." Eric mumbled. "It can't be!"
The figure's narrow shoulders broadened. His rags fell away to reveal a long black cloak. But the worst part was the purple fins that sprouted behind his ears.
"Sparr is here!" Eric cried. "Help!"
He raced as fast as he could to the palace.
Galen ran down the steps. A dozen armed guards dashed out with him. "Eric, what is it?"
"I messed up! I messed up big-time!" Eric said, falling to the steps, his heart racing with fear. "Sparr tricked me! I let him in! I helped him!"
Neal, Julie, and Keeah rushed to Eric.
"Hide, all of you," the wizard said sharply, striding out to the courtyard. "Guards, come!"
The four kids crept out as far as they could, then ducked behind a tall snowdrift. Max skittered out of the palace and huddled with them.
"How stupid could I be?" Eric groaned softly.
Lord Sparr stood by the gate. His deep eyes flickered and blazed red. His transformation was complete.
"Seize him!" Galen called out. A dozen of the king's soldiers quickly surrounded Sparr.
The sorcerer bared his teeth in an evil grin. "How rude to treat an invited guest with such...coldness!" His fingers sparked suddenly.
"Galen, watch out!" Keeah cried. She raised her own hand. A beam of pale light shot from it.
It fizzled and vanished in an instant.
Blam! Sparr's bolt struck the wizard. Galen was thrown backward in the snow.
Then he stopped moving.
His blue robe went stiff. His long white hair and beard turned into ice. Frost crept over his cheeks, his forehead, his nose.
"Oh, Galen!" Max whimpered. "No...no..."
The wizard's eyes went glassy. "So cold!" he said. Then he said no more.
Before the guards could move - kkk! Another bolt of light shot from Sparr. The guards turned to ice as quickly as Galen had.
The wolves howled deep in their cave. Sparr smiled. "Yes, even you shall fall to my curse."
Kkkk! Blam! The wolves howled no more.
"We've got to stop this guy!" Eric whispered.
Boom-boom-boom! There came a loud knocking on the gates. Sparr turned. With a flick of his wrist, the gates opened. "Come, my Ninns!"
"Oh, great!" Neal groaned. "Now he's inviting his Ninns in, too! A regular party of evil dudes!"
Twenty of Sparr's heavy-footed, red-faced Ninn warriors clomped into the courtyard.
Some of them carried huge hammers over their shoulders. Others had bows and arrows.
They grunted and bowed before their master.
"You four, bring me the amulet of Zor," the sorcerer commanded.
"Yes, Lord Sparr," growled the chief Ninn.
"You three, take the old wizard to the throne room," Sparr said. "The rest of you, find the children. The boy helped me get in. But his usefulness is done. Now, destroy them all!"
Sparr swirled his cloak and swept up the steps into the palace.
The children quaked with fear.
"Keeah," whispered Julie. "You must know a spell against this. Don't you have some magic that will unfreeze the wizard?"
Keeah hung her head. "My magic failed when I needed it most" Her tears fell to the ground and turned to ice.
"Don't despair, princess," Max whispered. "Galen will be fine. At least...I hope he will!"
"Well, there's got to be something we can do," said Eric.
Neal turned to Eric, "A..."
"A what?" Eric asked. "You have an idea?"
"A...a..." Neal said, shivering.
"Tell us!" Julie whispered.
"A...a...choo!" Neal sneezed loudly.
"Huh?" grunted one of the Ninns in the courtyard. He pointed to the drift where the kids were hiding. "Snow...sneeze?"
"Not snow! Little ones!" shouted another.
The Ninns loaded their bows and arrows.
"That's our cue to get out of here!" Julie said.
"Let's hide in the market," Keeah said. "We can lose the Ninns there!"
"Better than losing our lives here!" Neal said.
The five friends bolted up in a swirl of snow and took off across the courtyard.
The angry Ninns clomped right after them!
