《神奇树屋》 第三十二册 Winter of the Ice Wizard 07 The Frost Giant

　　HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF... With each breathfrom the Frost Giant, a blast of cold wind sweptthrough the hollow.



Jack 1 trembled. He felt chilled to the bone. HUFFFF,HUFFFF, HUFFFFF....



The giant's breathing grew louder and stronger.



Jack squeezed his eyes shut as icy, wet wind rushedagainst his body.



HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF....



Jack crouched 2 lower and held on tightly to Annie.



78HUFFFF, HUFFFF, HUFFFFF....



The giant's breath howled like a hundred ghoststhrough the hollow. Jack thought of the blue Norn'swords: He is a blind force of nature that sparesnothing in his path....



But then the giant's breathing seemed to grow a bitsofter. What's happening? Jack wondered.



The breathing grew softer and softer. "Maybe he'sgoing to sleep," Annie whispered.



The breathing became calm and steady. The winddied to a light breeze.



"I think the Frost Giant is sleeping," Anniewhispered. "We should try to sneak 3 out of here.""Okay, but keep your eyes down. Just look at theground!" whispered Jack.



"Right," whispered Annie.



Their heads bowed, Jack and Annie crept cautiouslyacross the floor of the hollow and began climbing uptoward the crack. Jack's teeth chattered 4, but hecouldn't tell if it was from cold or fear.



79Suddenly a deafening 5 roar shook the night! TheFrost Giant screamed with windy rage! He wasawake!



Jack was blown to the ground. He tried to crawlacross the snow, but he didn't know which way to go,and he was afraid to look up.



"Jack! This way!" Annie's voice called above theroar of the giant's breath. She helped him up and theystruggled together against the wind. Finally theycame to the crack in the wall.



Jack and Annie scrambled 6 through the crack.



Outside, the wild wind knocked them over, and theytumbled down the side of the hill.



The wind swirled 7 the snow across the plain.



"Annie! Annie!" Jack called. Where was she? Wherewas the sleigh? He couldn't see anything. He couldn'tstay on his feet.



The wind roared even louder. An avalanche 8 ofsnow came crashing down the hillside. When it hitthe ground, the snow exploded into great clouds ofwhite powder.



80"Jack! Jack!"[ILLUSTRATION: Jack kneeling in the snow whilean avalanche comes from behind him.]



81[ILLUSTRATION: Jack tumbling down in anavalanche.]



82Jack heard Annie's voice in the screaming wind. Hetried to stand up. But snow kept falling on top of him,until he was completely covered.



As Jack lay buried under the snow, all his strengthleft his body. He knew he should dig his way out, buthe was too cold and too tired. He was too tired to lookfor Annie. He was too tired to fight the Frost Giant.



Instead, he closed his eyes and drifted into an icysleep.



Jack dreamed that cold fur was brushing against hisface. He dreamed that a wolf was digging aroundhim, nudging him, pushing him, sniffing 9 him....



Jack opened his eyes. He felt dazed. At first hecouldn't see. But he could feel that he wasn't buried insnow anymore. He wiped off his glasses. He saw alow moon and some stars in a clear sky.



83The Frost Giant must have left, Jack thought. Butthen he heard a panting noise. He sat up and lookedaround. One of the white wolves was crouching 10 rightbehind him!



Jack scrambled to his feet. "Go away!" he shouted.



The wolf stepped back and growled 11.



"Go! Go! Go!" shouted Jack. He picked up handfulsof snow and threw them at the wolf.



The wolf backed away a few more feet. Jack lookedaround wildly. Annie was lying very still on top ofthe snow. The other white wolf was sniffing andpawing at her.



Jack's anger made him fearless. "Leave her alone!"he shouted. "Go away!" He scooped 12 up more snowand threw it.



The wolf stepped back.



"GO! GO!" shouted Jack. "Get away! Leave usalone!" He glared angrily at the two white wolves.



The wolves stared back at Jack. Their yellow eyesgleamed.



"I'm not kidding--GO!" shouted Jack.



84[ILLUSTRATION: Annie lying on the snow whileJack Stares at two white wolves.]



85Jack stared fiercely at the wolves. Finally thewolves looked away. They glanced at each other andthen slowly backed off. They looked at Jack andAnnie one last time. Then they turned and trottedaway over the snow.



Jack rushed to Annie. He knelt beside her and liftedher head. "Wake up! Wake up!" he said.



Annie opened her eyes.



"You okay?" Jack asked.



"Yes... I dreamed about white wolves," Anniemurmured.



"Me too!" said Jack. "And then when I woke up,they were here! They were about to eat us!""Really?" Annie sat up and looked around.



"Yeah, but I scared them off," said Jack.



"What about the Frost Giant?" Annie said.



"He's gone, too," said Jack. "Come on. Let's get outof here!" Jack helped Annie up from the snow. "Doyou still have the wizard's eye?"Annie felt in her pocket. "Got it," she said.



"Good." Jack looked around. Beyond the86heaps of fallen snow, the silver sleigh was waitingfor them. Overhead, the sky had turned to a lightshade of gray.



"It's almost dawn," said Jack. "Remember what thewizard said? We have to bring back his eye by thebreak of day--or we'll never see Merlin or Morganagain!"Jack held Annie's hand and they trudged 13 togetherthrough the snow. When they got to the sleigh, theyclimbed inside. Annie took her place at the rudder.



Jack pulled out the wind-string and untied 14 a knot.



The breeze rocked the sleigh. Jack untied a secondknot, and the sail began to fill. He untied a third, andthe silver sleigh moved forward, gliding 15 over thewhite ground.



Swish--swish--swish. The sleigh moved through thethick snow and away from the Hollow Hill. As theysailed over the white plain, the sky was turning fromgray to pale pink.



"We have to go faster!" said Annie.



87Jack untied a fourth knot. The wind whistled in hisears. The sleigh picked up speed. Annie steered 16 it pastthe rocks and over the sea ice. She steered it over theplain, south to the palace of the Ice Wizard.



When the sleigh drew close to the palace, Jack tieda knot, and they began to slow down. He tied threemore, and the sleigh came to a stop.



Jack and Annie looked around in the faint, coldlight. "I wonder where Teddy and Kathleen are," saidAnnie. 'They said they'd meet us here at dawn."Jack studied the vast white plain, but he saw nosign of their friends. He wished he had Kathleen'svision. "I hope they're okay," he said. "I hope theydidn't run into the white wolves.""I have a feeling the wolves wouldn't hurt them,"said Annie. "The wolf in my dream seemed nice.""Dream wolves are different from real wolves," saidJack.



"I don't think we can wait for them," said88Annie. "The eye has to be back by the time the suncomes up.""The eye!" said Jack. "We never looked to see if itwas inside the hailstone."Annie reached in her pocket and pulled out thehailstone. She held it up.



89Jack gasped 17. Staring out at him from inside the icewas an eyeball. It was about the size of a largemarble. The eyeball was white with a sparkling bluecenter.



"Oh, man," whispered Jack.



"It's beautiful, isn't it?" said Annie.

90"I don't know about that." Jack felt a little queasy 18.



Seeing an eye outside of a human head was too weirdfor him. "Put it away for now," he said.



Annie put the hailstone back in her pocket. Jacklooked around again. The sky had brightened frompale pink to red. A thin sliver 20 of the sun was peekingover the horizon.



"The sun!" cried Jack. "Hurry!" He and Anniejumped out of the sleigh and charged toward thepalace.



When they got to the entrance, Annie stopped.



"Look!" she said, pointing to big paw prints in thesnow. "Wolf tracks!""Oh, no," said Jack. "Do you think the white wolvesare inside? That's weird 19.""It doesn't matter! We have to go in! Hurry!" saidAnnie. They rushed into the palace--just as the fieryball of the sun rose over the horizon.